1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,920 Welcome to Messages and More, a podcast channel at Watertown Evangelical Free Church. 2 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:18,920 This channel plays our weekly sermons and other content relevant to our church community. 3 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:23,200 Well good morning and welcome to Watertown Evangelical Free Church. 4 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:24,200 I am Bruce Droogsma. 5 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,160 I am the senior pastor here. 6 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:32,520 If you are visiting or just checking us out, joining us online, whatever, whatever, we 7 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:36,040 are glad you are here and we are glad you are joining us this morning. 8 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:41,240 If you are new and would like more information about our church or to get connected, get 9 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,640 on our email list updates, whatever it is, in the seat pocket in front of you, you'll 10 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:48,120 find one of these bookmarks with a QR code. 11 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:52,160 If you scan that, that'll take you to a webpage where you can submit prayer requests, where 12 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:56,640 you can sign up for emails, you can give through that. 13 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,120 There's something else on there too. 14 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:02,040 Oh, that's where you, if you're new, that's the whole reason I said it. 15 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,360 That's where you can give us more information about you so we can get to know you a little 16 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:06,360 better. 17 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:07,920 So that's what that is. 18 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:09,080 We are glad you are here. 19 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,960 Thank you for joining us this morning and I'm going to open us more to prayer and then 20 00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:15,360 we're going to move into a time of worship. 21 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:17,880 So would you join me as we pray this morning? 22 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,880 Heavenly Father, we thank you for this morning. 23 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:25,480 Lord, we thank you for this opportunity we have to join together with our brothers and 24 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,720 sisters here in worship of you. 25 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:34,360 So this morning as we sing, God, as we talk about what you're doing in our community, 26 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:40,160 as we read from your word, God, as we listen to the Choristers, God, may it all be an act 27 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:42,400 of worship. 28 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,520 God, may we feel your presence here. 29 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:47,040 We thank you for who you are. 30 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:51,240 We thank you for joining us here in your house this morning. 31 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:52,240 We pray this in your name. 32 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:53,240 Amen. 33 00:01:53,240 --> 00:02:01,720 Well, thank you Choristers and Joelle and Merijo for leading us in worship as well. 34 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:02,720 And thank you. 35 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:08,160 You know, one of the things that I think we forget oftentimes is how much effort behind 36 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,760 the scenes goes in on a Sunday morning, right? 37 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:16,280 Our worship team showing up early to rehearse, showing up throughout the week, our Choristers, 38 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:21,240 our choir practicing, and our tech team, right? 39 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:23,080 Serving faithfully every week showing up. 40 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:24,080 And when do we notice it? 41 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,040 When it doesn't work exactly how we thought it should. 42 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:33,040 So tech team, thank you for all you do to serve us, the slides, the live stream, all 43 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:34,040 of that. 44 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:38,240 Yep, thank you. 45 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:44,480 And so we're going to dig in this morning and we are looking at this series that we've 46 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:48,560 called Pen Pals and we're going to be looking at this morning the book of Titus. 47 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:53,920 So if you have a Bible with you, I would encourage you, whether it's a digital or a paper version, 48 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:57,960 to turn with me and we'll be in the book of Titus this morning. 49 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,680 For some of you, that might be a book that requires you to go to the front of your Bible 50 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,560 into the table of contents to find the page number. 51 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:05,720 That's okay, right? 52 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:06,720 I get that. 53 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:11,400 I grew up in a school. 54 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:13,640 When I was in elementary school, I went to a private Christian school. 55 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:16,720 We did, anybody remember doing sword drills, right? 56 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:22,320 Where you'd hold your Bible up and they'd shout out, you know, you'd hold it like this. 57 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,680 Couldn't put your, you know, you had to, couldn't cheat, couldn't start doing this ahead of 58 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:26,680 time. 59 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:27,680 And they would tell you the reference. 60 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:30,480 You pull it down and the first one to find it would stand up and have to recite it. 61 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,800 And I remember one time we were all sitting there ready to go and we're all pretty, pretty 62 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:37,120 proud of ourselves and how quick we could find without using the table of contents, a book 63 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:38,760 of the Bible. 64 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:44,040 And then the guy up there said, Hezekiah 416, and we all jumped down. 65 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:46,000 There is no Hezekiah to be clear. 66 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,000 There's a king Hezekiah. 67 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,280 There is no book of the Bible, Hezekiah. 68 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:57,720 So anyway, if you ever need the table of contents, feel free, feel free. 69 00:03:57,720 --> 00:03:59,760 I've been humbled on that enough. 70 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,640 So, but we're going to be looking at Titus and we're going to step back in time a little 71 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:04,640 bit. 72 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,000 Last week we were in 2 Timothy the week before and 1 Timothy. 73 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:11,760 And we talked about how 1 Timothy was kind of written in a stage of Paul's life where 74 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:17,000 Paul had gone on, the book of Acts had ended and he had gone on some further missionary 75 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:18,720 journeys. 76 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:22,400 And then by the time we get to 2 Timothy, he had done several times in prison and several 77 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,920 other missionary journeys that we don't really know exactly what those looked like, but he 78 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:27,240 was in prison facing his death. 79 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:29,680 Well, now we're going to jump back into Titus. 80 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:31,400 We're going back in time again. 81 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,320 We're going back to around the same time as 1 Timothy. 82 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:39,880 And we assume that because there's a lot of similar content between 1 Timothy and Titus, 83 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,720 which is actually a great thing. 