The mystery of godliness
1 Timothy 3:14-16; BCBC/IOUC; 1/16/2022; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
Godliness is the most desirable but most difficult spiritual character to possess, agree? The feeling of godliness is close to love, but higher than love. For example, there is no salvation but Him! Or, justification by faith, Christ alone! Even, apart from Him, never live alone! These are all descriptions of godliness, and it feels too abstruse for ordinary people to understand. So how is godliness accomplished? Let’s look at the first point:
Church of God
In the last days, people will be more and more indifferent to the church! Those who are indifferent to the church have no sense of Christ! Those who are insensitive to Christ are not sensitive to sin, and lack a sense of urgency in the mission of the gospel. First, the desire for the church. How do I know that I am godly? One of the ways of checking is to look at our attitude towards the church, do you agree? Paul said: “I hope to come to you soon!” What kind of attitude should we have when we go to church or go back to church to worship? After listening to the sermon, hurry up and leave, there are still a lot of things at home! Or turn off the video and fall asleep? Some even play mahjong while worshipping? In fact, what is even more terrifying is that there is no reason to be caught by others, it is just that you don’t care about the church! Such ungodliness will be tested by God at the final judgment, and the Lord may even say to you: I don’t know you!
Second, what to do in the house of God? Maybe we’ll feel wronged, won’t we? I thought to myself, I’ve already come to worship, with tithing and so on. Why did the Lord say that he didn’t know me in the end? The truth is actually very simple. The Lord wants one thing from us, which is our heart! The longing for the church can testify to our longing for Christ, do you understand? In addition to unconditional love, is there anything else in the relationship between brothers and sisters? The Lord treats us with grace, can we also love our neighbor as ourselves with an unrequited heart? The Bible is our standard for fellowship with one another, not our own preferences and feelings.
Lastly, hold on to the foundation of truth. The church speaks of love and the love of the Lord, but it also speaks of the truth of the Bible. Because Christ’s great love on the cross is to satisfy God’s righteousness! If we are still living in sin and being controlled by sin, of course we will not be able to live our faith! Why can’t you always believe it? Simply because you allow sin to rule your life! You might rather live the world than live for Christ! Even though you prayed to receive Christ and you were baptized, However, your old self, your sinful nature is still active. As soon as the world of sensual pleasures gets your attention, you will follow quickly, be in the company of sin and keep pace with the world. Sin is in it, and the church does not deal with it, and leprosy or plague will inevitably spread. Let’s look at the second point:
Christ appears
Christ has come! Paul said that God appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, and was taken up in glory. First, justification by faith. The truth of justification by faith in the Bible is clearly visible, but it is also progressively revealed. Martin Luther’s religious reformation has come to today along the line of justification by faith. Justification by faith must be brought into faith by the Holy Spirit, who bears witness to our spiritual identity with our hearts. We must also choose to believe, hold on to believe, live out believe, testify believe, and always believe because of God’s grace! Believing is far more than just knowing there is a God, or knowing the salvation of Christ. Belief is a change in life, a change in values, a change in morality, a change in behavior, and a change in the direction of life. In a word, never live alone except Christ!
Second, with good testimonies. Having values alone is good, but not enough. Let alone be proud of having faith and despise others. In fact, as soon as we believe in the Lord, others begin to pay attention to us. Maybe we also hear some things we didn’t hear in the past, including some cynicism. For example, don’t you believe in Jesus? Why do you still lack love after believing in Jesus? At this point, our focus is not on the right or wrong or the scale of the discourse. The Lord requires us to have a good testimony! God will guide us to walk the way of righteousness because of His name, the problem is that we have to be willing to walk the way of righteousness! An opportunity to make a fortune, an adulterous idea, a reason to lose a temper can easily take away our motivation to witness for the Lord. Don’t forget, that’s part of the mission too! The most basic contents of the Lord’s Great Commission are discipleship training and witnessing for the Lord!
Finally, glorify God and benefit people. It is beautiful to have a good testimony, but it can also become a boast of self-righteousness, and even justify some people’s actions. In other words, the doctrine of justification by faith is to be lived out by man. Glorifying God and benefiting people is the criterion for testing whether people live out their beliefs. Maybe you have done all the good things in the world, but God is not honored. What good is it? Just like a young man, serving the residents in the community and getting good reviews. But even if he goes home and does not recognize his parents, is he still a good son in front of his parents? In the same way, we can preach, cast out demons, meet together, and donate money, but we do not practice spiritual devotion, pray, or draw near to God. If one day the Lord said that he did not know you, it would not be surprising! Let’s look at the third point:
The gospel spread
The conclusion of faith is still on the mission of the gospel. Why? Because this is the mind of Jesus Christ! Wouldn’t you like to have the mind of Jesus Christ as your heart? First, the desire is to share the gospel. What Paul said in verse 14, I hope to come to you soon, in addition to longing for the life among the members of the church, more importantly, longing to share the gospel. If the purpose of the church life is not the gospel, the fellowship life will be meaningless. What’s the point of our church life today if it’s just for eating, drinking, gossiping, and talking about right and wrong? Everyone comes to church with a different purpose in the beginning, but ultimately must be united in the gospel. The purpose of prayer should also be based on the Gospel! Without the Gospel, the body is healed, and eventually it will die! If we believe in Jesus, even if we are not healed and die, eternal life awaits us.
Second, it is preached to the ends of the earth. The time has come to the last days, and the end is at hand. We really have no time to waste! The purpose of establishing the church is not to be famous in Jerusalem and to make great achievements! It is to spread the gospel to the Gentiles, not to stop in Jerusalem or build a church! Judah is crying, Samaria is shouting, the Macedonians are calling us in a dream, and the ends of the earth are challenging us in the Metaverse! Are you ready? Through this pandemic, God is adjusting the formation of the gospel and preparing the soldiers of Christ to fight a good fight for the Lord!
Lastly, the testimony is convincing. Words from the mouth, to be convincing, need to be equipped. Can you make clear the Gospel? Can you explain why the wages of sin is the cause of death? Why did God create man? Why did Christ die on the cross? The bondage of sin, the control of the old self, the weakness of human nature, what is the remedy other than Jesus Christ? Our testimony is not to put on a false mask, but to use the struggle of our real life to testify to the real life that is impossible with man but possible with God.
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters, godliness is a mystery, a manifestation of the presence and glory of God! Without the church, one cannot bear witness to the glory of God. Justification by faith shows Christ’s redemption, but it responds to the original intention of glorifying God and benefiting people. The gospel is the power of God, and it is the driving force for the lives of God’s children to save all who believe!
Let us pray……
