Faithfulness: Embracing God's Will in Adversity
Summary
The sermon titled "If Not Now, Then When" revolves around the theme of faithfulness, using the biblical story of Joseph as a central narrative. The speaker begins by recounting the story of Joseph from Genesis 37, highlighting the familial tension and conflict that arose due to Joseph's dreams and his father's favoritism. The speaker then transitions to discuss the concept of bearing the fruit of faithfulness, referencing Galatians 5:22-23. They emphasize that the fruit of the spirit is evidence of a life in which the spirit of God is present and encourage the audience to live according to God's will.
The speaker further emphasizes the importance of giving our best to God, just as Jesus gave his best to us. They encourage us to let go of our own agendas, excuses, and comforts to be faithful to the life that God is currently giving us. The speaker also highlights the importance of recognizing the helpers in our lives and the potential for us to be helpers to others. They then reflect on the life of Joseph and the challenges he faced, emphasizing that even in the midst of these difficult circumstances, God's presence enables believers to remain faithful.
The speaker continues to emphasize the importance of being faithful and using the gifts and resources that God has given us. They challenge the audience to not only recognize the needs of others but to actively help and support them, even in difficult situations. The speaker encourages self-reflection and asks the audience to consider if they are being faithful and giving their best, even in challenging situations. They also challenge the listeners to stop making excuses for their lack of faithfulness, reminding them that God remains faithful even when we are not.
The speaker concludes the sermon by discussing the concept of faithfulness, defining it as firmness in adversity, perseverance in pain, loyalty in love, and reliability in actions. They encourage the audience to live a life of intentional and purposeful faithfulness in every area of their lives, enabled and empowered by God the Holy Spirit. They use the example of Joseph's faithfulness in prison, which led to unexpected blessings, to illustrate the potential impact of our faithfulness on those around us.
Key Takeaways:
- The fruit of the spirit is evidence of a life in which the spirit of God is present. Living according to God's will and dying to oneself are essential to bearing this fruit. ([49:33])
- Faithfulness requires letting go of our own agendas, excuses, and comforts. It involves giving our best to God, just as Jesus gave his best to us. ([35:35])
- Even in the midst of difficult circumstances, God's presence enables believers to remain faithful. This faithfulness in times of adversity prepares individuals for future blessings and opportunities. ([49:33])
- True faithfulness involves not only recognizing the needs of others but actively helping and supporting them, even in difficult situations. It requires giving our best regardless of the circumstances. ([22:48])
- Faithfulness is defined as firmness in adversity, perseverance in pain, loyalty in love, and reliability in actions. Living a life of intentional and purposeful faithfulness in every area of our lives is enabled and empowered by God the Holy Spirit. ([03:57])
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide: "If Not Now, Then When"
#### Bible Reading
1. Genesis 37:1-36 - The story of Joseph and his brothers.
2. Galatians 5:22-23 - The fruit of the Spirit.
#### Observation Questions
1. What were the main reasons for the tension and conflict between Joseph and his brothers? (Genesis 37:1-36)
2. According to Galatians 5:22-23, what are the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit?
3. How did Joseph's faithfulness manifest even in difficult circumstances, such as being sold into slavery and imprisoned? [06:44]
4. What does the speaker define as faithfulness, and how does this definition relate to Joseph's life? [03:12]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the story of Joseph illustrate the concept of bearing the fruit of faithfulness as described in Galatians 5:22-23?
2. In what ways did Joseph's faithfulness in adversity prepare him for future blessings and opportunities? [49:33]
3. How does the speaker's definition of faithfulness (firmness in adversity, perseverance in pain, loyalty in love, and reliability in actions) challenge our understanding of what it means to be faithful? [03:12]
4. What role do helpers play in our lives, and how can we recognize and become helpers to others, as suggested by the speaker? [40:58]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you faced a difficult situation. How did you respond, and in what ways could you have demonstrated more faithfulness? [49:33]
2. The speaker emphasizes the importance of giving our best to God, just as Jesus gave His best to us. What are some specific areas in your life where you can give your best to God? [35:35]
3. Identify a person in your life who is in need of help or support. What practical steps can you take this week to actively help and support them, even if it is inconvenient for you? [22:48]
4. Consider your own agendas, excuses, and comforts. What is one specific excuse you often make for not being faithful, and how can you overcome it? [29:00]
5. The speaker mentions that faithfulness involves recognizing the needs of others and acting on them. How can you cultivate a habit of being more observant and responsive to the needs of those around you? [22:48]
6. Reflect on the concept of "if not now, then when." What is one area of your life where you have been procrastinating in your faithfulness, and what immediate steps can you take to change that? [20:13]
7. How can you apply the lessons from Joseph's life to your own, particularly in terms of remaining faithful in the face of adversity and trusting in God's plan for your future? [06:44]
This guide is designed to help your small group delve deeper into the themes of faithfulness and the fruit of the Spirit, using the story of Joseph as a powerful example. May your discussions be fruitful and transformative.
