#7 STUDY OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT:
Faithfulness/Faith
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
We have broken the nine into three groups.
1. Inward: love, joy, peace
2. Outward: longsuffering-patience,
gentleness-kindness, goodness.
3. Godward: faith-faithfulness, meekness,
temperance-self control.
Today’s study of FAITH/FAITHFULNESS --
THIS IS OUR 7TH STUDY, THE FIRST FRUIT OF THE GODWARD/UPWARD GROUP.
THERE ARE TWO MORE TO FOLLOW.
TEXT:
1 Cor. 4:2 Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man (woman) be found faithful.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
Matthew 25:21 No man having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.
Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is the least is faithful also in the much, and he that is unjust in the least is unjust in the much.
11. If there ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12. If therefore ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
Roman 10:12 Faith comes from hearing the Word of God...
ARE YOU FAITHFUL? Can the preacher count on you? Can God count on you?
Perhaps, God wanders today, why some ask for so much yet they are never faithful?
We must grow the fruit of faithfulness to become what God has planned for us.
Contrary to popular opinion, the Bible is truth and all else becomes lies or deceit.
We must weigh what God thinks of faithfulness and then press toward His Goal.
Sunday School is so optional, that many churches
are deleting Sunday school,
just as one would delete emails from the computer.
People being unfaithful control the tone?
We need faithfulness in S.S. for it develops
learning opportunities, with a chance of building
better relationships with other people and
families.
1. WHAT IS FAITH/FAITHFULNESS?
The same word for faithfulness is the same word for
faith!
--to build up --to foster as a parent
--to nourish --steadfast --stability
--trustworthiness --establish --firm, secure
--reliability --dependability --sure
--constant
Faithfulness must be Godward, but it must reach to
the family and to fellowman.
The Word, consistent PRAYER LIFE, and FAITHFULNESS
TO THE LOCAL BODY
will build better people and a better community.
We don’t use people to build better churches,
we use the church to build better people.
WE HAVE TOO MANY "GRASSHOPPER PROPHETS" TODAY.
We have too many unfaithful people jumping from
here to there, with no root structure, that want to
tell the faithful what is wrong, and where to get
off.
My Bible says, 1 Cor. 4:2 Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man (woman) be found faithful.
Don’t tell others to be faithful, model to them, SHOW THEM.
2.GOD IS FAITHFUL, AND HE EXPECTS THE SAME OF US!
Psalms 119:138 Thy testimonies are faithful.
God honors His Word by being Faithful to it!
1 Cor. 10:13 God is faithful, who will not allow you
to be tested above that you are able to bear, but
with the testing make a way of escape, that you will
be able to bear it.
2 Thes. 3:3 The Lord is faithful, who will establish
us and protect us from evil.
3. JESUS IS FAITHFUL!
Rev. 1:5 From Jesus Christ, the FAITHFUL WITNESS
Rev. 19: 11 He that sat upon the white horse was
called FAITHFUL and TRUE!
Jesus is faithfulness personified. He is reliable,
trustworthy, and steadfast!
4. Faithfulness to CHURCH HONORS GOD.
When we gather together, we pay homage, love, and
respect to the Most High and the Most Holy.
Faithfulness to church is the best witness you can
give to the community and your family!
5. FAITHFULNESS IS DEMANDED BY GOD OF HIS PEOPLE! It is not optional, it is a requirement.
1 Cor. 4:2 Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man (woman) be found faithful.
If there are not roots there will be no fruits.
We must develop faithfulness in attendance, in
giving, in Bible reading and study, in works and in
obedience,and in prayer.
Read 1 Cor.9:7
6. GOD WANTS AND NEEDS YOU FAITHFUL IN CHURCH ATTENDANCE.
Heb. 10:25 Forsaking not the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is; and
so much the more, as you see that day approaching.
Every individual is accountable. You reap what you
sow, lazy church attendance usually means lazy
giving patterns? Lazy witness patterns?
Coming together as individuals strengthens the
church as well as the individual.
7. YOUR FAMILY NEEDS TO LEARN FAITHFULNESS TO THE LOCAL BODY!!
I begged a friend of mine to go to church with us
and take her son.
