WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.780 It's on page 1199 if you're using the red-covered Bible. 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:16.280 Let's hear God's Word. 00:00:18.660 --> 00:00:22.080 Reminds the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:24.500 to be obedient, 00:00:25.560 --> 00:00:28.480 to be ready to do whatever is good, 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:30.379 to slander no one, 00:00:30.920 --> 00:00:32.920 to be peaceable and considerate, 00:00:33.420 --> 00:00:37.100 and to show true humility towards all people. 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:42.799 At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, 00:00:43.579 --> 00:00:47.420 deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. 00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:52.540 We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:57.480 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, 00:00:57.479 --> 00:00:59.079 he saved us, 00:00:59.659 --> 00:01:02.619 not because of righteous things we had done, 00:01:03.019 --> 00:01:05.420 but because of his mercy. 00:01:06.219 --> 00:01:09.179 He saved us through the washing of rebirth 00:01:09.179 --> 00:01:11.859 and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 00:01:12.340 --> 00:01:15.459 whom he poured out on us generously 00:01:15.459 --> 00:01:17.539 through Jesus Christ our Saviour, 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:21.340 so that, having been justified by his grace, 00:01:21.340 --> 00:01:23.939 we might become heirs, 00:01:23.939 --> 00:01:26.380 having the hope of eternal life. 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:30.079 This is a trustworthy saying. 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:33.859 And I want to stress these things 00:01:33.859 --> 00:01:36.520 so that those who have trusted in God 00:01:36.520 --> 00:01:40.460 may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. 00:01:41.300 --> 00:01:44.460 These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. 00:01:44.459 --> 00:01:46.159 Peter. 00:01:57.199 --> 00:01:59.899 Before Peter opens up that to us, 00:01:59.979 --> 00:02:00.619 we're going to pray, 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:03.939 and I'm going to pray for Peter as we do this. 00:02:03.979 --> 00:02:05.039 So let's do that now. 00:02:05.179 --> 00:02:07.619 Father, thank you for your word. 00:02:07.759 --> 00:02:10.740 Thank you for the truth of this letter, 00:02:11.359 --> 00:02:12.560 your word to us. 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:15.500 And we thank you for Peter, 00:02:15.659 --> 00:02:16.520 for his gifts. 00:02:17.259 --> 00:02:19.199 Thank you for this past year, 00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:22.500 for his opportunity to be studying 00:02:22.500 --> 00:02:26.039 theology there in the US. 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:30.800 We pray that you will continue to bless him 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:32.280 in the year ahead 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:35.480 to comprehend and understand your word better, 00:02:36.039 --> 00:02:39.319 but that it would also change his heart 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:41.199 and change his life more and more. 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:45.159 And we pray that for ourselves right now, 00:02:45.679 --> 00:02:49.379 that this would not just be a head exercise, 00:02:50.079 --> 00:02:53.219 but a heart-changing exercise. 00:02:54.379 --> 00:02:55.859 We pray for Peter, 00:02:55.959 --> 00:02:57.879 that you would fill him with your spirit 00:02:57.879 --> 00:03:00.919 to communicate clearly your truth, 00:03:01.939 --> 00:03:04.479 that we may understand it and apply it 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:07.859 and be people who see the greatness 00:03:07.859 --> 00:03:10.439 and the goodness of God all the more. 00:03:11.719 --> 00:03:13.419 So we thank you for him 00:03:13.419 --> 00:03:15.620 and we thank you for your word. 00:03:15.859 --> 00:03:16.799 In Jesus' name. 00:03:17.299 --> 00:03:17.579 Amen. 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:18.139 Amen. 00:03:18.839 --> 00:03:19.399 Thanks, Johnny. 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:29.680 Well, it's a pleasure to be here. 00:03:30.640 --> 00:03:32.400 We're delighted to be back in Ireland 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:35.740 and I think as we've been in the States, 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:38.680 we've experienced so much blessing over there, 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:41.560 but we felt a large part of that blessing 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:43.840 is from the church here. 00:03:44.060 --> 00:03:46.540 So we've been thinking a lot about you all 00:03:46.540 --> 00:03:48.300 and praying a lot about you all. 00:03:49.300 --> 00:03:51.480 So we really appreciate your support 00:03:51.480 --> 00:03:52.379 and your prayers. 00:03:54.379 --> 00:03:55.600 Yeah, as we have read, 00:03:55.659 --> 00:03:57.760 we're going to look at Titus chapter 3, 00:03:57.879 --> 00:03:59.780 just the first eight verses this week 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:02.760 and the remainder of the chapter next week. 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:05.019 So in the past few weeks, 00:04:05.060 --> 00:04:07.359 we've been working through this short letter 00:04:07.359 --> 00:04:09.319 that Paul writes to Titus. 00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:11.399 So we're going to pick up 00:04:11.399 --> 00:04:13.579 where we left off a couple of weeks ago 00:04:13.579 --> 00:04:15.039 at the start of chapter 3. 00:04:16.159 --> 00:04:18.139 I think one of the things we've experienced 00:04:18.139 --> 00:04:19.079 a lot in the States 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:21.079 is a huge generosity from people. 00:04:21.300 --> 00:04:24.240 So within the first week of us arriving, 00:04:24.620 --> 00:04:27.000 some guy that we had just got to know 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:28.079 came over for tea 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:30.379 and he heard that I played the guitar 00:04:30.379 --> 00:04:31.560 but didn't have a guitar 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:34.480 and he offered to loan me his guitar 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:35.459 for the whole year, 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:36.800 which was a great blessing 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:39.780 and it's really nice to be able to play and sing. 00:04:40.699 --> 00:04:42.139 One of the songs I started singing 00:04:42.139 --> 00:04:44.459 is by an Irish singer-songwriter 00:04:44.459 --> 00:04:46.480 called James Vincent McMorrow, 00:04:47.060 --> 00:04:48.819 which is a real Irish-y name. 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:52.040 And the song starts with the line, 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:53.259 If this is redemption, 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:56.759 if this is redemption, 00:04:56.939 --> 00:04:58.300 why do I bother at all? 