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Beloved Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Paul describes the recipients of his letter, and consequently us, as branches on a fruit tree that must bear fruit year after year. And it must be good fruit, appealing to others in every way. It needs to look good, taste good, and be nutritious.
Paul refers to the singular "fruit," yet he lists nine virtues. This is because, for a fruit to be truly delicious, it needs to meet multiple criteria. Sometimes, a fruit appears appealing on the outside but is rotten inside or contains a worm. I recall an incident from my childhood when I bit into an apple with a worm and avoided eating apples for some time afterward. Hence, for fruit to be suitable for eating, it must have all the necessary qualities.
That's also how it is with the fruit of the Spirit. Paul lists nine qualities. He could have mentioned more, but these nine are sufficient. They are the main ones.
Today, we focus on the importance of faithfulness. If you are not a faithful person, then you lack one of the most vital qualities of the fruit of the Spirit. Lacking faithfulness is like having a worm inside the apple. Without faithfulness, the fruit of the Spirit is spoiled. That is why the Lord God commands us to be faithful. The theme for this morning's sermon is:
Bear Fruit and be Faithful.
1. God's Faithfulness to man;
2. Man's Faithfulness to God;
3. Man's Faithfulness to others.
What is faithfulness? The dictionary defines it as "firmness in adherence to promises, oaths or undertakings." Another source states that it is "following through with a commitment regardless of difficulty." In the Bible, faithfulness is often connected to love. That is also what we sang about when we sang from Psalm 89:5: "Thy love and faithfulness will endure forever." Time and again throughout Scripture, you will find these two terms mentioned together. When the Bible speaks about God's steadfast love, it refers to God's covenant love. The word "faithfulness" also relates to the covenant.
But now the word "faithfulness" adds another dimension to the covenant relationship the Lord God has with his children. He is faithful to his covenant. That is what he tells us in Deuteronomy 7:9: “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,” (ESV)
The Old Testament word used here for the term translated as "faithful" in Hebrew comes from a root initially used to describe a woman who is pregnant. It relates to a woman carrying a pregnancy and caring for her child, symbolising the deep bond of love between a mother and her child.
A good mother will love her child no matter what. She will love her child so much that she is even willing to give her life for the child if necessary. That is also how it is with the Lord God. In his covenant, his love is faithful no matter what. It is unconditional love. In other words, it does not depend on any qualities we may or may not have, but it entirely depends on God himself. He hangs on to his people despite their many sins and shortcomings. He will not stop loving you.
That is the kind of relationship God has with his people. God reveals himself as a faithful God. In fact, God embodies faithfulness. This is clear from 2 Timothy 2:13, where it states, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” (ESV)
Throughout the history of redemption, the Lord God has demonstrated his faithfulness. Every time you see a rainbow in the sky, you are reminded of his faithfulness to the covenant he made with Noah and his descendants. He promised Noah, and thus all of us, that he would never again destroy the earth by flood. That rainbow served as a sign of the covenant with mankind.
He also indicated faithfulness to the covenant made with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He provided the sign of the covenant through circumcision, which was signified and sealed by this act. With this sign, he promises to Abraham and his descendants that he will be their God forever and will not turn his back on them.
He also affirmed his faithfulness by making a covenant with his people at Mount Sinai after rescuing Israel from Egypt. He gave them the ten words of the covenant. In those ten commandments, he also demonstrates his faithfulness. How does he begin his Ten Commandments of the covenant?
He begins by declaring that he is the Lord, the God of Israel, who has delivered them from Egypt, out of slavery. With this introduction, he reminds them of his great love for them. He saved them from certain destruction and presents himself as their God. There are no conditions attached to these words. He does not first say that we must do this or that, and only then will he become our Father. He doesn't say, "first of all to see how well you can keep my commandments, and then I will decide if you deserve to be my children." No, he says, 'I am the Lord your God.' That is a fact. Nothing can undo this; you do not need to prove yourself first.
Brothers and sisters, that is what he says to us and to our children as well. He provides us with the sign of baptism. The sign of baptism is both the mark and the seal of God's faithfulness. At baptism, he tells us and our children that we have a Father in heaven who cares for us deeply. In his covenant, he says to us, "I gave you my beloved Son. He died for you so he could prepare a place for you, here around my glorious throne. Through him, you may receive forgiveness of sins." That is exactly what he communicates to us in his Word. He says in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
It is very important that we accurately understand the covenant. We must not diminish anything from God's faithfulness to his covenant, as some people did, for example, in 1944.
Some people dismissed his faithfulness by saying that those who were baptised and later chose to go their own way, rejecting the Lord's covenant, then their baptism should be considered as if it never happened. Others even claimed that it was just a pointless spilling of water.
