Bearing the Fruit of Holy Spirit – 7

Bearing the Fruit of Holy Spirit – 7

Subject: Walking in the Fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness

By Rick Welborne

Galatians 5:22-26 (NKJV)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
²⁴  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  

²⁶  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

The Fruit of the Spirit – Faithfulness.

Faithfulness - fidelity, allegiance, loyalty. constancy · devotion · trueness · true-heartedness · dedication · commitment · allegiance · dependability · reliability · trustworthiness · steadfastness · closeness · fairness · justness · truthfulness · authenticity · reliability · dependability.

--Wow! What an amazing word and what an amazing fruit of Holy Spirit. All on this list are to be desired but faithfulness is one that is most important to me personally. Think of family and friends. 

--As you read through the list of the Fruit of the Spirit…who do you see? You see Jesus! That is why it is so imperative for us to have this fruit in our lives…so others will see Jesus!

--I think all of us want to be surrounded by people who exhibit all of these qualities (fruit) but please keep this in mind…you must lead with the seed.

--We know the Word of God says we reap what we sow…if you want fruit, start planting the right seed…start giving away what you want to come back to you.

Adam Clarke's Commentary - Faithfulness - here used for fidelity—punctuality in performing promises, conscientious carefulness in preserving what is committed to our trust, in restoring it to its proper owner, in transacting the business confided to us, neither betraying the secret of our friend, nor disappointing the confidence of our employer. 

SpiritHome.com - Faithful - means loyal, full of faith or trust; firmly and resolutely staying with a person, group, cause, belief, or idea, without waver, despite the circumstances. 

--Faithfulness sets us apart from other people. Faithfulness separates: the successful from the failures, the finisher from the quitter, the responsible from the irresponsible, the mature from the immature.

--You have grown up and are living in a society that is unfaithful. It seems that it is just part of the system that our politicians all have shady pasts. Before we get to judgmental, the church has had its share also.

--We can even find the society’s acceptance of unfaithfulness at the card shop. Visit a Hallmark store, "I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you today." Imagine that on an anniversary card! God’s promise:

Psalm 100:5 (NIV)
⁵  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

--When it comes to faithfulness…GOD is faithful. God will never turn His back on you; God won’t abandon you. God will never take advantage of you or mistreat you. God will be faithful!

--So what is faithfulness? Let me ask you what does faithfulness mean? What word would you use to describe faithfulness? Authenticity. Truthful. Real. Accurate.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines faithfulness as “adhering firmly and devotedly, as to a person cause or idea.” 

--Faithfulness is the “superglue” of the heart that holds fast and won’t let go. Faithfulness means following through with your commitments regardless of what it costs.

--In this series on the fruit of the Spirit, I have described each as an expression of love. Without love it is impossible for the fruit to develop. The fruit of the Spirit begins and ends with love.

Joy is love rejoicing. Patience is love enduring. Peace is love trusting. Kindness is love serving. Goodness is love extending. Faithfulness is love proving. Gentleness is love touching. Self-control is love restraining.

--Faithfulness is love proving. Faithfulness is love that hangs on to the end; it’s love that won’t quit. 

1. Faithfulness is Jesus. 

--If you want to see faithfulness lived out in the day to day life of someone look at Jesus. If you are going to live a faithful life, then live your life just like Jesus.

Hebrews 2:17-18 (NLT2) ¹⁷  Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.
¹⁸  Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

--Jesus lived His life with unwavering commitment and faithfulness. He didn’t quit or throw in the towel when things got tough; His love for us was steadfast and true. Regardless of the cost—Jesus loved us to death. 

--Not only did Jesus go to the cross to lay down His life for our sins, He was resurrected to life so that we might be able to live with Him. The faithfulness of Jesus continues. He will never be unfaithful to us.

2 Timothy 2:10-13 (NLT2) ¹⁰  So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.
¹¹  This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him.
¹²  If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.
¹³  If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

--Jesus is faithful and true. Jesus shows us how to live faithfully – to adhere with firm devotion to God and to have an unbreakable commitment for one another.