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:00.920 Nothing to mention and nothing has changed. 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:03.500 And as I learned the song, 00:05:03.579 --> 00:05:04.000 I was thinking, 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:06.139 is this an appropriate song to be singing? 00:05:06.620 --> 00:05:08.220 Because it sounds very pessimistic 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:09.240 and very sceptical. 00:05:10.379 --> 00:05:11.620 But the more I sang it, 00:05:11.660 --> 00:05:12.480 the more I've realised 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:13.180 that that's something 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:14.899 that we often feel as Christians. 00:05:15.459 --> 00:05:17.220 So we know we have been redeemed, 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:19.680 we know the Gospel is true, 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:21.000 and yet we look at our lives 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:21.560 and we wonder, 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:22.779 has anything changed? 00:05:23.420 --> 00:05:24.240 We wonder, 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:26.139 why is it that we still seem 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:27.519 to have such short tempers 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:28.240 with our children? 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:29.900 Or why is it that we seem 00:05:29.900 --> 00:05:31.220 to be so reluctant 00:05:31.220 --> 00:05:32.439 to obey those 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:34.600 who are in authority over us? 00:05:35.180 --> 00:05:36.740 We perhaps see anxiousness 00:05:36.740 --> 00:05:37.379 in our lives 00:05:37.379 --> 00:05:39.240 or we see a lack of joy in Christ. 00:05:41.100 --> 00:05:42.120 And it's interesting 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:43.439 because we're not the only ones 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:46.060 who ask this question of ourselves. 00:05:46.819 --> 00:05:49.079 So you need not think for too long, 00:05:49.600 --> 00:05:51.300 but when you realise the way 00:05:51.300 --> 00:05:53.120 that people who aren't Christians 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:54.199 think about Christians, 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:56.259 they ask this question all the time. 00:05:56.259 --> 00:05:58.560 So they look at us and they say, 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:00.659 well, these people claim to be redeemed, 00:06:00.779 --> 00:06:01.920 they claim to be Christians, 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:03.759 and yet it seems that nothing 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:05.039 has changed in their lives. 00:06:05.099 --> 00:06:07.699 In fact, it seems they're greater hypocrites 00:06:07.699 --> 00:06:08.759 than the rest of us 00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:10.599 because they're supposed to be 00:06:10.599 --> 00:06:12.060 these transformed people, 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:14.079 and yet they live lives 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:16.139 that don't give that impression. 00:06:16.779 --> 00:06:17.959 We've seen that especially 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:20.519 for those who are in roles of authority 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:23.699 or who are in public roles. 00:06:23.699 --> 00:06:26.959 And sometimes the criticism is fair 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:29.620 because Christians often do things 00:06:29.620 --> 00:06:31.060 that are not in keeping 00:06:31.060 --> 00:06:32.639 with being Christians. 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:35.060 So it's a big question. 00:06:35.180 --> 00:06:36.459 If we have been redeemed, 00:06:37.039 --> 00:06:39.519 what change has that had in our lives 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:40.719 or what change should that have 00:06:40.719 --> 00:06:41.279 in our lives? 00:06:41.779 --> 00:06:43.259 And it's the question, I think, 00:06:43.339 --> 00:06:45.680 that Paul is dealing with here 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:47.199 in the start of chapter 3. 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:49.800 He asks, 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:50.920 what effect does redemption 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:51.779 have in our lives? 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:52.719 And in particular, 00:06:53.159 --> 00:06:53.819 in chapter 3, 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:55.800 what effect does redemption 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:57.159 have in our lives 00:06:57.159 --> 00:06:58.639 as we live them in society 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:00.279 and as we live them 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:01.319 in relationship to 00:07:01.319 --> 00:07:03.740 the rulers and authorities 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:04.599 around us? 00:07:06.199 --> 00:07:07.459 And the way we're going to 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:09.800 open up these eight or so verses 00:07:09.800 --> 00:07:10.879 is just to think about 00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:11.759 three different things. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:12.560 We're going to think about 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:14.300 what God has saved us from. 00:07:14.300 --> 00:07:16.520 We're going to think about 00:07:16.520 --> 00:07:17.960 what God has saved us to. 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:19.439 And we're going to think about 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:21.120 what way we should live 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:23.240 as a result of those two things. 00:07:24.360 --> 00:07:25.900 So the first thing we want to see 00:07:25.900 --> 00:07:27.600 is what God has saved us from. 00:07:27.780 --> 00:07:29.300 And that's what Paul is dealing with 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:30.780 in verse 3 of this chapter. 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:32.540 So he says, 00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:34.400 at one time we too were foolish, 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:36.139 disobedient, deceived, 00:07:36.280 --> 00:07:38.500 and enslaved by all kinds of passions. 00:07:38.500 --> 00:07:40.280 We lived in malice and envy, 00:07:40.400 --> 00:07:42.139 being hated and hating one another. 00:07:42.139 --> 00:07:44.759 Sometimes with Paul, 00:07:44.860 --> 00:07:47.479 when he reels off these lists of things, 00:07:47.599 --> 00:07:48.599 you sometimes wonder, 00:07:48.899 --> 00:07:50.800 is he just filling space? 