The Construction of a Godly Life – Part 2 (Hebrews 12:2)

Introduction

A couple of weeks ago, I did a sermon entitled The Construction of a Godly Life. Sometimes when I preach lessons and I come up with lessons, I think about when I’m done, a lot more could be said. There’s so much more I would like to say, but time constraints and the time I’ve had to prepare that week limits what I can do. And so I was thinking I wanted to do more with this, and more than just the thoughts that I had to incorporate some of the men of our group to further talk about the points that I made in that sermon, the construction of a godly life. Because I think a lot of people think I can’t do this. You know, I’m struggling. I’ve been struggling, and I’m I really not sure that I can live the life that I’m called to live.

And so, what are some practical things that we could talk about that would help us to live a godly life? And one of the things that I did in that lesson, and I’m sure you remember them because I did it this way, so you would remember them, is that they all begin with the letter C. And some said, Well, I sort of forgot. Well, I’m going to try to help your memory card. That’s what we’ve been working on today. Thanks to John, is everybody’s memory card. We’re going to try to help your memory card even more by talking about all of these C’s again with some different speakers. This is something that we can accomplish. This is very doable according to 2 Peter chapter 1. When Peter writes to those scattered abroad, a number of people, he says, Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you.

There were no, oh, by the way, but some of you can’t do this. This is something all of us can accomplish, for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. And that really goes back to all the qualities of verses five through eight. And really, even back further than that to verse 3, when his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. We are completely equipped for a right response to God through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. We talked a little bit about that this morning. The true knowledge of him. For by these he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And so, as he talks about the qualities that we’re supposed to supply to our faith in verses 5 through 8, we are fruitful if we are increasing in those qualities. And that’s why we talk about the need for assembling, the need for more study, so that we can take these qualities and grow in our expression of them in our lives. If you lack these qualities, you’ve forgotten what your purification from your former sins was all about. And you’re short-sighted, he says in verse 9. Then he issues the challenge to make your calling and election sure, or to be diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you. That doesn’t mean that you can merit or earn your salvation, but simply to give evidence that you are indeed a child of God, and that you are a person of faith and trust in Him.

1. Christ: The Central Piece of the Puzzle

And if you practice these qualities that he’s listed in verses 5 through 8, He says, you will never stumble. So when we look about, look at the construction of a godly life. You might remember that was the sermon that involved the puzzle. Remember the puzzle? Well, there’s the completed version of the puzzle that happened over at the Frasers Friday night. I had a little bit of help with the puzzle. And there’s one person who was of tremendous help who was not in the picture, and that’s Amy, the puzzle master. We accomplished this in four hours, and we would not have been able to do it without everybody pitching in to help. And so, as we talked about putting the pieces of the puzzle together, what we said was that the key to it all, the central piece of the puzzle, the thing that the whole puzzle is about, is Jesus Christ.

He needs to be the focus of our efforts. And what did the Hebrew writer say when he said, therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight or every encumbrance. And there are those in this life. And let us lay aside the sin that so easily entangles us, and there is that as well. And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Then this point, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. So if we’re going to construct the godly life, we need to be focused on Christ. And I want to give you three things to go along with all of our seeds. And as I was putting this together, I thought, wow, that’s actually a thing.

A G I. When you do your taxes. Adjusted gross income. Ah, ringing a bell now. Your AGI from the previous year, right? Adjusted. That’s not what this is. This is instead adoration, gratitude, and imitation. And may those things characterize our devotion to Christ. Now we’re going to sing more about Jesus. I wanted to sing this last time and forgot. 271, we’ll sing the first, second, and fourth verses.

More about Jesus would I know. More of his grace to another show. More of his saving fullness. More of his love who died for me. More about Jesus. More about Jesus. More of his saving fullness. More of his love who died for me. More about Jesus. Let me learn more of his holy will discern. Spirit of God, my teacher be showing the things of Christ to me. More about Jesus. More about Jesus. More of his saving fullness. More of his love who died for me. More about Jesus on his throne. Richet in glory on his own. More of his kingdom should increase. More of his coming friends of peace. More about Jesus. More about Jesus, more of his saving fullness, more of his love who died for me.

2. Christians With Conviction

Hearing his voice in every line, making each faithful saying mine. Christians with conviction. Through the years, I have witnessed friends and relatives fall away from God. I noticed one common thread between them: a lack of conviction. They found the need for Jesus in their lives and they made the first step. However, they obeyed the gospel, attended services, continued a routine, but failed to dig in and become true seekers. Many would be here at every service, and would be pricked by an event in their lives, or respond to someone reaching out to them with encouragement. Parents of their children, close friends supporting each other. Some had the fire and determination to learn. However, Jesus was never the focus and center in their life. They never fully invested in that pursuit of Jesus.