2. Faithfulness in You and Me.

--But what will faithfulness look like in you and me? Above all else be faithful, but what does that mean? 

Four characteristics of faithfulness:

A. The faithful Hold onto Truth.

--You need to have an unshakeable tenacity that will not let go of truth. Opinions may change; values may differ, but truth remains the same. 

--Our society wants us to believe truth is relative, that there is no absolute truth. Do you notice the contradiction in such a belief? How can you claim absolutes don’t exist with an absolute statement?

Revelation 2:24-29 (NLT2) ²⁴ “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you
²⁵  except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
²⁶  To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.
²⁷  They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.
²⁸  They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
²⁹  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. 

--Values are relative; values will differ from person to person or culture to culture. Truth is absolute; truth is the same for all of us, so hold on to truth.

--At one time Americans valued the wisdom of older people; we respected those who had gone before us. 

--However today we are more likely to look up to the young. At one time we valued discipline and respect; children were expected to act in a certain way. 

--In many oriental cultures children are still expected to behave in certain ways, and disobedience has definite consequences. Yet for us discipline and respect are no longer held as an important value. 

--Instead of teaching discipline and respect we diagnose children with ADD and medicate them with Ritalin. Values change, not always for the better. Truth remains the same. 

--What are some basic truths we should all hold onto? Let me quickly share with you five basic truths I will never let go of. These are truths you should take with you throughout your life.

A. The Bible is the authoritative guide for how to live.

B. Jesus Christ is the only hope for salvation.

C. People are more important than things.

D. God owns everything and loans it to us for a short time.

E. What happens in me is more important than what happens to me. Holy Spirit!

B. The faithful Persevere Through Difficulty.

--Essentially you can make four basic responses to difficulty in your life. Only two are the right kind of responses. 

--You can give up and be crushed. You can whine and complain. You can pray victoriously. You can endure and refuse to give up.

Luke 18:1 (NIV)
¹  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 

C. The Faithful Keep Their Commitments. 

Matthew 25:21 (NKJV) 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.'

D. Faithfulness Makes a Fresh Start.

Psalm 51:10-11 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹  Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 

Humility – 6

Humility – 6

Subject – Our Relationship with People

By Rick Welborne

1 John 4:19-21 (NLT2) ¹⁹ We love each other because He loved us first.
²⁰  If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
²¹  And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters. 

--It is a sobering thought that our love for God is measured by our everyday relationships with others. What this is proving to us that our love for God may be a delusion. 

--It is easy to think we are humble before God, but our humility toward others is the only sufficient proof that our humility before God is real. Ouch!

--For our humility to be real, it must abide in us and become our very nature. We must be like Jesus where it says, He made Himself of no reputation. He was not worried about self, but of others.

--As we serve God and follow Him, humility is not something we put on for a while like when we are thinking about Him or praying, it must be who we are all the time. 

--Our truest humility is not the kind we show on Sunday morning when we come and bow our hearts and heads before Him for a time, but it is something we live out in our normal lives. 

Matthew 15:7-8 (NKJV) ⁷ Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
⁸  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 

--What we really should give thought to, our daily acts, how we talk to the clerk at the store or the person we serve with at church, these are our tests of what is really on the inside.

--It’s in those moments when we are the most unguarded that we show who we really are and what we are made of. To know if someone is truly humble, you would have to follow them all day.

--This is what Jesus taught when He washed the disciples’ feet. Humility by demonstration. Humility before God is nothing if it is not proven in humility before others.

1. Paul’s Teaching on Humility Before Others. 

Romans 12:9-10, 16 (NIV) ⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
¹⁰  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
¹⁶  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 

--There is no genuine love without humility. Listen to the Apostle Paul teaching us about love and humility.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV) ⁴  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
⁵  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
⁶  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
⁷  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
⁸  Love never fails. 

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV)
¹  As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
²  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
³  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 

Colossians 3:12-13 (NIV) ¹² …clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
¹³  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

--It is seen in our relationships with one another, in our treatment of each other, that we truly see if we have the mind of Christ and if we have a heart of humility.