00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:52.919 But as we break them down 00:07:52.919 --> 00:07:55.099 into maybe into couples of words, 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:57.259 we see the different things 00:07:57.259 --> 00:07:58.379 that Paul is getting at. 00:07:59.379 --> 00:08:00.680 So he says, firstly, 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:01.839 the first couple of words 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:02.779 is that we were foolish 00:08:02.779 --> 00:08:03.860 and disobedient. 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:05.039 So in other words, 00:08:05.099 --> 00:08:06.479 we were foolish in our minds 00:08:06.479 --> 00:08:08.259 and we were disobedient 00:08:08.259 --> 00:08:09.039 in our morals. 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:10.779 So there was a corruption 00:08:10.779 --> 00:08:11.500 in our minds 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:12.879 and a corruption in our morals, 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:13.779 the way we thought 00:08:13.779 --> 00:08:14.679 and the way we acted. 00:08:15.799 --> 00:08:16.319 He says, 00:08:16.519 --> 00:08:17.279 he goes on to say, 00:08:17.359 --> 00:08:18.059 we were deceived 00:08:18.059 --> 00:08:18.819 and enslaved 00:08:18.819 --> 00:08:20.239 by all kinds of passions 00:08:20.239 --> 00:08:20.939 and pleasures. 00:08:22.279 --> 00:08:23.459 So maybe you could say 00:08:23.459 --> 00:08:24.579 the first couple of things 00:08:24.579 --> 00:08:25.379 are internal, 00:08:25.539 --> 00:08:26.119 they're to do with 00:08:26.119 --> 00:08:27.259 who we are in ourselves. 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:29.619 But this second couple of things 00:08:29.619 --> 00:08:30.419 are external, 00:08:30.599 --> 00:08:31.739 that we were deceived 00:08:31.739 --> 00:08:33.459 by something outside of ourselves, 00:08:33.459 --> 00:08:34.679 or we were enslaved 00:08:34.679 --> 00:08:36.419 by something outside of ourselves, 00:08:36.839 --> 00:08:38.279 by passions and pleasures. 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:41.579 The third couple of terms, 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:43.419 that we lived in malice and envy. 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:44.039 In other words, 00:08:44.100 --> 00:08:45.980 we not only hated people, 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:48.220 but we also envied them. 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:49.679 We wanted what they had. 00:08:50.980 --> 00:08:52.579 We coveted what they had, 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:54.779 to use an older terminology. 00:08:55.980 --> 00:08:56.500 And of course, 00:08:56.620 --> 00:08:57.220 this hatred, 00:08:57.959 --> 00:08:58.959 this coveting, 00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:00.500 resulted in us 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:01.939 hating one another 00:09:01.939 --> 00:09:02.899 and being hated. 00:09:02.899 --> 00:09:05.679 And as we read these things, 00:09:05.980 --> 00:09:08.279 it's a little bit unnerving 00:09:08.279 --> 00:09:09.679 and it's a little bit unpleasant 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:12.259 to hear about what Paul says 00:09:12.259 --> 00:09:13.500 we once were. 00:09:14.139 --> 00:09:16.019 But I think he wants it to be that. 00:09:16.100 --> 00:09:17.259 He wants us to feel 00:09:17.259 --> 00:09:18.579 that there is no escape, 00:09:18.740 --> 00:09:20.539 that this is a bleak and black picture 00:09:20.539 --> 00:09:21.419 of who we are, 00:09:21.720 --> 00:09:23.000 or who we were in fact. 00:09:24.139 --> 00:09:25.899 And part of the reason he does that 00:09:25.899 --> 00:09:28.120 is because at the start of verse 4, 00:09:28.220 --> 00:09:28.620 he says, 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:29.019 but, 00:09:29.500 --> 00:09:31.220 so he wants to draw a contrast 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:32.860 between what he has just said. 00:09:34.460 --> 00:09:36.000 And we see that the contrast 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:37.379 is with this kindness 00:09:37.379 --> 00:09:39.639 and love of God our Savior. 00:09:41.040 --> 00:09:42.980 Instead of one who is foolish 00:09:42.980 --> 00:09:43.899 or disobedient, 00:09:44.040 --> 00:09:45.340 God is kind and loving. 00:09:47.180 --> 00:09:48.200 And so as we turn 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:49.139 from the bleak picture 00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:50.100 of who we were 00:09:50.100 --> 00:09:52.259 to the picture of who God is 00:09:52.259 --> 00:09:53.680 and the way in which God acted 00:09:53.680 --> 00:09:54.460 in our lives, 00:09:54.800 --> 00:09:56.500 there is a stark contrast. 00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:00.040 And I think there is a contrast 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:02.159 not only in who God is 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:04.500 and who we were, 00:10:04.599 --> 00:10:05.699 but there is also a contrast 00:10:05.699 --> 00:10:06.819 between who God is 00:10:06.819 --> 00:10:08.480 and who we often think he is. 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:09.659 Even as Christians, 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:11.120 who we often think he is. 00:10:11.939 --> 00:10:13.439 Paul says God is loving 00:10:13.439 --> 00:10:15.120 and God is kind. 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:18.139 And God is our Savior, he says. 00:10:19.599 --> 00:10:21.480 And when we reflect on these words, 00:10:21.559 --> 00:10:22.539 maybe we realize 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:25.299 that this is not precisely 00:10:25.299 --> 00:10:27.259 how we thought about God this week. 00:10:27.259 --> 00:10:29.360 when we woke up in the morning 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:30.159 and we considered 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:31.419 whether we should 00:10:31.419 --> 00:10:33.519 commit ourselves to God 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:34.179 for the day, 00:10:35.259 --> 00:10:36.700 did we do it willingly 00:10:36.700 --> 00:10:37.620 or did we feel 00:10:37.620 --> 00:10:39.559 that God was a God 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:40.799 who was out to get us there, 00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:42.059 a God of anger, 00:10:42.819 --> 00:10:44.439 a God who didn't care about us, 00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:45.480 a God who was distant? 00:10:46.059 --> 00:10:46.980 But no, Paul says 00:10:46.980 --> 00:10:48.319 God is kind and loving 00:10:48.319 --> 00:10:50.399 and that he is our Savior. 00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:53.120 I think it's clear 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:54.699 that he is kind and loving 00:10:54.699 --> 00:10:55.419 in the order 00:10:55.419 --> 00:10:57.779 in which Paul writes these things. 