2 Peter 1. The hymns went real good. That last song he was trying to teach us, Fannie Crosby wrote that. That woman was plugged in, wasn't she? But those songs were about the Christian life and how to do it. That's what we're gonna talk about this morning. Something we're supposed to add. And if we could do like that song says and abide under the shadow of the cross, that means you're right there and the cross is shadowing over you. And if we could, I mean, consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself, that should be weird and faint in your minds. I mean, if we could just keep the cross ever before us, it would sure help us to add what we got to add here today from this text in Peter. How about that last song? We sing a song sometimes up at the Stewart House, and I do it on purpose because of the age of those people. Precious memories? And we do. Every day we're making memories, guys. Some of them are precious and good, and some of them you wish you could forget. Well, that's a great truth in that song. Do you realize there's coming a day when everything's going to be made new and you're not going to remember all that bad stuff? It'd be gone. 2 Peter 1, verse number 1, Simon Peter. servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine nature hath given unto us all things pertaining to life, excuse me, according to his divine power, have given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that have called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, like the one I just mentioned. He promised you in the next life all them bad things that you're thinking about right now will be gone, all them bad memories you made. Didn't it say, don't it say somewhere, he cast your sins in the sea of forgetfulness? Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust, and beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue, knowledge, and to knowledge, temperance, and to temperance, patience, and to patience, godliness. Now godliness is, it runs pretty parallel with the fear of God, the fear of the Lord. Some have said godliness is like godlikeness, and I don't agree with that. It's more like godwardness. towards God and through God and because of God. And it's kind of a inner fear, it's kind of an inner reverence for God Almighty. And when you add godliness to your faith, it generates a lifestyle change. In 1 Timothy, Paul's writing to Timothy says, I exhort, therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. So this thing about godliness is something that will affect your lifestyle. It's the way you live. When he's writing to Titus, he says, talking about the grace of God, he says, teaching us that denying ungodliness, which is the opposite of godliness, and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. He told Titus what we're supposed to do in this present world we're living in, we should live godly. I'm just trying to get you to see that this thing of adding godliness to your faith, it will generate a certain way you live, your lifestyle. It says, yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus. It's got to do with how you live. It's not just a mere feeling. It's not just a mere inner reverence or a respect for God. It produces, when it's added, it produces a certain lifestyle, okay? And it's called, right there in that passage in 2 Peter, are you still there? It's called, You see how it mentions the divine nature, the divine nature. According as this divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. He goes on and says, he gave us exceeding great and precious as promises that we might be a partaker of the divine nature. Well, that divine nature is all bundled up in that thing of godliness. Now, you get knowledge from his words, right? You're not gonna add this part, per se, from the word of God. You've got to have the Word of God. See? Because he says you get it from the exceeding great and precious promises. Well, that's what's in the Word of God. I mean, you got to get to a place in your life by the Word of God that the world doesn't corrupt you anymore. He says in the passage there, having escaped the corruption that is in this world. See? You gotta get to a place by reading the Bible to where you get your lust. You gotta get your lust changed. Instead of lusting after the physical things of this world, you're lusting after God. And you're not gonna get that apart from the Bible. Okay? We call ourselves Bible Believers Baptist Church when we put a heavy emphasis on the words of God, amen? And I'm just telling you, you're not gonna be able to do this Christian life apart from it. You're gonna have to spend some time in it. It's this knowledge of God that produces a godly lifestyle, okay? And the knowledge that this world wants you to have Quite honestly, folks, I just ain't gonna cut it. Say, what are you trying to say, preacher? If you're gonna add godliness to your life, if you're gonna add godliness to your faith, you're gonna have to read the Bible. It starts there. Hey, you're gonna have to study the Bible, not just read it. You're gonna have to seek God from the pages of this book. You understand? You're gonna have to listen to the Bible. You're gonna have to attend church and listen to the Bible be preached to you and taught to you. Listen to teaching. Study to show thyself approved unto God. A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, write and divide in the word of truth. And the next verse says, but shun profane and vain babblings. Profane, that's that worldly carnal stuff that's out there that bombards us daily and we carry it around in our pocket and