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is the word dear far than any message man ever heard pure was the mind of Christ sinless I see he the great example is and pattern for me where leads I'll follow follow all the way where he leads I'll follow follow Jesus every day sweet is the tender love Jesus has shown sweeter far than any love that mortals have known kind to the erring one faithful is he he the great example is and pattern for me where he leads I'll follow follow all the way where he leads I'll follow follow Jesus every day less to his loving words come on to me weary heavy laden there is sweet rest for the trust in his promises faithful and sure lean upon the Savior and my soul is secure where he leads I'll follow follow all the way where he leads I'll follow follow Jesus every day all right take your Bibles and turn to second Peter chapter number one second Peter chapter number one and why brother Anthony read that for us second Peter chapter one if I read Simon Peter a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained light precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue whereby are given unto us exceeding and great exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust and beside this giving all diligence add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity for if these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ but he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things you shall never fall for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things though you know them and be established in the present truth yea I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shown me moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance for we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eye witnesses of his majesty for he received from God the Father honor and glory where there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased and this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mount we have also a more sure word of prophecy where unto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day of dawn and the day saw arise in your hearts knowing this first that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost let's pray dear Lord thank you for your word and we pray that you have blessed the service this afternoon be with Pastor Robson as he preaches and help us all to learn in Jesus name I pray Amen Amen so you're there in 2 Peter chapter 1 and we are continuing our study through this theme of adding to your faith and we're down to godliness and so if you look down at verse 5 there we have and beside this giving all diligence add to your faith virtue and the virtue knowledge and knowledge temperance patience into patience godliness and so after this we'll have brotherly kindness and then charity but godliness one thing I want you to see here go back to verse 1 of the chapter and it says Simon Peter a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our savior Jesus Christ so we see that we're writing to people that already have this faith and they're adding to it it says in verse 2 it says grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord according as his divine power notice this hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness so notice how it says hath is has right I mean has basically already given us all things that pertain unto both life and godliness and you say well then why are we adding it right why are we adding godliness if he's already given us all things that pertain unto it and keep reading there it says through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust and then it goes on to say adding to your faith virtue and going down the line so what I believe this is stating here is the fact that we already have we have eternal life and we have all things that pertain unto godliness because we have that inner man we have this new creature that's inside of us as far as our soul our spirit and the fact that we have it but we need to tap into it right we want to be partakers of it we want to walk in it and that's essentially what this whole series that we're going through is about and the fact that hey we have faith but we need to add these things and ultimately we already have this godliness that's inside of us we just need to use it and you say well what is godliness well godliness is just being like god you know like acting like him he's righteous so be righteous he's just so be just you know he doesn't sin so hey you don't sin like obviously we all come short of it none of us are just godly all the time but it's very easy to understand what godliness means when you think about what's worldliness mean worldliness means like being like the world so we want to be like god we want to emulate him we can't duplicate him we can't like become god but we can be like him we can try to emulate his attributes and try to be like our heavenly father and but I do want you to see that right now we do have this new creature go to 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17 so we have all things that pertain to life and godliness and we want to be partakers of this divine nature and the idea that we want to tap into it so in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17 and a lot of people that are Calvinists or they believe in lordship and salvation always go to this verse right here and teach false doctrine and say well when you get saved there's going to be some change there's going to be some things that you're going to change but that's not what this passage is saying at all it says in verse 17 therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature notice that present tense is a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new so if he's given us all things that pertain to life and godliness that's present tense and in here it's stating that you're a new creature right now old things are passed away behold all things are become new because inwardly speaking in the inner man all things have become new go to 1 John chapter 3 in verse 1 well this is just talking about men having this inner man or whatever well it's interesting because in 1 Peter 3 and verse 4 it says but let it be the hidden man of the heart and that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of god of great price that's talking about women my friends you know that women that adorn themselves not with the outward appearance but with obviously that hidden man of the heart and obviously when we're talking about sons of god or new man and stuff like that it's used as kind of like mankind is used to encompass everybody so before someone gets on there like wow it's just the men that can tap into this divine it's just men that have this new creature it's like no but in 1 John chapter 3 in verse 1 it says behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of god therefore the world knoweth us not because the new him not notice in verse 2 beloved now are we the sons of god so notice that we're not waiting until we die this isn't something well