Title:
Godliness is Profitable
Text: 1
Tim 4: 8
Date:
November 3, 2013
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
1 Timothy 4: 6: If thou put the brethren in
remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ,
nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast
attained. 7 But refuse profane and old
wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 8: For bodily
exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things,
having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 9: This is
a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
Title:
Godliness is Profitable
Godliness is
genuine Christianity. It is true, vital,
experimental, religion created of God in the heart made new by grace. True
godliness begins when God gives his child spiritual life, a fear of God and
makes us to know we are righteous in Christ through faith.
Exercising ourselves unto godliness is to give
ourselves in thought, word and deed to the object of our affection—Christ
Jesus. Every man exercises himself toward the
object of his affection. Thus each man becomes more conformed to that object: the
man of this world; has his thoughts set on the world and becomes conformed to
the world; the self-righteous man has his mind set on himself and his form of
religion and becomes more conformed to his form; the truly godly man has his
heart set on Christ and exercises himself in the means God has given and grows
in grace and knowledge of Christ—we have lasting communion with Christ and his
people.
So to
exercise ourselves unto godliness is to have our affections set on things above
rather than this earth. Our life is hid with Christ in God so Christ is the
object of our affection. Exercising
godliness is seeking to know more of Christ and to conduct ourselves in a way
which pleases him. All genuine godliness
seeks a more godly life and conversation.
To
exercise ourselves unto godliness requires effort on our part. Paul says make it your business—your exercise.
Pure religion—true godliness—is not by fits and starts but is our daily
exerciseUngodly men exercise themselves—they have “an heart they have exercised
with covetous practices.” (2 Pet 2: 14) But
the apostle Paul said, “after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the
God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the
prophets: And have hope toward God,…Herein do I exercise myself to have always
a conscience void of offence, toward God and toward men.”
Proposition: Our text says that godliness is profitable unto all
things having promises from God to his child concerning this life and in the
life to come.
I. GOD PROMISES TO FURNISH THE BELIEVER WITH
WHATEVER IS NECESSARY FOR US IN THIS LIFE--V8—HAVING THE PROMISE OF THE LIFE
THAT NOW IS
Let’s
understand this first. There is a difference between what we WANT and what we
NEED. God does not promise to give us
what we want. Our gospel is not a health,
wealth and prosperity gospel. Salvation is in no shape, form or fashion by the
works of the sinner. But God does promise to give his child
whatever we need in this life.
Psalm 23:1: «A Psalm of David.» The LORD is my shepherd; I
shall not want.
Philippians 4:19: My God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
No More Offering for Sin
So
first, concerning spiritual blessings, in this life, God promises the believer
that he has provided all things necessary, making us righteous in Christ,
whereby every born-again believer is accepted of God. We are reconciled to God by the body of
Christ’s flesh through death. Therefore, God promises the believer we are not
required to make any more offering for sin.
Hebrews 10: 14: For by one offering he hath perfected for
ever them that are sanctified. 15: Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to
us: for after that he had said before, 16: This is the covenant that I will
make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their
hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17: And their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. 18: Now where remission of these is, there is no more
offering for sin.
Never Forsaken
God
promises he will never leave us and we shall never leave him.
Jeremiah 32:40: And I will make an everlasting covenant
with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put
my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
Brethren,
the life of godliness is to have the burden and bondage of our sins and of
every kind of formal, ceremonial, vain godliness removed by God’s grace. We
have the promise from God in this life that we are perfect in Christ, our sins
are gone, God accepts us and will never turn away from us and never allow us to
turn away from him.
Food & Raiment
Thirdly, Christ promises us food and raiment
in this life. We shall have food and water.
Isaiah 33:16: He shall dwell on high: his place of
defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters
shall be sure.
Believer,
this is Christ our Lord and our Savior, our Righteousness, our All speaking:
Matthew 6:25: Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought
for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your
body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment? 26: Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they
reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not
much better than they? 27: Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto
his stature? 28: And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of
the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29: And yet I
say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these. 30: Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is,
and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe
you, O ye of little faith? 31: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we
eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32: (For
after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things. 33: But seek ye first the kingdom of
God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Believer,
that is a promise for the life that now is that our Savior has made unto
us. Exercise yourself unto
godliness—seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. All these things you need shall be added unto
you. God has given us the Bread from heaven—Christ Jesus—his only begotten Son;
God has given us the Water of life—the fountain of living waters—Christ Jesus; God
has clothed us in the garment of Christ’s righteousness. We can be assured that
God will not hold back temporal bread and water and raiment.
