This series is based upon a series by Nelson Searcy and the Journey Church. This sermon is my own, however.
The Challenge of Godliness
1 Timothy 4:7-8
2 Peter 1:3-8
Worldliness has value for nothing
Godliness has value for everything
Godliness requires Divine Intervention
Godliness requires Human Investment
What investments can we make toward godliness?
Invest in knowing the word
Invest in praying to God
Invest in Serving other people
Invest in worshiping in Song
Invest in Seeking the Lost
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Good morning.
We are 2 months into the New Year and it is going by fast, isn’t it?
It doesn’t seem that long ago that people were making New Year’s resolutions.
This is going to be a better year.
I am going to lose weight
I am going to get in better shape physically.
I am going to do better at my job
I am going to get a different job
I am going to make more money
Basically what people are saying is they want a better life.
Then the days turn into weeks turn into months and even when things do change, does life get better as we expect it to?
Sure we it may get better for a little while, but then those changes don’t seem to bring the joy that they used to. Life gets back into a rut and many times we find that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Or as Solomon might say, “there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
That is because often, I believe, we put too much stock in changing our external lives or circumstances so that we might live a better life.
We find that changing the externals really only brings momentary happiness, before drifting back to “the same old, same old.”
If that is the case, is there really any hope of experiencing a better life for the long haul?
Well, it turns out there is.
This morning we are going to talk about the Challenge of Godliness
Slide
and how living a godly life can truly help us to live a better life.
Jesus, who is God in the flesh, told us in
John 10:10 – I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
If you would like to experience that full life, then turn with me this morning to
1 Timothy 4:7-8
p840.
Slide
We are going to hear what Paul tells Timothy about the value of living a godly life and then take a look at what it takes to live that kind of life.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Paul starts out by telling us that
Worldliness has value for Nothing
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1 Timothy 4:7
Godless myths, old wives tales, the things of this world are valueless –
Why invest yourselves into things that are worthless for the long term?
He tells us to have nothing to do with things that are not godly because ultimately they are worthless.
Every one of us is faced with decisions each day as to where we will invest ourselves.
We all have to work and we are called to do a good job, but is that our reason for being?
We all like to have leisure time, and many people work just so we can have leisure time, but is that our reason for living?
We have to balance the things of this life that are seeking to compete for our time. And we want to do that in such a way and invest as much as we can in the things that will truly make a difference and help us to experience a better life.
Well, if the ways of the world holds nothing of value to make our lives better, then what does hold value for our lives?
Well, Paul tells us that
Godliness has value for Everything
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1 Timothy 4:8
8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Living a godly life has value
for all things,
for every aspect of our life,
forever.
Forever in this physical life, and
forever for our eternal life
Ok, so godliness is valuable.
There are some here who already know that, and there are some here who that may be news to.
The real question is how do we become godly?
Well, we are going to turn to another verse.
Turn with me to
2 Peter 1:3-8 (p. 860)
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We are going to look at what Peter says about godliness.
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Slide
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
From these verses we learn a couple things.
First, we learn that
Godliness requires Divine Intervention
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2 Peter 1:3
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
We cannot live godly lives apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
We cannot attain it on our own.
You will never be able to be good enough.
You will never be able to live a morally upright life.
You will never be able to experience the full life that comes with godliness apart from Divine intervention.
You have to have the Holy Spirit in your life to be able to live a life of godliness.
Now we receive the Holy Spirit into our life when we believe in Jesus as our Savior.
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-to the praise of his glory.
If you have never received Jesus as your Savior by confessing Him as your Lord, the God of your life, and believing that He died and rose again, you do not have the Holy Spirit.
I want you to think about if you have ever made a conscious decision to receive Jesus as your Savior and receive the gift of eternal life and the Holy Spirit.
If you haven’t, then you will have a chance at the end of the service to do that, but I want you to be contemplating that for the next few minutes.
A second thing we learn is that
Godliness requires Human Investment
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2 Peter 1:5-6
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness…
Make every effort to be godly.
1 Timothy 4:7 tells us to “train yourself to be godly.”
God works through our efforts.
Now before any of you think that God could not work without our efforts, don’t.
God does not need to work through human efforts and investment.
He could have done what every He wanted.
But He has chosen to work through many of the efforts and choices we make.
Now in His mercy, he also works in our lives despite the choices we make, but in a general way, the choices we make and what we invest our time into has effect in our life, but God’s own choosing.
So, that being the case, we need to make choices and invest in the things that are going help us live a godly life, because a godly life is the better life.
So
What investments can we make toward godliness? so we can experience a life that is full and abundant?
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Well our example of the perfect godly life is Jesus.
We need to invest ourselves into things He invested Himself in because ultimately, to be godly is to be Christ-like.
So, what did Jesus invest in?
Well, as we read through some of the New Testament, we find a number of things
that Jesus said he came to do, or
that he set an example in.
So I want to look at a few of the things that Jesus invested in so we too might know what to invest in so we can experience the full and abundant life that comes from living a godly life.
One thing Jesus invested Himself in was knowing the word.
If we want to live a godly life, we need to
Invest in Knowing the Word
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Paul writes to Titus and says in
Titus 1:1
1:1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness
Knowing the truth, knowing the Word of God leads to godliness because when we know the word, we will know what to do or not to do.
Jesus knew what not to do when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. Each time Satan tempted Him, Jesus responded, “It is written…” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10)
He knew the truth of the word of God and knew what not to do.
When we know the word of God, we will also be equipped to know what to do.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
We will know what to do, what not to do and we will also grow in our knowledge of Jesus because the word is our source of that knowledge and as we grow in that knowledge, we grow in godliness
2 Peter 1:3 tells us – “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him”
So we need to invest ourselves in knowing the Word if we are going to be godly and have life to the full.