But where did they go wrong? Well, they limited his faithfulness. Because, you see, just because man is not faithful, that does not mean God is not. He does not say to us, "I will be faithful to you, if you will do the same." No, God remains faithful regardless. When he offers us his covenant promises at baptism, he truly means it. He will never revoke those vows.
We can see the same thing in the passages we read together. In Romans 3, the Lord discusses his chosen nation, Israel, his covenant people of the past. They were unfaithful to him; they rejected him. The Lord sent many prophets to them. These prophets spoke about God's faithfulness to that nation—before, during, and after the exile. Let's listen to one of these prophets, Hosea, and what he said about God's faithfulness.
Hosea spoke during a time of great apostasy. The people did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet the Lord continued to come to his people with his covenant promises. The prophet says in chapter 2:19-20, “And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.” (ESV)
Did you notice the beautiful string of covenant terms used here? Righteousness, justice, love and compassion, faithfulness. But the Lord doesn't stop there. The covenant is further sealed when he says in verse 23, “And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’ ” (ESV)
Now, that is quite something. God's covenant people, who were nothing more than covenant breakers and who continually whined, complained, and murmured, and who in every way showed themselves to be unworthy of God's love, nevertheless are still not rejected by him. God keeps reminding them of the covenant he has made with them.
Note the word "betrothal." Betrothal relates to marriage. And what marriage is the Lord speaking about here? Well, it is a betrothal between the church as the Bride, and the Lord our God as the Bridegroom. But the prophet Hosea had to marry a prostitute to demonstrate who God's people are: an unfaithful Bride. However, it also shows the kind of God the Lord is—one who remains faithful to that Bride nonetheless.
For we see that in the New Testament times, the Lord still has not forsaken his people, the nation of Israel. Paul makes that clear. The Jews rejected Christ. Nevertheless, Paul says in Romans 3:3-4, “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”” (ESV)
Paul is speaking here about the Jews, who turned their backs on the long-awaited Saviour. But does the Lord God turn his back on them? No, he does not. He continues to remain faithful.
2. Hold on, you might say. Does that mean that no matter what we do, the Lord God will not hold that against us? Is he going to keep us in his covenant even if we want nothing to do with him? Well, brothers and sisters, that, of course, is not true. And that leads us to our second point.
It is not so, of course, and Paul does not state in Romans 3 either that the Jews who rejected the Lord's covenant will still be included in it. No, not everyone who has received the sign and seal of the covenant will be saved. It is indeed true that we must accept God's promises in faith. Let us not forget that the covenant has two sides: a promise and a demand. We cannot ignore that demand because, if we do, then God's promises no longer hold.
Although it is impossible for us to fulfill that demand, Christ has fulfilled it; nevertheless, we must do everything in our power to try to meet God's demand. This does not mean that we should avoid doing our utmost to keep God's commandments. We must do everything we can to show ourselves faithful to the covenant God has made with us and to the covenants we make with others.
If we don't even try to be faithful, we can't bear fruit either. And if you don't bear fruit, God will reject you. Not because you're incapable of doing so, which you are, but because you don't care. You want to go your own way. You want to do your own thing.
That's also how it was with God's covenant people of old, Israel. They were grafted into the vine, but they bore no fruit. They let go of the vine, and as a result, they were cut off, while other branches were grafted in, as Paul makes clear further in his letter to the Romans, in chapter 11.
And who are those new branches? They are the heathen nations, those who originally did not belong to God's people. And that includes you and me, brothers and sisters. But let us be careful. Even those newly grafted-in branches can be cut off and discarded. The Lord issues a very strong warning in this regard. He gives that warning also to you. The Lord says in verse 21, “For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.” (Romans 11:21, ESV)
For you see, the Lord did not give us the covenant so that we would become complacent. He did not make us part of the vine so that we could boast: "I belong to Christ, and so I can do whatever I want, I've got it made. I belong and you don't." Paul also gives us another warning. In Romans 11:18 and 20, he says, “do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.” and “you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.” (ESV)
And so, what does God require from you and me? To be faithful to him. To do your best to be faithful to the law, to the ten words of the covenant. Listen to what Joshua said in Joshua 24:14: “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” (ESV)
Do you want to be faithful to your God? Then, set aside your own gods, like the god of materialism, the god of pride and selfishness, and any other earthly attachment you hold onto so dearly.
Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit, and that fruit must grow in your life. How does it manifest in your actions? Is it your heart's desire to serve the Lord God in the way that he has commanded? Do you search the Scriptures and apply God's Word to your life? Are you committed to this daily effort? Examine your hearts, brothers and sisters.
