3 – His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness—through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness.
4 – Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises,
…so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 – For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
6 – and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 – and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
8 – For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 – But if anyone does NOT have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
I remember watching TV a few years back and seeing commercials for a certain brand of dog food that involved showing pictures of people who looked very much like their pooches. Apparently these were pictures of participants who had entered a contest that the dog food company sponsored—a contest to see who most resembled their beloved canine companions. How many of you remember those commercials? Well, this week I did an internet search and found pictures of the winners of that contest and I want to show them to you. Here’s a shot of each of the six finalists. And, last but not least, here’s the grand prize winner—the couple who most resembled their dog. Isn’t the resemblance between dog and owner amazing?!
I’ll explain why I showed you these shots in a moment but for now let me say that today we are picking up where we left off last October in our study of the Dress Code of a Christian.
As I told you way back then, the main commentaries I’m relying on are two books: Mark Buchanan’s newest, Hidden In Plain Sight, and Jerry Bridges, The Fruitful Life. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to pick up a copy and study along with me! Our text for this study are these verses from 2 Peter that I just read, where the big fisherman lists eight character traits that should be found in the life of any Christ-follower. We’ve said that these qualities are “garments of grace” — attitudes we should “put on” as grace-driven Christians.
Well, by following this dress code—we become more and more like our Heavenly Father—we become recognized as His children—and here’s where this look-alike contest comes in, because if there were a contest to see which Christian most resembled God—well, those who mastered this dress code the best would be assured of making it to the finals.
To review a bit further—we began by studying faith —the foundational garment in the dress code of a Christian. Then in the next four sermons we studied how to add to our faith, by putting on goodness, knowledge, self-control, and perseverance. By the way, I think it would help you to go to our church website, and re-read those messages so as to get you back up to speed. In any case, as I said, today we’re picking up where we left off by focusing on the first of the last three “garments” we must learn to “put on”—the garment of Godliness —or “GOD-likeness” which is another reason I thought of this “look-alike contest.”
Let’s begin our study of Godliness as we did in our study of the other “garments of grace” with a definition and the best way to get an accurate definition of a New Testament word is to go back to the Greek so let’s start there. The word we translate as “Godliness” here in 2nd Peter is the Greek word “eusebeia.” Sometimes it is translated as “holiness”—but it literally means, “good devotion” or “genuine devoutness” or “piety.” It is a word used to describe the INWARD quality of a heart that is set completely on God, His kingdom, and His purposes. As Mark Buchanan puts it, “Eusebia is God-centeredness.” Charles Swindoll helps us in our search for a good definition by saying that Godliness is
“…not skin deep. No—it is something below the surface of life, deep down in the realm of an attitude…an attitude toward God Himself. The person who is Godly is one whose heart is sensitive toward God—it’s someone who takes God seriously.”
Well, I agree with both of these Godly men. In fact, their insights remind me of the Psalmist when he says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:1-2) because a Godly person is someone who takes God this seriously—so seriously that he or she longs and yearns to know God better. Relating to God is their number one “heart desire” in life.
Another thing that helps us understand each of the various parts of the Christian’s dress-code is to look at it’s opposite, and the opposite of Godliness isn’t what you might first think. I mean, it’s not “demon-liness” or “devil-likeness.” No, the best antonym or opposite of Godliness is worldliness. This is what the Apostle John is saying in his epistle when he writes,
“For everything in the world —the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:16)
Now—worldliness is basically selfishness. I mean, if Godliness is God-centeredness, then worldliness is self-centeredness. Buchanan says,
“[Godliness] is me, me, me. It’s getting what I want and when I want it, and then ballyhooing about it. Worldliness is whatever makes sin look more attractive than God. It’s whatever makes you think that defying or ignoring God will bring you more reward than obeying Him.”
Now—One thing we must understand is that God WANTS us to become Godly.
He wants us to center our hearts on His kingdom.
Way back in Leviticus 11:44 He says as much, “I am the LORD your God; [I want you to] consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” Don’t misunderstand. Even in our unholy state God still loves us. He loves us as we are…but He doesn’t stop there. God also pursues us with a sacrificial love that enables us to become what we are meant to be. Buchanan writes,
“God’s love takes hold of us as we are, in our prodigal stench and squalor, but loves us until it makes us what we are to become, a son restored, cleansed head to toe…inside and out, dressed in royal robes, and sated on fatted calf.”
