Godliness: Our Highest Aspiration

How many of you have ever had a New Years resolution or set goals at the beginning of the year? Show of hands. OK now if you have made a resolution about health, exercise or diet keep your hands up. That is awesome. That is a wonderful aspiration. Now while those things are good there is something worth so much more. Something that has infinitely more value. Something that will not only change your life, but also those around you. Today I’d like to discuss what our highest aspiration should be. That my friends is godliness.

And what better time to reflect on this then the beginning of a new year. A time of year with a focus on new beginnings. A time to reflect on who we have been and look forward to who we want to become.

Now I’ve viewed this from the lens of exercise and health for the majority of my life. That the gyms would see an influx of people with new found longing to be better. And that is something beautiful to see. A desire to be more than you have been.

However, sadly, most of these people flame out and don’t accomplish what they’ve set out for. I don’t believe it is out of a lack of desire, but a lack of understanding, proper planning, and a strong reason why.

Similarly we do this in our sanctification process. We will talk about this a little more later.

But when we come to faith we have a zeal. We desire to know the Living God and what we are called to be. Much like the people entering the gym for maybe the first time. We might be scared, excited, and are stepping into a new part of our life. We have been one way and want to become another. After some time though we settle in. We become complacent in certain areas. Sometimes we even think yeah I’ve read that. Yeah I know that. But the bible tells us to to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Not the coasting of our minds.

Much like a good trainer would, today we will look at what will help us to be successful in our daily striving for godliness and how to become like the God we serve. We will use the road map God has given us in the Bible to be diligent in our walk. To do the things God has commanded us to do. Not just for ourselves but for those in our lives who may come to Christ by watching us. To know while healthy living and physical improvements are good they pale in comparison to godliness.

And don’t take my word for it. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. Paul said so.

Today’s text is found in 1 Timothy Chapter 4 starting at verse 7. Now as you turn to that passage in your Bible’s we need to realize this is not how we read Scripture. We don’t just pluck a text out of our Bible’s and read it as a stand alone text. We can run into all sorts of errors that way. We can miss so much of what God is telling us in the book we are taking it from and the entire Bible itself without that bigger perspective.

So to help this let’s set the context of the situation. This letter is from Paul the Apostle to a young pastor named Timothy. Timothy has been sent to Ephesus on behalf of Paul. This was due to reports of leaders infiltrating that church and spreading false teachings about Jesus and how to follow Him. Timothy is here for correction. Paul sends this letter in order to instruct Timothy on how to address these issues and encourage him. Our section for today is about a word we all really love: discipline. Let’s see what the text says:

1 Timothy 4:7-10

Paul has just finished explaining that people advocating from abstaining from certain foods and marriage misunderstand that everything God has created is good. That these things are not to be rejected but to be received with gratitude. This is one of the many false teachings that Timothy is dealing with. This is why Paul starts verse 7 with

But have nothing to do with worldly fables.

Have nothing to do with false teaching, If it cannot stand up to what the word of God says then have nothing to do with it. We know that the word of God is true. That what is written in our Bible’s is the means of how we look into the world. We compare what we hear to the text. Paul continues to say on the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. Showing a contrast of false worldly fables and the discipline of godliness.

A few things to notice and understand about what Paul just said. First we have this word discipline. In our day we sometimes think of this word as punishment. It has sometimes gathered this negative connotation. But as Paul is using this word it means a rigorous self-sacrificing training. It is mostly used in athletics for athletes as they prepare to compete. However when Paul says this it isn’t to help you run more, eat better, or lift dumbbells. It is to discipline your body and mind for the purpose of godly living.

Paul is looking toward the bigger picture. Now notice Paul doesn’t say that bodily training is of no profit. When you discipline your body through exercising, getting proper rest and not eating those delicious cookies you and I love so much we are profiting. We are gaining. But those things have a temporary effect. They are only focused on this age and time of our lives. The discipline Paul is speaking of is the real deal. The stuff that will last forever.

But what is godliness you ask? Here are a few ways to look at this:

Slide: the quality or practice of conforming to the laws and wishes of God; devoutness and moral uprightness

As a quality it is something to describe you. Something distinctive about you. It is also a measurement or standard of which we use to compare things of a similar kind.

Here’s an exercise in this: Think of the godliest person you know. That person that comes to mind has attributes or characteristics that reflect God and you thought of them and not others because of how they stand out among the rest.

