I've entitled this message, What
is Godliness? This is a scriptural word. What
does it mean? I've heard people say, well,
godliness means god-likeness. Well, the word does not really
bear that out. The word God is not in the words
translated in our New Testament, godly or godliness. The word God is not even in the
word. The word is made of two words,
which means well devout. It's where the Latin word pious
comes from. Well-devout. Now it's used as a noun, godliness. It's used as an adjective to
describe somebody, godly. And it's used as an adverb to
describe an action. And this is a scriptural term.
What does it mean? what is meant by godliness. In 1 Timothy 3, verse 16, Paul says, great, without controversy, there's
no arguments here, great is the mystery of godliness. Now this is a mystery we wouldn't
know anything about unless God was pleased to make it known
in His Word. It's a mystery. And here is what
causes godliness. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory. Now this mystery doesn't come
from godliness, true devotion, but true devotion comes from
this great mystery. God was manifest in the flesh. There isn't a more amazing or
remarkable thing that our souls could think of. God, the infinite
God, the God whom the heavens cannot contain, was manifest
in the flesh. Colossians chapter 2 verse 9
says, In Him, in the Lord Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead, All the fullness of deity, all the fullness of
immutability, all the fullness of holiness, all of the fullness
of sovereignty, all of the fullness of immutability, every attribute
of God in its glorious completeness dwells, resides in the body of
the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a great mystery, isn't it? The infinite became an infant. He lived 30 years in obscurity
working in a carpenter shop. Nobody knew who he was. Now you
think about this. He grew up with brothers and
sisters and they didn't get it. They didn't understand who he
was. You know, that lets me know that no natural man has any understanding
of holiness because here holiness was and they didn't get it. During
that 30 year period, he never sinned. He kept the law perfectly. Then he began his three year
public ministry preaching the gospel. He lived a perfect life. He died a criminal's death. And that's what the cross was.
It was reserved for criminals. And he was raised from the dead. God manifest in the flesh. Even now, there's a man in glory.
As I'm speaking, ruling and reigning and controlling everything. and
he's representing every one of his people. Next it says, he was justified
in the spirit. Now the Lord Jesus came for the
great work of justification to glorify his father. The Holy
Spirit testified that everything he did was just and right. And he accomplished justification. That's why he came. That's why
God was manifested in the flesh to accomplish justification.
And like I said, I hope, I hope I never preach a message ever
where I don't deal at some point with the glorious truth of justification. A message without justification
is a message without the gospel. see, Christ in keeping the law,
He kept it for me. When He died, He died bearing
my sin, being guilty of my sin and putting it away and His righteousness
is given to me and now I I stand while I'm talking to you, and
this is true of every believer, perfectly righteous before God. Sinless. I love thinking about
that. Sinless, because my sin is ever
before me. You know, every time I'm sitting there, getting ready
to come up there and preach, you know something I'm struggling
with? My own sinfulness. Every single time. I'm sitting
there, sometimes I think, how can I get up and preach? As sinful
as I am. But do you know that I don't
have any sin before God. He was justified in the Spirit. It was through the eternal Spirit
that he offered himself without spot to God. God the Holy Spirit
testified of him in his baptism, the Spirit descending like a
dove. He had the Spirit without measure. He confirmed, God the
Holy Spirit confirmed that Christ was God by the miracles He performed. Doing only what God can do. And
God the Holy Spirit had the Bible written to testify of His great
work. We just read it, I can't remember
if it was in the study or out here. I think it was in the study,
Don read the parable of the Pharisee and the public, and the Lord
testified concerning that man who was beating on his breast,
saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. He said, I tell you,
that man went down to his house justified, rather than the other,
who had such a high opinion of himself. For everyone that exalts
himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall
be exalted. And the next thing that is said
about the mystery of godliness was that he was seen of angels. You know, this month, March,
is my favorite month of the year. Anybody know why? March Madness. Kentucky Mock
Men. It's on my mind all the time.
I wake up thinking about it, go to bed thinking about it.
demonstrating how shallow I am. But you know what? I doubt that
angels are much interested in this. Don't you? I doubt that
it piques their interest. But how interested they are in
the Lord Jesus Christ. How do you reckon they were amazed
when the infinite became a seed in a mother's womb? and went
through that nine month period of gestation. What's going on? I guarantee you, every one of
them were looking on. The whole host of angels. How
amazed they were at His birth. The whole heavenly host cried,
Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, goodwill toward
men. And I know that they were just
watching His life. And you know, they didn't really
know what He was doing. Why is He doing this? They observed His
perfect life. And you can bet they were there
when he was being put to death. They were ready to smite, waiting
for an order from God to come and wipe this place out. What
do you think they thought when they saw him die? What is this? Remember, Peter said these are
things angels desire to look into. And when he was raised
from the dead, they were involved in that. And they told the disciples,
why a sick ye heave that lives among the dead? He's not here,
he's risen. Oh, the angels. gloried in this. And then the great mystery of
godliness is that he was preached unto the Gentiles. You know who
that is? Me and you. Do you find it amazing that you're
hearing the gospel preached? This is an amazing gift of grace.