You parents out there understand this principle of love because you love your kids as they are…but yours is a love that leads you to sacrifice your time to teach and rebuke…to correct and discipline your children such that they mature and reach their fullest potential. Yours is a love that prompts you to strive to help them to be better. Well, it’s the same with God and the greatest example of this is of course His sending His only Son to die in our place…an act of love that enables us to go from being unforgiven to being forgiven, cleansed, and restored, and then enter into a relationship with God through which we can become more and more Godly.
A second thing we need to know is that it’s not easy to become Godly.
It’s not easy to put on this part of the dress code. Let’s look at it this way. In comparison to becoming Godly —becoming a Christian is an easy thing. Conversion—where I was dead in sin but now am alive in Christ—is an astounding miracle, no question. But the miracle of godliness is greater yet—because with that, God not only makes me alive in Christ, He makes me alive as Christ. Buchanan says,
“Conversion makes spiritually dead people alive. God pulls that off in a blink. Sanctification makes godless people Godly. God typically uses a lifetime to accomplish that.”
This is why the last part of the dress code that we studied, perseverance, is so important. You see, to become Godly, you must learn to hang in there no matter what because Godliness does indeed take an entire lifetime. It’s a day after day after day thing. Every day all year long we have to learn to say no to self and yes to God. Every day we put off our sinful attitudes and put on Godliness. As Ephesians 4:22-24 puts it,
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
So, Godliness is not an easy thing. It involves daily battles and choices for the rest of your life.
As James puts it,“We must let perseverance finish its work so that we may be mature and complete not lacking anything.” (James 1:4) The Apostle Paul recognized this truth in his own life. In the context of his desire to know Christ and to become like Him he said, “Not that I have already obtained this or have already been made perfect, but I press on…I persevere…[no matter how hard it is] I keep on trying to become Godly.”(Philippians 3:12) This principle of godliness is what Peter is talking about in our text, when in verse 8 he says we must have these qualities in increasing measure. He’s saying that Godliness is not something you get in one lump sum. Rather it is something you get a little more of every day…it is an incremental growth…a step-by-step deal. It’s like the old song we used to sing, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before; every day with Jesus I love Him more and more.”
Godliness is a process. We become Godly more and more every day in increasing measure.
Do you know why it is set up this way? I think it’s both because it honors our free will but also because it keeps us relating to God. It keeps you and me coming back to Him every day—day after day—seeking His help, asking for His power and guidance as we pour our hearts out to Him. And, that’s what God wants. He wants a relationship. You see, the Christian life is not a performance on our part. It’s an on-going, on-growing relationship with God…a relationship in which we gradually become more and more like Him.
And—this means we need to evaluate our progress from time to time—which most people do this time of year. So let’s do that. Look back over your life. Are you more Godly today than you were last year? Would you say that in 2007 you became like our Heavenly Father in increasing measure? It is said that Ben Franklin made a list of 13 virtues and he created a graph in a notebook so that he could rate himself each day on each area and chart his progress.
You may want to take these 8 garments of grace and do that yourself every day….as a way of seeing if you are becoming more or less Godly. In fact, you might want to take it a bit further and invite the constructive criticism of the people who are closest to you. Ask the people who observe you day in and day out, “Do I ‘look’ more like God this year than I did last year? Do I act more like Him? Be honest. Am I more Godly now than I was last January…or is His image fading? Is this garment of my Christian dress code in good shape or is it a bit threadbare?”
And you know the truth is others can see the degree of Godliness in our life. I mean, this particular garment of grace shows because it’s not just an inner attitude. It’s also a visible way of life. It’s something you put on that all people can see.
In 1st Peter 3:15 it says, “Always be prepared to give an answer for those who ask…” Remember that verse? Well—implicit in this command is the fact that godly people live in such a way that they arouse curiosity. Like light shining in a dark place, they live so visibly different from the ungodly world around them that their lifestyle provokes questions. Well, in this popular verse, Peter says that this visible difference can be summed up in one word, HOPE. Godly people live in hope and offer hope. In situations where others would complain or panic or give up…Godly people boldly embrace hope…and this makes people wonder. They wonder—what is the reason or rationale behind the hope-filled way that you as a Christian face the difficulties of life on this fallen world? And more than that—Christians who put on Godliness are always ready to tell people about their hope. They should always be prepared to answer the kinds of questions that spring from people who see their hope-filled lifestyle, always ready to tell people about the God they are striving to become more and more like….the God Who gives us a HOPE that is steadfast and sure.
