This is my sermon from June 19th and is part of a series I am now preaching from 2 Peter 1:5-9. Several of the central ideas came from Jerry Bridges book,
The Practice of Godliness.
Faith That Produces:
Godliness
2 Peter 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 4:8
Introduction: This lesson has been difficult to prepare. After all, what is “godliness”? I don’t think I have ever preached a sermon about godliness before today. I have referenced the word in a sermons, “God wants us to be godly people," but what does that mean? How does one become godly?
I. What is it?
When we start looking at other words that are used to translate this word we come up with words like “piety” or “reverent”. These are not words we use every day and they don’t help us a lot in understanding. Another word that could be used is “devoted”. We do use this word in various contexts like, “He is a devoted husband,” or “She is a devoted wife.”
I think most people would define this word in terms of character, that is “godliness” is being like God or Christ in character. God is love, therefore we should love; God is forgiving therefore we should forgive. This is not a bad approach but it doesn’t really fit what Peter is trying to say.
While we may have difficulty in defining godliness we generally recognize it when we see it in a person. There are some qualities that I believe are part of the concept. First, is the quality that can be described as “fear of the Lord”. This is language we have shied away from because fear is such a negative thing. We don’t like to be afraid. Yet the Bible speaks of the need for people to fear God. Fear in many ways is a healthy thing; it helps us avoid things and situations that are dangerous and bad. In a biblical sense fear of the Lord is to honor and respect our Creator. Fear of the Lord is also based on the concept that God will call us to account for our words and actions. We understand these feelings when we think about how we react to police. Respect and fear are companion feelings because the police represent the power of civil government and its laws. Paul, quoting from the OT makes a lack of fear of God a sign of those who are under sin, Rom. 3:18. Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, Prov. 9:10. It is our motivation in telling others about God, 2 Cor. 5:10-11.
If fear of God is one part of godliness then love for God is the other part. Only a Christian who understands the fear of God can appreciate the love of God. John tells us, “God is love,” 1 Jn. 4:8, and that love is demonstrated by God sending Jesus to die for us. Fear of God puts us in awe of his power, holiness and justice. God’s love for us calls for a response that goes from righteous fear to reciprocated love. The chief command of scripture is to love God. It is a love that is learned.
It is the combined power of these two characteristics, fear and love, that leads to devotion, to a desire for God. Psa. 42 states, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” This is the essence of godliness, a devotion and desire for God.
The face of godliness can be seen in various people in scripture. David is one who showed this quality when he wrote in Ps 27:4,
One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
Paul is another who stateed it so well when he wrote in Phil 3:10-11,
"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. "
It is easy to admire these great people of God and then to think that is way beyond us. But Peter calls on us to add this to our faith so it is not just for the great but also for us.
II. Learning Devotion
We become devoted to that which we love and honor. It doesn’t just happen but we become devoted in our thoughts and actions. But where do we begin? One way to begin is to think about God. I would challenge you to think about him, take a mental time out from what you are doing and consider God and be in awe of him. It may be contemplating a flower this time of year and thinking about the God who made it. It may be watching birds or clouds or a sunrise or sunset. You can look at a person at work and think about the God who created that person. You can remember your spouse, your children, your friends and think of God who brings these good things into your life. Thinking about God is not easy. It is a discipline but it doesn’t necessarily take a lot of time, just a pause to consider God.
A second way to build devotion, to add godliness to our lives is the way of thankfulness. There have been times when I have become angry with Diane. Usually the way I begin to get over that anger is to consider what Diane has done for me and being thankful for those things. The more things I am thankful for the pettier my anger becomes until it is just not that important. It is easy to forget to be thankful. Circumstances in life can be awful at times and they consume our attention but the more we can find things for which to thank God, the less consuming they will become. This too is a discipline and that requires practice.
Diane and all our children play the piano. It was a real battle to get our children to practice. They all said they hated the piano at one time or another but Diane was more stubborn than they are. Practice was essential. Playing scales was and is necessary. The more they practiced, the better they became until, and amazingly enough, they began to enjoy playing the piano. All of them have thanked Diane for making them learn. Adding godliness is like that also. It is tough at first; we may not like it. Yet the more we practice godliness the easier it becomes until we find a growing devotion to God. Listen to Peter and add godliness to your faith.
Livonia Church of Christ: June 19, 2005
