FaithfulnessMid Week Instruction

Pastor Washington Reid Temple AME Church

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

• Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not: As Thou has been Thou forever will be.

• Summer and winter, and spring-time and harvest. Sun, moon and stars in their courses above. Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

• Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide: Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

• Refrain: Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see, All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me.

God Values Faithfulness

• God is the source and standard of our faithfulness. In the Old Testament, God demonstrates the meaning of faithfulness as He calls Abraham, encourages Joshua, forgives and love Israel.

• In the New Testament Jesus is our model of faithfulness. He is not only the Lord of the disciples but also a faithful friend. John 15:15.

God Values Faithfulness• Faithfulness between two people brings blessings beyond measure. Joshua became the general who led Israel into the Promised land. Ruth married in to the nation of Israel and became the great-mother of King David. Barnabas launched Paul into ministry.

• We all need faithful friends and just as important, we need to learn to be faithful in our friendships.

The Rewards of Faithfulness

•Faithfulness is a lifelong task that requires continual effort. In the book of Proverbs, God shows us that there are rich rewards for those who do the hard work.

•Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4

The Rewards of Faithfulness

•Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil. Proverbs 16:6

•Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; through love his throne is made secure. Proverbs 20:28

The Foundation of Faithfulness

•1. Commitment To Be There

•2. Willingness To Forgive

The Foundation of Faithfulness

•3. Promise To Support

•4. Honor Our Commitments

•5. Fulfilling Our Responsibilities

A Commitment To Be There – Ruth 1:1-5

•There is an old saying that when times are hardest you know who your friends are. That summarizes the first chapter of the book Ruth.

•Naomi’s situation was at its worst. She had lost her husband and sons, which meant that she had also lost her source of income, security, and identify.

A Commitment To Be There – Ruth 1:1-5

•Naomi was without hope. It is at this point that Ruth her daughter in law does an astonishing thing—she decides to stay with Naomi and demonstrates the commitment to be there.

•The faithfulness question: “what is the cost to the person who is committed to be there?”

“Shallow relationships characterize our culture”

A Willingness To Forgive – Hosea 2:19-3:5

• It is easy just to think about finding new friends when we run into problems with our current ones. God isn’t like that.

•God makes commitments for time and eternity. The faithful prophet Hosea reclaims his adulterous wife. She is not only living with another man but worshiping other gods.

A Willingness To Forgive – Hosea 2:19-3:5

•God uses Hosea to show what lengths He is willing to go to in forgiving and being faithful to us.

•The damaged relationship between God and Israel is repaired because God is willing to forgive.

A Promise of Support – Joshua 1:1-9

•Joshua faced the daunting task of following Moses after 40 years of leadership. At times we all accept responsibilities that seem overwhelming.

•How well we perform frequently depends on the support and friendship of those around us.

A Promise of Support – Joshua 1:1-9

•Joshua moves into a new “pastoral position” and the Lord promises to support Joshua, we observe a new facet of faithfulness and friendship.

•What does God require of Joshua in order to be successful and prosperous in leading Israel? Joshua 1:6-9

“Commitments are not always Convenient”

Honoring Our Commitments – Mal. 2:10-16•Commitments are not always convenient but God expects us to keep them. When we do, we benefit, others benefit and God is pleased.

• In Malachi, Israel feared that God had abandoned his commitment to them. God speaks to Israel in a time of cynicism and unbelief and calls Israel back into covenant.

Honoring Our Commitments – Mal. 2:10-16•Malachi 2:14-15 Observe the key words in the passage. “broken faith, partner, and marriage covenant.”

•Healthy relationships require that we “do not break faith” with those to whom we have committed ourselves. Honoring our commitments make a difference in the way we relate to our spouses and friends.

Fulfilling Our Responsibilities –Matt. 25:14-30•Friendship with others begin with our friendship with God. “You are my friends if you do what I command.” Jn. 15:14.

• In all relationships there are commitments and obligations. This is especially true in our relationship with God.

Fulfilling Our Responsibilities –Matt. 25:14-30•We are called into a relationship of responsibility which means we are not to avoid our responsibilities.

•Responsibilities come with expectations and obligations. What does Jesus want us to understand about our responsibilities to the kingdom?

I Am Faithfully Committed!!!

•My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear.

• I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.

I Am Faithfully Committed!!!

• I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in a maze of mediocrity.

• I won’t give up, shut up, let up, or slow up because I am committed.

“In what areas are God’s people in our time and culture tempted to be unfaithful to God?”

“In what areas do you struggle to be faithful to God?”

God Is Looking For Our Faithfulness

•One of the ingredients that is required to be accepted before God is faithfulness. Therefore we must prepare our hearts to be faithful to God.

•When we stand before God, God’s commendation should be that we are good and faithful stewards.

•God requires faithfulness. For everything we do on earth to meet God’s approval there has to be a “spirit” of faithfulness that backs it.

Faithfulness Defined

•What does it mean to be faithful? Faithfulness means to be devoted, to be wholly committed to something. To be honest to stick with the truth to be sincere.

•Faithfulness means to be trustworthy and dependable. When we says someone is faithful these qualities are present.

Faithfulness Defined

•God is always faithful towards us. God is always devoted toward us and God is always honest because God’s word is true.

•God’s word is faithful and God requires the same from us.

God Test Our Faithfulness – Luke 16:10-12

•This is Jesus summary concerning the actions of a man in a parable. The man was going to lose his job and he acted very shrewdly to protect his future.