This comes from the practice of those things God has given us in His laws, His instructions, and His examples. A commitment to repeating the habits that reflect God to the world. That is why that person stood out. They demonstrate godliness to us.

In a simple manner godliness is devotion to God!

Devotion not just in our minds or what we say, but in what we do and with the life God has blessed us with. That is devotion through everything. To the best of our abilities. Giving ourselves over to reflecting Jesus Christ to the world.

Profitable

So we have an understanding of what godliness is. It is said to be profitable too. What do we mean by profitable? We mean that these things add value to your life. That you will have more abundant life because of them.

Another way we can view this is freedom. Now I can hear it now wait you’re telling me discipline leads to freedom? Doesn’t discipline tell me what I can and cannot do? That seems to restrict me from freedom.

Let’s paint a picture. Let’s say when you were a kid that you were put on a sports team. You loved the sport and thought it would be fun to play with your friends on a team. Then you realize the coach was having you do a bunch of drills, practice, training, eating better and making sure you didn’t stay up late so you could have rest. Man this sounds like a bummer. I just want to play basketball. All of those things he is making you do sound like they are restricting you from fun and feel like a burden.

That is until you get into your games. You now have much more endurance, skills, control, and trust with your teammates, your coach, and yourself. This means you have freedom to do more than you ever could before. You have options you didn’t know about and ability to perform at a much higher level because of all the disciplines you had in place before you ever got to the court. The discipline gave you the freedom to do much more.

Or you can think about it as a musician. When you started playing the piano it was not so good to listen to. But with practice you can not only play better but now you have a range of songs that you know. This gives you freedom to play things you never could have without the training and discipline. So the profit of discipline is freedom to do more.

For godliness this means you are able to recite Scripture, serve better, worship truthfully, and love deeper.

Where: Life here and the one to come

Our practice of godliness will show fruit as we continue in our lives. We will see our lives transformed for the better while we are on earth. We will bless those around us. The fruit you bear hear will be beautiful. And the hope is that your godliness will help you be closer to God and plant seeds for future generations through what you have committed to.

This benefit isn’t just limited to your walk here either. We are told to store up treasures in heaven. When we are spending time training ourselves for godliness we are placing our treasure in heaven and showing the Lord that He matters above all else. Not just for gain but out of love for Him.

I had a friend when I first came to faith who was a little eccentric about the rapture coming any moment. As we discussed this we would joke and dream of sitting at the table of the marriage supper of the Lamb. We would talk about wanting to do so much for the Lord that our cups at the table were huge. By the way that’s not how storing up treasure in heaven works. But he would say I want a big ol goblet in front of me. I would reply man I just want to be at the table. I don’t care if mine is just a shot glass. That thought changed a lot over time because in this scenario that would mean I did very little. No. I want a bigger cup. Not because of status or having more than the guy next to me, but if this represented my good deeds, discipline and faithfulness I wanted to know I did everything I could to serve my Lord and represent Him well on this earth.

Why do we labor and strive?

Now, It will not be easy. Profit does not mean no sacrifice. No hardship.

We do this because of our hope in and on God. Because He is the Savior. And on that note something we all need to face is this.

Christ did not sacrifice Himself for us to be nominal Christians. Pause

To be passive. He died to make us holy. To set us apart and be His representatives on earth.

Now this does not mean we obtain all of this at once. We don’t get saved and immediately become Super Christians.

The Holy Spirit does this through a process called sanctification. This term we throw around breaks down to this.

It is a Christian teaching about how God transforms a person, making them fit for a holy purpose. Sanctification includes a change of heart, a desire to love God and other people.

Our God is not hands off with our growth. He is molding us each and every day to fill us with a desire to please Him. Here’s a quote from a famous football coach named Tom Landry.

He said: “The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be.”

That’s so true. And with our Lord He does this in such an incredible way. He guides us to do the things we don’t want to do in order to be the men and women of God we want to be.

And because our God is a patient God He takes His time with this. Step by step He is working all things together for this purpose in our lives. Now depending on how obedient we are, it may take awhile. Our attitude may be a hindrance as well. Some may say well I’m not a pastor, a leader, or a person capable of being godly. Peter has something to say about that.

2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,”

You see we have all that we need in order to accomplish this. No matter who you are and sometimes in spite of it. It is a gift of grace that the Lord allows us to be in the family and know every one of you has been given the opportunity to receive life and godliness. The life we have found, the life we desire to help others find is rooted in godliness and holiness.

