1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,080 Hello and thanks for listening today to Trinity Sermons, biblically based sermons from Trinity 2 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:15,060 Church Streetsville, a church where we are learning together to love Jesus, live like 3 00:00:15,060 --> 00:00:17,960 Jesus and lead others to Jesus. 4 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:23,060 Today Rob Hirkmans will be continuing our sermon series on the fruit of the spirit and 5 00:00:23,060 --> 00:00:28,940 we will be learning about what he considers to be a rare fruit, that of faithfulness. 6 00:00:28,940 --> 00:00:36,280 We hope you enjoy today's message and God bless. 7 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:37,280 Good morning. 8 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:43,680 In a reading from Ephesians chapter 4 verse 25 to chapter 5 verse 2. 9 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:49,880 Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for 10 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,840 we are all members of one body. 11 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:55,560 In your anger do not sin. 12 00:00:55,560 --> 00:01:03,320 Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold. 13 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:09,520 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work doing something useful 14 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:15,840 with their own hands that they may have something to share with those in need. 15 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:22,160 Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building 16 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:28,560 others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 17 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:38,360 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 18 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:45,920 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form 19 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:47,320 of malice. 20 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:50,800 Be kind, compassionate to one another. 21 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:56,560 Forgive each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 22 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:02,920 Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, 23 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:10,600 just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice 24 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:11,680 to God. 25 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,840 The word of the Lord. 26 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:19,200 So when you go to a grocery store, of course, when you go to the produce section, there 27 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:25,400 are a whole bunch of fruit that are very common, very regular, kind of run of the mill North 28 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:26,400 American fruits. 29 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:27,400 They're all over the place. 30 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:29,960 These are the ones that they have in copious amounts. 31 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:31,840 These are the ones that often go on sale. 32 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:36,060 There's the apples, the oranges, the bananas, and so on. 33 00:02:36,060 --> 00:02:39,680 But there are rarer kinds of fruit out there. 34 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,920 And I want to share just a few of them with you this morning. 35 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:45,800 For example, this is what is called an ackee. 36 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,040 Has anyone here ever eaten an ackee? 37 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,560 No, I see a couple of hands. 38 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:52,560 Yes, I've never had one. 39 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,280 It looks like it's staring at you and you can't like get away from it. 40 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:01,120 But apparently an ackee is kind of a West African Caribbean fruit. 41 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:06,200 It's got listen to this, a nutty, silky, savory, cheesy taste. 42 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,040 And it can be even scrambled like an egg. 43 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:10,040 So there you go. 44 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:11,040 An ackee. 45 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:12,640 How about these little guys? 46 00:03:12,640 --> 00:03:14,400 I think the cutest thing. 47 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,240 These are, this is called a mouse melon. 48 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:18,240 Mouse melon. 49 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:19,880 Anyone here ever had mouse melon? 50 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:20,880 Nope. 51 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:21,880 OK. 52 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:23,240 Apparently mouse melon. 53 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:24,760 Great in salsa, in gazpacho. 54 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:26,280 Oh, you've had mouse melon. 55 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:27,600 Good for you, Andrew. 56 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:29,520 You can even pickle it. 57 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:30,520 So I don't know. 58 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:31,520 You just want to nibble. 59 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:35,120 You just want to nibble those little mice melons. 60 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:40,500 Now going from the cute to the scary, this is called snake fruit. 61 00:03:40,500 --> 00:03:41,500 Snake fruit. 62 00:03:41,500 --> 00:03:43,800 Anyone here ever tasted a snake fruit? 63 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:48,080 It's from Malaysia, it's Indonesia. 64 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,880 Snake fruit, even though they look kind of creepy, they're apparently very refreshing. 65 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:52,920 You can eat them raw. 66 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:55,720 You can put them in rice balls and stuff like that. 67 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:57,000 Or how about this one? 68 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,400 This fruit is called Buddha's hand. 69 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,160 It looks Buddha-ful, don't you think? 