•Jesus talks about faithfulness in three areas. The first has to do with the measure of faithfulness. This is the first test of faithfulness.

God Test Our Faithfulness – Luke 16:10-12

•If God wants to test our faithfulness, God looks at our attitude towards little things.

•If we don’t pass the measurement test of faithfulness, God will not take us any further.

Measurement Test of Faithfulness 1 Sam.17:28-29

•David was a great King, Psalmist and when we hear the name of David we think about Goliath. Goliath was a Giant.

•Before David deals with Goliath, God saw how David handled the little things in his life.

Measurement Test of Faithfulness 1 Sam.17:28-29

•David hears about the war between Israel and Philistine and Israel had no response. The army of Israel was camped against the Philistine but not engaged in battle.

•David feels he must do something about this. Eliab, David’s brother makes this statement about David.

With Whom Have You Left Those Few Sheep?•David was a shepherd. How many sheep was he responsible for watching? We know he wasn’t a big time shepherd.

•David was the youngest the last born and the only one of his brothers keeping the sheep. He only has a few sheep, if there were more he would have used his other brothers.

With Whom Have You Left Those Few Sheep?•What has David done with those few sheep? V20 David left the sheep with a keeper, he didn’t just walk away because the sheep would have scattered.

•God watched as David put the sheep in the hands of a keeper before he left. If you haven’t been faithful in little things who will commit to you the little things. God is watching.

Recognize and Appreciate Small Beginnings•Normal people start small. Whatever you are starting you normally have a few resources. (business, church)

•Often times the heart can be so big with vision you despise the little things. Never despise your small beginnings.

Recognize and Appreciate Small Beginnings•David was anointed and knew he was going to be King and he is given a chance to go out in battle. He is a man of detail, he rose early in the morning and got someone to watch the sheep

•Chapter 16 David is anointed King, Chapter 17 David is still watching sheep.

Small Beginnings Can Be Aggravating

•David never lost his enthusiasm for his beginning. Never allow a major victory cause you to abandon your appreciation for little things.

•Make a commitment to always be prepared and never take the little things for granted. If you despise your small beginnings you will downgrade your perspective of people and down grade opportunities.

Small Beginnings Can Be Aggravating

•Small beginnings may mean little responsibility like cleaning your space or home, or making your bed.

• Little responsibility may be never going to the job angry or complaining or criticizing the office. Don’t down grade your opportunity. God will test you in little things.

“God won’t promise us great things when we have no respect for little things.”

What would you do if you had a promise or offer to abandon the small things? David could have said I’m fed up with this life now that I know I’m King.Some people will abandon their families for their dreams and forget about the little things God has committed them too. What are the little things you no longer care about because God is doing a big thing in your life?

Faithfulness toward God’s Purpose

•Each of us want our lives to count for something. We want to be sure we know our purpose.

•Purpose has to do with what we consider is most important. It is what your life is all about, the reason for our lives, why we exist, why we are here.

Faithfulness toward God’s Purpose

•What is your life all about, there has to be a reason behind our existence.

•God looks at our lives to see if we are faithful in living out His purpose.

Psalm 139:13-17 An Amazing Discovery

•We must make a discovery if we are going to be faithful towards our purpose in God. David makes the discovery that he is special to God.

•“I am a special creation of God.” I am skillfully made. God mad you with special attention. God has a clear purpose for your life.

Psalm 139:13-17 An Amazing Discovery

•David is confident that God made him specifically for His purpose. He describes this as being fearfully, and wonderfully made.

• It means reverently or doing something with all. It means that you have great value. God sees you as special and wonderful. And if God sees you as special, you can’t see yourself as common.

Jer. 1:4-5 God Has You In His Mind

•God set Jeremiah apart for a purpose. Jeremiah was inexperienced but God specifically knew him before he was born.

• It is not a cliché when we say what you are going through today didn’t start today. God knew Jeremiah before conception.

•Jeremiah didn’t begin with God as a cell, or clot of blood, Jeremiah began as a thought in God’s mind.

Jer. 1:4-5 God Has You In His Mind

•Before we were a cell, clot, fetus, embryo, child, before delivery there was a thought that necessitated the cell to come together.

•God thought of you as spirit. Each of us existed as a thought in God’s mind. Your father didn’t determine if you came into the world.

You Can’t Be a Mistake

•You are here because you have been set apart. Some of us have been set apart to bring laughter, others knowledge, to build, give instruction.

•You may not know it but you have been set apart for something special that means you can’t be a mistake or come at the wrong time.

You Can’t Be a Mistake

•No matter what the circumstance of your birth you were a thought in the mind of God. When we see ourselves that way it helps us grasp our purpose.

•God thought of who you were suppose to be and what you were suppose to be and has set you apart for a special mission.

Deepen Your Discipline 1 Cor. 9:24

• Every achiever shares one common denominator: a growing sense of personal discipline. Paul was an extremely discipline person and faithful to discipline.

• Discipline requires faithfulness it is not easy, but is effective. Discipline is not a popular subject today. Practical principles of prayer, perseverance, patience, and productivity have fallen into disrepute in our time.

Deepen Your Discipline 1 Cor. 9:24

•Our public and personal lives are plagued by the personal pursuit of pleasure. Tragically, too often our focus is fixed on what is fun.

•To often we want any medication except a strong dose of discipline and that requires our faithfulness.