[0:00] How many of you have taught somebody to drive before? How many of you have been responsible for teaching somebody to drive? Bo, I'm kind of curious who you taught to drive, all right? Was it you, Lauren? That explains so much, all right?
[0:12] And how many? Let me, I didn't look. I was still thrown off by Bo raising his hand. You taught somebody to drive? Okay, I could. Okay, fantastic. I'm doing that for the first time. My oldest now is 15, and so I've been practicing.
[0:23] The drone park over here is really nice. It's the only gravel roads we have really left in the county. You can't hit much over there, and so we've been practicing. He's doing a fine job. He's a better student than I am a teacher.
[0:35] One of the things Stephanie and I have realized is that we both don't need to be in the car when he's driving because we say things differently. I'll say that you need to turn on your turn signal, and she'll say turn on your blinker, all right?
[0:49] And it's like, well, which one is it, all right? Do you want the blinker or do you want the turn signal? We have a lot of that. She has a clicker. I have a remote control. Same things, different language, all right? Or get in the passing lane or get in the turning lane or get in that one over there, all right?
[1:02] It's just hearing so many things come to him. Or I say, slow down, and she says, speed up, all right? Then he's really confused about what he is supposed to do. You can't micromanage somebody when they're driving.
[1:15] You have to just give them principles and guidance, but you can't micromanage. If you try to micromanage a driver, you are called a backseat driver. Point to the backseat driver in your life at this time.
[1:26] Are there any backseat drivers in here? There's a few. Will, you're one of them, all right? Both of you, all right? And some people want to control the car, and you know there's a point, and I'm preparing for the day that I know that Thatcher's going to get into that car or truck without me, and he's going to leave.
[1:44] And the thought just horrifies me, all right? Not because he's not a good driver, but it's because he has about one year to get ready for it, all right? And I think about that.
[1:56] And he faces challenges that I didn't face. When you're from a town of 500 in Kentucky, I drove myself to get my driver's license. I didn't have to parallel park because they said, we don't do that.
[2:10] And I'm like, you're right. And I struggle now. One time I went to Boston, and I was so excited. I had five hours there, and I wanted to get something really good to eat. And I couldn't park because I don't know how to parallel park, so I had to eat at a gas station, all right?
[2:23] And I can't parallel park to save my life. And so things are different here. The first time me and Thatcher went out, I was thinking, wow, you're facing a challenge here in turning in these two lanes that I didn't face until I was in my mid-20s and left the farm, all right?
[2:41] Different challenges that we face. Titus 2.12, the very last verse that I read, we'll put it on the screen. I'm going to ask you to say the last four words with me here. Titus 2.12 says this, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, say it with me, in this present world.
[3:02] This present world that we live in, the present world, no matter when this is read in scriptures, throughout time, has always been opposed to the things of God.
[3:12] You read it in the scriptures, you see it on the news, and when you study throughout history, you see that the culture has always been opposed to the things of God.
[3:23] And if you would take a moment and just try to picture in your head a picture of a little country church. In that church, there's kids that are playing in the front yard, the choir is full, and this was the good old days that we are told about American history.
[3:38] The church is full, the front yard is filled with kids playing. You have that picture, and if you were to zoom out from that picture, you would see that there's a farmer working next door to the church who would not be in church that day.
[3:52] If you zoomed out even farther, you would find that the saloon was still filled. Because even in 1776, less than 17% of the country attended church regularly.
[4:04] In the history of America, that hasn't changed much. It's always been under about 20%. The amount of people that attend church monthly or occasionally, that has really grown. But the amount of people that faithfully go to church has never been much more than about 20%.
[4:18] And so, throughout the amount of people have changed, and that's according to The Churching of America by Rodney Stark. I don't tell you this to challenge your perception of U.S. history, but to encourage you in the fact that all those who have ever lived faithfully throughout the ages did so in spite of their culture and not because of it.
[4:40] There are unique challenges that we face today, but facing challenges are not unique to God's people. There's unique challenges that we face, but facing challenges are not unique to us.
[4:53] So, we can complain about the culture we live in, but we know that we have brothers and sisters around the world that would pray and dream of living in a country like we do with the opportunities that we have.
