SERMON OUTLINE:
• (1). The ‘fruit of the Spirit’ is a reflection of God’s character
• (2). Question: What is faithfulness?
• (3). Answer: "Faithfulness is love hanging on." It is love saying, "I will not quit."
• (4). In Practice: (a). Faith in Christ. (b). Faithfulness of life.
• (5). Principle to apply: ‘Being faithful in the small things, prepares you for the big things!’
SERMONBODY:
ill:
• Anne Mansfield Sullivan had a host of folks telling her:
• That the blind 7 year old brat she was teaching was just not worth it.
• Anne persisted in spite of:
• Temper tantrums, physical abuse, meal time madness & even thankless parents.
• In her heart she knew it was worth the pain:
• Within 2 years the death and blind girl was able to read and write in Braille.
• She ultimately graduated from Radcliffe college,
• Where Anne Sullivan had spelled each lecture into her hand.
• She was the first deafblind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree.
• The name of that pupil was 'Helen Keller':
• Who then devoted the rest of her life to aiding the deaf and the blind.
• While we all probably know the name and possibly the story of Helen Keller;
• It was the faithfulness of Anne Mansfield Sullivan;
• That helped made Helen Keller to become the great woman she became.
• Anne Mansfield Sullivan exhibited a life of incredible loyalty to Helen Keller.
• She demonstrated great trustworthiness and reliability.
• She was faithful!
• TRANSITION: Faithfulness is the seventh in the list of the fruit of the Spirit.
• Essentially, faithfulness is loyalty, allegiance to God;
• And also to His teachings which we should allow to shape how we think and act.
Quote: Vance Havner the American preacher and author says,
“God is faithful, and He expects His people to be faithful.
God’s Word speaks of faithful servants, faithful in a few things, faithful in the least, faithful in the Lord, faithful ministers. And all points up that day when He will say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
“What terrible times we have in our churches trying to keep people faithful in attendance and loyalty! How we reward and picnic and coax and tantalize church members into doing things they don’t want to do but which they would do if they loved God! The only service that counts is faithful service. “True faith shows up in faithfulness. Not everyone can sing or preach, but all can be faithful.”
• TRANSITION:
• This morning we are carrying on your studies on ‘the fruit of the Spirit’.
• Today we are looking at ‘faithfulness’;
• Based on Galatians chapter 5 verse 22-23:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”
Question: How many ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ did I read?
Answer:
• People normally say nine but actually there is only one!
• Did you not notice that your Bible has ‘fruit’ singular not ‘fruits’ plural!
• In fact there is really only one fruit of the Spirit and that is ‘love’,
• All the other characteristics mentioned are the results of love.
• i.e. For if we love someone then we are joyful with them.
• i.e. For if we love someone then we are patient with them.
• i.e. For if we love someone then we are good towards them.
• i.e. And so on.
Ill:
• If you remember a fruit juice drink called ‘Five Alive’ you’ll get the idea.
• It was one drink, made up of five different flavours.
• So it is with the fruit of the Spirit.
• There is one fruit, but there are nine flavours.
What we see in verses 22-23 is the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ from 9 aspects.
• ill: Diamond.
• It can be viewed at different angles and in different lights.
• Each turn of the hand reveals further beauty of this magnificent stone.
(1). The ‘fruit of the Spirit’ is a reflection of God’s character:
• After all there must be a connection between fruit and root.
• i.e. An apple tree produces apples, an orange tree produces oranges etc.
• That is true in horticulture but also true in spiritual things.
• These aspects of the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ listed by Paul;
• Could just as easily be listed as characteristics of the nature of God.
• i.e. ‘Love’ – 1 John chapter 4 verse 16:
• “God is love”
• i.e. ‘Joy’ – Zephaniah chapter 3 verse 17:
• “He will rejoice over you”
• i.e. ‘Peace’ – Hebrews chapter 13 verse 20:
• “The God of peace”
• i.e. ‘Patience’ – 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9:
• “He is patient with you”
• i.e. ‘Kindness’ – Ephesians chapter 2 verse 7:
• “His kindness to us”
• i.e. ‘Goodness’ – Psalm 27 verse 13:
• “I will see the goodness of the Lord”
• i.e. ‘Faithfulness’ – Lamentations chapter 3 verse 23:
• “Great is your faithfulness”
• i.e. ‘Meekness’ – Matthew chapter 11 verse 29:
• N.I.V.: “I am gentle and humble” or K.J.B.: “I am meek and lowly in heart”
• i.e. ‘Self-control’ – Luke chapter 1 verse 51:
• “He has shown strength” (related Greek word)
• These aspects of the ‘fruit of the Spirit’
• Could just as easily be listed as characteristics of the nature of God.