They never had their own conviction. Turn to James 1, 6 through 7.

But he must ask in faith without any doubting. For the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man not to expect that he will receive anything from God. Tony mentioned in his last lesson of this a couple of weeks ago, Galatians 4 19. My children with whom I am again in labor, until Christ is formed in you. I want to focus on formed in you.

And as he read earlier, 2 Peter 1 10. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you. For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. So two things you see there. Christ forming in you and being diligent. These verses describe a life of labor and diligence to make certain that Jesus, our Savior, is formed in us. When we have made our belief in Jesus our own, with this strength of conviction, we will have no fear of what’s to come in this world. No threat or disappointment will pull us away from him. We will never stop believing. We will not waver.

Another regards every day alike. Each person must fully can be must be fully convinced in his own mind. For not one of us lives for himself. Not one dies for himself. For if we live, we live for the Lord. If we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. Why are you here tonight? Are you can fully convince in your own mind? Let’s be truth seekers and find our conviction that this book and only this book has the God given message that Jesus is our Savior and He will never let us down. Four hundred sixty eight.

In forent praise in trust like Hesrup the Lord love us like them with our children of all our striving. Take from ourselves and stress and love lives confession of. Let’s all pray. Our Father in heaven. Please, Lord, continue to watch over us each and every day as we strive to work always toward building more godly lives. Lives lived towards you. Lives that reflect the love of your Son and our Savior. Lives that show others the way to you that teach salvation to all. Please, Lord, give us the conviction that we need, that will strengthen us, that will keep us from wavering. But we know, Father, that there will be difficult times. But we know that you will be there to strengthen us, and we put our faith and our trust in you.

3. Consecration: Set Apart for God's Purpose

And it’s through your Son’s name that we pray. Amen. You’ve got your Bibles out. Let’s turn over to Second Timothy and chapter 2. While you’re turning there, I will most humbly apologize for the way the song slides are formatted. That’s my fault. And I wish I knew what it was. But when I step down from here, I’ll leave two songs after I speak. After I step down from here, I’m going to pass the clicker to Scott, and I’m going to fix them the best I can, and I’ll reload the slides probably after Aaron’s talk. So y’all won’t have to suffer through, but this is where you get to be really thankful for shape notes because the shapes give you what note it should be. Alright. Consecration, another big C word that begins with a C and ends with an N that we don’t use in our normal life.

When’s the last time you said I’m consecrating this? It hadn’t happened to me in a while. Consecration means to be set apart for a specific purpose. In our context, it’s to be set apart for God’s purpose. We talk about consecration. What are things that we set apart? Well, we’re developing a piece of land. I have to set apart a big chunk of that land for stormwater detention. It has a specific purpose. Grandma’s China is set apart and never to be used unless grandma comes over. And then it has a very special purpose. Things can be set apart for many different reasons and have different functions. Some things that are set apart are used more often. I’ve got a dump truck. It’s made, it’s not mine. At work, we have a dump truck.

It’s made to haul dirt. It’s purpose. That is its purpose. And that’s what we do with it. We use it every day. Grandma’s China might get used once a year. So, along the spectrum of things that are consecrated, they go all the way from my dump truck and my piece of property all the way to how we are told to be set apart. Now let’s look at 2 Timothy chapter 2, and we’re going to pick up in verse 20. Now, at a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use and some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

Here we see in this verse where we can cleanse ourselves and be set apart to be holy. And then that’s followed by useful for the master’s good work.

Let’s look at verse 22. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord for with a pure heart. Well, Daniel, I’m I’m set apart, but I don’t know what for or how or what am I supposed to do now? Let’s look at these four words real quickly. Pursue righteousness in your work. Are you doing what’s right? At every turn, do you make a decision based upon I’m gonna make the choice that is right, whether it’s the easy choice or not? Faith. In your faith, in your belief in Jesus, are you truly 100% faithful? Do you truly rely on Him? Do you understand that he is the giver of your salvation? And he has said that no matter what your earthly circumstances, you can have your name written in the book of life.

That this is temporary, and our goal is above. Supposed to pursue love in our relationships, both within our family and within our circle of friends and those who we interact with every day. There are different types of love that are shown in different ways within the family. Are you showing love by being helpful, by being compassionate and understanding? At work. Are you the person who someone can talk to, who you can lend an ear to, who can be compassionate and understanding? With people who we don’t know, simple things. Are we set apart by holding a door open for someone? You see someone’s in a hurry and you’re in line, you just let them go right ahead. There are everything from the high level all the way down to the simple things are what show that we’re set apart.