Comfort in Affliction
Fourthly,
when God by divine power has made us godly, he promises in this life to give us
comfort when we are afflicted and oppressed.
Isaiah 43:2: When thou passest through the waters, I will
be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou
walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame
kindle upon thee.
Deuteronomy 26: 7: And when we cried unto the LORD God of
our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our
labour, and our oppression:
Psalm 107:41: Yet setteth he the poor on high from
affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.
Job 5: 17: Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:
therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: 18: For he maketh
sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. 19: He shall
deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
Psalm 46: 1: «To the chief Musician for the sons of
Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.» God is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble. 2 Therefore
will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be
carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though
the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains
shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 4
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of
God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall
not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
Support to Old Age & Through Death
Also,
God promises the child who he makes to pursue true godliness that he will
support us even to old age and to death.
Isaiah 46: 4: And even to your old age I am he; and even
to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will
carry, and will deliver you.
Psalm 23: 4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me.
David
lived a long time. Near the end of his
life he said this, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen
the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread," Ps 37:25.
Besides
all of these promises, true godliness promotes every interest of the believer
in this life. By seeking God and his
Christ in true godliness he keeps our minds clear and gives us peace of
conscience. Godliness does nothing to promote things which are bad for our
health. It never prompts injury toward anyone. True godliness God gives us comfort
in trial, calmness in death—godliness gives us nothing bitter to reflect on
when we come to deaths bed. It only affects our lives for good: from our
worship of God, to our homes, to our business.
But
infidelity—a life of sin in this world, a form of godliness which denies God in
Christ—makes no certain promises to any sinner.
It takes away all the comforts which pure religion gives in this life
and burdens men with hard bondage and puts all the work of salvation into their
feeble hands. It leaves men facing a dark eternity to come with no promise or
hope of eternal joy.
Likewise,
vice promises pleasures in the present life, but only to disappoint you here and
it makes no promise of happiness in the future world.
So having
these promises, God says come out from the workers of iniquity, do not envy
this world, and continue with his people in his house trusting God—exercise
thyself unto godliness.
Psalm 37:1: «A Psalm of David.» Fret not thyself
because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2: For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green
herb. 3: Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land,
and verily thou shalt be fed. 4: Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall
give thee the desires of thine heart. 5: Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust
also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6: And he shall bring forth
thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
II. TRUE GODLINESS HAS THE PROMISE OF THE
LIFE TO COME.
None of
the promises of life to come are given us because of any work done by us—all is
the gift of God through the Lord Jesus Christ and his Righteousness. Nor do any accomplishments in this life give us
any promise of life to come. It is only
those who continue in pure religion, created in the heart by God, looking to
Christ alone, apart from our works, that God gives promises concerning the life
to come.
Eternal Life & Resurrection
First, in Christ we have the promise of eternal life and
of resurrection.
John 6:
54: Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will
raise him up at the last day.
Faith
is not a one time thing—we are always coming to Christ. This promise is given to
those—not who begin in faith then turn back—but to those who die in faith. If
Christ is your life—Christ promises you have eternal life. And if continue in Christ in
faith then Christ will raise you up at the last day.
Inheritance as Children
Secondly,
because he has given us the Spirit of adoption, we have the promise of
inheritance as children.
Romans 8: 17: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God,
and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we
may be also glorified together. 18: For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us.
What a precious thing it is that, by God’s
promise to us, we are able to look beyond the deceitful riches of this life and
see that our true inheritance is with Christ in the life to come.
Hebrews 13: 5: Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Immortal Body
Thirdly, we have the promise of a new
immortal body, a house not made with hands.
2 Corinthians 5: 1: For we know that if our earthly house
of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our
house which is from heaven: 3 If so be
that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do
groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon,
that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who
also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 15: 53: For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Reign with Christ
Lastly, our Savior has given us the promise
of reigning with Christ.
Revelation 3: 21: To him that overcometh will I grant to
sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my
Father in his throne.
Believer, rest all your hope on the promises
of God. They are most sure and certain.
God cannot lie and God will not deceive us
If we truly realized the might, the majesty, and the
meaning of God’s promises, how happy and content they will keep us. By this internal peace, which the Prince of
Peace gives through true religion, he makes us to operate more calmly in this
life. Our judgment is regulated and
guided aright. Those without the peace of God are always worried over worldly
things. But the believer has a peace
that only God gives which puts us more at ease and settles us. So esteem with
highest regard the promises of God.
2 Corinthians 1: 20: For all the promises of God in him are
yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
Amen!