3. Also consider how you serve one another. You should be faithful not only to the Lord your God but also to each other. This brings us to our third and final point. Proverbs 3:3 states, “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.” (ESV)
The Lord takes pleasure in those who are faithful and dependable. However, there is nothing more frustrating in life than dealing with unfaithful people. They make all kinds of promises but don't follow through. You can't depend on them.
Unfaithfulness is especially harmful in marriages. An unfaithful partner brings a great deal of grief and suffering. A husband and wife are commanded to remain completely faithful to each other.
Let me ask you, husbands and wives, are you faithful to each other? Or do you have wandering eyes? Do you secretly wish you were married to someone else? Remember, even if you just lust in your mind for another partner, you are already being unfaithful. Perhaps some here have or want to live out that fantasy. They even think about divorce. Keep in mind, you are in a covenant relationship, not only with your marriage partner but also with the Lord your God.
You might say, well, you don't know how hard it is to live with my partner. It's impossible to live with that person. However, the Lord our God has shown us how to be faithful. He remains faithful even though we do not deserve his loyalty. He loves you despite all our faults and shortcomings. And now, we, who are such wretched, sinful creatures, cannot we be faithful to our marriage partners? Can't we accept each other's faults?
That is what true love is all about. Christ showed us the way. He overlooked our sins and gave himself completely for us. He did this without grumbling; in fact, it brought him joy. Similarly, it should be with you and me. If you want to find joy in your marriage, then be faithful in every way. Only when you are truly committed to each other and give of yourself will the Lord bless your marriage.
And so it should be in all relationships, but especially in the relationship with your brothers and sisters in the Lord, the household of faith. For if you are not faithful to each other, then you are not faithful to God either.
Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, laments the lack of faithfulness shown to him. The Galatians were unfaithful, questioning his integrity and authority. They even wondered if he was a genuine apostle. They also equated him with other philosophers. Therefore, in Galatians 4:16, he asks, "Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?"
But when you read through this letter, it becomes painfully clear that their disloyalty was not to Paul in the first place, but to Christ. They rejected the truth of the Gospel, and therefore they also rejected Paul. Yet, Paul remains faithful to them. He calls them back onto the right path. Paul did not give up on them.
And so it should be with us. This is also how we ought to treat our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Often, we too easily give up on people and reject them outright. "He/she may be a member of the church, but I want nothing to do with him." We reject them because of some past unpleasant encounter. Well, God is faithful to us, and so we also ought to be faithful to one another. God does not give up on us so easily. He does not do so for the sake of the covenant. He also did not let go of the nation of Israel so readily.
The Lord God shows his faithfulness through his Son Jesus Christ. He was faithful to us despite our sins. That is why he came to earth in the first place. And he knew exactly what he had to do to deal with our sins. He also told his disciples about it. He told them that he was going to be arrested, beaten, and then crucified. At one point, Peter tried to stop him, but Jesus said to him, "Get behind me, Satan." Why does he call him Satan? Because Peter was trying to get the Lord Jesus to quit, to be unfaithful.
Time and again throughout his ministry, Satan tried to tempt Jesus to be unfaithful. "Don't go to the cross. Don't die for their sins. Just quit. It's going to be too tough. There will be too many obstacles and too many difficulties. Just turn around and quit." Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus steadfastly continued on his path to the cross. And even while he was hanging on the cross, the people wanted him to throw in the towel. They mocked him and said, "If you are really the Son of God, come down from the cross. Come down; it's not worth it. The pain is too intense. The people don't care anyway. Give up."
But does the Lord Jesus give up? He does not. He remains faithful. He loves us all that much. He desires us so greatly to be in a relationship with Him. He wants to overlook and even forgive all our sins so that we can continue to be in a covenant relationship with him.
Brothers and sisters, that is also how it must be with us in our relationships with others. He wants us to be faithful. The Lord God has also blessed His congregation because of faithfulness. Over the years, many things have happened. Because the church is made up of sinful people, sinful things have been done and said. Nevertheless, many of you remained faithful. You did not listen to Satan, who wants you to walk away from the church. You hung in there. You believed God's promises. You have a greater vision than those who can only think about present circumstances and about themselves. And that is why the Lord also blesses us as a church. For faithfulness brings its reward.
Think about how God blessed Abraham. Abraham's faithfulness was counted to him as righteousness. He trusted God's words about the promised land. And the Lord kept his promises. Abraham received, not only the promised land, but also a heavenly country, as the author of Hebrews mentions.
Our faithfulness will earn us the same reward, brothers and sisters. The Lord is always true to his promises. That’s why he gives us the sign and seal of his covenant. He remains faithful to the end. We can be confident of that. So, brothers and sisters, you can also bear fruit—good, wholesome fruit—fruit we can all enjoy. Amen.
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. W.B. Slomp, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2009, Rev. W.B. Slomp
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