And then we’re to pursue peace.

Whether they’re within this building, whether they’re the not so bright person driving on the road. Are we reflecting in our lives that we are pursuing peace? That we are being a vessel of honor set apart for God’s purpose. Let’s continue these thoughts as we sing two songs. Our next song is number four hundred and seventy four. Take my life and let it be consecrated.

Take my life and let it be consecrated to thee. Take my moments and my days.

Take my hands and let them move at the love. Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. Take my will and make it thine.

Take my heart.

Take my love, my Lord I bore at thy beasure store. Take myself and I will be ever holy for thee. Our next song is Holy to the Lord, number five hundred and eighty-three. Five eighty-three, holy to the Lord.

Holy whole holy side wash from sense of me on defather make me holy to wholly holy whole holy thought and truth requires in him loving him deep oh help me to be holy to holy I can sympathize completely with the statement that Tony makes about always wanting to have more to say. It took me longer to get down to four to five minutes than it did to get the original material to start with. So I understand.

4. How and Why We Show Compassion

And as we talk about ways that we show compassion, I want you to keep in mind that everything we say here applies to both of those different kinds of needs that we find in other people. The first the first of these passages is 1 John the 3rd chapter and verse 17. John says, Whoever has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? The second passage is Galatians the sixth chapter, verses 1 and 2, which addresses spiritual need, where Paul says, Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

So how and why do we show compassion for others? I have three quick things that I’m I hope they’re quick. But I want to say about compassion. Again, keeping in mind that all of this refers to how we deal with people who are physically needy and spiritually needy.

One of the keys to wanting to help other people is recognizing our common humanity, our common struggle with the situations of life, our common struggle with sin. And one of the most insidious ways to kill compassion is for us to begin focusing on how other people might be different from us. They’re in some different group. And that makes it easy to believe the worst about them, about their motivations, about anything about them. It makes it easy for us to believe the worst because we sense that they are not like us. And so we don’t we don’t feel any sense of connection with them. I want you to imagine if the if the good Samaritan who was on the road down from Jerusalem had looked over to the side and he’d he’d seen that beaten and robbed Jew on the side of the road, and his reaction had been, you know, I don’t know how he got in that situation.

But we need to take care of our own. And he’s a Jew, and I’m a Samaritan. What I know about the Jews is that they are mean and they’re oppressive and they’re haughty, and I just don’t know if I want to get involved with somebody like that. You know, the story of the Good Samaritan would have had a little different name if that fellow had those thoughts upon seeing. And that guy would have been just like the priest and the Levite who moved to the other side of the road and just sort of passed on by. Not too long ago, the big story in the news was that there were a lot of children being separated from their parents at the at the border of this country, sometimes permanently separated.

Not always, thankfully, but sometimes, unfortunately. And there was one newscaster who defended that policy like this. Whatever you think about policy, think about this statement. His statement was look, like it or not, these are not our kids. Show them compassion, but it’s not like he’s doing this to the people of Idaho or Texas. These are people from another country. And somehow that made it easier to stomach some of the things that were happening because these were not us. They were not people like us, they’re people from another country, they’re not our kids. Maybe we don’t feel the same way about them. And I want to tell you, beware. Beware of the voice that’s in your head, or the voice that is in your ear trying to tell you that other people are unworthy, or they are out to get you, or they are just fundamentally inferior because they belong to some group that is not like us.

That’s how we kill compassion, is not feeling a sense of connection with other people who are, in fact, exactly like us in the ways that matter, even if their circumstances are not the same. The second thing that I want to say about compassion is that compassion needs to actively seek an outlet. Actively is the operative word there. It’s easy to think of ourselves as compassionate people, and then when we think about that, we think about a bunch of hypothetical scenarios where if this happened, I’m sure that I would do the honorable thing. You know, if I opened my door one morning and I found a dying child on my doorstep, I’m sure I would give that dying child a cup of cold water, just like Jesus said.

And so we think, well, we’re certainly compassionate people, but in fact, people who struggle are usually not on our doorstep. They live in other neighborhoods, they live in other parts of the world, and we are sometimes insulated from their reality because we don’t see them face to face. I mean, I’ve got a gate, I’ve got dogs, I keep all that stuff out there, right? But the effect of that isolation is that I can lose a sense of compassion for a lot of people in the world who are not doing as well as I am. Spiritual need usually just doesn’t show up on our doorstep either. People who are struggling spiritually usually will not come to us and say, here is exactly what I need for you to do to help me get better.