84 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:48,600 It gives us a lot of insight into just Paul and who he is. 85 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,880 It's nice to see that Paul is consistent, right? 86 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,440 And what he advises Timothy to do and what he advises Titus to do, we're going to see 87 00:04:55,440 --> 00:05:01,160 a lot of similarity between 1 Timothy and Titus, a lot of things that are the same. 88 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,120 So that's where we're digging in this morning. 89 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:08,840 So before we go though, I do, and really dig in, I want to start this way. 90 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:10,920 I want to start by reading right away. 91 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:14,200 First, I'm going to do that all morning, I can tell. 92 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,400 Titus 1, 1 through 5. 93 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:23,320 Paul, a servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God's elect 94 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:26,800 and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. 95 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:31,320 In the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning 96 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:36,960 of time, and which now at his appointed season, he has brought to light through the preaching 97 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:40,240 and trusted to me by the command of God our Savior. 98 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:45,000 To Titus, my true son in our common faith, grace and peace from God the Father in Christ 99 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:46,760 Jesus our Savior. 100 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:52,000 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished 101 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:54,960 and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. 102 00:05:54,960 --> 00:06:00,600 And I want to start there because, well, first of all, I do think we should all maybe introduce 103 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:03,480 ourselves like Paul introduces himself. 104 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:08,240 Can you imagine writing an email in I, Bruce, pastor of Watertown, evangelical free church, 105 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:11,520 entrusted with the command to preach the gospel to all people? 106 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:18,400 If I started every email that way, a little wordy maybe, but that's how Paul starts his 107 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,200 conversation. 108 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:25,040 And it's tempting, I think, when we read through these books repeatedly to kind of skip that. 109 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:27,520 It's just kind of introductory information. 110 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:31,120 Let's just skim on to the real important stuff. 111 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:32,120 Don't do that. 112 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,840 There's some good stuff in there. 113 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:40,160 I mean, aside from noticing what we do right away, that Paul is the one writing it, and 114 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:45,440 he claims like he does in Timothy, it's not only a personal letter to Titus. 115 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:47,760 He's also writing a pastoral letter. 116 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:52,880 He's claiming some apostolic leadership, some pastoral leadership of Titus. 117 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:58,160 And we see that he's writing it to Titus, who he has left in Crete, which is interesting. 118 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,520 This is kind of where we get some of this stuff surmised from church history and from 119 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:02,520 these books. 120 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:06,080 Acts doesn't talk about Paul going to Crete at all. 121 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:07,560 When did Paul go to Crete? 122 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:08,560 Right? 123 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,920 So we have all of this information in there that it's really tempting to just kind of 124 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:14,760 skim over, go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, let's get to the important stuff. 125 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:15,760 Let's get to it. 126 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:16,760 Don't skip over it. 127 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:17,760 It's all important stuff. 128 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:24,760 And he talks about this, you know, he says the elect, right? 129 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:31,520 Which we could get into a debate about what that elect actually means, where he says, 130 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:37,320 to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. 131 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,480 But I want to kind of focus on that whole sentence. 132 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,800 So the elect kind of is this idea of those that are chosen by God. 133 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:46,680 And what exactly he means by that? 134 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:51,480 We could argue and debate and there are some in this room who, you know, really want to 135 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:53,200 hammer down on what that word means. 136 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:58,440 And I'm going to set that aside simply to say, look at the flow here of what he's talking 137 00:07:58,440 --> 00:07:59,720 about. 138 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:03,000 This idea of knowledge leading to godliness. 139 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,200 For those who follow Jesus, knowledge leading to godliness. 140 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:13,040 This is going to be a theme for Paul in this book, for Titus. 141 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:18,480 If I were to give this book a main idea, I think it would be based on this concept. 142 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:24,600 This is potentially his thesis statement, if it will, that our actions and our hearts 143 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,440 need to be aligned with our beliefs. 144 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:31,000 In other words, we need to be people of character. 145 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:32,400 That's what that means, right? 146 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:36,240 When we act in a way that's in alignment with our beliefs, we'll say somebody has integrity 147 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:38,400 or somebody has character. 148 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:44,520 When somebody acts outside of their beliefs, when somebody lives out the mantra, do as 149 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:48,000 I say, not as I do, right? 150 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:54,320 We tend to say that person lacks some character or lacks some integrity. 151 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:58,760 And so this will be our defining theme this morning as we look at Titus. 152 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:03,200 We're going to look at this idea of being called to be people of character where our 153 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,440 beliefs and our heart and our actions are all in alignment. 154 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,520 And we see that consistency through and through. 155 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:14,680 That is the challenge as followers of Jesus. 156 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:19,920 And in theological terms, we would call that idea sanctification. 157 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:24,400 Big fancy word, go ahead and use it at work and press your friends. 158 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:28,080 Sanctification, the idea that we are being made more and more like Jesus, that we are 159 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:32,840 being made holy, that after we have come to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ, we then 160 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:34,840 pursue becoming more Christ-like. 161 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:41,280 In fact, as we talk about the word Christians, the idea is that we are little Christs to 162 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,360 our friends, our neighbors, our family members. 163 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:46,680 It's that idea that we are becoming more and more Christ-like. 164 00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:52,320 And we know ultimately that we will all fail time and again that I will not accomplish that 165 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:53,320 in this life. 166 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,920 But someday I will experience that, but I don't have it all together. 