What a crazy week this has been! The terrorist bombing in Boston during the Boston Marathon leaving 3 dead and nearly 200 injured.
The fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, TX. Up to 15 dead and an unknown number injured.
In the past week there have been as many as four earthquakes just in Papua New Guinea with a magnitude up to 6.8. This time no one has been killed or injured but a quake and the resulting tsunami there in 1998 killed over 2,000 people.
This past Wednesday, April 17 there was another earthquake on the border of Iran and Pakistan with a magnitude of 7.8. A Pakistani military official said his initial information was that 34 people had been killed and 80 injured.
Now, just where are we going with all of these stories of tragedy and terrorism?
1 Timothy 4:1-10
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
“They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
“If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.
“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.
“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.”
Now, here’s the verse we want to take a look at:
1 Timothy 4:7b-8
“Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.”
Our society is obsessed with physical training but not so much with godly training. Physical training. What about those marathon runners. Do they just get up one morning and say, “Hey, there’s a marathon going on today. I think I’ll run in it. Should be fun!”
No, in order to qualify you must have competed in and completed an official marathon in the past 1.5 years and the time must be fast enough to make the qualification cut. You must furnish proof of having successful completion of that marathon. This takes years of dedicated training.
You have to admire such dedication and physical excellence.
Many in the crowd watching the race were also runners. Perhaps they were runners who chose not to run that year. Perhaps they were runners who did not qualify or had injuries. Perhaps they were runners who preferred to run other distances. Anyway, there were lots of people, runners and spectators alike, who were there at the time who were very much into physical training. Many of them were tremendous athletes.
But you’ve gotta wonder … how were they spiritually?
Not, just the ones who died in Boston from the bombs but
… what was the spiritual condition of those who died in the fertilizer plant explosion and
… what was the spiritual condition of those who died in the earthquake in Pakistan and
… what was the spiritual condition of the 230,000 who died from the tsunami in Indonesia in 2012 or … the in McKeesport, Pa this past month who was killed in a freak accident while maintaining a dump truck or
… what was the spiritual condition of the man in Canton, OH who was killed when his car fell off the jack stands while he was changing his tires or
… what was the spiritual condition of the young girl who died because she was struck when a branch fell unexpectedly from a tree in their yard?
How were they spiritually?
They may have been in great shape physically but had they heeded the admonition in 1 Timothy 4:7 that says we must train ourselves to be godly?
Had they come to the place where they had come to Jesus for salvation?
What about us a Christians? What about the directive in 1 Timothy 4:7b that says, “Train yourself to be godly.”? Is that something that is optional for Christians?
Is godliness optional?
Are you treating godliness as an optional component of your spiritual life?
Now, we know from our memory Scriptures and many other verses in the Bible that salvation through Christ alone is not optional! One of our very first memory verses,
John 3:18 says,
“Whoever believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s One and Only Son.”
But, what about godliness after salvation, is that optional?
1 Thessalonians 4:7-8
“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you His Holy Spirit.”
The book in the Bible which we know as 1 Thessalonians was written to the church in Thessalonica. Before these people placed their faith and trust in Jesus they were part of the pagan religious cults of that day and sexual sin of all kinds were eagerly engaged in and were even part of their so called religious rituals. So, that society was sex crazed just as American secular society is today.
Now, remember, these are Christians who are receiving this letter and in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 it says,
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable …
“… not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.
“The Lord will punish all those (the Lord is an avenger to those) who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
“Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you His Holy Spirit.”
So it seems quite clear that God not only wishes us to come to Him for salvation but that He also wishes us to live holy lives which honor and please Him.
How do we do that?
We exercise! Holy exercise? How do we do that?
We exercise our knowledge of His Holy Word! We read His Word. We study His Word. We memorize His Word. We always ask the help of the Holy Spirit in understanding His Word.
And, once again we have a memory Scripture which encourages us to exercise our spiritual knowledge of God’s Holy Word
2 Timothy 2:15
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of Truth.”
We exercise our knowledge of His Holy Word!
What we find in His Word we need to put into practice in our lives.
If His Word says to do something we do it. If His Word says to not do something we stop doing it. If His Word says to go we go. If His Word says to stay we stay. If His Word says to go and make restitution for some past sin we do so.
For instance, the Holy Spirit is our spiritual training coach. What if one day you’re reading through the Bible and you come across Ephesians 4:25-32 which says:
“Stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And ‘don’t sin by letting anger control you.’ Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
“If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language.
“Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
“And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Suppose you’re reading that and something in it just jumps out at you and your heart sinks because the Holy Spirit, your spiritual Coach, is showing you a weakness in your spiritual life and in your testimony for Him.
Well, you could just live in that passage for a week or a month or a year until the Holy Spirit does His work within your heart.
You find a training partner to keep you accountable. Someone who will ask you every day how you’ve done. Someone who won’t let you off the hook when you’ve failed that day.
Another way we exercise is with our faith and our trust in God!
What if we’re like the rich young ruler and the Lord says to us,
“But this one thing you lack go and ……..” Would we do it?
If we did we would find out that the Lord is faithful and trustworthy! And our faith and trust in Him would be strengthened and made more vigorous for the next challenge He would put before us.
Are you faithful in your spiritual exercises? If so, God can and will use you for His kingdom and His glory! And what is the value that comes from such exercise?
Look again at 1 Timothy 4:7b-8
“Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.”
Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come!
Physical training is beneficial for this life only.
Spiritual training is beneficial not only for this present life but for all of eternity!
Now, I don’t mean to minimize the great loss and grief that comes from the unexpected death of a friend or loved one, but, if you ever find yourself standing next to a bomb which will be uppermost on your mind, your physical fitness or your spiritual fitness?
Today, sadly, it is too late to pray for the salvation of the souls who went out into eternity this past week. The spectators who died from the bomb blast, the policeman who was gunned down in his car, the terrorist who died in the shootout, the workers and firefighters at the fertilizer plant in Texas, those who died in the earthquake in Pakistan, for them it is to late to make a decision to follow Christ.
We pray with all earnest that they did make the decision to embrace Jesus as their Savior during their life but now they are in eternity.
We pray for those who lost these loved ones, that the Holy Spirit would comfort them in their time of loss and draw them to Himself as their savior.
We must pray for those we come into contact with each day, each week, each month, who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior. Life is fragile and temporary at best for it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment.
Look again at 1 Timothy 4:7b-8
“Train yourself to be godly. For … godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.”
Prayer for dismissal and the dinner after church.