That’s not how it works. We have to seek them out. That takes initiative, that takes energy on our part. If Jesus says to us on the last day, he goes into that spiel about I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was a stranger and you took me up and got in, and all that, and our reply cannot be, well, you know, I didn’t see any of that. Alright, I heard some rumors, but you know, that was about, I don’t know, I never saw a thing. That’s not going to be a good enough answer. Needs are out there. There are people who are distressed with their situation in life. There are people who are distressed with their situation before God. It’s not hard to find them, but we need to go look.

If we are waiting for them to show up on our doorstep, I won’t cut it. The third thing that I want to say about compassion is that compassion is best practiced in person. Now I’m not discounting the usefulness of compassion that is exercised from a distance. Cards that are sent to somebody who’s struggling, money that you send to some cause that improves people’s lives in some way, those are good things to do. But there is value in being personally involved in service rather than letting other people do all the messy parts. Because part of the value of compassion is that it shows a sense on our part that we care enough to get involved, even when the situation is, in fact, a little messy. So what can we do?

There’s a lot of need out there. There are a lot of things that people need. People around the world whose physical circumstances are much worse than ours, people who are troubled in their spirits because their relationship with God is not what they want it to be. And the easy response is to be overwhelmed by all that and say, I can’t fix everything. It’s too much. And that’s true. So what I want to suggest to you is pick a thing. Pick one thing. You can do one thing. One way to make life better for those who cannot repay you. One person whose spiritual burden you can lighten. You can’t make a difference for everybody. But you can make a difference for that one.

Pick something and do it. We have a couple of songs on the subject of compassion.

First one is number five hundred and ninety-one.

Make me a servant just like your son. For he was a serpent. Please make me one. Make me a servant.

To make me a serve. Make me like you.

For I would be lowly humble. Give me to others with all my brother. Make me like you. I’m sorry. It was verses one and two. I did tell Daniel that is not his fault. Are you ready to swap out or go on? All right. the next song where we will also sing the first two verses is six hundred twenty-nine. Six two nine.

Have you lovingly touched some frail toy worn and shared with someone his happy load? Oh the things we may do, you and I, you and I, oh the one we can give if we try just a word or a song as we’re passing along they will count in the great mind. Have you spoken a word full of hope and cheer? Have you walked with a slower pace till the weary of heart who were stumbling on took new courage to run for the things we may do, you and I, you and I or the what we can give if we try just to learn or a song as we’re passing along, they will count in the great high. My goal for this evening is to have a better outcome than this morning, not have any slip-ups.

5. Communion With God Through Prayer

So wish me luck. Tony asked me to talk on communion. Not the communion like we gathered around the table this morning, but our communion with God. Our way of communicating with God. Our relationship with God through prayer. Such an important thing we have in our life, such a blessed gift we have to be able to reach out to our Lord and Savior and humble ourselves in a way that we can’t even talk about. Because it’s between us and it’s between God. And when we have communion with God, when we accept the fact that we need God in our lives.

I can do it on my own. And when we do that, we lie to ourselves, we deceive ourselves, we put up a wall between ourselves and of God, and ultimately we’re cheating ourselves. We’re cheating ourselves from a gift that God has given to us to be able to clear our thoughts, clear our minds, go to our God and Father, and just talk to him. And it relieves stress and it helps us and it helps us to remember that God is our creator. We need prayer in our lives because it humbles us. Prayer brings us closer to God. Prayer makes us realize that we can’t do this on our own. We need God in our lives. And it’s not just in the bad times. I think sometimes we know that things are going well in our lives, so we don’t need to pray.

Because God’s giving us the things that we’re asking for already. Why do I need to ask for more? But ultimately, we need him in those good times, because soon will come the bad. And if we don’t already have that relationship with God, when we don’t have the habits that we need to humble ourselves to him in prayer, then we’ve already lost.

At the beginning of his life, he prayed. In the middle of his life, he prayed. All the way up until he died, he prayed. And he was the Son of God. If the Son of God needs to pray and needs to humble himself to his father, then what does that mean for us? We’ll sing number four ninety five. Oh, for a faith that will not shrink. And this is to the tune of I’m not ashamed, number four ninety-five.

Oh, for a faith that will not shrink, though pressed by every that will not tremble on the brink of any earthly woe that will not murmur nor complain. Beneath the chasting rod, but in the hour of grief or pain, we’ll lean upon his God of faith that shines more bright and clear when tempest raise with that when in danger knows no fear, and darkness fills no doubt.

And then what may come, I’ll tasting here the hollow bliss of an eternal.