Now—one reason Godliness shows or displays hope is that it has value for all of life.
It’s as Paul puts it in 1st Timothy 4:8-9,“Physical training is of some value, but Godliness has value for ALL things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” You know, we are healthier and wealthier in America than any culture in the history of the world but ironically, at the same time we also have more emotional and mental disorders, more addictions and more syndromes than any culture. According to the World Values Survey quoted in the March 2004 issue of Christianity Today, the United States ranks a poor 16th among the world’s 65 happiest countries—16th! You would think that with all our wealth we would have been number one. But—no—that distinction goes to Nigeria—a nation that is one of the poorest in the world….ranking 140th when it comes to economic health. How do you explain this? I mean, how can a country of great poverty beat us so soundly when it comes to happiness? How can those poor people be so much more happy than we are? Well, I think it’s because we look for joy in things and one blessing of their poverty is the fact that the Nigerians have not been able to make this mistake. things have not blinded them to what is really important—so in a very real sense when it comes to emotional or spiritual health, they are in a better place than we are.
Have you ever heard about the business executive who boarded the New Orleans to Washington train? He was a very heavy sleeper and needed to be reawakened in order to get off the train in Atlanta about five o’clock in the morning. He had a very important business meeting in Atlanta so he couldn’t afford to miss his stop. He found a porter and told him, “I want you to wake me in time to get off the train at 5 o’clock…in Atlanta. Now I’m a very heavy sleeper, and it doesn’t matter if I fret or fuss over what you do—you MUST put me off the train in Atlanta. Make me wake up! Make me get off!” But the next morning, he woke up about 9AM and the train had long since passed Atlanta. He located the porter and really poured it on with all sorts of abusive language, almost attacking the poor guy bodily. After the angry passenger left, an observer said to the porter, “How could you just stand there and take that kind of talk from that man?” The porter looked up rather sheepishly and replied, “That guy’s ranting and raving is nothing. You should have seen the guy I put off the train in Atlanta.”
That’s the problem with a lot of us today here in the U.S.. We’ve gotten off at the wrong “station.” Our priorities are askew. Our affluence has caused us to focus on things. Our lives are unsettled and unhappy because we aren’t pursuing the right thing. That is to say, we aren’t putting on Godliness…this character trait that has value in all things. We are looking for joy and fulfillment in all the wrong places.
Okay….with all this in mind I want to suggest three basic PRINCIPLES OF GODLINESS and here’s the first.
(1) The MOTIVE for putting on Godliness is our love for God.
This is the “why” when it comes to this particular garment of grace. As John Owen puts it,“Love begets a likeness between the mind loving and the object beloved. A mind filled with the love of Christ as crucified will be changed into His image and likeness.” This is why these people in this dog food contest looked so much like their beloved pets. This is why children play dress up and wear their parent’s clothes. This is why rock stars and pop idols have so much impact on adolescent life styles. This is why husbands and wives begin to act and even look more like each other as the years go by. We tend to emulate those we love.
And our love for God—our admiration…our awe —of Him…well, it is what compels us to strive to be more and more like Him—more and more serious about Him—more and more centered on Him—more and more Godly. This is what Paul is talking about in 2nd Corinthians 3:18 when he says, “And we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…for this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit.”
Unfortunately, the fact is too often our motives as Christians are too worldy in that we are self-centered rather than God-centered. We love self too much—so we do good—but because want to maintain our reputation before others, or because we want to feel good about ourselves. We may even seek to live a good life because that ethic was instilled in us from childhood. But genuine Godliness is motivated not by our upbringing or by our desire to look good…but rather by our devotion to our Heavenly Father.
