October 21, 2012

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, GODLINESS" II Peter 1:5-6

 

A mother came to visit her son at college in the first semester of his Freshman year. She was very excited to see him but her excitement turned to disappointment when she visited his dorm room and noticed their was a dozen or so posters of scantily clad young ladies posing in provacative positions.

 

Though greatly troubled by what she saw the mother bit her tongue holding her opinions to herself. On her way back home she prayed for her son and asked God for wisdom on how to address this concern.

 

About a week later her son received a package in the mail. When he opened it he found a beautifully matted and framed picture of Jesus. He took the picture and proudly hung it above his desk.

 

As he backed away to view the newly mounted picture he decided to take down the poster nearest the picture of Jesus. And over time, as he contined to gaze on the picture of the Savior, the posters continued to come down until the last one was thrown away and Jesus alone was displayed on his wall.

 

The mother knew she had put the right kind of stuff in her son as she raised him. She realized he had lost his focus on Jesus and believed that once he regained that focus he would begin to act more godly. She was right.

 

Peter reminds us that God put good stuff in the hearts of those who trust Him for salvation. But if we lose our focus on Jesus we can clutter our lives with sinful things that hinder the working out of what He put in. There are times that we have to take those things down out of our lives to let godliness be revealed through our attitudes and actions.

 

Is your focus fixed on Jesus or are you staring at things you shouldn't? Are there some things you need to take down off the walls of your life in order to allow to become more godly?

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 20, 2012

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness" II Peter 1:5-6

 

What is Godliness? - Godliness comes from the Greek word "eusebia" and is used in the New Testament to express the idea of inner piety or spirituality. Vine defines this word as, "piety, which, characterized by a God-ward attitude, does that which is well pleasing to Him."

Thus, there are two parts to godliness. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT THIs MORNING.

First - there is the "God-ward attitude" of "reverence and respect."


Second - there also is the “God-like actions of doing what is pleasing" to God

IN OTHER WORDS – Godliness is THINKING LIKE GOD and ACTING LIKE GOD.

 

GODLY ATTITUDES

 

A.      Devotion

A godly person seeks God on His terms. The word "devout" is a form of the word for "godliness." A godly person puts God first – always in ALL ways.

 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

 

To be more devoted to God you must be less devoted to yourself!

 

A godly person devotes his life to God.

A godly person devotes his love to God.

A godly person devotes his time, talent and treasures to God.

 

For the godly person life is all about God, not about him. Are you devoted to Him?

 

B.       Desire

A godly person worships God "in spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:24).

 

Whenever one follows God's will on how to worship Him, then one is being godly. Worship is our attempt to give something of ourselves to God. It is the "fruit of our lips" (Heb. 13:15) and the presenting of our bodies as a "living sacrifice" (Rom. 12:1). Worship is our inner piety expressing itself to God in praise through our physical bodies.

Is God your chief desire? Do you find joy in worshiping Him?

C.       Dedication

 

A godly person shows respect and reverence for God by studying and obeying His Word.  The only way to get out of the world is to get into His Word.

 

Oftentimes we are told that our response to God's word is directly related to our relationship with God. For example, Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (Jn. 14:15). To respect God means we must respect His Word! Spiritual growth naturally results, as one becomes a product of the word (1 Tim. 4:13-15).

 

Are you dedicated to His Word or are you dabbling in the world?

 

 

D.      Discipline

A godly person is one who acts properly, reacts properly, and leaves no doubt in anyone's mind that he/she is a child of God. God is seen in this person from the inside out and from the outside in.

No wonder godliness is a part of the spiritual combination that is important for Christians to cultivate. We simply cannot be faithful children of God without godliness.

 

Discipline says, "No" to selfish desires and "Yes" to spiritual desires.

 

Are you disciplined?

 

A godly person displays godly attitudes.

 

October 19, 2012

^"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness" II Peter 1:5-6

 

You are called to godliness. So am I!

 

Doesn't that sound good?

 

While it does sound good, there may be a small voice in the back of your head saying, "What? Me godly?"

 

That is because the natural man, the human nature, the sinful nature doesn't want to be godly - it wants to be GOD!

 

THAT'S the problem!

 

So, what's the answer?

 

Some would say that you can be godly if you keep the Commandments! Afterall, that IS the Law of God so if you keep His Law then you would be godly, right?

 

God's Chosen People tried that for centuries but Paul wrote to the Romans:
 

^"What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
“Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
 ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.”
 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." Romans 3:9-20

 

This is just one of numerous Scriptures that remind us that the Law was never intended to make us godly, it was given to limit the impact of our ungodliness AND to show how Holy He is and how unholy we are!

 

One of the reasons wrote this portion of Scripture in II Peter 1:5-6 is to challenge the foolish notion that we can become godly from the outside it. The big problem is not what you do but it is what you are! You can bathe a pig and put lipstick on him but he's still a pig!