00:10:57.919 --> 00:10:58.500 So he says, 00:10:58.819 --> 00:11:00.240 when the kindness and love of God, 00:11:00.319 --> 00:11:00.759 our Savior, 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:02.159 appeared in verse 4, 00:11:02.459 --> 00:11:03.620 he saved us. 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:06.559 The order is very important 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:07.659 because we're sometimes 00:11:07.659 --> 00:11:09.620 deceived into thinking 00:11:09.620 --> 00:11:11.100 or enslaved into thinking 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:13.959 that because Christ died for us, 00:11:14.299 --> 00:11:15.679 therefore God loves us. 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:17.960 But what Paul is saying here 00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:20.700 is that it is because God loves us 00:11:20.700 --> 00:11:22.560 that Christ died for us. 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:25.139 So Paul gives us 00:11:25.139 --> 00:11:27.400 the correct order of the gospel, 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:27.920 I guess, 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:29.060 the correct order 00:11:29.060 --> 00:11:30.379 in which these things have happened. 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:31.720 And when we weigh that 00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:32.960 against other verses 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:33.720 that we know, 00:11:33.820 --> 00:11:35.379 other verses that we're familiar with, 00:11:35.420 --> 00:11:36.280 we realize that's 00:11:36.280 --> 00:11:37.580 the consistent message 00:11:37.580 --> 00:11:38.740 of the gospel. 00:11:39.460 --> 00:11:41.160 John 3.16, for example, 00:11:41.660 --> 00:11:43.200 for God so loved the world, 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:44.139 that's the source, 00:11:44.300 --> 00:11:45.220 that's the reason 00:11:45.220 --> 00:11:47.280 that he sent his only son 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:48.839 to die for us. 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:52.179 So what Paul is saying 00:11:52.179 --> 00:11:53.319 is that the kindness 00:11:53.319 --> 00:11:54.279 and love of God 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:56.120 is the source of the gospel. 00:11:56.679 --> 00:11:57.819 And I think it's interesting 00:11:57.819 --> 00:11:58.559 that he says, 00:11:58.759 --> 00:11:59.799 God our Savior, 00:12:00.019 --> 00:12:01.299 so we're used to thinking 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:02.860 about Jesus as our Savior. 00:12:03.860 --> 00:12:05.059 But conclusively, 00:12:05.179 --> 00:12:05.679 Paul says, 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:06.459 God the Father 00:12:06.459 --> 00:12:07.799 is our Savior as well. 00:12:08.419 --> 00:12:09.939 That Father, Son, and Spirit 00:12:09.939 --> 00:12:11.059 are all at work 00:12:11.059 --> 00:12:12.879 in order to save us. 00:12:14.019 --> 00:12:15.459 And Paul demonstrates this 00:12:15.460 --> 00:12:16.759 if you look as he goes on 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:18.180 through verse 5, 00:12:18.300 --> 00:12:20.460 it says that God saved us, 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:22.420 not because of righteous things 00:12:22.420 --> 00:12:23.060 we had done, 00:12:23.180 --> 00:12:24.440 but because of his mercy. 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:27.980 And so what Paul is emphasizing 00:12:27.980 --> 00:12:29.860 is that this Christian gospel 00:12:29.860 --> 00:12:31.120 that we believe in 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:32.900 is totally different 00:12:32.900 --> 00:12:35.600 to all other religious beliefs. 00:12:35.800 --> 00:12:36.560 It's totally different 00:12:36.560 --> 00:12:38.139 to all other man-made ideas 00:12:38.139 --> 00:12:39.680 of how we might save ourselves. 00:12:40.820 --> 00:12:43.160 Paul says that God saved us. 00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:43.959 God is the one 00:12:43.959 --> 00:12:45.439 who took the initiative. 00:12:47.139 --> 00:12:48.799 These three simple words 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:50.139 stand at the very heart 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:50.959 of our belief. 00:12:52.019 --> 00:12:53.620 They stand utterly opposed 00:12:53.620 --> 00:12:55.159 to any idea 00:12:55.159 --> 00:12:57.159 of how we might save ourselves, 00:12:57.319 --> 00:12:58.299 might be formulated. 00:12:59.980 --> 00:13:01.600 That God saved us, 00:13:01.659 --> 00:13:03.399 as it says twice in verse 5, 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:06.480 stand opposed to the idea 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:08.059 that we can save ourselves. 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:10.159 That God saved us 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:10.839 makes it clear 00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:12.460 that we did not save ourselves. 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:14.040 That God saved us 00:13:14.040 --> 00:13:15.460 highlights the personal, 00:13:15.980 --> 00:13:17.259 the particular nature 00:13:17.259 --> 00:13:18.100 of salvation. 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:19.300 God, our Savior, 00:13:19.460 --> 00:13:21.639 had us in mind. 00:13:22.460 --> 00:13:24.000 When Christ died on the cross, 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:25.759 he had us in mind, 00:13:25.899 --> 00:13:26.860 particular people. 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:30.180 And at just the right time, 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:32.019 as Paul goes on, 00:13:32.620 --> 00:13:34.220 this historic event, 00:13:34.340 --> 00:13:36.060 this historic act of Christ, 00:13:36.180 --> 00:13:36.879 God the Son, 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:38.800 was applied to us 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:40.179 by the rebirth, 00:13:40.539 --> 00:13:41.659 the washing of rebirth, 00:13:41.779 --> 00:13:42.859 it says in verse 5, 00:13:43.179 --> 00:13:44.859 and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:50.179 So it's a comprehensive salvation. 00:13:50.599 --> 00:13:52.219 It's a pure redemption 00:13:52.219 --> 00:13:53.740 by God the Father, 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:54.519 God the Son, 00:13:54.579 --> 00:13:55.379 and God the Spirit 00:13:55.379 --> 00:13:56.240 in our lives. 00:13:56.859 --> 00:13:58.740 He responds to our desperate need 00:13:58.740 --> 00:13:59.639 in love and kindness. 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:02.000 He demonstrates his mercy 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:03.240 in the cross of Christ, 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:05.039 and he applies it 00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:05.899 to each one of us 00:14:05.899 --> 00:14:06.759 who have believed. 00:14:07.259 --> 00:14:08.799 And so from start to finish, 00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:10.980 there is nothing left to chance. 