Review:
We are continuing our series called Faith Supplements. We are going through the 7 spiritual ingredients listed out in 2 Peter 1 that help form a godly life. Whether it be vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc, supplements are so important. They help maintain and even increase our overall nutrition in areas we might be lacking.Supplements help provide a boost to our overall health.
Similarly, our spiritual health is just as important. Like vitamins, there are spiritual supplements that we can take everyday to help boost our faith, spiritual walk. In part one, we discussed the responsibility we have to maintain our relationship with God.
- God has given us everything we need in order to build a godly life
- Godly Life = to be pleased with God and to be pleasing to God
- God gives us the desire and the ability to do what pleases Him
- Everything we need to build a godly life is found in His Word
- They are His great and precious promises given to us
- By which we have access to the divine nature
- And help us escape corruption from our evil desires
Virtue
- Peter says to make every effort = make the necessary adjustments
- Supplement your faith = add to your faith
- Virtue = The courage to do the right thing in every situation
- Culture and society do not determine the “right thing.”
- The right thing is that which God has commanded in His Word
- Only God establishes truth
- Virtue is doing the right thing, according to His Word, even when nobody else is
- We all need convictions. Without convictions, we can be talked into doing anything.
- We need godly convictions- they give us the courage to do what is right in all situations
- Like Daniel, we must have godly convictions so that we too can have the courage to do what is right even when it gets difficult.
Knowledge
- On top of virtue, the Bible encourages us to add knowledge
- Knowledge = Truth acquired from God’s Word
- Knowing what is right in God’s eyes
- The spiritual battle we are in is all about truth; God wants to get truth into the hands of everyone. The devil wants to deceive as many people from the truth as possible.
- When we know the truth, it sets us free. Therefore, we need knowledge of the truth.
- Knowledge of the truth informs us of what truly matters
Self-Control
- On top of Knowledge, we are encouraged to add self-control
- Self-Control = The ability to do the right thing in the moment of temptation
- Mastery over desires; dominion within
- There is a battle for self-control in our life
- The devil is working overtime to gain control over your life. He wants to have dominion.
- He is using the things of this world to entice the desires of your flesh to giving in to temptation. When we do that, we concede control in that area of our life over to the devil.
- He wants to remove control, while God wants to produce self-control in our life. That only happens when we choose to trust Him with the reigns of our life.
- Let us live by the spirit, think before we act, ask the Holy Spirit to helps us, and then choose to do the right thing.
- Doing so will allow us to walk with self-control in our life.
Perseverance
- On top of self-control, we are to add perseverance
- Perseverance = to remain under discipline
- We are called to persevere through hardship: God is with us through difficulty
- We are called to persevere with people: be patient with others
- We are called to persevere in the faith: do not give up; fight the good fight of faith
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That brings us to our spiritual supplement for today…
2 Timothy 1:5-6
“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…”
We have a responsibility as Christians to maintain our relationship with God. This is our personal obligation. After that, we have an opportunity to “add” to our faith some spiritual qualities that will make us more fruitful and effective for Christ. One of these spiritual qualities is godliness.
1 Timothy 4:8
“For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
Godliness provides us with a great opportunity. The bible tells us that it is of great value. It is profitable, it yields us a great profit. Why? It is beneficial for this life and also for the life to come.
Godliness is like an investment. It is yielding you a profit right now, while also growing in value in order to produce a great gain for you in heaven. Wow, that’s a good deal!
All that to say, godliness is very important. Not only is it an opportunity for us, it is also an expectation. As Christians, we are expected to grow in godliness.
So, what is godliness?
Before we define what godliness is, us describe what godliness is not.
2 Timothy 3:5 - “Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”
Appearance = (Morphōsis) = Form or shape; shadow
It means that it looks like the real thing, but it is not. It has the form of the real thing, but it lacks substance.
[Story of guy dressed up like Michael Jordan at the gym]
He looked like Michael Jordan, but he lacked the substance.
In other words, we can look godly but lack the substance behind it. We can appear to be godly on the outside, but lack the power to change us on the inside. True godliness is associated with power. It is power from the Holy Spirit to transform someone to become like God in character (God-like-ness).
Godliness is not:
- Religion
- Gifting
- Personality
- Knowledge
- Ministry
So again, what is godliness?
Godliness = Conforming to the character of God in every area of your life
That is, becoming like God in your thoughts, feelings, actions, and desires. It is your whole soul conforming to the likeness of God. It is one thing to act godly, it is another thing to become godly.
God doesn’t want us just to act godly, that is religion. He wants us to become godly, to become like Him. That doesn’t happen overnight. It is a process. However, we are told in 2 Peter to supplement our faith with godliness.
Now, godliness is associated with a few characteristics.
Godliness presumes:
• Agreement with God
- Godliness means you are in agreement with God.
- You cannot be godly and disagree with God.
- If what I believe, say, or do is different from what God says, I am wrong!
- Romans 3:4 - “let God be true but every man a liar…”
- God’s Word is the ultimate authority; He has the final say in my life.
- It is a submission to God and His authority
• Awareness of God
- Godliness presumes that you are aware of God’s presence at all times.
- No matter where you are, you have a reverential respect for Him in your life.
- Out of fear and respect of God, you conduct yourself accordingly.
- You live in a way that pleases Him
- The awareness of God produces holiness
• Adherence toward God
- Godliness assumes a deep conviction to obey His Word.
- As we conform to God’s nature, we delight in pleasing Him.
- Obedience is not a burden, but a joy. Why?
- Colossians 1:13-14
“13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
- We have been rescued rom the power of darkness in our life and we have been transferred into the kingdom of God! Through His blood we have been forgiven!
- There is joy is serving God and obeying His Word because He has set us free!!
- An adherence/ obedience to God produces devotion
Godliness is not something we do, it is something we become. We do not act godly. Instead, we become godly through the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.
How do we become more godly? How do we grow in godliness?
1 Timothy 4:7
“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness.”
1. Avoid worldliness
1 Timothy 2:16 - “But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness”
• The opposite of godliness is worldliness
• Worldliness is a world or life without God
• If we are in agreement with the world then we are in disagreement with God
• If we are participating in worldliness then we cannot grow in godliness
• A believer operating in worldliness is like a fish trying to live on dry land. Every breath he takes is like death because it wasn’t created for that environment.
• As believers, we have to remove ourselves worldly environments.
• We are called to be a light to the darkness, but we are not called to live in the darkness. We are called to bring people out of darkness! We cant do that if we look just like them!
• We need godly communication, encouragement, counsel, entertainment, etc.
• Let us avoid worldly chatter.
2. Nourish yourself in the Word
3. Allow the Holy Spirit to tear down the high places in your heart
4. Practice godliness in your life
- Actively conform your thoughts, feelings, desires, and actions to God’s Word.
Let us grow in godliness. Let us train ourselves in godliness, as it is profitable in this life and the next.
