The Fruit of the Spirit: Faith

Because He Is Faithful…

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Galatians 5:22, 23

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³Meekness temperance: against such there is no law.

Faith is translated “faithfulness.” Included in “faithfulness” is not only what we believe, but how we live and what we do as a result of what we believe.  Not only does God admire faithfulness, but He requires it.  The Bible says that it is required of stewards that we be found faithful.   People don’t care how much ability you have or how much you are educated or how much wealth you have accumulated. If you are not faithful and cannot be trusted then you need another dip of God’s grace.

Being faithful means applying integrity, honesty, truthfulness and loyalty.  Can we be counted on?  If someone asks people in the congregation to write five letters to people they could depend on, people they could really trust, would someone write us a letter?  Can we be depended upon?  When we meet the Lord, will He be able to say to us: Well done thou good and faithful servant?

Proverbs 25:19

Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint. 

To whom can we be faithful?  We must be faithful and loyal, first of all to God, then to those we love, neighbors and friends.

Luke 16:10, 11 (Jesus speaking)

¹⁰He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.  ¹¹If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 

We’re studying about what God expects us to be in our daily lives and we have learned already when the Spirit of God controls a man or woman he will be loving toward others.  He will be filled with joy.  He will have peace in his own heart and life.  He will be longsuffering.  He will be able to endure difficulties and endure difficult people.  He will exemplify kindness that comes from a generous heart.

We’re not surprised to discover in the midst of that list and in that cluster of fruit that we find that wonderful characteristic of faithfulness.  As we open the pages of the New Testament, we discover that God places a high premium on that quality, faithfulness.

God has given to us as Christians an opportunity to administrate part of His Kingdom on this earth on His behalf and Paul reminded the Christians that God was not necessarily looking for a man to be rich or talented or successful (even though He had bestowed on everyone some type of talent) but He was requiring men to be faithful.

You are the only Bible the unchurched will read.

If you would like to prove what Jesus Christ can do,

Why don’t you let folk see what He has done for you?

For there’s no better way to tell of Him we trust

Than that our friends should see what He has done for us.

And you are wasting breath repeating what He taught

If friends can’t see in you, the changes His Presence wrought.

Psalm 89:1

[Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.]

I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.  

Psalm 92:1, 2

[A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.]

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: ²To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

The faithfulness of God should be the “content” of praise.  God’s faithfulness should be the “confidence” of praying.  It is because He is faithful that we can go to Him in prayer and know that when we pray, He hears us, and He answers us.

Psalm 143:1

[A Psalm of David.] Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. 

God’s faithfulness is the basis of our trust when we pray to Him.  I don’t know just how God will answer and in what way but whenever or however He answers, it will be best.  We don’t have to go to God and discover when He is in a good mood in order to get what we want or need.  We can come to God anytime we want and ask Him what is in our hearts and if we come prayerfully according to His will, He has promised on the basis of His faithful nature to hear and answer our prayers. However, He answers is best.

When we pick up God’s Word and discover, when we read it, that its truth is new and fresh and exciting and challenging, though we have read it over and over again, it is because of the faithfulness of God who makes His Word alive in our world and in our hearts. That’s a reason to come to the Word of God and find confidence in studying this book, the Bible.  It is God’s faithfulness that not only provides for mankind the opportunity to study this book, but it is also His faithfulness that is so real to us during times of trouble, offering comfort, just like He promised His children.  Though I’ve read it over and over again, I am blessed with each reading and reminded of God’s love and provisions to all.    Isn’t it wonderful that during times of difficulty that we have Someone to whom we can go to in prayer and He hears us?

Psalm 119:75

I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

Sometimes when we’re experiencing difficulty and the pressure is on and someone’s turned the vise down just about as hard as he can and we’re still alive, we ask our Heavenly Father, “Why?”.

When we come back to the pages of the Bible and we’re reminded that He’s a faithful God, and that even in times of affliction, it is according to His faithfulness that He allows us to experience affliction of one kind or another, we know that God sees the end from the beginning and He knows how affliction fits into our maturity. We also know that God would never let us escape the ministry of affliction if it meant not getting the end result that He has in mind for all of us.  He is a faithful God, always, and He knows what is best for each individual as we experience life on this earth.

Hebrews 2:17

Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

This verse in Hebrews is speaking about Jesus.

We can receive salvation as a result of sincerely asking God to forgive us of our sins. He will.  We then are saved by His redeeming love and grace.

Jesus became THE sacrifice for our sins, dying on the cross and taking the sins of the world upon Himself, your sins and my sins. Because of His faithfulness we can, as His redeemed children of faith, have a promised future in Heaven with our Heavenly Father and with Jesus Christ.

Paul was writing to the church in Thessalonica and told the people in

2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

When I look at the Old Testament and I see the faithfulness of God from everlasting to everlasting, then I see that faithfulness poured into a human being who walked upon this earth for 33 years in the person of Jesus Christ. I read in the Bible of His setting His face as a flint for the cross and never wavered one time from that goal. He faithfully walked through the plan of redemption bearing our sins and He died and rose again. We read in God’s Word about Christ’s faithfulness to atone for the sins of the world, mine and yours.

We read in God’s Word in 1 Corinthians 4:2

 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

He is going to say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”  Oh, how we need the quality of faithfulness in our world today.

Faithful Friend

Someone gave the definition of a friend as someone who comes in when all the world has gone out.  Do you have a friend like that? That kind of friend is a burden bearer.

Here is a poem that helps to explain love as expressed in 1 Corinthians 13.

Friendship is slow to lose patience.

It looks for ways to be constructive.

It is not possessive; it is neither anxious to impress others nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance.

Friendship has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage

at the other’s expense.

It is not touchy; it does not keep account of slights

or gloat over the mistakes of others.

On the contrary, it is glad when truth prevails.

It knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no failing of its hope

and in this, it can outlast anything.  True friendship stands when all else has fallen.

Are we a friend like that? Are we generous?  We don’t have to have very much money to be generous.  It’s not how much we have but what we do with what we have.  How is our heart toward the needs of others?  God is the one who “gave,” to teach us how to “give.”

WE, yes, WE must be faithful!  I believe we are just a generation away from paganism if we don’t share the Gospel and inform the world, especially the young people, about the saving grace provided in Jesus Christ’s atoning death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead on the third day…and His ascension into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. He will be returning someday in the clouds to receive us unto Himself that where He is we may be also. He is coming in the clouds of heaven for the redeemed of the LORD to take us to heaven.  Did you know that? In our Bible we can read about Jesus’ glorious return in Matthew 24 and Mark 13.

Matthew 24:30, 31 (Jesus speaking)

³⁰And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mark 13:24-27 (Jesus speaking)

²⁴But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, ²⁵And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. ²⁶And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

Be reminded in Luke 21:33 (Jesus speaking)

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

We need to make Jesus known to all, but especially to our young people.  Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and His plan to return in the clouds for the redeemed, to take the redeemed to heaven, is truth that needs to be shared.

We are stewards of the grace of God and we are to be motivated to share the truth that can redeem the soul of mankind.  That’s our privilege, responding with the Gospel and living out the Truth we know from God’s Word.

Are we faithful?

Are we sharing the Good News?

Are we living out the Truth we know to be God’s Word as recorded in the Bible?

Can we be counted on to be faithful to God by sharing His Word, the Bible, with all of mankind, with all nationalities?

That’s our privilege…ministry from one soul to another soul.  Let’s do it!

Personalize it.  Am I faithful to God?  Am I making Him known.