GraceUnlimited

Why don't we fixate on miracles at Living Hope Church- Do we not believe God has the power to perform miracles today- No. We know the God of endless power. Rather, we refuse to fixate on physical healing and the like because we believe God's concern is far greater than temporary suffering. There is a worse kind of suffering than that which disease brings. And we have the message that God uses to snatch people from that dreadful suffering forever- Yes, Jesus did miracles. But His primary drive was to preach the gospel. The rich man doesn't want Lazarus to go back to make his brothers rich, or to heal them. He wants Lazarus to help them avoid eternal agony. And God's primary means, Abraham explains, to help people escape, is the Bible. The world protests that the Bible is not enough. They have an idea of what will save. The rich man insists, by implication, that he wouldn't have been in hell, had God just shown him a miracle while on earth. But God shows that people don't go to hell because of a lack of supernatural phenomena, but because of the sheer hardness of their hearts. Miracles are not as powerful as you think they are. And the word of God is infinitely more powerful than you think it is.

It is not wrong to desire money. Yet it is very easy for money to become a master rather than a servant. It is east to think that wealth equals the favour of God. Remember that what people think is good, may not be good. It is with this in mind that Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. You simply can't evaluate what God thinks of a person by whether they are suffering now or not. Look at Lazarus- Look at the rich man. There is a vast reversal coming- Things are going to change- Then all of the perceived values will be set right and God's standard will prevail. If you treat people differently now, based on their level of wealth, you are both deceived now, and are in for a surprise in the world to come. In this world, you need to ask two questions in order to make an accurate start. Firstly, are you in Christ- Secondly, has God's work in uniting you with Christ made you a person who lives in obedience to God's word- Only in Christ does our evaluation system of this world make any sense.

Godliness is more valuable than all other values in this world combined. Gratefully, God gives us four ways to pursue it. Firstly, we have hope, because godliness is possible. God has given you everything you need to be godly. Your heart will try to drive you into believing you don't have everything you need. That is an insult to God and His provision for you. Secondly, godliness requires you to discharge responsibilities. You need to train yourself. God enables you to work. But you do the work. God doesn't do the work for you. You may see a godly person and want to be like them, but are you willing to commit yourself to the means of dependence and discipline that God has given you- Have you written a contract of commitment to God- The third means of becoming godly is personal training. Just as you don't become muscular in your first session at the gymn, so also you don't become godly on your first day or in your first month. In both cases, you have to train yourself in order to grow. Small daily disciplines will take you a long way in life. So much of your growth in godliness will be determined by establishing daily habits. Choose one habit and start. Fourthly, you will need a practical plan in order to become a godly person. What will you do- When- How- Here are four categories of change your plan must include- -1- Fighting against specific sins, -2- deliberately pursuing God, -3- start building biblical friendships, and -4- commit to functioning for the benefit of others in the life of the church. Remember, none of these truths will do you any good until you have a plan and begin to work on it deliberately, consistently, and persistently.

To lose an appreciation for the majesty of God is a loss that robs the experience of life of its primary value. Godliness requires zeal, knowledge, and direction. So how do I become godly- The first instruction is to avoid foolish talk. This means that I will live to be able to discern between truth and error. We also need to directly confront false teachers. We must know where they get their message. If it is not from Scripture, it is not an authority. If it is from Scripture, but in error, the same applies. Also, who are these teachers speaking about- Is it themselves or is it Jesus Christ- False teachers, when they rarely focus on God, get Him wrong. What is their idea about the problem in the world- Is it sin, with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the solution- If not, they have misunderstood and taught the real problem. Does the Jesus they profess resemble the Jesus of the Bible- So, in order to pursue godliness, you must grow in your knowledge of God's word, in order to become a discerning listener.

If there was one thing you could choose to focus on this year, something that would be the most important thing you will ever do, what would that thing be- To get a business going, for example, would produce limited returns. But what about one thing that would change everything- Many people who have degrees are not doing well. But godliness changes everything. It will benefit you in every way. Do you want godliness- Why- Why not- If you are not pursuing godliness, you are pursuing something else. If you are not in awe of God, you are in awe of something else. the love and awe of people is what conditions society's opinions and jokes and philosophy. Getting rich appeals to people, but God becoming man is not even tolerated in humour. Godliness protects you from being in awe of pointless and evil things. No pursuit in this world will benefit you in any way forever, if that pursuit, if that one thing, is not godliness. Regardless of the misery you encounter pursuing godliness in this world, you have lost nothing and have fained everything. Yet notice that godliness even makes everything in your present life worthwhile too- Godliness enables you to use this world's God-given pleasures safely. They help you to filter out fake and dangerous pleasures. It helps you to press through difficulty to reward. It helps you to appreciate legitimate pleasure more deeply than wrong pleasures can be enjoyed. How can I focus of godliness- Learn this- It is not hard to focus on what you really want. Learn to want it. Beg God for it. Pursue it.

Paul tells Timothy what she should want, why he should want it, and how he can get it. The answer to the first question, in Paul's mind, for Timothy, is godliness. This however is not to say that godliness is measured by an external show of power. That is a show of what people are doing, not necessarily what God is doing. Rather, godliness starts in the heart. An attitude of submission and devotion to God. Respect for God. Awe for God. It starts in the mind and from there it impacts the emotions. It means cherishing God- seeing God alone at the centre of life. Godliness also wants to help other people see how beautiful God is. One reason people don't pursue godliness is a wrong view of ungodliness. If God is not most important to you, God is not important to you. We don't want more activity. We want to be awake to God- Eyes wide open to the glory of God in the gospel. Like a blind man who longs to see, beg God for that ability. Is what you want what God wants-

Jesus inaugurated a new love for His people. In contrast to the loveless lives that came naturally to fallen people, Jesus grants His people new ability to live new lives of love. This brings us hope because God enables us to love, by His Spirit who lives in us. It is also a catalyst to self-examination. We make so many excuses for our sin and abdication of responsibilities. Is there any growth in personal love for other people and for God- If not, you should consider whether you are not still in spiritual darkness. You are no the path to self-destruction due to hardheartedness.