• But that might lead to a problem.
• We are fallible creatures and not perfect like Almighty God.
Ill:
• Story of a little boy who went down to his chicken hutch;
• When he saw how small the eggs were he was really disappointed.
• So he went up to his bedroom and returned with a shoebox;
• In the shoebox was lots of straw and an ostrich egg.
• The boy held the ostrich egg up to the chickens and said;
• “Take a good look at this and try harder!”
Humanly speaking:
• There is as much chance of us consistently displaying these characteristics;
• As a chicken laying ostrich eggs.
• But they are not called the characteristics of human effort of good intentions;
• They are called the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ and therefore they are not outside of our domain.
• Because EVERY Christian has the Holy Spirit resident in their lives!
• He is given to us at conversion!
• Every Christian can with his abiding produce this type of fruit.
Ill:
• Fruit comes out of life!
• A factory may package fruit in tins etc.
• But it cannot create it or grow it.
• Fruit must grow out of life.
And when we have life – that is when we are ‘born again’ i.e. converted:
• Might be good to stop for a moment and asked the question;
• Are you converted? Are you a follower of Jesus.
• Have you accepted this gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ the Son.
Ill:
• DVD Clip: ‘I once was lost (Amazing Grace II)
• http://www.sermonspice.com/
• Are you converted? Are you a follower of Jesus.
• Have you experienced the faithful love of God in your life.
• Call out this morning and accept this gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ the Son.
• Now we are given the Holy Spirit;
• And we are expected to produce fruit.
• Quote: “Remember God wants spiritual fruits no religious nuts”.
(2). The ‘fruit of the Spirit is Faithfulness’:
• Now remember that ‘faithfulness’ is a ‘fruit of the Spirit’.
• Not the fruit of human effort and good intentions;
• We cannot consistently produce the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ in our own lives;
• Without God’s help.
• i.e. We are like a mobile phone that has not been charged up;
• We have the potential but not the power.
• Even the most expensive phone in the world is only as good as its battery!
• TRANSITION: We need the power and enabling of the Holy Spirit each day;
• If we are to consistently produce the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ in our lives.
Question: What is faithfulness?
• Faithfulness is not a very common word these days.
• Perhaps it is not so common because people don’t seem to need it anymore.
Example #1:
• ill: We used to hear it used concerning couples celebrating a silver wedding anniversary.
• Twenty-five years of faithful, loving support given to each other.
• Some card shops (Hallmark) now have a card that fits the mood of our time by saying;
• "I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you today."
• That’s about as deep a commitment as some are willing to make.
• Not sure my wife would have been too impressed if when we got married;
• My wedding vow was:
• “I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.
• I will love you and honour you today, but not sure about next week!”
Example #2:
• ill: People used have what was called ‘jobs for life’
• A life-time of service working for the same company.
• And at the end of that service they used to give them a watch or a clock.
• Not sure why they gave them a watch or a clock;
• Reminds me of the joke/story…
• The wife who told her husband;
• “When you die, I am going to have you cremated and his ashes made into an egg-timer”.
• The husband asked; “Why an egg-timer?”
• And wife replied;
• “Well you never did any work while you were alive,
• So he might as well do some when your dead!”
Example #3:
• ill: In football players like Ryan Giggs were seen as ‘one club’ players;
• But now it seems if a player can make some money or a chance of success;
• They are off to another club straight away.
Question: What is faithfulness?
Answer:
• ill: If you looked in the dictionary, you would find a technical definition that says,
• "To follow through with a commitment regardless of difficulty."
• That’s a good definition but rather bland.
• But let me give you one that may be easier to remember,
• One that fits the biblical meaning of the word ‘faithfulness’.
• "Faithfulness is love hanging on." It is love saying, "I will not quit”
• There may be misunderstandings, there may be disappointments,
• There may be discouragements, but I will not quit.
• "It is love hanging on.”