00:14:11.560 --> 00:14:12.560 From start to finish, 00:14:12.659 --> 00:14:14.379 this is pure redemption 00:14:14.379 --> 00:14:15.519 by God. 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:17.799 He has saved us 00:14:17.799 --> 00:14:18.659 from what we were. 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:21.960 And the question then for us 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:23.659 is how do we respond to this? 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:25.139 How do we respond to God's 00:14:25.139 --> 00:14:26.440 saving work in our lives? 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:28.180 And I think Paul hints at it 00:14:28.180 --> 00:14:30.080 at least in verse 7. 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:32.840 He says those who have, 00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:34.259 sorry, in verse 8, 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:35.980 those who have trusted in God. 00:14:37.220 --> 00:14:39.340 The only appropriate response, 00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:40.879 the only ongoing response 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:42.300 to all that God has done 00:14:42.300 --> 00:14:43.340 is to trust in him, 00:14:43.680 --> 00:14:44.420 to believe him, 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:45.400 to have faith in him. 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:46.680 As it says in the Gospels 00:14:46.680 --> 00:14:48.220 and in all of the New Testament 00:14:48.220 --> 00:14:49.480 and all of the Old Testament, 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:51.460 that to turn to God 00:14:51.460 --> 00:14:52.820 in faith and trust 00:14:52.820 --> 00:14:54.379 and belief in what he has done 00:14:54.379 --> 00:14:55.259 in history 00:14:55.259 --> 00:14:57.140 is the only appropriate response. 00:14:57.139 --> 00:15:07.159 Paul says, 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:08.120 uses this phrase, 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:09.519 this is a trustworthy saying 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:10.240 a couple of times 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:11.019 in his letters. 00:15:12.220 --> 00:15:12.860 In other words, 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:14.259 he's saying what he's talking about 00:15:14.259 --> 00:15:15.460 is worthy of our trust 00:15:15.460 --> 00:15:17.120 because the one he is talking about 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:18.279 is worthy of our trust. 00:15:19.439 --> 00:15:20.740 God has saved us 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:22.120 from what we were 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:23.240 is the first thing 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:24.120 that we want to see. 00:15:24.460 --> 00:15:25.220 The second thing 00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:27.220 is that God has saved us 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:28.200 to what we will be. 00:15:29.379 --> 00:15:30.600 We're going to be a little bit brief 00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:31.540 around these points, 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:33.580 but I think it's interesting 00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:35.360 as we read through the Bible, 00:15:35.500 --> 00:15:36.440 there's things that happen 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:37.060 in the Bible 00:15:37.060 --> 00:15:38.420 that for those people 00:15:38.420 --> 00:15:39.700 at that particular time, 00:15:39.800 --> 00:15:41.920 they were still future events, 00:15:42.040 --> 00:15:43.360 they were still waiting to happen. 00:15:43.620 --> 00:15:43.840 Sorry. 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:43.899 Sorry. 00:15:48.560 --> 00:15:49.700 One of the first things 00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:50.160 that hit me 00:15:50.160 --> 00:15:51.000 as I got off the plane 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:51.740 was a head cold. 00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:55.480 God has saved us 00:15:55.480 --> 00:15:56.240 to what we will be. 00:15:56.440 --> 00:15:56.560 So, 00:15:57.120 --> 00:15:58.139 as we read through the Bible, 00:15:58.259 --> 00:15:58.879 we see that 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:00.639 God makes promises 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:01.460 to his people 00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:02.200 throughout the Bible. 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:02.940 He made promises 00:16:02.940 --> 00:16:03.539 to Israel 00:16:03.539 --> 00:16:04.740 that they would be delivered 00:16:04.740 --> 00:16:05.399 from Egypt. 00:16:06.899 --> 00:16:08.480 And as this future promise 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:09.639 came into their present 00:16:09.639 --> 00:16:12.419 and worked through 00:16:12.419 --> 00:16:13.360 into their past, 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:14.360 they were able to reflect 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:15.340 on what God had done 00:16:15.340 --> 00:16:15.899 and to say, 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:16.060 well, 00:16:16.100 --> 00:16:16.659 this was something 00:16:16.659 --> 00:16:17.519 that was future 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:19.220 and we experienced it 00:16:19.220 --> 00:16:20.299 and now it is past. 00:16:20.299 --> 00:16:22.079 And because it is past, 00:16:22.179 --> 00:16:23.059 there is a certain sense 00:16:23.059 --> 00:16:24.559 of definitiveness about it. 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:25.919 This has surely happened. 00:16:26.579 --> 00:16:27.539 But what Paul is saying 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:28.059 to us here 00:16:28.059 --> 00:16:29.419 is that these things 00:16:29.419 --> 00:16:30.819 that are still future for us, 00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:32.039 this eternal life, 00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:34.099 this hope of eternal life 00:16:34.099 --> 00:16:36.500 in the end of verse 7, 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:38.439 even though it's still future, 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:40.379 it's absolutely sure, 00:16:40.500 --> 00:16:41.459 it's absolutely definite, 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:43.240 it's as if it has already happened. 00:16:44.679 --> 00:16:46.039 And in reality, 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:48.199 when we think about eternal life, 00:16:48.200 --> 00:16:49.440 we realize that this 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:50.480 has actually happened 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:51.860 to some extent for us. 00:16:51.940 --> 00:16:53.360 So when Jesus talks 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:54.240 about eternal life, 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:54.640 he says, 00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:56.500 eternal life is to know 00:16:56.500 --> 00:16:57.400 God the Father 00:16:57.400 --> 00:16:59.220 and to know Jesus Christ 00:16:59.220 --> 00:17:00.460 who God has sent. 