The Marks Of A Godly Man

I. A Godly Man is a man who has established a personal relationship with God.

A. He knows God personally.

1. He knows Christ as Savior

a. II Timothy 1:12 "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

2. He knows Him as Lord

a. Philippians 3:10 "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"

b. The proportion in which I know my Lord is the proportion in which I am prepared to serve Him. I s it not certain that when I know as I am known I shall be more perfectly prepared to serve?

B. He maintains a daily walk with God.

1. Genesis 5:24 "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."

2. Hebrews 11:5 "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

3. Walking with God means to go in God’s direction.

4. Walking with God means to share His companionship.

II. A Godly Man is a man who keeps his priorities straight. (He maintains the proper order of first God, then Family, then Vocation.

 II Kings 4:26 "Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well."

A. He places God first in every area and above everything else.

1. Philippians 3:8 "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,"

2. According to Dr. Jack Graham, a poll revealed that 40% of Americans claim that God is first in their lives. Yet, of this group those earning between 50,000 and 75,000 gave 1.5% to ALL charities including their churches while spending 12% on leisure activities.

3. Our Statement of Faith says that we believe that the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

4. If God is first, then why is it that we can follow the precepts of only nine of the commandments. Realizing that while I am not under law and do not observe the Sabbath; I am under a higher law the law of love.

B. He maintains the proper family/work relationship.

1. Former Vice President Al Gore said in an interview printed in Family Circle (6/24/97, p. 132), "What makes a man a good father? He maintains a viable balance between work and family, even when it is most difficult. And he is involved day to day in his children’s lives, in their development and their education."

2. Making a life is more significant than making a living.

3. Some time ago, Jerry Johnson divorced his wife of 26 years when he left coaching a college team to become head coach in the National Football League. He said he needed a wife while coaching on the college level for social functions and to show families that he would be looking out for their sons. In pro football, however, she was an unnecessary accouterment and a distraction to winning. He said winning football was his number one priority and his two sons second. How tragic! In contrast to this, Tom Landry, the former coach of the Dallas cowboys who died in February 2000 said, "The thrill of knowing Jesus is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I think God has put me in a very special place, and He expects me to use it to His glory in everything I do. Whether coaching football or talking to the press, I’m always a Christian ... Christ is first, family second and football third."

4. Bill McCartney, founder of Promise Keepers. Men of Integrity "When I took the job as head football coach at the University of Colorado in 1982, I made a solemn promise: I told everybody that with me, God was first, family second, and football third. But I didn’t keep that promise for long. The thrill and the challenge of resurrecting a football program in disarray simply took too much time and attention. As my teams kept winning year after year, I kept losing focus of my priorities. When we won the national championship in 1990, many people said I had reached the pinnacle of my profession. But for me, there was an emptiness about it. I had everything a man could want, and yet something was missing. I was so busy pursuing my career goals that I was missing out on the Spirit-filled life that God wanted me to have. All because I had broken my promise to put God first and foremost in my life."