Juicy Fruit: All About Faithfulness - Pastor Sarah Duron

Welcome to SC Church Podcast! We’re so glad you could join us. Today Pastor Sarah Duron shared with us her message:

“Juicy Fruit: All About Faithfulness"

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

God, we thank you that you're here right now. God, we thank you for your presence. God, we thank you for the house of God, the church, the family of God. Thank you for the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your word. Thank you for your faithfulness today, God. We worship you and honor you in Jesus' name and everybody said. Amen. Amen. Would you put your hands together? You're thankful to be in the house of God today. And you can go ahead and take a seat. And of course, as you know, it is Mother's Day. Can you help me honor all the mamas, all the women in the house this morning? We love you. We honor you. And of course, the mothers of this house, Pastor Deonza, Francis Duron, again, a round of applause for you. We love you, the matriarchs. I want to honor all the moms and all the women here in the house today. Because whether you're a mother by birth, by adoption, or by mentoring, the way that you serve and love the people around you, you're making a difference. Thank you for the way you continue to show up again and again. Thank you for your faithfulness. I honor you today. And you know what? If we're really, really honest this morning, for a lot of us, Mother's Day is a joyful day. But for some of us, it is not easy. And for everyone here with a heavy heart this morning, I want to honor you too, because despite the heaviness, you still chose to be faithful. You still showed up. And whether you're in the room or listening online, you're giving ear to the word of God. And I believe he's going to minister to you today. See, the truth is today we don't just celebrate motherhood, we celebrate faithfulness. We've been in a series called what?