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:02.680 And so when we think about it, 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:03.759 if we know God the Father, 00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:05.039 if we know Jesus Christ 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:06.059 whom he has sent, 00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:07.340 then in some sense 00:17:07.340 --> 00:17:08.960 we already have eternal life 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:09.660 right now, 00:17:09.819 --> 00:17:11.500 which is an amazing thought. 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:13.819 But at the same time, 00:17:14.059 --> 00:17:15.279 there is an eternal life 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:16.480 that is still future. 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:17.599 We still have to enter 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:18.460 into the fullness 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:19.779 of this eternal life. 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:21.360 We have been reminded 00:17:21.360 --> 00:17:22.059 this week, 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:23.039 horrifically, 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:25.380 how sin still exists 00:17:25.380 --> 00:17:26.079 in our world, 00:17:26.220 --> 00:17:28.039 how things still happen 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:29.579 that disturb us, 00:17:29.819 --> 00:17:31.380 seriously disturb us, 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:32.960 because we have not 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:34.039 entered into the kingdom 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:34.880 of God fully. 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:37.099 We have not fully attained 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:38.099 the eternal life 00:17:38.099 --> 00:17:39.259 that is set before us. 00:17:40.539 --> 00:17:41.779 And so there is this sense 00:17:41.779 --> 00:17:43.120 that eternal life 00:17:43.120 --> 00:17:44.360 is now ours. 00:17:44.360 --> 00:17:45.400 God has saved us 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:46.220 to this now, 00:17:46.740 --> 00:17:47.560 and yet it is something 00:17:47.560 --> 00:17:48.560 that God has saved us 00:17:48.560 --> 00:17:49.780 to that is still future. 00:17:52.519 --> 00:17:53.660 And so as we think 00:17:53.660 --> 00:17:55.460 about what God 00:17:55.460 --> 00:17:56.360 has saved us from, 00:17:57.480 --> 00:17:58.240 as we think about 00:17:58.240 --> 00:17:59.519 what God has saved us to, 00:17:59.740 --> 00:18:00.700 we realize that we're 00:18:00.700 --> 00:18:02.300 between the past 00:18:02.300 --> 00:18:03.700 and we're between 00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:04.860 the past and the future. 00:18:06.340 --> 00:18:07.400 And so as we consider 00:18:07.980 --> 00:18:08.900 how we should live 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:09.400 accordingly, 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:11.160 we will realize 00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:11.960 that we're affected 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:13.019 by both our past 00:18:13.019 --> 00:18:14.120 and our future. 00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:16.660 It can be a hard thing 00:18:16.660 --> 00:18:17.200 though sometimes 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:17.819 to think about 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:20.120 how we can be 00:18:20.120 --> 00:18:21.559 heirs of eternal life 00:18:21.559 --> 00:18:22.980 and this can be true now 00:18:22.980 --> 00:18:24.160 and at the same time 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:25.000 it can be future. 00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:26.799 But the word heirs 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:27.759 that Paul uses 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:29.420 is very helpful 00:18:29.420 --> 00:18:31.420 in verse 7, 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:32.319 at the end of verse 7. 00:18:33.299 --> 00:18:34.180 When we think about 00:18:34.180 --> 00:18:34.579 an heir, 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:35.360 we realize that 00:18:35.360 --> 00:18:36.460 a firstborn son 00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:38.279 or daughter of a king 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:39.880 is immediately part 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:40.640 of the royal family, 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:41.580 so they're immediately 00:18:41.580 --> 00:18:43.200 their royal lineage, 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:44.380 their heir to the throne, 00:18:44.520 --> 00:18:45.080 so the minute 00:18:45.080 --> 00:18:45.940 the king dies 00:18:45.940 --> 00:18:47.500 and the heir to the throne 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:48.820 will ascend the throne, 00:18:49.820 --> 00:18:51.100 which explains partially 00:18:51.100 --> 00:18:51.900 why there's so many 00:18:51.900 --> 00:18:54.460 stories about royal pregnancies 00:18:54.460 --> 00:18:55.240 and things like that 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:56.120 in tabloid magazines 00:18:56.120 --> 00:18:56.960 because one day 00:18:56.960 --> 00:18:57.960 this little baby, 00:18:58.060 --> 00:18:59.060 who is only a baby, 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:01.259 will rule over a nation 00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:02.820 either literally 00:19:02.820 --> 00:19:03.900 or figuratively 00:19:03.900 --> 00:19:05.380 in some cases. 00:19:06.380 --> 00:19:07.240 But it helps us 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:07.740 to understand 00:19:07.740 --> 00:19:08.320 what it is 00:19:08.320 --> 00:19:09.800 to be sure 00:19:09.800 --> 00:19:10.560 of something now, 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:11.320 so this heir 00:19:11.320 --> 00:19:11.980 to the throne 00:19:11.980 --> 00:19:12.480 is sure 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:12.980 that they will 00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:13.720 one day be 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:15.020 on the throne 00:19:15.020 --> 00:19:15.800 and yet it is 00:19:15.800 --> 00:19:16.980 a future event 00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:17.759 for that child. 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:20.860 I don't know 00:19:20.860 --> 00:19:21.420 if any of you 00:19:21.420 --> 00:19:22.800 are argumentative, 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:23.480 but if you are, 00:19:23.540 --> 00:19:24.180 you might say, 00:19:24.280 --> 00:19:24.440 well, 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:25.740 what if the heir dies? 00:19:26.320 --> 00:19:27.240 What if the heir 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:27.860 is overcome 00:19:27.860 --> 00:19:29.020 by some disease 00:19:29.020 --> 00:19:29.700 or sickness 00:19:29.700 --> 00:19:30.440 and they can't 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:31.420 fulfill their duties? 