the resurrection will be children of god no now are we the sons of god and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him or we shall see him as he is so we're going to be like him because we're going to be made like unto his glorious body all of that physically speaking but right now we have the inner man that is like you know likened unto Christ and it's been made new all things have been made new and what we want to do is to be partakers of that we want to walk in that and use that okay so in chapter 3 and verse 9 it says whose lord is born of god doth not commit sin for his seed remain within him and he cannot sin because he is born of god so when you're dealing with the fact of the inner man the inner man doesn't sin the inner man is all things have become new all things are passed away and so you're completely perfect sinless and all that in the inner man it says that in Ephesians 4 24 and that you put on the new man which after god is created in righteousness and true holiness so that new man is completely righteous completely holy completely godly and it's there now there's some people that never walk in it you know they have it there they get saved but they never partake of it they never actually tap into it and they're still saved though they still have eternal life but the whole point of this passage is that after you've obtained this like precious faith add to your faith right add these things to your faith and when people try to say well you know faith works true faith works true faith is godly true faith is virtuous it's like then this chapter would mean nothing you'd have to turn this whole chapter on its head because why is he telling you to add all these things if they're already there now those things are there inwardly speaking but we have to tap into them and make them an outward manifestation we need to manifest the sons of god right and that's where 1 John gets into and the fact that basically letting your light shine before men but you have to have the light inside of you before you can let it shine the idea is to basically unveil that light and the way that you do that is you take off the flesh right you put off the old man put on the new think of your flesh like a cloak that's cloaking the new man and you have to take off that in order for the new man to be revealed to others and for that light to shine so when it comes to being godly obviously god is a trinity so we have the father son and the only ghost and go to Matthew chapter 5 is that I believe when it's talking about godliness it's talking about being like god acting like god thinking like god you know in some cases it may not be what the world thinks cause everybody always has a picture of who god is what god loves what god hates what god does or what he should do or shouldn't do but no you actually need to get to the bible as far as that's concerned but I believe that we should be trying to be like god the father like god the son like god the holy spirit and that we want to be like them right you think about your physical parents right and how you'd want to be like them and take after them and all that and you think about well you know my physical father is not perfect so I don't want to emulate everything he does well here's the good thing your heavenly father is so actually you should emulate everything that he says and does okay in Matthew chapter 5 verse 48 notice what it says it says be therefore perfect even as your father which is in heaven is perfect so what are we trying to do we're trying to be perfect like our heavenly father is perfect go to 1st Peter chapter 1, 1st Peter chapter 1 and verse 13 I'm not going to go to every place that godly is mentioned or godliness is mentioned I think it's pretty self explanatory what we're talking about it's the opposite of being ungodly right so you know some people say well it's a devotedness to god and sure you know but honestly it's just really more like being like god you know and we want to try to be like our savior we want to be like our heavenly father 1st Peter chapter 1 and verse 13 says this wherefore gird up the loins of your mind and be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust and your ignorance but as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written be ye holy for I am holy and if you call on the father who without respect a person judges according to every man's word pass the time of your sojourning here in fear the bible is calling us out saying hey be holy like I'm holy that's what god is saying specifically in this passage I believe you're dealing with god the father because it's talking about if you call on the father who without respect a person judges according to every man's word the idea here is being holy like he's holy be perfect even as your heavenly father is perfect you're trying to be like your heavenly father you're trying to emulate your heavenly father but also we're supposed to be like Christ and go to 1st Peter chapter 2 in verse 21 1st Peter chapter 2 and verse 21 1st Peter chapter 2 and verse 21 it says for even here unto were ye called because Christ has suffered for us notice this leaving us in an example that ye should follow his steps and so 1 when you're talking about being godly you're following in the steps of god you're trying to do what god does you're trying to walk the walk that god does right talk the way that god talks walk the way he walks act the way he acts we're not trying to assert the authority of god we're not trying to be god like the Mormons right we're trying to be like him we're trying to emulate him we're trying to pattern our own selves like he is he's everything that's holy and true and just and righteous and we want to be like him not like the devil who wants to be like the most high and he wants to ascend up onto the heights of the north and he wants to basically ascend above the stars and all that stuff that's not what we're talking about we're not talking about like a serping authority and all of that we're talking about the fact that we want to emulate we want to follow our god and everything that he wants us to do everything he's like we want to be like him and it says who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth so you can obviously we can't be sinless physically speaking in this life but we're trying to be inwardly we are and we want to emulate we want to try to live a righteous life it says who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatened not but committed himself to him that judged righteously so you know obviously we're not going to bury the sins of the world on us like Jesus did but we can commit ourselves to him that judges righteously we can be humble we can basically not render evil for evil or railing for railing we can you know when we're threatened not threatened back you know be wise of serpents but harmless as doves like be like Jesus and when you think about like the whole all the gospels when you're when you look at how he went soul winning how he spoke to heretics how he spoke to people that were