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The foundation of our faith as Christians revolves around godliness. If we want God to lift us in any dimension of life, it depends on how seriously we take godliness. Godly character is the chemistry and fulcrum on which our lives revolve—one of the key principles of life that we cannot go against.
When we grow up, we don't automatically develop the character of a husband or wife. We must reach a testing stage before we develop that character. When we continue to do something consistently and practically, we form what is called a habit. When we practice that habit over a period of time, it constitutes a character. Eventually, our character is going to determine who we are.
"If we cannot be faithful in that which is least then we cannot be faithful in that which is much." — Luke 16:10
In 2 Timothy 3:1–5, Paul warns us about the last days:
"In the last days times of trouble will come. Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, uplifted in pride, given to bitter speech, going against the authority of their fathers, never giving praise, having no religion. Without natural love, bitter haters, saying evil of others, violent and uncontrolled, hating what is good. Lovers of pleasure more than God—having a form of religion but turning their back on the power of it." — 2 Timothy 3:1–5
There is a critical difference between having a form of godliness and living godliness. Singing in church is a form of godliness. Preaching is a form of godliness. Winning souls for Christ is a form of godliness. But the Bible says that beyond what we do for people to see—beyond the picture we create for the world—there is something more that our Father looks for.
God looks for what we do when the light is not on us. He looks for people who, even when they have all the ingredients to commit evil, choose what is right instead. God is watching what happens when no eyes are observing us. He is looking for people who will stand and maintain their morality, even when they have the cause to repay friends with evil because they have received that same treatment. Yet they choose to do what is right.
Godliness is not the absence of sin but the cautious, deliberate, persistent effort to be upright before God.
It is something that consciously, every day, should be a routine—just as we know we must take our bath and eat when we are hungry. This is how we must embrace godliness. It is something we cannot joke with because it is the foundation of our faith as Christians.
"Let everyone who names the name of the Lord turn away from evil." — 2 Timothy 2:19
If we call ourselves children of God, then we must turn away from evil. Godliness is a daily routine. We must maintain our integrity. We do not bend our morality to suit the times and seasons. If something is evil, it is evil. We should not bend because the world says that today we can massage and remake a sin that was recognized as wrong yesterday. We know in our hearts that such things are evil.
"The training of the body is of profit for a little, but religion is of profit in every way, giving hope for the life which now is and for that which is to come." — 1 Timothy 4:8
Godliness does not only benefit us in this life. When we live godly lives, even after our death, we will reap the fruits of what we have lived. The Bible says:
"Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness." — 1 Timothy 3:16
Why must we live a godly life? Why is it important that throughout our days on earth we purpose in our hearts to do what is right and good?
First, everybody who was godly did well in life. We can start with Abraham. Genesis 24:1 tells us that Abraham built an empire and an army. Even after his death, Abraham was blessed. Why? Because he lived a godly life.
Joseph also lived a godly life, and he said something powerful: "I feared the Lord." We live in times where people no longer have reverence for God. People do things thinking this is how it is—"you live only once, so enjoy life." They forget that the same path we walk today, the same youthful exuberance we have, we share with people who once were in our shoes. The funny thing is, we are never going to stay young. A time will come when that pattern will change.
Our youthful days are a reflection of who we become in our adulthood. That is why it is imperative that we do not take godliness lightly. The most difficult thing is sometimes being in the house of God, doing all the things that feel right, but beneath there are secret things we are doing that are drawing us away from Christ.
There are certain things that you do not want God to touch you with in a violent way. There are some people doing things, given opportunities, thinking nothing will happen to them. When the Holy Spirit arrests them—if you are not lucky—that is the other side that most people do not know about.
Whatever we do, we should know that we have been given choices. We have been given the opportunity to choose between what is right and what is wrong, even when nobody is watching. And whatever we are doing, we know it will definitely reflect in our future.
Daniel decided not to defile himself. Despite everything, he could have chosen the easy route or the way out. But he decided not to defile himself.
"Daniel prospered after remaining true to himself, not allowing his environment to dictate his decisions." — Daniel 6:28
We saw the blessings that he enjoyed.
It is impossible to live a godly life and fail. Once you remain godly, there is no way you fail in life. This will never happen.
Cornelus in Acts 10:1–2 was a godly man, and we saw how that eventually transformed in his life.
In times where people can split and mastermind all manner of agendas, they even question the very existence of God. When you wake up in the morning and look at social media, you hear things that—if you are not strong in your faith—begin to make you ask yourself whether you made the right decision to serve God. People spend time trying to disprove God's existence. And in that same way, if we do not remain strong in Christ, even the act of ungodliness is going to be packaged as normal for us.
That is why we need to be very observant. We need to watch out and identify these things. Others are creating the perception that the church is a pitiable place—a place where you go only when you have problems and challenges and seek refuge. For that reason, even when it comes to godliness, you can bend it because you can always come back to the church later.
But God is reminding us this morning: if we are going to stay true to Him—not when people are watching us, but in our own secret, when the curtains are shut down—if we remain true to Him, He will remain true to us.
"I the Lord say what is true. My word is righteousness. You can never live a godly life and assume that you are wasting your time." — Isaiah 45:19
Sometimes we find ourselves in an environment where people create a perception that because we are not doing what they are doing, they are enjoying more than us remaining in the house of God. But there is no better place and no better act than being godly and living in the house of God.