167 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:59,080 But we continue to pursue that, right? 168 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:01,680 To be little Christs, to be Christians. 169 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:06,320 As we see Titus is getting this letter, we don't know much about Titus. 170 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,920 He's mentioned a few times in other passages. 171 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:15,880 We see that he is Greek in Galatians, excuse me, we see that he is Greek in Galatians. 172 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:20,520 And in 2 Corinthians, we see him mentioned three times, showing him as a trusted worker 173 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:25,280 with Paul who was sent to work in a difficult situation. 174 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,600 So here is Titus sitting in Crete, which we don't know a ton about it except for what 175 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,520 is written to Titus and what is kind of mentioned in other books. 176 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,200 But we assume it's a difficult situation. 177 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:39,920 And Paul is writing him this letter, calling him to be a person of character. 178 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,920 That's not as our challenge this morning. 179 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:46,880 And so now we will move beyond those first five voices. 180 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:51,600 And we're going to move into what it means to follow God. 181 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:55,480 And our first thing is the idea that character counts. 182 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:56,480 Character counts. 183 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:00,520 If I were to summarize this book in two words, that is the two words that I would pick. 184 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:03,040 Character counts. 185 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:05,560 And if you've been around me, you've maybe heard this. 186 00:11:05,560 --> 00:11:09,800 And again, this is where 1 Timothy and Titus cover some same topics. 187 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:13,200 So you might even sit there and go, boy, I feel like he said this maybe just a couple 188 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:14,520 of weeks ago. 189 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:17,000 There is some overlap here. 190 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,760 But I think there's a reason it's in our Bible two times. 191 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:23,680 I don't think they would have included Titus if they'd have found it entirely redundant. 192 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:25,160 Right? 193 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:26,920 Character counts. 194 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:29,800 The theme of this letter. 195 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:36,560 And I think this phrase that you've heard me say is calling us as Christians to be holistic 196 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:38,040 in our faith. 197 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:39,040 Right? 198 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:43,920 To make the hard journey from head knowledge to heart knowledge to action. 199 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,440 We are called to be people of character. 200 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,640 We'll pick it up in verse five through nine. 201 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:54,400 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished 202 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:57,520 and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. 203 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:01,960 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are 204 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:05,640 not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 205 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:10,280 Since an overseer manages God's household, he must be blameless, not overbearing, not 206 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:14,720 quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 207 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:19,400 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, 208 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:21,000 holy, and disciplined. 209 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:25,880 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught so that he can encourage 210 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:29,560 others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. 211 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:31,280 Now, I know what some of you are thinking. 212 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:33,520 You read that and you go, great, Bruce, I'm not an elder. 213 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:35,560 I'm off the hook. 214 00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:39,960 Except for some of you in the room who are elders, you're not off the hook, right? 215 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:41,960 Don't take that stance. 216 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,560 The call here is not only elders have to live to this standard. 217 00:12:45,560 --> 00:12:49,840 The call here is that's the bottom rung. 218 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:53,480 That's the bottom rung for elders, and that is something Scripture also teaches we are 219 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:56,440 all to aspire to. 220 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:59,720 We are all to desire those things. 221 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:03,720 That is the base rung on the ladder. 222 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:12,040 And as one theologian puts it, it is noteworthy that these qualities are generally unexceptional. 223 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:19,160 In fact, it is surprising that some of the requirements needed to be specified at all. 224 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:21,040 So we see a couple of things going on. 225 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:26,400 First of all, we see kind of a snapshot of the state of the church in Crete. 226 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:31,800 This is part of the reason we think Titus is left in a difficult situation. 227 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:37,920 Paul is reminding him, hey, these are the things that are expected. 228 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:41,920 And we sit there and go, why does he need to mention those things? 229 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:42,920 Right? 230 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:46,320 I mean, we read through that and we're like, yeah, not pursuing dishonest gain. 231 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:51,240 I would hope that's a requirement of being a follower of Jesus. 232 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:57,640 Some of these, you wonder why they even needed to be mentioned. 233 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:06,520 In 1 Timothy 3, verse one, Paul reminds us that aspiring to be an elder is a good thing. 234 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:09,280 We are all to desire to input these things. 235 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:13,040 And this is, again, that base level. 236 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:18,520 We are called to this idea of godly living. 237 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:23,160 So I want to be clear though, I'm not downplaying elders or their role or their leadership. 238 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:28,840 I'm pointing out simply, it's an interesting list that he lists here and it's stuff that 239 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,080 we should all pursue. 240 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:36,520 And at the end, we see why this character counts so much. 241 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:42,460 Why does Paul expect these things of leaders and elders? 242 00:14:42,460 --> 00:14:44,880 Why this expectation? 243 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:49,960 First he challenges them to encourage others by sound doctrine. 244 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:55,000 We should be encouraged by hearing good sound doctrine, whether you're in youth group, in 245 00:14:55,000 --> 00:15:02,680 Iwana, in Sunday school class somewhere, in a Bible study in the choir, where here on 246 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:07,440 Sunday morning in the worship team, all of these should be sound doctrine and that should 247 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:09,360 be encouraging. 