WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.919 Dear Jessica, you've asked me to stop writing these letters. 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:09.419 You've told me they will never change things between us. 00:00:09.939 --> 00:00:11.460 But I can't, Jessica. 00:00:12.179 --> 00:00:15.040 I can't just let you go. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:22.719 Even Darth Vader, an evil Sith Lord, couldn't leave his son to die at the end of Return of the Jedi. 00:00:24.100 --> 00:00:26.640 You make me feel so safe, Jessica. 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:28.000 So warm. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:40.100 I want to curl up next to you like Luke Skywalker curled up next to his spaceship to protect himself from the sub-zero temperatures of the Hoth where the Rebel Alliance was hiding from the Galactic Empire. 00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:47.100 Jessica, can't you see I love you almost as much as Star Wars? 00:00:47.700 --> 00:00:49.039 Love, Gary. 00:00:50.539 --> 00:00:55.879 So if you're new to Watermark and you've just heard that, you might be asking yourself, what is that all about? 00:00:55.879 --> 00:00:57.719 What does it have to do with a sermon? 00:00:58.000 --> 00:00:59.420 And where am I? 00:00:59.500 --> 00:01:02.179 Am I in church or am I in a Star Wars premiere? 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:05.780 So for those of you who don't know me, my name is Graham. 00:01:05.900 --> 00:01:08.840 I'm one of the elders here at Watermark. 00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:15.019 And today we begin studying a letter, a letter called Titus. 00:01:15.659 --> 00:01:21.000 Now whenever you get a letter, a letter is kind of written between two parties. 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:22.659 One party sends it to another. 00:01:22.659 --> 00:01:31.719 And if you're not either one of those parties and you get to read that letter, it's almost like you have to do a little bit of detective work, right? 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:36.819 A little bit of reading between the lines to get the most out of it, right? 00:01:36.819 --> 00:01:47.979 So for example, in the letter we just read, we kind of get an idea that this guy Gary, he's got a crush on a girl called Jessica who has no interest in him. 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:51.939 And Gary has a little bit of a weird obsession with Star Wars. 00:01:51.939 --> 00:01:56.640 And if I was a father, I would also tell Jessica, have no interest in Gary. 00:01:57.299 --> 00:02:02.159 But it's kind of like you have to do that little bit of detective work. 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:05.939 And that's what we do when we look at Titus. 00:02:05.939 --> 00:02:14.079 It might interest you to know that over 80% of the New Testament is written in the form of letters. 00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:17.020 And letters are incredibly personal. 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:22.680 It's like God was saying to his bride, this is my letter to you. 00:02:23.379 --> 00:02:25.719 There's something special and personal about it. 00:02:25.740 --> 00:02:28.620 But as we read it, we need to ask ourselves some questions. 00:02:28.620 --> 00:02:33.259 So we ask ourselves, and this is good for Bible study when you do it on your own. 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:37.020 If you're starting a new letter, you ask yourself, well, why was the letter written? 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:40.400 Who was, in this case, who was Titus? 00:02:41.060 --> 00:02:42.740 What was he being asked to do? 00:02:42.860 --> 00:02:46.140 What was the church like in Crete? 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:49.800 What was the culture like in Crete that this letter needed to be written? 00:02:50.140 --> 00:02:56.960 And as we study this letter and we go through it over the next series, these questions become apparent. 00:02:56.960 --> 00:03:03.460 And they illuminate what was going on and they illuminate who God is behind the whole thing. 00:03:04.120 --> 00:03:09.040 So as Paul begins this letter, he introduces himself as two things. 00:03:09.200 --> 00:03:14.360 He says, I'm a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:22.420 Now, to call yourself a servant implies that you serve someone greater than yourself. 00:03:22.419 --> 00:03:29.639 You take your orders and your instructions from someone higher than you. 00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:37.799 In most cultures in the world, servants are not highly esteemed, right? 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:46.359 It's really kind of maybe it's much better to be served and kind of maybe nice to have a servant yourself. 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:50.339 But to be a servant, maybe not so much. 00:03:50.340 --> 00:03:54.360 But here Paul says, he says, I serve God. 00:03:54.539 --> 00:03:57.379 And that changes everything. 00:03:58.360 --> 00:04:03.780 You know, if you met someone and they said, oh, I'm a servant of Graham Smith, you're probably, uh-huh, okay. 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:11.060 But if you met someone and they said, I'm a servant of C.Y. Leung, maybe you'd be a little bit more interested. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:13.560 Okay, oh, I'd like to ask you some questions. 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:17.280 Or maybe someone said, oh, I'm a servant of Lionel Messi. 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:19.899 And you go, wow, that is awesome. 00:04:19.939 --> 00:04:20.560 What is he like? 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:22.160 I do that job for free. 00:04:22.680 --> 00:04:29.480 It changes who you serve, the whole identity of being a servant. 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:31.680 And Paul's saying, I serve God. 00:04:31.740 --> 00:04:32.840 This is a huge honor. 00:04:33.060 --> 00:04:34.180 It's a huge privilege. 00:04:34.180 --> 00:04:40.879 I get to serve the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the God who created everything. 00:04:41.980 --> 00:04:42.920 But here's the thing. 00:04:43.060 --> 00:04:49.699 If you claim to serve God, by implication, it means you serve others. 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:56.259 If someone says, I serve God, the way you're going to see that is how they serve others. 00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:02.319 And at Watermark, our goal is to be a serving church. 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:08.360 We don't want to be a church where we come and we just spectate and we watch a good show. 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:12.719 We want to be a church that serves each other and serves God. 00:05:14.199 --> 00:05:19.839 One thing that will do is it will strengthen your relationships with each other, 00:05:20.539 --> 00:05:22.899 but it will also strengthen your relationship with the Lord 00:05:22.899 --> 00:05:27.339 when you begin to see what He does as you serve others. 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:29.959 So he calls himself a servant. 00:05:29.959 --> 00:05:33.159 And then he goes on to say, I am an apostle. 00:05:33.399 --> 00:05:34.919 I'm sent by Jesus Christ. 00:05:34.979 --> 00:05:38.859 Now, apostle literally just means sent one. 00:05:40.699 --> 00:05:44.919 And it's kind of like Paul saying, I am an ambassador of the gospel. 00:05:45.579 --> 00:05:51.199 So in society, if a servant is at the lowest end of society, 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:55.579 an ambassador is at the highest end of society. 