Do you remember when Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife? He did not refuse her by saying, “If my master found out he would have my head!” NO—he said, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9) So you see, his motivation for morality was God-centered not “Joseph-centered.” Jesus said that all of the law and the prophets hang on two commandments and the first and most important is our love for God. This is our motivation for living the Christian life. Bridges encourages us to think of it this way, “The fear of consequences may keep us from committing outward acts of murder or adultery, but only love will keep us from committing murder or adultery in our hearts.”
- In 1st Corinthians 10:31 Paul tells us that even our eating and drinking is to be done for the glory of God.
- 1st Peter 2:13 says,“All of us are to submit ourselves to human authority for the Lord’s sake.”
- Ephesians 5:21 says, our submission to each other must be done out of reverence—for Christ.
In short we persevere in the daily struggle to put on Godliness because we love God and want to please Him by becoming more like Him.
Let me ask—if people were to judge the degree of your love for God by your actions and attitudes—well, how deep would they say your devotion to Him really is? How much would they say that you love God?
Here’s a second principle we need to embrace if we are to put on this part of the dress code.
(2) The POWER required for putting on Godliness comes from God Himself.
This is the “How” of Godliness. As Peter says in verse 3, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” Perhaps more than anyone in Scripture, the Apostle Paul recognized this because he wrote about it so many times.
- In 2nd Corinthians 3:5 he says,“We are not competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”
- In Colossians 1:29 he says,“To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.”
- And in Philippians 4:13 he says, “I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength.”
Now think about that for a moment. The Apostle Paul was one of the best educated men in the world of his day. He obviously had incredible, “stand out in the crowd” charisma and talent, yet even he said over and over again that anything GOOD in him had its source in the Lord’s power.
Someone has said,“When I do something wrong, I have to take the blame, but when I do something right, God gets the credit.” I like this because the fact is no matter how talented or educated we are only God can give us the power we need to live Godly lives. And the only way to access this power is through our daily relationship with God…regular times in which we ask God for His help. As Jesus put it in John 15, He is the vine and we are the branches and only by abiding in relationship with Him can we bear fruit. Colossians 2:6-7 says,“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Bridges writes,“The Christian is not like an automobile with a self-contained power source; rather, he is like an electric motor that must be constantly connected to an outside current for its power.”
Now—don’t misunderstand me. We do play a part in this because it is our responsibility to decide to access this power. As 1st Timothy 4:7 puts it we are to, “Train ourselves to be Godly.”
We are to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling,” but it “is God Who works in us to will and to act according to His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13)
Okay—we’ve talked about the why and the how of Godliness…but what about the “who.” What model is there for us to follow when it comes to putting on this part of the dress code. Well, I would answer that by saying…
(3) The EMBODIMENT of Godliness is Jesus.
I mean, if you need an example to follow—a model to look to—look to Jesus—because as God in the flesh He is literally the perfect embodiment of “eusebia.” In 1st Timothy 3:16, Paul spells this out saying,“Beyond all question, the mystery of Godliness is great.” And then he goes on to explain this mystery by pointing to the example of Jesus, saying, “[Jesus] appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on the world, was taken up in glory.” In this verse Paul tells us six things about Jesus’ godliness, and in so doing implies that these six things are worthy of our imitation. Let’s wind up our study by looking at each of these phrases briefly (relying on Mark Buchanan’s commentary).
A. First, Paul says, “Jesus appeared in a body.”
Well, this tells us that genuinely Godly people make God PERSONAL for others. They bring God close and render His presence tangible. They incarnate Heaven. They make God seem to be near. Christians who PUT ON Godliness become the flesh God uses to do His will in this world. As Paul puts it in 1st Corinthians, they become the BODY of Christ.
Shortly after WWII came to a close, Europe began picking up the pieces. If you’ve seen the pictures taken back then you know that much of the Old Country was ravaged by war and was in ruins. Perhaps the saddest sight of all was that of orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities. There’s an old story that you may have heard….a story that tells of an American soldier who was making his way back to the barracks in London. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little boy with his nose pressed to the widow of a pastry shop.
Inside, the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, with his nose pressed against the window, drooling and watching the cook’s every move.
