Faithfulness -- July 15, 2006 -- John Pounders


Background

Galatians is the context for the fruit of the Spirit and that is important to understanding the significance. Why did Paul write the letter? He wrote to put down doctrinal error, some of which was coming from the Judizers, and to asset himself as God’s messenger and prophet to them.

In the delivery we get a great view of what a grace orientation vs. a works orientation to the Christian live looks like.

A balanced view of Grace is what we seek here at OMPC. We have such a wonderful opportunity to live out the Gospel of Grace within this community and to be a light to those around us.

Orientation in life

Galatians --> GRACE --> Faith --> Miracles 3:5
Holy Living 3:3, 4:19
Adoption 4:5
Promises to Abraham’s seed 3:29
GRACE ---> fruit of the Spirit

WORKS ---> curse ---> Bondage 4:24f
Ignorance 4:8
Rebellion against God and His Spirit
Rejection from the inheritance 4:30

Gal 5: 22-26

22 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. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness, Galatians 5: 22,23

Goal: Your God is faithful to you and you can, by his power, be faithful to Him.

What is Faithfulness?

The Hebrew root from which the words translated "faithful" and "faithfulness" in the Old Testament are derived means to prop or stay or support. The intransitive use of the word signifies to stay oneself or be supported; hence, the word "faithful", as applied to a person, means someone a person can safely lean upon. The Greek word used in the New Testament means trustworthy or to be relied upon, but this Greek word is the same used in the Septuagint for the Hebrew word mentioned above, and of course gets its meaning from this usage.

Why be faithful?

Examples of the faithful from Scriptures

4 Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.
Daniel 6:4

1 Timothy 1:12

Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,
Paul

Moses
6 And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.
Numbers 12:6-7


5 Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later,
Hebrews 3:5



Nehemiah 7

1Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.
Hanani and Hananiah


Workman repairing the temple of the Lord

2 Kings 12:10-17
10 When they saw that there was much money in the chest, (A)the king's scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money which was found in the house of the LORD.

11 They gave the money which was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the LORD;

12 and (B)to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

13 But (C)there were not made for the house of the LORD (D)silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the LORD;

14 for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.

15 Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, for they dealt faithfully.


Abraham
Galatians 3:9

9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.


David 2 Samuel 22:22-25

22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his rules were before me,
and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
24 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
25 And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
Other Examples:

The Thai Grandmom http://www.ccel.org/contrib/exec_outlines/fs/fs_15.htm

Seek to be Faithful to Him – He will enable you to be Faithful -- single mother sacrifice example (audio)


Bloggers:
Single mom: last paragraph shows His faithfulness to her:
http://serenity23.blogspot.com/2006/05/what-is-faithfulness.html

Young man struggles with meaning of God’s faithfulness:
http://ifgodislove.blogspot.com/2006/06/overrated-faithfulness-of-god-part-two.html

Suffering and His Faithfulness to believers
http://feistels-in-taiwan.blogspot.com/2006/06/i-walk-in-his-faithfulness.html

Adrian Warnock on the Fruit of the Spirit
http://www.adrian.warnock.info/2005/08/gods-will-and-fruit-of-spirit.htm

Conclusion:

“Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find” (Prov. 20:6).
“A faithful man shall abound with blessings” (Prov. 28:20):
O that it may be said of us, “Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you.” (3 John 5)

Other Reference on Faithfulness:
Pink on Faithfulness: http://www.eternallifeministries.org/awp_faithful.htm
Scriptures on Faithfulness: http://wbt.godonthe.net/wbt_120.htm
David Hoke on Faithfulness: http://www.horizonsnet.org/sermons/tba18.html
Bible Dictionary – Fruit of the Spirit http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/BakersEvangelicalDictionary/bed.cgi?number=T279


Consider this example of "faithfulness" to the church...

Grandma Taw Bow, a resident of Thailand, does not
impress strangers. She is small of stature, bent with age,
her hands and fingers gnarled with arthritis. She often
stands quietly to one side.

Her name translated into English means "Always." Despite
her unimpressive physical appearance, Grandma Always has
inspired her missionary friends and Thai Christians by her
faithfulness.

A widow and over ninety years of age, she lives as a
servant in a Thai home. Every Sunday she walks two miles to
church. Out of her income of five cents a day, she
regularly gives one day's wages to the Lord every week.
When her missionary friends drive her home from church
services, she gets out, and bows her head in an audible
prayer for the missionaries and the work of Christ in
Thailand.

One missionary says, "The thought of Grandma Always'
faithfulness humbles and deepens us." (A Dictionary Of
Christian Illustrations, p. 121)
-- What the church needs are more "Grandma Always", both young and old!
Excerpt from Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Paul David Tripp for why we want to be faithful.

II Corinthians 11: 1-3

1 I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Paul writes these words to capture the principle of “long view living.” This means that today is preparation for tomorrow, and tomorrow is preparation for something else yet to come. Paul is saying, “I know I have hovered over you, but you need to understand why. I am afraid that you will forget who you are and to whom you have been promised.” To Paul, the only way to go through life properly is to understand that we are engaged. We have been betrothed to Christ, and our life now is preparation for a great wedding to come.

The difficulties now, the suffering now, the disappointments now, are the blessings now are all preparation for the wedding then.