“The Generosity and Faithfulness of Jesus”
Series: Winning the War Within (Fruit of the Spirit)
Sunday, March 29, 2009; Gal. 5:22-23, John 13:1-17

Introduction: As we near the end of our Fruit of the Spirit series, “Winning the War Within,” we come to the fruit of generosity and faithfulness. The Greek word for generosity is agathosune {ag-ath-o-soo'-nay}. It often is translated as goodness, but it can also be translated “generosity.” This is because it is a goodness that goes far beyond what is expected. In this going “far beyond,” we find the idea of generosity. The generosity comes from being good in character, and good in our actions. Along with generosity, we have faithfulness. This fruit is more straight forward than generosity. We know that at the core, faithfulness is being faithful to something or someone. In our case today it is being faithful to God….This morning I want to look at how we can win the war by going beyond our selfishness, beyond our unfaithfulness, and warm ourselves to the idea of the benefit and blessing that comes from generosity and faithfulness.

I. Being One Who is Faithful- (Galatians 5:22; Jeremiah 29:11;
Psalm 139:16; Matthew 26:42, 25:40; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
a. The meaning of faithfulness- Being faithful to God can be seen in
three different ways; being submissive, being teachable, and being considerate.
1. Being submissive: Being submissive is difficult in our
society, because we tend to learn how to be independent early on in life. So as we get older, and we try to understand our relationship to God more, we learn that we need to not only know God’s will, but be submissive to God’s will. We need to understand that instead of trying to plan our lives on our own, we need to seek out God’s calling and purpose for our lives.
Early on in life we will ask our kids: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Tyler says he wants to be an engineer of some sort, and a professional baseball player. Tiffany wants to be a librarian, and a school teacher. But does this fit in with God’s plan for their lives? We are told in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” AND Psalm 139:16 tells us, “your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” So if God has plans for us, and God has ordained these plans, it would be wise of us to seek to know these plans, and then be faithful to them!
Jesus Himself shows how He was submissive to the will of the Father, in Matthew 26:42, as He contemplates going to the cross: “He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’”
2. Being teachable: A second way that we are faithful to
God is by being teachable. I’ve told you before how both of our kids got to the place in their life (around second grade) where they felt like they know it all. Of course they didn’t, and I think they realize that now. But kids go through this stage where they feel like they need less and less guidance from their parents.
EX. You’ve probably heard the illustration where kids talk about how when they were young their parents seemed to know it all. But when they got to the teen years, their parents seemed to lose their knowledge, and didn’t seem to know much anymore. But as the kids got to college, it seemed that their parents started to get smarter again. And once the kids were married and had children of their own, the kids would regularly go to their parents for advice, and they were amazed how much their parents knew again!
We are this way with God as well. When we think that we know it all, we tend to go to God less and less for guidance. We do not have a teachable spirit. This goes back to having a submissiveness to God’s will. Until we understand that we need to constantly be in the learning mode, we will fail to learn what God has for us to learn. Don’t forget the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteous-ness, 17 so that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
3. Being considerate: A third way we show faithfulness to
God is by being considerate. What I mean by this is that faithfulness is about being considerate to the needs of others. To be faithful to God is to be considerate and loving to others. We see this talked about often in the Bible, where Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3-5, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had…” We are to have the same attitude as Christ by thinking of others, and not just ourselves. Jesus talked about this when He said in Matthew 25:40- “The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
God wants us to think about others, to care for others, to be considerate of the needs of others. In this way we are considerate to God; we are faithful to God. Just as we want God to be considerate of our needs, and to care for us rightly, so God calls us to be faithful in our attitude toward those around us.
b. The act of being faithful- So it starts with us having the right
characteristics; submissiveness, teachability, and a considerate attitude. When we have these characteristics, we will see a difference in our behavior and in our actions. Someone who is faithful to God will have a noticeable difference in their behavior. You can easily spot someone who has the fruit of faithfulness.
As we are looking at the life of Jesus, and how He exhibits the Fruit of the Spirit, let us look at a couple of Bible passages that illustrate Jesus being faithful…
1. Luke 4:1-13: Our first example comes from Luke 4:1-13, where
Jesus has just been baptized, He is getting ready to start His ministry, and He has gone to the desert to fast and pray. While there, the devil comes to tempt Him. But we see Jesus stay faithful. Here is the interchange in verses 3-12: “The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'People do not live on bread alone.'" 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours." 8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" 12 Jesus answered, "It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” Jesus was offered food, while He was hungry, worldly power, and the challenge to test God. But in all three temptations Jesus acted faithfully.