00:05:55.579 --> 00:06:00.800 And here you get a picture of a Christian's concern for the whole of society. 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:04.459 We care about the servants and we care about the ambassadors. 00:06:05.060 --> 00:06:09.459 From the highest to the lowest, from the great to the small, from the rich to the poor, 00:06:09.719 --> 00:06:12.839 a Christian has a concern for the whole of society. 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:20.639 You know, I kind of love being in a church because I find all kind of social distinctions vanish. 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:21.120 Right? 00:06:21.899 --> 00:06:23.339 I mean, I have a privilege. 00:06:23.479 --> 00:06:27.759 I kind of elevated today and I kind of look down and I'm just looking at you. 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:30.259 Actually, we're quite a strange bunch. 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:34.079 You know, the Lord calls us a peculiar people. 00:06:34.180 --> 00:06:34.979 I get to see it. 00:06:35.039 --> 00:06:35.180 Right? 00:06:35.539 --> 00:06:43.180 So, I mean, we have sitting here today, we have lawyers, bankers, teachers, servants, doctors. 00:06:43.180 --> 00:06:46.480 I mean, we even have Australians sitting here. 00:06:48.400 --> 00:06:54.500 But the reason that is possible is because we are one in Christ. 00:06:56.740 --> 00:07:03.280 We all serve the same God and we're all ambassadors of the same gospel. 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:13.979 Do you realize that when you walk into your home, your school, your university, your place of work, 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:17.979 you are an ambassador for the gospel? 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:20.579 You represent the gospel. 00:07:20.699 --> 00:07:26.179 The Bible calls us a living letter to be read by all. 00:07:26.180 --> 00:07:33.319 And he tells Titus, he tells Titus, I've got this mission, Titus. 00:07:34.019 --> 00:07:36.079 This is what I'm here for, Titus. 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:41.300 I'm here to further the faith of God's elect. 00:07:42.259 --> 00:07:46.220 Now, faith is not a once-off thing, right? 00:07:46.280 --> 00:07:48.300 So, most people, when you ask them, do you have faith? 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:51.420 They mean, yeah, 20 years ago, I believed in Jesus. 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:52.759 That's where I put my faith. 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:59.120 But faith, it grows, it matures, it's active, right? 00:07:59.300 --> 00:08:05.459 So, the more you know and the more you trust Jesus, the more your faith grows, right? 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:10.939 And faith is being sure of what is unseen. 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:15.120 But the more you trust Him, the more you grow, the more you exercise your faith, 00:08:15.159 --> 00:08:17.560 the more you become sure about what is unseen. 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:22.939 And Paul's saying, Titus, I'm here to move God's people on. 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:28.280 I don't want them to just stand there and rest in the faith they had when they first believed in Jesus. 00:08:28.420 --> 00:08:30.180 I want to take them on. 00:08:30.780 --> 00:08:35.399 And you know, as I was preparing for this, this is the verse that got me. 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:38.580 Because I got to thinking about myself. 00:08:38.580 --> 00:08:47.060 And I thought, you know, when is the last time that I exercised my faith, that I trust my faith, 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:52.240 that kind of I put myself in a situation where I said, God, if you do not come through for me, 00:08:52.420 --> 00:08:54.600 I'm going to fall flat in my face. 00:08:55.920 --> 00:09:01.320 And I have to be honest with you, it was a lot longer ago than I would have liked. 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:03.540 But here's a question for you. 00:09:03.680 --> 00:09:09.420 When is the last time you stretched your faith? 00:09:14.540 --> 00:09:18.840 One of our goals at Watermark and our values is this. 00:09:18.920 --> 00:09:19.800 This is what we state. 00:09:19.920 --> 00:09:28.880 We say, our goal is to help people take their next step to becoming fully functioning followers of Christ. 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:28.919 Christ. 00:09:29.419 --> 00:09:31.240 It's exactly the same thing. 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:33.639 We want people to further their faith. 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:36.740 Take the next step in trusting Jesus in their walk. 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:39.399 And he gives Titus this thing. 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:40.700 He says, this is how it's going to happen. 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:43.539 If you want people to extend their faith, you know what you need? 00:09:43.740 --> 00:09:46.700 You need a knowledge of the truth. 00:09:48.860 --> 00:09:50.399 And he has an interesting thing about truth. 00:09:50.539 --> 00:09:54.440 Truth is either learned or lived. 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:02.960 Paul's saying, Titus, we need to grow truth in people, right? 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:03.840 And now here's the thing. 00:10:04.179 --> 00:10:05.419 Truth is a person. 00:10:06.100 --> 00:10:08.259 Truth is Jesus. 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:13.899 And Jesus spoke and taught absolute truth. 00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:22.779 Now, we live in a society, and it's around the world, that people do not like absolute truth. 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:23.740 Right? 00:10:23.740 --> 00:10:23.779 Right? 00:10:24.180 --> 00:10:25.740 It's a relative truth. 00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:26.019 Right? 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:28.299 What's true for you is true for you. 00:10:28.460 --> 00:10:33.299 If you want to believe that's red when it's really blue, that's fine for you. 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:37.539 But this is the thing. 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:42.159 When you start to embrace relative truth, it leads to confusion. 00:10:42.560 --> 00:10:42.720 Right? 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:43.539 It's true for you. 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:44.220 It might be true. 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:45.360 I don't know if it's true for me. 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:46.360 It could be true for me. 00:10:46.539 --> 00:10:47.539 I don't know if it's true. 00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:48.680 We're all confused. 00:10:48.679 --> 00:10:55.539 But Jesus comes, and He teaches absolute truth. 00:10:55.679 --> 00:11:00.039 And there is a desperate cry in this city for absolute truth. 00:11:00.739 --> 00:11:06.500 My challenge to you this week, read the newspaper, read the South China Morning Post, and you will 00:11:06.500 --> 00:11:11.120 see again and again there is confusion about what is right and what is wrong. 00:11:11.199 --> 00:11:14.899 There is a desperate cry for absolute truth. 00:11:14.899 --> 00:11:19.860 Do you know what the most offensive thing Jesus ever said was? 