Four Truths On Godly Living

Four Truths On Godly Living Hebrews 13:1-8 There's a story about an old cowboy who was looking for health insurance. The health insurance agent wanted to know what kind of condition the cowboy was in before he would insure him. "Sir, have you had any accidents?" The cowboy replied, "Well, no, I haven't had any accidents. Once I was bitten by a rattlesnake, and I did have a horse kick me in the ribs. That one laid me up for a few weeks. But I haven't had any accidents." This totally confused the insurance agent, and with a puzzled look on his face he said, "Excuse me, didn't you just say that you've never had any accidents, but you've been bitten by a rattlesnake and kicked by a horse. What do you call that?" The cowboy answered, "Naw, those weren't accidents. They did those things on purpose!" Insurance companies are always concerned with risk. They want to know your preconditions so they can limit their exposure to risk. They are in the business of gambling, and they want to gamble right. To gamble is to take a risk. Likewise, to act as if God doesn't exist or to live by redefining what Godly living means is not just taking a risk and gambling, it's deciding to play on the losing side. Some people have yet to learn that they cannot travel in the wrong direction and reach the right destination. To reach the right destination, you must have a starting point. That starting point is cross-shaped, and the directions are in His Word. It's not a gamble, a risk, or a shot in the dark when you're Christ-Focused and Bible-Centered. With God, there are no accidents. He does everything on purpose. Jesus Christ knows all your preconditions. He knows your pre, current, and past conditions. And God doesn't want you just to survive, but as Casting Crowns puts it, God wants you to thrive. So how do you go from surviving to thriving in life? You begin at the right starting point, the Bible. We begin with our First of Four Truths On Godly Living, which I call "Living With Open Hands." Hebrews 13:5 says, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have." In other words, Let your conduct be without covetousness. Living with open hands means you can accomplish what the first verses of Hebrews 13 tells us to do. We are to "show hospitality to strangers and remember those in prison and those who are mistreated." Sometimes God's answers to prayer come from unexpected sources - even from strangers. The Greek word used for "angels" means "messengers." Angels can be divine or human messengers. So whether the messenger that God sends is supernatural or not, remember that hospitality opens the door to those who are on a divine mission for your good, and you can only open that door, and receive them, if you live with open hands. By living with open hands, you will also remain open to those in prison. Not everyone in prison is bad. They may or may not deserve to be there. I once taught a prison ministry over at Alexander Maximum Security Prison. And during my time there, I witnessed some amazing transformations. Some prisoners just wanted out of their cells. Some left after they heard the Gospel. But others stayed, gave their lives to Christ, and were made free while locked up. But prison doesn't have to be a building. Many people are trapped within their own prison and struggle with certain problems that they feel there's no escape from. The Bible says not to forget the mistreated. Those in prison and those who are mistreated are many, so show hospitality by living with open hands that are always ready to help. The Bible also says in verses 4 and 5 that "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have." Marriage and money. Probably most of the friction and frustration people experience in life have to do with one or both of these issues. Christians are to respect and celebrate the institution of marriage between one man and one woman because that's God's creation order, and we're to honor the marriage bed. Christians should also seek to be free from the love of money. It's not that money itself or making money is bad. Rather, the love of money leads to character corruptions like greed and discontentment. Many men and women will say something like, "I don't love money." Ok, you say you don't love it, but you date it, fantasize about it, and lose sleep over it. Sounds a lot like love to me. Managing your money is a theological issue because to "be content with what you have," you have to trust in the Lord's promise that He will "never leave you nor forsake you." So live with open hands and receive what the Lord provides without grasping for more. Live with open hands by reaching out to those in prison and mistreated. Don't cling and covet, but open your hands and give. The Second Truth On Godly Living is to "Live With Contentment In Your Heart." The second half of Hebrews 13:5 says, "be content with what you have." Covetousness will blind you to your blessing, but contentment will keep your blessings clearly in view. All of us have much to be grateful for, and we need to learn how to praise our way out of the prison cell of ingratitude. Godly living is shown through gratitude for what the Lord has done by living with open hands, always ready