Application

So how do we do this? How do we train ourselves for godliness?

Throughout Scripture we are given what we call spiritual disciplines. Here is a list of some of the spiritual disciplines.

Bible Intake

Prayer

Worship

Fellowship

Evangelism

Meditation

Serving

Stewardship

Fasting

Silence and Solitude

Journaling

Confession

Learning

Now a word of caution about this list. These are not just things to check off of our list of to-dos. They are not a list of qualifications. These are but a roadmap to reach the one we love most. To be closer and closer to Jesus.

For the sake of time today I will be focusing on just a few but the ones I have chosen are very important ones. If you would like to dive further into the spiritual disciplines I suggest searching your Bible........... as well as you can pick up a book called Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney.

Let’s simplify these few a bit.

Bible Intake: Do we spend time in the word? Do we carve out daily time with our Father in heaven in the Scriptures? If someone took our Bible’s would we be able to recite any of it?

Prayer: Do we spend time speaking with the Lord daily? Do we pray for others? Do we turn to God when things don’t go well or when we are blessed?

Fellowship: Do we spend time with other believers talking about God? Do we regularly attend church? Do we open our homes for meals and worship together?

These are but a few examples of questions we can ask ourselves about our training for godliness.

But as far as the habits and disciplines go that help us become more godly we have to be realistic. When people set out for a new diet quite often they set unrealistic expectations for themselves. They change everything at once. We think we can do the same thing with our spiritual habits. I’m going to study 1 hour a day, pray for another hour and have 3 families over for dinner every week. Those sound great but if we weren’t doing any of them before what gives us the idea we can just flip that switch. I am guilty of this myself. I place too much too fast on my own plate and when stress hits I crash.

There is a better way. When it comes to building habits physically and spiritually it is better to have patience and realistic expectations of yourself. It is also important to realize we are all at different stages in our discipleship and in many different areas. We need to see where we are and look for a smart way to approach our growth.

Let’s look at our three disciplines for example.

Bible Intake: If you’re not in word much, start reading for 2 minutes a day. If you are in the word daily start increasing the time you commit to it or add a commentary to help you understand it better. If you feel good with your Bible study and understanding start teaching someone else about it. That really forces you to understand the Scriptures let me tell you haha.

Prayer: If you aren’t used to praying, start praying for 2 minutes every morning. If you pray regularly start asking others what to pray for them and stick to it. If you are a prayer warrior train up another to pray often.

Fellowship: If you rarely attend church start making it a priority. If you attend regularly come to an event like a fellowship dinner to have more time with your church family. If you’re engaged at church and other events invite new believers and new friends into your home for a meal and worship together.

You see we can all get better in many ways no matter where we are. It rests upon you though. Notice how Paul says train YOURSELF for godliness. You have to make the decision and follow through with it. No one is going do for us. We have to take ownership.

This does not eliminate the blessing of having others build us up and walk with us in our growth. Seek accountability and be willing to help others as well.

Notice also I never said try. To quote that famous theologian Yoda Do. or do not. there is no try. It is about our actions.

Final Thought

As we close today there is a major part of someones growth we haven’t discussed. It is the root of success in my opinion. James Clear in his book Atomic Habits has it spot on. He is speaking of earthly habits but it translates to us so well.

We have to have a deep, motivating, and strong why. A reason to stick with it when it gets hard.

Many people develop goals and they can be a great tool. But they are merely a target. And if you reach them it feels good for a moment, but then its gone. So instead of just placing a new years resolution or setting some goals I encourage you to focus on something bigger.

Your identity.

In the book James Clear says

"Your habits shape your identity, and your identity shapes your habits."

Do you want to be in shape or do you see yourself as a physically active person?

Do you want to be a better parent or do you see yourself as a loving mother or supportive father?

When we see ourselves this way we do the steps necessary to be those things.

We know our identity is in Christ. Paul says in Galatians I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

So if our habits show our identity then we must reflect on what we give our time and our energy to.

I leave you with a question.

If the world turned on us tomorrow. They started arresting Christians. We were all presented before the courts. As the prosecutor was preparing his case against you would he have enough evidence against you to convict you of being a follower of Christ?

My hope in this scenario while I stand behind you as the verdict is being read is that it will be an intense and loud guilty as charged your honor!

Let us train ourselves for our highest aspiration: Godliness