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:25.539 And if you think Jesus never said anything offensive, He was always kind of mellow, this 00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:31.159 nice, tame guy, you have not read the Gospels because He said some pretty offensive things 00:11:31.159 --> 00:11:31.699 to people. 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:35.159 But this was the most offensive thing He said. 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:41.439 He said, I am the way, the truth, the life. 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:49.240 Now, if Jesus had said, I am a way, a truth, a life, no problem. 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:52.440 Hey, Jesus, join the pantheon of all the other religions. 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:56.400 We'll just put you in there, and you can kind of pick and choose, maybe a pick and mix. 00:11:56.780 --> 00:11:57.560 That's fine. 00:11:57.740 --> 00:12:00.880 But Jesus came along, and He said, I am the way. 00:12:01.340 --> 00:12:02.320 I'm exclusive. 00:12:02.520 --> 00:12:03.220 I'm unique. 00:12:04.500 --> 00:12:05.920 But here's the thing, right? 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:07.160 Absolute truth. 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:15.259 Rather than leading to confusion of relative truth, absolute truth leads to confidence 00:12:15.259 --> 00:12:17.659 and to being sure. 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:23.159 The Bible speaks of standing firm, right? 00:12:23.199 --> 00:12:26.579 And when you stand firm, your knowledge of truth has grown. 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:28.919 Your faith is beginning to be exercised. 00:12:29.259 --> 00:12:33.519 Something will happen in your life called godliness. 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:41.840 Because the more truth we know, the more it affects the way we live. 00:12:42.939 --> 00:12:46.039 What you believe affects how you behave. 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:50.100 And that's true for everybody across the planet. 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:54.720 What you believe affects how you behave. 00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:59.860 And because this is true, it changes me, and it changes you. 00:12:59.860 --> 00:13:02.860 And here's the thing, right? 00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:06.740 As truth, we hear it. 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:07.539 We hear it taught. 00:13:07.680 --> 00:13:08.899 It impacts our lives. 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:10.000 It changes us. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:11.980 There's this desire to live for God. 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:16.100 The Spirit inside us tells us to live for Him, and we begin to change. 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:17.019 Right? 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:22.460 Maybe we've come from the worst of the worst, and Christ begins to change us, and we become 00:13:22.460 --> 00:13:24.480 good, and then we become godly. 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:31.480 And then you meet opposition, because the world does not like godliness. 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:37.460 The world kind of is okay with goodness, because it kind of pays to be good, and you've got 00:13:37.460 --> 00:13:41.039 a little bit of self-interest in if everyone's good, then that's okay. 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:42.120 But godliness? 00:13:43.060 --> 00:13:48.580 Godliness is different, because godliness reminds people that there is a God that they will be 00:13:48.580 --> 00:13:49.820 accountable to one day. 00:13:49.820 --> 00:13:54.360 And you will face all sorts of trials and tribulations. 00:13:55.520 --> 00:13:57.160 Paul said, but it doesn't end there. 00:13:57.560 --> 00:14:02.920 It doesn't end there, because with godliness, the next step to think, to take hold of, is 00:14:02.920 --> 00:14:05.580 the hope of eternal life. 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:07.700 The hope of eternal life. 00:14:08.100 --> 00:14:14.140 You see, in English, the word hope has been very much misused, right? 00:14:14.140 --> 00:14:17.060 We use the word, I hope it doesn't rain. 00:14:17.059 --> 00:14:19.539 Well, in Hong Kong, that's not likely, right? 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:20.500 It's going to rain all the time. 00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:23.739 But it's kind of like wishful thinking. 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:28.439 But in a biblical sense, hope is to be sure. 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:30.379 God promised it, right? 00:14:30.439 --> 00:14:32.259 The God who never lies. 00:14:32.839 --> 00:14:34.000 I wonder if you've thought about that. 00:14:34.019 --> 00:14:35.239 The God who never lies. 00:14:35.339 --> 00:14:41.219 You know, we just take it for granted that God doesn't lie, probably because we lie so much. 00:14:41.220 --> 00:14:49.200 But God never lies, and He promised this thing called the hope of eternal life. 00:14:50.100 --> 00:14:53.500 So I've got something here, which I dropped down there. 00:14:57.100 --> 00:14:57.620 Okay. 00:14:57.620 --> 00:15:09.240 So I want you, for a second, to imagine that this rope represents your existence as a believer. 00:15:11.139 --> 00:15:11.700 Okay. 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:18.320 And I want you to imagine it just goes on and on and on. 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:19.960 It never, never ends. 00:15:20.040 --> 00:15:26.640 It kind of goes out the stage, down the road, through Hong Kong, through Poc Fulam, and on and on and on. 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:28.460 It never, never, never ends. 00:15:28.740 --> 00:15:31.860 That's your existence as a believer. 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:41.899 But this little black bit right here, this represents your time here and now, in this life. 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:53.300 If we do not have a perspective of faith and hope and truth, our focus becomes this little black bit right here. 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:56.680 And we kind of view this is all of it, it's all what it's about. 00:15:56.679 --> 00:16:02.379 But, and you know, maybe this little part, you know, okay, I get to there, and I'm going to go to university. 00:16:02.500 --> 00:16:04.839 I'm going to work really hard, get a good degree. 00:16:05.239 --> 00:16:08.759 Then maybe marry, have some kids, and then I really have to work hard. 00:16:08.819 --> 00:16:11.239 You know, got to save for education, retirement. 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:13.379 And then I'm going to get to about this little bit here. 00:16:13.899 --> 00:16:17.759 And I'm going to retire, and I'm really going to enjoy this little bit here. 00:16:19.299 --> 00:16:20.620 That's what our life becomes. 00:16:21.559 --> 00:16:22.919 I've thought that way, right? 00:16:23.559 --> 00:16:24.199 Just a little thing. 00:16:24.539 --> 00:16:25.919 Paul's saying, get a perspective. 00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:29.799 The hope of eternal life. 00:16:32.239 --> 00:16:34.419 I can say this with all surety. 00:16:34.719 --> 00:16:43.500 The best possible day that you experience in this little black bit, the best possible day, will not compare to all of that. 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:47.779 Because in all of that, we get to see Jesus face to face. 00:16:48.099 --> 00:16:49.319 There will be no tears. 