"Your labor will never be in vain." — 1 Corinthians 15
Your decision not to fornicate, your decision to remain chaste, your decision not to steal, your decision not to be jealous, your decision not to covet, your decision not to bite—none of these will be in vain. The funny thing is, you will not die before you enjoy the sacrifices that you are making. You will enjoy while you are here. You will enjoy while you are here. You will enjoy while you are here.
Why should we live a godly life? Why should we be different?
First, there is spiritual benefit. If we want to be spiritually sound, we need to be godly. If we want things to happen spiritually, we need to be godly.
"There is a man in your kingdom in whom the spirit of the Holy God dwells, and in the days of your father light and reason like the wisdom of God were seen in him." — Daniel 5:11
Second, there is material benefit. If we are godly, we will be blessed materially. We will not struggle in life. Things will happen naturally. Things will fall into place. The things we have been yearning for, we will see them.
Third, to the students among us: godliness is profitable academically.
"In any matter needing wisdom and good sense, the king found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers in all his kingdom." — Daniel 1:20
When you are godly, God blesses you in terms of intelligence and wisdom.
Fourth, godliness is profitable vocationally. Whatever we do in our line of business, we will excel because when we maintain integrity and morality in our workplaces, we will excel as well. Daniel excelled vocationally. Esther excelled vocationally. Joseph was also at the top of his vocation.
Fifth, and this matters most: when you are a godly man, you are blessed generationally. You are not only going to enjoy your acts during your days here, but the next generation and generations to come will enjoy the fruits of what you lived. When you are a godly person, you are implicated for good. You do not have any other option but to succeed.
When you live an upright life, you are bound to succeed. We can see the lives of Abraham, Solomon, and Hezekiah—all the quality kings. There is clear indication that we do not waste our time by purposing in our hearts to do what the next generation will see—the indelible mark that we have left while we are here.
"Happy is the man who gives honor to the Lord and has great delight in His laws. His seed will be strong on the earth. Blessings will be on the generation of the upright. A store of wealth will be in his house and his righteousness will be forever. For the upright there is a light shining in the dark. He is full of grace and pity toward God. All is well for the man who is kind and gives freely to others. He will make good his cause justly. He will not ever be moved. The memory of the upright will be enduring forever. He will have no fear of evil news. His heart is fixed on his hope in the Lord. His heart is resting safely. He will have no fear till he sees trouble come on his haters. He has given with open hands to the poor. His righteousness is forever. His horn will be lifted up with honor." — Psalm 112:1–9
This is what we enjoy by living a godly life. That is why the Abraham generation was a blessed generation. This afternoon, I am here to tell you that if we live a godly life, our generation is going to be blessed for good.
What is the other side of ungodliness? The first consequence is that ungodliness provokes God's wrath. If you feel today you are a Christian, tomorrow you are a non-believer, the next day you are doing something else—know that a time is coming when the Holy Spirit will touch you. A time is coming where we will be reminded that we cannot be lukewarm Christians. We need to choose one. We cannot stay in the middle.
A study was conducted some months ago comparing various generations, and there is clear indication that when you live a godly life, your generation brings up great people in society. But for the ungodly man or the atheist, you can name them—criminals, thieves, and degenerates. This tells us that when we are good, there is empirical evidence showing what we enjoy even after and before.
If we want to touch the next generation, then we should not compromise when it comes to godliness. We should be that person. If we have to maintain our morality, we need to maintain it. We do not have to dilute it. If we have to maintain our integrity, we need to maintain it. People will say that you are so difficult, you are strong-headed, you are not simple. They will use all manner of terms for you. But the bottom line is this: you know the foundation of your faith. That is for us to live godly lives.
Before I end my sermon, I want us to touch on how to become a godly Christian.
First, we need to maintain discipline. If we want to live a godly life, we have to purpose in our hearts to live a disciplined life. If something is wrong, we need to be disciplined enough to say that it is wrong. If something is evil, we have to call it out.
One of the things we read this morning is that we need to expose any form of ungodliness. We should not let it slide. We need to call it out. Once we are disciplined in our faith, it transcends to every dimension of our life. If we are disciplined enough to know that we need to constantly seek the word of God, that we need to constantly pray, then every dimension of our life is going to be transformed.
Second, we need to understand that the knowledge of God is very important. We need to seek it. Whenever we have the knowledge of God, and we are confronted to do evil, naturally there is going to be that remembrance: "Here, you read that you are not supposed to do this." If we know the word of God ourselves, then when evil comes our way, we will stand on the word to defeat any form of evil.
Third, we must walk in the Holy Spirit. Whatever we do, we need to not do it with our own strength. Even if we are as powerful in our ministry, even if we can prophesy, even if we can heal, constantly we need to walk with the Holy Spirit. I am not saying walk ahead of the Holy Spirit. I am not saying work in front of the Holy Spirit. But you are walking with the Holy Spirit.
Finally, we have to be prayerful. In our days, we should not take prayer lightly. It should be something that we do fervently every day. We need to take our prayer life seriously.
May the peace of the Lord that surpasses all understanding continue to be with us. May the peace of the Lord continue to help us understand that there is no better time to remember the importance of godliness than now. May the peace of the Lord continue to serve as a guide as we walk in this world—that we will never go against the things of God, that we will not bend the truth depending on the times and seasons to feel or make us comfortable as Christians. But constantly we will stand for that, and constantly we will stand for what is right.