70 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:04,160 Buddha's hand. 71 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,040 And apparently, you can kind of see how it kind of looks like a lemon. 72 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,440 It's apparently, it's very citrusy. 73 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:10,480 It's kind of tangy. 74 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:15,760 And you can use it to make, I don't know, salad dressing and put it in muffins and stuff 75 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:16,760 like that. 76 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:18,960 So there's some rare fruits out there. 77 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:22,000 Well, today we're talking about fruit, but we're not talking about the kind of fruit 78 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,320 that you would find in the grocery store. 79 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,840 We're talking about the fruit of the spirit, meaning that if the Holy Spirit is working 80 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:35,840 in your life and if you are tending the garden of your soul, then what you should see happening 81 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:43,440 is all these different kinds of fruit growing in your life, like love, joy, peace, patience, 82 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:47,900 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 83 00:04:47,900 --> 00:04:49,240 This is the fruit of the spirit. 84 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:55,000 And today we're going to look at one of those fruit in particular, a very, very rare fruit 85 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,200 of the spirit, which is called faithfulness. 86 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:03,060 My friends, faithfulness is a rare fruit, very rare fruit. 87 00:05:03,060 --> 00:05:07,840 But today we're going to look at where you can find it, how you can grow it, and who 88 00:05:07,840 --> 00:05:09,680 can give it to you, right? 89 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:14,280 It may be hard to find and it may be difficult to grow, but there is someone who can give 90 00:05:14,280 --> 00:05:16,560 it to us and we'll find that out at the end. 91 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:18,320 So let's start with the question. 92 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:22,720 Where do you find the fruit of faithfulness? 93 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:23,720 It's hard. 94 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:24,720 It's hard to find it. 95 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:28,280 It's as hard as finding a mouse melon in no frills, right? 96 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:29,600 And here's why. 97 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:36,280 Because the biblical idea of faithfulness comes down to these three words, honesty, 98 00:05:36,280 --> 00:05:40,000 integrity, and trustworthiness. 99 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:44,960 Faithfulness is H-I-T. It is a hit, in other words. 100 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:49,720 Honest people, people with integrity, people who you can trust, these are the kind of people 101 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:51,400 we want to hang around with. 102 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:53,040 These are the kind of people we want in our lives. 103 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:56,080 These are the kind of people we want in our circle of friends. 104 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:00,840 These are the kind of people that we want our kids to grow up and get married to. 105 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:06,760 People who are a hit, people who are honest and have integrity and who are trustworthy. 106 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:11,280 And when you come across someone who is faithful, it's like an ackee. 107 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:12,520 It stares you right in the face. 108 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:13,940 You can't miss it. 109 00:06:13,940 --> 00:06:14,940 It's undeniable. 110 00:06:14,940 --> 00:06:16,000 You see the honesty. 111 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:17,240 You see the integrity. 112 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:18,400 You see the trustworthiness. 113 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,520 You see the faithfulness. 114 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,400 But it is rare. 115 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,720 It is a rare fruit in deed. 116 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:30,920 In fact, the Proverb says a faithful person, who can find? 117 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:34,440 And the Psalmist says no one is faithful anymore. 118 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:40,200 Those who are loyal seem to have vanished from the human race. 119 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:45,920 All this means is that we have a bit of a crisis of faithfulness. 120 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:50,240 Faithfulness is sorely lacking when it comes to relational faithfulness. 121 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:55,720 These days, people seem to opt more for casual relationships than committed relationships. 122 00:06:55,720 --> 00:07:00,280 When was the last time you heard of somebody who's been happily married 30 or 40 years? 123 00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:05,520 When's the last time you've heard that somebody has had a lifelong friend, a lifelong friend 124 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:09,800 that has been there for them throughout the whole of their life? 125 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:15,280 Relational faithfulness is kind of evaporating in our world today. 126 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:18,160 There's also a professional faithfulness. 127 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:22,280 These days, people don't stick in their jobs in any longer than they really have to. 128 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:26,040 We hop from job to job, from thing to thing. 