Dare to be Disciplined

Chuck Mullis

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The pursuit of Godliness begins with discipline

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Intro

Most are familiar with the Amish way of living

The Amish Culture is driven by the Amish religion which teaches that they must be separate from worldly sin to receive salvation.

Rumspringa is German for “running around”

Everything Amish people do is pointed toward the goal of maintaining this separate way of life.

So they don’t own cars and still use a horse and buggy

Rumspringa is German for “running around”

They don’t have modern conveniences like electricity, telephones, etc.

They’re known for they’re craftsmanship, farming, barn raising, and baking

And every bit of they’re life is spent with this focus on abstaining from every worldly influence to guarantee their salvation

Believe it or not, while it is heavily encouraged, no one is forced to join the Amish community

In fact when each child is around 14-16 years old it becomes a time for the youth to “test the waters”

They call it “rumspringa”

Rumspringa is Pennsylvania Dutch for “running around”

It’s a time for Amish youth to experience what the world has to offer apart from their Amish prohibitions

So the majority of them will indulge in living like a normal teenager: using a cell phone, surfing the internet, driving cars, going to the movie theater, etc

And there are some who lose their minds: Sleeping around, drinking to excess, experimenting with drugs, etc.

But what is truly remarkable is this:

You would think that after being prohibited for so long that once they have tasted “true freedom” they would have no desire to return to the Amish way of life

But the reality is that nearly 90% of all teens who participate in rumspringa, return to be baptized into the Amish community

Now for those of us outside the Amish community - we experience a rumspringa of sorts ourselves.

Some call it sowing your wild oats (circa 1592, to fritter away in stupid and idle pastimes)

But there is the hope and expectation that after “sowing your oats”, you’ll settle down and live as though you should

So whether you’re Amish or not, a life of self-denial and separation can't change the human heart.

You might cage the animal of your passions up for a little while, but your heart still wants rumspringa.

A life of self-denial and separation can't change the human heart. Only the Gospel does that (Read ). You might cage the animal of your passions up for a little while, but your heart still wants rumspringa. You can live without cable, a cell phone, or indoor plumbing but that won't make you a Christian. We don't believe in justification by indoor plumbing.

You might cage the animal of your passions up for a little while, but your heart still wants rumspringa.

You can live without cable, a cell phone, or indoor plumbing but that won't make you a Christian.

Only the Gospel can truly change our heart (Read ).

Being religious doesn’t change your heart (being irreligious doesn’t either)

But only a relationship with Jesus is what will change our heart

That’s the main reason why Paul sends young Timothy this letter

1 Timothy 4:1–10 ESV

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

One of the major issues that Paul has to consistently combat and warn against in his NT letters is the danger of asceticism (abstinence, avoidance, teetotalism)

Asceticism - severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.

After all for thousands of years Jewish people held to this avoidance of certain foods and acts for religious purity

And by no means will you hear me say that avoiding particular vices and devices is wrong

There are things offered to us in this world that we should avoid - Scripture is plain about that

It matters that we have a Biblical worldview and live by it

So we avoid immorality on all levels and we are to pursue righteousness

We also know that forming good habits (bible reading, prayer, church participation, lifestyle evangelism) is a mark (fruit) of our salvation

But here is why asceticism is dangerous -

Asceticism is dangerous because we can begin to believe that these good and Godly habits are our means of salvation

Especially in the Bible belt - we have a tendency to believe that because we have: grown up in church, our granddaddy was a preacher, my grandma prayed for me, read the bible everyday, pray everyday, (insert righteous, pious deed ) etc. that we are eternally secure and are going to go to heaven

The only way that we will ever enter into heaven is through our faith, belief and response to Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sin

Our eternal security is based on what Christ has done not what we have done

And I want to make sure we understand that because it’s easy to become self-righteous while we pursue Christlikeness

And so our pursuit of Christlikeness

That’s been my theme for the past few weeks right?

To be more like Christ in 2018

And being Christlike means that we pursue holiness, get into the Word more (5x5x5), pray more, evangelize, etc

And as we begin doing these things, we need to constantly check ourselves before we wreck ourselves!

We need to check our motives behind why we’re doing what we’re doing

Are we doing it so we can be puffed up?

Or are we doing it out fo obedience and devotion to Christ who has redeemed us.

But being obedient doesn’t come overnight and it doesn’t come easily

It takes resolve but it also takes discipline

And discipline is something that we all struggle with isn’t it?

If discipline wasn’t difficult, everyone would keep there New Year’s Resolutions

We’d all eat the right foods, exercise as we should, floss daily, be generous, etc. - Utopian society

But we’re not disciplined and as Christians we need to be.