248 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:14,200 You should be encouraged when you hear good doctrine taught and he wants churches to do 249 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:15,200 that. 250 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:20,440 So he encourages his leaders to live up to that standard so that they can teach sound 251 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:22,560 doctrine to encourage the church. 252 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,400 But secondly, to refute those who oppose it. 253 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:32,320 We must know God's truth to be able to encourage others and to engage with others. 254 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:36,400 And we'll dig into this as we go further, but notice the order here. 255 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:41,160 First then encouraging sound doctrine, then refuting. 256 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:43,320 I think that's intentional by Paul. 257 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:48,880 I think we can forget and think that it's all about refuting others outside and forget 258 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:51,680 that it starts with ourselves. 259 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:57,120 Can we look at that list and say, yeah, I'm living that out. 260 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:58,120 We should start there. 261 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,000 Now we don't have to have that perfect to be able to engage with others. 262 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:02,280 That's not what I'm saying either. 263 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,720 If you come to my family, we are not perfect. 264 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,840 There are moments where I need to remind myself of that list. 265 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,440 In fact, one of them was this weekend. 266 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:16,080 We had a full, full weekend of helping some others around us, being together as a family. 267 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:17,800 We had a long day yesterday. 268 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:21,320 There were some moments in there where I lost my temper. 269 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:23,640 I need to own that and I need to continue working on that. 270 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:27,200 Like I said, we have this idea of sanctification working all the way through. 271 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:32,240 The expectation is not perfection in those areas, but are we working on it? 272 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:33,800 Are we people of character? 273 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:37,440 Are we willing to own our mistakes? 274 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:41,360 And then do we encourage others with sound doctrine? 275 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:43,480 And I think it's significant that he goes in that order. 276 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:48,000 And as we go on in this chapter, we'll see the juxtaposition of character. 277 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:55,280 Verse 11, now he's going to look at those in contrast who are teaching false doctrine. 278 00:16:55,280 --> 00:17:01,680 They must be silenced because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought 279 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:03,040 not to teach. 280 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:08,000 And that for the sake of dishonest gain. 281 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:09,520 Look at the contrast. 282 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:12,160 And now there is called to have control of their house. 283 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:16,080 Somebody who is a person of character who is living out a godly lifestyle, the expectation 284 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:18,960 is you have control of your house. 285 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,400 Again, not control in the sense of I tell them everything and they do exactly what I 286 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:23,400 say. 287 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:24,560 Control in the sense of are they following the Lord? 288 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:25,960 Are you encouraging them in that? 289 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,360 Are you living out your faith at home? 290 00:17:28,360 --> 00:17:33,200 And on the other side, we see that false doctrine teachers are disrupting entire households 291 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:35,960 that aren't even theirs. 292 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:38,320 And they're doing that for dishonest gain. 293 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,120 We get the image here of a mercenary. 294 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:44,760 Somebody who's coming in and for the sake of money, for the sake of prestige, for the 295 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:48,080 sake of power, they're being disruptive. 296 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:53,520 They're building an ideology around them and they're disrupting others to do it. 297 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:55,520 That's the contrast. 298 00:17:55,520 --> 00:18:01,360 Their driving force is not a pursuit of holiness, they're a spiritual mercenary. 299 00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:05,960 The word of God serves not to bring people closer to God, but to support their agenda 300 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:08,760 and their ideology. 301 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:10,720 Sound familiar? 302 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:13,600 Do we see that in our world today? 303 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:15,120 We have seen it in churches. 304 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:17,000 We have seen it in the public sphere. 305 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:23,840 We have seen it in the political world where people jump on things that support their ideology, 306 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:29,080 not because the Bible says so, but because it supports what they want. 307 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:33,120 And they use it as a weapon. 308 00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:35,520 This still exists and we must be careful. 309 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:41,880 Verse 16, they claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. 310 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:49,840 They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good. 311 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:50,840 Character counts. 312 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:54,600 And it counts not just here. 313 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,320 And these are harsh words. 314 00:18:57,320 --> 00:18:59,960 Be careful who we follow. 315 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:03,520 Be careful looking at somebody who claims to be a follower of Jesus. 316 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:08,120 Do their actions live up to what Jesus calls us to? 317 00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:10,040 If not, be careful. 318 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:14,240 Be careful how far you will follow them. 319 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:19,880 And we see here that Paul is echoing the words of Christ, Luke 6, 43 through 45, no good 320 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:24,920 tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 321 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:28,480 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. 322 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:32,840 People do not pick figs from thornbrushes or grapes from briars. 323 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:37,440 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings 324 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:43,920 evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart, for the mouth speaks what the heart 325 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:44,920 is full of. 326 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:49,840 So let me ask you, when you look at your character, what kind of fruit is being born 327 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:51,800 in your life? 328 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:56,120 What kind of fruit is coming from your relationship with God? 329 00:19:56,120 --> 00:20:01,920 Are you a person where you value the integrity of your character, where you are seeking, 330 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:07,840 again, not expecting perfection, but seeking every day to take the next step to know and 331 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:11,760 become an act more like Jesus Christ? 332 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:13,400 Character counts. 333 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:18,440 And Paul is going to go on here, and he's going to give us the next teaching on character, 334 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:20,840 and it's the idea of character in context. 