The Pursuit of Godliness

Some of you may know that I quite enjoy the World Juniors Hockey tournament each year. Sadly, this year didn’t work out so well for our country as they were eliminated by Finland. What I want to point out however, is that each of these players have trained for many years to become the skilled players they now are. Since they were old enough to hold a stick, they dreamt about someday representing Canada. To get there, however would need more than dreaming. They had to sacrifice much time, sweat and endure many trials to get to this point.

In like fashion, a Christian cannot just sit, holding onto his/her bible on their couch and just dream about becoming more like Jesus. It requires sacrifice, toil and endurance to be godly. This is what our passage today will be looking at. The purpose of this part of the letter is to encourage Timothy to continue to pursue godliness through continual training as a pastor. Godliness is not something instantly achieved once one believes in Jesus. It is a lifelong pursuit of the Christian to glorify God.

For our passage that we will be looking at today, Paul is writing Timothy to put all these things that he has written before the congregation that he is a pastor to in Ephesus. The purpose of this part of the letter is to encourage Timothy to continue to pursue godliness through continual training as a pastor. Godliness is not something instantly achieved once one believes in Jesus. It is a lifelong pursuit of the Christian to the glory of God.

So my main point today is that as Christians, we are all called to become more like Jesus and we are greatly blessed because of it.

My outline to bring about that point first of all is that godliness requires labour. Secondly that it is beneficial in this life and the one to come. Thirdly, we want to look at the reason why we toil and strive for godliness.

Point #1 - Pursuing Godliness is a lifelong labour.

As we discussed last week, the false teachers who were invading the flock were bringing in legalism as a way for people to appear religious on the outside by not getting married or abstaining from certain foods. Here, Paul addresses Timothy of what makes for true piety in true religion. Timothy is not to try to make himself as the pastor look good on the outside while still being enslaved to sin on the inside. He is to be genuine. Thus (6) he exhorts him that if he teaches these instructions to the church, he will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. He has been trained by Paul for several years, past tense, in the words of faith and the good doctrine.

Timothy is now to be faithful with all that he has been instructed. He is to teach the church as he has been taught. By doing so, he will be a good servant of the Lord Jesus. Now to give the just weightiness to what has been laid upon Timothy as a pastor, let us consider what failing to do this reveals. If he who has been instructed in faith and the word of God does not teach this to the body, he will not be a good servant or minister of Jesus Christ. What a responsibility that is for an under shepherd of God’s flock.

The false teachers spew the lies of their father Satan. The true teachers profess the truth of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, Timothy is commanded by Paul to have nothing to do with these irreverent silly old wives tales. They only lead people to all kinds of speculations and distracted from their mission as proclaimers of who Jesus is and what He has done.

(7b) Rather train yourself for godliness. He then gives an illustration of what was growing in popularity in their culture in sporting events that we would consider to be like the Olympics. Athletes that train their bodies to win a crown with a perishable wreathe. In (8), physical training, Paul says is of some value to health and well being, but it is only for the temporary. Godliness, however is of value in every way.

He then (7b) Rather train yourself for godliness. He then gives an illustration of what was growing in popularity in their culture in sporting events that we would consider to be like the Olympics. Athletes that train their bodies to win a crown with a perishable wreathe. In (8), physical training, Paul says is of some value to health and well being, but it is only for the temporary. Godliness, however is of value in every way.

Did you notice something profound in these words? Here, you have this young pastor who has been trained by Paul in faith and instruction of the word (6). Now in (8) Paul exhorts this man to train himself in godliness. One may think “Wasn’t he already trained?” Yes he was, but his training never stops. He has a solid foundation through the discipling of Paul but pursuit of godliness goes from one degree of glory to another. Timothy is to continually train himself through his knowledge of the Scriptures into how to apply it to daily life. He is to be a model of Christlikeness. This is what a pastor/elder is to be for the benefit of the flock. Look at (12) for a moment. Timothy as the pastor in this flock is to set himself up as an example. His speech, conduct, love, faith and purity is to be genuine and shown to the body so that they see what a mature Christian is to look like.