129 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,880 Company loyalty is a thing of the past. 130 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:34,440 Now, hey, if someone is paying more, then we are out the door. 131 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:39,840 And if there's also a type of faithfulness that's lacking, you might call it spiritual 132 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:41,720 faithfulness that's lacking. 133 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:48,520 In our increasingly secular culture, people pursue religion and religious practices far, 134 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:49,960 far less than they used to. 135 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:55,480 And we struggle to maintain even our private spiritual practices. 136 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:57,400 People have lost faith in things. 137 00:07:57,400 --> 00:07:59,160 People have lost faith in politics. 138 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:01,920 We don't believe anything our politicians tell us anymore, do we? 139 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,240 That's why we do fact checking, because we know they're lying to us. 140 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,960 So we have to find a way to figure out what is actually true. 141 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:10,920 People lost faith in their institutions. 142 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:12,240 They've lost faith in the church. 143 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:13,720 They've lost faith in the health care. 144 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,180 They've lost faith in schools. 145 00:08:16,180 --> 00:08:18,520 People lost faith in their banks. 146 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:23,400 Ever since 2008, when we found out what the bankers were doing with all the money that 147 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:31,040 we were giving them and how greedy and how dishonest, man, we lost faith in them too. 148 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:33,120 But here's the kicker. 149 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:38,120 We lost faith in ourselves because we struggle with honesty, don't we? 150 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:42,120 And we struggle with integrity and we struggle with trustworthiness. 151 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:44,280 Who can find a faithful person? 152 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:50,000 I can't even find a faithful person inside of myself. 153 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:51,880 Check out this quote. 154 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,840 Faithfulness means you stick to a commitment after the shine wears off. 155 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,480 Faithfulness means you keep your word even though the complications arise. 156 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:03,740 Faithfulness means you keep saying no a thousand times to the temptation of cutting a corner 157 00:09:03,740 --> 00:09:06,160 or taking the easy way. 158 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:09,660 Faithfulness means you keep working through relational problems rather than disposing 159 00:09:09,660 --> 00:09:12,400 of a relationship like yesterday's trash. 160 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,360 Faithfulness means you see a project through to the bitter end. 161 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:20,040 Faithfulness means you refuse to jump ship even when the waves of adversity are splashing 162 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:24,400 over the decks of your marriage or of your relationship with others. 163 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:26,440 That's a great quote. 164 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:28,060 Here's the only problem though. 165 00:09:28,060 --> 00:09:33,480 That is a quote from a former church leader by the name of Bill Hybels who resigned in 166 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:41,840 the year 2018 after allegations of sexual misconduct which were proven to be credible. 167 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:43,880 So you see what I'm saying? 168 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:47,400 The fruit of faithfulness is a really, really hard thing to find. 169 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:51,240 It's harder to find than a snake fruit or a mouse melon. 170 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:53,240 The psalmist might be right then. 171 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:57,160 Has faithfulness vanished from the face of the earth? 172 00:09:57,160 --> 00:09:59,040 Well, the answer is no. 173 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:02,200 Though it is hard to find, it can still be grown. 174 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:07,620 And actually, because it's so rare, we need more people and more people to grow faithfulness 175 00:10:07,620 --> 00:10:09,240 in their lives. 176 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:14,960 And when Paul wrote this ancient letter that Annie just read to us to a church in Ephesus 177 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:19,840 some 2,000 years ago, he was giving them some great wisdom and practical advice about how 178 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:22,920 to grow faithfulness in their lives. 179 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:24,120 Let's take a look at that. 180 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:29,140 The first thing, the first lesson Paul says if you want to grow in faithfulness is this. 181 00:10:29,140 --> 00:10:33,280 You need to refuse to deceive people. 182 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:34,280 Refuse to deceive. 183 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:39,680 If honesty is key to faithfulness, that means you need to learn how to tell the truth. 184 00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:44,840 Paul says, therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your 185 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:45,840 neighbor. 186 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:46,840 Don't lie. 187 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:47,840 Don't make things up. 188 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:48,840 Don't stretch the truth. 189 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:52,960 Don't misdirect or misinterpret or misrepresent the truth. 