THE FRUIT OF FAITHFULNESS

Galatians 5:16-26

I. GOD IS FAITHFUL

A. Faithfulness is a commitment or devotion to someone or something.

B. God is faithful (Deut.7:9; 32:4; Lamentations 3:22-23; Isa.49:7; 1 Cor.10:13; 2 Cor.1:18; 1 Thess5:24; 2 Thess.3:3).

1. God’s faithfulness means that His Word is true, trustworthy and reliable (Psalm 119:86,138,160; Romans 9:6; Colossians 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Peter 1:19).

a. God’s promises are always absolutely certain.

b. God’s faithfulness means that He never lies.

c. God’s Word is such that what He said 2,000 years ago is just as true today.

2. There aren’t many things that were believed 2,000 years ago, let alone 200 years ago, that are still believed today!

C. When the Scriptures speak of God’s faithfulness they usually have reference to God’s covenant:

1. God has promised life and blessing for obedience. (Leviticus 18:5; 26:1-13; cf. Deuteronomy 4:1–2; 5:29; 6:1–5, 24-25; 7:9-11; 8:1; 10:12–13; 13:4, 18; 17:19–20; 26:16–17; 28:1–2, 15; 30:4–10; 31:12–13; Luke 10:25-37)

2. God has promised death and curse for disobedience (Genesis 2:17; Leviticus 26:14-46; Deuteronomy 27; 30:15, 19, 20; Rom 6:23; James 1:15).

“Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face.
“Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.” (Deuteronomy 7:9-11)

D. What’s the Bible about? We can say in 21 words that “The Bible is about God’s promise of life and blessing for obedience and His promise of death and curse for disobedience.

II. WE ARE NOT ALWAYS FAITHFUL

A. We have not been faithful to God and we have not obeyed Him as He has commanded (Deuteronomy 32:15-20; Nehemiah 9:33-34; Jeremiah 7:28; Hosea 4:1-9; Romans 1:32; 3:23; 5:12; 6:16, 21, 23; 8:6, 13; Gal 6:8).

B. We have been unfaithful in our relationships with others. We live in a disposable society in which we treat other people like objects.

1. Sometimes employers will fire people who have faithfully worked for a long time in the company so that they can hire younger or cheaper workers.

2. Many employees aren’t devoted to their work but only to their paycheck.

3. People hook up for a night and dispose of one another the next morning.

4. When women become pregnant from this unfaithfulness she can dispose of her child at the abortion clinic where the child is thrown away like medical waste.

“… the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.
Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.
“I hate divorce,” [i] says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith. (Malachi 2:13-16)

5. Couples move in together in order to keep their options open or so that they can try on one another like a pair of shoes.

6. The covenant of marriage is becoming more and more disposable.

C. Here is the problem: we are unfaithful but God is faithful. And God has promised life to those who obey Him and death to those who do not.

In Forbes.com's list of The 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces, Michael Jordan is #1 in celebrity history with a pending divorce settlement that could cost him more than $150 million in assets. Neil Diamond came in a close second with an estimated settlement also around $150 million.

III. THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL IS THAT JESUS IS FAITHFUL (Galatians 3:10-14)

A. Jesus lived a perfectly obedient life. He always did what pleased God the Father (John 8:29). Jesus never committed sin and there was never any deceit in His mouth (Isaiah 53:9; 2 Cor.5:21; 1 Peter 2:22).

B. Jesus died for the unrighteousness of His people (1 Peter 2:22-25).

IV. FAITH IN THE FAITHFULNESS OF JESUS CHRIST LEADS EVERY CHILD OF GOD TO BEARING THE FRUIT OF FAITHFULNESS IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS.

A. When and as you put your faith in Jesus Christ you will experience the power of the Holy Spirit to live more faithfully to God and in your relationships with others.

B. Faith in Jesus Christ brings healing and restoration in both our relationship with God and with others! (Matthew 5:21-24; 6:12; 18:15,21-22; Romans 12:18; Hebrews 12:14-15)

C. Baptism is a reminder of God’s faithfulness. It is a call to faith in Jesus Christ and faithfulness to Jesus Christ on the part of Mark and Debra, in the covenant baptism of their child today as well as to the rest of the church.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)

QUESTIONS FOR SABBATH DISCUSSION & MEDITATION

Take what you have learned this morning and make it into a prayer. Pray that God would give you faithfulness in the vows you have made in church membership, marriage, and the oaths taken before baptism.

What is faithfulness?

What are some opposites of faithfulness?

Why is God’s Word always faithful?

With what two promises can the Bible be summarized? Life and blessing for ___________. Death and cursing for ____________.

Why could God’s faithfulness be bad news for us?

In what ways is unfaithfulness a part of the culture we live in?

Why must we put our faith and trust in the faithfulness of Jesus?

To whom in your life do you have obligations to be faithful? In what ways have you been unfaithful to them? Are you willing to look to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and strength so that you can pursue healing and reconciliation?