The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out, and said, “Son, would you like some of those?” The boy was startled but blurted out, “Oh…yeah…I would!” The American stepped inside and bought a dozen, put them in a bag and walked back to where the lad was standing in the foggy cold of the London morning. He smiled, held out his bag and said simply, “Here you are.” As the soldier turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. He looked back and heard the child ask quietly, “Mister…are you God?” Has anyone asked you that question lately? Perhaps a more realistic question for us to ponder is this: Has anyone thought that about you lately? Have your actions made anyone feel like God was near and at work?
B. Second, Paul says that Jesus was “…vindicated by the Spirit.”
This aspect of Jesus’ example tells us that people who put on Godliness entrust justice to God. They know that in a fallen and broken world, people are going to take advantage…but they trust that the Spirit, in God’s time will vindicate them. In other words, Godly people do not try to get back or get even. Don’t misunderstand me—it’s not that they just let people walk all over them…it’s just that they believe that God is sovereign…and that He can and will work in all things for their good….so they leave justice in His hands.
C. Third, Paul says, “Jesus was seen by angels.”
This tells us that Godly people live with an awareness that the real drama takes place elsewhere, in the realm beyond the visible world. They believe the main audience is cosmic—not earthly, angelic and demonic—not human. They believe that we are engaged in something bigger than ourselves, bigger than the earth can contain, bigger than mere humans can comprehend. They believe that their lives sometimes make little sense to the neighbors, or even to themselves, but that there is a throng of heavenly hosts watching with riveted vested interest.
Unlike most people on this fallen world, they live with an eternal mind set—a perception to which most people are blind. William Irwin Thompson likens such “blind” people to flies that crawl across the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, blissfully unaware of the magnificent shapes and forms that lie beneath or above the threshold of their perception. Well, Godly people see more clearly than others because they, “…fix their eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) As Philip Yancey puts it, people who put on Godliness can see that,“…in every instant of human time, eternity is present. An act of love, justice, compassion—or hate and cruelty…has consequences in this world and in the UNSEEN world as well.” Because of this mind set, the godly live in a way that makes angels cheer and demons quake.
D. Fourth, Paul tells us that, “Jesus was preached among the nations.”
This tells us that godly people are empowered to have global influence. Their identity and work casts a net far beyond the narrow geography in which they move. They live in such a way that they exert an influence far beyond the confines of their time and place. I think of Godly people who give sacrificially to missions. This principle of Godliness is why we encourage you to give to offerings like Lottie Moon and to help the Amani families have food to eat while they wait for this crisis in Kenya to pass…to give you an opportunity to have a Godly impact beyond the confines of Montgomery County Maryland.
E. Fifth, Paul says, “Jesus was believed on in the world.”
This tells us that the Godly change the day to day world they live in. They change the way people see, the things they believe, the values by which they live. They are not “thermometers” that are affected by their environment. No—they are “thermostats” who act to influence and change their environment.
F. Finally Paul says, “Jesus was taken up to glory.”
And this reminds us that people who put on Godliness know their life has ultimate purpose. What motivates the Godly is not earthly reward…but the glory that will be revealed after this life is over.
This past New Years Eve day Sue and I drove up to Frederick so we could attend the funeral of Tom McLean. Most of you probably don’t know that Tom was the Minister of Education and Youth here at Redland in the early to mid ‘80’s. When I came on staff in 1990, I followed his successor. As Sue and I sat there in the beautiful sanctuary of FBC, Frederick we were both so impressed with the testimonies given about Tom—especially those shared by his children. From what they said, it was obvious that Tom lived his life with Heaven in mind. He didn’t pursue earthly wealth or fame but instead had a great passion to do some small part to further the kingdom of God.
Well, as you look back at these six facets of the example Jesus has set when it comes to putting on Godliness, how would you say you are doing?
Father God, As we sit in this sanctuary, I ask that You would help each of us to feel Your great love…and as we do, I also ask that You would look deep into the life of each person present. Help us to feel Your gaze as You shine the light of Your truth on the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. Show us the ways we need to change in order to do a better job of bearing Your likeness. Empower us to surrender our perceptions and plans to Your control…such that we become a more obedient body—a body You use to love the world in tangible ways. Help us to live such that we are each recognized as Your children. Speak to us now and tell us of those decisions—both public and private that we need to make in order to more fully join You in Your great work. I ask all this in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Bobby and I will be here at the front to talk and pray with you about any decision you wish to make this morning.