190 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:58,280 As Jesus put it this way, he said, all you need to do is just say yes or say no. 191 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:02,400 All that other stuff that you say, it comes from the evil one. 192 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:06,600 Now, of course, there are many, many ways you can lie. 193 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:10,600 On the one hand, you could tell horrible lies about other people that are designed just 194 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:13,240 to hurt them and beat them down. 195 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:19,040 You can tell amazing lies about yourself just to make you look better and to build yourself 196 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:20,040 up. 197 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:22,680 And we know, we kind of know when those lies are happening. 198 00:11:22,680 --> 00:11:27,120 There are these other lies, though, that are sometimes called little white lies. 199 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:32,720 And these lies are a little harder to spot, but maybe I'll just give you a few examples. 200 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:35,400 One of these lies is what you may call the partial lie. 201 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:38,480 It's when there's some truth, but it's not all the truth. 202 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:43,480 You know, teenager comes home, mom's like, hey, so what were you doing tonight? 203 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:45,000 Oh, I was hanging out with Ryan. 204 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,040 Oh, you're hanging out with Ryan. 205 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:48,040 Okay, good. 206 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:49,040 Was it just Ryan? 207 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:50,040 No, it wasn't. 208 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:51,040 It wasn't just Ryan. 209 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,040 It was Ryan and Vince. 210 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:54,040 Vince? 211 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:55,040 Yes, Vince. 212 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:56,040 Oh, gosh. 213 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:57,040 So what did you do? 214 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:58,040 You were just at Ryan's house? 215 00:11:58,040 --> 00:11:59,040 Yeah, yeah, we were just at Ryan's house. 216 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:00,040 Is that all you did? 217 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:01,480 No, it's not all we did. 218 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:02,480 It's not all we did. 219 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:03,480 What else did you do? 220 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:05,680 Oh, we went down to the river. 221 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:07,320 We went to the river. 222 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:08,320 What were you doing at the river? 223 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:10,120 Oh, you were just hanging out. 224 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:12,120 Is that all you were doing at the river? 225 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:13,640 Well, no, we went swimming. 226 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:15,440 And is that all you did? 227 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,440 Well, no, after we went swimming, we blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 228 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:19,440 This keeps going on. 229 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:21,240 It's like you don't get the whole truth. 230 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:23,200 You don't get a whole lie. 231 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:25,560 It just keeps slowly leaking out. 232 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:26,560 It's like a little white lie. 233 00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:27,560 I'm telling the truth. 234 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:29,000 I was hanging out with Ryan. 235 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,520 I just didn't tell her it was down by the river with Vince. 236 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:32,520 Right? 237 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:34,200 So there's the partial lie. 238 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:35,360 That's one type of lie. 239 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:37,640 There's also the polite lie. 240 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,560 The polite lie is, hey, can you come over to my place tonight? 241 00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:45,040 And you say, oh, shoot, I've got plans. 242 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:46,520 I can't make it. 243 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:48,800 But you don't have plans. 244 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:49,800 Come on. 245 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:51,920 You just don't want to go over. 246 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:55,160 But the polite thing to say is that you've got plans. 247 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:58,080 Related to the polite lie is the protective lie. 248 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:02,240 It's when you don't really want to protect somebody's feelings. 249 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,520 And so when they come back and they say, hey, how do you like my new haircut? 250 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:07,280 And it's like, ooh. 251 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:09,480 Then you're like, it's amazing. 252 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:10,480 I love it. 253 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:12,200 What a great haircut. 254 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:17,280 Or when your boss tells you, sorry, Rob, we got to let you go because of downsizing. 255 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:20,200 They're not downsizing. 256 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,300 You're just a horrible employee, and they don't want to tell you. 257 00:13:23,300 --> 00:13:28,560 So they're saying, you know, we're just downsizing to protect your feelings. 258 00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:32,640 And then there's this other kind of lie, which is what you might call the padded lie. 259 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:36,680 This is the kind of lie where you're always exaggerating things. 