The Ungodly Man

Christians live with well defined parameters, who internalize the Word of God, and who maintain productive and successful lives for the glory of God.

Second head of the Psalm…”Not so the ungodly, not so.”

Here is a person with a double negative on their life. The ungodly, as the Psalms assets, are not so. Whatever good was said of the godly, cannot be said of the ungodly. The ungodly live without boundaries, driven by their passions and lusts, doing whatever they want while ignoring truth, living worthless lives, doing nothing of value, striving for self-exaltation, and seeking self-gratification. With not one though given to the eternal consequences of a life without God.

Here is the person who leaves God out of their life. Here “the ungodly,” the mildest way the Hebrew puts it for a lost person. Everything about this person’s life is in bold contrast to the Christian, everything the Christian lives for, the ungodly live totally opposite. The ungodly is driven, doomed, and damned, to say the least.

The person who lives without God, by contrast, is morally corrupt, judicially condemned, and eternally certain for hell and damned forever.

The ungodly look happy, look content and satisfied, appear to be blessed, give the sense of fulfillment; not so the ungodly, not so.

The ungodly cannot be happy, content, satisfied, blessed or fulfilled when they live and do what God forbids, Psalms 1:1 living by their own rules, doing their own thing, and seeing absolutely no need for God in their life.

Supposition

Not a pleasant picture, but rather a pitiful picture of a profaned and perverted life of the wicked. Comes under three sub-headings.

I. The Ungodly Man

“But, “ a small word that opens a black door into a depressing room. A term of contrast, pause and ponder the text, asking the questions like what is being contrasted. If we were instructed to pause at the godly persons life, we must take a considerable amount to time looking at the godless persons life,

2 Peter 1:3–10 ESV

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, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

Sure of being Saved

I know I’m saved when God’s power enables me to have a different life, and I exhibit this change in an effective and productive life for Jesus. Saved people live like they’ve been saved by God’s redeeming power. Where there is a lack of such evidence, denotes a person who is unable to discern their spiritual condition, and has no assurance of salvation, but lives a life of doubt and fear.

The person may be saved and blessed, 2 Peter 1:3-4

2 Peter 1:3–4 ESV

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, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

But this person lives in fear and doubt, due to missing virtues of salvation, 2 Peter 1:5-7

2 Peter 1:5–7 ESV

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

God knows those who are his, cf. 1 Peter 1:1-5

1 Peter 1:1–5 ESV

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Romans 8:31–39 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But those who are God’s do not always possess such assurance.

Security is the Holy Spirit-revealed fact that I am saved forever. Assurance is confidence that I possess eternal salvation, how is this assurance obtained? By pursuing the qualities mentioned in 2 Peter 1:5-7

2 Peter 1:5–7 ESV

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

Fruit is the guarantee one has been called and chosen by God to be saved.

The person who notes these qualities in their life, and becomes aware of their life being useful and fruitful, unlike the ungodly who are not so, 2 Peter 1:8

2 Peter 1:8 ESV

8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

this person will not stumble in doubt and fear over their salvation, 2 Peter 1:9

2 Peter 1:9 ESV

9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

My point is not to exhaust the subject of eternal security of our salvation, but to note that every person is commanded to make sure of salvation in our lives. To give attention to personal inventory of the virtues of salvation being present, fruit produced, lives effective for God’s glory, no doubts or fear of not possessing a living and growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

People lie to themselves when they think they are saved, they’ve been called and chosen, and they live lives with no evidence, 2 Peter 1:5-7

2 Peter 1:5–7 ESV

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

of God’s work in their life; blind, and cannot see your need. Forgotten, cannot remember or recollect a time they trusted in Christ, and short-sighted when it comes to future or eternal outcomes; Not so the ungodly, not so.

The Emptiness of a godless life; Driven, Psalms 1:4.

By contrast, the person who lives without God is morally corrupt, justly condemned, and eternally damned.

The person with no God in their life is not happy.

The person with no God in their life cannot be blessed.

The person with no God in their life will not be successful.

The person with no God in their life bring nothing of value to the table.

The person who does not have God in their life may give the sense and even the appearance of being happy, blessed, successful, and even significance, but it is all under false pretense; not so!

