Set Free By Jesus Through Discipline

True Life Church

“Set Free By Jesus Through Discipline”
1 Timothy 3:14-4:16
Sermon Series: “Set Free To Live Free”

Introduction: What kind of person has God created and saved me to be? The answer is found in Romans 8:29, which says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” So, God’s purpose is to make me like Jesus. How does this happen? Well, it happens through salvation, which includes justification, sanctification, and glorification. Right now, we are in the process of sanctification, and actually being like Jesus is often easier said than done in the real world of life and all its challenges. Paul expressed his difficulty with this in Romans 7, which is a chapter that we can really relate to as we struggle to live godly lives. So, how can I actually live as a godly, Christlike person? That is what we are going to explore today as we conclude this series.

Main Idea: Jesus makes us godly, but it takes a disciplined effort to know Jesus better to truly live a godly life.

1. In Christ, I am a godly person because of what Jesus has done for me and not because of what I do (3:16-4:5). Verse 16 is very clear that righteousness and godliness comes through the person and work of Jesus (see Romans 3:19-28, 2 Corinthians 3). This stands in contrast with legalistic efforts to make ourselves right with God in 4:1-5. So, forgiveness and deliverance from sin come from Jesus (Romans 6). We have to look at Him instead of sin, love Him more than our sin, and believe that He is better than our sin.

2. In Christ, I can live as a godly person through a disciplined effort to know Jesus better (4:6-8). Philippians 2:12b-13 says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Sanctification is God’s work in us, but it is experienced through our disciplined efforts. Paul used athletics as an analogy for this (see also 1 Corinthians 9:24-27). The word, “exercise,” or “discipline,” in our text is where we get our English word, “gymnasium.” Here are some thoughts and applications on this:
-Craig Groeschel defines discipline as, “Choosing what you want most instead of what you want now.” It is choosing the pain of discipline over the pain of regret. Someone has said, “We pay now or we pay later, but when we pay later, the price is always greater.”

• We won’t live godly lives by our own self-effort or without effort.
• As we have talked about a lot through this series, verses 6-7 tell us that we have to replace lies with truth.
• We need to be careful not to be legalistic or use grace as an excuse for sin.
• Discipline in general is important, but the most important reason for discipline is to know Jesus better.
• We will not wake in freedom without discipline (Romans 6:16).
• Let’s apply this by seeking Jesus first (Matthew 6:33) and let the rest of our lives flow out of that practice.

Conclusion: Are you trusting Jesus or your own self-effort for your salvation? Only Jesus makes us right with God. Along with that, are you disciplining yourself for the purpose of godliness? Are you seeking Jesus first in your life? We live the Christian life in His strength (Philippians 4:13) but not apart from our disciplined efforts (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).