Maybe you’re thinking, “I’d like to be disciplined, but I try for a while and then fall back to my old ways.”

So, what’s the key to becoming disciplined?

The key to becoming disciplined is motivation.

Why do those Olympic athletes drive themselves relentlessly for years? They’re motivated to win a gold medal.

Former Dallas Cowboys coach, Tom Landry, put it, “The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be.”

Discipline requires us to do hard things, things that we may not like at first, things that may seem unnatural to us but ultimately they become the things that drive us!

So we need to become disciplined in order to be obedient to the life that God has for us.

We need discipline to be more Christlike

And we need to be disciplined because eternity is at stake

Not just ours but those we have an influence over as well

None of us live in a bubble where it’s all just about “me” (even though we live like it)

Our lives are not are own - they belong to Christ

So me must discipline ourselves to be more Christlike because eternity is the issue

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Yes we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus but it’s an active faith that produces godliness

True belief is putting feet to your faith

So, Paul instructs Timothy here in this passage to be a good servant of Christ Jesus you need to be disciplined in two areas of your life:

1. Disciplined in Your Doctrine

2. Disciplined in Your Devotion

Disciplined in Good Doctrine ()

1 Timothy 4:6–7 ESV

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;

1 Timothy 4:6 ESV

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.

“Theology leads to biography “- Tony Merida

Your beliefs drive your behavior

And your beliefs come from what you know and have experienced

And so when Paul exhorts Timothy to put these things before the brothers he’s referring to vs. 1-5 which have to do with apostasy (false teaching)

False teachers were as rampant then as they are now - people will always try to distort God’s word

They’ll even do it with the “support” of Scripture

They’ll make it look good and religious - Asceticism

Paul challenges Timothy not to fall for it instead he encourages him to live out what he believes before the “brothers and sisters” (fellow believers in Christ)

And Paul says there are two things we need to pursue godliness: the right diet, and the right discipline.

the right diet, and the right discipline.

Paul says there are two things we need to pursue godliness: the right diet, and the right discipline.

In verse 6, “trained” (ESV) is better rendered “nourished”

“…being nourished in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine...”

– verse 6, “trained” (ESV) is better rendered “nourished”

What’s he talking about?

The Word!

How do you know how to avoid false teaching - you feast on the Word of God

Paul goes on to say in vs. 7

1 Timothy 4:7 ESV

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;

Pauls says avoid “Spiritual Junk Food”

Asceticism right?

Ridiculous symbolism, myths, genealogies

Extra-biblical rules - what the Pharisees promoted - taking it “next-level”

Extra-biblical rules

But what does this look like today for us?

Speculation about end times - There’s a lot of end time fiction out there - no one knows - Christians won’t be here

• Speculation about end times • Appeals to the flesh • Prosperity theology • Empty ritual

Appeals to the flesh - Dress a certain way, Don’t drink, Don’t eat Pork, Sex is for procreation only

Appeals to the flesh Prosperity theology Empty ritual

Prosperity theology - Give to get

Empty ritual - KJV only, Attending but not participating (going through the motions),

Rather Paul says to Consume Nourishing Food

vs. 6

The Gospel

• Apostolic doctrine, and the Gospel • Good servants are nourished by the Good

Good servants are nourished by the Good news

Psalm 107:9 ESV

For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

news •

Are you New to the Bible? Start eating.

• Are you New to the Bible? Start eating.

It may seem daunting at first, hard to understand, maybe even boring (as if) but begin the discipline of getting into God’s Word and it will radically change your life for the better

There’s a quote from Mr. Holland’s Opus that has always stuck with me:

When I was 15, I hung out at a local record store. And the guy there thought he knew what I liked and one day, handed me this record album and it was John Coltrane. I took it home and played it and I hated it, I mean, I really hated it. So, I played it again. I played it again and I played it again, and I just couldn't stop playing it.

Get into the Word of God.

Diet (6-7a)

It will seem unnatural at first.

– verse 6, “trained” (ESV) is better rendered “nourished”

It may be difficult.

Avoid “Spiritual Junk Food”

But the more you dive into it the more you will grow to love it!

• Asceticism

So be nourished by the word but also

Discipline yourself in the good doctrine

Ridiculous symbolism, myths, genealogies

Disciplined in Devotion

1 Timothy 4:7 ESV

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;

1 Timothy 4:7–10 ESV

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Extra-biblical rules

New Year’s is a time when the majority of people are making a resolution to get in shape

And in order to get into shape, what do you need to do?

You have to discipline yourself.