260 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:40,860 You say things like, you always do this. 261 00:13:40,860 --> 00:13:42,720 Or you never do that. 262 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:43,720 Really? 263 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:44,720 Always? 264 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:45,720 Never? 265 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:46,720 Come on. 266 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:47,720 You're exaggerating. 267 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:48,720 Or you might even have a friend. 268 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:49,720 That friend is always like, it's amazing. 269 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:50,720 Everything's amazing. 270 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:51,720 Everything's excellent. 271 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,400 It's like, absolutely, like, oh, it's off the wall. 272 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:56,400 It's awesome. 273 00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:00,280 And you're like, everything can't be amazing and excellent all the time. 274 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:04,200 If you go to the UK, you know what people are constantly saying in the UK? 275 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:05,200 Everything's brilliant. 276 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:06,200 Brilliant. 277 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:07,200 Everything's brilliant. 278 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:08,920 You know, isn't this day brilliant? 279 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:11,000 Isn't this restaurant brilliant? 280 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,400 Isn't this sandwich brilliant? 281 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:13,480 It's brilliant. 282 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:14,480 It's just a brilliant sandwich. 283 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:15,480 This is a brilliant day. 284 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:16,480 Is it your brilliant? 285 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:17,480 I'm brilliant. 286 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:19,120 I'm like, OK. 287 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:20,820 Everything can't be brilliant, right? 288 00:14:20,820 --> 00:14:21,820 It's an exaggerate. 289 00:14:21,820 --> 00:14:24,000 The sandwich is good. 290 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:25,800 It's just not a brilliant sandwich. 291 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:26,800 OK? 292 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:31,360 So there is this way that sometimes we just exaggerate things. 293 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:36,180 And anyways, the point being is that part of being faithful is being honest, telling 294 00:14:36,180 --> 00:14:37,680 the truth. 295 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:41,320 And when we do that, it means that we don't lie. 296 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:42,960 So let's keep going. 297 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:47,520 That is the first advice that Paul gives us about how to grow in faithfulness, and that 298 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,680 is to refuse to deceive. 299 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:54,840 There is a second piece of advice he gives us, and that is to keep your promises. 300 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:55,840 Keep your promises. 301 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:56,840 That's how you become faithful. 302 00:14:56,840 --> 00:14:58,440 Refuse to deceive each other. 303 00:14:58,440 --> 00:14:59,440 Why? 304 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,840 Because we're all members of one body. 305 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:08,320 What he's saying is, hey, you're a church family, and you have made a promise to each 306 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:14,400 other to be there for each other through thick and thin and to take care of each other no 307 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:16,440 matter what happens. 308 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:19,700 You've promised that to each other, right? 309 00:15:19,700 --> 00:15:21,520 Keep your promises, Paul says. 310 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:28,560 Now a lot of people don't make promises these days because what they feel that is if I make 311 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:35,160 a promise to you, then actually that means that I lose the freedom to do what I want 312 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:36,160 to do. 313 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:38,560 Now, I'll give you a couple examples. 314 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:44,280 One example might be you see a lot more people who kind of live together rather than get 315 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:45,280 married. 316 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:48,200 And there could be so, so many reasons for that, economic reasons. 317 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,320 I'm not trying to oversimplify this. 318 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:55,640 But one reason why that might be is that they want to be with that person. 319 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:57,120 They want to hang out with them. 320 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:02,500 They want to be in that relationship, but they also still want the freedom to change 321 00:16:02,500 --> 00:16:05,480 their minds should things go south. 322 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,880 When you make a promise of marriage to someone, it is just a lot harder. 323 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:14,120 It's a lot harder to kind of to have your freedom and decide to leave. 324 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:19,200 So even though the research shows us that cohabitating before you get married does 325 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:24,680 not increase your chances of a successful marriage, people still want the freedom. 326 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:25,720 They want their freedom. 327 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:31,280 And so they really resist kind of making that promise to the other person. 328 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:34,760 That's just maybe one example of why we find it hard to keep our promises. 