It's a mystery. Why would God ever be pleased
to have you hear His Gospel and believe His Gospel? This is a
great mystery. The great mystery of godliness.
And next, it says he was believed on in the world. Do you really
believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God? Do you really believe
that? Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Do you really believe
that God is absolutely sovereign? That He controls everything and
everybody and every event? And there's nothing that happens
apart from His willing it to take place? You really believe
He absolutely controls the free actions of all men everywhere
and He's working everything according to His counsel and His sovereign
will? Do you really believe that? Yes, I do. I think the only Different
thing would be atheism. God's either God or he's not
God at all. Do you really believe that Christ,
God became flesh? Yes, I do. Do you really believe
that men are so utterly corrupt and evil that all there is there
is sin? Do you really believe that about
man and when you think of all the good things they do? Yeah,
I do. I do. I believe that about all men.
Myself, beginning right here. You really believe that before
time began, God chose who would be saved, and Christ died for
those people, and God the Holy Spirit invincibly calls them,
and they're going to persevere? Yes, I do. Believe God in the
world. I believe that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God. I really do. I believe He's the
Creator. You really believe that stuff?
Yes, I do. And received up into glory. God accepted what he did. And
he received him up. And everybody he did it for was
received by God even then. Great is the mystery of godliness. Now, anybody that believes that,
you know what's going to create in them? Godliness. Godliness, well devout. And this is the description of
every single believer. We're going to see that in a
minute. But my next point about godliness, there's nothing human
about godliness. It is not the product of the
flesh in any way. Turn with me for a moment to
Acts chapter three. Now this is after that Peter
and John had been used by God to heal the man who was laying
from his womb. And we read beginning in verse
12. And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Acts
chapter three, verse 12. And when Peter saw the people
gazing upon them and looking like they had performed this
miracle, when Peter saw, he answered the people, ye men of Israel.
Why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on
us, as though by our own power or holiness? Now that word holiness
is the word that translated godliness. This is the only time it's translated
holiness, but it's the word we rave as the mystery of godliness.
He said, why are you looking on us as if by our own power,
even if it's God given or our own godliness, we made this man
to walk. We didn't have anything to do
with it. This is God's work. This is the result of God, not
us. There's nothing human. And by human, yes, there are
human beings who are godly by the grace of God, but it doesn't
have anything to do with their flesh making them that way. There's
nothing human concerning godliness. Now, third point, godliness is
a desire. Turn with me to 2 Timothy 3.
Verse 12. Yea, and all that will The word will means this is their
desire. This is their want to. This is
what they want. All that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution. The desire of the heart is to
live godly in Christ Jesus. And you know it can only be done
in Christ Jesus. the very desire of your heart
is you want to be godly, devoted. Love so amazing, so divine demands
my soul, my life, my all. This is what you want. You want
to be devoted, well devout, pious. This is your desire. You hate
yourself that you're not more as you think you should be. You
think you ought to be more devoted, more, no doubt about that. But
still, this is the desire of your heart. They that will, they
that desire to live godly in Christ Jesus. And I'll tell you
what, living godly in Christ Jesus, you know what it's going
to do? It's going to bring on persecution. You know why? You're going to
be standing for the gospel. That's what you do when you live
godly in Christ Jesus. You stand for the gospel. And
you know what that means? That means you're going to be
persecuted for righteousness sake. And you know whose righteousness
you're going to be persecuted for? The righteousness of Christ. You're going to be a fanatic.