 

A well-behaved Law abiding sinner is still a sinner!

 

Are you trying to attain godliness from the inside out? Have you bought into the myth of doing rather than the truth of being?

October 18, 2012

"Add to your faith.........godliness......" II Peter 1:6

Jesus is the reason we know what godliness looks like. He came to live out God's love and power in a fallen world.

 

Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:25-30

^"Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” esus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves." John 14:8-11

 

In His first public teaching, Jesus described what godliness looks like, how it acts and how it thinks. We know this teaching as The Sermon on the Mount.

 

Godliness is where eternity intersects with time.

Godliness is where God's holiness condemns mankind's sinfulness.

Godliness is where the God's power connects with man's weakness.

Godliness brings Heavenly truths to bear against earthly troubles.

Godliness allows God's healing to touch hurting hearts.

In short, godliness brings God's Kingdom to earth so His will can be done!

Godliness came through Jesus.

Jesus wants godliness to come through you!

October 17, 2012

^"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness" II Peter 1:5-6

 

I want to be godly!

 

You want to be godly!

 

Peter says that God has given us everything we need to live godly lives.

 

So, how do I know if I am godly?

 

I know I am godly if I enjoy His presence.

 

When there is ungodliness within me I feel very uncomfortable in His presence. I can't read His Word because it will make me feel condemned and guilty.

 

I know I am godly if I people are drawn to God through me.

 

Here's a fact, my life will either draw people closer to God or drive them further from Him. No one is neutral in their influence. Your not. I'm not. When someone interacts with me that person either walks away feeling more positive about God or less interested in Him. Which is true of my life? Which is true of yours?

 

I know I am godly if I find it easy to hear his voice.

In John 10, Jesus idedntifies Himself as "the Good Shepherd" and He said, "My sheep know My voice".

You can quickly recognize the voices of those you love. Do you recognize His voice?

I know I am godly when I have less fear and more fruit in my life.

One of the most frequently used phrases by Jesus was, "Fear not!"

John wrote, "There is no fear in love because perfect love casts out fear."

Godliness is possible!

Are you godly?

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 16, 2012

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; add to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness"  II Peter 1:5-6

Our guest missionary recently shared some amazing testimonies from his work in the Far East. In an area that is largely secular and atheistic sharing the Gospel ranges from difficult to dangerous. What religious practices that do exist in these places largely consist of ancestor worship.

As our guest reminded us, the demonstration of godliness in that dark area is usually evidenced in supernatural manifestations of God's power such as healings and deliverance from demons.

One of the people who sat in that service hearing about the miraculous healings done through the missionaries called me today and was having trouble processing all that he heard. He is a person I would consider to be a godly man but he was feeling a bit inadequate listening to how God used the missionaries to heal and deliver people from demons. He believed in miracles but wasn't convinced he had what it took to see them happen for him.

I put it in perspective for him like this - maybe it will help you, too!

First, as a believer he DOES have what it takes. Peter, in the beginning verses of this Chapter said this, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

What part of EVERYTHING do you not understand?

Everything means spiritual power and authority over evil in all of its forms.

Second, what our missionary actually was encouraging is four-fold:

1) Have a desire to reach lost people whatever it takes!

2) Expect God to speak to you!

3) Learn how to hear Him and recognize His voice.

4) Do whatever He tells you to do!

Signs and wonders and miracles happens like everything else in the walk of faith - one obedience at a time!

October 15, 2012

"When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 15:54-57

 

I Corinthians 15 is truly one of the great chapters of the Bible! It is great because it captures the spirit of a great man (Paul) and the essence of a great Truth (the Gospel).

 

Please allow me to summarize several of the great Truths it expresses:

 

1) God is stronger than the enemy!

 

Satan's two biggest weapons were sin and death. Through the grace of God in Jesus sin was defeated on the cross and death defeated when He walked out of the grave on the third day.

 

2) Salvation is stronger that sin!

 

Because Jesus became a man and proved that temptation can be resisted and that holiness is possible. As a result of His holy life He was able to assume all of the sins of humanity and become the atoning sacrifice for sin! He became like us that we might become like Him.

 

3) Life is stronger than death!

 

Jesus had to die in order to conquer death. We have to die in order to become eternal. The wages of sin is death - spiritual separation from God that can lead to eternal death. But because Jesus surrendered to death and then defeated it through the resurrection, we gain victory over death by living in His life!

 

4) Eternity is stronger than time!

 

During life, time is pretty much our enemy. We try to learn to use it to our advantage but as seconds become minutes and minutes turn into hours and hour add up into days and days mount into months which multiply into years - well, you know - time wears us down and we die. BUT, when we die in Christ we get the last laugh on time as we are born into eternity! There are no clocks or calendars in Heaven!

 

If you notice a victorious tone in I Corinthians 15 - you are right! We ARE victorious because Jesus won the victory for us!

 

Do you have that victory?