1 Tim 4:7-10 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. 
	…godliness is profitable for all things…There is a recurring theme in the Apostle Paul’s writing, especially to Timothy, which needs to be considered. As we know, if the Bible mentions things, they are important, and if the Holy Spirit emphasizes the principle more than nine times in the New Testament, we know that it is something worthy of deep consideration. Such is the case concerning godliness in both the Apostle Paul’s and the Apostle Peter’s letters. Why is this emphasis on godliness so vital that we read about it and read about it and read about it again? Presently our focus will be on the development of this godliness, as presented by the Apostle Paul, and the fundamental relationship of godliness that is ours in Jesus Christ. 
Initially, let us be very clear on what godliness is not! We are not becoming little gods unto ourselves. We are not being made into a divine being. Yes, we are one with Christ, but that is in terms of our relationship, as signified by the marriage bond. We are His Bride and He is Our Husband; the two are now brought into one union of relationship. There is absolute oneness as we live in full accordance to the Word of God made alive within us. We are being conformed to the likeness of Christ. That likeness is because He is living forth His life in us and we desire for His Life, His Faith, His Holiness, and His Perfection to be evidenced in our response of love unto Him. We do not become God, but in Christ, we are joined together in such unity, in Him, that we live forth in accordance with His character of being. 
I have heard numerous references to the idea that we are becoming little Jesus’ and, as such, have the power and the authority of the deity that He has. This is not what we are in Christ. Jesus Christ is God’s Only Begotten Son; we can never have that place. Only Jesus Christ is part of the triune Godhead with all power and authority. We serve Him and are His ambassadors and testimony in this earthly realm. Only Jesus Christ can and has atoned for our sins. That is so far beyond even our comprehension, as is the full essence of God’s Love manifesting Himself in that miracle of life. As well, only Christ knows how to fully and absolutely please the Father. As He lives His life in us, we are being more and more perfectly brought into that which will completely please Our Heavenly Father. This, then, is the absolute focal point of our consideration of godliness. It is our intense desire to have God fully pleased as we wholly, unconditionally, and sacrificially respond to His Son’s life working in us. 
	Consider 1 Tim 2:1+2. First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Please note, there are several aspects concerning godliness in this passage. The Apostle Paul is delineating the fact that godliness is, at its basic level, constant communication with God. Entreaties, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving are all forthcoming from within the heart of a godly person. There is a constant holding up of others in prayer. There is a full knowledge that we are to give thanks to God for everything that comes into our lives. We are to make petitions to God for the sake of those people who are in our lives, including all those who have authority over us, whether at school, at work, civically, or politically. We are to entreat the goodness of the Lord to flow forth freely for the sake of others. 
Fully in line with all of these elements are two very important realizations that godliness develops. The first is that we know unto Whom to take our petitions and entreaties. The second, is that we fully trust Him with every prayer, petition, entreaty, and individual. We are thankful to Him for His sovereign answer to every prayer. We can voice our concerns and the cries of our hearts freely, but we never demand anything our way. It is always ended with the heart that desires only that which will please God in each situation. Not my will, but Thy will be done, as we sincerely echo the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ. Godliness calls unto God to be our everything. And Godliness trusts Him to fully, absolutely, lovingly, and sovereignly respond to that call.   
	The next aspect, although written in terms of godly women, is true in every one of us. 1 Tim 2:9+10 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments; but rather by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to godliness. Godliness magnificently adorns those who live their lives unto God. There is a truly godly beauty, a cover of the full grace of God, upon those whose hearts singly yearn for Him to be pleased and honored and glorified. Our works of goodness are never unto ourselves or for our benefit; they are always in absolute obedience to the heart of Christ from within us. It is His beauty that shines forth and there is a distinct difference that is to be seen in our lives. When a Christian enters a room, there should abide a heavenly magnificence of godliness, an aura of distinctiveness in that presence. The Lord Jesus Christ, in all His Holiness and His Glory is the glow of the one in whom He reigns preeminently. That is the presence of the characteristic of godliness in His Body. It is the beauty of Jesus Christ Who shines forth in the godliness of those whom He indwells.
	The next aspect of godliness is that it is a great mystery. There is no way that we can conjure it up. We cannot will it into place in our lives. We can not buy it, nor can we earn it. It is inherent in us because its power and its tremendous value are set in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Master. We cannot make ourselves manifestations of godliness, yet we do seek to live forth, ever more perfectly, in Christ’s godliness. This develops as we learn to honor and to obey Him. That honor and obedience radiates forth from hearts that are in awe of His great love so freely flowing upon us. 1 Tim 3:16 And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory. The mystery of Christ in us, the hope of glory, is utterly beyond comprehension. Yet, in CHrist, our hope of glory, we are brought into living godliness, and that is a most tremendous mystery. 