to praise, because of the contentment within your heart. Someone once said that people live in one of two tents: Discontentment or Contentment. Giving thanks for what you have is much more profitable than moaning about what you don't have. It's interesting, but a hog will never look up to the tree from which the acorns he's enjoying eating fall from. Likewise, the sinful person never looks up to the "Father of Lights from whom every good and perfect gift comes" (James 1:17). Paul learned how to be content in Philippians 4, and you can too. A few years ago, my wife and I were checking out of a store when the woman behind the counter asked if we wanted to purchase a guarantee for the trashcan we were buying! Apparently, the manufacturer says if their trashcan ever breaks or won't hold your garbage, they'll replace it forever for free. Now, I don't need a garbage guarantee. Besides, if the company ever goes under, so does their guarantee. In a world were you can't always depend on guarantees, there's one promise you can trust, that God "will never leave nor forsake you." This takes us to our Third Truth On Godly Living, which is to "Live With Continual Awareness Of His Presence." God says in Hebrews 13:5-6, "'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?'" We don't covet what somebody else has or live in discontentment when we know that the Lord is with us. God cannot be taken from you! God is everything and everything you need! So what do you need that you cannot find in Him? There was a new teacher trying to make use of her psychology courses. So she began her class by saying, "Everyone who thinks they're stupid, stand up!" After a few seconds, little Harold stood up. The teacher looked at him and said, "Harold, do you think you're stupid?" "No, ma'am, but I hate seeing you standing there all by yourself!" For a much greater reason, the Lord does not want us to be alone. He loves you, and "will never leave nor forsake you." Knowing God is forever with you is a great antidote for rejection, loneliness, discouragement, despair, and fear. On your darkest days, God's presence is there to see you through, and on your most blessed days, God's presence reminds you that He is the source of every blessing. There's not one problem you'll ever face that this truth doesn't' apply, so learn to Live With A Continual Awareness Of His Presence. No matter how many pledges are broken or gambles lost, God's promises will last throughout all eternity. Because God is eternal, He can give you an eternal guarantee. Our Fourth Truth On Godly Living tells us to "Live Without The Fear Of Man." Hebrews 13:6 says, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" Let me ask you; What scares you that God cannot handle? The fear of man is a snare to your soul, but when you live knowing the Lord is your helper, then the fight is fixed, it's not a gamble, you're going to win because you have victory in Christ! No matter what threatening things stands before you, it's nothing compared to knowing the Maker of the Universe who is your Helper. Just as little David stood confidently before the Philistine giant, so can you stand before your giants with confidence. God is telling you directly through His Word that He promises you won't have to face anything alone because He is always with you. Knowing His presence is Godly living. So, in your life of Godly living, listen to verse 7, and "Remember your leaders, who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith." Don't forget those who influenced you spiritually and keep their legacy alive. Continue to follow their good example, but remember that even though people may change, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." So follow Him, and measure everyone's example to the standard of Christ. Jesus is just as real today as He was when He walked on this earth. Even though He doesn't move among us physically, His Holy Spirit is everywhere - a continuous, living presence both outside of us and inside of us. That may be a scary thought for some. Perhaps you don't like yourself, or you're contemplating all the bad things you've done. Insecurity and sin can create a sense of fear and awkwardness in Jesus' presence. But think of what you know about Him. Despite what you are or what you may have done, He loves you (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:7-11). He will never leave you nor forsake you (John 14:18; Hebrews 13:5). Others may not think much of you or invite you to spend time with them, but Jesus does (Matthew 11:28). Others may not like the way you look, but God looks at your heart (1 Samuel 16:7; Luke 24:38). Others may think you're a bother, but Jesus will love you forever (Romans 8:35-39). Remember the Four Truths On Godly Living: Live with open hands, have contentment in your heart, have with a continual awareness of His presence, and live without the fear of men. Jesus loves you in spite of all the conditions that cause others to turn away. You're family, and you'll never be alone. And if you haven't already, begin a godly life in Christ. He is your starting point because Jesus is the beginning and the end. Confess your sin and open your hands to Christ, for He opened His hands for you. AMEN 2