• ill: The Greek word ‘pistis’ translated in our English bibles as “faithfulness”;
• Is actually the same word we translate for “faith”.
• In fact some translations of the Bible use the word ‘faith’, in verse 23;
• Instead of the word ‘faithfulness’.
• The word can mean one of two things.
• So let’s look at them both!
FIRST: FAITH IN CHRIST - THAT IS BELIEVERS BELIEVING IN JESUS.
Ill:
• When they were translating the Bible for the Inuit people;
• The translators had a hard time finding a word for “believe.”
• One day, a Bible translator and an Inuit man were going for a walk.
• Outside the ice on the water was just thick enough to walk on,
• So the Inuit man stepped out on the ice and bounced a little to see if it would hold him.
• The translator asked what he called walking on the ice,
• And he knew straight away that he had found his missing word.
• To ‘believe’ is ‘to place one whole weight on’.
Ill:
• Chatting to a Jehovah’s Witness on Thursday;
• I said (true story) my friend Ivor was diagnosed this week with cancer;
• I asked her straight: “What message of hope do you have for him?”
• Her response was lots of talk but no definite answer;
• Because they haven’t got one! They have no ‘gospel’ no message of ‘good news’.
• Do I shared with her the apostle Peter’s message to the crowds on the day of Pentecost;
• He had just finished preaching the very first Christian sermon,
• The crowd responded by saying (Acts chapter 2 verse 37);
• “’What shall we do?’”
• Peter reply was short and simple; “Have faith in Jesus!”
• He said:
‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Ill:
• When the jailor in Philippi asked the question (Acts chapter 16 verse 30):
• “What must we do to be saved?”
• The apostle Paul replied: “‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’”
• TRANSITION: The Greek word ‘pistis’ translated in English bibles as “faithfulness”;
• Is actually the same word we translate for “faith”.
• We are to keep trusting in Jesus!
SECOND: FAITHFULNESS OF LIFE.
• The Bible has a lot to say regarding faith:
• Here are some examples that challenge us to be faithful.
• e.g. 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 1-2:
• Challenges us to be faithful in stewardship.
• e.g. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 21:
• Talks about being faithful in service.
• e.g. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 9:
• Speaks of being faithful in our marriages.
• e.g. Revelation chapter 2 verse 15:
• Speaks of being faithful in witnessing.
• e.g. Romans 12:12:
• Says we are to be faithful in prayer.
• e.g. Colossians 1:7: s
• Speaks of being faithful in ministry.
• e.g. Revelation 17:14:
• Says we are to be faithful in following the Lord.
• e.g. Proverbs 31:26:
• Speaks of faithful instruction.
• e.g. 3rd John 3:
• Says we are to be faithful in the truth.
• e.g. Revelation 13:10:
• Speaks of faithfulness even in times of persecution.
• e.g. Revelation 2:10:
• Says we are to be faithful unto death!
Question: How can we cultivate faithfulness in our lives?
Answer:
• Important principle to follow!
• ‘Being faithful in the small things, prepares you for the big things!’
Example #1: Matthew chapter 25 verse 21
“His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”
Example #2: Luke chapter 16 verse 10.
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
Ill:
• A young preacher once approached the Bible teacher & author Dr. F. B. Meyer;
• And asked him how he could one day;
• Become as influential and well-known as Dr. Meyer.
• Dr. Meyer responded,
“Don’t waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come.
But faithfully handle the little things that are always claiming your attention.”
Conclusion:
• Remember that ‘fruit of the Spirit’ is not called;
• The characteristics of human effort of good intentions;
• It is called the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ for a very important reason!
Ill:
• Fruit comes out of life!
• A factory may package fruit in tins etc.
• But it cannot create it or grow it.
• Fruit must grow out of life.
And when we have life – that is when we are ‘born again’ i.e. converted:
• So as we conclude let me ask you;
• Are you converted? Are you a follower of Jesus?
• Have you accepted this gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ the Son?
• If not why not?
Christian remember:
• Only as you remain in Jesus will you experience the power of Jesus;
• To display the in your life!
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”
Audio link:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=luBlqRvh15Gt0qWBV3NADMKnyrdI7llo&forceSave&filename=The+Fruit+of+the+Spirit+is+Faithfulness+-+Galatians+chapter+5+verses+22-25+-+sermon+by+Gordon+Curley.mp3
