Turn with me to Deuteronomy 28, where we read together the first 14 verses, and then we will turn and read 1 Timothy chapter 4, our text being verse 8 of 1 Timothy chapter 4, beginning with the first 14 verses of Deuteronomy chapter 28. In this chapter, Moses talks about blessings for obedience for God's covenant people, as well as, then after verse 14, curses for disobedience. Hear now the Word of God, beginning at verse 1. If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God. You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed in the crops of your land and the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds and lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you. The Lord will establish you as His holy people, as He promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock, and the crops of your ground, and the land He swore to your forefathers to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouses of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you will pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. Turning over to 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1 Timothy 4, beginning at verse 1. The Spirit clearly says that in latter times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth? For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer. If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales. Rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. And for this we labor and strive, that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift which was given you through the prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters. Give yourself wholly to them so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. Again, verse 8. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Dear people of God, we live in a health and exercise-driven age. That's no secret, I trust, to anyone. All you have to do really is look around. And I know this has been true for some years. Some of the common sites that we see on the street are joggers and people jogging and people bicycling and even many walkers. But not to mention all the health clubs that we see scattered around. Working out and getting into good physical shape are high priorities for many people, even some of us here. TV commercials are filled with ads of new and improved exercise equipment. The main goal of many is to firm the fanny and to sculpt the abs. If you took a poll, I guess that the majority of New Year's resolutions that are made every year have something to do with physical fitness, something to do with exercise, diet, weight loss, and getting into good physical shape. Good physical fitness is the number one topic of importance to many, many people. And really, that's what Paul is talking about in this text. I mean, fitness. But by doing so, he puts exercise in the proper perspective. What kind of exercise? Physical and spiritual exercise, as he teaches about profitable exercise. Or we might say valuable exercise. But before we consider this particular text, we need to understand the context and the analogy that Paul is using here. Now the context includes Paul's instructions to Timothy about fitness as a minister of the Word of God. Timothy is to be involved in constant training. Why? Notice the first three verses again. The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. And verse 7 talks about godless myths and old wives' tales. Paul instructs Timothy as a minister as well. He instructs all believers as to how we ought to train and what we are to train for. You notice he closes verse 7 by saying, Train yourself to be godly. Train yourself to be godly or for godliness. We need to talk about that for a moment. The word for train is also translated as discipline or exercise. Exercise yourself for godliness or to be godly. Now, being godly or godliness is talking about having reverence, respect, loyalty, fear, and piety for and towards God. It's talking about complete devotion and godly living. It's talking about the whole of our heart and soul and mind and strength being mobilized toward God and for God and for His kingdom. Godliness, which includes a heart that is the throne of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit and that includes desires and actions that demonstrate that one is a child of God and that God is loved above all and our neighbor as ourself. Godliness is to be our goal. And godliness, beloved, includes the content of the truth of the Word of God and is a visible expression or demonstration of that truth. Godliness includes heavenly obedience being the pattern of our obedience. Thy will be done. And how are believers to train for this? Paul uses the analogy of athletics. The words train or discipline or exercise are translated from the original Greek word gymnazo, from which we get our word gymnasium. Gymnasium, that's not something new for us. The gymnasium was an important place in Greek culture, just as it seems to be a very, very important place in our culture today. But vigorous training would take place for things like wrestling or running or discus throwing and many other forms of athletic competition. But the idea that Paul is bringing forth here is not with regard to some particular athletic event, but the idea that he is bringing forth is the idea of the work that takes place in a gymnasium and the work ethic that it takes in order to succeed. If you didn't work hard there, you didn't belong there. Athletes worked out with intense focus on their goals, whether their goal be simply physical fitness or working for the prize at the end of a competition. We think of our Olympic athletes who train for hours, seven days a week, for many years, just for possibly only that one season in the sun. Athletes exerted themselves, Paul knew. They put their all into their training. They never slacked off. And that's how believers are called to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. Our focus is to be in the Word of God in daily study and application. Our focus is to be on our knees before our sovereign God in prayer. Our focus is to be living under the lordship of our Savior Jesus Christ with the Word of God as our standard of living and our guide for daily life. Our focus is to be living in a way that is pleasing to God and demonstrates love for our neighbor as ourselves. Beloved, our goal is that God's name be honored by us, that His kingdom come through us and that His will be done in us all by grace through faith. And this analogy of working toward this in the same way that an athlete works hard certainly was not a foreign idea with Paul in 2 Timothy 2, verse 5. He says, Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. And he alludes to running a race and boxing in 1 Corinthians 9, verses 24-26 when he says, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, But only one gets the prize. Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly. I do not fight like a man beating the air. As well, in many other various places, Paul seems to refer to athletic competition by using words like striving, contending, fighting, as well as competing. God's people are to work at and exercise toward godliness with the same aggressiveness and desire that athletes exercise toward competition with desire to meet the goal. Yet having said that, it's a shortened sermon really on the last phrase of verse 7. But having said that then, Paul then contrasts physical exercise or training in our text with spiritual exercise or training. And first, he talks about the temporary nature of bodily exercise. For physical training is of some value. Another version translates it with these words. For bodily discipline is only of little profit. Some value or little profit. Now, of course, commentators are split as to what is meant by physical training or bodily discipline. What is Paul talking about here? Some say that he is referring to religious exercises that some engage in for advancing in holiness, like fasting or staying away from marriage, as he mentions in verse 3. We might add, taking a vow of poverty or celibacy or even monasticism, but somehow physically depriving the body with the goal of growing in godliness. And those who believe that Paul is talking about that here say that these things have only some value or are of little profit. And it's true, of course, that these don't earn us anything with regard to salvation. Throughout the Old Testament, a number of Old Testament prophets like Samuel and Jeremiah and Amos, through them God rebuked His people for their loyalty to outward actions like offerings and sacrifices. In Jeremiah 6, verse 20, we read, For what purpose to me, the Lord says, comes frankincense from Sheba and sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifice is sweet to me. Instead, as David says in Psalm 51, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. These, O God, you will not despise. Paul also says in Colossians 2, verses 22-23, do not touch, do not taste, do not handle, which all concerns things which perish with the using according to the commandments and doctrines of men. These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. So indeed it is true that physical training for the sake of religious advancement is only of some value. And some say, but I don't believe that's what Paul is talking about here. I believe that because of Paul's reference to the gymnasium where vigorous exercise was well known and expected and accepted and because he is calling Timothy as well as all believers to exercise spiritually with the very same vigor that by spiritual training he is talking about physical exercise for the body in the sense of bodily health and then making a contrast between that and spiritual exercise for the soul. And beloved, what a contrast it is. Notice again, Paul says, for physical training is of some value or of little profit. Now, he does not say that it is of absolutely no value, but of some value. There is value or profit in physical bodily exercise for this life. We all know that. You feel better. You may have more energy, better health. Physical exercise and training gives enhanced beauty to our physical form. But therefore, it has value only for a few things. And in reality, these things are mainly selfish, aren't they? But Paul is in no way speaking against physical exercise. We are to take care of our physical body because God made man soul and body. And our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are not to do anything that would purposefully endanger our bodies, and that includes letting ourselves go, as we sometimes say. It means we eat right, get plenty of rest, get some physical exercise. We need physical strength indeed to carry out our various callings in life. But in the broad sense of things, in the broad scheme of things, namely eternity, physical training lasts just about as long as most of those New Year's resolutions. And that means that it is valuable only for a little while as well. James 4, verse 14 says, For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. And therefore, Paul is commanding us to put physical exercise into the proper perspective. What are your priorities when it comes to physical exercise versus spiritual exercise? Young people, those of you who are well involved in the athletics in these high school years, you might want to think about this in a particular way. What occupies more of your life? Jesus said, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. our bodies are not to be our treasures. The moth of old age and the rust of sickness and disease eventually destroys this clay vessel. Nothing, not even our bodies, are to be more important to us than our relationship to and with the Lord Jesus Christ. Many of us, including myself, like to exercise, whether that be with walking or working out at the gym or bicycling or playing organized sports, all which are fine. But sometimes we become obsessed. Just ask my wife. When I exercise, I really exercise. But when I don't, I really don't. There's absolutely no exercise. And we invest a lot of time into these things, often for personal physical gain. But the question, beloved, that we need to consider is this. Do we invest more or at least as much time? in our spiritual exercise to be godly? Or, if we neglect physical exercise, in the same way do we neglect spiritual exercise? Is our priority found on the basketball or the volleyball court or on the ball diamond or soccer field or in the gymnasium? Or is it found in study of God's Word? In godliness, training for godliness. Jesus said, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Might this include how we look physically? He said, is not life more than food? And the body more than clothing? For the work of Jesus Christ, by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, believers have new life and that life has a new goal. That goal, instead of self, is godliness. And that is where the focus of our exercise is to be because of the comfort of the eternal nature of spiritual exercise, as Paul says. He says in the last part of verse 8, but godliness has value for all things. Holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. The essence and the content of this promise is life and indeed that new life which we just mentioned. And that new life, you see, is not limited by time, by hours and days and years like physical training is. But it includes both this present life and the life to come in the glory of heaven. That new life is also not limited in its influence. Paul says godliness has value for all things. In verse 12, he tells us what is to be affected by godliness. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. You see, a life of godliness touches every aspect of life. Relationships, work ethic, recreation, hobbies, how we act in public, encounters with strangers. Anything else you might think of? Godliness transforms. Not maybe will transform, But godliness transforms the home, the office, the classroom, the workplace, and the gymnasium, the athletic field. True faith expressed in godly living has an influence on the totality of this life. We read about that somewhat in Deuteronomy 28 as well as the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5 talk about the blessings of God's people. But that's not to say that godliness will make you the most popular person in your classroom, young people. It doesn't mean you will get that job promotion, beloved. It doesn't mean that everyone will like and admire you and me. It doesn't mean that everyone else in the world will treat us with respect. In fact, it may very well lead to greater persecution if the devil has his way. Yet in the midst of a world of sin and turmoil, God's promise to His people is as Isaiah 32, verse 17 says, the work of righteousness will be peace. And the effect of righteousness? Quietness and assurance forever. Yet the believer's comfort is that through the discipline of godliness by God's grace, we have the assurance of fellowship with God in Christ and the love of God that fills our hearts as well as the peace of God that passes understanding. And all of this is crowned with contentment in Christ. And as Paul says in 1 Timothy 6, verse 6, now godliness with contentment is great gain. Congregation, this life, as it reflects the heavenly life, is to be shaped by and controlled by godliness and is to bear the true impression of godliness. Yet the practice of godliness in this life looks forward to that promised life to come. A consistent Christian walk makes the best of both worlds so that the goodness of God which we enjoy in this life is but a taste of the fullness of God's blessing in the next. And this is guaranteed. Even as Philippians 1 verse 6 says, being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. And David says in Psalm 37, verse 18, the Lord knows the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be forever. And that heavenly inheritance which Peter speaks of is the reward reserved for the godly. This is God's promise, even as 1 John 2, verse 25 says, and this is the promise that He has promised us, even eternal life. Beloved, those whose primary focus is this life And physical training alone will enjoy nothing more than that which this life has to offer, which is a life that ends and a body that dies. But they will be without true riches. Physical exercise only provides temporary value, and that's not even guaranteed as sometimes one is visibly healthy and in shape while a deadly disease like cancer is below the surface. Some of you with me know all about that. But spiritual exercise, striving for godliness, has eternal value. That's the truth of which Paul says in verse 9, this is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. He's referring back to our text. Verse 8, this is a trustworthy saying and deserves full acceptance for physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Godliness and godly living is the fruit of faith, which itself, we know, is a gift of God's grace. This is the possession of those for whom Christ died, so that they might have new life in Him. How can you live a life of godliness? Only if you have been crucified with Christ, and He lives in you by faith. And that life, then, is to be maintained through the extensive training of the Word of God. Those who practice the Word of God through reading and study and meditation will grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and their life will reflect more and more the light of Christ. You see, it's impossible to be stagnant or to remain the same. Just as our physical bodies continue to change as we grow older, our spiritual life must also grow. In fact, beloved, change will happen one way or the other. We all know what happens to our body with no exercise. It loses muscle tone. It becomes flabby. There's no exercise. And the life of that body slowly dies away. Have you ever thought about what happens to the soul when there is no spiritual exercise? So how is your spiritual fitness program coming along? One commentator rightly says, if some Christians would put as much energy and enthusiasm into spiritual things as they do athletics and bodybuilding, how much stronger they and their churches would be. Beloved, train hard for godliness for which we were redeemed by Christ. That's the only truly valuable, profitable exercise. Shall we pray? Father, we thank You for Your Word. Your Word which is truth. Your Word which sometimes hits us in difficult spots as it touches upon things that we enjoy and we love so much. And we thank You, O Lord, indeed, for physical fitness, for the ability to exercise. We know that there are so many who do not have that ability. May we indeed appreciate the ability to take care of this body which You have given to us. But Father, as we do that, may we even more so desire to take care of the spiritual life that You have given to us. That we would exercise with vigor as we read and study and meditate upon Your Holy Word, knowing, Lord, though, that only You can give the increase. And we pray that by the power of Your Spirit You would give to us the increase that our spiritual lives need and require. And that we desire in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Father, we pray that You would continue to teach us. Continue to challenge us. Continue to change our thinking when it needs to be changed. And may this all be for Your glory and honor and praise. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray these things. Amen.