unsaved how he carried himself like all these things I want to be like him in every manner I want to you know basically emulate everything that he is because who else would you want to emulate who else do you want to be like if there's anybody that you're trying to pattern yourself after it should be the Lord and that's being godly go to Philippians chapter 2 and we kind of hit on this this morning but Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5 I mean think about the resurrection for example is the fact that we're obviously trying to get a better resurrection we're all saved so we're all going to be resurrected but you know why do we live for the Lord why do we suffer for the Lord why do we do all that because we'll have a better resurrection because we'll have more reward because we'll have more authority and positions in the life to come no one is going to shine brighter than the Lord Jesus but the resurrection is likened unto stars that shine the glory of a star that shines and that you can see just in nature that there's stars that are brighter than others think of the north star compared to the rest of the stars or you know just different I don't know different stars that are out there that are bright but that's kind of likening save people that how some are going to be brighter than others they're all going to shine but some are going to be brighter right but no one is going to be the son of righteousness right no one is going to attain unto that Paul but you know what Paul says not as though I'd already attained either were already perfect but I follow after if then I may apprehend that which for also I'm apprehended of Christ Jesus you know the idea is that I can't attain unto his resurrection I can't attain unto his sufferings and to everything that he went through I can't attain unto that but you know what I'm going to press toward the mark for the prize of high calling of God in Christ Jesus I'm going to try to attain as much as I can of who Jesus is we're all going to come short none of us will be able to attain that the apostle Paul couldn't attain it the apostle Paul wanted to know Christ he wanted to apprehend Christ as much as Christ apprehends him but he's like not as though I'd already apprehended and not as though I'd attained but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things and so we're constantly trying to be like him but we obviously come short we can't actually attain unto our savior but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be trying to and what am I talking about? I'm talking about being godly being like our heavenly father being perfect like our heavenly father being holy like our heavenly father or following the steps of Jesus and his humility and the fact that he was reviled didn't revile again he never sinned like all these different things that we should be following but how about in Philippians chapter 2 verse 5 it says let this mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God so notice that it's saying like let this mind be in you but obviously we know we're not equal with God it's just showing you that we want the mind of Christ and he was God in the flesh but we want to have the same mind that he had we want to have the same we want to think like him we want to do the things that he does we want to be righteous like him and notice what it says here but made himself with no reputation and took upon the form of a servant you know what Jesus was the servant of servants he was a minister he came to minister not to be minister unto you know what we should do we should minister we should be a servant it says that it was made in the likeness of men and being found and fashioned as a man he humbled himself and became obedient even unto death even unto death and the cross so he was humble he was obedient we should be like that let's be humble let's be obedient and then it goes on to say in verse 9 wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that is the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father now we're never going to attain unto the glory of the Lord Jesus but we want to try to be like him and we will be like him to a certain extent right it says that now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is that he's going to change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body so we're going to be like him because we're going to be like him in his resurrection but the question is that in that resurrection when you have an entrance into the everlasting kingdom do you have that abundant entrance right do you have that better resurrection when you have that resurrection are you going to shine brighter or is it just going to be shining right what kind of end game will there be for what you did in this life go to Galatians chapter 5 and you know we talk about the Father the Son how about the Holy Spirit and this is something that honestly this is what this passage is talking about is walking in the Spirit you have obtained faith now walk in the Spirit the Bible says if we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit that's what it says on Galatians 5 25 but notice what it says here in verse 16 this I say then walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh for the flesh lust is against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary to the ones of the other so that you cannot do the things that you would but if you be led of the Spirit you are not under the law now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance emulations, wraths, stripes, seditions, heresies, envies, murders drunkenness, revelings and such like other which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past the day which commits such a thing shall not inherit the kingdom of God, yeah because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God that's why, just point blank people are just like well see you can't do these things yeah because my spirit and soul don't have any of those things because whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his sin remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God because old things are passed away behold all things are become new, actually my sins are as far as the east is from the west they've been forgotten so yeah actually you're right but here's the thing though if I died right now my flesh would not go inherit the kingdom of heaven because flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven but that incorruption that flesh and blood, that flesh that's going to die will be changed in the moment in the twinkling of an eye, it will be resurrected and then that body will not have sin and so but keep reading there it says in verse 22 but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law and they that are Christ crucify the flesh with the affections and lust if we live in the spirit let us also walk in the spirit so when we're talking about being godly adding godliness we're really talking about putting on the new man we're talking about walking in the spirit, being like our savior being