Sermon Central
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Essential Parts Of A Godly Life
Contributed by Clarence Weaver Sr on May 24, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: The patient to endure persecutions is the fruit that flow from divergent receptions, our profession of faith in Jesus Christ and the Scriptures supply the foundation for a godly life. Thus, this three-thought combination takes us from our basis in faith t
ESSENTIAL PARTS OF A GODLY LIFE
Elder Clarence E. Weaver Sr
INTRODUCTION
When Paul wrote the book of 2 Timothy, he was anything but comfortable. He was in prison. Paul was actually put in prison two times. The first time in prison was much like a house arrest where he was being tried with all of the rights of a Roman citizen. The second imprisonment was in a dungeon in the middle of the city of Rome called the Mamertine prison where he was tried like a condemned criminal. As Paul wrote this second letter, the church throughout the empire was facing severe persecution started by the Emperor Nero in A.D. 64.
Second Timothy was birthed out of Paul’s concern for Timothy as well as for his own. He charged Timothy of his responsibilities to guard the Gospel, preach the Word, and refute false teaching. The letter was also meant to bring encouragement by reminding Timothy of all sufficient strengthening of God’s grace and power for the timid young minister as he faced persecutions without and false teacher within.
Most of Paul’s companions left him except Luke (2 Timothy 4:11). It is during this very trying circumstance that Paul wrote to his spiritual son Timothy, who was overseeing the Ephesian Church at the time of writing. It is worth mentioning that although he was imprisoned under harsh conditions, he considered himself as a prisoner of the Lord, suffering for His sake.
2 Timothy 3:1-9 are relevant because the Scriptures are an essential part of a godly and the life of the ungodly is frequently corrupt, and the pressures exerted upon the godly are as an usher which runs against him.
There will always be others who pursue a life that has attracted immorality, but their choices lead them to their destruction.
The title of my message today is “The Essential Parts of a Godly Life”.
I. Living By Example: 2 Timothy 3:10-11
It is not hard to say God is good and to mean it when you have just gotten a big raise or have been promoted to the position that you wanted. It is not so easy, however, to really feel that God is good when everything around you seems to be crumbling to the ground. That is when your Christianity is on trial.
When you look at the book of 2 Timothy 3:10, you read the words of a true man of God. There are no regrets. There’s no poor me, only a triumphant message from a man who believed what he said that he believed. In other words, Paul was saying been there, done that, and got a tee-shirt too.
Paul wanted Timothy and the church to learn what it really mean to live by the Scriptures to obtain a godly life.
The example he has given consists in his determination to live by the Scriptures walk in the fruit of the spirit and to continue his work for God despite the afflictions which must inevitable bring. Faith, patience, love, and endurance continues to delineate the character which is set before Timothy and the church as a model.
They observe how He lived, how He treated people, how he related to God, how He reacted in various kinds of circumstances - when he was surrounded by adoring crowds, when he was overwhelmed with people seeking healing, when he was attacked by the religious authorities and now back into prison, how he faced persecution at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra.
Paul stated even the persecutions he endured he reflect the spirit of the psalmist in Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. Yet God rescued him from all of them.
We are faced with persecution even in this country. In Madison, Wisconsin, the Freedom from Religion Foundation distributes anti-Christian pamphlets to public school children entitled, "We Can Be Good Without God."
My brothers and sisters it is essential part of your godly life that all things work together for your good.
What, then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us; who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long we are considered as sheep to be slaughter” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who love us – Roman 8:31-37.
II. Essential Parts of a Godly Life: 2 Timothy 3:12-15 A promise is stated that to live a godly life in Christ Jesus must anticipate persecutions. The credentials of the true Christian are his scars (verse 12).
Ask you neighbor do you have any scars!
