Piety and Becoming

Can't have one without the other.

I recently had the joy of giving a forty minute lecture, on the topic of Piety. When I got the invitation I gratefully accepted, although I myself was not clear on the meaning of this word. But whenever I’ve leaned into my weakness, I’ve always found a chance to grow - and my comfort zone expands. It’s funny how I was thinking about how to best encourage and inspire my listeners - but in hindsight I’m sure that I was blessed the most. Our gifts expand when we share them - the sharing being the very means of their expansion. I gave the talk, but it hasn’t been given away. I still have this gift to give to whomever I want. As much as I want. And now I’m offering it to you:

Please bow your heads and pray with me:

“Come, Holy Spirit, Fill our hearts and kindle them in the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.  O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, instructs the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

I believe, Lord, that You are here present. Although my eyes do not see you, my faith senses You. Take any stray thoughts from my mind. Make me understand the truths that you wish to teach me in this meditation. Let me make up my mind to put them into practice. Your servant is listening; speak, O Lord, to my soul. We give thanks, Lord God Almighty, for all the benefits You have given us. 

To You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.”

Good evening Brothers! 

My name is Andrew Sawyer. I’m here today to speak with you about Piety. What comes to mind when you hear the word Piety? 

I had a hard time with this word when I was asked to speak about it, so if that’s where you are that’s ok! My prayer is that when I’m finished, you’ll have a newfound clarity on what Piety means for you. With that said, let’s begin: 

Piety is an experience of grace

One of my favorite passages about Grace is Titus chapter 3. Please listen as I read verses 1-7 to you: 

“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.”

(You’ve just been reminded! Please don’t miss what’s next!)

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

Can anyone relate to that? That’s my old self to a tee! "Deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures." 

The passage continues: 

“BUT when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

In response to what God has done for us, motivated not by fear but by gratitude - we no longer live for ourselves. So we see that Piety is an experience of grace. It is also: 

A process of growth.

Piety is an experience, but it is also a process. Here's how the process began for me:

I was baptized in my early teens, but I met Jesus while I was in the military. I had been dragged to church as a kid, but was always much more at home out in the woods. I rejected anything that didn't make sense to me, which conveniently allowed me to do whatever I wanted. I joined the Air Force in August of 2001, one month before 9/11, to escape the wreckage of my parent’s divorce. My best friend Ted talked me into it. And even though our recruiter promised we would be roommates in Germany, we didn’t see each other at all after boot camp. 

He became a medic; I was a crew chief in Special Operations. I learned how to work extremely hard, and I also learned to party hard. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was loading myself up with regrets. Off duty, I didn’t hold myself back from any of my desires at all. And in Florida, where I was stationed, there was always a party going on somewhere. 

It wasn’t until I experienced the evils of war - which is sin and death on display - that the Gospel became real to me. 

There really is no more powerful force than Love. And apart from the cross, which is God’s love on display, there really is no hope for humanity. Look at Jesus. His arms are open to every one of us. They were nailed open - they couldn’t be more open! 

Hebrews 2:14-15 says this: 

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too [that’s Jesus] shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” 

Remember that verse from Titus about being “Deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures”? 

Jesus came to set us free!

While on a deployment in the middle east I began reading everything I could get my hands on about these claims, and was blessed with an appetite for scripture that I still have to this day. But the process of transformation had only just begun. By his grace, and in spite of my stubbornness, the Lord taught me what obedience really means. 

Here’s how it happened:

I got out of the Air Force in 2006 and went to college at the University of Wisconsin. In the summer of 2007, which was the first real break I had since going to boot camp in 2002, I went on a road trip to all the national parks west of Wisconsin (where I was living then) with Ted, the guy who had talked me into enlisting. 

He had been medically discharged for mental issues, after having been suicidally depressed and going through 30 sessions of convulsive shock therapy. I thought some time outdoors would be good for both of us. 