When it’s time to go to the gym, it is so easy to make excuses and find reasons not to go

But if you discipline yourself, and you determine to get into shape, then you’re not only training your body to use muscles that you didn’t even know you had

But you’re also training your mind to think about and determine what doesn’t come naturally

Getting into shape is a combination of disciplining your body and mind

Well Paul has the same thing in mind here when he talks about training yourself for Godliness

Train – The word he uses (gumnazo) is the word from which we get our word gymnasium or gymnastics.

• Speculation about end times • Appeals to the flesh • Prosperity theology • Empty ritual

gymnastics. It implies sweat and effort. It literally meant “to exercise naked” because of

It implies sweat and effort.

It literally meant “to exercise naked” because of the way the games used to be played.

the way the games used to be played. The point is, spiritual godliness involves spiritual sweat. Discipline is God-centered (Love) Legalism is man-centered (Merit)

Consume Nourishing Food

The point is, spiritual godliness involves spiritual sweat.

It takes discipline to be obedient to God’s Word

It takes discipline to being a follower of Christ

You see discipline is God-centered

When you discipline yourself to be obedient to God’s Word then you’re to be obedient out of the love you have for God’s sacrifice of HIs Son for you.

Love is to be the motivation behind your devotion(Love) But if you’re following God’s Word so that you can be accepted or so that God could consider Himself lucky to have a follower like you...

If you’re only obeying God’s Word because it proves how good you are

Then you’re wasting your time because what you have is legalism and not obedience and Legalism is man-centered (Merit)

The thing we are to exercise in, from this context, is the Scriptures.

• “these things,” “words of faith,” “good doctrine”

We are to exercise in the Word.

This makes sense because everything flows from it.

o Reading o Hearing (next passage) o Memorizing o You can't exercise every four years and expect to see change.

• Apostolic doctrine, and the Gospel • Good servants are nourished by the Good

expect to see change.

news •

• Are you New to the Bible? Start eating.

Godliness comes from the inside out, it doesn’t come from the outside in.

That’s what religion and asceticism tries to do.

and asceticism tries to do. The word changes us through and through.

The word changes us through and through.

Our Devotion to God and our pursuit of godliness has value for the life to come.

That’s what vs. 8 says

Pursuing Godliness promises us that what we do now, what we do for Him in this life is of eternal value

And do you know who makes that promise?

God does.

Look again at

o Life – now and forever. Physical exercise has some value. But godliness has value for the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:10 ESV

For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Who Stands behind this promise: the Living God (10)

The Living God gives us life to come.

The Living God is the Savior of all people – Jew and Gentile.

The Living God is the Savior of all people –

Jew and Gentile.

But you must believe.

You must believe.

Paul said this in .

Paul said this in 2:4-5. There is One Mediator.

1 Timothy 2:4–5 ESV

who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

There is One Mediator.

There is only One who saves: Jesus.

Conclusion

In the movie “Gravity” Sandra Bullock plays a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut played by George Clooney. And he’s in command of this last flight before he retires. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving both of them completely alone - tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness.

After the explosion, when reality has set in, Sandra Bullock’s character says:

Everyone dies, but I’m going to die today. And no one will mourn. Will you say a prayer for me? I would say a prayer, but I don’t know how to pray.

“I know, we're all gonna die. Everybody knows that. But I'm going to die today. Funny that... you know, to know. But the thing is, is that I'm still scared. Really scared. Nobody will mourn for me, no one will pray for my soul. Will you mourn for me? Will you say a prayer for me? Or is it too late... ah, I mean I'd say one for myself but I've never prayed in my life. Nobody ever taught me how... nobody ever taught me how...”

How sad and how common.

No one ever taught me.” How sad and common. You will die. But many don’t know how. They don’t

You will die. But many don’t know how.

They don’t know how to live forever.

know how to live forever.

My friends, you can.

The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus defeated death.

Gospel is that Jesus defeated death. If you will look to him, he will save you, and you can pray any time, anywhere.

If you will look to him, he will save you, and you can pray any time, anywhere.

That’s the first step to becoming a Christian

But the Christian life doesn’t stop there, it’s only the beginning

You see, the goal of the Christian life is not happiness and fulfillment.

It is godliness and becoming a good servant of Christ Jesus (4:6).

But the beautiful irony is that as we pursue that goal, God blesses us with true joy and fulfillment, because godliness holds promise both for the present life and for the life to come.

But this lifestyle requires discipline

Discipline to God and His Word

So, like it or not, discipline is essential for godliness.

And godliness is essential because eternity is certain.

There are no shortcuts, no easy, effortless ways to godliness.

But if you have fixed your hope on the living God who is the Savior, can you do anything less than discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness?

I pray that by His grace we will be disciplined in good doctrine and in our devotion to Him!

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