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Juicy Fruit.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Juicy Fruit. Thank you. Yes, like the gum. If you weren't here the first week of this series, you missed out. We gave away juicy fruit gum. We've been talking about the fruit of the spirit. And today, so fitting for Mother's Day, I want to talk to you on this fruit of the spirit, faithfulness. Faithfulness. When I think about faithfulness, I think about so many people in this room. I think, for one, about Nancy Richardson. Yes, put your hands together for Nancy Richardson. If you did not know this about her, she was actually the first employee in this church for Pastor Rodney and Francis Duron back in the day in their living room. Started off as secretary, became our financial manager. She's brilliant, hardworking. She literally, this was her first job, and she just retired last year. She has committed her life to God's house, to this house, and she is still going very strong today. She's not slowed down one bit. She leads community group. She is a part of multiple serve teams. She's at every event that we have. She is phenomenal. She loves people. She encourages, counsels, prays for people. She's a spiritual mother in this house, and I honor you. Put your hands together one more time for our Nancy. And when I think about faithfulness, I also think about Stephanie McNeely. She's our children's put your yes, you can clap for Steph. She's our children's pastor, our marketing director. She's instrumental in everything we do. She's brilliant. She's a hard worker. Her husband Bobby is away at work a lot, so she holds down the fort in her home. Yet she is still mother of the year. Let me tell you, when she signs her kids up for something, she signs herself up for them as well. She's everywhere. I'll be at a soccer game, and I'm like, is that Stephanie doing the announcing at the game? Yes. She was just at prom decorating. She's every coach's favorite parent. She is engaged. She is energetically faithful. And I honor her. Also, when I think about faithfulness, I can't help but think about Grammy, our sister Duron, Frances Duron, one more time. You gotta put your hands together. She and Pastor Rodney Duron started this church back in 1958. She founded Evangel. She actually really cares for people. She remembers names and stories better than anybody. If you miss church, she knows. And she lets us know too. Today, she is as energetic as ever, puts us all to shame, daily visiting people in homes and nursing homes. She is the definition of faithfulness. I'll honor you, Grammy, this morning. Faithfulness, simply put, is the quality of being loyal, dependable, and steadfast. It can't happen in our strength alone. We have to have the Holy Spirit. It's a fruit of the Spirit. But it also can't happen in our own effort. I'm sorry, it can't happen without our effort because we have to cooperate and participate with the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 3, 3, and 4 is our passage this morning. If you have your Bibles, you can turn with me there. Proverbs 3, 3, and 4, one of my favorite passages. Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablets of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Come on, how many of you want favor and a good name in the sight of God and man? That is an edge in life. And this verse tells us how to have it through love and faithfulness. The title of my message this morning is It's All About Faithfulness. I pray that every one of us, God, would just be baptized in a fresh revelation of the faithfulness of God. And I pray that every one of us will leave here more faithful to you in Jesus' name. And everyone said, Amen, amen. So a few weeks ago we gave away gum. But what if I told you that today I'm giving away$50,000? Who wants it? Come on, who wants it? Do you believe me? Of course. Okay. What if I said, hey, congratulations, you're the lucky winner. This is actually not a check. It's a tax form. Fill it out. Give me 40 hours a week. And in one year, 50 grand is all yours. Congratulations. 50 grand in a moment is exciting. But being faithful for a year to earn it is a little less exciting. Faithfulness is repetitive. It's mundane. It's fulfilling duties day after day. It's showing up for work, for your commitments, for your children, and then tomorrow doing it all over again. Have you noticed that life is repetitive? And it's actually not an accident. It's by God's divine design. If you think about it, this life is structured to teach us faithfulness, marriage, children, our careers, our faith, our mission to reach the harvest. Everything that God's given us under the sun is both requires and develops faithfulness in us. Eugene Peterson says faithfulness is a long obedience in the same direction. Faithfulness matters to God. That's why what seems mundane to us is often so significant to him. The behind the scenes work of parenting, the tireless effort of family life, the grind of your career, the long silences of lonely seasons, what we want to just get past, the things we tend to overlook are so often the very things God is using to form us, to form faithfulness in us. Jesus makes it clear, it really is all about faithfulness. In fact, at the end of our life, the words we all hope to hear are well done, good and faithful servant. Faithfulness matters to God. When I was a young adult, just 22 years old, I had just gotten radically saved. And I was on fire for Jesus. I felt called to ministry. I was ready for the adventures of preaching the gospel, just like the Apostle Paul. I had this melodramatic idea of what serving God would be like. And I left my job at the advertising agency to work for the church. And I thought, this is it. I'm stepping into my calling. And I show up on day one as a graphic designer. They hand me a form to fill out, a mouse, put me in a cubicle. It's just me and my computer, no human interaction, seven years. For some of you, that's a total dream. No people, am I right? Some of us, it's a calling. But for me at the time, I had a different dream. And I was young, I had a short attention span, I was immature, and so I wrestled with God so much in this season. But I trusted my leadership. I knew God was at work. So I stayed and I submitted. And I made the decision that if this is my assignment, I'm going to be faithful in it. I wrote Proverbs 3, 3, and 4 on a little index card and pinned it to the fabric wall of my cubicle. And that's why I chose it as our verse today, because it carried me in that season. Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablets of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. That waiting season lasted so long that card turned yellow. While I was concerned with where I was going, God was more concerned with who I was becoming. Because faithfulness matters to God. Looking back, it's clear he was teaching me faithfulness. There are so many examples of faithfulness in the Bible. One of my favorites is the story of Ruth. She's in the Old Testament. She has an entire book of the Bible named after her in the Hebrew scriptures, yet she wasn't even an Israelite. She was a Moabite. One day she gets married to a man from Israel. They're married for ten years. He passes away. She becomes a widow at a young age. At this point, most people would have gone back to their homeland, but she chose to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi because she was also a widow. She chose to stay and care for her. And Ruth pledges her life to Naomi in these famous words. You probably recognize them. Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. She was almost as passionate as I was that day I showed up to work at church. Ruth pledges faithfulness. She then travels with Naomi to a small town in Israel called Bethlehem. And then every day from sun up to sundown, Ruth would work in the fields to care for her mother-in-law. One day she catches the eye of an upstanding man named Boaz. And he notices her, not because of her talent or platform, but because of her faithfulness. And he goes up to her one day and he's like, hey girl, I've heard of your faithfulness. And that's how it all began. Long story short, they get married, and she becomes the great-grandmother of David, the king of Israel, and she becomes a part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. What a story. Through faithfulness, Ruth made way for the plan of God in her life. And it's the same with all of us today. Faithfulness makes way for the plan of God in our lives. Faithfulness matters to God. It matters so much to God that we're faithful in marriage. It matters so much to him that we're faithful to our children, to our parents, to our friends. It matters so much to him that we're faithful in church. How can we be faithful to anything less than church? It matters that we're faithful to him above all, that we're in steady pursuit of the heart of God more than anything else. I look across this room and I see so many faithful people. It's through faithfulness of so many people in this room that we're able to do this right now, this morning. So many familiar faces because of your faithfulness. But I want to challenge you this morning. Ask yourself this question: Is there a place in my life where I am being unfaithful? I am praying, and I believe that even right now, God is speaking to places in our lives through his mercy, saying it's time to address that today. Ruth's story is about faithfulness, but it isn't just about her faithfulness. See, all along, through her good times and bad, God was with her, and he was moving her forward in his plan. Ruth's story is all about God's faithfulness. It's the same with us. If we're willing to trust him, all of our lives are stories of the faithfulness of God. God is faithful. God is faithful. It's his very nature. All throughout scripture, the Bible declares the faithfulness of God. Lamentations 3.23. Great is thy faithfulness. 1 John 1.9. When we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 2 Timothy 2.13. Even when we're faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. It's who he is. God is faithful. But here's the question this morning Do you believe He's faithful? When we're desperate for a miracle, it's not about believing whether or not it's possible. It's about believing whether or not God is faithful. And I wonder if there are some people in here this morning. I know there are. You're doubting the faithfulness of God. You're struggling with doubt. It's not in his existence, but in his faithfulness. And you know what? I've been there. I know what that feels like. When I was diagnosed with MS, I expected God to heal me instantly. He didn't do it like I thought. Years passed. I barely made it through my 30s. I missed out on so much with my kids. And it was like a war in my body and mind trying to reconcile my theology with my reality. And I never stopped believing in God. But there were moments where I doubted if there was a point to my prayers. Which that means I'm doubting the faithfulness of God. Looking back, I believe God's delay was his design. And it was for a purpose. And he was teaching me something deeper. That he's faithful, not only on the mountaintop, but in the valley as well. I love Isaiah 43, too. He promises you this when you pass through deep waters, I will be with you. When you pass, not if, but I will be with you. We can never learn the depths of his faithfulness until we're in the valley. Until we're in the deep. Even when I doubted him, he was faithful. In that season, I learned that faith is more than believing God exists. Hebrews 11 says that those who come to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Real faith believes not only that God exists, but that God is faithful. From cover to cover, the Bible is one great story of the faithfulness of God. When Adam and Eve sinned, God was faithful and he promised a savior. When Israel was in slavery in Egypt, God was faithful and he delivered them. When the world was lost in darkness and without hope, God was faithful and sent his son into the world to save the world through him. God was faithful in the resurrection. God was faithful at Pentecost when he poured out his spirit and the birth, the church was birthed from Genesis to Revelation, every single story. God was faithful. And if he was faithful then, he's faithful now. What does that mean for us today? I want you to preach with me this morning. That means when life is good, that's right. When life is hard, when the prayer is answered, when your heart is broken, when the miracle happens, at all times, in every season, come on, put your hands together if you're thankful for a faithful God. It changes everything. Gosh, because he's faithful. Nothing's too great. Because he's faithful. Finally, not only is God faithful, but all along in your life, he's been faithful. Do we have our picture for the screen? Earlier this week, I pulled this image up and I was listening to the song, the classic, He's Been Faithful. And I had a moment with God, and I just began to weep, thinking over my life. Oh my gosh, the faithfulness of God. Overwhelmed with the faithfulness of God. And listen, when your eyes are open to the reality of his faithfulness, it is overwhelming. And I believe one day when we get to heaven, not only will we hear him say, Well done, good and faithful servant, but I believe our eyes will be so open to the reality of his faithfulness, we will be overwhelmed and we will cry out, God, you've been faithful the whole time. This amazing image is a snapshot from Peter's life. Peter had such a special relationship with Jesus. Can you imagine getting to walk and talk with Jesus the way that Peter did? And of all the highlight moments of his life, I bet this is one that defined it all. It happened early one morning before dawn. Peter and the disciples were out in the boat, caught in a storm. They see Peter walking, I'm sorry, they see Jesus walking out to them on the water. And Peter cries out to him, Lord, if it's you, tell me to step to come to you. And Jesus said, Come. So Peter steps out of the boat, literally walks on water. But then he sees the wind and the waves, doubt creeps in, Peter begins to sink, and he cries out, Lord, save me. And the Bible says, immediately, say immediately. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and pulled Peter up out of the water. God is faithful even in our doubt. It makes me think of the story of Daniel when he prayed for 21 days and nothing happened for 21 days. But then on the 21st day, an angel of the Lord shows up and says, From the moment you set your heart to seek God, I was dispatched immediately to head your way. And all this time I've been Engaging in warfare for your sake. God is faithful in our prayers. When you find yourself praying and praying and praying, you're not trying to talk God into helping you. No, you're engaging in warfare. He is immediately faithful the moment you utter the first syllable of a cry out to God. He's faithful in our prayers. I think of the story of the prodigal son. He turned his back on the father and went and lived a life of sin. But the moment he turned his heart back to the Father, the Bible says the Father ran to him and embraced him. Listen, you don't ever have to beg God to forgive you. He doesn't give you the silent treatment. He doesn't hold it over you or make you pay. No, listen, the moment you set your heart to repentance, he responds immediately. He's faithful in your repentance. And my goodness, he is faithful to his word. His word works. Every stroke of a pen will never pass away. It will all accomplish everything he said it would. He's faithful to his word. Thank you, Father. I'm so moved by this image. Is it still up there? Good. Keep it up. I bet this is so, you know, you have core memories. You know, this was a core memory for Peter. So etched in his mind. And I bet he never forgot the emotion of the moment, the taste of the water, his utter helplessness, the grasp of Jesus' hand, and the strength and profound faithfulness of his Lord. For the rest of his life, this is exactly what Jesus would do for him. He would show up and rescue him in his doubt. He would show up in his time of need and weakness. Again and again, he would be faithful to him. And I'm so moved by this image because it's not just Peter's story, it's all of our story, too. How many times has Jesus reached down and pulled you out of your doubt? How many times has he pulled you out of your despair? How many times has he pulled you out of your sin from the dark places of your life? He's been faithful. What he does for Peter, he does for us today. He's faithful. You know, right now. Maybe you're in a new battle. Maybe you're facing a new storm. I'll tell you all you need. All you need is a boost of faith in a faithful God. Whatever you're facing right now. This is the word of the Lord for you this morning, and I say it prophetically over you. It's Isaiah 41:10. So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. What he did for Peter, he does for us. I believe even right now, his hand is extended to you to help you, to rescue you. He is faithful to you. Here in a minute, we're about to go into a time of worship. And before we do, before you stand, this is what I want us to do. I want your standing to preach with me and to be a testimony this morning to the entire room of the faithfulness of God, okay? So when I point to you, when I call you out, I want you to stand to your feet and remain standing. Okay? I'm not gonna do it one at a time, don't worry. If you've ever received a bad medical report and had sickness in your body or dealt with infertility, but God was faithful and worked a miracle in your life, would you stand to your feet and remain standing? If your marriage should not have lasted, you were in trouble, but God was faithful and he restored your marriage. Would you stand to your feet and remain standing? If you battled addiction, something that was stronger than you, and you could not shake it on your best day, not all the willpower in the world could have set you free, but God was faithful and you're free today. Stand to your feet and remain standing. And one more, if you were lost in your sin, a sinner, but God was faithful and he forgave you, he saved you, he made you brand new, and you stand right with God today. By the grace of God, would you stand to your feet and remain standing all over this place? Look around, church. Look at the faithfulness of God. Don't you think he will be faithful to you in this battle you're in today? Of course. We're drowning in faithfulness. Now, as we go into a time of worship, it's our time of response. How do we respond to the faithfulness of God? Three ways that we respond to his faithfulness. The first way is repentance. We repent for our unfaithfulness. And we repent for our unbelief. The second way we respond to the faithfulness of God is surrender. What place in your life do you need to finally let go of and relinquish into the hands of a faithful God today? Finally, the third way that we respond to the faithfulness of God is worship. And right now, as we begin to worship, I want you to ask God to show you, remind you of times in your life where He's been faithful. And I want you to thank Him and worship Him as He does it. God, I thank you for your comforting and encouraging and sanctifying word today. God, forgive us for our unfaithfulness. And God, thank you that you are faithful. You've always been faithful. And because of your faithfulness, everything is gonna be okay. Because of your faithfulness, God, we can laugh, we can be confident, we can have peace. No matter what. Because you're faithful. Thank you for your faithfulness this morning. Let's worship together.

SPEAKER_00 29:35

Thank you for connecting with us today. The first step to a new life in Christ is receiving the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. If you have never received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, repeat this prayer after me. Jesus, I believe you died on a cross and rose again for me. I ask that you come into my heart and be the Lord of my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Whether you committed your life to Jesus for the first time today or are already on your journey of faith, we would love to stay connected with you. Please visit sfchurch.com and follow SC Church on all social media platforms. And remember, the best is yet to come.