The Fruit of the Spirit Pt.7: Faithfulness
Dwayne Johnson, famous actor and movie star, is known worldwide as 'The Rock'. He was first named 'The Rock' during his wrestling career but he decided to keep the name as an actor. He's called 'The Rock' due to his physical prowess and to his commanding personality.
The Bible speaks of One who is 'The Rock' in an infinitely greater and more significant way than Dwayne Johnson. In several places in the OT, the phrase 'the Rock' is used as a grand title for God Himself. This title 'the Rock' speaks to us of God's faithfulness. 'The Rock' conveys how God is unchanging, utterly faithful and constant in His care. Deuteronomy 32 records the song of Moses. 'Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just! A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He!' God is like a towering Rock, unchanging and utterly faithful in all His ways. To begin with, let us reflect on
(1) THE ROCK OF GOD'S FAITHFULNESS
The Bible has over 60 references to God's faithfulness. About 40 of those 60 references are found in the Psalms but the entire bible declares the Lord's faithfulness. It's impossible to describe the acts of God without touching upon His faithfulness to His people and His promises.
The prophet Jeremiah wept over the judgement of God upon His people in Judah. Yet in such devastating, dark days, Jeremiah could still declare about God, 'Great is Your faithfulness!' Lamentations 3v23
Note three dimensions of God's faithfulness...
(i) First, God is utterly dependable!
The Almighty can be relied upon 100% in absolutely every situation. God never fails those who belong to Him. God never, ever lets His people down. His word is totally trustworthy. He is the covenant-keeping God! When He makes an agreement, He keeps it! He never breaks His promises. If God has said He'll do something, He'll do it! There is no question about it, sooner or later all His promises will be fulfilled.
(ii) Second, God is unswervingly loyal!
In sovereign grace, God chose rebel sinners like us to be His children in Christ even before He made the world and He is completely committed to His children. He is totally loyal to His chosen ones. When we let Him down, He'll not give up on us. When we fail Him, He'll never turn His back on us. He has begun a good work in us and He's promised to complete it (Philippians 1v6). He'll never walk out on us. Even when we mess up bigtime, He'll never desert us.
(iii) Third, God is absolutely truthful
God is completely honest. In His most gracious manner, He is totally up front with us. He never deceives us or puts spin on His statements. In His Word, God reveals both Himself and His Gospel to us but He has also spelt out to us the sinfulness of our natural condition. He has warned us in no uncertain terms about the horror of hell for all who remain unrepentant and unbelieving in His Saviour. Jesus spoke more about judgement and hell than about love. God doesn't hide the truth from us, even though it may be unpleasant, unpalatable or unpopular. He tells us what we need to hear, even if we don't want to hear it.
If we come to Christ, He continues to be totally truthful with us. Often times He will encourage us and spur us on. But at other times He will rebuke and correct us. He always speaks the truth in love for He is our heavenly Father who wants the very best for us.
God's faithfulness is a glorious theme for every believer. What joy this brings to all who are born of the Spirit. What hope it springs up in our hearts! What confidence it gives us as we engage in God's mission. Our Sovereign Saviour will do exactly what He has said He will do. Our Lord will build is church. Our God will gather His people from all nations, using His frail servants like us, as we give ourselves to Him in daily devotion and walk in His Spirit. Great is His faithfulness! What an encouragement for all who belong to Christ. The Lord is the Rock of refuge on which all true believers stand. But He is also the Rock under which all the unrepentant will be crushed.
Let us reflect secondly on ...
(2) THE REQUIREMENT OF OUR FAITHFULNESS
The Lord requires faithfulness in the lives of all who belong to Him. But faithfulness is not a natural virtue. It is not natural for us to be dependable, loyal and truthful, like our Lord. This is demonstrated in our society in many ways. Think of countless breakdowns in family relationships.
Solomon stated in Proverbs 20v6, 'Many a man claims to have unfailing love but a faithful man who can find?' Many profess they will be faithful to the end, but relatively few demonstrate it in their lives. Practising faithfulness is often costly and many are unwilling to pay the price. To be a godly believer, it's essential to practice faithfulness, no matter what the cost.
We noted three dimensions of God's faithfulness. If we are to be faithful like our Lord, these three dimensions will be seen increasingly in our lives.
(i) Firstly, we need to be dependable.
In our Christian service, we are to be those whom others can rely on. Think of Daniel in godless Babylon. It was very costly for Daniel and his faithful friends to serve God in that hostile society. But Daniel was dependable. People could count on him in his responsibilities. He was diligent in his duties and carried out his commitments conscientiously, even when it cost him dearly.
Few things are more frustrating than relying on someone who isn't dependable. In our western society, conscientious commitment is in short supply. Even in evangelical churches, dependability among members can be distinctly lacking. The attitude of many seems to be, 'I'll keep that commitment if it's convenient and not too costly'. But that is not the mark of a Christ-like believer. A godly Christian realises that dependability isn't just their duty to their fellow believers but also to the Lord.
God regards His people's reliability as of top importance in our service for Him. Therefore, ask yourself...
How dependable am I?
Can my family depend on me to keep my promises and to fulfil my commitments?