like our heavenly father, being like the spirit of God the bible says for god hath not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind so we want to be like listen the spirit of god is powerful, is loving it's the sound mind that we want to have we want to be like the holy spirit, we want to be like the son of god we want to be like the father because we want to be like our god we want to emulate him, we want to do the things he does and think the way he thinks, his thoughts are above our thoughts his ways are above our ways but we want to know what his ways are and we want to try to accomplish his ways, what he wants us to do and obviously the bible is going to tell us what he wants us to do and that's being godly, being like our god being righteous, being just, being holy being true, being of good report, not lying not stealing so we want to be godly and when it comes to being godly being like our god, thinking like our god having the mind of the lord sometimes it's not what you think, at least what the world thinks Psalm 11 Psalm 11 I could go through a tour de force about the way God thinks but for the sake of time, and I'm tired for the sake of time I'm not going to do that this evening but let me give you a little taste of the way that God thinks it says in Psalm 11 verse 4 The lord's throne is in heaven, his eyes behold his eyelids try the children of men. The lord tryeth the righteous but the wicked and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth. So he hates the wicked and them that love violence. I'm not even talking about people that do violence, I'm talking about people that love violence think about Romans 1 where it says they not only do the same but have pleasure in them to do them it's one thing to be a violent person, it's another thing to love violence and just revel in it it says upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire, brimstone and an horrible tempest, this shall be the portion of their cup for the righteous lord loveth righteousness his countenance doth behold the upright so the lord hates them that love violence but he loves righteousness. Other places it talks about him loving the righteous how about loving the good and hating the evil and that sounds simple today but today that's completely backwards. Today the world says we need to love the evil and hate the good you know bitter is sweet, sweet is bitter everything is completely backwards today and it's actually not hard, it's not hard to be godly today all you have to do is just whatever the world is doing do the opposite of that. Because it's literally the opposite anything that the world is saying to do they're promoting wickedness and just do the opposite of what they say. It's like if the media is telling you something just assume the opposite and that's probably what's true. Because they're just everything that comes out of their mouth is a lie So like I said I can go through a lot of different things when it comes to being like god. Now obviously don't get me wrong, vengeance belongeth in the lord I will repay said the lord. Our job obviously god is the one that deals out vengeance and we're not the ones dealing out vengeance right. So what we're talking about is being righteous, being holy, being true and being obedient, being humble and being that godly servant to the lord and obviously there's things where god is saying hey I'll take care of that that's my job right and so we need to obviously be in submission to our god and do what he tells us to do and don't do what he tells us not to do right. And obviously god is righteous to lay down vengeance. In some cases he does use people to do it I mean think about the seven angels that pour out the seven last vials. Do you know that those are actually saved people? Those are believers that do that I don't know who they are but the bible says that they are actually of our brethren they're saved that are the ones that are pouring out those vials at the very end. So it's not that god may not use believers to pour out his vengeance but we need to wait for him to be the one to determine when that happens. So don't misunderstand what I'm saying here when I'm saying being like god. I'm obviously not saying to usurp his authority I'm not saying to deal out vengeance which is his job. But you know what the bible says that god has given the government the authority to execute vengeance the sword of vengeance. So he has given the power to certain people and a certain entity if you will to do that they just refuse to do it. So if a government doesn't execute the vengeance that god told them to do are they godly or ungodly? I think everybody knows that our government is ungodly right? I mean you didn't need the sermon to determine that but that's just one thing when they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing let alone what they're doing you know that is obviously wicked and ungodly. So go to 2 Timothy chapter 3 I want to first show you the consequence of living godly and you're like the consequence sounds like it's a bad thing to live godly. What I mean by that is that there are so called cons to living godly and that's more so in this world. There's obviously no there's no con if you will to living godly in God's eyes you'll be rewarded and all that but the thing that I want you to see here is that don't think that well you know yeah I mean that's easy we should all do that. Yeah but you know what living godly in this world you're going to have people that hate you. You're going to have persecution and notice what it says in 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 12 Yea and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution So not all Christians are suffering persecution because not all Christians are living godly You're like well they're not really Christians. Well they have the faith they just didn't add the godliness So go to John chapter 7 Actually go to 1 John chapter 3 I'll read John chapter 7. 1 John chapter 3 and in John 7 says the world cannot hate you but me it hate it because I testify of it that the works thereof are evil Now he's talking to his brethren you know his half brothers if you will that had not yet believed on him. It says that they have not yet believed on him and he's basically saying the world can't hate you why because they're not even believers but it says me they hate it and the reason that they hate Jesus is because he testifies that their works are evil and so if you go out and say hey you know adultery is wicked or sodomy is wicked or you know just pointing out sins guess what the world's gonna hate you and they hated Jesus they'll hate us and you know the Bible says in John 15 that if they hated me they'll hate you but it says here in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 11 it says for this is the message that you heard from the beginning that we should love one another not as Cain who is of that wicked one and slew his brother and wherefore slew he him Why did Cain kill Abel? Because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous Marvel not my brethren if the world hate you Why did Cain hate his brother Abel? Because his brother was good because his brother was righteous that's why Now in your mind you're like that doesn't make sense like why would you hate somebody just for being good Well on the surface you can probably think about the fact that someone is really good in school and they're getting good grades and everything and you kind of despise them for being so good at it and it's really because you suck at it and they're good at it and you kind of despise people that are better than you and that's what it really comes down to is that people inherently despise people that do things better than them but to this level of murdering somebody because they're better than you because they do things better than you and even God's saying if you do right If you do right you'll be accepted All you have to do is do right and you'll be accepted too. It's not like God's a respecter of persons. No. It's like if you do right you'll be accepted just like Abel is accepted Now go to 1 Timothy 4 So the consequence of living godly and adding godliness to your faith is that you're going to have persecution You're going to have people that don't like you. Even just living right People are just like oh you know The reason that they don't like you is because it makes them feel guilty. It makes them feel bad It makes them look bad. If you just do what they do then you'll all be bad together and they can not have to feel bad about it The thing is it's not like we're trying to shove it into people's faces If we're like hey we don't drink. Hey we go to church every week Hey we're doing this or that. It's not like we're just trying to be like hey you're wicked why don't you get right with God. We're not saying that to them but by proxy just from just doing that that makes them feel bad Cause then they're looking at their lives like well man they're doing all this stuff They're so much better than me and they're saying this to themselves Therefore they're just like well I don't like that person. They make me feel bad They make me feel guilty. Well God forbid that you should feel guilty about your lifestyle But it's not my job to bring my life down and be wicked so that you can feel better about yourself. And when it comes to being godly we need to say nothing to the world and what they think is right or whether they feel guilty or not but you know what the law of God is meant to that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may become guilty before God. So when it comes to the law of God that's the whole point of it. Is the knowledge of sin so that you'll be guilty before God and you know what if you feel guilty then maybe you need to get saved and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ get salvation and then if you feel guilty about living a wicked life then start living a righteous life. Start living a godly life. But don't take it out on those that are doing right But that's something you've got to deal with and anybody that got saved and then tried to clean up their life and everything that had friends that are still doing stuff that you're putting away knows what I'm talking about. Knows that they try to put the guilt on you as if like you're trying to come down on them And so 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 6 the thing that you have to understand is that there is a recompense for living godly A lot of people say well you believe that once saved always saved. You believe in eternal security You know what's the incentive for people to do right? Well one we have a conscience. You know before I got saved I wasn't just wanting to kill, rape and pillage. Like that wasn't on my agenda. Thank the Lord I got saved though. Put a stop to that. No I was a normal person. I didn't want to do any of those things anyway I got saved because I found out that actually salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ and if you think you can lose your salvation then you're not saved because you're trusting in your own works But there is a recompense for living godly. There is a recompense for keeping his commandments and doing right and following him and notice what it says here in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 6 Good doctrine where unto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives fables and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 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. Remember how we were talking about adding virtue to your faith Right to add to your faith virtue and virtue of knowledge and the idea of virtue as being a good person and living you know keeping the commandments doing all those things and how people try to mix those with faith or something like that But here's the thing. Faith plus works is profitable. James chapter 2 that's what it's all about. It's about being profitable What doth it profit my brethren though a man say he hath faith and hath not works. Can faith save him? From what? Having judgment without mercy when you don't show mercy on your brother when your brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food and you don't give them those things which are needful to the body. Doesn't profit them and you're going to have judgment without mercy for not being merciful. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. This is a faithful saying and this I will that I affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. This is good and profitable unto men. So as much as adding virtue and adding knowledge and temperance and patience going down the line as far as what we should be adding to our faith is going to be profitable. Godliness is profitable. And godliness is profitable not only in the life to come but in this life as well Notice it says it's profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. Think about it. In this life you live godly you're going to be blessed by God. That doesn't mean that you're going to be When it talks about being blessed in this life it says with persecutions Right? How it says that you'll be given a hundred fold in this life with persecutions and in the life to come. Right? So the idea is that it's profitable not only in the life to come because sometimes I think we think about being spiritual, being righteous and like everything is in the future. Everything is after we die. I'll say this. The best things are after we die. Those eternal things that are after we die. But we're blessed even in this life by being godly. If you sow to the flesh you shall of the flesh reap corruption. Doing sin, there's wages for that. There's penalties for that. There's a debt you got to pay every single time you sin. And I'm talking physically speaking here. Because obviously spiritually speaking we're completely saved, cleansed and all that. But in this life, in the flesh you will have to suffer the consequences for your sins. Until you die, until we drop this flesh and Jesus comes in the clouds and we're changed. Right? That we're going to have to suffer those