[5:06] You can dream of a time in the past where you thought it was much easier to rate as a godly, moral family in this country, but it's always taken conviction. It has always been counter-cultural to serve the God of heaven.
[5:22] And so, when we get to these passages here today, they know what it's like to live out their faith in a godless society. Two areas these false teachers are promoting, and we looked at and we've read about.
[5:36] They're trying to influence the culture. It doesn't just stay in a church building, but it touches all areas of the culture. The first being that these false teachers are teaching another gospel.
[5:49] 2 Corinthians 11 4. For he that cometh preach us another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which we have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, you might well bear with him.
[6:07] There has always been, since the time of Christ, the preaching of another gospel. In every country, in every culture, there are people that teach us wrongly about Jesus Christ in the gospel.
[6:19] This first comes after a call here in verse 3. But I fear less by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
[6:36] That your minds would be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. So, the false teachers, they change from culture to culture, from generation to generation, the names that they would have, the opportunities that they would have, the resources that they would have.
[6:50] But their goal is always the same. It's to create confusion, and take us away from the simplicity of Christ, and understanding the gospel. Not only is there another gospel and another Jesus that's always being taught by this group of people in this world, the prince of power of the air, and of the devil, and all these influences, but there is another spirit in this world.
[7:12] And as we teach our children to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we should help them recognize that there is a false spirit in this world. Same verse, 2 Corinthians 11, 4, that I've already read, where it says they preach another Jesus whom you have not preached, or if you receive another spirit which you have not received.
[7:35] It was pointed out to me a couple weeks ago, we had a baptism, and I believe maybe four people were baptized, and I alternated. I said, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
[7:46] And the next one I said, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Both words are used of the third person of the Trinity, or the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Ghost.
[7:57] I didn't notice that I did that, but as I think about it, I could see how I do that, and I often go back and forth. The distinction here is that it was the Holy Spirit, it was the Holy Ghost, separate and distinct, which is the same that in this world that there are other spirits, there are other influences.
[8:17] So I want to take a moment here, remind you about seven truths about the Holy Spirit. Because as we get into chapter number two, and we talk about sound doctrine, we talk about the behavior that ought to come from that sound doctrine.
[8:29] I want to remind you in here, as parents and as disciple makers, one of the best thing that we can do for our children and young Christians is to help them understand how to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in their lives.
[8:44] We need guidance. We need navigation. As Thatcher will not have me in his car at all times, he needs guidance. He needs principles. But in our Christian life, I won't always be with him either, always either.
[8:57] And so he needs to recognize the role of the Holy Spirit in his life. First thing I would like to remind you here, and contradicting and going against what the spirit of this world and false teachers of this world would teach, is this.
[9:11] The Holy Spirit is God. Acts chapter number five, verse three and four, he says that they have sinned against the Holy Ghost. And then in the next verse, in verse number four, it says that you have lied to God.
[9:23] We can look at many passages, but it's very clear that the Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit that came to indwell you as a believer is the God of heaven. And you say, I know that.
[9:35] That's basic understanding that you would get in Sunday school as a small kid. And that's important. But I want to remind you that that prompting in your life, that conviction that is brought to you is coming from the God of heaven, which means to say no to it, to the conviction, is to say no to the God of heaven.
[9:56] And that's an important distinction. This isn't just a warm feeling that you have, I want to do right. But if this is the God of heaven working in your heart, telling you to make application to the word of God, we should remember and we should teach others that is the Holy Spirit is God.
[10:12] And we say no to him. We say no to that moving in our hearts, that conviction that we were saying no to God. Second thing I want to remind you here is that he is personal and active in our lives.
[10:24] Romans 8, 14 shows that he convicts us of sin and he leads the sons of God. For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God. God actively happening, that the Holy Spirit should be actively leading you in your life.
[10:40] And I want to pause here for a moment because some of you may recognize that there was a time in your life where you were much more sensitive to the Holy Spirit in your life than you are at this time.
[10:52] That you've allowed many wonderful things and also many bad things in your life to just crowd out your heart. That you're living, that you're not living guided by him, but you're just living following the old habits of the past.
[11:06] But you're not a person that's sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And the day would be a day to pray as David and say, search my heart, O God, see if there be any wicked way in me. And to ask him for forgiveness and for a greater sensitivity to his work in your life.