335 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:25,000 And we're going to see that his call to being people of character does not just apply to 336 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:29,840 leaders, nor does it apply only to the church. 337 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:33,480 It may be especially important for those who claim to speak for God, and for those who 338 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,720 lead, but it's not just for our leaders. 339 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:44,760 The call to character for leaders in leadership are sobering words for me as your pastor and 340 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:48,160 for our elders, but it is a call to the entire church. 341 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:53,800 For all believers, Paul will repeat his same admonition from 1 Timothy, almost word for 342 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:59,800 word, which again, I think is great that here is Titus and Crete, and here's Timothy and 343 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:05,240 Ephesus, and they might not ever see each other or see the letters written to each other, 344 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:10,800 and yet Paul writes very similarly to them, which affirms that these words are important 345 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,680 and that Paul is a person of character and integrity. 346 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:19,520 He's calling them to the same things in different communities. 347 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:25,400 So it is going to sound almost word for word for something we read earlier. 348 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:31,280 Titus 2, not second Titus, Titus 2, verses 7 through 10. 349 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:35,560 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. 350 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:41,160 In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, 351 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:45,040 so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about 352 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:46,160 us. 353 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:51,320 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not 354 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:56,160 to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted 355 00:21:56,160 --> 00:22:01,920 so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. 356 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:07,840 And there's a lot to dig into there, and I'm not going to get into it all, which again, 357 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:11,800 I hope that as we go through this series and you see me, you know, skip over some sections, 358 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,480 I hope that piques your interest to go and look at it yourself, to dig in on your own. 359 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:19,680 And there's a lot in here and I'm not going to be able to get to all of it, but look at 360 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:25,000 where it starts, in everything. 361 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:30,280 As Christians we are called to let our faith impact everything we do, whether we're at 362 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:37,200 work, whether we're at home, when we're talking about God it should impact everything we do. 363 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:42,040 You see this in Deuteronomy, this is the call to Israel. 364 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:47,000 As you walk along the road, as you sit at your home, as you stand up, as you lie down, 365 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,280 impress this on your children, right? 366 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:56,800 This idea that it's supposed to permeate our life. 367 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:57,800 And that is our challenge as well. 368 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:04,520 The word Paul uses here is that idea to impress literally like a stamp. 369 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:06,400 Set an example. 370 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:07,400 Like a stamp. 371 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:12,160 And we don't use stamps like they do as much anymore, although occasionally you'll get 372 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:16,560 a really formal invitation and it'll have a wax seal on the back. 373 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:20,600 That's the stamp we're supposed to think about, to impress. 374 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:26,280 Like a stamp into hot wax, leaving behind an exact replica. 375 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:28,680 Set an example. 376 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,080 He calls him to do, by doing what is good. 377 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:38,640 Be an exact match. 378 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:43,920 Titus is called to be an example in everything because it brings shame on those who oppose 379 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:45,960 biblical teaching. 380 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:49,400 Be above reproach. 381 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:53,520 And it is reminiscent of a call from Galatians for all Christians. 382 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,280 Galatians 5, 22 through 24. 383 00:23:56,280 --> 00:24:03,640 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 384 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:06,560 gentleness, and self-control. 385 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:10,360 Against such things, there is no law. 386 00:24:10,360 --> 00:24:12,160 We still live that out. 387 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:15,200 If we live that out well, we may still get mocked. 388 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:16,440 We may get taunted. 389 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:17,520 We may get laughed at. 390 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,400 We may get ridiculed. 391 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,160 But it is still how we are called to live. 392 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:27,120 It is still godly in its character. 393 00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:33,760 While at home, while at school, while at work, while online, no matter our situation, that 394 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:36,120 is what we are called to. 395 00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:37,120 Character in context. 396 00:24:37,120 --> 00:24:41,240 And this is made clear as Paul goes on to address the role of slaves. 397 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:45,000 Now, I don't want to get too sidetracked into that conversation of slavery. 398 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:49,160 We've kind of had it already, but I think it's important to point out that this passage 399 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:54,680 to Titus, we need to take into context Paul's stance overall on this issue. 400 00:24:54,680 --> 00:25:00,760 Because I think it gives some color to what Paul is driving at here and shows how this 401 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:02,640 applies to us. 402 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:07,880 And of primary importance are his similar comments in 1 Corinthians 7, 21. 403 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:11,720 Were you a slave when you were called? 404 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:13,360 Don't let it trouble you. 405 00:25:13,360 --> 00:25:17,280 Although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 406 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,960 Now, why do I think that's important to know? 407 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:21,160 Well, I think a couple of things. 408 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,960 One, it shows that Paul is not here condoning slavery. 409 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:28,000 He's not saying slavery is okay simply because he mentions it. 410 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,640 He encourages them to pursue their freedom if they can find it. 411 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:37,840 What we are seeing here is that Paul is saying that in your context, what is most important 412 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:43,600 is the eternal ramifications of faith, not your current situation. 413 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:48,320 Even if your current situation is immoral. 414 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:53,880 If you are stuck in a spot where you know that what is happening to you is wrong, we 415 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:59,300 are still called to be people of character because God's eternal influence is the most 416 00:25:59,300 --> 00:26:00,800 important thing. 417 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,840 And we can struggle with that and not like that and go, yeah, but what has happened to 418 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:07,000 me is wrong. 