329 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,880 Another example happens right here in churches sometimes. 330 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:42,240 People have a hard time making a promise to be part of a church community. 331 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:43,240 Right? 332 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:47,840 So someone might say, well, I kind of like church and I'll maybe come and then I'll disappear 333 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:50,560 and then I'll come another time and maybe you'll see me. 334 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:55,240 Maybe you won't see me, but I'm not going to promise to be part of this community because 335 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:57,880 that then infringes on my freedom. 336 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:02,320 And I don't want to lose my freedom when I make a promise to join something like this. 337 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:04,960 And I know we get it. 338 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:11,320 But the funny part is, according to this author, Louis Smedes, the opposite is actually what 339 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:13,900 happens when we make a promise. 340 00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:16,660 We think when we make a promise, we lose our freedom. 341 00:17:16,660 --> 00:17:21,960 He says, actually, when you make a promise, you are exercising your freedom in the most 342 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,280 profound way that you can. 343 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:30,800 Or to put it in his words, he says, when we make a promise, we are most free. 344 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:34,720 When you make a promise, you say, I'm going to determine what my future is. 345 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:36,360 Whether we say, I'm going to be with you forever. 346 00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:37,360 I promise. 347 00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:39,120 Or whether we say, I'm going to be part of this community. 348 00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:40,120 I promise. 349 00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:41,520 I'm going to pick you up at 530. 350 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:42,520 I promise. 351 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:43,520 Right? 352 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:45,000 You're not losing your freedom. 353 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,360 You're exercising your freedom. 354 00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:53,040 You're saying, I'm not afraid to make a promise because that's how I exercise my freedom. 355 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,880 And as followers of Jesus, we should not be afraid to make promises, but we should definitely 356 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:00,280 be the kind of people that keep those promises. 357 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:01,280 So there you go. 358 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:02,360 Refuse to deceive. 359 00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:03,520 That's how you be faithful. 360 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:05,360 Secondly, keep your promises. 361 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:06,360 That's how you be faithful. 362 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:09,520 Thirdly, though, be yourself. 363 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:13,080 Paul says, each of you must put off falsehood. 364 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:16,600 Now that word falsehood is a Greek word, pseudo. 365 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:17,600 You guys know what's a pseudo? 366 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:19,120 Have you ever heard of a pseudo? 367 00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:20,120 Right? 368 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:25,340 If someone is being pseudo, they are like, I'm one person over here, but then I'm somebody 369 00:18:25,340 --> 00:18:26,680 totally else over here. 370 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:30,640 And when I'm with this group of friends, I act this way, but I have this whole other 371 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:34,680 personality, a pseudo personality that I put on when I'm with this group over here. 372 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:36,560 When I'm at school, I'm pseudo this. 373 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:38,720 And when I'm at church, I'm pseudo that. 374 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:41,200 And so it's like, who are you really? 375 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:42,600 Who are you guys getting this morning? 376 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:43,960 Are you getting Rob? 377 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:45,400 Or are you getting pseudo Rob? 378 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:46,720 Is this the real Rob? 379 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:49,040 Or is this Rob on stage Rob? 380 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:50,400 Or who cares, right? 381 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,640 Because I can be a different Rob in different situations. 382 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:55,820 I don't have to be the same person all the time. 383 00:18:55,820 --> 00:18:59,220 But people who are faithful aren't pseudos. 384 00:18:59,220 --> 00:19:04,400 They have instead, integrity. 385 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:07,000 Integrity comes from the same word as integer. 386 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,680 And an integer is a whole number. 387 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:10,680 It's not a fraction. 388 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:12,040 It's not split apart. 389 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:13,520 It's a whole number. 390 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:14,560 It's one. 391 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:17,800 What you see is what you get. 392 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,020 Someone with integrity, they don't flip and flop. 393 00:19:20,020 --> 00:19:21,840 They don't change depending on who they're with. 394 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:23,500 They're not two faced. 395 00:19:23,500 --> 00:19:25,360 You're not one way with one group. 