--Our humility before God has no value except that it prepares us to reveal the humility of Jesus to those we encounter every day.

2. Honor Others Above Yourselves.

--A truly humble person seeks at all times to live up to the rule: Honor one another above yourselves; serve one another; consider others better than yourselves; submit to one another.

--How can we consider others better than ourselves when we see they are far below us in wisdom, in holiness, in gifts, or in the grace we have received? We have to see what true humility is.

Andrew Murray – True humility comes when before God we see ourselves as nothing, have put self aside, and let God be all. The soul that has done this can say, “I have lost myself in finding you,” no longer compares itself with others. It has given up forever any thought of self in God’s presence; it meets its fellowmen as one who is nothing and seeks nothing for itself; who is a servant for God and for His sake is the servant of all.

Martin Luther – God created the world out of nothing, and as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us.

2 Cor. 10:12 (NIV) ¹² We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

--A faithful servant may be wiser than his master and yet retain the true spirit and posture humility. Naaman and his servant. The humble man looks upon every brother or sister as a child of God.

--The Spirit of Jesus Who willingly washed the disciples’ feet makes it a joy to be the least, to be servants of one another. Honor others above yourselves. 

--The truly humble person feels no jealousy or envy. He can praise God when others are chosen and blessed before him. When you see yourself as nothing, you are happy for the other person.

--We all battle the temptation to be irritated and impatient with others. We fight against thoughts and sharp words that want to come out of our mouths when we see people mess up.

--But the truly humble person carries in his spirit and heart what shows up in his life, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, even as the Lord has forgiven you.

Romans 13:14 (NLT2) ¹⁴ Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Romans 13:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

--What does clothe yourself mean or to put on Jesus? We have learned that clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ is putting on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, and longsuffering.

--Jesus has taken the place of self and now we can forgive like Jesus forgave. Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing. Even when they are crucifying you.

--We are commanded to “put on” the Lord Jesus Christ but we find way too often that we are just “putting on” when it comes to clothing ourselves with the humility of Jesus.

--We are so tempted of having an appearance of being “super spiritual” by demonstrating the more visible virtues such as joy, boldness, abstinence from the world, and even self-sacrifice.

--But what I truly believe is lacking in the modern church are virtues which are connected with the cross and a willingness to die to self like being poor in spirit, meekness, humility, compassion, longsuffering…

--Winning the lost and being loaded with spiritual gifts are great attributes but how we love and treat each other are showing what being like Jesus was all about.

3. The Most Humble Man Who Ever Lived – The Lord Jesus.

Question – Can the world see in us any likeness to the Original, that is, to Jesus? Are we living in such a way that people see first and foremost in us this beautiful spirit of humility?

--We should never become content with a gospel that tells us that we are better than others because of our Christianity, but a relationship with Jesus that makes us humble and contrite.

--As we look at every sin and mistake we make on a daily basis, let it make us run to the One Who was perfect before God and man. We need to let this mind be in us that was in Jesus (Phil.2).

George Fox – I sought Jesus to do something in me, and when I gave Him my will, He came to my heart, and took out all that would not be sweet, all that would not be kind, all that would not be patient, and then He shut the door.

Luke 18:10-13 (NKJV)
¹⁰  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
¹¹  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
¹²  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'
¹³  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'

--As we listen to the most humble man (the God man Jesus) describe two men who, in my mind, represent the church and the attitudes that are prevalent to this day, hear His conclusion:

Luke 18:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." 

--As we have already said, it is so tragic that the church has so little concept of what it truly means to be humble before God and man. 

--As we examine the church, as we examine ourselves, it appears the lack of humility that we have is a great reason for the trouble and difficulty we have endured for years.

--Humility always seeks, like Jesus, to be the servant, the helper, the comforter of others, even those who appear to be lesser than ourselves. We love and serve like Jesus.

Matthew 23:11-12 (NKJV)
¹¹  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
¹²  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.