Faithfulness Is God’s Blessings

The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – FAITHFULNESS #1

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

Our Lord Jesus Christ Speaks About The Future

In Matthew 24:9-13 NLT says, “9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

In Malachi 3:10-12 AMPC says, “10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.

Let’s meditate and study these verses starting in Verse 9 > Our Lord Jesus Christ personalized His prophecy by explaining that the disciples themselves would face severe persecution; thus, they must be on their guard in order to stay true to the faith. As the early church began to grow, the disciples’ allegiance to Jesus caused them to be hated all over the world. To believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and stay strong to the end (Matthew 24:13) will take perseverance because our faith will be challenged and opposed. Severe trials will sift true Christians from phony believers.

In Verse 10, our Lord Jesus Christ warned that such severe persecution may lead to the defection of some members. The fear and persecution will be so intense that people will betray and hate each other in order to keep themselves safe. It will be dangerous to be a Christian.

In Verses 11 and 12, not only will believers face defection and betrayal from within the body, but also false prophets will appear and their teachings will lead many people astray. The Old Testament frequently mentions false prophets (see 2 Kings 3:13; Isaiah 44:25; Jeremiah 23:16; Ezekiel 13:2-3; Micah 3:5; Zechariah 13:2). False prophets claimed to receive messages from God, but they said what the people wanted to hear, even when the nation was not following God. We have false prophets today, popular leaders who tell people what they want to hear – such as “God wants you to be rich,” “Do whatever your desires tell you,” or “There is no such thing as sin or hell.” Our Lord Jesus Christ said false teachers would come, and He warned His disciples, as He warns us, not to listen to their dangerous words.

False teaching and loose morals bring a particularly destructive disease – the loss of true love for God and others. Love grows cold when sin turns our focus on ourselves and our desires.

In Verse 13, only our Lord Jesus’ faithful followers including us as Born-Again Christian believers will enter God’s Kingdom. The stress in this verse is not on endurance, but on salvation; the verse offers both a promise and a warning. The end refers to the consummation of the Kingdom at our Lord Jesus Christ’s return. This became a precious promise to Born-Again Christian believers who were struggling during intense persecution throughout the history of the church. Enduring to the end does not earn salvation for us; it marks us as already saved. The assurance of our salvation will keep us going through times of persecution. While some will suffer and some will die, none of our Lord Jesus’ followers (we as Born-Again Christian believers) will suffer spiritual or eternal loss.

Our Lord Jesus Christ clearly indicates in these Verses or passages that when the end times approach, things are going to get rough for us Born-Again Christian believers. Notice that the blessing attached to the faithfulness is the blessing of eternal salvation. Those who endure to the end will be saved.

Faithfulness is something that any of us can offer to God. And when we give it, He gives us a purpose for every morning’s sunrise. We live and have great reason to live.

In Matthew 25:31-40 NLT says, “31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in His presence, and He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at His right hand and the goats at His left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

These Verses 31 – 33 pictures our Lord Jesus Christ when He will return, not as the humble carpenter from Nazareth but in His glory. The sight will be spectacular when the angels accompany the Son of God and we see Him upon His glorious throne (see also Matthew 16:27-28; 24:30-31; Zechariah 14:5). He will come as Judge, for all the nations will be gathered in His presence (see Psalm 110:1; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

Our Lord Jesus Christ used sheep and goats to picture the division between believers and unbelievers. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Judge, will separate them. While all “nations” are before Him, He will separate individuals, for each individual is responsible for his or her own salvation (as seen in the parable of the bridesmaids, Matthew 25:1-13). This “separation” became a picture for the Last Judgment.

In Verses 34 – 30, the “sheep” are at His right hand, and are identified as God’s chosen people who inherit the Kingdom prepared for them. This Kingdom, existing from the beginning of time, is sure and unchangeable. Believers need never doubt its existence. The reason they are ushered into the Kingdom is that they gave to those who had need. This list describes acts of mercy people can do every day. These acts do not depend on wealth, ability, or intelligence; they are simple acts freely given and freely received. Our Lord Jesus Christ demands our personal involvement in caring for others’ needs (Isaiah 58:7). That this list is repeated four times in this parable indicates its importance as a guide for practical discipleship. The list is not exhaustive; instead, it represents all types of good deeds. This parable is not teaching salvation by good deeds, but evidence of salvation through good deeds.

The righteous are surprised at the King’s words. He commends them for their acts of kindness to Him, but they realize that they did not have opportunity to do such kindnesses to Him directly.

In Verse 40, the basis of reward rests on the acts of kindness each individual believer did for other believers, for in so doing, they did those kindnesses for the King Himself. Through the Holy Spirit, our Lord Jesus Christ is present in even the most humble or “insignificant” follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. How we treat lowly and needy fellow Christians determines how truly we love our Lord Jesus Christ. If Christians who have resources would help needy fellow Christians, non-Christians would be totally persuaded of the validity of Christian love. Such love for others glorifies God by reflecting our love for Him.

