Wanted – Godly Men

Wanted – Godly Men

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Wanted: godly men

Psalm 15; I Tim 3

 DWM-04   WFF-13

 

There have probably been few times in the history of this planet when it has been harder to be a man of God than today. All around us Satan has poised the forces of the darkness of this world to destroy the endangered species known as the godly man. That was what Paul must have thought as he sat to write I Timothy 3:1.

 

Sometime in the year AD 64, Paul the apostle looked out of the tiny grate that let in light to his subterranean dungeon.  His cell in the Mamertinum prison was only a stones throw from the epicenter of the world, the Roman Forum.

 

Outside he heard the crowds surging to the Circus Maximus, or to the gladiatorial games, or any of the other myriads of great Roman festivals.  The mighty legions returned from victory after victory with dazzling displays of plunder and captives.

 

But in that solitary dungeon of dampness, deprivation and discomfort, once again the spirit overshadowed the great apostle and began to breathe through him the very Word of God.

 

What is amazing is that with a shamelessly professed homosexual emperor and a bloodthirsty mob of Romans behind him in self gratifying lust, Paul would write: in the last days the world will get darker! Paul was saying, this is only the prelude.  The fallen ego is evident but will come to full bloom in days ahead.

 

Then he lists the qualities of godlessness that well be embodied in the last days:

• Philautos = self lovers, a life centered in self. The antithesis of the life god calls for which is death to self.
• Philaguros = lovers of money, and Timothy as pastor of Ephesus was in the second most prosperous, materialistic center of the ancient world. All the trade routes dumped wealth here!
• Alazon = braggart, boastful. It was the word for the medicine peddling quack doctor who could cure anything.  Then it just came to mean a boaster of empty words.
• Huperephanos = arrogant, to show ones self above, this is not an outward show, this is an inward condition of all consuming pride.
• Blasphemia = revilers is not the hot words of anger but the cold insult of an arrogant pride.
• Disobedient to parents = the loss of all submission to positions of authority over young people.
• Acharistos = ungrateful, thankless, a refusal to even acknowledge the debt of gratitude owed to god and man.
• Anosios = unholy is a refusal to even recognize decency in life, the unwritten ones like burial of the dead. But beyond cultural things, this is the base and shameless seeking of abnormal pleasures and thrills.
• Astorgos = unloving is to be without family or human affection. Storge is family love.  A means without. This is a time when self prevails over even the closest ties of family.
• Aspondos = unreconcilable is either a person who can never be reconciled or, one who breaks all agreements for selfish purposes. Thus an implacable or hateful person.
• Diabolos = malicious gossips is literally, devils or slanderers. Even worse than stealing property is to destroy another’s reputation, which is the wickedness of slander.
• Akrates = without self control is to be uncontrollable in their desires
• Anemeros = brutal is to be savage as in a wild beast.
• Aphilagathos = hater of good means no love for goodness of anything.
• Prodotes = treacherous is to be willing to betray for any reason.
• Propetes = reckless is literally “swept along” headlong and unthinkingly.
• Tetuphomenos = conceited, lit. Head swelled for their own importance
• Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of god = the recreation worshipper and hedonists
• Holding to a form of godliness = outwardly somewhat religious.
• Although they have denied its power = they are not born from above as John 3 speaks of, but from beneath as James 3 describes.

 

Back to Psalm 15

Wanted: Men who will Deepen their Walk with God

Psalm 15:1-5

 

There is a pathway to walking with God called truth.

Truth sets us free, truth guards our way, and truth opens us to commune with God.

 

Every man who commits to the way of truth, starts down the Psalm 15 pathway into a close walk each day with God. Just as Proverbs 31 describes the woman of excellence, Psalm 15 describes the man of godliness.

 

Are you ready to deepen your walk with God?

 

Against this gloomy backdrop of forces within our fallen, sinful flesh to sweep us away from God is the old path.  God has the way of obedience and righteousness called holiness.  Listen to God ask you and me, each of us men to his presence.

 

1. HE INTERNALIZES THE TRUTH v. 2
   1. “walks with integrity”
   2. “works righteousness”
2. HE TALKS THE TRUTH. He is honest. v.2a -3a
   1. “speaks truth in his heart”
   2. “doesn’t slander with his tongue”

• HE LIVES THE TRUTH v.3b he is a loyal friend
  1. “nor does evil to his neighbor”
  2. “nor takes up a reproach against a friend”

1. HE RESPECTS TRUTH. he has proper heroes. v. 4a
   1. “in whose eyes a reprobate is despised”
   2. “he honors those who fear the Lord”
2. HE PROTECTS THE TRUTH. He can’t be bought. v. 4b-5
   1. “he swears to his own hurt” = a man of his word
   2. “he doesn’t put out his money at interest” = not take advantage of adversity in another’s life.
   3. “nor take a bribe against the innocent” = he can’t be swayed from what is right.

 

Well, how are you doing men?

Remember that even a tiny hole in the bag will tarnish the silver. Any exposure, no matter how small, is deadly!

 

God is vitally interested in you and me being of the kind of character that is drawn to his presence.  Just two quick penetrating applications of this life of integrity.  Usually we don’t unravel all at once from integrity.  There are some danger signs like those red lights on our instrument panel: oil pressure, door ajar and so on.

You see, in two basic arenas men usually fail:

Two little things: lust and little disciplines.

 

What are some little things?  How about the speed limit? Part of the spirit of this world is no one is going to pass me by. I will keep up or get ahead. How we are in our spiritual life is reflected sometimes in our impatience while driving, anger, pride, lack of love, lack of submission and lack of holiness.

 

Paul (Romans 13) and Peter (I Peter 2:13) both say be subject to the rules of our government, even though it was Mr. Homosexual himself, Nero. I can distinctly remember the day, place and time when I gave up my rationalization and selfish impatience about driving and submitted joyfully to 55mph when its the state law.  Its a small thing but it breeds an attitude of rationalizing, impatience, pride and guilt every time you step on the brake when you see the state trooper.  Even worst, it can produce desensitization to laws if you buy a device to be beyond the reach of the law, like a fuzz buster radar detector.  Little things do big damage in the life of a godly man.

 

One final little thing, how about where you place your relationship with god?

Is it uncompromisable?

Will you sacrifice for it?

Do you seek first the kingdom of God as Christ  in mt. 6:33 commands?

Do you read the paper more regularly, or watch the tv more often or listen to the radio more primarily in your life than God?

When is the last time you worked on verse memory?

Read the Word of God for an hour lately? (Have you watched a game for an hour lately?)

The world is marshalled against you making it as a man of god.

Watch out for the little things.  God wants you to be a psalm 15 man:

 

1. HE INTERNALIZES THE TRUTH v. 2
   1. “walks with integrity”
   2. “works righteousness”
2. HE TALKS THE TRUTH. He is honest. v.2a -3a
   1. “speaks truth in his heart”
   2. “doesn’t slander with his tongue”

• HE LIVES THE TRUTH v.3b he is a loyal friend
  1. “nor does evil to his neighbor”
  2. “nor takes up a reproach against a friend”

1. HE RESPECTS TRUTH. he has proper heroes. v. 4a
   1. “in whose eyes a reprobate is despised”
   2. “he honors those who fear the Lord”
2. HE PROTECTS THE TRUTH. He can’t be bought. v. 4b-5
   1. “he swears to his own hurt” = a man of his word
   2. “he doesn’t put out his money at interest” = not take advantage of adversity in another’s life.
   3. “nor take a bribe against the innocent” = he can’t be swayed from what is right.

 

How about it, God wants godly men

Slides

 

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