We drove west from Wisconsin and hit the backcountry at Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, then camped our way through the Canadian Rockies and Vancouver and back into the US through Seattle. Ted decided to fly home from San Francisco, So I did the return trip by myself. My sister had shared some Andy Stanley sermons with me, which I had put on my ipod, and I had plenty of driving time to listen to them.

So I was listening to a sermon series called "it came from within" and came across something that really rang my bell. I was only 22 at the time, and had already been weighed down by many regrets. I had taken advantage of people through deceit, theft, abandonment and manipulation - and had “gotten away” (but not really) with a lot more than I knew I deserved, while friends of mine had suffered much more for much less.

What struck me about Andy Stanley at the time was his lack of shame - he was twice my age and my shame was nearly crushing me! “How could he,” I thought, “possibly be so free?” In the second sermon in the series, which is about guilt, I heard this:

“Part of your struggle if you’re carrying a load of guilt, is that you want so desperately to forgive yourself. You will never, ever, adequately forgive yourself – as long as your guilt is a secret… Until you first confess, openly, to the person you stole from.”

I had no trouble at all making a list of about 30 people I had “stolen” from, the problem is that Andy said the remedy is to reconcile with them through confession. As in.. call them on the phone and apologize… which I thought was a very stupid idea!

Why not let sleeping dogs lie? Why stir up old wounds? What good could possibly come from reminding those I’ve wronged of what I had done?

So I wrestled with that for a week or two, until I made it to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. I was too stingy to get a backcountry pass there, so I just went right outside the park, parked the car for free, and hiked 20 miles up into the mountains in the Roosevelt National forest.

I was there for five days or so, until I woke up early one morning to a beautifully clear day. So I decided - that was the day to climb a mountain a few miles from my campsite. I didn't think it would take more than half the day, so I didn't even wear a shirt - just took a Nalgene bottle of water, some tobacco, and a snack. I had a garmin gps that I had been using for the whole trip, which I left safe and sound in my tent

.

It was a rough hike because of the altitude, but when I finally got up there it was beautiful, so I spent some extra time just relaxing and enjoying the panoramic views. That is until I realized I had forgotten to mark which way I’d come from, and didn’t know which way to go back. So I hiked down about 30 minutes in the way I thought I had come before I realized it was not right. Then I climbed back up and tried again, only to have the same realization.

By that time it was starting to get dark. It had rained the night before so everything was wet, and I couldn't get a fire started. I knew that if I had to spend the night up there, I was in danger of hypothermia. So I found a spruce tree on the side of the mountain, dug a hole with a stick underneath the low boughs, laid in the hole and covered myself with dirt and pine needles for the night.

It was probably about 45 degrees up there and super windy, and I was ready to die.

But I couldn’t shake the conviction that I needed to reconcile with those I had wronged. So I told the Lord that if he got me out of there "quick and easy," I would do whatever he wanted me to do - even though it was obviously a stupid idea and would only add to my regret.

I got up at dawn without having slept at all, brushed the dirt and pine needles off of my bare and now stinky torso, and climbed back up the mountain. When I got to the top I prayed - feeling more than a little sorry for myself - fully expecting to spend the whole day wandering in search of my campsite.

But when I said “amen,” lifted my head and opened my eyes - I could literally see my tent in the distance. A facepalm moment for sure! So I made a beeline straight for my campsite, ate some food and took a nice long nap in my cozy sleeping bag. The next day I packed it all up and promptly hiked the 20 miles back to the car, and went straight to Popeye's chicken. I had no intention of breaking my end of the bargain.

It was my 23rd birthday, August 9th 2007. I got myself a family meal, which I still remember as one of the best meals I’ve ever had - pulled out my list of names, and started making phone calls to those I had wronged in all kinds of ways. Starting, of course, with an ex that I was sure hated me. Part of me was hoping that she’d yell at me for calling her, so that I could stop making these stupid calls and focus on my meal.

