Denying Ungodliness

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about Denying Ungodliness. Let’s turn to Titus 2:11-14, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us; did you know that the grace of God teaches us?, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Let’s turn to Php 3:1-21, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Heb 3:6-19, But Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, they always go astray, and they have not known My ways. So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest. Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. Heb 4:9-16,  There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. When we are being tempted, we can come boldly to the throne of grace and find help in the time of need. 

Let’s go to 1 Pet 1:13-25, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 

because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. The scripture says, Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. What is holiness? Holiness is simply being separate from sin, separate from that which is evil, that which is defiling: separated unto God. As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever… This is how we purify our souls: by obeying the Word of God through the Spirit; the Holy Spirit leading us to do the Words of God. As we continue in the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will teach us His Word, and He will be leading us every day in doing it, and that’s how we will be purifying our souls; that’s how we will be being set free from the things that bind us up, from the things that defile us. Chapter 2, verses 9-12,  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 2 Pet 2:1-9, But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds, then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment… We see here in verses 7&8, that Lot was vexed by the filthy conversation of the wicked. It says in verse 8, For that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds. The same is true today: as we see and hear the lawless deeds that are before us every day; it vexes our souls if we are after righteousness. If we are seeking to walk in righteousness and holiness before the Lord, those things that we see and hear in this wicked world every day vex our souls. Abraham interceded  for Lot before God, in the plains of Mamre, and God had His angels deliver him out of Sodom before He destroyed it with fire. All the wicked were consumed in the fire. There is a fire coming. The angel told Lot and his family, Don’t look back, but, because of the condition of her heart, her love of the world, the things she had in Sodom, Lot’s wife looked back, in disobedience to the Word of the Lord, and became a pillar of salt. Jesus said, Remember Lot’s wife. The Apostle John said, Love not the world; if any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Jesus, by His own intercession for us, with the sacrifice of Himself, has delivered us out of the fire that is coming. The wrath of God is coming. All the wicked will be consumed in the fire; they will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. As you are being delivered from the destruction to come, are you looking back? Do you love the world and it’s pleasures? If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Is your heart overcharged with the things of this life, so that that day will overtake you, and come upon you unaware?

2 Cor 6:14-18, 7:1,  Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.  Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Remember: Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Are you touching unclean things? Are you being defiled by the things you indulge in, on your phone, your computer, or your TV? It’s so easy, and made readily available to you! You’re going to have to come to the place, like the Apostle Paul did: to count it all dung, and to put it out of your life, seeking the Lord with all your heart at His throne of grace, to help you to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, that you might know Jesus, and the power of His resurrection, if by any means you might attain to the resurrection from the dead: the first resurrection. Blessed is he who has part in the first resurrection; on him the second death has no power!  That’s what we’re after people! We want to be a part of that first resurrection! There is nothing of this life that is worth hanging on to, if it’s going to keep you from being a part of that! Forget what is behind and reach forward to that which is before! Press toward the mark for the prize: the prize! There is a prize: the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!