consequences. But listen it's profitable in this life. And listen by the way it says that bodily exercise profit a little. Don't take that too far to think that it doesn't profit at all. Let me just put a little disclaimer there. That bodily exercise does profit something. And so we want to obviously not just turn the Bible on its head when it uses stuff like that. But the idea here is that obviously if you're going to choose what matters more than anything it's godliness is more profitable than bodily exercise. You'd rather be exercising that godliness in there than the bodily exercise. And you don't want to be mismatched on that. But don't take it too far to where you're like these Baptist preachers that are like really overweight and they're just like, you know this belt right here? It's not a belt it's a fence for a chicken graveyard. And they're just like constantly making jokes about being overweight and stuff like that. And listen I understand that it's hard to diet. It's hard to be in shape. But listen going out soloing and all that stuff? You know what? Belly exercise profits a little. But it does profit a little bit there. I don't know about you but I've been to those times where you're walking up those steps of those apartment complexes. And you're like oh I'll start on the top and I'll work my way down. And you get to the top and you're like You open the door and you're like please take your time getting to the door. They open the door really quick and you're just like hey what's going on? And you're just like I'm from out in Baptist Church. You're like passing out. Every time we do apartment complexes and I do that I'm like I need to work out more. I need to lose some weight. Or I'll take brother David with me and I'll be like your turn to talk when we get to the top. I'm pretty sure I did that the last time I went on soloing. But all that to say is that godliness is profitable unto all things. Think about it. You can look at physical exercise is profitable in some things. Godliness is profitable in all things. And not only in this life but in the life to come. Whereas bodily exercise really kind of just profits in this life doesn't it? Like that physical yes it does help with spiritual things too. So you don't want to just discount it. But at the same time godliness is what we need to exercise. And it's profitable. Go to 1 Timothy 6 1 Timothy 6 and verse 3 1 Timothy 6 and verse 3 1 Timothy 6 and verse 3 says this If any man teach otherwise, consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godliness he is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and stripes of words where have cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmises, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godliness from such withdrawal by himself but godliness with contentment is great gain. So there's two things here. One I see that the doctrine these wholesome words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, that doctrine is according to godliness. So when people try, when you bring up a verse and they're just like oh I can't believe you'd believe that. I can't believe you'd say that. It's like that's the wholesome words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Every word of God is pure. And when people start like saying oh I can't believe you believe Leviticus 20 and 13. I can't believe you believe Psalm 139. I can't believe you believe these passages where how about where Jesus says to take a millstone and hang it about your neck and be drowned into the bottom of the sea. Like oh you know that's I can't believe you'd say something like that. No that's righteous. That's godly. Maybe you need to get a new definition of what godly means. Maybe you need to find out who God is. Because our God is a consuming fire that we need to be serving with reverence and godly fear. We need to know who God is. God is not just this cute little like all love and all you know rose petals type of God that these crunchy blue haired feminists out there are trying to depict. Our God is a righteous God and he's a just God and we need to recognize that. And if we're going to try to be godly we need to know who he is. When it comes to doctrine godly doctrine isn't always going to be easy to hear. It might be a little crass. That doesn't mean it's not wholesome. Every word of God is wholesome. Even Genesis 19 Even Genesis 19. Even Judges 19. Even Judges 19. Even Leviticus. Even Leviticus. All of it. It's wholesome. It's righteous. It's lovely all together. It is something that is godly. I thought godly meant that it was sweet and easy to hear. No, that's the liberal church down the road that give me smooth things. Don't preach them to me right things. Preach them to me smooth things. They don't want that rough stuff because sometimes those wholesome words are rough. Sometimes those pure words are rough. Sometimes godly doctrine is a little rough. But it doesn't make it not godly. You always need to get your definition of godliness and righteousness and justice from God's word. And not from the world. But also, no this is that gain isn't godliness. Just because you're prospering in the world and you have like gain, great gain like you have wealth and all that stuff. That doesn't equate godliness. I mean, could you, I mean look at Hollywood, right? Look at all the celebrities that have all this money. Does that equate godliness? Elon Musk, godly? Jeff Bezos, godly? Bill Gates? No? Not godly? No, definitely not godly. You know these, these gain does not equate godliness. In the Christian realm, just because someone has a lot of wealth doesn't mean that they're godly. Now, God could bless, I mean you think of Solomon, right? And God blessed Solomon with great riches. But, just because you have gain doesn't equal godliness. Actually, godliness with contentment, that's great gain. And really, we just need to be content. To be godly, just the lowliness, humbleness of God, we need to be like that. We need to have that contentment with the things that we have. Because there's nothing that we can take out of this world. The only thing that we can take with us, you know, that we can take with us in this world is other people. That's why we should get people saved, get our family members saved, and we should love the Lord, follow Him to get as many people saved as possible, because that's all that we can take from this world with us. But we can't take our cars with us. We can't take our trucks, and I don't want to take my truck. Because it's falling apart, not that one out there. But when I think of materials, I'm just like, it's junk! They just make stuff to be broken, they stay here and just burn. When I talk about all the things that are going to melt with fervent heat, I'm just like, good! Take that thing, you know. Now listen, I'm all about having vehicles, I'm not saying we don't need vehicles and all that stuff, but listen, everything is just junk these days. You know, I like my house and all that stuff, I'm not saying like, but in the end, everything is breaking