Sermon Tone Analysis

Our final subject is the last group of fruit segments, viz., those that we see in ourselves.

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Faith

The seventh segment of the fruit of the Spirit is translated /faith/ in the King James Version and /faithfulness/ in the New King James.

Faith sometimes refers to the doctrines of Christianity, and other times it refers more to a Christian’s assent to those doctrines.

Faithfulness is the dependability of a Christian’s character.

The Greek word can bear any of these meanings.

The proper relation of the word’s three meanings is provided by John W. Sanderson.

He says that “faithfulness flows from faith in God.”

That is, once a person has been enlightened by the gospel of Jesus Christ and has submitted himself to it, he becomes more and more reliable.

This doesn’t come naturally, but is the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in him.

On the other hand, faithfulness, apart from a saving faith in Christ, loses its meaning.

Drunks are faithful: they’ll take advantage of every opportunity they can to drink.

Thieves are faithful, too — try leaving one with your unguarded jewelry.

This kind of faithfulness is NOT the fruit of the Spirit.

It’s a worldly faithfulness that begins with a denial of God and his Word.

After years of observing the so-called “dead orthodoxy” of Danish Lutheran churches, Kierkegaard decided that passion is more important than truth.

He said that a pagan who worships idols zealously is more religious than an upright Lutheran who shows hardly any zeal.

But consider the pagans of Romans 1, who pursued their religion as zealously as any idolaters ever could.

In terms of passion, they were as enthusiastic as any man ever was.

Did Paul commend them for their enthusiasm?

No, he condemned them for their rejection of the truth.

Apparently, Kierkegaard wasn’t very familiar with the Bible.

There really is no such thing as dead orthodoxy.

As Jesus said, /The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life/ (John 6:63).

Heterodoxy is dead, will always be dead, and inevitably results in death.

But Biblical truth gives nothing but life to all who are nourished thereby.

Conservative pastors are sometimes criticized for being too negative.

Well, we are negative at times, but we have a good reason for it.

You see, the church cannot survive if it allows the Scriptures to be undermined.

Christian lives cannot be built on the foundation of paganism.

Because the world constantly throws its darts our way through politics, the media, education, art and entertainment, the church must counter these things with a Word from God.

The sins of day  must be addressed from the pulpit.

Unless we build our lives on the doctrines of the faith, we have nothing.

We would be like houses built on sand, ready to collapse with the first storm.

But those who love the truth will someday say with Paul, /I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing/ (2 Tim.

4:7–8).

From this we see that it’s not enough to acknowledge the objective truth of Christianity, there must be a subjective acceptance of it on our part.

When the Philippian jailor asked how to be saved, Paul responded, /Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house/ (Acts 16:31).

And John gave the other side of the same coin when he wrote, /He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God/ (John 3:18).

Faith also requires faithfulness, i.e., living in obedience to the faith and doing what pleases God.

Such faithfulness means that we must persevere regardless of the outward circumstances of our lives.

We must find the answers to our problems in the Word and trust the sovereign God sustain us.

This, in turn, demands diligence on our part.

As Peter wrote in his second epistle, /Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ/ (2 Pet.

1:10–11).

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Meekness

In the first George Bush’s speech at the 1988 Republican Convention, he expressed his desire for America to become a kinder and gentler nation.

We haven’t quite made it.

But our Lord predicted something far more profound, viz., that the meek would someday inherit the earth (Matt.

5:5).

Meekness is the eighth segment in the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

But just what is it?

Some of its synonyms include submissiveness, humility and modesty.

In a minute, we’ll look at some examples of meekness in the Bible.

But before we do this, I must also say what meekness is not.

The world thinks that meekness means weakness.

My thesaurus even lists /spineless/ as one of its synonyms.

Anyone can go along with the crowd.

Caving in to the expectations of friends and colleagues requires no intestinal fortitude.

But meekness comes from conviction.

A person who knows where he stands does not have to prove himself to others.

He can state his opinion in a non-offensive, non-threatening way, and yet not back down from what he knows is right.

Look at Jesus.

The forty-second chapter of Isaiah foretold his meekness eight hundred years before he was born: Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law (Isa.

42:1–4).

According to the prophet, Jesus was so meek that a split reed was completely safe in his presence, and so was a candle that was about to go out.

Was he a pansy?

Not a chance.

No matter how fierce the opposition, he stood fast.

He continued in obedience to the Word of God until he had accomplished everything he came to do.

Imagine the courage it must have taken for our Lord to bear all the insults and beatings that he endured during the final hours before his crucifixion.

Did Jesus lash out against his enemies?

Did he cave in just to avoid the pain?

Isaiah also wrote, /He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth/ (Isa.

53:7).

This is the same meekness that we should imitate today.

Listen to what Peter wrote: /For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth/ (1 Pet.

2:21–22).

The lesson here is simple: meekness teaches us humbly to accept whatever lot the Lord gives us.

Often the Lord sends difficult things our way.

How many of us have felt trapped sometime in our lives?

Maybe we felt trapped in an unhappy marriage, or were single and didn’t like it.

Maybe we had a meaningless job.

Perhaps we were overwhelmed with family problems, illnesses and accidents.

And then there are all those times when we’ve just been foolish and brought calamity upon our own heads.

We all know what I’m talking about.

Fortunately, God has given us the answer.

We must accept ourselves and the circumstances of our lives.

We must learn to say with David, /But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort?

for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee/ (1 Chron.

29:14).

And with Paul: /Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me/ (Phil.

4:11–13).

Once we have accepted ourselves, then we are in a better position to help others.

We won’t have to prove ourselves anymore or shout to be heard.

And it won’t bother us if others pay no attention to us.

But can the meek prevail in a world dominated by sin?

Though it may not seem so, the answer, as always, depends on the Lord’s will.

Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth in his day (Num.

12:3).

But to the natural eye of man, it looked like he was losing.

After al, who was he to stand up against Pharaoh, the mightiest king in the world?

Even Korah, Dathan and Abiram were younger and stronger than he.

Yet, Pharaoh’s army drowned in the Red Sea, and the earth swallowed Korah and his band of rebels.