Wouldn't you know it, I could not have been more wrong - she forgave and then actually apologized to me!

All the way down the list of about 30 people, every single one of them answered the phone - then forgave me. Many of them also asked for my forgiveness. It was really a huge paradigm shift for me - it was exactly the opposite of what I was convinced would happen.

When I tried to keep my regrets a secret, I could barely carry them! But when I laid them on the altar of obedience, they blew away like smoke.

This was the first time I obeyed something from the Lord that I didn’t agree with. And I began to see clearly that whatever my agreement had led me to do before that - it was a lie to call it obedience. I learned that the best opportunities to follow Jesus are the ones that make the least sense in the moment - that the biggest breakthroughs happen on the other side of humility. 

That lesson is all over the place in the Bible (lean not on your own understanding), but I had to experience it for myself! The walls of Jericho, the nets full of fish, and miracle after miracle - they all required obedience. And if those people were anything like me, they probably obeyed just to prove God wrong!

And like me, their minds were blown by His faithfulness.

I listened to God’s word, didn’t like what I heard, and did it anyway. I didn’t even do it willingly. But if Jesus really is Lord, he can tell me what to do whether it makes sense to me or not. He says this in Matthew chapter 7: 

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” 

When we direct our lives towards God, we do what he says. Even when we don’t understand why. Growth begins with grace, but it continues with faith. How can anyone say they trust God if they don’t do what he says? 

With all that said, Piety is often misunderstood. Let’s discuss three ways of hearing Jesus’ words and NOT putting them into practice. We’ll call these False ideas of piety.

Have you ever been tempted to think: “we are the only church who has gotten it right”? 

Or even worse: “I am the only ONE who has it right?” 

Most of us probably have. I’ve been there. Even Elijah spent time there (1 Kings 19:10,14). After all, there’s no need to listen to those who disagree with you if you’re convinced they’re all wrong! 

This is the lie of vanity. Jesus will never lead you there - because it’s a dead end! 

This attitude emphasizes knowledge over relationship - my “knowledge” becomes more important than Christ’s victory. The main symptom of this is fault-finding. The person who is convinced they are right loves to point out everyone else’s “errors.” 

This is a very difficult view to hold while studying scripture. 

Philippians 2:3-4 tells us to:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.”

And in Luke 18, Jesus says this: 

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

‘But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’”

When we humbly remember that we are “justified by his grace” - and NOT by our “correctness,” we are freed from the fear of being wrong - AND from the fear of bondage to sin!

What I call here “the lie of vanity,” Martin Luther called “spiritual sin.” 500 years ago, his emphasis on Christ’s FINISHED WORK changed the world. Here’s what he wrote: 

“The white devil of spiritual sin is far more dangerous than the black devil of carnal sin because the wiser, the better men are without Christ, the more they are likely to ignore and oppose the Gospel.”

Think about it. How can you learn without admitting you don’t know something? Vanity makes us blind to our errors. 

The next error, I’ll call: 

Groupie-ism: This dead-end path over-identifies with a “group” or ministry - apart from which there is very little activity. “What’s in it for me?“ is the prime motive - with extra emphasis on “spiritual experiences” or events, or celebrity teachers or performers- and very little value placed in private disciplines like study and prayer. 

After the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus had a lot more followers! Why do you think that was? This is what Jesus told his new groupies in John 6:26-27 

“Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 

When difficulty comes, the groupies are among the first to leave (that’s John 6:66). If we put our hope in an experience - or even worse in the satisfaction of an appetite - we are constantly being disappointed. Worse than that, we miss out on the priceless lessons that only come through difficulty. 

Appetites, by the way, are never fully satisfied. 

Christ “gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age,” (Galatians 1:4) - and to satisfy our deep desire to be fully known and fully loved! Let’s not make the same mistake as Esau, who let his appetite separate him from his inheritance [Hebrews 12:16].