If you're living godly in Christ Jesus, you're going to be a fanatic
about Christ's righteousness being the only righteousness
there is. And you'll be hated and despised
for maintaining that message. But understand this, this thing
of godliness, it's something you desire. They that will live
godly in Christ Jesus, that's their desire, that's what they
want. They want to walk in godliness. And my fourth point is that godliness
or godly would describe every believer without exception. This is not something we're trying
to attain. This is something every believer
is, without exception. Now, who is the man that God
the Holy Spirit uses to describe as godly in the New Testament? Anybody know? Lot. Lot. He's the only man that God
the Holy Spirit uses to describe this condition. Lot. Turn with me for a second to
2 Peter chapter 2. You know, I'm thankful the Lord
used Lot to describe this man, aren't you? If he would have
used Paul, or Peter, or John, or one of those guys, I might
have been kind of discouraged. But that's not who he used. He
used Lot. Now, let me remind you about
Lot. If you read the Old Testament account of him, what was he? He was selfish. He wouldn't defer to Abraham. He was narcissistic. He seemed
to have a sinful desire for the world. He pitches his tent toward
Sodom. He ends up living in Sodom. And
as a matter of fact, the fact that he was sitting at the gate
when the angels came in seems to indicate that he had some
kind of political position in Sodom. That's how far he'd gone
in Sodom. And remember when the angels
came and the men of Sodom wanted to abuse them and know them in
a wicked way. He offered up his two daughters
to him and said, take them. Now, somebody says that was a
good thing to do. I'm not so sure about that. He brought out
his daughters to these men. And after that, he lingered. In Sodom, after the angel said,
get out, he lingers and the angels have to take him by the hand
and yank him out. And after that, he gets drunk
and commits incest with his daughters. Now, if we didn't have the New
Testament, would you say this guy saved? I'd say not. I'd say not. But here, God, the Holy Spirit's
testimony of this man. Verse seven, those angels delivered
just lot. Vexed with the filthy conversation
of the wicked for that righteous man. dwelling among them and
seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day
with their unlawful deeds. Now, while we're hard on Lot,
we don't know what's really going on in his heart, do we? But God,
the Holy Spirit tells us. Now remember, the next time you
judge somebody, they couldn't be a believer. Look at the way
they are. You don't have any business making
a judgment like that. You don't have the proper information.
The Lord said not to do it. And who are you to judge anybody
about anything? Can you believe that about yourself?
Look what God testified with regard to Lot. Verse nine, the
Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly. out of temptation. Now here God says regarding this
man Lot that he was godly. Now why did the Lord pick out
Lot to use as an example of godliness? To let us know this describes
every believer. I'm so thankful for his choice
of Lot. This is every believer godly
in that sense. Titus chapter 1 This is what is always with godliness. Titus chapter one, verse one. Paul, a servant of God and an
apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and
the acknowledging the recognition, the embracing of the truth, which
is after or according to godliness. Now here's what everybody who
has godliness, who could be described as a godly person, every single
one of them, they have the faith of God's elect. I know who loves election. The
elect. I know who believes election,
the elect. Somebody says, I don't believe
election. Well, okay, but the elect do. I can say that simply. And I love the way Paul calls
the faith, the faith of God's elect. It's the faith that all
of God's elect possess. They all believe the same thing. And it's summarized by this word,
the acknowledging. The recognition, the embracing
of the truth. The truth concerning the true
character of God. The truth concerning the true
character of the sinfulness of man. The truth concerning salvation,
how that Christ is everything in salvation. He's all in salvation,
and all of God's elect embrace that. Don't you embrace that
in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you're
complete in Him, and you don't need anything else? And you don't
have anything else, and you don't want anything else. All of God's
elect have that in common. The faith of God's elect, the
acknowledging, the recognition, the embracing of the truth, which
is after according to godliness. This is what godliness is. It's
the having the faith of God's elect and acknowledging the truth,
which is according to godliness. Turn to 1 Timothy chapter 4.
Next, godliness is profitable. 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 7. But refuse profane and old wise
fables and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise
profiteth little. My marginal reading says for
a little time. I know someone who lifted weights
and quit lifting weights after he read that verse of scripture.