396 00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:26,840 You're not another way on Instagram. 397 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:28,440 And then you're not another way in church. 398 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,100 You're just yourself through and through. 399 00:19:31,100 --> 00:19:34,320 That is part of being faithful. 400 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:38,600 The last thing that Paul mentions as part of being faithful is this. 401 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,520 To learn to watch your words. 402 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:44,780 He says, don't let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what's helpful 403 00:19:44,780 --> 00:19:46,880 for building up other people. 404 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:52,520 The word unwholesome, it comes from another Greek word that means putrefying or disgusting 405 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:54,240 or foul. 406 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:59,680 Imagine if you had a bucket and it was just filled with this murky, dank, dark, putrid 407 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:02,520 liquid you could not see through it. 408 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:04,480 It was just so opaque. 409 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:08,800 Paul is saying as followers of Jesus, we should be a clear bucket of water. 410 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:10,160 We should be transparent. 411 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:13,240 You should be able to see right through us. 412 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:17,680 When you start throwing around F words and S words and H words and B words and all this 413 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:19,200 stuff, it's just a bunch of bluster. 414 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:24,240 It's just a bunch of gross stuff that pollutes the water of your life and actually makes 415 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:27,200 it so we don't really know who you are anymore. 416 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:28,200 Right? 417 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:30,000 You're, it's how you lose faithfulness. 418 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,040 Paul says, clear it up. 419 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:38,840 Clean up the language so you can be true and you can be transparent and you can be faithful. 420 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:42,080 So do you see why faithfulness is such a rare fruit? 421 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:43,080 Right? 422 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:48,080 Look, if you refuse to deceive, if you keep your promises, if you are yourself and if 423 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,120 you watch your words, you can grow it. 424 00:20:51,120 --> 00:20:53,380 You can grow it in yourself. 425 00:20:53,380 --> 00:20:57,320 But because we're such weak and flawed human beings, we need help. 426 00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:01,720 That is why faithfulness is a fruit of the spirit. 427 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:08,240 We need the spirit's help and we need Jesus to live faithfully. 428 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:10,800 You see, Jesus knew all about faithfulness. 429 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,600 Jesus stands on his integrity. 430 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:18,360 The Bible says Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 431 00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:22,040 The same Jesus you got over here was exactly the same Jesus you got over here. 432 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:26,080 The Jesus you got 2000 years ago is the same Jesus you are getting this morning here at 433 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:27,080 Trinity streets. 434 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:32,680 In John chapter 18, there's this scene where Jesus is before the high priest and the high 435 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,960 priest asks him, you know, who do you say you are? 436 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,520 And Jesus says, I testify to the truth. 437 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:43,760 And then he gets like slapped and beat about and like elbowed and kneed. 438 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:48,800 And then a little few pages later, Jesus finds himself in front of Pontius Pilate. 439 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:51,680 Pontius Pilate is the guy who controls whether he lives or dies. 440 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:53,920 And Pontius Pilate asks him the same question. 441 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:55,520 He's like, who do you say that you are? 442 00:21:55,520 --> 00:22:00,360 Now, Jesus could say at this moment, hmm, the last time I said, I testify to the truth, 443 00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:02,160 that did not work out so well for me. 444 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:03,680 So maybe I'll be somebody else. 445 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:05,160 I'll say something else here. 446 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:06,840 But that's not what Jesus does. 447 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:07,960 Jesus is not a pseudo. 448 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:09,240 He says the same things. 449 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:13,600 He says, I testify to the truth. 450 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,760 And of course, Jesus ends up suffering and dying for it. 451 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:21,160 But Jesus was the same person, no matter who he was standing in front of him, no matter 452 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:25,320 who was intimidating him, no matter what the pressures were, who he was then was who he 453 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:27,800 was going to be forever. 454 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,120 Jesus will be Jesus. 455 00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:33,560 He speaks the truth and he stands on his integrity. 456 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:35,700 There's no pseudo Jesus. 457 00:22:35,700 --> 00:22:39,540 But Jesus also kept his promises, right? 