Of course, no discussion of spiritual detours is complete without touching on the lie of legalism. Legalism says “I can earn God’s favor” The assumption is that “if I obey, if I follow the rules, if I do all the right things, then God owes me.“ But if we try to take credit for our victories, how can we avoid blaming ourselves for the things that happen to us? And if we do that, how can we avoid blaming others for the things that happen to them? 

One of the best examples of legalism is in the book of Job, in Eliphaz the Temanite. Is anyone familiar with Eliphaz the Temanite? Let me get you up to speed on the story. It all begins with a discussion between God and Satan. “Check out my servant Job,” God says, “he’s blameless and upright, he fears God and shuns evil.” How does Satan respond?

With accusations, of course! 

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” he asks. “Haven’t you protected him and everything he has? Haven’t you blessed him? Take your blessing away from him, and he will surely curse you to your face.” [Job 1:9-11, paraphrased]

In other words: “Job doesn’t love you, he loves the things he gets from you.” So the Lord gives Satan permission to test Job - but spare his life. And Satan pushes things right to the limit. 

Now in the aftermath, Job has lost everything - and he is sitting in the rubble that once was his home, mourning the loss of all of his children and all of his wealth, and scraping his open sores with shards of pottery. His wife tells him to “curse God and die” [2:9], and three of Job’s so-called “friends” show up to “sympathize with him and comfort him.” [2:11]

One of them is Eliphaz the Temanite. Three times, Eliphaz accuses Job of false piety. [4:6, 15:4-5, 22:4-5]. His argument is “if you were really righteous, none of this would have happened to you.”

Because Eliphaz can’t see why Job is suffering - he jumps to conclusions. Remember: “LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING.” Eliphaz is convinced all this must somehow be Job’s fault. DON’T FALL FOR THIS TRAP - judging other people is NOT HELPFUL. Fault-finding is NOT a spiritual gift. The judgment seat belongs to God alone, and the quickest way to become like Satan is to put yourself in God’s place. 

Thankfully, Job’s “miserable comforters,” including Eliphaz, were all proven wrong when the Lord finally spoke. He had a lot to say; it’s the last four chapters of the book. The point here is that eventually Job was vindicated by the Lord. He knew to be faithful no matter what. To “walk by faith and not by sight” [2 Corinthians 5:7]. His attitude is recorded in chapter 13 verse 15: “though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” 

If Job can persevere, YOU CAN TOO. 

How do I know that? I know it for a fact. It’s because we have MUCH more than Job did. Job had the promise - we have the promise fulfilled!

We know that Jesus was slain in our place! 

He took the judgment so that we can receive the blessing! 

He was forsaken so that we could be accepted! 

He was condemned so that we could be set free! 

This great and glorious NEWS is that something has HAPPENED so that we could be SET FREE. This is NOT something that YOU need to make happen. By no effort on our part, our prison doors have been BLASTED off of their hinges!

Our obedience is IN RESPONSE to what Christ HAS ALREADY DONE - which can NEVER be UN-DONE. This, NOT ANYTHING WE DO, is the firm foundation of our relationship with God. - “We love because he first loved us.” [1 John 4:19]

Job trusted in the promise, but we have seen the promise fulfilled! Amen? 

This is why Romans 8 begins with this assurance:

“...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” and continues with “Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we also may share in his glory.” 

GLORY! Let’s say it again all together: GLORY!

That's our destination! Not satisfaction, or settling down, or having fun, or getting rich, or whatever other stupid fantasy we are tempted to settle for. We were made for nothing less than GLORY. If you’re in Christ - look ahead and don’t look back! When the storms of life come, you are not being punished - you are being prepared for GLORY! The story of Job proves that legalism is much too small of a box for THE LORD OF CREATION to fit into. 

Don’t let success go to your head, and don’t let failure go to your heart.

If you can’t see a reason for your suffering, stop looking. Look instead to the one who has allowed it - and remember that even for Jesus himself, the crown was not promised before the cross! 