00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:50.599 There will be no war. 00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:51.740 There will be no disease. 00:16:51.959 --> 00:16:53.139 There will be no bad bosses. 00:16:53.419 --> 00:16:54.279 There will be no worry. 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:56.439 Guys, I know we're in church. 00:16:56.839 --> 00:16:58.519 But we are allowed to get a little bit excited. 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:00.860 That's pretty awesome stuff, right? 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:02.299 What we have to look forward to. 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:04.160 So someone can shout hallelujah. 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:05.359 That's pretty good, right? 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:08.440 But that's amazing, right? 00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:10.639 So Paul's saying, get this view. 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:12.000 Get this view. 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:16.160 Whatever we face in this life. 00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:22.700 Whatever struggles we endure, we can overcome because of the hope that we have. 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:26.559 This hope puts this into perspective. 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:33.099 This hope of eternal life puts this little life into perspective. 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:35.139 That's what Paul's saying. 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:44.019 One of the key words you're going to come across again and again in the book of Titus is the word Savior. 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:48.720 God is our Savior. 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:50.679 It's all God's idea, right? 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:53.220 He planned it and He sent His Son. 00:17:53.220 --> 00:18:00.759 And if we kind of look back, Paul has just given us in a few verses, he's given us the gospel. 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:05.799 He says, through faith, you will be free from the penalty of sin. 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:09.460 Through truth, you will be free from the power of sin. 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:14.740 And through hope, one day we will be free from the presence of sin. 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:17.960 He's given us the gospel, the great hope. 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:21.039 And he says, Titus, this is my mission. 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:22.539 This is what I'm here for. 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:23.779 This is why I exist. 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:26.720 But here's a beautiful little thing, right? 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:29.059 That little detective work as you read the letter. 00:18:29.360 --> 00:18:35.059 There's this lovely little phrase that says, my true son in common faith. 00:18:35.940 --> 00:18:42.579 Not only does the gospel change the way we live, but it changes the way we relate. 00:18:42.579 --> 00:18:46.839 My true son. 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:53.139 Because we both know Jesus, it's kind of like we have been brought together in this family. 00:18:53.500 --> 00:18:55.759 It is now, it's not a pretend thing. 00:18:56.199 --> 00:19:02.279 It's as if you really are my father and it's as if you really are my son. 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:13.980 I, this past summer holiday, my family and I, we had, we were very privileged and blessed to be able to go back to the promised land, South Africa. 00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:18.639 And in the promised land, we got to spend time with my family. 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:21.440 And we loved it, right? 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:24.079 It was great having grandparents around for the kids. 00:19:24.220 --> 00:19:26.599 And my family have known me my whole life. 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:27.619 I hope so. 00:19:27.879 --> 00:19:28.500 But they have. 00:19:28.500 --> 00:19:30.799 And it was really good. 00:19:30.900 --> 00:19:35.240 But my family are not believers yet. 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:36.599 I hope they will be, right? 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:37.460 We're praying for them. 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:38.759 But they're not believers. 00:19:38.900 --> 00:19:41.619 And there's just something missing. 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:47.220 It's like we see the world through different eyes. 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:49.940 We see people through different eyes. 00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:53.059 We see this life through distant eyes. 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:55.119 There's just something missing. 00:19:55.119 --> 00:20:01.539 And, you know, I can come back to Hong Kong and I can meet someone who I've known for two months. 00:20:02.179 --> 00:20:08.199 But because we share this common faith, this common thing, hey, we have the same dad. 00:20:08.419 --> 00:20:09.859 We are brothers. 00:20:09.979 --> 00:20:11.219 It's something different, right? 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:17.639 There's a depth there that comes with knowing Jesus is how we relate to one another. 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:24.000 You know, at Watermark, we constantly emphasize and stress this word community. 00:20:24.860 --> 00:20:26.100 But it's the exact same thing. 00:20:26.340 --> 00:20:27.580 It's family, right? 00:20:27.940 --> 00:20:29.320 It's what we want to create. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:30.400 It's God's idea. 00:20:30.580 --> 00:20:33.200 And, yes, family gets messy. 00:20:33.620 --> 00:20:34.900 We offend each other. 00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:36.440 We disappoint each other. 00:20:36.560 --> 00:20:40.580 But through it all, we keep loving each other and we stay close together. 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:42.780 That's Paul saying, right? 00:20:42.840 --> 00:20:43.140 Beautiful. 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:44.680 The gospel does this for us. 00:20:44.680 --> 00:20:48.000 So, Titus was pretty special to Paul. 00:20:50.259 --> 00:20:55.779 And Titus was someone Paul could trust with a difficult situation. 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:57.700 He was kind of like Paul's troubleshooter. 00:20:58.840 --> 00:21:00.840 Titus, I've got a problem in the church over there. 00:21:00.860 --> 00:21:02.259 Do you mind going sorting that out? 00:21:02.340 --> 00:21:07.299 And Titus was kind of this guy who's very, very good at taking the lead, right? 00:21:07.400 --> 00:21:08.160 He did it. 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:11.880 So, it's kind of great to have these kind of people in your life. 00:21:11.940 --> 00:21:12.860 So, here's a question. 00:21:12.859 --> 00:21:18.959 If you needed help with a difficult situation, who would you call? 00:21:21.740 --> 00:21:22.779 Think about that. 00:21:23.339 --> 00:21:24.019 You had help. 00:21:24.099 --> 00:21:27.879 If you needed help with a difficult situation, who's the first person you call? 00:21:28.959 --> 00:21:31.779 That is your Titus. 