[11:22] He is personal and active in our lives. Not only that, the Holy Spirit is sovereign. John 3, 8, the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof. But canst thou not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth?
[11:35] So every one that is born of the Spirit. We do not command the Holy Spirit. We do not direct the Holy Spirit. He is God and he is sovereign.
[11:46] He cannot be manipulated for our own use. In his work in the life of a believer in John 16, 13, tells us that he wants to guide us in the all truth, that the Holy Spirit will guide us.
[11:59] It's important to reading the Bible and in prayer. We go to this book knowing that it's God's word and we pray and say, God, give me understanding. Illuminate my heart. Help me understand and lead me into the truth.
[12:11] And then the Holy Spirit empowers you to do God's will. Ephesians 3, 7. Whereof I was made a minister, a servant, according to the grace of God given to me by the effectual working of his power, that the work of God in our lives are done through the yielding and submitting of ourselves to the Holy Spirit in our lives.
[12:33] And he calls us, the Holy Spirit calls us to holiness and out of this world. He calls us to holiness. 1 John 4, 4 and 5. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
[12:50] They are the world, therefore they speak of the world, and the world heareth them. That the Holy Spirit inside of you makes it so that you can reckon sin. You can now yield yourself, you can reckon yourself and yield yourself over to God's enabling in your life to do what's right.
[13:07] So we struggle as believers. We struggle with sin, but we always struggle. We never give in. And we know that we have the power to overcome because the Holy Spirit is able to overcome in our lives.
[13:21] We never become defeatists. We never become victims. And we never say, I'm unable to overcome this in my life because we recognize that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives.
[13:31] And then lastly here, the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ. John 15, 26. But when the Comforter is come, that's the Holy Spirit, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.
[13:49] You see that? The Spirit of truth making the distinction. We'll see in a little bit. The Spirit of this world called a Spirit of Aram or a Spirit of the devil. But the Spirit of truth will testify of whom? Of Jesus.
[14:00] The Holy Spirit works in our lives and points the attention to the person and the work of Jesus. Well, that's just a little simple Bible lesson and a reminder to you what the Bible would teach us about the Holy Spirit.
[14:12] As teachers of good things, that should be what we would be teaching those new believers and teaching our children. But we saw last week in the book of Galatians that these vain talkers, these unruly people, these that are deceiving influencers in our lives, they want to do a few things.
[14:30] They want to distract you from obeying the truth of the gospel. They want to complicate the simple. They want to make their voice louder in your life than hearing God's Word. They want to put themselves between you and knowing God.
[14:42] They want to make themselves a mediator. So you can't understand the Word of God without them. You can't go to God without praying to them. They want to put themselves between you and Jesus Christ. They alter the truth so slightly.
[14:54] That's all they need to do. They don't need to make a 180 in your life. They just need to slightly alter the truth. They only need to create doubt and confusion. And they do so through fear, which causes confusion and discouragement.
[15:09] And the last thing we saw is they misrepresent the position of others because they want to isolate you and lead you astray. Through your years of life, you probably have seen that time and time again of people that have not been discipled and rooted in the Word of God.
[15:26] They leave home. They leave where their place is established. And they find themselves quite confused. I speak to people every week that have been confused and tormented by some false teaching that has been brought into their lives.
[15:40] And it rarely looks like them attending some place that would be known for false teaching. But there's so many influences in our lives. And the conversations we have, the things that you watch on television, the things you listen to, to the books we read, there are a thousand different ways that you can be influenced in the world in which we live.
[15:58] And so the conclusion of the matter in Titus 1.11 was, whose mouths must be stopped because they subvert whole houses. There is an undercurrent in the culture that if we're not mindful of and we give our ears to them, that it will subvert and it will change our homes.
[16:18] And so we're aware of that. We're aware of the problem. And we see it. The spirit of the world wants to replace the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And I'm saying in 1 Corinthians 2.12, it says, Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
[16:38] The spirit of the world that teaches us, that wants to teach us, and teach us incorrectly about what the Holy Spirit is. Matt Malcolm shared with me and several others a documentary about the influences of this world, how many times churches have adopted Eastern religion, and how there's just a gradual pull, not just in the places that you would expect, but even in the religious world, to move away from the things of God.