2. John 4:27-35: After Jesus had an encounter with the woman at the
well, a Samaritan woman, her life is changed by Jesus, and she runs off to tell everyone about Jesus. Jesus’ disciples, who were in the city, come back and question Jesus. “Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?" 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" 34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” Jesus is not concerned with the customs, (that He wasn’t supposed to talk to a woman, or a Samaritan); Jesus was being faithful to His call to lead all people to Himself, and to bring the non-Jews into the Kingdom of God.
How is it that you and I show faithfulness? Is it by coming to church every week? Is it by reading our Bible every day? It is those things, and much more. Having the fruit of faithfulness is about living out the call of God on our lives regardless of what the customs of the land, or the people around us say. It is following God especially when others are not.
II. Being Good in Character and Action- (Gal. 5:22; John 13:1-17;
Romans 12:15; Matthew 5:16)
a. Being good in character- As I said in the introduction, generosity
is showing a goodness that goes beyond what is expected. This starts with our character; who we are. It is a desire to be good. This desire is there once we have the Holy Spirit, and it comes to bear fruit when we let the Holy Spirit cause it to bloom.
1. Helpful- Those who have the fruit of generosity are
helpful people. Now all of us have been helpful in our lifetimes at one time or another. But those who have generosity are helpful not because they are asked, but because it is in them to offer. It is really about having a servant attitude. We see this in the passage in John that I read as our scripture reading, where Jesus is being helpful to them in several ways: first of all He is cleaning their feet, since there was no servant there to do that; second He is helping them to understand that they too need to be servants to others; third, He is doing this for all of them, even Judas who He knows will betray Him; and finally we read His words in John 13:15-17, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” It isn’t important whether you or a master or not, you are to be helpful to others.
2. Giving- Second, generosity is seen in our giving. There
are people who give, through obligation or expectation, and others who give because it is in their spirit. Having the fruit of generosity is being good in the way that we want others to have what they need to have. Those who are bearing the fruit of generosity receive tremendous joy when they give. It is as natural to them as breathing. They see a need, and they find a way to meet that need, even if it means giving of their own possessions.
3. Genuine care for others- This is similar to what I was
talking about when I mentioned being considerate, under the fruit of faithfulness. This is a generosity of our emotions toward others. Romans 12:15 tells us “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” It is a powerful experience for people when they can tell that you genuinely care about them. Even if you can’t do anything specific to make a difference, the fact that you care touches them deeply.
4. Loving- Fourth, generosity is seen in the way we love.
This is about not just loving those who are easy to love, but those who are difficult to love. Jesus told us to love our enemies; Jesus asked the Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him. Jesus showed forth a full and unconditional love for all people. And knowing that there were those who rejected Him grieved His heart deeply.
b. Being good in action- There is a wonderful story, well known to
many of us called “The Good Samaritan.” This is a story that Jesus told when He was asked what it meant to love your neighbor. Let’s watch a video rendition of this story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeyYYmFINm4.
How do we see generosity in this story?
He cared for the man’s wound; he took the man to a shelter for further help; he cared for the man’s needs by paying for his lodging, food, and physical care; he cared for the man in spite of the fact that Samaritans didn’t associate with Jews.
If we want to see the fruit of generosity lived out in our lives we need to be aware of those around us who might have problems; be willing to get involved (so often we don’t want to complicate our lives by getting involved); be aware of the injustices around us and be willing to stand up against the injustice; give generously of ourselves; and share Jesus with those who don’t know Jesus!
It is really about showing the goodness of God that is in us. Jesus put it this way in Matthew 5:16- “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Conclusion: We all desire to live a more spiritual life; to live the life God has designed for us to live. As we bring forth the Fruit of the Spirit, we will win the war that is raging deep inside us, trying to keep us from who God would have us to be, and what God would have us to do. When we are able to manifest the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, especially fruit like faithfulness and generosity, we are manifesting the presence of God in the world.
It is so easy to get caught up in what we want to do. It is so easy to get caught up in who we think we want to be. But all the while we are getting lost in the reality of how God wants to shape us, and the difference we can make for God. God really can influence the world through us. He can do it as we submit to Him and let Him teach and lead us. And as we learn, we become more generous in who we are, and how we care for others. I hope you will give yourself over to these fruit. It is a wonderful path to follow. Amen.