The profitableness of Godliness.

1 Timothy 4:6–10 (NKJV)

6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.

7 But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.

8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.

10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

“but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” Means that Godliness is profitable for all things in this life and that is to come

1 Timothy 4:10 ESV

For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Because it is profitable we strive to towards Godliness.

Godliness is being like God in all aspect of our life, in speach, in deed and in lifestyle.

It is a lifestime effort, something that we have to strive and labor for continually.

But it worth pursuing because it is profitable both for this life and the life that is to come.

“ For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God,”

Our striving and laboring towards godliness is as a result of our trust in God.

Godliness begins with trusting God

The drive to continually Strive towards Godliness is initiated and sustained by our trust in the Living God.

Psalm 37:3 (NKJV)

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

For someone to do good and be good, To be godly he has to trust God.

Without Trusting God no one can be godly

And if once trusted in God and began to godly, to do good. However in a certain point in time we lost trust in God, that will ultimately lead us to ungodliness.

See how important it is to trust God.

Godliness is a fruit of Trusting in God. Therefore trusting in God it is profitable because it leads to godliness.

Hezekiah as an example

2 Kings 18:1–7 NKJV

1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. 7 The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

Background of Hezekiah family.

His Father King Ahaz

He was a wicked man who did evil continually in the sight of The Lord, He was the Ahab of Judah.

He made images of Baal in Judah

He made altars to false gods in ever corner in Jerusalm,

the bible say “he had encouraged moral decline in judah and continuously been unfaithfull”

He shut the temple of God and made altars in the courst of the temple for false Gods.

He also burned his children in the fire for the false God molech.

Hezekiah refused to walk in the way of his father, but in the way of the Lord.

He chose to trust in the living God and strive towards goldiness, being like his creator rather than like his eartlhly father

Many of you come from families who are unbelievers, who live in ungodliness and unrighteousness.

Yet you chose to follow the way of God, You chose to trust in the living God.

You obeyed the Gospel of Your salvation, you came to the knowledge of The truth.

Know you have chosen to strive towards being like your heavenly Father because your trust is in him.

You are the 21st century Hezekiah, Let us see if it was profible for him.

2 Kings 18:1–8 (NKJV)

1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.

3 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.

4 He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.

5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.

6 For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.

Because he trusted in God, he began to purge his life and Judah from everything that is ungodly.

Because he trusted in God, he held fast to his commandements and kept them

7 The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

As a result of his trust in God and his godliness

The Lord was with Him

He propered wherever he went ( the blessing of God was in all that he did)

Godliness is profitable for all things, for the things of this life and for that which is to come

Trusting in God is profitable for all things, Fo the things of this life and for that which is to come.

“he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.”

Under King Ahaz, Judah was subject to The Kingdom of Assyria, and paid tribute.

The Assryria was an empire at that time, and all the nations around Judah, babylon and even Egypt was subject to assyria.

On top of that the Assyrians were known to be ruthless and ferotious and dealing with the subjects who rebel against their rules.

It took tremedious courage, and trust in God to rebell against assyria, because there is no way speaking in human terms that Hezekiah can withstand the armies of the Assyrians with his own army.

2 Chronicles 32:1–23 (NKJV)

1 After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself.

2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem,

3 he consulted with his leaders and commanders to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city; and they helped him.

4 Thus many people gathered together who stopped all the springs and the brook that ran through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?”

5 And he strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired the Millo in the City of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance.

6 Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, and gave them encouragement, saying,

7 “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him.

8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

9 After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying,

10 “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: ‘In what do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem?

11 Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”?

He was causing them to fear telling them that if you trust God, you will die by famine and thirst.

Fear is the enemy of Trust.

The Enemy to keep us from trusting God and obeying and doing what is right in our eyes he will use fear.

12 Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, “You shall worship before one altar and burn incense on it”?

13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand?

14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand?

15 Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’ ”

16 Furthermore, his servants spoke against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah.

17 He also wrote letters to revile the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.”

18 Then they called out with a loud voice in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, that they might take the city.

19 And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth—the work of men’s hands.

20 Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven.

Hezekiah wen’t to cash in all that he has deposited, all the deeds of faithfullness and godliness he had done.

God listened and delivered him and Judah from the assyrian king

Psalms 17:7 “7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them.”

21 Then the Lord sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there.

22 Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.

23 And many brought gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter.

King hezekiah Gets sick

When Isaiah came and told him to get his house in order and that he will die.

he prayed to God, and asked God to remember that he had walked with him with a loyal heart and done what was right in his sight.

The Lord heard him and gave him 15 years extra.

We will see Hezekiah in Heaven, he will have his own reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.

To Hezekiah, Trusting the Lord and striving towards Godliness was profitable not only in this life but also in the life that is to come.

Psalm 73:1–28 (NKJV)

1 Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart.

2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped.

3 For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 For there are no pangs in their death, But their strength is firm.

5 They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like other men.

6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them like a garment.

7 Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish.

8 They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; They speak loftily.

9 They set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth.

10 Therefore his people return here, And waters of a full cup are drained by them.

11 And they say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?”

12 Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches.

13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence.

14 For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

16 When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me—

17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.

18 Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.

19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.

20 As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.

21 Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind.

22 I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.

24 You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

26 My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.

28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.

Psalm 31:19 (NKJV)

19 Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!

Conclusion

Trust the Lord and do good, Continue to strive for godliness.