Is the picture of Piety starting to come into focus for you? Let’s add a little more detail. Now that we’re clear on what Piety ISN’T, let’s discuss WHAT PIETY IS: Piety is the direction of one’s whole life to God.

Now, I hope, we’re starting to get a grip on what this word really means. 

Before following Jesus, I used to think Piety was basically the same as DON’T. You know, don’t watch certain movies, don’t listen to most music, don’t dance, don’t drink, don’t gamble, don’t masturbate, etc. etc. Pretty much “don’t have fun.” That was my experience of Christianity as a kid. I thought It was all about behaving a certain way. AND I WAS WRONG. Piety goes much deeper than behavior. 

So what is Piety then, really? Piety is the direction of one’s whole life to God.

Psalm 16:8 puts it this way:

"I have set the LORD always before me. BECAUSE he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

Imagine a map and compass, or if you weren’t around back in the last century, the navigation app on your phone. Knowing your destination is not enough to get you where you’re going. You’ll need a map, and you need a way to get your bearings. Trust me, you don’t want to sleep in a hole on the side of a mountain. What do you call the hiker who thinks he doesn’t need a compass? 

Lost. 

Piety is like an inner compass. It points us towards God’s will for each of us. Our destination may be clear, but there are many challenging paths and obstacles along the way. Are we going to try and get there on our own? To lean on our own understanding? Or are we going to follow the map and compass - even when they go against our intuition? Do we trust our own judgment, or what the mapmaker and compass are saying? 

The risen Jesus is our ultimate ideal, and as we follow him - it is with Piety that we choose our steps. My favorite picture of this is Proverbs 3:5-6.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” 

We’ve discussed what Piety isn’t, and we’ve discussed what it is. For the sake of contrast, let’s also consider the opposite of Piety: The direction of one’s whole life to Self. Put another way - “I decide what’s right or wrong for ME.” This is the essence of sin. 

George MacDonald put it this way: “The one principle of Hell is: ‘I am my own.’” 

Think about that attitude. “I know best.” We’ve all been there. “If I can’t see a reason for this, there must not be one.” Is your own understanding of things always dependable? Mine sure isn’t. I’ve been deceived. I've been enslaved. I’ve been wrong. Many times. I’m guessing I’m not the only one. 

“Lean not on your own understanding” is great advice. 

I’d like to share another story with you, about how Piety is a pattern of the Christian life. Remember my friend Ted? Well, four years after our road trip - after I had moved to Atlanta - I went up to Wisconsin to visit him. He wasn’t doing well. The VA had him on opiates, and he had built up a tolerance to his prescriptions. At some point he found out that he could sell his pills  on the street and get a lot more bang for his buck. When I got there he was doing heroin. 

Here’s what I knew: 

1/ Jesus saved me from despair, and he can save Ted too. 

2/ Jesus commands us to love others just as he has loved us (John 13:34). 

3/ If I trust the Lord, he’ll make a way. 

So I rented a 26 foot U-haul in Madison Wisconsin, packed Ted’s entire apartment into it, and moved him to my house in Atlanta. I was NOT going to stand by and watch my friend kill himself. One week after the move, his dealer in Wisconsin overdosed. I didn’t know any better, so I thought I could argue him out of his addiction.

 I had some REALLY good arguments, according to myself. “Can’t you see,” I would ask, “what you’re doing to yourself and to the people who love you? Don’t you know that this path leads to death?” He found a new heroin source in Atlanta after a few weeks, and the addiction continued. Even though I had the best arguments, none of them worked. At all. Have you ever been there? I tried everything I could think of, and nothing made any difference at all. 

I was watching my best friend die. 

I tried to get him busy, I tried to establish rules, I tried to find his hiding spots. I talked him out of suicide many times. I got him admitted to an inpatient addiction center. He went there twice. Nothing seemed to help. After six months of this I was at my wits end, but if I'm anything, I’m loyal. Stubborn too. But I needed a new strategy. 