458 00:22:39,540 --> 00:22:43,760 When Jesus was kneeling in the garden of Gethsemane and he knew this suffering was coming, he 459 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:45,720 knew the cross was coming. 460 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:50,520 Understandably, he's like, God, is there any other way I can get out of this? 461 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:54,960 If we don't have to go through all the suffering stuff, I would prefer that. 462 00:22:54,960 --> 00:23:00,440 But then he says this line, he says, but, but not my will, your will be done. 463 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,520 In other words, if it has to be this way, I will keep my promise. 464 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:04,520 I've made a promise. 465 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:05,760 I will go to the cross. 466 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:06,840 I will go to the end. 467 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:09,200 I will, I will pay everything. 468 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:15,040 I will, I will surrender my own life if I have to not my will, your will be done. 469 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,160 I promise. 470 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:23,400 And actually that means that all of us were saved because Jesus kept his promises because 471 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,720 Jesus was faithful. 472 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:31,360 And if that doesn't make you want to keep your promises and have integrity, then I don't 473 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:33,560 know what will. 474 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:39,400 Finally, Jesus speaks the truth. 475 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:43,800 In this world of lies, where do you go for truth? 476 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:44,800 Right? 477 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,400 Who tells you the truth about what life is all about? 478 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:49,420 Who tells you the truth about who you are? 479 00:23:49,420 --> 00:23:51,800 Who tells you the truth about what you're worth? 480 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:56,640 Is it social media, Instagram, you know, your friends on Snapchat or whatever? 481 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:58,840 Who tells you the truth about you? 482 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:03,280 Is it your boyfriend, your ex boyfriend, your girlfriend, your ex girlfriend, your ex wife, 483 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,980 your ex husband, some politician, some pastor? 484 00:24:05,980 --> 00:24:08,360 Is that who speaks the truth to you? 485 00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:09,600 Who tells you what you're worth? 486 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:13,960 Who do you listen to, to get the truth about things? 487 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:16,880 Jesus says, I am the truth. 488 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:21,560 There's only one person in the world who will actually tell you the truth about the world 489 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:26,800 and about life and about who you are and what is true about you. 490 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:27,800 And this is what he says. 491 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:32,480 He says, I love you and I created you and I adopted you into my family and you're my 492 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:38,160 brother and you're my sister and we are in this together and you are made in the image 493 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:39,160 of God. 494 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:40,160 That's who you are. 495 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:41,800 That's who you are. 496 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:44,960 The world out there is going to try to deceive you and tell you that you're something else, 497 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:46,160 but that's not who you are. 498 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:50,200 The world will try to break promises to you that make you all these promises, but it can't 499 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:52,200 keep them, but I will keep my promise. 500 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:57,200 And the world is full of people who are going to be fake with you and pseudo with you, but 501 00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:58,200 I'm real. 502 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:01,720 I'm the same yesterday, today, and forever. 503 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,640 I will not change. 504 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:07,240 I will be faithful. 505 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:12,040 So now we can answer the Psalmist question. 506 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,160 Is there anybody who's faithful? 507 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:16,200 Have they all vanished from the face of the earth? 508 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,400 No, there is one. 509 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:23,160 There is one who is completely honest, one who has complete integrity, and one who is 510 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:25,800 completely trustworthy, and that is Jesus Christ. 511 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:35,520 And as he lives in us and as his spirit changes us, we too can become those people of faithfulness. 512 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:36,520 So thanks be to God. 513 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:37,520 Amen. 514 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:43,320 Thanks for listening today and it is our hope that you can continue to grow the fruit of 515 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:45,960 faithfulness wherever your life takes you. 516 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:50,960 If you enjoyed the sermon, make sure to join us for our final two sermons on the last two 517 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:54,400 fruits of the spirit, gentleness and self-control. 518 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:56,560 Thanks again for listening. 519 00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:01,400 Today's sermon was taken from the June 23rd, 2024 service at Trinity Church, Streetsville 520 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:16,840 in Mississauga, Ontario.