The absence of God in our life is a worthless life, no value, empty, futile, shallow. No boundaries, no moral compass directing them to healthy choices, no fundamental principles to build the life around.

“Driven,” to be windblown; scattered; fleetingness of the action. Wherever the wind takes them. They blow in the opposite direction of God, their philosophies, practices, their positions, wherever the wind blows.

These who are stamped with the guilt of violating God’s standard they are not blessed in anything they do, Malachi 2:2

Malachi 2:2 ESV

2 If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

These who are guilty of infringing upon God’s holy code of behavior, are like chaff.

No roots, they have no solid ground to build their life on, shallow, susceptible to whatever cultural wind blows.

A godless life is nothing more than a lie, Matthew 13:24-30.

Empty, void lives, futile, unsubstantial, shallow, worthless.

Life will eventually end in inevitable judgment. In the end they will be burned up.

The godless person refuses to listen to God, Psalms 1:1

Psalm 1:1 ESV

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

The godless person refuses to change, Psalms 1:1, cf. Romans 1:25-32

Romans 1:25–32 ESV

25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

The Eternity of the godless life; Doomed, Psalms 1:5.

“Therefore,” because of their worthless life, fictitious life, over exaggerated life, the godless man is doomed. The godless brings nothing to the table that is acceptable to God. The wicked have no ground to stand on.

God will not accept their petty excuses, their pleas for equity, their putrefying efforts, they beg and bargain, but God is not having it.

God will expose their worthless lives for what they are; nothing,

Revelation 20:11–13 ESV

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.

The godless will be excluded from the joys of heaven, and banished to a Christless eternity,

Revelation 21:8 ESV

8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Acts 17:31 ESV

31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Sinners have no place in heaven, it is a foreign environment to them, they are out of their element. They are unworthy sinners, condemned by Christ, and eternally removed from the presence of the Lord.

“Heaven would be hell to an impenitent man even if he were allowed to stay.” —C H Spurgeon

Matthew 25:32 ESV

32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

The End of the godless life; Damned, Psalms 1:6

The two ways do not ever intersect. They are as opposite as water and oil, they are as distant as the East is from the West.

“For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,” more than just being informed, but personally involved, intimately connected.

God knows those who are genuine saved, He knows the righteous. He knows those who have placed faith in Christ, turned over their lives to Him in total commitment to the Lordship of Jesus. He knows those who bow the knee whether they are serious or not, whether their prayers are sincere or superficial, God knows the righteous. He knows the hypocrisy of their service or the genuine, authentic, unbending duty they render to their Lord, God knows the motives, the reasons, God knows the “why” of our lives. He knows the righteous.

Those whom He knows, the righteous, God guards their lives, guides their lives, and graces their lives in order to maintain the righteous way. “Knows the way,” in Hebrew, “The Lord is knowing the way of the righteous.”

Job 23:10 ESV

10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.

“But the way of the wicked will perish.” God has no interest in a worthless life, life that is of no value. God has nothing good to say about this life, “it will perish.”

God only knows one thing about the godless life, it will perish. Proverbs 14:12

Proverbs 14:12 ESV

12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

The godless and all their plans, aspirations, schemes, godless ideologies and theories, their wicked devised habits and practices will all come to an abrupt end; perish.

“Perish,” Hebrew, “complete ruin; destruction; rot and decay; There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death; wipeout completely.”

Why are the ungodly lost?

They never give any thought to God.

Because they refuse submit to Jesus. They would rather listen to the ungodly than God.

They prefer the company of godless people.

They spend their days involved in sin.

They think they are secure in the earth—but they are unhappy, unblessed, unsatisfied, and unsuccessful! Their life is worthless, brings no value to the table, drifting, driven by their passions, the trends, fads, ideologies and theories of a godless culture.

Conclusion: Important diagnostic questions.

What path am I traveling? Have I entered through the narrow gate that leads to the path of the godly? Or am I traveling the broad road that is headed to destruction?

Is there evidence of a changed life that lines up with my personal claims?

Are there clearly defined parameters in my life; I will not permit myself to do certain things?

Are you experiencing the blessedness of God's favor?

Are you living a separated life, distinct from the beliefs and behavior of the ungodly?

Have you made the break from the world? Is your delight in the law of the Lord?