In Hebrews 11:8-12 NLT says, “8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith – for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. 11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep His promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead – a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.”

These passages or verses contain the record of Abraham’s reward for his faithfulness.

In Hebrews Chapter 11 Verse 8, Abraham is the next Old Testament example of faith. Genesis records his faith in Genesis 15:6, and Hebrews has already mentioned his faith in Hebrews 6:13-15. Two other notable New Testament passages speak of Abraham: Paul used Abraham as an example of justification by faith (Romans 4); James used Abraham as an example of faith that results in works (James 2:20-24). Hebrews explains that it was by faith that Abraham obeyed, and it describes three actions resulting from Abraham’s faith: (1) he moved to a new home (Hebrews 11:8); (2) he became a father in his old age (Hebrews 11:11); (3) he was willing to obey God’s command to sacrifice his only son (Hebrews 11:17). Abraham demonstrated his faith through his actions. His faith made him right with God.

Abraham’s faith is first seen in his obedience to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. Abraham left on the basis of God’s promise, without knowing where he was going (see Genesis 12:1-9). Abraham trusted in God’s promises of even greater blessings in the future. Abraham’s life was filled with faith.

Born-Again Christian believers can take heart from Abraham’s example of faith. God may ask us to give up secure, familiar surroundings in order to carry out His will; He may ask us to do some difficult tasks. But we can be sure that the outcome always will be for our best, drawing us closer to Him.

In Hebrews Chapter11 Verse 9, Abraham lived by faith throughout the rest of his life, continuing to trust God as he lived in the land God promised him. This land was to be his “as his inheritance” (Hebrews 11:8), yet Abraham never possessed the land. Instead, he lived in “his” land like a foreigner, living in a tent. He didn’t build cities and take over the land, and neither did his son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob. That job would be left to their descendants, hundreds of years later. But Abraham believed God’s promise that eventually the whole country would belong to him and his descendants (Acts 7:5). Yet even all that time, they understood that the land was not their final destination. Their real home was in heaven. Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise, also remembered that promise and lived by faith.

In Verse 10, Abraham lived by faith (Hebrews 11:9) because he was confidently looking forward to a city . . . designed and built by God. The verb “looking forward” connotes intensely looking forward to and waiting for that city. This was not an earthly city, but a city with eternal foundations. This contrasts with the tents in which Abraham lived. This city, though as yet unseen, stretches to eternity; thus, it is permanent and secure. Having God as builder means that everything will be perfect. As Abraham was confident, so can we be.

In Verse 11, It took faith for both Abraham and Sarah to trust in God’s divine intervention in their physical bodies that were both too old to produce children. In addition, Sarah was barren (unable to have children) in her childbearing years. God promised Abraham a son, but Sarah at first doubted that she could become pregnant in her old age. Abraham was one hundred and Sarah was ninety when Isaac was conceived (Genesis 17:1, 15-16; 21:1-7). But Abraham believed that God would keep His promise. The faithfulness of God picks up the theme from Hebrews 10:23.

Promises from God (no matter how unlikely or even impossible they may seem as we look around at our circumstances) can be trusted because we can trust God’s character. God cannot lie, and He will not make a promise that He does not intend to keep.

In Hebrews Chapter 11 Verse 12, Abraham and Sarah became parents because of their faith. It didn’t matter to them that they seemed to be too old to have any children. Because they believed God, He rewarded their faith with a child whose descendants became a nation with so many people that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. This had been part of God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 22:17 ; see also Genesis 12:2; 15:5). The contrast is being made between Abraham (one man) and his countless descendants (the Jews, and eventually all Born-Again Christians), all because of that one man’s faith. God had indeed been faithful to His promise.

Let me encourage our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others, we constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these FAITHFULNESS Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

1. God’s Blessings On Faithfulness – Podcast Faithfulness #1
2. A Persistent Commitment To The Right – Podcast Faithfulness #2
3. No Compromise – Podcast Faithfulness #3
4. The Road That Ends In Victory – Podcast Faithfulness #4
5. The High Art Of Persistence – Podcast Faithfulness #5

Observation: What do these passages say to you?

Interpretation: What do these passages mean to you?

Application: How do the meaning of these passages apply to you or to your situation?

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer, please take a look of one of our ministries, “An Invitation To Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Suggested Prayer: Father God, we come into your presence in Jesus name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and for the Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us to understand God’s Words, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth that sets us free, and obey them, in Jesus name, Amen!

God bless you all and our families!

In Malachi 3:10-12 AMPC says, “10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.