Now that's not what it means. It doesn't mean don't exercise. It means it's only profitable
in this life, at this time, only for a very
short time. Godliness or bodily exercise
profits a little bit, a little bit. You know, I was talking about
sports a minute ago, and I remember I told Elizabeth Marsh, that
Paul was a sports fan, because she was getting on me. She said,
you make an idol out of sports. And I said, the Apostle Paul
was a sports fan. He's always making allusions
to different games and Olympics and so on. And she said, he was
not. So I just didn't, I didn't, I didn't pursue it. I couldn't
win a battle with her. You all remember her. You didn't, you
didn't win a battle with her. But at any rate, he says, Godliness, well-devout, is profitable
unto all things, having promise of the life that now is and of
that which is to come, eternity. This is a faithful saying, and
it's worthy of all acceptation. Now look across the page. In
chapter six, verse six, here's an example of how godliness is
profitable in this life. First Timothy six, verse six,
but godliness with contentment is great gain. Godliness with contentment. Satisfaction. Is great gain. How beneficial is contentment? Content with beholding his face? My all to his pleasure resigned? No changes of season or place
could make any change in my mind. When blessed with a sense of
his love, a palace a toy would appear, and prisons would palaces
prove. if Jesus would dwell with me
there. Now, I really believe that He
is all. And I believe that everything
God requires of me, He looks to Christ for. And I am complete
in Him. You know what that makes me? Content. satisfied. I'm not looking for anything
else. I think it's interesting how many times I've heard in
my life, and I've tried to talk to somebody about the gospel,
they say there's got to be more than that. You ain't heard. You have no idea what you're
talking about. You haven't experienced godliness. You don't know anything
about being content to be saved by Christ alone. The satisfaction
there is in being saved by Christ. Godliness with contentment. is
great gain. Look in 1 Timothy 2, verse 2. I exhort therefore that first
of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of
thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in
authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. Is that great
gain? Is that something to be desired
in this life? A quiet Not in turmoil, but a quiet. Believing God's on the throne.
Believing He controls everything. A quiet and a peaceable life. He is my peace. I'm at peace
with providence because it's God doing it no matter what it
is. I don't have to understand it. I don't understand it. But
I know God does. He knows what He's doing. I'm
at peace with regard to everything that's happening. I'm at peace. A quiet and peaceable life. Godliness. It has a promise in this life
and, oh, the promise in the life to come. I'm going to be beholding
His face in righteousness. I'm going to be satisfied when
I wake in His likeness. I am not going to have any more
sin to drag me down. I'm going to behold His face. Now, godliness has a promise
in this life and in the life to come. First Timothy chapter six, verse 11. But thou, O man of God, and that's
a title to every believer, a man or woman of God. Our origin is
of God. He that is of God heareth God's
words. But thou, O man of God, flee
these things and follow. Now that word follow means pursue. Make this your aim. Follow. Pursue after righteousness. Didn't Paul say, Oh, that I may
win Christ and be found in him. Not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faithfulness
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Follow, pursue godliness. Pursue faith, love, patience,
meekness, fight the good fight of faith. But he said, follow
or pursue after godliness. You know, there's a lot of scriptures
that tell us what we're to pursue. For instance, what we just read in Romans 12,
it says, pursue hospitality. Pursue the things which make
for peace. Paul said to the Corinthians, make love your pursuit or your
aim. Follow after charity. Paul says, I've not attained,
but I follow after, if I may apprehend that which I've also
apprehended of Christ Jesus. I press toward the mark of the
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Follow peace
with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.
Pursue godliness, being well devout. And that comes, like
I said, from believing the gospel. Now, does believing in grace
cause us to not pursue grace and its gifts? No. Not at all. Turn to 1 Peter chapter
1. 2 Peter, I'm sorry, 2 Peter chapter
1. And beside this, giving all diligence,
add to your faith virtue, and to your virtue, knowledge, and
to knowledge, temperance, and to temperance, patience, and
to patience, godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness,
and to brotherly kindness, charity. You know all these go together,
don't they? They all go together, but they're things I'm called
upon to pursue. I want to Pursue the fruit of
the Spirit. Now there's nothing I can do
to get the fruit of the Spirit because it's the fruit of the
Spirit, but I want to grow in love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. I want
to be poor in spirit. I want to be poorer in spirit
than I have been. I want to mourn more over my
sins. I want to be more meek. I want
to hunger and thirst after righteousness even more. I want to be pure
in heart. I want to be more of a peacemaker.
I want to be more merciful. I want to be persecuted more
for righteousness sake. You see, there's a pursuit in
this. Follow after godliness. May we give ourselves to the
pursuit of godliness. Don't you want to be well devout?
I want to be devout. That's exactly what I want to
be. I want to be well devout. And I know all of God's people
are, but it's also something we pursue. There's no, I shouldn't
use the word, but it is also something all of us pursue. And my last point is godliness
is something that can be counterfeited. Turn to 2 Timothy chapter three. This know also, verse one, 2
Timothy chapter three, this know also that in the last days perilous
times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, without natural affection, truth breakers, false accusers,
incognite, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors,
heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of
God, having a form of godliness. Now these are religious fellas
he's talking about. They have a form of godliness. People may look at them and say,
well, they're godly people. These people have godliness.