It is a constant daily training to be godly. It is very hard work. Godliness in essence is God likeness. Those who are truly born again as the children of God are to be imitators of God in morality. Now obviously, due to the fact that we still have this indwelling sin nature we will never reach perfection. But the pursuit of every follower of Christ is to labour in daily training to become more like our Saviour. Being a Christian is not just that we professed faith, but that we make strides toward and train ourselves to be more holy day by day. This is only possible because we are Christians. Since God has given us new life in Jesus, we are now equipped with supernatural power of the Spirit who lives in us to help us become more holy and have God-likeness.

This is not

So to summarize this point, as Timothy is to daily train himself in godliness, we all are to train ourselves in godliness each day.

How does one train themselves? As Timothy learned the faith and the word, so also let us be attentive learners of Scripture, to know what pleases our Father. As Paul discipled Timothy how to put faith and doctrine into practical life, so also let us who are even a few days more mature in the faith take other believers under our wing and disciple them in truth. As Timothy faithfully followed Paul to learn, let us also seek elders and mature followers of Christ and persist in wanting to be trained so that we all grow together into maturity and bring glory to God in the Highest.

Transition:

Therefore, we can see that as Timothy is to continue training himself to grow in godliness, this is applicable for each of us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Now, Paul moves along into how this ongoing pursuit of godliness has great benefit for us today and for all eternity.

Point #2 - Pursuing Godliness gives us present and eternal blessings.

Do you ever feel as though living a sacrificial life for Jesus has any benefit here on earth? Seeing our brothers and sisters persecuted for their faith in China does not seem like much of a blessing here. Or why do bad things happen to good people? So and so lived such a wonderful godly life and God took him/her away too soon. Is there any good by pursuing godliness in this life? Well obviously there is, for this is what Paul wrote to Timothy in (8) READ.

To pursue godliness has value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and the life to come. Jesus says in But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. To seek first God’s kingdom is to pursue godliness. To be like him in our speech, conduct and faith. By seeking God in order to be godly, He promises within the context of the Sermon on the Mount to provide for our daily needs. He never promises what we want but what we need. But someone may say that Scripture says that God will grant to you the desires of your heart. Yes it does but context gives right interpretation.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Jesus says in But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. To seek first God’s kingdom is to pursue godliness. To be like him in our speech, conduct and faith. By seeking God in order to be godly, He promises within the context of the Sermon on the Mount to provide for our daily needs. He never promises what we want but what we need.

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

the Lord bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold

from those who walk uprightly.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

the Lord bestows favor and honor.

, Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Now we could look at this verse and say that financial hardship or left in the cold until losing conscious for the sake of being a Christian does not seem to be a good thing does it? How about But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

No good thing does he withhold

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Here we actually get to see what is meant in regard to receiving the desires of the heart. First, trust in the Lord, second do good, third befriend faithfulness, and lastly delight yourself in the Lord…and he will give you the desires of your heart. Seems to be quite similar to seeking first the kingdom of God doesn’t it?

from those who walk uprightly.

4 Delight yourself in the Lord,

This is Paul’s message here in our passage. The training of oneself for godliness is valuable in every way. In our present life we will enjoy blessings in many ways. So what do these blessings look like? Well, that is very difficult to articulate as each one of us are unique in our needs. Often times the blessings are not monetary in value at all.

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

We may be imprisoned and beaten for our faith but at the same time we are comforted and given peace that goes beyond all understanding. We may lose a loved one to a heart attack or cancer, yet at the same time we are strengthened supernaturally by a loving Father who gives to His children all they need. We may feel lonely, tired and depressed at times, yet experience how God lifts us up on wings like eagles where we run and are not faint. My family, the false teachers in our day tell you that by being a Christian you will be healthy and wealthy. That just ain’t true. It doesn’t mean that God does not bless materially in some sense. But it is never intended to be just for you but that you would use worldly wealth in order to be generous and share it. By doing so you will store up treasure in heaven (,).