down, you've got to fix everything. You know what, I can't wait until we're in heaven, and you know what, we don't have to work on farm equipment, everything is just breaking down constantly, you're trying to work and everything is just falling apart, and one day it's all going to be burned up and we're just going to be like, praise the Lord. Because it's all gone, and just be content with what you have, because we can't take anything with us, we brought nothing into the world and we certainly can bring nothing out. Now go to 2 Peter 1, 2 Peter 1, and like I said, when it comes to that godly inner man that we're trying to be partakers of, right, he hath already given us all things to pertain unto life and godliness, we have it, it's there, we want to be partakers of it, right, we want to basically walk in it and use it, and people that are saved they have forgotten that they have that new man to tap into, and that's what I believe this passage is talking about in verse 8 here it says, for if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. When I was looking at it, I was actually reading through this and you know when I talk about being barren nor unfruitful, I first I kind of look at that as just being synonyms, it's kind of like stating the same thing over and over again, but I think it is a little different, I think the idea of being barren in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is kind of like not having the knowledge, like basically lacking in knowledge, and then the fruitfulness of that knowledge is more the product or what you're producing with that knowledge so it's kind of like the idea of basically, you could be barren of having knowledge, right, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge so kind of like the lack of knowledge, but then also that knowledge being fruitful you're actually being productive with that knowledge and that being, so you want to be, you know, basically have a lot of knowledge and actually being productive with that knowledge and that's the idea here is that if you add these things and they abound then you'll be, you'll have a lot of knowledge and you'll also be productive with that knowledge, ok, but it says but he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins listen, I don't believe this is saying they forgot that they've been saved, ok what has been purged from sins? your soul and your spirit, right, the spirit has no guile, and it says that our souls have been purified through the knowledge of the truth, right, that our souls have been purified our spirit has no guile, and what I believe it's stating here is that, basically, if you don't add these things you're going to forget that you have that new man to tap into it's kind of like you're missing out on this opportunity to use what you have right now you've been given this great opportunity to have this basically this new creature, this new man that God has created the moment you got saved and you're just basically forgetting about it but the whole point of the chapter is that Peter is trying to bring that to remembrance to them, like remember, hey you have, it's already been given to you, you just need to be partakers of it walk in the new man, you know notice what it says here, wherefore the rather give brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you shall never fall, for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, so we know that, it's not just about it's not talking about just having an entrance, it's talking about having an abundant entrance, that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly, that you might have a resurrection, but then maybe that you have a better resurrection, and then it goes on to say wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them it's interesting, it's like you know these things, but remember it it's like you've been purged from your old sins, spiritually speaking, but don't forget it don't forget that you've been purged from your old sins and he's constantly saying here that he wants to bring them to remembrance, why? Not that they don't know it it's not like they're just completely like, they have no idea, you know, that this happened it's just that they've just completely just put it on the sidelines, they've forgotten about it right? It's kind of like if you have something, it's not that you don't know you have something, you just kind of forget about it because you're not using it, it's just over there and then later on you're like, oh yeah, I do have that but it says, and be established in the present truth this is the idea of establishing yourself in the faith being rooted and grounded and established in the faith strengthen you, establish you, right? be rooted and grounded, that you're not like these people that get saved and then they just wither up, like the stony ground or they get choked by the cares of this life, like those that are in the thorns and they become unfruitful but that you put it in remembrance, that you remember this that you're established in the present truth, it says, yea, I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle, talking about his body, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance, notice how he's just like, remember, remember, remember, why? Because you've forgotten that you're purged from your old sins, you've forgotten that you have this new man, that you have this divine nature that you can tap into, that the Holy Ghost, how about the Holy Ghost is indwelling you right now, that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost but that he has already given you everything that pertains to the life and godliness why don't you use it? and be godly it says, knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle we talk about dying, because then it goes on to say, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me, moreover I will endeavor that you may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance so the whole first part of this book is him basically saying, hey, you have faith like we do, you've already been given all these things that pertain to life and godliness, but you need to be partakers of this divine nature that, hey, in order to do that, give all diligence to add to your faith the virtue knowledge, and going down the line of everything that we've been talking about that if you do these things and they abound you won't be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that, you know, you'll never fall because at the end of the book it talks about the fact of not falling from your own steadfast this isn't talking about falling from grace to where you're not saved this is talking about falling from your own steadfastness, because you're not rooted and grounded in the faith, you're not established in the present truth, you're forgetting of what you've been given you're taking for granted what has been given to you you've obviously been, you're saved, you have eternal life, and no one could ever take that from you, but listen, in this life, don't take for granted what God has given us, that