00:19:33.280 --> 00:19:34.120 The genius, 00:19:34.340 --> 00:19:34.620 I think, 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:35.280 of what Paul 00:19:35.280 --> 00:19:36.140 is saying here 00:19:36.140 --> 00:19:37.360 is that when we 00:19:37.360 --> 00:19:37.840 think about 00:19:37.840 --> 00:19:39.300 our being heirs 00:19:39.300 --> 00:19:40.520 of eternal life 00:19:40.520 --> 00:19:41.480 or of the hope 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:42.360 of eternal life 00:19:42.360 --> 00:19:43.280 is that all 00:19:43.280 --> 00:19:44.640 the potential obstacles, 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:46.060 all the potential 00:19:46.060 --> 00:19:46.780 deterrents, 00:19:46.820 --> 00:19:47.460 all the potential 00:19:47.460 --> 00:19:48.840 hurdles to our 00:19:48.840 --> 00:19:50.240 being able to 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:51.259 enjoy eternal life 00:19:51.259 --> 00:19:51.860 have already 00:19:51.860 --> 00:19:52.740 been removed. 00:19:53.420 --> 00:19:54.240 So if we ask 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:54.860 ourselves, 00:19:55.120 --> 00:19:56.280 what if I sin? 00:19:57.060 --> 00:19:57.700 We can say, 00:19:57.800 --> 00:19:58.020 well, 00:19:58.360 --> 00:19:59.160 Jesus has paid 00:19:59.160 --> 00:19:59.840 for my sins. 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:00.400 If we ask 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:00.720 ourselves, 00:20:00.819 --> 00:20:01.600 what if I die? 00:20:02.180 --> 00:20:02.720 Which is so 00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:03.539 ultimate and so 00:20:03.539 --> 00:20:03.940 definite. 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:06.140 God tells us 00:20:06.140 --> 00:20:07.059 death has no 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:07.799 sting anymore 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:08.620 because Christ 00:20:08.620 --> 00:20:09.759 has died in our 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:10.240 place. 00:20:11.579 --> 00:20:12.660 And so we realise 00:20:12.660 --> 00:20:13.220 that the 00:20:13.220 --> 00:20:14.140 comprehensiveness, 00:20:14.380 --> 00:20:15.100 the purity, 00:20:15.579 --> 00:20:15.980 if you will, 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:16.700 or the density 00:20:16.700 --> 00:20:17.400 of what God 00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:18.200 has done in the 00:20:18.200 --> 00:20:19.700 past is matched 00:20:19.700 --> 00:20:20.440 by the density 00:20:20.440 --> 00:20:21.120 of what he has 00:20:21.120 --> 00:20:21.920 prepared for us 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:22.539 in the future, 00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:24.000 the purity of it, 00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:25.200 the comprehensiveness 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:25.740 of it. 00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:26.640 There is no doubt 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:27.980 what we have 00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:29.319 been saved to. 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:32.620 And so the 00:20:32.620 --> 00:20:33.259 final thing we 00:20:33.259 --> 00:20:34.039 want to see, 00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:36.460 having thought 00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:37.039 about what God 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:37.600 has saved us 00:20:37.600 --> 00:20:38.839 from and what 00:20:38.839 --> 00:20:39.440 God has saved 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:39.940 us to, 00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:41.700 the more practical 00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:42.240 of you will 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:42.759 want to know, 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:42.920 well, 00:20:42.940 --> 00:20:43.839 what does that 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:44.519 mean for us? 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:46.319 I think, 00:20:46.460 --> 00:20:46.880 first of all, 00:20:46.920 --> 00:20:47.380 we have to 00:20:47.380 --> 00:20:48.319 reiterate that it 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:49.019 does mean we 00:20:49.019 --> 00:20:49.819 need to believe 00:20:49.819 --> 00:20:50.819 in these things. 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:52.319 So the expectation 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:53.980 as Jesus preaches 00:20:53.980 --> 00:20:54.880 through the Gospels 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:55.759 is that you repent 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:56.279 and believe. 00:20:56.440 --> 00:20:57.140 That's the first, 00:20:57.779 --> 00:20:58.720 that's the ongoing, 00:20:58.900 --> 00:20:59.819 that's the essential 00:20:59.819 --> 00:21:01.899 response to these 00:21:01.899 --> 00:21:02.279 truths, 00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:02.939 what God has 00:21:02.939 --> 00:21:03.740 saved us from 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:04.679 and what he has 00:21:04.679 --> 00:21:05.819 saved us to. 00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:07.079 But it's not the 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:08.079 only response. 00:21:09.139 --> 00:21:09.659 And we've seen 00:21:09.659 --> 00:21:10.779 that already in 00:21:10.779 --> 00:21:12.000 chapters 1 and 2 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:12.639 of Titus. 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:13.519 There are practical 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:14.619 things that should 00:21:14.619 --> 00:21:15.919 flow out of this 00:21:15.919 --> 00:21:16.960 faith response. 00:21:17.700 --> 00:21:18.240 And again in 00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:18.960 chapter 3, 00:21:19.079 --> 00:21:19.879 Paul highlights 00:21:19.879 --> 00:21:20.480 some of these 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:20.939 things. 