419 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:11,320 And notice he says in Corinthians, if you can get your freedom, do so. 420 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:12,460 Do so. 421 00:26:12,460 --> 00:26:16,320 If you're in a spot where something immoral is happening to you and you can pursue your 422 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:19,880 freedom from your boss, from your school, if somebody is calling you to do something 423 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:25,480 that you shouldn't, pursue your freedom, but do it in a way that brings honor to Jesus 424 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:27,800 Christ. 425 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:31,760 Be a person of integrity even if you're in that tough spot. 426 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:36,200 Paul calls the slave while living in an immoral situation largely beyond their control to 427 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:43,080 pursue freedom when they could, but to otherwise seek the salvation of their master. 428 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:48,640 And we see the same thing in Philemon where here Paul writes a letter to a man who owns 429 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:55,760 a slave and he tells him this in Philemon verses 15 through 19, perhaps the reason he, 430 00:26:55,760 --> 00:27:00,120 being onesimist the slave, was separated from you for a little while was that you might 431 00:27:00,120 --> 00:27:02,520 have him back forever. 432 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:06,480 No longer as a slave, but better than a slave as a dear brother. 433 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:11,280 He is very dear to me, but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother 434 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:12,280 in the Lord. 435 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:17,840 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 436 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:22,240 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 437 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:24,600 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. 438 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:31,400 I will pay it back not to mention that you owe me your very self. 439 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:36,000 Now we read that and it's hard to kind of pick up on some of this, but Paul is being 440 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,720 pretty emphatic here. 441 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:45,480 Paul led Philemon to Christ and he's basically laying the guilt trip on pretty thick here. 442 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:48,880 Hey, your slave onesimist should be treated as a brother in Christ. 443 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,280 You don't enslave a brother. 444 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:56,040 You as a believer in Jesus should not treat any human like that much less a fellow Christian. 445 00:27:56,040 --> 00:28:02,240 So if you won't do it because you shouldn't do it because you owe me your soul. 446 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:05,160 I led you to Jesus. 447 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:10,360 And so we see in here this idea that what Paul is calling us to as people of character 448 00:28:10,360 --> 00:28:14,440 is to live out that character no matter which position we're in. 449 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:19,000 If we're in a position where we are stuck in a spot that isn't good and isn't healthy, 450 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,040 we are still called to be people of character. 451 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:22,520 It's easy in our society. 452 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:24,280 We're told to lash out. 453 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:25,280 Right? 454 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:26,280 We're told to take vengeance. 455 00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:31,560 We're told to do things to those people that mistreat us, to find ways to humiliate and 456 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:34,840 embarrass them, to seek revenge. 457 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:38,520 That's not what Paul is telling us. 458 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:43,960 Conversely, he's calling Philemon in a position of power and authority to remember his character 459 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:45,920 counts as well. 460 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:52,440 So whichever side of the coin you're on, character in our context matters. 461 00:28:52,440 --> 00:29:00,960 As Christians, our call is to be people of character, not controllers and not doormats. 462 00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:07,080 Look again at how Paul ends this section in Titus, in Titus chapter 2, 11 through 15. 463 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:11,480 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 464 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:16,720 It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, 465 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:23,760 upright and godly lives in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing 466 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:29,680 of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem 467 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:31,640 us from all wickedness. 468 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:37,200 And to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 469 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,400 These then are the things that you should teach. 470 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:41,320 Encourage and rebuke with all authority. 471 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:44,280 Do not let anyone despise you. 472 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:50,920 And so we see in here that he said, hey, live in the reality that God is coming back, but 473 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:54,280 live in your reality. 474 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:59,400 Pursuing Jesus Christ yourself and doing your best to make him known to those around you. 475 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:02,920 While we wait, while we wait. 476 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:08,040 This morning I came in and saw Mike Lorenz and asked him how he was doing and having 477 00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:09,440 a good morning and he said yes. 478 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:13,800 And one of the things he listed is God is on his throne and Jesus is coming back. 479 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:15,920 And a great perspective, right? 480 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:20,680 We should have that in our mind all the time, but we also need to live in our reality as 481 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:24,800 people of character. 482 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:29,320 We look to his return and remember his sacrifice on our behalf. 483 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:36,200 The one who has led like a lamb to the slaughter yet did not open his mouth. 484 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:41,720 One who was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he 485 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:47,160 had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth. 486 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:50,040 Jesus Christ is our model. 487 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:56,560 If Jesus Christ can face the audacity, the humiliation of the cross, being perfect in 488 00:30:56,560 --> 00:31:00,560 character, what are we called to? 489 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:06,160 No matter where we are, we are called to be people of character in our context. 490 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:14,640 And our last thing that Paul is going to remind Titus here is the idea of character in community. 491 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:18,680 If we see that no matter our personal situation, we are called to be people of character and 492 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:23,040 now Paul ends with a call to live that out in our community. 493 00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:27,800 Titus chapter 3 verses 1 through 5, remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, 494 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:33,720 to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable 495 00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,920 and considerate and always be gentle towards everyone. 496 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:43,000 At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions 497 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:44,280 and pleasures. 498 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:47,680 We lived in malice and envy being hated and hating one another. 