6. Confession: Hold Fast Without Wavering

Confession. Saying the words, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and then being baptized, is the beginning of your confession of Christ, not the end. And it’s also the easiest confession that you will make. You’re going to be confessing your entire life. Matthew, the 10th chapter, verse 32 says, Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven. When you confess Christ, you say with your words and actions, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. In Romans the first chapter in verse 16, it says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.

And God’s words have power. And you have a spirit of power because you are speaking them too. Confession is not something that we say once and we’re done. It means more than that. In Hebrews the 10th chapter in verse 23, it says, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. For he who promises faithful, and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the day approaching. Why do we need to hold fast our confession? How can our confession waver? We already did it, right? No, it means that we need to be vigilant to continue in good works.

Because confession implies an act. If we believe in Christ, we have to follow him. In this case, stirring up one another for good works and not forsaking the assembly. As Christians, we forget that confessing Christ before men also means that we need to confess Christ to each other here in this congregation. And by your example, you are either confessing that you love Christ, or that you are ashamed of Christ by your actions. There is no in between. Sometimes we get complacent and say things like, Well, you know, I came to church most Sunday nights this month, so I’m doing good. Bible classes, you know, I came to one of those, and Wednesday nights, those are optional. And we make excuses among ourselves and say, you know, it’s really hard when you have kids and to get up on time.

Is it really hard when you have kids? Please tell me about that. I think I have a solution, though. You could do the same thing you do Monday through Friday when you go to work every day. And when you drop off your kids to school. It amazes me that we will give these same lousy excuses to our loving God that just thinking about giving these same excuses to our boss at work, that’s what our nightmares are made of. We wouldn’t dare do it. We cannot get to heaven by continually bringing these lame, blind sacrifices and excuses to God. If you go out into the world and tell people that you love God, and they tell you that they’re actually looking for a church, and you tell them to come here, what if they do?

What if they notice that after a while that they are here more than you are? What if they look over at you during services and think to themselves, wow, that guy can’t wait to get out of here? Ask yourself if you are confessing or denying Christ. There are souls on the line depending on us holding fast the confession of our faith. In Revelation, the third chapter in verse 15, it says, Christ speaks to the church in Laodicea. It says, I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. That’s an amazing statement that Jesus makes that I wish you were cold or hot.

In other words, I wish you were all good or all evil. But because you’re neither just lukewarm, you make me want to puke, and I will, and I’m going to reject you. In conclusion, let us dwell on these things, what it really means to confess Christ before all men. And make sure that we hold fast our calling. Because when it comes to living a godly life, we have to be all in or nothing. Romans the 10th chapter in verse 10 says, For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Philippians the second chapter and verse 9 says, Therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.

And lastly, in Romans the 14th chapter, verse 10, it says, We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, for it is written, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. So all men in all the earth shall confess to God in this life and in the next. Thank you.

If you’re using your books and would like to mark the song of invitation, that will be number 584. Well, Master, let me walk with thee.

It’s convenient. Would you stand, please, as we sing.

That is true, striving to please him in all that I do just glad hearted and free this is the pathway of blessing for me. O Jesus Lord and Savior I give myself to thee for thou in thy own mindest give thyself for me I know other master my heart shall be thy throne my life I give his forth O Christ for me alone living for Jesus to die in my place burning on Calvary my sin and disgrace such love constraints me to answer his call for his pleading and give him my all O Jesus Lord and Savior I give myself to thee for thou in thy atonement give thyself for me. I will know of our master. My heart shall be thy throne. My life I give henceforth.

Be seated, please.

Conclusion

Well, that song really is the invitation. You have just sung that you will live for Jesus. That you will put together the pieces of this all-important puzzle and construct this holy, godly life to which Jesus calls us. It really is doable. You’ve been given practical instruction tonight, and this was far more wonderful than I even envisioned. You know, one thing I learned tonight is that we have a lot of talent in our men that we need to tap more often than we have done. And they came up with things and said things that I might have struggled to come up with. And so I want to appreciate all to tell all of them how much I appreciate what they’ve done tonight to help us to construct the godly life that is worth every effort that you give to it.

Friday night. As 10 30 started rolling around, I said, we have got to get this done. Thankfully, toward the end of putting a puzzle together, it gets a little bit easier. You don’t have to worry about colors, just go for shapes. You know, because we’re down to about 20 pieces, and we were just slapping them in right and left, so each had to put in the last two pieces. But it took time. Putting together this puzzle is going to take time and effort and perseverance. May you give your effort to it. Give your all to it and invoke the master’s help. And the master will help you then this wall. You need to respond. Let’s stand this time. Oh master, ludge me walk with thee in glory.

Tell me thy seek me the whole friend. Help me thus my wing.

Water love you just brought me in peace that all we can skip with me, oh master.