 	The next reality of godliness is that it needs to be exercised, and that exercise involves the unerring discipline of the Lord. If we want Him to be expressed in our lives on this earth, we need to have hearts that desire His discipline in order for godliness to take root and to develop fully. The soil of our hearts needs to be prepared, needs to be subject to the Holy Spirit, as He tills and seeds, and waters our hearts. There is a sensitivity that needs to be established, a sensitivity to all that the Lord deems fit and proper in the preparation, the discipline of our lives. As stated in this morning’s text, 1 Tim 4:7+8, But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 
	Godliness is unreservedly necessary in our lives. It is the measure of our lives in Christ. Please let me state something very clearly, before we go one step further. We do not place godliness as our focus of life. Jesus Christ must eternally occupy that preeminent place and we must utterly refuse to allow anything to sway our hearts, and minds, and thoughts from Him. As He is proclaimed, as He is desired, as He is sought after and valued, so will our lives be fully characterized by godliness. It is the only manner in which we can walk on this earth. We will not be able to live, except by and in Him. Our former lives will become very  foreign to us, and we will wonder at how we survived so long without the Lord in our lives. Our heart’s very focus is now entirely different from this age. We value Our Lord Jesus Christ above all else, and that definitely is not where this world puts its value.
A person in whom godliness is developed is distinctly different in her or his manner of living. We learn to deal with and treat each situation, each dilemma, and every catastrophe without fear and panic. It is so because we know, with quiet and confident assurance, that God is in absolute control of everything. Jesus Christ’s Lordship reigns in our hearts, and minds, and spirits. As this godliness is established, we see things in an entirely different way. Our view’s focus is from the amazingly, singular perspective of how God works gloriously in hearts softened through hardship, through trials, through tests, and through sufferings. 
We become cognizant of the need for God’s intervention in every life, rather than being caught up in the entrapments of the temporal goals of gains and demoralizing losses of this society. Completely unlike those snared in this world, we find complete purpose and contentment in our lives in the midst of the fiercest storms and gales. It is the contentment that only comes with the knowledge that God is pleased with the work that He is doing in us by Jesus Christ. 
The Apostle Paul, in a very concise segment, shows what godliness is and is not. 1 Tim 6:2-6, And let those who have believers as their masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but let them serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles. If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. 
…But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. Are we satisfied with the life that we have in the Lord? This is a question that gnaws at the very heart of the difference between those in Christ and those outside of Christ. The Lord has instilled in all mankind the desire after contentment, yet we can never find true contentment in anything of this realm. Money, fame, power, admiration, attractiveness, genius, artistic endeavors, to name but a few, will never give us that which brings complete contentment. That true and perfect contentment is only found in the goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ. This world’s vision of godliness declares its utter depravity and its absolute lack of peace and contentment. The more it gains, the more it wants. There is no satisfaction that can be found in any earthly possession, position, wealth, power, or fame. The people of this age seek after a form of godliness because they hope that they will benefit, that they will receive accolades, and admiration, and every other form of consideration as to their value in this world. But they will never find it…he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
However, the contentment of godliness, the value that God places upon it, is not found in terms of what we get from it, but rather from what God receives, freely and fully receives, as Christ is established in our lives. That is the great difference in true godliness. It does not proclaim itself; it does not vaunt itself; and it does not parade itself as a measure of one’s spirituality. It simply desires to please God. We find our perfect contentment in all that He does. With our eyes and our hearts set unfalteringly upon only that which serves to glorify Him on this earth, we find our true contentment in Jesus Christ. It is in His being fully blessed in the lives that we live, with no thought of our benefit, our place, or our position. True godliness is purely focused on pleasing God, and Him Alone.
The Apostle Paul gives godliness great companions in the lives of those who belong to Christ Jesus. In so doing, he highlights something that needs to be dealt with in our relationship with the Lord. 1 Tim 6:10+11 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 
Notice, we are not to gaze longingly at the things this world values. Rather we are to flee them. We are to tear our eyes away from them and their attractions and rather …pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. This is quite a list of things that are to be in place in our lives and hearts and desires. We are to long for the true treasures of God, but again, not for our benefit, but for His benefit. 
All that we are, all that we do, all that we think, and all that we desire is summed up in the godliness that is the life of Jesus Christ. His life is lived with but one goal and that is to please the Father in all that He does. In that singleness of desire, He envelopes His people, His brethren, His Bride, and His Body in all righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Engage in these things! Pursue them and never look back at the fixations of this age! Do not allow anything to take away the contentment of the fulfilled and eternal love of God in Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Our Savior, Our perfect Being of godliness. Amen.
	But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Amen

This morning’s benediction is 1 Tim 6:11-16 But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time —  He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.