[17:06] I watched it first with a fascination and interest, and now I watch it with a heavy heart to know that there's good, sincere people who are moved in their hearts to draw closer to God, and they put themselves in churches or different places or in Bible studies with people who are not teaching what the Holy Spirit would teach about God's Word, but they're being influenced by the spirit of this world.
[17:28] I'll give you a few of them, all in contrast to the seven things that I already mentioned. One here is that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force. He's like the force of Star Wars, the ones that would cause you to be able to do something, one that you would be able to command and control, the one that you could beg to come down, and he would work at your demand, that you would not see miracles, but you could demand miracles, one that would make you a deity, not one that recognizes that the Holy Spirit is deity, but the one that would make you deity.
[17:59] Satan to Eve, you shall be as God, is what Satan told Eve, and it's the same type of false religion that is prevalent today, is that you are at the center of the story, that you are the one that the whole universe revolves around.
[18:15] If you could just know enough, the truth, then you would be as God. I have a friend that often goes to college campuses, and he speaks out on the street corner, and the things that these college students say back to him, that is so concerning, not just the kids who grew up in an atheistic home, not the ones that are just completely away from God, but the ones that are standing there, that profess to be Christians, that grew up in church, that argue with him, that they're completely contrary to the things of God.
[18:47] The Bible tells us in the last day, there would be those that would give you what you, your ear, your itching ears. I've always thought that was a funny expression, right? Itching ears, meaning that there will always be a place in this world that will tell people what they want to hear, and those places will always grow.
[19:05] And so, leads you in a way from the truth. So, it can't be controlled. It cannot be, he cannot be controlled. It cannot be invoked. So, expressions like, I declare that the Spirit is going to pour financial wealth upon you.
[19:18] I cannot demand for the Holy Spirit to do anything. He is sovereign. When I say I'm blessed and the angels go to work and do your bidding, or I give the universe permission to come and to help you, or maybe the most comical one that I saw was a lady on a family feud, and she says, Holy Spirit, activate.
[19:40] Holy Spirit, activate. And she demands that the Holy Spirit gives her the power as if she hit the turbo mode in life. Now, the Holy Spirit is going to come in. She demanded it for personal gain in her life.
[19:53] And the Bible says this is leading us away from the truth. 1 Timothy 4.1 Now, the Spirit speaketh expressly that in latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
[20:07] 1 John 4.6 We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
[20:17] So, there is a seducing spirit in this world, teaching a doctrine of devils, and it is the spirit of error, not the spirit of truth. It would teach you to empower yourself to do your own will, not a submission to the will of the Father.
[20:33] And it draws us into the world. It draws us away from godliness and holiness into a world. Ephesians 2.2 Wherein, in times past, you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, and a spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
[20:51] And then lastly, as the Holy Spirit would testify of Jesus, the spirit of this world would testify of you. It glorifies you. It speaks much of your legacy and your self-worth.
[21:04] I could go on and on about this, but I think we're all in agreement that there is an undercurrent that wants to subvert you and your family and this culture.
[21:15] And some of it is very clear, and it's sinful, and it's immoral, and then other times it comes to us packaged differently. And it just wants to slightly move us away from the things of God, and we must be on guard for them.
[21:28] And the greatest defense that you can have against wrong teaching is to provide for young believers in your life and for your children a good understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives, to give them a good understanding of sound doctrine.
[21:44] You probably have heard of a dorm room theology, right? Maybe you've experienced it. If you went to a Christian college, you're not even at a Christian college. It's where two people who know very little about something argue to the death about who is right.
[21:58] And what you find is that when a person has not been grounded in the simple things of life, in the doctrines of the Lord, that when they meet somebody else that seems to have a full or robust understanding of it, they can very clearly make a case that seems better than the one they currently had, because the one they had had so many holes in it.
[22:18] We'll spend more time on this next week when we talk about the doctrine and should not have corruptness. But I fear so many times in the churches in America that we have discipled for preferences, but we have just hoped and trusted that our kids are getting a full understanding of the doctrines of God's Word.
[22:37] We disciple for the nuances, the things that we would do inside of our family or inside of our church that are peculiar to us. We make sure they know all of those, but we just trust that they are going to gather a solid understanding of God's Word, an understanding about the Holy Spirit, an understanding about living a holy life and all those things that are so very important.
[22:55] So here's our biblical response. In Titus 1.16, it speaks about the harmful teaching group, the one that's just described, that's contrary to the teaching of God's Word, that's contrary to the Holy Spirit.
[23:07] It says about them in Titus 1.16, they profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient, unto every good work reprobate. I'm told that this word here, it describes something that happens when builders are building, and it starts with an A or alpha here, and they put a stone, they put this letter upon a stone, and they would set it aside to say that this stone here is useless.
[23:31] I'm very cautious to ever speak about people as being useless, but when it comes to building in us, the things that matter, when it comes to building the church, this group of people are being reprobate.
[23:43] They are being useless. You are truly, but you and I, that is not the group that we are part of here. You are truly useful by teaching the behavior that is consistent with sound doctrine.
[23:56] There's a great influence outside of these doors, on the air, off the air, and everywhere you go that wants to push the next generation in a way that is away from God.
[24:08] And here's the response to it. It's Titus chapter 2, verse number 1. But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. We know what the world will do, but what are we to do about it?
[24:20] We know what the problem is, but what is the response on the Isle of Crete of all these people in the want to subvert homes? What is God's response to it? And the answer is, but speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.
[24:34] You speak the things that become sound doctrine. And you say me, when I say you, I say you, and you say me, and I say yes, you. I think I made that more complicated than needed, all right?
[24:46] Sounded like Dr. Seuss there for a moment. But when I say you, we are talking about every one of you. You, the church, are the response to this problem on this island of Crete.
[24:59] You are the response to the problem of the culture that we now live in. It's important that the gospel is proclaimed and it's preached. We saw that in Titus 1, 9, holding fast the word of God and proclaiming it and teaching, exhorting, convincing the gainsayers.
[25:13] Here's something more specific. Speak what becomes, meaning not just proclaiming, but to live out. We are to teach others how to live out the doctrines in their lives.
[25:24] The word for teaching has in mind what a parent does to a child. He speaks of the entire training process, teaching, encouragement, correction, and discipline.
[25:34] But speak thou the things. You are the implied subject there, but you speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.
[25:44] So on an island with a subversive culture, the response is that all God's people inside of the church would live a life that testifies to sound doctrine here.
[25:59] And so after being told to speak what becomes of sound doctrine, we are not referred to in chapter 2, verse number 1. It doesn't say, speak thou the things of sound doctrine. We are not referred to now to a very large theological book, which what we are pointed to is the life of faithful people.
[26:17] We are saying it's not a large book, it's not just advanced education classes which are so important. I encourage you to go to VBI. But what are most kids in our church and most new believers going to learn about the return of Jesus is going to happen in car rides with you.
[26:35] They are going to happen around dinner tables. They are going to happen in everyday life. And so there's four groups here and these four groups of people are represented in here today. We have the aged men.
[26:46] All right. How many of you represent that group here? Would you raise your hand? Hi or Ty, I can't see it. All right. All right. You are the aged men. All right. This is the aged women. Very few.
[26:56] Anybody in here? Is there any aged women? All right. Every head bowed, every eye closed. All right. How many recognize? It's a wonderful thing. I know that I'm not supposed to talk about it, but that's when we act like being old or aged is wrong.
[27:09] We should be ashamed of it. You should be very proud. You survived something. All right. That you're aged women. Young women. Are there any young women in here today? All right. And then lastly, young men.
[27:20] Are there any young men in here today? All right. There's a few of you. Not you, David Burkhart. Put your hand back down. All right. And so there's four different categories. I do know some of us would say we don't know which category.
[27:31] We know we belong in the man category or the woman category, but you may not know if you belong in the old or the young, but this represents every one of you in here. I know that I'm belaboring the point.
[27:42] What I'm trying to get you to see is that you, every one of you, are the response to this problem. Every one of you are a response to this problem. There's tons of places and people that know how to detail the problem better than I can, but what we often forget, it isn't our job just to highlight what the problem is in the world.
[28:01] We are to live lives that are a response to that. And so what are the four of us to do? For the grace of God that brings us salvation has appeared to men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldliness, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
[28:15] We live out the grace of God in our lives. Grace puts ungodliness and worldly lust in our past. Grace teaches us to renounce those things, not only to avoid them. Grace teaches us to live in this present world.
[28:29] We can provide a model and example to the younger men and to the younger women what it means to live out our faith in this present world. Spurgeon said this, Thus you see that grace has its own disciples.
[28:41] Are you a disciple of the grace of God? Did you ever come and submit yourselves to it? And these words should describe our lives. We'll look at more in detail next week. Sober, which means self-controlled.
[28:51] The older men are told to be sober. Older women are told to be like-minded. The young women are told to be sober. The young men are told to be sober-minded. It's a running theme that we are to be people that are thinking clearly about the things of God.
[29:04] Righteous, in the way that we interact with those around us. We do right. And then godly. We take God and the things of God seriously. Sober, righteous, and godly.
[29:16] And so what should this look like? Our lives should provide a pattern of good works. Titus 2.7 And all things show us a pattern of good works. Titus had more than a teacher. He had an example.
[29:27] And we all need examples in our lives. We can't escape it. The Bible is a book that tells us how to live. And it is the height of hypocrisy to say that we believe the truth if we ignore how it tells us to live our lives.
[29:41] Nate and Emily Wilkerson were with us last Sunday. After church, we went to lunch with them. We're out in the parking lot and I told Nate, I said, hey Nate, follow me. And he looked at me and he said, I will follow you as you follow Jesus.
[29:51] I'm like, calm down Nate, we're just getting chicken, alright? But he was saying, I follow you as you follow Jesus. It's a good reminder. People should follow our example as we live godly examples. You see, the world doesn't judge us by our theology.
[30:05] The world judges us by our behavior. And there is as much as ever a need in this world for there to be a group of Christians in this community that live out the word of God.
[30:16] Is it possible to live a holy, God-honoring life in this present world? Why should people believe in a life-changing truth if your life isn't changed? In Romans, there's a powerful statement made about Israel.
[30:28] It says, Romans 2.24, For the name of God is blasphemed against the Gentiles through you as it is written. The name of God is blasphemed. See, here we have a strategy of the church.
[30:39] We reach the world and our family and our friends by holiness, not by technique. You feel different and that difference makes you feel bad but it's the most loving thing that you can do to your family and friends is to pursue God and to live out the word.
[30:57] Young women, what a great opportunity you have. Titus 2.5 says, That by a discreet chest keepers at home, good obedient to their husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men, you can live so that the who don't believe in God have their mouths shut.
[31:11] Titus 2.8, All young men, listen to this, Sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. There's many horrible things that can be said about the upcoming generation that people say but young men and young women in here, you can live a life that would shut the mouth of people that would say that and say it's not true about that young man.
[31:32] Young ladies in here, you can live a life that does not blaspheme the word of God but it adorns the doctrines of God our Savior. What an opportunity that we have. Stephanie and I went to Disney Springs a couple weeks ago.
[31:45] It's the place you go to Disney World where you don't want to pay money. It's kind of like Disney World but it's free, all right? And if you don't know about it, see me at church. I have a timeshare I'll sell you. I'm just kidding, all right? And we're at Disney Springs and there's this long line for cookies, for Gideon's Cookies.
[31:59] Does anybody know about Gideon's Cookies in here, all right? This line lasts, it's going to be an hour long, Brother Chuck, and I walked by Stephanie and I said, there's no way. Cornwell's do not wait in line for an hour for cookies.
[32:11] That's just illogical, not going to do it, all right? But then I wanted to see what was in the cookie store and so I tried to look inside the window and I wasn't able to look inside of it and it kind of looked like a library and that interested me and I wanted to see it and we're about to walk away and this young couple, this girl says, it's totally worth the wait and I turned and looked at her and I said, what part of Kentucky are you from?
[32:33] All right? She had a strong accent, all right? And she was from Kentucky and she told me and we began talking and she's talked about these cookies and we watched them eat these cookies and I looked at Stephanie and I said, apparently the Cornwell's are the type of people who wait in line for an hour and we got in line and waited an hour for a cookie.
[32:52] It was not because of the advertisement, it was because of nothing else, it was just the testimony of somebody I didn't know that was having a good time eating a cookie that told me it was worth the wait. I know that is a very simple and shallow understanding but people, we have the gospel, we have the gospel truth, we have God's word, everything about our lives ought to testify of it.
[33:11] So believer in here, I want to challenge you, do we have lives that would say that they are, that the name of God will be blasphemed, that we live in such a way that does not testify the truth of God's word?
[33:24] Ecclesiology is important and it gets, or eschatology on Tuesday night but you know eschatology is the doctrine of it times, it's taught when your kids hear you talk about the Lord's return on your way home today.
[33:37] Ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church, it's super important, you ought to learn it, it's one of my favorite things to study, it was taught today when you got to church even though it wasn't easy. Getting the church when it's not easy, that teaches your kids more about ecclesiology than a Bible institute or anything else will.
[33:53] Soteriology, that's the doctrine of salvation, that is learned in conversations after a baptism. That's learned when your kids have questions about what it must take for them to take the Lord's Supper.
[34:04] Those are questions they ask when they say, I want to be a good boy or a good girl so I can go to heaven. All of those doctrines are taught in everyday life and the way that we live it out. And so the question for us as believers is, or challenge, we should live lives that give a clear message of the power of the word of God.
[34:23] Titus 2.15 ends with this, Are you living a life that is despised or are you living a life that teaches that the gospel has changed your life?
[34:37] Because the world needs it. Your community needs it. Your family and friends need it. And we're able to. We're able to live holy and godly lives in this present world.
[34:49] And we're given the privilege and responsibility to teach the next generation. Here in a moment I'm going to pray. And believers, I would ask you that you would ask the Father and say, Father, I want my life to testify.
[35:01] You know, marriage is one of the greatest displays of the gospel. It is kind of like a Christmas snow globe, right? It's supposed to demonstrate the gospel as like you see it encapsulated. Not just in a wedding but in a marriage.
[35:13] Our tongues ought to be seasoned with grace because we're demonstrating grace. Would you allow the Holy Spirit to do that? And see that not only the sin in your life, not only is it taking the joy away from you, but it's like sin against God.
[35:26] It's also ruining the testimony that you have in this world. Holiness is what we should be living out to share the gospel with other people. And as you're praying, believers, I speak to those in here today that have never put your faith and trust in Jesus.
[35:40] Somehow, in some way, there's been confusion in your life. There's been false teaching and there's not been a clear understanding. And I would love for you today to understand the simplicity of Christ. Some places would teach that you have to continue working harder and that's so sad because that offers no hope because you'll never be good enough.
[35:58] Other places will tell you that you're not a sinner and that the only sin is if you ever think bad about yourself. That's equally hopeless because you don't even know that you need hope. But today, I want to tell you there's great hope.
[36:10] You are certainly a sinner like I am and all of us in here. But there's a Savior that died for you and you can put your faith and trust in Him today. That's what I encourage you to do in this moment.
[36:23] Believers, we can live holy lives in this present world. Let's renew our commitment to doing so. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for an opportunity to live out in this generation with this group of believers.
[36:34] Lord, may our testimony be a people that live holy and separated lives because the gospel has changed us. Not because we're better than other people, not so that we would look down upon other people, not so that we could earn a place in heaven, Father, but we want to live lives that have been changed by the gospel.
[36:52] If they ever had bowed and ever had closed and believer, you pray. I'm just going to take a brief moment here and I want to speak to you in here today. If you've never known Jesus Christ in a personal and real way, I would encourage you right now in your seat to pray unto Him and to tell Him that you want to receive this gift of salvation, that you will give up on your fight to win His favor and the work and you'll recognize that you're a sinner in need of a Savior and just simply put your faith and trust in Him.
[37:22] Pray to Him recognizing that you need forgiveness of your sins. And believer, let's renew our commitment to live lives that testify of the gospel. May our lives not be a reproach to the things of God.
[37:36] Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Word, the conviction that it brings. Father, I want my life to testify of Your truth, not to just this church and not to just to my children, but to this community.
[37:49] May we be marked in distinct people living in a godless world. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[38:02] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.