I was leading a Buckhead Church small group at the time, and was being mentored by the director of men’s groups. Over one of our lunches he advised me to get away for a week, to “take a sabbatical” as he said, to try and get some new perspective on the situation. 

So I flew out to Oregon, and camped in the backcountry around Mt. Hood. I spent the week hiking, reading my Bible, meditating on what I read, and asking the Lord for wisdom. James 1:5 says

“if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

I prayed that many times. The day before I headed home I was reading John chapter 16, and I came across these words of Jesus: 

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…” (16:7-8, ESV)

That hit me like a thunderbolt. “HE will convict” - that’s what I had been trying to do! 

In that moment I was convicted. I hadn’t been directing my life towards God, even though I thought I had. The Spirit of truth showed me otherwise. When it comes down to it, I was committed to an outcome. I wanted my friend convicted and saved - and it was a non-negotiable. MY WILL BE DONE was hiding underneath it all. I thought that I knew what needed to happen, and I just needed God to get with the program. Have you ever been there? 

But the Lord met me where I was, in the forest of Oregon, and gently re-calibrated my compass. When I got home, I had a new strategy. I call it “THY WILL BE DONE.” And let me tell you, it’s a great strategy!

First thing, every morning, I would get on my knees, bow my head to the floor, and plead with the Holy Spirit to do his job and convict my friend. To show him what I saw. To convince him there’s a way out. To empower him to choose it. To show me how to help. 

And if not, THY WILL BE DONE. 

I did this for forty days. No more arguing, no more scheming, no more insisting. Ted must have noticed the change. On the fortieth day, while I was on my knees, at 5am on a Saturday, I felt compelled to play my guitar. I hadn’t touched it in over a year. So I went into the living room to get it. The pick was missing. 

Then it occurred to me: “the pick is in Ted’s pants pocket upstairs.” So I went upstairs. Ted was in bed sleeping, and his pants were on the floor. I picked them up and found the pick in his pocket, along with a heroin needle.

When I was looking at the needle in my hand, another thought struck me. “It’s time for Ted to wake up.” 

So I walked over and put my hands on my friend's shoulders, and said “wake up.” He immediately sat up in his bed, and something was different. He began apologizing to me. He was convicted! He finally saw it! And praise Jesus - it was in spite of my efforts! 

Amazing grace. 

We wept together. 

I had the idea to get his family on a conference call to include them in that moment. It was Ted’s idea to go to rehab, so I put him on a flight that week to rehab in California. And praise the Lord - He was my best man the following year, and I was his two years later - and he has been clean now for 11 years! 

“Next time,” I imagined the Lord saying, “I want to be your first resort - and not your last.” 

Piety is the pattern of "thy will be done” - whether I understand it or not. It includes praying for God’s will, exposing yourself to God’s word, being open to God’s Spirit, allowing your life to be formed in the image of Christ; participating in worship, communion, fellowship, Bible study, prayer, ministry and service. It is not a matter of achieving. It is a matter of cultivating. 

Over the years the Lord has taught me:

The Father provides. 

The Son saves and will judge. 

The Holy Spirit convicts. 

He has given us the dignity of participation, but none of these things is solely up to us. What a relief! Are there any areas in your life where you've been trying to do God's job? Could you have been getting in his way? Maybe he’s waiting for you to step aside and trust him. 

Before we wrap things up, let’s summarize THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PIETY

The first characteristic is: Christ-likeness (Fruit of the Spirit)

If I asked you to produce a fruit, what would you do? Besides going to the store? If you are wise, you know that the only way to produce fruit is to cultivate it. You start with a living seed, plant it into the richest soil you can find, with plenty of sunlight and plenty of water. And when weeds spring up around it, you get rid of them. The sooner the better. You protect your plant from birds and animals. And then you let God do the rest. 

The same is true for the fruit of the spirit. 