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:33.379 Okay? 00:21:33.380 --> 00:21:35.840 So, we're doing a little bit of digging here. 00:21:36.300 --> 00:21:42.420 And we kind of read between the lines and we get the sense that Paul gave Titus the specific mission. 00:21:42.600 --> 00:21:46.260 He said, Titus, I want you to appoint elders. 00:21:47.360 --> 00:21:51.820 And we kind of see a little bit more that Titus was in a place called Crete. 00:21:51.819 --> 00:21:52.819 Right? 00:21:52.919 --> 00:21:59.139 So, when you think of Crete today, you probably think of an amazing holiday and beautiful beaches. 00:21:59.140 --> 00:22:06.820 So, it's kind of like if I said, you know, if you say a place, how it brings to mind the place and the people. 00:22:07.540 --> 00:22:09.700 So, example, if I said Singapore, right? 00:22:09.880 --> 00:22:11.259 You'd be thinking, wow, okay. 00:22:11.900 --> 00:22:13.220 It's hot all the time. 00:22:13.520 --> 00:22:15.140 Amazing crab curry. 00:22:15.560 --> 00:22:19.600 People say la, a lot la, okay la, can, cannot la. 00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:25.599 You know, maybe if I said New Zealand, you go, where is that again, right? 00:22:26.179 --> 00:22:29.719 Oh, yes, that tiny little place, bottom of the world, a lot of sheep. 00:22:30.199 --> 00:22:30.740 Yeah, okay. 00:22:30.899 --> 00:22:32.759 So, anyway, you get the point, right? 00:22:32.879 --> 00:22:36.639 It brought to mind what the place was like. 00:22:37.019 --> 00:22:42.279 But in that time, if you said the name Crete, people would have gone, oh, no. 00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:44.579 Oh, no, not Crete. 00:22:44.579 --> 00:22:51.359 Because the Cretans had this terribly bad reputation. 00:22:52.879 --> 00:23:01.919 There was actually a verb that came out of it, to cretinize, which meant to lie and deceive in matters of honesty. 00:23:02.379 --> 00:23:07.359 And even one of their own philosophers from their own people, he's looking out at his people and he says this. 00:23:07.359 --> 00:23:07.699 He goes, 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:13.640 Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:18.180 And Cicero, another philosopher, is looking at the Cretans and he says, 00:23:18.580 --> 00:23:24.259 only Cretans consider highway robbery an honorable profession. 00:23:24.779 --> 00:23:31.900 So, these people were dishonest, lazy, indulgent, and they didn't care how they got their money, 00:23:32.080 --> 00:23:33.700 as long as they got their money, right? 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:36.880 The more you deceive, the more money you got, the better you were. 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:43.180 So, can you imagine trying to start a church in that situation, right? 00:23:43.620 --> 00:23:49.840 So, people who had been liars, cheats, deceivers were coming into the church, 00:23:49.860 --> 00:23:53.660 and that created all sorts of problems, right? 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:57.940 And the Lord's people were surrounded by this culture, 00:23:58.140 --> 00:24:01.279 and it brought with it lots of pressure and temptation. 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:03.940 The same as us, right? 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:08.599 We live with the pressure of the culture around us. 00:24:09.740 --> 00:24:10.660 And Paul says, 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:19.220 What you're going to need to overcome is you're going to need men of certain qualities to love and lead the church. 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:25.200 And kind of reading between the lines, you get the picture that the qualities needed, 00:24:25.299 --> 00:24:26.460 we're going to read about them now, 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:32.039 are the exact opposite to the qualities that were lived out in the culture. 00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:38.240 So, I want to say two quick things about eldership, okay? 00:24:38.299 --> 00:24:39.500 Just a little side note here. 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:41.359 Two quick things about eldership. 00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:45.500 One, eldership is pleuristic. 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:47.740 It says, appoint elders. 00:24:48.619 --> 00:24:54.159 Okay, it's not one elder, it's pleuristic elders in a church. 00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:56.400 Now, there is a very good reason for that. 00:24:56.980 --> 00:25:04.200 If you have one elder, whether we like it or not, we all have strengths and weaknesses. 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:12.040 But if you just have one person, the church will then pick up the strengths and weaknesses of that person. 00:25:12.140 --> 00:25:14.420 They'll pick up the traditions of that person. 00:25:14.519 --> 00:25:17.180 They will pick up the bias of that person. 00:25:17.740 --> 00:25:22.960 But if you have a pleuristic eldership, you protect against all those things. 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:25.600 You iron out the weaknesses. 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:29.240 One, you have more people to care for the flock. 00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:35.240 But you have collective wisdom as well, and you protect against bias. 00:25:36.340 --> 00:25:42.259 But the most important thing is if you have pleuristic eldership, the attention is exactly where it should be. 00:25:42.340 --> 00:25:45.420 The attention is on Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:51.240 Because if it's one man, our tendency is to focus on one person. 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:54.039 Pleuristic eldership points to Jesus. 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:59.599 And that's why at Watermark, we practice pleuristic eldership. 00:26:00.620 --> 00:26:03.940 Second point, with elders, they were appointed. 00:26:05.140 --> 00:26:06.579 Okay, they're not voted in. 00:26:06.680 --> 00:26:09.880 It's not the nicest or the most popular person that gets it. 00:26:09.880 --> 00:26:14.240 But it's someone who displays certain qualities. 00:26:14.380 --> 00:26:18.560 And those qualities are recognized by all. 00:26:19.260 --> 00:26:20.460 Now, that takes time. 00:26:21.160 --> 00:26:21.280 Right? 00:26:21.320 --> 00:26:26.360 When Paul planted a church, he didn't plant a church, have new converts, appoint elders. 00:26:27.020 --> 00:26:34.280 He would either stay there a while and wait until elders matured and saw who they were and then appoint them. 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:37.960 Or he went away and 12 months later would come back and appoint elders. 00:26:38.099 --> 00:26:40.180 And in this case, he sent Titus to do it. 00:26:40.200 --> 00:26:41.180 So it does take time. 00:26:42.139 --> 00:26:46.559 At Watermark, what we like to do is we look at people. 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:49.180 We see those qualities coming out. 00:26:49.299 --> 00:26:54.740 We see people serving as elders in what they do and who they are. 00:26:54.740 --> 00:27:01.599 And then we invite them on to an eldership training time where we spend time in the Word. 00:27:01.779 --> 00:27:05.620 We spend time looking at the expectations of an elder, the pressures of an elder. 00:27:06.839 --> 00:27:10.440 And then we invite them into the elders meeting. 00:27:10.720 --> 00:27:10.740 Right? 00:27:10.859 --> 00:27:14.380 Bring them into how we study God's Word together. 00:27:14.519 --> 00:27:16.079 How we pray for each other. 00:27:16.140 --> 00:27:18.220 How we pray for the church. 00:27:18.220 --> 00:27:24.860 And if that time is right and we've prayerfully considered, we then present the prospective elders to the church. 00:27:24.920 --> 00:27:33.319 And then the church has an opportunity to see whether those qualities are true about that person and have an opportunity to respond. 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:36.339 And if that's right, then we appoint the elders. 00:27:36.420 --> 00:27:37.259 So it takes time. 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:42.140 And at the process, we're in that process at the moment at Watermark. 00:27:42.700 --> 00:27:45.400 So here are the qualities of an elder. 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:48.519 Okay, I've called them the three D's of eldership. 00:27:49.019 --> 00:27:51.620 Okay, so if you're taking note, the three D's of eldership. 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:54.240 His domestic qualities. 00:27:54.820 --> 00:27:57.280 What is he like at home and with his family? 00:27:57.860 --> 00:27:59.580 His diplomatic qualities. 00:27:59.980 --> 00:28:01.680 What is he like with other people? 00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:04.400 And third, his doctrinal qualities. 00:28:05.100 --> 00:28:07.800 What is he like with the Gospel and the Word of God? 00:28:08.120 --> 00:28:09.820 Okay, the three D's of eldership. 00:28:09.880 --> 00:28:10.320 Here they are. 00:28:10.600 --> 00:28:11.200 Domestic. 00:28:12.460 --> 00:28:14.220 At home and with his family. 00:28:14.220 --> 00:28:21.700 If you really want to get to know what someone's like, spend time with them when they're with their family. 00:28:21.940 --> 00:28:22.039 Right? 00:28:22.100 --> 00:28:26.120 Not on a nice service on a Sunday where everyone's putting their best foot forward. 00:28:26.339 --> 00:28:29.039 But spend time with them when they're with their family. 00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:34.220 Spend time with the people that they spend most of their time with. 00:28:35.100 --> 00:28:35.319 Right? 00:28:35.319 --> 00:28:41.200 Because you kind of see the first test of a minister is how you minister at home. 00:28:41.939 --> 00:28:48.980 How do you love and lead at home will determine how you will love and lead within the church. 00:28:48.980 --> 00:28:56.039 It says here, he is to be faithful to his wife. 00:28:56.120 --> 00:28:59.779 Now that means he is a one woman man. 00:28:59.880 --> 00:29:00.079 Right? 00:29:00.180 --> 00:29:01.700 He doesn't mess around with other women. 00:29:01.819 --> 00:29:03.160 He doesn't flirt with other women. 00:29:03.380 --> 00:29:07.839 He makes his wife feel loved and secure and like a princess. 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:10.919 Okay, good. 00:29:11.199 --> 00:29:13.939 Wives, I hope you're nudging your husbands in the ribs. 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:14.179 Right? 00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:15.339 That's what I'm seeing up here. 00:29:15.859 --> 00:29:18.019 Make her feel like a princess, guys. 00:29:18.119 --> 00:29:19.039 I almost said a prisoner. 00:29:19.439 --> 00:29:19.740 But okay. 00:29:21.019 --> 00:29:21.419 Princess. 00:29:21.740 --> 00:29:22.039 Princess. 00:29:22.259 --> 00:29:23.419 That's where the focus is. 00:29:23.500 --> 00:29:23.759 Okay. 00:29:24.319 --> 00:29:25.799 Make her feel like a princess. 00:29:25.799 --> 00:29:26.039 Princess. 00:29:29.159 --> 00:29:33.079 Years ago, I went to a Christian conference, right? 00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:38.000 And we had one of the celebrity preachers coming and talking. 00:29:38.259 --> 00:29:43.519 And anyway, after he had just spoken, I went to my pastor and I said, 00:29:43.659 --> 00:29:46.079 what do you think of Mr. X? 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:47.519 And this is what he said. 00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:51.399 He said, I'll tell you when I've met his wife. 00:29:52.279 --> 00:29:54.079 And I didn't understand that. 00:29:54.119 --> 00:29:54.339 What? 00:29:54.339 --> 00:29:56.779 What does his wife have to do with it, right? 00:29:57.459 --> 00:29:59.559 But actually, it was a very profound thing. 00:29:59.659 --> 00:30:01.379 You really want to see what someone's like? 00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:03.559 See what their wife's like. 00:30:03.679 --> 00:30:04.939 See how he treats his wife. 00:30:07.459 --> 00:30:07.939 Children. 00:30:08.099 --> 00:30:09.559 This one scares me personally. 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:16.740 Man whose children believe are trustworthy and are not open to the charge of being wild 00:30:16.740 --> 00:30:17.679 and disobedient. 00:30:18.259 --> 00:30:18.500 Okay. 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:23.399 It cannot mean that you force your faith onto your children. 00:30:23.400 --> 00:30:26.200 God has sons and daughters. 00:30:26.360 --> 00:30:28.320 He does not have grandsons or granddaughters. 00:30:28.460 --> 00:30:31.000 You do not force your faith onto them. 00:30:31.380 --> 00:30:36.820 But as parents, we are constantly pointing our children to Christ. 00:30:38.100 --> 00:30:44.120 You know, these, your kids are the people that you have most influence over, most authority over. 00:30:44.119 --> 00:30:50.359 If you are influencing them for God and the gospel, you will see fruit, right? 00:30:50.459 --> 00:30:57.819 So we do have a responsibility as parents to train our kids in the way that they should go. 00:30:57.819 --> 00:31:04.679 So, I work in education, right? 00:31:04.819 --> 00:31:08.859 So the word believe can actually be trustworthy, right? 00:31:08.859 --> 00:31:23.399 And I see it, unfortunately, happening all the time where parents are constantly trying to maximize their children's academic potential or their academic opportunities. 00:31:23.400 --> 00:31:25.960 And they build this massive CV, right? 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:27.120 I mean, I'm not kidding you. 00:31:27.180 --> 00:31:32.480 Like, I've seen five-year-old CVs which are bigger than mine, you know, and they've only been alive five years. 00:31:32.560 --> 00:31:33.440 I don't know how they do it. 00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:36.759 But they have this massive CV, and it's all about their education. 00:31:36.940 --> 00:31:39.660 And we just forget about character. 00:31:40.519 --> 00:31:42.920 We forget about character. 00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:45.660 And Paul's saying, don't forget about character. 00:31:45.960 --> 00:31:47.460 Make them trustworthy. 00:31:48.420 --> 00:31:50.440 We build that righteousness into them. 00:31:50.759 --> 00:31:52.120 And there's another verse. 00:31:52.220 --> 00:31:56.120 It goes on to say, the charge of being wild and disobedient. 00:31:57.039 --> 00:32:07.200 So actually, the Greek word here means riot, okay, which implies self-indulgence or even reckless expenditure. 00:32:08.220 --> 00:32:09.960 So, unable to save. 00:32:09.960 --> 00:32:17.059 It's the same word in Luke 15 with the parable of the prodigal son of reckless spending. 00:32:17.519 --> 00:32:18.640 I mean, isn't it amazing? 00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:25.940 Paul is talking about raising kids, and he says, one of the vital things is how you teach them the value of money. 00:32:26.940 --> 00:32:30.860 How to teach them to be responsible and value money. 00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:38.480 Where is the first place that children will see the value of money and things? 00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:40.799 They'll see it in their parents. 00:32:40.940 --> 00:32:54.400 Little kids will watch their parents to see whether they are generous, whether they're tight-fisted, whether they're responsible with what they earn, whether they're transparent with their money. 00:32:54.400 --> 00:33:06.040 And then as your kids grow a little bit older, parents begin to entrust money to the kids, to let them experience the value of it. 00:33:06.140 --> 00:33:08.640 I have a friend in Singapore. 00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:12.700 His name is, he's a pastor in Singapore called Simon Murphy. 00:33:12.700 --> 00:33:18.120 And Simon and I know each other because we went to church together in South Africa. 00:33:18.880 --> 00:33:25.920 And when Simon turned 13, his mother was very, very firm on this idea. 00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:27.160 So, Simon turns 13. 00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:28.880 His mother calls him in. 00:33:28.920 --> 00:33:29.620 Happy birthday. 00:33:29.619 --> 00:33:30.619 Right. 00:33:31.799 --> 00:33:37.699 From now on, we believe you're 13, and you should be responsible for getting certain items on your own. 00:33:38.059 --> 00:33:39.419 So, here's your allowance. 00:33:39.979 --> 00:33:40.139 Right? 00:33:40.199 --> 00:33:43.159 You're responsible for buying certain things on your own now. 00:33:44.339 --> 00:33:52.779 In a month's time, I want you to come to me and show me your receipts, and I want you to present to me a budget for the next month. 00:33:53.459 --> 00:33:54.779 And Simon's like, what, Mom? 00:33:54.779 --> 00:33:56.500 You know, are you crazy? 00:33:56.599 --> 00:34:03.359 But a month later, Simon walked to his mom and said, yeah, Mom, this is what I spent it on, and here's my budget for the next month. 00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:05.639 And she looked at it, and she said, oh, very nice, Simon. 00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:07.519 Here's your allowance for the next month. 00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:18.159 For the next five years, from the age of 13 to the age of 18, every month, Simon had to present a budget to his mother of how he was spending his money. 00:34:18.360 --> 00:34:19.980 He hated it, right? 00:34:20.099 --> 00:34:21.420 And his friends laughed at him. 00:34:21.779 --> 00:34:23.199 But here's the interesting thing, right? 00:34:23.199 --> 00:34:35.279 When I spoke to Simon, he said that when he went to university, one of the things that set him apart was his understanding of the value of money. 00:34:35.939 --> 00:34:45.859 Because he noticed that other 18, 19-year-olds had no idea how to handle money or the value of money or the danger or the deception of money. 00:34:46.460 --> 00:34:47.759 It comes from parents, right? 00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:53.340 So those are the domestic qualities of an elder, right? 00:34:53.400 --> 00:34:58.480 The one thing it does imply is that an elder spends time with their family. 00:34:59.280 --> 00:35:01.740 So it's one of the first questions we ask. 00:35:01.980 --> 00:35:03.460 How do you spend time with your family? 00:35:03.940 --> 00:35:05.500 Do you spend time with your family? 00:35:06.820 --> 00:35:07.060 Okay. 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:08.820 Diplomatic qualities. 00:35:08.980 --> 00:35:10.040 Dealing with other people. 00:35:10.120 --> 00:35:12.000 The word here is a steward. 00:35:12.420 --> 00:35:14.120 A steward of God's flock. 00:35:14.119 --> 00:35:15.819 You're looking after God's property. 00:35:16.799 --> 00:35:20.579 So he says an elder is to be blameless, right? 00:35:20.619 --> 00:35:21.440 So what does that mean? 00:35:21.759 --> 00:35:22.119 Blameless? 00:35:22.960 --> 00:35:24.559 And he kind of gives this list. 00:35:25.099 --> 00:35:26.440 It's a little bit of a negative list. 00:35:26.519 --> 00:35:27.179 And he says this. 00:35:27.239 --> 00:35:28.299 He says they're to be blameless. 00:35:28.619 --> 00:35:29.500 Not overbearing. 00:35:29.779 --> 00:35:30.539 Not controlling. 00:35:30.799 --> 00:35:31.679 Not quick-tempered. 00:35:31.819 --> 00:35:32.960 You don't get angry easy. 00:35:33.380 --> 00:35:34.799 Not given to drunkenness. 00:35:35.339 --> 00:35:38.380 Doesn't mean an elder doesn't drink, but it does mean they don't get drunk. 00:35:39.079 --> 00:35:40.260 They're not violent. 00:35:40.700 --> 00:35:46.160 Not violent with their fists, with their words, with the way they speak or the way they act. 00:35:46.539 --> 00:35:49.340 Not pursuing dishonest gain, right? 00:35:49.400 --> 00:35:52.539 The culture around them said get money any way you want. 00:35:52.599 --> 00:35:56.940 An elder is to not pursue dishonest gain. 00:35:56.940 --> 00:36:01.079 So if you see any of those things, probably not the person you want leading the church. 00:36:01.740 --> 00:36:07.740 It says rather an elder must be hospitable, care for people, open your home to people. 00:36:08.380 --> 00:36:11.480 One who loves what is good. 00:36:11.559 --> 00:36:14.400 Isn't it nice to be around people who love what is good? 00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:16.460 No, like it's good. 00:36:16.780 --> 00:36:18.140 It's really, you can tell a difference. 00:36:18.240 --> 00:36:19.320 You're around someone who's good. 00:36:19.700 --> 00:36:21.800 It kind of affects you as well. 00:36:23.320 --> 00:36:26.800 Self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 00:36:27.559 --> 00:36:28.780 Look for those qualities. 00:36:31.960 --> 00:36:32.440 Doctrine. 00:36:32.440 --> 00:36:38.079 It says he must hold firmly to the trustworthy message. 00:36:38.340 --> 00:36:41.780 The gospel is to be his rock. 00:36:42.079 --> 00:36:43.300 He doesn't add to it. 00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:44.500 He doesn't change it. 00:36:44.659 --> 00:36:46.059 He doesn't try to improve on it. 00:36:46.519 --> 00:36:50.179 He takes the message of the gospel, and he's faithful to it. 00:36:50.179 --> 00:36:53.139 And if that is true, it leads to sound doctrine. 00:36:53.420 --> 00:36:56.500 And when you have sound doctrine, you can encourage others by it. 00:36:56.539 --> 00:37:01.019 Now, encourage literally means to put courage into you. 00:37:01.019 --> 00:37:05.980 Encourage is to put courage into you. 00:37:06.079 --> 00:37:08.059 And that's what sound doctrine will do. 00:37:08.139 --> 00:37:09.880 It will give you courage. 00:37:11.599 --> 00:37:12.960 But here's the other side, right? 00:37:13.039 --> 00:37:14.679 And this is the side I don't like so much. 00:37:14.780 --> 00:37:17.599 It says, refute those who oppose it. 00:37:18.840 --> 00:37:22.659 Okay, I would personally, and I'm sure everyone else that preaches at Watermark, 00:37:22.659 --> 00:37:30.339 I'd love to just preach on what is true and what is just and ignore what is destructive, right? 00:37:31.079 --> 00:37:35.199 But to truly love the church and to truly care for people, 00:37:35.719 --> 00:37:41.699 we sometimes need to warn and correct and refute false thinking, right? 00:37:41.699 --> 00:37:48.119 Because from the early church to now, people will always come in and they try to change the gospel. 00:37:48.819 --> 00:37:50.539 They try to make it better, right? 00:37:51.659 --> 00:37:54.539 We all get to heaven, live any way you want. 00:37:55.559 --> 00:37:59.759 Or they kind of come up with this, here's a whole list of man-made rules that you need to follow. 00:37:59.760 --> 00:38:03.140 So, that needs to be refuted, right? 00:38:03.180 --> 00:38:04.740 That is not the gospel. 00:38:05.900 --> 00:38:09.140 And it takes courage to be able to do that kind of thing. 00:38:09.620 --> 00:38:16.260 So, I want you to notice that all of this that we've spoken about has to do with character, 00:38:16.580 --> 00:38:21.040 has to do with God's work within your heart. 00:38:21.600 --> 00:38:23.720 It is not about your intellect. 00:38:24.460 --> 00:38:26.420 It is not about your status in life. 00:38:26.420 --> 00:38:32.440 It is certainly not about how you look, but it is about your character. 00:38:33.240 --> 00:38:36.380 What God has done in your heart. 00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:41.500 So, the most important question we could ask at this point is, 00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:43.860 why do we need elders? 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:45.800 Can't we just all kind of lead together? 00:38:47.940 --> 00:38:52.039 In that culture of Crete, there were bad leaders. 00:38:52.039 --> 00:39:02.320 And their whole intention and aim was to exploit and use people in the church for their own gain, right? 00:39:02.400 --> 00:39:05.940 Maybe it was financial, they wanted money, or they wanted a little bit of attention, 00:39:06.380 --> 00:39:07.779 but that's what they wanted, right? 00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:10.940 And that kind of leadership destroys homes. 00:39:11.059 --> 00:39:12.199 It divides homes. 00:39:12.320 --> 00:39:13.920 It's just, it's terrible, right? 00:39:13.920 --> 00:39:22.039 So, the cure for bad leaders is not no leaders, it's good leaders. 00:39:23.300 --> 00:39:27.460 Leaders who will love, protect, and encourage. 00:39:28.800 --> 00:39:33.039 The readers we have leaders is that we follow, right? 00:39:33.059 --> 00:39:36.220 We become like Christ who's leading us. 00:39:36.219 --> 00:39:44.459 So that we can all become a church who shows what our lives look like when we follow Jesus. 00:39:45.339 --> 00:39:56.019 So that we can all become a church whose marriages show what it's like as Jesus loved His church. 00:39:56.500 --> 00:39:58.099 Our marriages model that. 00:39:58.099 --> 00:40:04.960 So that we can all become a church that love, protect, and train our children. 00:40:05.639 --> 00:40:11.199 Which shows how Christ loves, protects, and trains us as His children. 00:40:12.119 --> 00:40:20.480 And finally, so that we can all become a church that proclaim and protect the gospel. 00:40:22.380 --> 00:40:26.579 This is our most treasured possession, the gospel. 00:40:26.579 --> 00:40:30.840 We could put on a great show Sunday after Sunday. 00:40:30.940 --> 00:40:32.619 Get a whole bunch of talented people. 00:40:33.739 --> 00:40:36.420 Maybe put on a feel-good, motivational message. 00:40:36.900 --> 00:40:41.039 But if we lose the gospel, we lose everything. 00:40:41.380 --> 00:40:46.860 Because a feel-good message, a good show, does not redeem and does not change. 00:40:48.019 --> 00:40:54.880 All this that we aspire to be, everything we've spoken about can be summarized in one word. 00:40:54.880 --> 00:40:56.000 And the word is this. 00:40:56.579 --> 00:40:57.759 Pay attention. 00:40:58.460 --> 00:41:01.440 The word is love. 00:41:03.940 --> 00:41:11.380 Now love, in a Christian sense, is not a sentimental, soppy, pop song kind of love. 00:41:12.619 --> 00:41:15.599 God did not look down at Graham Smith and say, 00:41:15.819 --> 00:41:17.920 Have you seen Graham? 00:41:18.239 --> 00:41:19.960 Isn't he great? 00:41:20.460 --> 00:41:21.860 He's just so lovable. 00:41:21.860 --> 00:41:22.340 No. 00:41:22.340 --> 00:41:22.740 No. 00:41:22.740 --> 00:41:23.340 No. 00:41:23.539 --> 00:41:31.880 God looked down and what he saw was a sinful, prideful, arrogant person shaking his fist in God's face saying, 00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:32.700 I'll do it my way. 00:41:32.860 --> 00:41:36.160 He looked down and says, I care enough about him. 00:41:36.380 --> 00:41:39.180 I love him enough that I am going to do something. 00:41:39.179 --> 00:41:44.139 Love, in a Christian sense, is a love of action and care. 00:41:44.460 --> 00:41:48.659 God came down to me and rescued me. 00:41:48.659 --> 00:41:52.519 That is, in Greek, the word is agape. 00:41:53.379 --> 00:41:53.659 Right? 00:41:53.699 --> 00:41:57.359 It was such a rare form of love that it was hardly ever used. 00:41:58.139 --> 00:42:00.940 But that's when Christians came on the scene. 00:42:01.279 --> 00:42:03.079 They're like, wow, this is amazing. 00:42:03.079 --> 00:42:05.440 We've never seen this kind of love before. 00:42:06.440 --> 00:42:08.659 And they used the word agape for them. 00:42:13.179 --> 00:42:18.299 A love like this is infectious, right? 00:42:18.960 --> 00:42:21.340 It affects us, our relationships. 00:42:21.779 --> 00:42:27.460 It changes us to want to be servants of each other and of God. 00:42:27.460 --> 00:42:35.400 And it reminds us that we are ambassadors of this wonderful good news, the gospel. 00:42:36.800 --> 00:42:38.039 And Jesus said this. 00:42:38.119 --> 00:42:43.519 He said, you know how people are going to know that you belong to me, that you are my disciples? 00:42:44.420 --> 00:42:49.380 You know what's the one thing that people are going to see and they're going to say, wow, look at that? 00:42:50.260 --> 00:42:51.880 Is that they love one another. 00:42:51.940 --> 00:42:54.480 And the word is agape, one another. 00:42:54.480 --> 00:42:58.440 They care for, they see a need, they act. 00:42:59.420 --> 00:43:02.079 It's not about giving each other a hug, okay? 00:43:02.320 --> 00:43:05.260 It's about seeing a need, acting, and caring. 00:43:05.480 --> 00:43:07.760 A genuine love for each other. 00:43:07.880 --> 00:43:19.260 So in this world where we have selfish, corrupt leaders, we have relevant truth, we have broken families, 00:43:19.860 --> 00:43:23.300 Jesus steps in and He redeems. 00:43:23.300 --> 00:43:29.740 He brings us out of that and He puts us in a family where we will be loved and cared for. 00:43:30.840 --> 00:43:40.200 And then He goes on redeeming, redeeming, redeeming, and He's still redeeming today in my heart and in our hearts. 00:43:40.980 --> 00:43:44.700 This is what He calls an unending, unfailing love. 00:43:44.699 --> 00:43:56.339 My hope, right, besides the hope of eternal life, my hope is that we hear this and we open the door to God. 00:43:56.559 --> 00:43:58.639 And we say, God, come in. 00:43:59.039 --> 00:44:00.199 Change my heart. 00:44:01.279 --> 00:44:05.500 Let me experience that agape kind of care that you have. 00:44:05.559 --> 00:44:09.119 Let me see it and let me live it out for others. 00:44:09.119 --> 00:44:13.500 So as we go this week, can I ask you to stand? 00:44:13.579 --> 00:44:14.599 I'm going to pray for us. 00:44:14.599 --> 00:44:33.019 Father, we come before you as your children. 00:44:33.159 --> 00:44:35.719 We come before you as your servants. 00:44:35.719 --> 00:44:40.679 We come before you crying, Abba, Father. 00:44:41.379 --> 00:44:52.299 Lord, we thank you for the gospel, what it does in our lives, how it gives us faith, how it teaches us truth, how it leads us to godliness. 00:44:53.119 --> 00:44:55.759 And Lord, we thank you for the hope of eternal life. 00:44:55.760 --> 00:45:00.720 Lord, I pray, open my heart to what you have for me. 00:45:01.680 --> 00:45:03.000 Help me to trust you. 00:45:03.120 --> 00:45:09.180 Help me to let you in, Lord, and just deal with the things that I need to deal with. 00:45:10.020 --> 00:45:16.680 Lord, I pray, remind all of us this morning of your redemption, the redemption story that you had for us at the beginning. 00:45:17.500 --> 00:45:23.440 And Lord, also the fact that you go on redeeming each and every one of us every day. 00:45:23.440 --> 00:45:28.179 Lord, all we can do as your people is to say thank you. 00:45:29.079 --> 00:45:34.679 I pray, help us this week to really live out the gospel in this church. 00:45:35.380 --> 00:45:42.780 Let us be a family, a community that loves each other with a love of action and care. 00:45:44.000 --> 00:45:45.420 Father, we're so grateful. 00:45:45.619 --> 00:45:49.500 We just say thank you to you, and we stand in awe of you. 00:45:50.800 --> 00:45:51.119 Amen.