Devotional
Day 1: Living in the Spirit's Presence
The fruit of the Spirit is a testament to a life lived in God's presence. When we choose to live according to God's will and die to our own desires, we bear this fruit. This is a clear indication of a life where the Spirit of God is actively present and working. [49:33]
Galatians 5:22-23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Reflection: Reflect on your daily actions and decisions. Are they in line with the fruit of the Spirit? How can you better align your life with God's will today?
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Day 2: Surrendering All to God
Faithfulness requires us to surrender our own agendas, excuses, and comforts. We are called to give our best to God, just as Jesus gave His best for us. This surrender is a testament to our faithfulness and commitment to God. [35:35]
Luke 9:23 - "Then he said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.'"
Reflection: What personal agendas, excuses, or comforts are you holding onto? How can you surrender them to God today?
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Day 3: Faithfulness Amidst Adversity
Even in the midst of difficult circumstances, God's presence enables us to remain faithful. This faithfulness in times of adversity prepares us for future blessings and opportunities. [49:33]
1 Peter 4:12-13 - "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."
Reflection: What difficult circumstance are you currently facing? How can you remain faithful to God during this time?
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Day 4: Active Faithfulness
True faithfulness involves not only recognizing the needs of others but actively helping and supporting them, even in difficult situations. It requires giving our best regardless of the circumstances. [22:48]
James 2:15-17 - "Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
Reflection: Who in your life is in need right now? How can you actively help and support them today?
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Day 5: Defining Faithfulness
Faithfulness is defined as firmness in adversity, perseverance in pain, loyalty in love, and reliability in actions. Living a life of intentional and purposeful faithfulness in every area of our lives is enabled and empowered by God the Holy Spirit. [03:57]
1 Corinthians 4:2 - "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful."
Reflection: Reflect on your actions and decisions. Are they demonstrating faithfulness in adversity, perseverance in pain, loyalty in love, and reliability in actions? How can you live more faithfully today?
Quotes
"Faithfulness is not doing the right thing when all is well. True faithfulness is giving your best repeatedly regardless of the prison situation you are in." ([23:23])
"But we have to be honest about how long will you and I make excuses about why we can't be faithful now... if now is not a good time to be faithful then when is it?" [29:00]
"When are we going to be done being passive and unfaithful because it's uncomfortable... how long will we be in our deconstruction phase until we remember that the Holy Spirit has resurrected us to New Life?" [29:40]
"By the spirit of God, we can be faithful to the worst people, to the worst of situations, in the worst of places because God's faithfulness to you and I causes us to put our fullness of faith in him... if you can't Praise Him in the pit, you won't be able to worship Him and acknowledge Him in the palace." ([21:30])
"Some of y'all agendas have got to die, some of your excuses have got to go in the trash and die, some of your comforts are going to be uncomfortable, your life that you wish you had, it's not going to happen and God can't entrust you to the life that he's calling you to until you're being faithful with the life he's currently giving you." [35:35]
"Faithfulness is firmness in adversity, perseverance in pain, loyalty in love, reliability in actions. This also means that it's unwaveringly upholding one's commitments regardless of the difficulty or repercussions encountered." [03:57]
"I do not want you to hear about me calling you to behavior modification rather I want you to hear me calling you to a life of intentional and purposeful faithfulness in every area of your life enabled and empowered by God the Holy Spirit." [04:37]
"You have no idea because of what God is doing in your life that maybe the prison or maybe the pit experience that you're in is actually so you can be faithful to actually be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to be the answer of food in a famine for somebody else's life." [32:53]
"Who in your life, where areas in your life is going to die from a famine if they don't experience God's faithfulness by his spirit in your life? A lot of times our mouth is filled with complaints and excuses, and our hearts and our hands are empty of being faithful with what he's entrusted to us." [33:34]
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