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control can only be cultivated. This means study, prayer, and obedience. And it means fellowship, service, and worship. 

Don’t let the weeds of lust, gluttony, fear, greed, envy, deceit, vanity, anger, and sloth rob you of your fruit! They will always steal from you the very thing they promise!

The second characteristic of Piety is Gratitude. This is our motive: “we love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) - and it is so much better than fear or pride! There’s no need to worry, and there’s no room to look down on others. 

Have you ever wondered what God's will is? “In everything give thanks,” the scripture says, “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

The third characteristic of Piety is Freedom. In Galatians 4, the case is made that in Christ we are not enslaved to the law, but we are “children of the promise” (v.28). 

Here is how chapter 5 begins:

“So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”

When you stumble, repent. Most of the time this also means confession to whomever you’ve wronged. DO IT. Then get up, and carry on. See your condemnation falling on Jesus, and walk confidently in grateful freedom. “If we confess our sins,” 1 John 1:9 says, “he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

The fourth characteristic of Piety is Maturity. Paul himself gives us the key to maturity in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15 he calls himself “the least of the apostles.” (v.9)

Later in Ephesians 3:8, he calls himself “less than the least of all the saints.” 

Finally, in his first letter to Timothy, Paul says this:

“Here is a trustworthy saying and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost.”

Do you see what’s going on here? As Paul matured - he became more confident and more humble AT THE SAME TIME. Confidence without arrogance. Humility without shame. These are the marks of spiritual maturity.

Now that we know what to look for, let’s get practical about our role in cultivating it. HOW IS PIETY STRENGTHENED? Piety is strengthened through Bible study, prayer, worship, fellowship, and Communion. None of these are to be done in isolation. And perhaps most of all, genuine piety is characterized by HUMBLE OBEDIENCE. Remember, beloved: this path leads to GLORY. It won’t always feel that way, and that’s ok. Obey anyway. And keep on keeping on. 

In conclusion, let’s remember that Piety is an ideal. Where is your compass pointing? Do you even have a compass? A compass is useless unless you follow where it’s pointing. And Piety is equally useless unless you take the steps it points you to. 

How much more do you need to know before you finally decide to obey? What beliefs do you have that are keeping you enslaved? 

It is not our faith that saves us; it is the object of our faith that saves us. It is Jesus Christ crucified and raised, seated at the right hand of the Father - HE is the one that saves us. And he’s pleading with each and every one of us to trust him. 

Imagine that you’ve fallen off of a cliff, and there’s a branch sticking out that you can grab on the way down to keep you from certain death. How much faith do you need to be saved by the branch? Do you need to know how it got there? What it’s made of? The shear strength of its fibers? NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE RELEVANT for the one who knows he’s falling. You only need enough faith to grab the branch. 

The prophet Jeremiah wrote about the true branch, the only true hope we ever had: 

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: THE LORD IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” 

It was Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived (wiser than any of us, by the way!), who penned these words: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”

Piety is the first leg of the three-legged stool represented here.  The other two legs are study and action.  Imagine sitting on a stool. How much effort would it take to balance on only one leg? How about with just two? So you see, if any of the legs of the stool are missing, then the stool will not be stable.  The three ideals represented here as legs support each other, and must be combined to be effective. 

Following Jesus is putting his words into practice - especially when they challenge our assumptions! I encourage you to obey the Lord in the small decisions of life, so that you will have the faith you need to trust him when the big decisions come. 

Let’s pray.

Holy Father, we lift up this testimony to your purpose. We praise you for your work in our lives, which to us is so often unwelcome, because growth is uncomfortable. We ask that you would reveal to us the traps we’ve been in, and how you’ve already set us free - if only we will grasp your loving hand. We thank you for your patience with us, and your grace, which we’ve always so desperately needed. Please use these words to encourage those who know they need you, and to convict those who think they don’t. We worship your holy name, Jesus our lamb, our savior, our King, our redeemer - in your name we pray, AMEN.