Now briefly for the sake of time, I will read a passage that speaks directly and clearly to our eternal blessings. There are many but this one speaks to my heart in a special way.

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

As there is great value in training yourself in godliness, the greatest blessing is that Jesus is glorified by your pursuit of holiness. When others see your godly life in comparison to what it looked like before, they may just stand and be amazed at what God can do in miserable sinner Christians. This I find my greatest joy in. I know that God will take care of me, I know that God is merciful and loving. I know that Jesus Christ left His throne in heaven to come to earth to save sinners just like me.

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

There is no greater blessing than to walk into that great Celestial city by its gates. Washed clean by the blood of the Lamb in perfect righteousness, receiving the crown of life. Isn’t it worth everything to train ourselves in godliness? Eternal life with Jesus our Saviour. No sorrow and no pain of loss. Rather inexpressible and unending joy, celebration and praise to our God who has saved us.

Transition:

As there is great value in training yourself in godliness, we can fully trust in God in that He will care for each one of us in the age we live in and the one to come. But the greatest blessing is that Jesus is glorified by your pursuit of holiness. When others see your godly life in comparison to what it looked like before, they may just stand and be amazed at what God can do in us miserable sinner Christians. This I find my greatest joy in living to the glory of God. Will you join me in pursuing godliness? For this is what Paul now takes aim at in giving the motivation for our labouring for godliness.

Point #3 - Pursuing Godliness is our hope made real.

What is hope? Is it “I hope something will happen?” or “I hope I pass the exam I didn’t study for?” How about “I hope that someday this body would love red more than green.” You may say “that is wishful thinking.” It is. The definition of hope from a worldly perspective is something wished for right? But is this the biblical interpretation of hope? If hope is defined as wishful thinking in our minds, then it can leave lots of room for doubt can’t it.

Do you ever find yourself in a place of despair? Wondering if what you believe is true? Maybe you get discouraged and wonder if whether the 10th, 20th or even the 100th time that you have committed the same type of sin you have come to the end of God’s love and mercy? Maybe you say to yourself,"I am trying to work on this particular anger issue for example, but it continually seems to run me over. I can never overcome this sin, so I may as well give up. It is pointless.”

Beloved, welcome to the Christian life. Often it is 3 steps forward, 4 steps back. It is like those safety bulletins on the wall of a warehouse “5 days without incident. Keep it going. Be safe.” For us it may be 3 hours without losing my temper. Christian, it is exactly at these moments of discouragement where Satan attacks the hardest. When you make progress in godliness, that means less anarchy in a family and more peace. That just won’t do. Often times, when we are at the point of almost breaking, it is at these moments when we need to look to Jesus and cry for help.

(If short on time just use one passage) Let’s use , as an example and exchange the word “hope” with “wishful thinking”.

24 For in this (wishful thinking/confident expectation) we were saved. Now (wishful thinking/confident expectation) that is seen is not (wishful thinking/confident expectation). For who (wishfully thinks/confidently expects) for what he sees? 25 But if we (wishfully think/confidently expect) for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

If hope is wishful thinking will we wait for it with patience?

Let’s use that wishful thinking in exchange for hope in

11 Now faith is the assurance of things (wishfully thought/confidently expected) for, the conviction of things not seen.

Now in this example, would wishful thinking be something that we are assured by faith? That we are thoroughly convinced of things not seen? I don’t think so.

So what is the meaning of hope according to the bible? It’s meaning is “confident expectation”. Let’s try those two same passages with this definition that replaces the word hope. READ again.

This makes all the difference does it not? All of a sudden, from a whimsical caveat of Christian speech without much boldness, now it carries power in confidence in what the author is actually intending his readers to understand.

