HOMECOMING -ELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF MINISTRY

Series: Fruit of the Spirit

Knock, Knock. Whose There? ORANGE!

Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith,

Psalms 12:1 - Help, LORD, for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among
the children of men.

I Corinthians 4:1-2 - Let a man so account us as the ministers of Christ, and stewards
of the mysteries of God.
2
Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.

Introduction: Faithfulness defined: Hb: emunah= “steadfastness or4 stability”

Gk: Pistis= “reliability or dependably” “To follow through a commitment
regardless of difficulty” “Hanging on”

I Faithfulness of ___Conviction_________________________.
A. Matt. 10:22 - 22And ye shall be hated by all men for My name's sake, but he
that endureth to the end shall be saved.

1.To accept what allows:Job.2:9-10 - 9Then said his wife unto him, "Dost
thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die!" 10But he said unto her, "Thou
speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the
hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

I Ths.5:18 - 18In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you.

Rom. 8:28 - 28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love
God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

2. Keep a good reputation: Pr.3:3-4 - 3Let not mercy and truth forsake
thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thine heart. So shalt thou
find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

2 Cor. 8:21; - 21providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in
the sight of men.

Ac.24:16 - 16And herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offense
toward God and toward men.

3. Be a good steward (5 T’s) I Cor. 4:2- 2

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

4.Worship(Private and corporate)Rom. 14:5-7 - 5One man esteemeth one

day above another; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully
persuaded in his own mind. 6He that regardeth one day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and
he that regardeth not that day, to the Lord doth he not regard it. He that eateth, eateth
to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not
and giveth God thanks. 7For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

Heb. 10:25 - 25not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of
some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the Day approaching.

5. Witness and service. Matt. 28:19 - 19Go ye therefore and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,

6. Family (Spouse and Children) Eph. 5:21-6:2 - 21submitting yourselves one to

another in the fear of God.
22
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord; 23for the husband
is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and He is the savior of
the body. 24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in every thing. 25Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for it, 26that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing
of water by the Word, 27that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having
spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28So
ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He hat loveth his wife loveth
himself. 29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it,
even as the Lord the church. 30For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His
bones. 31"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto
his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." 32This is a great mystery, but I speak
concerning Christ and the church.
33
Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself, and
the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Ephesians 6
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor thy father and
mother," which is the first commandment with promise:

7. Truthfulness: Prov. 14:5 - 5A faithful witness will not lie, but a false
witness will utter lies.

Eph.4:15; - 15but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, who is
the Head, even Christ,

Tit. 2:7-8 - 7in all things showing thyself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine
showing uncorruptness, seriousness, sincerity, 8sound speech which cannot be
condemned, that he that is of a contrary mind may be ashamed, having no evil thing to
say of you.

B. I Peter 5:8-9 - 8Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walketh
about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9Resist him, steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren who are in the
world.

II. Faithfulness in our_Conscience_____(Clear Conscience)__.

A. I John 3:21-22 - 21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence
toward God.
22
And whatsoever we ask we receive of Him, because we keep His commandment and
do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

B. God’s Word; Col. 1:23 - 23if ye continue grounded and settled in the faith, and be
not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard and which was
preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, am made a minister.

C. God’s faithfulness in our lives Ps. 31:23;- 23O love the LORD, all ye His
saints! For the LORD preserveth the faithful, but plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

Heb. 13:6 - 6so that we may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear
what man shall do unto me."

D. Heb. 10:35 (keep) - 35

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath
great recompense of reward.

III. Faithfulness to our____Commitment_____________________.

A. Prov. 20:6 - 6Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness; but a faithful
man, who can find?

B. Luke 9:62 - 62And Jesus said unto him, "No man, having put his hand to the plow
and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God."

C. I Cor. 15:58 - 58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord, for ye know that your labor is not in vain in the
Lord.

IV. How do we develop faithfulness?

A. Stay attached. John 15:2 2Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh
away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit.

B. Resist temptations. I Cor. 10:33; Ja. 4:7; I Cor. 10:3-5 - 3And all ate the
same spiritual meat, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5But with many of them God
was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

C. Get back up when knocked down or fall. II Cor. 4:7-10 - 7But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of
us. 8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in
despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10always bearing
about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made
manifest in our body.

Conclusion: Eph. 6:13-14 - 13Therefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye
may be able to withstand in the evil day and, having done all, to stand. 14Stand
therefore, having your loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of
righteousness,