it's just everywhere. You know what he says about that stuff? He says they'll increase unto more ungodliness. I'm just trying to stress the point. You're not gonna get this thing of godliness apart from the word of God. I mean, if you just keep putting all that other stuff in there all the time, all the time, all the time, it's actually gonna increase into more ungodliness. And that's what we're trying to get away from. So it generates a lifestyle. It's God working from the inside out. The next thing I wanna say about this thing is it can be counterfeited. Take your Bible and turn to 2 Timothy chapter number three. And it can be deceptive. We've been here many times, and the reason why is, is your preacher believes we're living in the last days. And he tells you specifically what's going on in the church, amongst God's people, in the last days. It says, this know also, 2 Timothy 3, this know also, that in the last days, perilous times shall come for men. shall be lovers of their own selves. I noticed in one of those stanzas we just sang that Fannie Crosby wrote, she was asking for help to love God more. Well, here it says, in the last days, they're gonna be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truth-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness. You see that? But denying the power thereof. Then he says, from such turn away. I mean, in the latter days, self-love is gonna trump love for God. That's what he said was gonna happen. And in the last days, there's gonna be a form of godliness, but it's not the real thing, it's just a form of it. Look backwards to 1 Timothy 6. This thing of godliness, many people add, many of God's people add, but it's a counterfeit, it's not the real thing, and it's deceptive. First Timothy 6.1, let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. His doctrine. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise, what, contrary to verse one and two? This is why we don't have a big church. But there it is. There it is. Servants that are under the yoke. Y'all understand being under the yoke? That's a bond servant. Where you're to honor your masters. And if you don't, it blasphemes his doctrine. That's what he says. And then he says, teach this stuff and exhort this stuff. And the reason why is, if any man teach otherwise, and Baptist preachers have, we'll celebrate one of them's holiday tomorrow. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine, here it is, this doctrine is according to godliness. He says he's proud, knowing nothing but doting about questions and stripes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmising, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness. See how it's counterfeited? From such withdraw thyself. The way that thing works, see, is he says over in Colossians, servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. See that? Somebody that's got the real godliness, they're not really serving their master. They're doing it out of fear of God, because God said so, right there in Timothy and in Colossians. And then he goes on to say, and whatsoever you do, whatsoever you do, not just servant and master relationship, whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord. We say, what is that? That's godliness. See? You're living your life the way you're living your life for God and to God. So true godliness, it produces a doctrine, a teaching, that causes you to do everything, even slavery, towards God, not the master. The counterfeit godliness doctrine, he calls it gain, is the godliness. Do y'all see how big this is? What does that say for this prosperity gospel that's being preached all over America? Because that's what they're preaching. God wants you rich. Gain. God wants you free. Gain. God wants you to be healthy and wealthy. Gain. They suppose that's the godliness. That's what they're preaching. But what did he say about those guys? He said their minds were corrupted. He said they were destitute of the truth. And he also said, get away from them. Did you notice twice in those passages I'm quoting, he said to get away from these people, separate yourself from these people. That's how dangerous this stuff is. From such turn away, from such withdraw thyself. Paul wrote one time, I wrote unto you in an epistle not to accompany with fornicators, yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or with extortioners, or with idolaters. That's our list. For then must ye needs go out of the world. He says you can't get away from fornicators and covetous people in this world. He says but now I'm writing unto you to not keep company, if any man could be called a brother, be those things. He says, no, not to eat with them, don't hang out with them, don't fellowship with them. You've got liberty to hang out with unsaved people, doing all kind of sins, amen? Jesus was a friend to sinners, amen? But the brethren, but saved people, people that call themselves brothers, If they have a form of godliness, you're to get away from them. It's the brethren you gotta look out for. Because they're counterfeiters of this thing called godliness. And it can be counterfeited. And it can be deceptive and deceive people. And it has. Look at something else. Look at the fruits of adding this godliness. 