A second thing that we find Jesus investing Himself in is prayer.
If we want to live godly lives then we need to
Invest in Praying to God
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We see Jesus, throughout his ministry, rely on the Father and the Holy Spirit by going off to pray.
Luke tells us
Luke 5:15-16
15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
He is becoming famous among the people and busy with ministry, but He always takes time to stay connected with the Father through prayer.
Mark tells us that Jesus made prayer a priority.
Mark 1:35
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
If we are going to be strengthened to pursue a life of godliness and truly enjoy life to the full, we need to invest in praying to God, we need to make prayer a priority.
A third thing that we see Jesus do and in fact, He says was one of the reasons that he came was to serve people.
If we are going to be godly, then we need to
Invest in Serving other people
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Jesus said in Matthew 20:28 - the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…
Galatians 5:13
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love
1 Peter 4:10
10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
If we believe that living a godly life is going to bring about the full life for us to experience, then we have got to invest oursleves in serving other people.
Another way we can “make every effort” toward godliness, toward being more Christ-like is when we
Invest in Worshipping in Song
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Right near the end of Jesus’ ministry, He celebrates the Passover with the apostles and as they prepare to go to the Mount of Olives where Jesus will pray and then be betrayed and go the cross, Jesus sang a hymn, he praised the Lord in song.
Mark 14:26
26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Imagine that.
At the moment that Jesus needs strength to rely upon the Father’s will, He sings praises and worships the Father in song.
We all know how a song, or even a tune can affect our emotions. The words and the music together form a unit that can impact us in a way that words alone cannot. And it can touch our emotions which can propel and incite us to action.
Now we don’t want to just rely on emotionalism to do things. That can lead us in the wrong direction sometimes.
Jesus told us the Father is looking for those who worship in Spirit and in Truth.
We need to worship in truth, but we need to recognize that when we worship with music, it can stir our soul.
Music is one way we should worship the Lord.
Paul tells us in - Romans 15:11 - "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples."
And again in
Colossians 3:16
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
James tells us in
James 5:13b - Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.
Worshipping in song is going to help us to live a godly life and be more Christ like because He worshipped in song.
Finally, if we are going to experience a life of godliness, become more Christ like, we need to
Invest in Seeking the Lost
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When Jesus was becoming more well known and people were clamoring from more miracles and healings, Jesus went and prayed as we read earlier. But look at what He says when He returns.
Mark 1:35-38
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages-so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."
Luke 19:10 – “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Jesus is here to seek and save the Lost.
In fact, this is why if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, He has left you here.
Jesus tells the disciples before He ascended into heaven to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)
If we are going to live godly lives, then we have got to invest ourselves in seeking the lost.
Transition
Now each one of these things we have talked about can be challenging.
Reading the Bible regularly so we can know the word
Maintaining a time of prayer
Serving other people
Worshipping in song and
Seeking the Lost
But it is as we are part of a church that we can not only do many of these things, but we are encouraged to continue doing them, encouraged to continually “make every effort” toward godliness.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
In the church, we are helped to know the word.
We hear it on Sundays, we study it in our connection groups.
We take time to pray in our connection groups and are encouraged to be praying.
We have opportunities to serve other people through the church or can be inspired to serve our neighbors who are not coming to church.
We worship the Lord in Song in church and God touches our emotions as we sing His praises and glorify Him.
It is through the church that we become more effective at seeking and reaching the lost because each of us can use our gifts as a unit, as the body of Christ that we are, and better help people to take steps of trust in Jesus.
To best meet the challenge of godliness, you do yourself well to be part of a church.
Conclusion
Now, as we finish up, I want you to think about how your life is?
Have you been trying your own plans and your own ways in trying to make your life better?
Have you come to the point of being willing to pursue godliness as the way to the full life?
Listen to what Isaiah says about the life God offers
Isaiah 55:1-3a, 6-12
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good ,and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live…
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
God offers the full life, but it comes as we live a life of godliness and it comes to be experienced for all eternity.
We need to seek Him while He may be found. You cannot have that life with the Spirit of Christ living in you.
You need Christ if you have any hope of eternal life or of the full life.
My hope is that this morning you will “Choose this day whom you will serve”
I want to invite you, if you have never received Jesus as your Savior, to do that this morning.
Romans 10:9 says “if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Won’t you do that this morning and receive the divine intervention, the Holy Spirit of Christ as your seal guaranteeing your inheritance, your eternal life.
If you want to, we need to just confess to the Lord our belief in Him.
Our belief
that Jesus is Lord, that He is the Christ, God in the flesh.
That he died for our sins
That he rose from the dead after 3 days showing He has the power to forgive us and save us for eternity.
Secondly, my hope is that you will make being part of a Bible believing and teaching church a priority so you can better invest yourself in the things Jesus invested Himself in and “make every effort” to be godly.
If the Lord is calling you to be part of this church, then take the steps toward being a member here.
To be a member of Hickory Creek, you need to
Have received Jesus Christ as your Savior. Pray with me and do that this morning
Be baptized by immersion. We have an opportunity this Tuesday if you have not yet been baptized by immersion after making a conscious decision to receive Jesus as Savior.
Be in agreement with the doctrine and beliefs of the church which you can find our through our website or in our constitution or through our Back to the Basics Seminar which is coming up on March 13th.
And agree to follow the leadership as they follow Christ and support the church with you talents and treasure as the Lord lays on your heart.
Our desire as a church is to glorify the Lord and love Him as we love people and help them invest themselves toward godliness and the full life that Christ offers.
If you would like to know more about any of those things, please come and talk to me or Andy or Jim
And if you would like to receive Christ now and receive the help of the Spirit to live a godly life, then pray with me now.
Pray.