They have a form. of godliness. But they don't
have godliness. It's just an outward shell having
a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. Now you're going to come across
a lot of religious people maybe in the next week. People who
have a form of godliness. But you know what they're always
going to do? They're going to deny the power of godliness. They're gonna deny the source
of that power, the sovereign grace of God. They're gonna deny
the conduit of that power, what that power, through which it
comes, the gospel. It's the gospel that's the power
of God unto salvation. You know what makes a godly person?
You know what produces true godliness? The gospel. The gospel hearing
and believing the gospel. That's the power of God under
salvation. And the results of that power.
A new creation. a new creature in Christ Jesus. Not the old flesh improved, not
the old flesh enabled to get better by the grace of God, but
a creative act of God. Something new that was not there
before. A new creation. Now you're going
to come across all kinds of people that have a form of godliness,
but they're always going to deny the power thereof. The source
of the power, the sovereign grace of God, the conduit of the power,
the gospel, and the results of the power, a new creation in
Christ Jesus. Godliness. People have, I've heard this
definition, God-likeness. Well, I want to be like the Lord.
I do, and you do too, but that's not really what the word means.
And really, I don't even know why they translate it that way
because the word God, Theos, is not in the word at all. It's literally well devout. And here's what produces it.
Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles,
believed on in the world, and received up into glory. Godliness
is not the product of the flesh. Peter said, why are you looking
on us as though our own power of godliness, we made this man
whole. It's not the power of the flesh. Godliness is a desire. Every believer desires godliness. And godliness is a description
of every believer. Brother Lot, one of my favorite
characters in the scripture. I can't wait to meet him in heaven.
Lot. A lot of people I can't wait
to meet, but one of the most is Lot. Brother Lot. Godliness has the faith of God's
elect, the acknowledging of the truth, the full recognition and
embracing of the truth, which is after godliness. Godliness
is profitable. in this world and the world to
come. Godliness is to be pursued, and
godliness can be counterfeited. And we know how it's counterfeited,
the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Now may God
enable us all to be godly people. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
great mystery of godliness that you were manifest in the
flesh, justified in the spirit, completing the work of justification. Lord, how we love to see angels
or think of angels in wide wonder watching you as you walked upon
this earth. Lord, how we thank you for the
gift of faith. But we believe these things.
How we thank you that your gospel was preached to us Gentiles and
that thy son and everybody he represented was received up into
glory. Lord, cause us to make godliness
our pursuit for Christ's sake. In his name we pray. Amen. And we're going to have a baptism
now. Woody Morrison is going to confess Christ and believers
baptism. He's been wanting to do it for some time. Let me remind
you what baptism is. Baptism is my confession. It's my public confession. You
can't baptize yourself. It's in a group. Baptism is my public confession
that all of my salvation, every bit of it, is being united to
Christ. That's my whole salvation. My
only hope is that when he lived, I was in him and I lived too.
And when he died, I was in him and I died too. And when he was
raised from the dead, I was in him and I was raised from the
dead too. This is all our hope. and all our salvation. And this
is what Woody and every believer confesses. Dwayne, come and leave
us in him. Let's stand and sing hymn number
222, There is a Fountain. 222. There is a fountain filled with
blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that
blood lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains. all their guilty stains. And sinners plunged beneath that
flood lose all their guilty stains. The dying thief rejoiced to see
that fountain in his name. O piety, wash all my sins away. Wash all my sins away. Wash all my sins away. And there may I, O piety, wash
all my sins away. Till all the ransomed Church
of God Be sane to sin no more. Be sane to sin no more. of God, be saved to sin no more. E'er since my faith I stole the
stream, thy flowing wounds applied. Redeeming love has been my theme,
and shall be till I die. And shall be till I die. And shall be till I die. Redeeming love has been my theme. And shall be till I die. Please be seated. I've known Woody a long time,
and I rejoice to be able to call you my brother, and that you
have, the Lord's given you the grace to confess him in Believer's
Baptism. And truly, this is the confession
of the church. It's not walking down an aisle.
It's confessing Christ by Believer's Baptism. This is the gospel,
and Woody, we rejoice with you. Woody, on your confession of
faith in Christ as your all in salvation, I baptize you, my
brother, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let's pray together. Our merciful Heavenly Father,
we. Are so grateful for that son and Lord, we pray for. The great blessings of grace
on our dear brother, Woody, we pray. For him. We're so thankful that. You've
enabled him to confess you in believers baptism. And Lord,
we ask for your grace upon him and upon his home. and upon his
family. And Lord, we ask that you would
bless our fellowship in the gospel together. We're so thankful for
our friends in Christ Jesus. Bless us for the Lord's sake.
In his name we pray. Amen.