2 Corinthians chapter number seven. Here's a good place to mention why I don't believe that godliness is being like God, God-likeness. See, I understand the sentiment. I understand that many times if you are truly godly, you might have some of the attributes, the divine nature that God has and wants you to have, see. But we're supposed to serve God with reverence and godly fear. That's not fear like God has. What is God afraid of? You understand? In this passage right here, he talks about godly sorrow. That's not sorrow like God has. When have you ever heard him apologize and say, I'm sorry? He's always done right. So it's not God likeness. In 2 Corinthians 7.10, for godly sorrow worketh repentance. To salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death. So that is sorrow towards God. And what does that produce? Genuine repentance. A change of heart, a change of mind, see? That's the fruits of godliness. the sorrow the world produces. Death. It worketh death. So, this subject matter today about adding godliness to our faith is a life or death situation. You see how serious it is? Verse 11, for behold, this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort. See that, how it's used there? Again, that's not sorrow like God has. You're sorry, but your sorrow is aimed towards God. You're sorry to God for what you've done. What carefulness it wrought in you. See, there's one of the fruits. We're talking about the fruits of adding God. How about carefulness? Yea, what clearing? See, it brought clearing. What indignation? Yea, what fear? Yea, what vehement desire? Yea, what zeal? What revenge? I mean, all that stuff right there is fruits of having godly sorrow. And Paul said in all these things, you've approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. The Bible talks about godly edifying. When Paul was writing to Timothy, he says, don't give heed to fables and endless genealogies which minister questions, like we've already talked about with the profane stuff and the vain babblings. He said, but rather godly edifying, which is in faith, so do. Godly edifying. That's edifying other people, edifying God's people. with God in mind and for God, and in obedience to God. Godliness edifies other people. It builds them up. It encourages them. It assures them. It don't cause questions like the fables. and endless genealogies. We don't have any trouble with endless genealogies. We're not close to Jews, you understand? Or Mormons. They get into that kind of stuff. But fables plague the modern church. How about this for a fruit? Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. So you say one of the fruits of godliness is suffering? Yep. That's one of those exceeding great and precious promises, you know. You can't do wrong and get away with it. You can't do right and get away with it. See? It says over there in Timothy, in another place, talking about the women, he said, these women need to be women professing godliness with good works. Godliness produces good works. Hadn't you had enough bad works in your life? But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness, for bodily exercise profiteth little. But Godliness is profitable unto all things. Unto all things. Because he said a while ago, whatsoever you do, see, do it for the Lord, not for men. It's profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is. What's the promise of the life that now is? Suffering. and of the life that is his to come. You got two things there. God on us is profitable for this life, and God on us is profitable for the next life, because you get paid for it one day. You get a reward. And you get these fruits in your life. What, if you add, I mean it's good that we believed on Jesus Christ, right? And what he said was, you got to add this stuff. And we've already looked at what happens if we don't add this stuff. And we'll look at it again when we get to the end. But you get a reward in the next life. And you get fruits in this life. He said godliness with contentment is great gain. Great gain. He said having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. You want power? You want the power of God in your life? It comes from adding godliness. Turn over to Psalms 1. Blessed is the man. Ain't that what we want? We want God's blessings in our lives? Well, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. So why do we pay so much attention to people that are ungodly? How can we put so much stock in the news media? How can we put so much stock in podcasts and man's philosophies? You understand? Worldly, carnal stuff and not God. What God has to say. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. I told you at the very beginning, you're not gonna add this without the word of God. What do you delight in? That book's boring. You better find a way to make it a delight to you. I mean, reckon why he started off saying you might ought to add some temperance, some self-control. Because it'll take some temperance to get through the Bible. Y'all know what I mean? You get over there at about Chronicles, you get over there and start reading about all that stuff in the temple, with the tacks and the pomegranates and all that stuff. Well, isn't every word of God pure? See? You're not gonna completely add this thing of godliness apart from the words of God. His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in the law doth he meditate, day and night. I was sitting there drinking my coffee this morning, and I caught myself. meditating about something I watched on TV last night. And it dawned on me, you're putting too much of that stuff in and not enough of the word of God. He said meditate day and night. What do you think about? You memorizing scripture? This is the first thing I memorized after I got saved. Psalms 1. It ain't there now because of this AGE thing I'm having problems with. You older people understand that, it starts slipping. He shall be like a tree planted by, this is somebody that don't pay any attention to ungodly stuff, verse 1. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit. We just talked about that, the fruits of godliness. In his season, his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment. nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. I've always put that verse at the judgment seat of Christ. Ungodly people ain't gonna be there. You get a reward for being godly. You understand? You get a reward for living the Christian life. And you gotta add this thing of godliness to get to where you can, it affects your lifestyle and you actually live out the Christian life. He says, the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. but the way of the ungodly shall perish, making righteous godly, the opposite of ungodly, see? See why you gotta get in the Bible? Because you gotta learn, see we started off saying you gotta add knowledge, you gotta learn, get the knowledge of God, and find out what God says is right, and what God says is wrong, and walk in that. You know what the bottom line is? Here we go. You're either living this life after you got saved for yourself or you're living it for God. Period. And that's why you need to add God in this. So you quit living this life for yourself and live this life for God. Godliness is towards God, through God, and with God in mind. There's passages over there in the Old Testament that says that God is not in all their thoughts. That's somebody that's totally ungodly. Even this unsaved woman at the well, before she got saved, she had a knowledge of God, right? You know what it says in Acts? This thing of godliness is a inner mindset, if you will. It says in Acts, in him we live and move and have our being. You see that? He is so intimately involved in every aspect of your life. See? That is a knowledge you get from the Bible. That is godliness. And when you get a hold of that and get that settled in your heart and in your mind, then you can saw wood to the glory of God, wash dishes to the glory of God. You understand? That's godliness. Everything you're doing, you're doing for God and because of God. When Paul was writing in Romans, he says, for of him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever, amen. Do you understand this thing? Do you understand that in America, you're living amongst a nation that has no thought of God at all? In my generation, see, they started teaching that we just evolved from monkeys with no purpose for living at all. You're just a ant on a big old giant ant hill, just scurrying about, see? See, what is that? That's ungodliness. It was taught to people, and people lived their lives by that, you understand? And this thing of Godliness is a consciousness, if you will, that God is seeing, He is hearing, and He knows what you're doing, what you're saying, what you're thinking at all times. I mean, meditate on that for a couple of weeks. I mean, the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good, right? He's looking at you right now. David said, thou knowest my down sitting and my up rising, thou understandest my thought afar off. That's where he says, such knowledge is too high for me. Yeah, amen. Hard to wrap your mind around that. But that's what we're supposed to add. See? And it ultimately produces living this life for him and not for you. Y'all sure are quiet. Is that too heavy? Do you know what I just told you? Real Christianity. Not this fake stuff that's going on. This is what you'll get rewarded for in eternity. This is what God is looking for. It is, it really is. And you'll have to add it. It don't come natural. Your natural lust is to head towards the things you can see and feel and touch and the worldly stuff, the profane stuff. That's why it says, exercise thyself rather unto godliness. You'll have to work at it. You understand? I mean, make a conscious decision right now. Okay, Lord, I see that. You said to add that. And the opposite of that, you've seen the disaster of the opposite of that. You want to be like a tree planted by a river? You want God to bless you? You want to be like a tree planted by rivers of water? You wanna bring forth fruit in your season? You want God to reward you in the end? It's all coupled up in this thing of adding this. Make a conscious decision, okay Lord, I'm gonna make an effort to add that. I'll tell you what that's gonna require of you though. Spending time with the book. Spending time with the book. whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these, these, what's in the book, you can become a partaker of the divine nature. Divine nature. That's the nature. Our nature ain't no good. You want the godly nature? It comes from the book. Spending time in the book. Let's close with prayer. Thank you, Father, for giving us the book. Thank you, Father, for these people that are gathered, Lord, here this day that seem to have an interest, Lord, in your book and in your words. And, Lord, I sure pray you'd help me and help these people to be aware of this thing that you call godliness. Help us to make a conscious decision this day, Lord, to work on it. You said exercise ourself. Work on it, Lord, every day. every day. And God, I know you're faithful. I know you'll reward us the way you said you would. I know you'll produce the fruit through us the way you said you would. Help these people, I pray in Jesus' name, amen. Thank you, folks, for being here today. As far as I know, we will have church Wednesday night. It all depends on how much snow falls on Tuesday. We'll see, because I know it will not melt off this hill down here. I mean, some of it's still around.