499 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:53,720 But when the kindness and love of God, our Savior appeared, He saved us not because of 500 00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:58,520 righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. 501 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:07,320 He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 502 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:12,040 Paul calls us to live as people of character in our community. 503 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:17,720 And remember that it's easy to look and go, yeah, but our world is so different than Paul's 504 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:18,720 world. 505 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:19,720 You're right. 506 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:21,560 It is. 507 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:26,400 In some ways, our world, it should be easier. 508 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:31,800 Remember that Paul is living in a world where the emperor is calling himself a God and claiming 509 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:39,160 his own divine authority and killing and persecuting actively Christians. 510 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:44,400 And he still calls them to remember that they need to live obedient. 511 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:47,600 Not when it's in contrast with the gospel, obviously. 512 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:48,600 Right? 513 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:51,480 There are times where if you're at work and your boss tells you to do something that is 514 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,640 immoral, there are appropriate times to stand up and say no. 515 00:32:55,640 --> 00:33:02,240 But we are still called to live as people of character in our community. 516 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:05,960 We are called to remember that we once acted as unbelievers. 517 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:07,560 That's that second part. 518 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,360 Don't miss that part as the justification. 519 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:12,840 We remember where we were when we were unbelievers. 520 00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:19,680 As I look around at the world and I see how un-Christian our world is today, it's no surprise. 521 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:23,200 They act un-Christian. 522 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:26,080 That is what they are. 523 00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:30,040 And we need to remind ourselves that there were times where we were that way. 524 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:33,400 Now, some of you in this room might be like me, where you grew up in a Christian home 525 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:39,040 and you went to church, and it's easy to forget what it was like when we didn't have Jesus 526 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:41,160 Christ in our life. 527 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:45,960 But even as I look at my life where I grew up in the church and went to Bible college 528 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:50,080 and stepped into church ministry right out of college, it's easy for me to think, well, 529 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:51,480 I've always had this outlook. 530 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:57,000 And really, even as I look at my life since college, I've changed. 531 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:58,480 God has done work in me. 532 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:04,480 And there were things going on in my life right out of college that I wouldn't do now. 533 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:10,840 And so we're called to remember how God has changed us and to live in our community as 534 00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:13,680 people of character. 535 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:14,680 Do what is good. 536 00:34:14,680 --> 00:34:15,680 Do not slander. 537 00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:17,440 Be peaceable and considerate. 538 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:20,000 Be gentle. 539 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:25,840 Not meaning we don't hold our stance, but meaning we do it with humility and integrity. 540 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:31,120 Our goal is not to win the political, social, economic, or ideological battle and lose the 541 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:33,520 spiritual war. 542 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:38,440 We should want more than anything that those that disagree with us will someday come to 543 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:40,840 the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 544 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:44,920 And remember, that's Paul's primary concern. 545 00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:52,040 At one time, we were wrong, he says, we made mistakes, we held the wrong view. 546 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:53,040 We've all done it. 547 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:54,040 Nobody here is perfect. 548 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:58,440 Instead, seek to walk in the world as people of character. 549 00:34:58,440 --> 00:35:03,240 Again, nowhere does Paul say we don't stand for our faith, but he does challenge our posture 550 00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:05,400 as we do it. 551 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:11,800 And I'm reminded of Martin Luther's words when he stood before a council that was wrong 552 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:15,520 and had the ability to kill him. 553 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:17,120 It's a great example for us to follow. 554 00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:22,200 So here, Martin Luther has come out and made these statements and they've asked him to 555 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:23,200 recant. 556 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:28,560 And if you don't know the story, you know, Martin Luther posts his thesis on the wall 557 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:34,080 and sparks the Reformation and they finally haul him in and they lay before him all the 558 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:37,720 works he's written and they said, we are calling you to recant or we're going to charge you 559 00:35:37,720 --> 00:35:41,760 with heresy and burn you at the stake. 560 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:48,480 And he boldly says, give me a day to think about it. 561 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:51,080 And they go, okay, fine. 562 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:54,160 And he comes back and he says, well, there's three kinds of works here. 563 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:58,280 He goes, there's my devotional works which are in alignment with what you believe and 564 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:00,360 so you can't be asking me to recant those. 565 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:01,480 Those don't make any sense. 566 00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:03,400 So let's set those aside. 567 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:08,480 Then there's these where I'm calling us all, myself included, to live better Christian lives 568 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:09,480 and to follow God's word. 569 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:12,760 So you can't be asking me to recant those, so we'll set those aside. 570 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:17,240 And he goes, and then there's these where I criticize how you've handled the gospel. 571 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:19,200 And that's really what you're calling me to recant of. 572 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:23,400 And this is what he finally says. 573 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:27,960 Your imperial majesty and your lordships demand a simple answer. 574 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:31,640 Here it is, plain and unvarnished. 575 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:37,640 Unless I'm convinced of error by the testimony of Scripture or since I put no trust in the 576 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:42,320 unsupported authority of pope or councils, since it is plain that they have often aired 577 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:47,800 and have often contradicted themselves, by manifest reasoning I stand convicted by the 578 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:53,480 Scripture to which I have appealed and my conscience is taken captive by God's word. 579 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:59,320 I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe 580 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:02,440 for us nor open to us. 581 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:03,600 On this I take my stand. 582 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:05,240 I can do no other. 583 00:37:05,240 --> 00:37:06,240 God help me. 584 00:37:06,240 --> 00:37:08,720 Amen. 585 00:37:08,720 --> 00:37:11,480 That's his response. 586 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:16,160 I think that's a great model for us of standing there and saying, I'm going to take the stand 587 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:24,200 where I need to, but I'm going to do so with humility, calling out for your salvation. 588 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:28,400 Not in anger, not calling names. 589 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:31,720 And then he stands there. 590 00:37:31,720 --> 00:37:36,160 He stands there knowing full well that they might charge him right then and there. 591 00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:42,360 Take them outside, time to a poll and set them on fire. 592 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,440 I think that's a great model for us. 593 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:49,480 Stand where we must, but do so with respect and charity. 594 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:53,740 And then Paul turns his attention inward toward the church as well, the second community 595 00:37:53,740 --> 00:37:55,640 that we live in. 596 00:37:55,640 --> 00:38:00,800 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law because 597 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,520 these are unprofitable and useless. 598 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:06,400 Warn a divisive person once and then warn them a second time. 599 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:09,600 After that, have nothing to do with them. 600 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:15,720 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful, they are self-condemned. 601 00:38:15,720 --> 00:38:21,440 An interesting shift in his posture when he looks inside the church. 602 00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:22,440 And does it sound familiar? 603 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:24,680 Because his words to Timothy are almost identical. 604 00:38:24,680 --> 00:38:28,400 Again, I find that reassuring. 605 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:32,720 Warn a divisive person once, then warn him again, and after that have nothing to do with 606 00:38:32,720 --> 00:38:36,320 them, they are warped. 607 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:40,040 Now, I think that can be a challenge for us. 608 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:43,800 We need to take into account what Matthew says about church discipline and how we work 609 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:46,760 with people. 610 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:50,600 But I think sometimes we tend to give more grace to those inside the church than we 611 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:53,880 do those outside the church. 612 00:38:53,880 --> 00:39:01,000 We tolerate un-Christian behavior inside the church from somebody who claims to be a Christian. 613 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:08,480 And that's the spot where Paul seems to be a little more harsh. 614 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:11,080 Do not engage, he says. 615 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:16,320 There is a difference between a constructive conversation of faith in arguments and quarrels. 616 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:23,040 When it shifts to arguments and divisions, we are called to face away. 617 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:24,920 We are called to a higher way as Christians. 618 00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:30,080 And here we see Paul's posture shift. 619 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:33,440 Your brother or sister, one who claims to be a Christian but is being quarrelsome and 620 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:39,600 divisive, we are to warn them, warn them again, and then have nothing to do with them. 621 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:42,160 And we saw in Timothy why. 622 00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:44,160 Because our goal is to reach the lost. 623 00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:49,080 And if we spend all of our time bickering and fighting internally, we lose out on opportunities 624 00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:53,080 to share the gospel with people who are actively going to help. 625 00:39:53,080 --> 00:39:54,080 And that is more important. 626 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:57,720 And so we can disagree in the church, and we can have disagreements. 627 00:39:57,720 --> 00:40:01,920 But when it becomes divisive and argumentative, that's when we need to say, hey, stop. 628 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:05,440 We're breaking down what the church is about here, and we're getting distracted. 629 00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:11,240 We can continue to engage in conversation, but if somebody won't do that, we need to 630 00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:15,480 step away and say, hey, I'm not going to get sidetracked from what God has called me to 631 00:40:15,480 --> 00:40:16,480 do. 632 00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:21,720 Our goal here at Watertown Evangelical Free Church, and I think we would argue the Christian 633 00:40:21,720 --> 00:40:28,400 church's goal as a whole is to help people find and follow Jesus, and quarrels, division, 634 00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:33,080 and arguments are antithetical to the gospel message. 635 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:35,600 We are called to be people of character. 636 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:42,560 We are called to let God's word and the Holy Spirit permeate everything we do. 637 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:46,400 When we engage with those who disagree with us outside the church, when we engage with 638 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:51,440 those who disagree with us inside of the church, we are called to be kind and charitable and 639 00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:57,720 people of a character, taking a stand when we have to, but doing so in humility and love, 640 00:40:57,720 --> 00:41:04,760 hoping that they repent where they're wrong, and being open to repenting where we are. 641 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:10,120 I think that is the call to character that we see in the book of Titus. 642 00:41:10,120 --> 00:41:14,120 So would you pray with me? 643 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:19,520 Heavenly Father, I pray and ask that we as a church would be filled with people of character. 644 00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:25,960 God, that who you have called us to be, God, what your word says would so permeate us that 645 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:31,000 every day, God, we would become more and more like you. 646 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:35,520 God, help us to live out that character in the challenging situations. 647 00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:41,520 God, when we feel trapped at work or at school or at home, God, help us to be people of character. 648 00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:46,360 God, when we disagree with somebody outside of the church, help us to disagree with them 649 00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:50,680 in such a way that they come to see you as desirable and attractive. 650 00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:55,240 God called to repent, but seeing you. 651 00:41:55,240 --> 00:42:01,480 And God, when we disagree in the church, God, help us to continue to be people of character, 652 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:09,920 who disagree well, God, who model what it looks like. 653 00:42:09,920 --> 00:42:12,760 God, help us to be people of character. 654 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:18,760 God, help us to truly live out what it means to be a little Christ, to be a Christian in 655 00:42:18,760 --> 00:42:20,640 everything we say and do. 656 00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:22,640 I pray that's your name. 657 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:24,920 Amen. 658 00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:30,320 The Lord said to Moses, tell Aaron and his sons, this is how you are to bless the Israelites. 659 00:42:30,320 --> 00:42:33,680 Say to them, the Lord bless you and keep you. 660 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:36,920 The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. 661 00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:40,920 The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. 662 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:44,640 So they will put my name on the Israelites and I will bless them. 663 00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:45,640 Amen. 664 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:46,640 Go in peace. 665 00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:47,640 Have a great week. 666 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:52,440 Thank you for listening to Messages and More, a ministry of Watertown Evangelical Free Church. 667 00:42:52,440 --> 00:43:11,120 To find out more, visit us online at wevfree.org.