What about my friends? Am I a trustworthy, reliable friend?
What about my church family? Can my brothers and sisters rely on me?
Can they depend upon my wholehearted support and concern?
Can they rely upon my prayers and partnership in Gospel ministry?"
These are good questions to ask yourself. And so too are these.
What about your teachers and fellow students at school or college?
What about your employer or fellow employees in your workplace?
Are you a faithful witness for Christ before them by being dependable and trustworthy?
Being dependable is key to being a faithful Christian.
(ii) So too secondly is being loyal.
Loyalty is another dimension of God's faithfulness so being loyal is vital if we're to be faithful Christians.
We must be loyal in our relationship with our Lord.
We must be loyal in our relationships within our families and friendships.
We must be loyal within our church families
There is perhaps no greater description of loyalty than Solomon's words in Proverbs 17v17. 'A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity!' People sometimes talk about someone being a fair-weather friend but there is no such thing! If a friend isn't loyal in bad times as well as in good times, they are no friend at all. They weren't a real friend in the first place. Real friends stick with you through thick and thin, in days of blessing and in days of disappointment.
In the Bible, Jonathan, the son of King Saul, is a classic example of what it means to be a faithful friend. Jonathan's loyal friendship with David almost cost him his life at the hands of his own father. Jonathan realised that his loyalty to David would cost him the throne of Israel. Through his support and help, David would become the next king rather than Jonathan himself. What astonishing loyalty Jonathan displayed! He was a true friend to David, at great personal cost.
Of course, we're not called to have 'blind loyalty'. This is the kind of loyalty that refuses to admit the mistakes or faults of a friend or family member or fellow believer. God says in Proverbs 27v6, 'The kisses of an enemy may be profuse, but faithful are the wounds of a friend.' Only the truly faithful friend cares enough about us to undertake the often-thankless task of pointing out where we are going wrong. None of us enjoy being confronted with our faults or sins and we can make it difficult for our friends or fellow believers or family to do so. As a result, we're sometimes not as honest as we should be with each other. We sometimes hold back from speaking the truth in love to each other. But this is not loyalty. Loyalty speaks the truth in faithfulness, love and humility. Loyalty says, 'I care enough about you to speak to you about your wrong action or hurtful words or sinful attitude.'
What about you? Are you committed to sticking with your family, friends and fellow believers through thick and thin? Are you looking for ways to encourage and help them? Are you prepared to speak the truth in love, even when it's not easy? Are you open to being graciously confronted yourself about something amiss in your own life? Are you a loyal friend to unbelievers you know? Are you a faithful companion and witness to them?
Our faithful covenant God requires faithfulness in our lives. Our heavenly Father has given us the Holy Spirit to produce faithfulness in us, to make us dependable, loyal and...
(iii) Thirdly truthful.
Just as God Himself is honest and truthful, so He requires His people to be truthful and honest. If we are not marked by truthfulness and honesty, we will be hypocrites. The Scriptures warn us sternly about the sin of hypocrisy. It is vital to be humbly honest and truthful in our walk with Christ. God calls us to be people of integrity, to be on the inside what we profess to be on the outside.
Many of us have made vows to God of one sort or another. The Bible tells us that it would be far better for us not to have made the vows in the first place than to make them and not to mean it. The all-seeing God sees through any pretence in what we say. The all-knowing God is not fooled or mocked. He tells us in Proverbs 12v22, 'The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful.'
Lying has been defined as 'any deceit, in word, act, attitude or silence, in deliberate exaggerations, in distortions of the truth, or in creating false impressions.'
All of us who profess to love Christ must aim to be truthful and transparent in every area of our lives...
in our worship of God
in our prayers to our heavenly Father
in our day to day relationships with family and friends
in our daily conversations with colleagues and acquaintances
in carrying out our everyday work and responsibilities.
The Lord detests dishonesty and deceit so...
As students, we're not to cheat in our exams or assignments.
As employees and tax-payers, we're not to be dishonest when reporting our income.
In business transactions, we're to be up front and transparent.
In our everyday conversations, we're not to exaggerate or distort the truth or tell 'little lies' we think are trivial.
Honesty and humility are to mark every area of our lives. For faithful Christians, being humbly honest is of paramount importance.
The requirement of faithfulness involves being dependable, loyal, and truthful. By ourselves this is impossible but by the enabling of the Holy Spirit each day, we can be such believers.
Thirdly and finally let us reflect on
(3) THE REWARD FOR OUR FAITHFULNESS
In Revelation 2v10, the Lord gives us a great exhortation and encouragement. 'Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life!' In James 1v12, the Lord gives a similar, stirring incentive to be faithful. He says, 'Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.'
What is the crown of life for those who have been faithful to Christ?
Surely it refers to the most precious reward imaginable, receiving the most wonderful words of commendation you could possibly hear.
'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master's happiness!'
What a reward that would be! Nothing could surpass hearing such words of commendation from our resurrected, exalted Saviour. Surely this is the crown of life we long for more than anything else in the whole of life. May the Spirit enable all of us to be good and faithful servants through all our days until our Master takes us home.