new man that we can walk in cause listen, when you die, it's over, you can't do anything more for the Lord you only have this short period of time, the Bible says what is your life that is even a vapor that continues for a little while and then vanishes away or appears for a little time and then vanishes away that's why it says go to now, don't wait until later, you don't know how much later you have but even if you have a long time, if you just waste that whole time, I think that it'd probably be even worse when you're in heaven to think about the fact that I had so much time and I didn't use it I think if you lived at like 90 or 100, you'd be like, man, I had so much time to live for the Lord I had so much time that I could have been a witness for Christ I had so much time that I could have been partakers of the divine nature while I was here I could have had this abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom, I could have made my calling and election, sure, listen it's the perfect will of God that you love God, keep his commandments and that there's things and opportunities that can arise by living for the Lord but listen, you need to be godly you need to have virtue, you need to have knowledge, you need to have temperance you need to have patience, you need to have godliness but notice how godliness is not the first thing on the list notice how there's these steps that go there that leads into being godly I believe this is in order it's in order of the way that it would go and so when it comes to a new believer I'm not just automatically like, you better start getting godly just start doing the simple commandments, being a good person and trying to live a good life and trying to not be a jerk get some knowledge and then add to that but go to 2 Peter chapter 3 and how much more should we think about the idea of being godly in this present world, knowing we were kind of talking about when I was out at that conference about the signs of the times and I'm not here to say that it's in our day, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was in our day let's put it that way, if the abomination desolation happened then I'd just be like, yep, makes sense but I'm not here to say that it'll happen in our day because, who knows I hope, well you know, whatever the Lord whatever the Lord's will is, obviously I want the Lord's will to be done but in the end, I kind of hope that we can have this revival in our country to where we can bring our country back a great part of when the great tribulation happened, you know what, I kind of want to be a part of maybe a great revival of God's people and a country getting back to God let's head that up, let's head up this great revival of people getting saved, getting righteous, and getting the wickedness out of our country wouldn't that be awesome to see? And so, let's do that but if the end comes, it is what it is I'm not against that, but it says 2 Peter 3 verse 10, it says, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up seeing then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and feasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. And this kind of gets into that point that I already hit and the idea that, you know, even if it isn't our day, or if it isn't we should be living as if it is, and the fact that hey, the time is coming when those that are married aren't married, and those that are you know, basically the idea that those that are mourning aren't mourning anymore that all this stuff is going to be dissolved and the godliness that we can demonstrate in this world right now, will be profitable unto all things it'll be profitable for all eternity, and so we want to add that to our faith but it's not automatic, okay it's not this weird lordship salvation type of mentality where it's like, well if you really got saved then all these things are going to be added, then I guess you don't need to read this chapter you've already arrived, you've already added to your faith virtue and the virtue of knowledge, and knowledge of temperance, and temperance of patience going down the line, I mean, at this point, you know, I guess you just, you don't need anything why are you even at church, right? Because if you really believe then you're really going to do the work, it's like no there's believers out there that have forgotten that they've been purged from their old sins they've forgotten that they have that new man inside them, they need to be remembered or bring into remembrance, and that's why Peter is saying hey, I'm going to bring this into remembrance, I'm about to die but I want this to always be in remembrance that you be established in the present truth that you don't fall, and what, fall from your own steadfastness that you're not barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and ultimately, you know, that I believe that you'll have great rewards in heaven, and outside of the rewards outside of the rewards, listen, we want Jesus to be glorified for what he did and how much more will Jesus be glorified than more people that believe on him we need to compel them out there the highways and hedges, to compel them to come in that his house may be filled our job is to get as many people there worshipping before Jesus' feet for all eternity because we'll be there as you have received the gift, even so, minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God let's not be greedy with the gift that we've been given, let's go out and give it try to give it to everybody else, and that'll give glory to our Savior because he deserves glory, he deserves for everybody to believe on him and give him the glory for what he did thank you for your words, and Lord, we pray that you would help us to be godly Lord, we always come short when we're trying to be like you and trying to be righteous like you, and be holy like you and be perfect like you, but Lord help us to try to attain and Lord to be righteous and holy and all that, and Lord we just pray that you'd help us throughout the week with work and everything else that we've got to accomplish, and Lord give us safe travels and Lord we love you and pray all this in Jesus Christ's name, Amen Turn in your songbooks to song number 3 Alright, song number 3 We'll sing all four verses of song number 3 I hear the Savior say Thy strength in need a small Child of weakness watch and pray Find in me thine all in all Jesus paid it all All to him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow Lord now indeed I find Thy power and thine alone Can change the leopard's spots And meld the heart of stone Jesus paid it all All to him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow For nothing good Have I Whereby thy grace to claim I'll wash my garments white In the blood of Calvary's lamb Jesus paid it all All to him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow And when Before the throne I stand In him complete Jesus died My soul to save My lips Shall still repeat Jesus paid it all All to him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain