The Meaning of Godliness

Godly Dr. Tony Evans is we make a mistake. We only consider God once a week and one location. That's why people live in his presence.

They are celebrating 40 years of faithfulness. This is the alternative Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative. Students are or you can complete a first-rate project, teacher, boss, but they're unlikely to receive credit. If what they did was not the assigned task today.

Dr. Evans points out the failures we experience in life may be the result of working on the wrong assignment. Let's join them as he directions to the task at hand is about the third year of seminary that I got a major paperback with a big fat Understand what that did to me. My goal was to make nothing but A's. I wanted to make sure every paper was done at the level I was excited about what I was studying and outpoured everything I had into this assignment someone to make a name but not only did I not making a I made an and I went and even in the ballpark shock as I looked at my paper. I read underneath the failures sign a note from the professor. The note said great paper. Great paper right on the note said great paper but underneath the phrase great paper was the phrase wrong assignment.

I had worked hard to do the best I could do and I was working on the wrong thing.

I miss read the assignment I have done the wrong thing, with a lot of effort, but a lot of work on the wrong thing still gave me an F.

A lot of Christians today are working on the wrong assignment when working with putting in all the effort we think we can put in is just not working.

Everything is coming up with failing in our lives were failing in our priorities were failing in our families, with failing in our commitments with family while working hard and I like to suggest to you with that is because much of what we're doing is not tied to the assignment we've been given the day I want to talk you about godliness and I would like to suggest to you that is our assignment that if you are here today and you have been redeemed, and saved you been saying for the purposes of becoming godly. We stayed busy as people and as ministries doing a lot of things often not tied to be assigned first Timothy chapter 4 verse eight says, for bodily discipline is only a little profit but godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come in second Timothy chapter 3 verse five we read these words, he says, holding off godliness, although they deny it. Avoid such ministries. Talk to about a bowl of godliness, something that looks like it, but is not it. You can godly and be no substance. You can have the words of godliness may be no reality. You can look the part know if you're looking the part versus handing the part is the full godliness, but denying the power he says you know is not God.

With little power attached to it because full godliness, connected to it. It's like somebody putting on the Superman uniform became flat make a full flight. Flight but they don't need to be jumping on will build because it is full without the accompanying power to pull off what the fool declares it to be. I remember one time I was a little hungry and so I went over to a additional hotel and picked up an apple and bit into it, only to discover it was wax. I have my teeth in the wax Apple in the rear. The lab put my teeth in the wax Apple is going to have the full, it had to shake and handle the without the substance because you know you can make wax fruit look like real because you can you can make it seem so authentic and yet its reality is not presence there was no nutritional satisfaction. This form of godliness, you know, as religion. Religion gives the impression of something related to God to reveal. I mean you can look at religious you can wear religious clones. You can use religious vocabulary you can speak Christianly you can carry a religious book, the Bible with religious people can there be no power.

Many of us knows what it is to go to church for years and not be changed to be in the vicinity of God and no battle for it because I was in the full location but I was missing the power going to charge itself will not have the power to make you more godly like going into a garage will not have the power to turn you into a cop. The location in and of itself is not sufficient for the purpose of godliness concerns has power to. So if you're going to the form and lacking the power that means were not yet godly or not growing in godliness.

So the question is what the word godliness is used about 15 times in the New Testament. Most of the usages are found in the pastoral epistles first of the second Timothy and Titus. You would expected to be used there since that's the assignment of the church.

The pastoral epistles are written to the pastor to tell the pastor what ought to be happening with the congregation and Paul tells Timothy you want to pursue godliness assignment. My assignment our assignment is to produce an environment where godliness is understood and challenged and achieved that.

That's our assignment.

All the other stuff we do must be measured by whether we making the assignment or elsewhere working on the wrong assignment were not getting a passing grade. Please notice in chapter 6 the first of the diverse traits. If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ with the doctrine conforming to godliness, she brings up godliness again within the verse five.

Suppose that godliness is a measure of game to bring the documents again in the beginning of verse six but godliness actually is a means of great game little talk about that talk about how to make a profit by being godly in verse 1150 brings up godliness against even as one chapter leasing four times already this word godliness. The great legacy BL please reverence toward God. The definition of godliness. Godliness may be defined as a lifestyle that consistently reflects the character of God.

Godliness is a lifestyle, not an event. It's a way of living a lifestyle. It's the way you will is how you operate.

It is a lifestyle that is consistent with the character of God watches godliness assumes you agree with something. Godliness assumes that you agree and do not disagree with God. That may sound like a simple statement but it's deeper than it sounds. You can godly and disagree with God.

If you disagree with God you cannot be godly because once you disagree with God, you have made yourself your own idol.

Once you say I don't think God right on this one. You will just judge God and if you judge God, you became God. Another God is so you just know the my cell when you disagree with God, which means you cannot become godly godliness. So what the Scripture says what it says let God be true and every man alive that when God disagree, all when God at my pace disagree that long.

When God professes disagree that when God and the rich disagree. One of the things that keep us from godliness is that we keep debating God, which will manically block any hope of ever becoming godly can't be disagree with the person you're trying to be like godliness is a lifestyle that is consistently reflecting the character of God before you decide what God says is right. What that disagrees with you about how long been dealing with what my friends say about it is all well disagrees with a Masters.the hope of experiencing both in the provision of the power of godliness is lost. That's why he said in verse three the doctrine conforming to godliness. Dr. means teaching, he says, Timothy I want you to teach the principles that are related to bringing people into conformity to likeness to godliness, because he's already said anything else is a doctrine of demons chapter 4 because a lot of the big talk about the devil and don't know the devil is a professor because your professor when the people he uses are getting you disagree with God. Godliness means that I am not in light of his presence there is a consciousness of God's presence and that presence is. That's why people are not experiencing more of God because they don't live in his presence. They visit his presence seem as long as your visitor. You can leave where you live is when you hang out, God has visiting hours on Sunday morning and so we give God the visiting hours but we don't live in his presence and therefore we don't become.

We visited the godly person is obsessed with God's presence because the ever conscious of where he is consistently evaluating things from his perspective as he think about that how we feel about that say about that think that that's constantly on my mind what they're saying and are not constantly reflected on him and his influence on the everyday life. God becomes the best solar system where the planets of all actions revolve around him. The enemy of godliness. Godliness in his tracks and also regress you. Chapter 2 verse 16 of second Timothy since this but avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, the enemy of godliness is worldliness. Godliness has an enemy. It's worldliness.

He says worldly channels worldliness.

What does worldliness means it's that system headed by Satan. That leaves God out.

Worldliness simply means you leave God out. You have to be a criminal to be working. All you gotta do is leave God out of the equation and you just became we talk about the world of fashion. Since everything got to a close, but the world of politics is something that the government talk about the world of finance of the government money. Of the world's fourth.

Everything got to do with mathematics when we talk about place all the places we talk about an orientation have to do with the central subject to be worldly spiritually as the central subject as dodging opponents time including this use. They will be on this moment you do that you are operating worldly doctrines will have more force on the meaning of godliness, but he continues her message just a moment.

Stay with us throughout anyone's life.

You hold many roles and so often can feel like you just plotting to get the rail.

We know that this can feel like obscurity and mundane tasks whenever God is called to do yourself and that is connected with you tearing the legacy of Lois Evans that is Crystal Harris and Priscilla Scheier encourage you to not just survive the season here in the time there with the new Ford DVD Bible study seasons of a woman's life with your generous gift to the urban alternative received the classic book workbook in DVD series now visit Tony Evans.org learn more about how you can get the seasons of a woman's life Bible study package and that's also where you can go to receive a full-length copy of today's message part of a short but powerful new series. Tony is bringing called in pursuit of godliness this for message collection will take you deeper into scripture to explore what it means to be godly. God allows us to approach him and just why godliness is something we should seek in the first place. You can get the complete series on CD and digital download is our gift when you make a donation to the ministry of the alternative. Right now, as a special bonus will also send you a copy of Tony's popular book, God himself.

A journey through his attributes.

This exciting work takes a look at God's wisdom and wrath its efficiency and sovereignty and his goodness, grace and glory. Dr. Evans dives deep into the character of God giving you fresh new insights that will deepen your understanding and love for your creator. Just visit us today@tonyevans.org or call us at 1-800-800-3222 make a contribution and letter sent you is or thank you gift in pursuit of godliness and Tony's book, God himself. However, contact information for you again after part two of today's lesson. We've all seen fish that have been caught and put on a boat since mobile and sends opening second with officials trying to do was trying to make that fish is trying to make it, but it's trying to make it in the environment. It was created to one created for this prison violence was only created more but may find itself a fish out of water but yet it's using it stinks to try to make it to this, that trying to make it in the world and to is going to know it sucks notopen and close doing his death because the environment in which his tribe when God's and still doing this because you are operating in. You will never create not what you been converted, not what you been redeemed. If you're not a Christian you don't have this new environment. If you are a Christian that is your environment.

God is. That's why I'm using the word to become obsessed with dots because it is your new environment and the root of why we often stated for so long is because with in a place we don't know like the Bible says bad company corrupts good morals. You hang around with the bad people long enough, you will become one of the baby because your environment. You win so godliness is this lifestyle that becomes consistent with the character of God.

That's what this now. I want to give you some really exciting news about godliness.

Remember, that would be negligent into the bank to the profit margin in God is a big profit margin Bible calls again gain I will show you something.

In second Peter chapter 1 verse 371 three says, seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. Guess we just told you everything you need to be godly you already, he says, seeing his divine power has given you everything pertaining to life and godliness.

So I just saved you a whole lot of money with that statement that you have the bowel and self-help books you have to buy all that stuff today trying popular television to even do we been duped by a form of godliness, people got to go out behind stuff and is the name of the God they can name the source is this office being out there and never never land. You know he's he's the spirit you know they use God's sounding tour, but denied he needed to become what God wants you to be you haven't already. Baby that's conceived in the will of his mother needs to become a grown man, all grown woman is already in the DNA elements may come from the sea from little that because the little I see everything that is not about to become this because it built in to the seed when you accepted Jesus Christ, if indeed you are a Christian, the spirit lives your humans. The home is where is your human spirit and quickened you and made you alive. The problem now is grossly because the job of the devil is to abort the conception. Satan speaks to the ground of the spiritual life with you so that godliness is never achieved unlimited we achieve, or periodically achieve the more God possesses you to seek his divine power has given you everything his divine nature. You have a new nature use another word maybe this will help us God is giving you a new appetite for new appetite. Your nature defines your appetite.

For example, you have to teach pigs to light slop is in the nature that the learned role in slop. They gravitate to slop the nature you that is the redeemed you say you knew nature in you if hungry for God stopping for God dialing for God because that's the divine nature. Average divine nature and that nature is being stopped because God can get enough of God.

God wants all the God he can get so we can grow God in you grow God in me. But if God doesn't get God we wind up weak because it's his nature to us. So here we go. He was my child and oh by the way just so you know everything you need to become godly what God wants you to be you already have and batteries are included robust stuff for you kids in a battery that you forgot to bring the battery that means you have the parts without the I love when I speak about some of the grandkids. This is batteries included.

That means I will have to go somewhere else to get the power to pull off the performance. God not only gave you the provision coming with it is the power to be and to live life in a way that explodes God's Dr. Tony Evans will come back with a godliness challenge for each of us just a moment. You know the perfect way to build on today's teaching is to request a complete four message series called in pursuit of godliness. As I mentioned earlier, you can get all the lessons on CD and digital download as well as a copy of Tony's powerful and insightful book, God himself.

This package of resources is yours is or thank you gift when you contribute toward the work of the urban alternative, you can make all the arrangements by calling our 24 hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 or visit us online at 2011 start or the more we really get to know someone, the more it seems like were getting into their head. Next time, Dr. Evans will explain why that's exactly the way it works with God's spirit, and our heads right now though he's back with this final thought in question is my challenge to me to you. I want you to work on a godliness degree. One of the primary reasons that you decide to keep going after high school and you go to college to keep going at the cottage so you get a Masters anything to keep going after the Masters and on the trip is because of the financial benefit. The degree represents the study and you may like the subject, but you think about the money to think about just showed you where God's person gets a great day so it is a motivation for you will not agree how you going to degree the more thing you gotta move out of the way so you can get on the same program and get a degree unless it will take you like to do… Just some things the group staying up all night and not looking at this TV show not doing that stupid battle in the last line was bad do you want to do like some folk who spent all their lives in school. Another one would just pick a class in the class.

They never wind up with people. This profit godliness success want you to see him at a level never seen before. So the question on the floors of the alternative with Dr. Tony at Rocky reviving urban alternative celebrating 40 years of faith.

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