A Jounrey to Holiness - Holiness Requires Discipline

Holiness Requires Discipline

This morning we are continuing our series on a Journey to Holiness and we are going to be in the New Testament looking in 1 Timothy.

This is the eight message in this series, and we will have one more sermon next week to finish out the series before our revival the following week.

This mornings message is titled Holiness Requires Discipline, and not discipline like getting a spanking, or time out, but being disciplined for training or exercise.

This mornings message is going to be a bit different than normal, we are going to look at eight verses from 1 Timothy chapter four then we are going to look at examples from Jesus’ life.

Therefore, we are going to use 1 Timothy as our base text, and then dive from there into the gospels, and mainly Luke, but jump around a lot looking at how Jesus was disciplined, or three things that He used to keep Him grounded if you will in the Father.

If you haven’t already, will you turn to first Timothy chapter four with me, and we are going to look at the first eight verses there, as Paul gives us a warning of false teachers, or of apostasy that he says is coming, but for us is already here.

1 Timothy 4:1–8 NASB95

1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. 6 In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. 7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Pray

Paul says that the Spirit, he is talking about the Holy Spirit, that in later times, we are in those times, as we see people falling away from the faith of God.

These people are paying attention to anything and everything but the true biblical teaching, they are being lead astray by false teachers that are even using the Word of God and claiming to be men of God but are not.

These people will believe anything and everything, they will turn to everything but the truth found in Scripture.

Paul says, we need to be constantly nourished on the words of the faith, sound doctrine, do not fall for the lies of the world.

We need to be disciplined for the purpose of godliness - that is; the goal of godliness is, closeness to and conformity to Christ.

Paul then says, bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come, that is for eternity.

See we can go to the gym and work out every day, but that will only be good for this physical life, but the discipline for godliness is good for this physical life and our spiritual life here and in eternity.

We must then think how to we exercise or discipline ourselves for godliness and the goal of godliness is closeness to and conformity to Christ.

I am going to give your three things today that we can see in the life of Jesus, but we could certainly come up with more, but we do not have enough time for that today.

I. Study God’s Word.

Luke 2:41–49 NASB95

41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; 43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. 46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

In these nine verses, we see Jesus just at the age of twelve staying behind, and sitting in the temple for three days, spending time with teachers of the Word of God, He is not just listening to what they have to say, but He is also asking them questions about what they are teaching.

In verse 47 it says that all who heard Him, that is Jesus, were amazed at His understanding and His answers; therefore, not only was He listening, and asking questions, but He was interacting by giving answers to questions, He was telling them things that they did not maybe know.

The people in the temple, the teachers, the leaders were amazed at His knowledge, and yet He was but twelve years old, and we know He could do this because He was Jesus, the Son of God.

But in verse 49 when Mary and Joseph came looking for Him and are all worried about Him, Jesus responds with, why are you looking for Me? Did you not know that I would be about My Father’s House, or the KJV, says My Father’s Business.

We see the importance of studying God’s Word, to the young man Jesus, and then after His temptations He returned to Nazareth on the Sabbath He entered the temple and was handed the Book of Isaiah and He opened the book and began to read Luke 4:18-19

Luke 4:18–19 NASB95

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, 19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Then in verse 21 He said to the people as they are staring at Him, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

We see that Jesus held Scripture in a high priority and we should also, if we are going to discipline ourselves for the purpose of Godliness, and the goal is, closeness to and conformity to Christ.

We need to read and study, dig into the Word of God, that we may know the Word of God, so that we are not lead astray by all the lies of the world.

II. Spend Time in Prayer.

Luke 5:16 NASB95

16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Luke 6:12 NASB95

12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Here we see two examples of Jesus going off by Himself to pray.

Here the Son of God, went where He could be alone, so that He could talk to God the Father.

If the Son of God, Jesus, felt it necessary to get alone, where it was quite so that He could talk to God the Father, shouldn’t we also see the need to talk to God.

One day Jesus went off to pray and when He came back the disciples asked Jesus how to pray.

Luke 11:1 NASB95

1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

This is not the way we are to pray every time we pray but a model or an example of how to pray.

Now the account of the prayer that Luke records is a shortened version than the one Matthew records, so we are going to look at the one that Matthew gives in chapter 6 of Matthew.

Matthew 6:9–13 KJV 1900

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

We are to begin our prayers by addressing our Father, not our earthly father but our heavenly Father, no matter what kind of earthly father you may have had or have, your heavenly Father is perfect in all ways and is Holy.

We then are to Hallowed be thy name, that is God’s name and character and all that God is will be honored and treated as Holy. He is the Creator of all and the only one deserving of worship.

Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven - expresses the desires that the acknowledgment of God’s reign and the accomplishment of his purposes take place in this world even as they already do in God’s throne room.

The first half of the prayer thus focuses exclusively on God and His agenda as believers adore, worship, and submit to His will before they introduce their own personal petitions.

Give us this day our daily bread - we should pray daily for the next day’s provisions of life’s essentials as we recognize that all our sustenance for our life comes from God.

Forgive us our debts - spiritual debts to God are first of all in view here, our plea for continued forgiveness as believers, requesting the restoration of fellowship with God following the alienation that sin produces.

As we forgive our debtors - we are to forgive those who have sinned against us, without this interpersonal reconciliation on the human level, neither can we be reconciled to God.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil - What this is saying here is do not allow us to fall into temptation, or do not abandon us to temptation. When we fall into temptation it is not because God did not give us a way out, it is because we did not take that way out.

The prayer closes with a doxology of praise - For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. - these words constitute a fitting and climatic affirmation of faith.

As the Lord’s Prayer is an example for us, a model to teach us to pray I have found and come up with seven ingredients to help us pray through the Lord’s prayer, without praying the Lord’s Prayer if that makes sense.

Address the Father

Worship God - praise Him for who He is and what He has done.

Pray for God’s plan in your life and the world - God’s will not our desires.

Ask God for the things you need.

Confess your sins to God and turn from them, and forgive others.

Plea for help in achieving victory over sin and request protection from the attacks of the devil.

Confirm your faith in God alone that it is by His power and His glory that you will accomplish His kingdom agenda. Amen.

If we pray through those seven ingredients or steps we will be in a way praying through the Lord’s Prayer.

III. Worship in Spirit and in Truth

Jesus when talking to the woman at the well spoke on Worship.

John 4:20–24 NASB95

20 “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The Samaritans had shrines set up where they would go and worship, but Jesus said, the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father, that is God the Father in Spirit and truth.

He repeats that statement again in verse 24, that those who worship the Father must worship in spirit and truth.

How do we worship in spirit and in truth?

To worship in Spirit is to have a heart that is in pursuit of an intimate relationship with God the Father.

To worship in Truth is to worship God in a biblically accurate way through the One who is the truth - that is Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ point here is that a person must worship not simply by external conformity to religious rituals and places, but inwardly with the proper heart attitude.

The reference to truth refers to worship of God consistent with revealed Scripture and centered on the Word made flesh who ultimately revealed His Father.

God is on the hunt for those who will worship Him spiritually through Jesus Christ based on the truth of His Word.

Do you come to God with the right attitude, the right heart, not just on Sundays but every day.

Worship is not just a one day of the week event to participate in but worship is something that we should be joining in every day, to honor and glorify God.

Are you disciplined for Godliness so that you can get closer to and conform to Christ?

We must discipline ourselves in the study of God’s Word, spending time in prayer, and the worship of God, and if we are not disciplined in those things now, we need to begin today.

We need to commit to God, we need to step up to the plate, as this exercise, this discipline will last for eternity.

Do you need to make that commitment today, to be more discipline in one of these areas?