She refused, but she allowed me to take her son. I
did for years.
When he got 13, he slept late just like his Mom and
Dad.
I moved away.
Years later, I received a call, Momma was crying.
Her son had stolen some guns and was in jail.
We looked though the bars, at this precious young
man.
His momma cried, "Please, go to church with me,
PLEASE?"
With cold bitterness, the son replied,
"Momma, I begged you to go to church with me when I
was little, I WILL NOT GO WITH YOU NOW."
I paid to get the stolen guns out of the pawn shop,
and got him out
of trouble. In weeks, he was in trouble again, and
pulled some hard time in jail.
Today momma goes to church alone and sheds many
tears.
Our children will not get the Bible training and
root system they need at school,
even in home schooling.
Our children need to come together and learn to worship and praise.
Our children need to learn giving and tithing.
They need to learn social skills and coping to face
the real world.
They need to hear the heart of missions.
Without parents in church, the stats show very few
children will stay faithful to church through the
danger years.
Families in church are not perfect, but in church
the Holy Spirit can teach and birth in them a
concern for the lost.
The church is by far a better place to meet a mate
than in a bar.
8. GOD IS LOOKING FOR FAITHFUL MEN AND WOMEN!
Samuel’s mother knew how to touch God, and her son,
birthed by prayer, would
change the course of history and would anoint two
Kings, all because Hannah knew
of the value of the faithfulness and God.
Eli allowed his sons to become unfaithful, and a
faithful praying Mother prayed and faithfulness
returned.
1 Samuel 2:35 And I will raise Me up a FAITHFUL
PRIEST, that shall do according
to that which is in Mine Heart and in My Mind
Our kids know more about Barney, Bert, Ernie, and
Lion King than the KING OF KINGS and the LORD OF
LORDS.
Guns go to school, where Bibles cannot?
Fear looms ever present, because there
is little love for faithfulness to God’s house.
9. FAITHFULNESS MUST EXPRESS IT SELF TOWARD OTHERS, THEY NEED YOU TO BE FAITHFUL.
There is a local pastor that needs your talent.
He is probably overworked and under paid. Pastors
are often discouraged by low/ unfaithful attendance,
just your faithfulness would encourage the little
man of God.
I Thes.4:18 Comfort one another.
Heb. 12:12 -15 We can encourage others that their
hands hang down.
There are workers that are tired and near quitting,
you could help them to go a
little further.
How can you encourage your brothers and sisters if
you are seldom there?
The TV church is no substitute for the local body.
Most TV preachers will verify this.
But still many watch TV and fail to attend local
church faithfully,
thus they ease their conscience by watching edited
ministry.
10. REALIZE YOU ARE ACCOUNTABLE! GOD REWARDS FAITHFULNESS!
We owe a debt to God! Are you standing at your post
of duty?
MAY ALL EXCUSES CEASE.
GOD AND HIS WORD VERY CLEARLY STATE THE NEED TO BE FAITHFUL.
YOU NEED TO BE FAITHFUL TO A LOCAL BODY.
VERY FEW WILL READ THIS, BUT MY HANDS ARE RELEASED
AS I PROCLAIM THE WORD.
FEWER WILL READ THIS AND DO IT, BECAUSE THIS IS
NOT A POPULAR MESSAGE.
BUT THAT IS NOT MY JOB. YOU CAN IGNORE THE WORD IF
YOU PLEASE,
BUT YOU ARE ACCOUNTABLE.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
Will God find faith and faithfulness when Jesus returns? Well, it is up to you!
I do not know the writer of this little story but it fits in so well.
Will you help bear the weight?
When John Paton was translating the Bible for a South Seas Island tribe, he discovered that they had
no word for trust or faith.
One day a native who had been running hard came into the missionary’s house, flopped himself into a large
chair and said, "It’s good to rest my whole weight on this chair."
This became some sort of a revelation to Paton.
"That’s it," he said. "I’ll translate faith as ’resting one’s whole weight on God.’"
When we are Biblically believing in God, we are indeed resting our
whole weight on Him and not standing on our own merit.
This is the 7th study of the Fruit of the Spirit, Faithfulness.
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
Could you invest in my work and tell another another this?