So from our passage, Paul writes (9) that this saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. You can take what he is saying to the bank. No questions asked guarantee. What is trustworthy? (10) READ.

Because the mystery of godliness is revealed in the Son of God, who is Jesus Christ, God’s redemptive plan to save people from all the nations is real. God alone saves the lost. Humanity dragged into the pit of darkness because of the sin of one man Adam is raised from the dead in Jesus Christ who is the second Adam. Only through the Son are people saved and made righteous as their robes are washed clean.

Once rebels that threw curses and insults at the living God, who murdered His Son on a cross and enjoyed it…they are now friends of God through Jesus, who gladly take the shame and cursing and persecution even unto death for the sake of carrying the glorious name of Jesus on their head. The Christian, who has put their trust wholeheartedly in the Saviour of the world is boldly and confidently expecting something far better in the new Jerusalem. A glorious home where we will eat and drink and worship with the King of kings and Lord of lords forever.

Because of this confident expectation of the future, we toil and strive each day to become more godly. We labour and struggle daily for personal holiness and maturity in our spiritual walk because we are the children of the one true living God.

We persevere in the faith because our hope is in the salvation of our Heavenly Father. Rise up my brothers and sisters. Lift up your head and behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Press on to wage war on our pride, selfishness and laziness. You are yoked together with the all powerful God in Jesus through His Spirit. The work of salvation is completed already in Jesus. The pursuit of godliness is essentially just acting who you really are…God’s children. Let us embrace and live in that reality! Will you still sin? Yes! Will you still lack faith? Yes! Will you still find the things of this world hard to give up? Yes! But don’t lose heart! If you are born of God, toil and strive to become more like Jesus by His awesome power and over time, you will see great progress in your faith. Trust me on this. I am not the man I once was as my wife can attest to. Many of you are not the same people you once were either. I know this to be true for I have seen it in you over the past 6 years.

Progress is not often seen too much day by day, but rather, godliness is seen slowly but surely over time. This we press on together with patience.

Application:

I have included some application throughout the message but a few thoughts for you to consider in light of what our passage has revealed.

Christian, have you been coasting? As evident from what we have studied this morning, we have a responsibility to toil and strive for godliness. All of us struggle at different times, but the first thing to do is go home and find a private place to get alone with God. Humbly get on your knees and confess that you have not pursued godliness as you should. Ask for forgiveness. Ask for help through the Spirit to delight in the Lord and seek first the Kingdom. Believe that God will do a mighty work in you and through you. Praise Him for His merciful patience and love as you fall down over and over again. Repeat...

Young people, you may be tempted to think that this is a fight for later when you get older. That would be the furthest thing from the truth. In your early Christian life, make good choices now. Build a strong foundation early of putting to death even the smallest of sins and this will build a great confidence in the Lord.

Are you trying to pursue godliness but find yourself discouraged? Making 3 steps forward and 4 backward? Join the club, but persevere in faith that He who began a good work in you will surely finish. Remind yourself of the promises of God. He who saves you, will sanctify you and glorify you as you enter the city of God. Train yourself for godliness. Keep journalling your progress and year by year that goes by, you will see how God works through you to make you more like Himself because you are His son, you are His daughter and He loves you very much. You can do this! Keep going! I have complete confidence that you will pursue godliness because God lives in you, the Author and Finisher of your faith!

Conclusion:

We started this morning by looking at what makes for a good servant of Jesus Christ. That Timothy as pastor/elder is to teach these instructions of how the church is to live. He is instructed to not waste time and energy on silly myths but rather to exercise himself to be more godly. Likewise for us, this daily training over time will bring us to spiritual maturity where we can encourage others who struggle and we can remind them of God’s goodness and care for His children. Remember brothers and sisters, we do this day in and day out because our hope, our confident expectation is set on the living God who has saved us. Bring glory to your King and praise His mighty name! Amen.

Benediction:

[15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (ESV)

Related Media

Related Sermons