00:21:22.639 --> 00:21:23.539 You'll have noticed 00:21:23.539 --> 00:21:24.500 that we started 00:21:24.500 --> 00:21:25.460 in verse 3 of 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:26.099 chapter 3, 00:21:26.220 --> 00:21:27.579 but in verses 1 and 00:21:27.579 --> 00:21:29.339 2 and in verse 8, 00:21:29.339 --> 00:21:29.919 there are very 00:21:29.919 --> 00:21:30.839 practical things 00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:32.039 that Paul calls 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:32.559 us to do. 00:21:32.679 --> 00:21:33.079 He says, 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:34.500 remind the people, 00:21:34.659 --> 00:21:35.519 writing to Titus, 00:21:35.579 --> 00:21:35.839 he says, 00:21:35.919 --> 00:21:36.740 remind the people, 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:37.399 that is, 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:37.799 believers, 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:38.639 to be subject 00:21:38.639 --> 00:21:39.779 to rulers and 00:21:39.779 --> 00:21:40.299 authorities, 00:21:40.959 --> 00:21:41.740 to be obedient, 00:21:41.919 --> 00:21:42.639 to be ready to 00:21:42.639 --> 00:21:43.299 do whatever is 00:21:43.299 --> 00:21:44.299 good and so on. 00:21:45.539 --> 00:21:46.259 And in verse 8, 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:47.139 he says that we 00:21:47.139 --> 00:21:47.919 are to be devoted 00:21:47.919 --> 00:21:48.879 to doing good. 00:21:50.220 --> 00:21:50.939 Now the reason 00:21:50.939 --> 00:21:51.959 we've taken 00:21:51.959 --> 00:21:52.619 these verses 00:21:52.619 --> 00:21:53.519 last is because 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:54.319 we want to make 00:21:54.319 --> 00:21:55.379 clear the logic 00:21:55.379 --> 00:21:56.720 of the Gospel. 00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:58.039 So we need 00:21:58.039 --> 00:21:58.640 to realise 00:21:58.640 --> 00:21:59.360 that the but 00:21:59.360 --> 00:22:00.019 at the start 00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:00.839 of verse 4 00:22:00.839 --> 00:22:02.339 is very important. 00:22:02.900 --> 00:22:03.579 It's because 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:04.299 God has done 00:22:04.299 --> 00:22:05.220 all these things 00:22:05.220 --> 00:22:06.120 in the past 00:22:06.120 --> 00:22:07.019 and it's because 00:22:07.019 --> 00:22:07.920 God has promised 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:08.559 us all these 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:09.440 things in the future 00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:11.140 that then we 00:22:11.140 --> 00:22:12.200 seek to live out 00:22:12.200 --> 00:22:13.519 verses 1 and 2 00:22:13.519 --> 00:22:14.740 and verse 8. 00:22:15.140 --> 00:22:15.620 And in fact, 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:16.759 the whole of 00:22:16.759 --> 00:22:18.000 the letter to 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:18.559 Titus. 00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:20.299 It is because 00:22:20.299 --> 00:22:20.860 of what God 00:22:20.860 --> 00:22:21.360 has done 00:22:21.360 --> 00:22:22.299 that we are 00:22:22.299 --> 00:22:22.880 to be subject 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:23.420 to rulers 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:24.160 and authorities. 00:22:24.160 --> 00:22:25.519 It is because 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:25.940 we are to 00:22:25.940 --> 00:22:26.860 remember that 00:22:26.860 --> 00:22:27.420 we were once 00:22:27.420 --> 00:22:28.420 disobedient and 00:22:28.420 --> 00:22:28.860 that we have 00:22:28.860 --> 00:22:29.540 been changed 00:22:29.540 --> 00:22:30.640 from that life 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:31.440 that now we 00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:31.960 are called 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:33.040 to be obedient. 00:22:35.220 --> 00:22:36.300 So as a result 00:22:36.300 --> 00:22:37.500 of the work 00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:38.080 by God 00:22:38.080 --> 00:22:38.620 in our lives 00:22:38.620 --> 00:22:38.960 we are to 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:39.720 live differently. 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:40.820 Paul reminds 00:22:40.820 --> 00:22:41.279 us of what 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:41.759 we were. 00:22:43.120 --> 00:22:43.820 Not so that 00:22:43.820 --> 00:22:44.600 we can be 00:22:44.600 --> 00:22:45.500 despairing, 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:46.180 not so that 00:22:46.180 --> 00:22:46.660 we can be 00:22:46.660 --> 00:22:47.360 boastful 00:22:47.360 --> 00:22:48.440 that we have 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:48.940 been changed, 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:49.680 but he reminds 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:50.220 us of what 00:22:50.220 --> 00:22:50.920 we were so 00:22:50.920 --> 00:22:51.420 that we can 00:22:51.420 --> 00:22:53.019 be conduits 00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:53.779 or vehicles 00:22:53.779 --> 00:22:54.779 or channels 00:22:54.779 --> 00:22:55.960 of the love 00:22:55.960 --> 00:22:56.460 that we have 00:22:56.460 --> 00:22:57.139 received from 00:22:57.139 --> 00:22:58.279 God to those 00:22:58.279 --> 00:22:59.019 people who are 00:22:59.019 --> 00:22:59.980 still in a 00:22:59.980 --> 00:23:00.559 position where 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:00.940 they don't 00:23:00.940 --> 00:23:01.599 know God, 00:23:01.819 --> 00:23:02.559 to those people 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:03.259 who are still 00:23:03.259 --> 00:23:04.759 disobedient and 00:23:04.759 --> 00:23:05.359 foolish and 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:06.160 enslaved. 00:23:06.879 --> 00:23:07.539 So as we look 00:23:07.539 --> 00:23:07.960 at the people 00:23:07.960 --> 00:23:08.700 around us in 00:23:08.700 --> 00:23:09.899 our families, 00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:10.519 in our friends, 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:11.399 in our society, 00:23:12.039 --> 00:23:12.899 who seem to be 00:23:12.899 --> 00:23:13.779 rebelling against 00:23:13.779 --> 00:23:14.519 God, who seem 00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:16.059 enslaved to work 00:23:16.059 --> 00:23:16.740 or whatever it 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:17.259 might be, 00:23:17.899 --> 00:23:18.399 there should be 00:23:18.399 --> 00:23:19.039 a humility 00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:19.759 because we 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:20.759 were once that 00:23:20.759 --> 00:23:22.200 and it is God 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:23.039 who has set us 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:23.359 free. 00:23:24.639 --> 00:23:25.240 So Paul 00:23:25.240 --> 00:23:26.000 reminds us of 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:26.460 these things 00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:26.960 so that we 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:28.019 might be now 00:23:28.019 --> 00:23:28.799 living lives 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:29.220 that are 00:23:29.220 --> 00:23:30.279 reflective of 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:31.000 God's love. 00:23:33.299 --> 00:23:34.039 I think, 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:35.240 I guess it 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:36.460 can be pretty 00:23:36.460 --> 00:23:38.240 abstract and it 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:38.700 can be pretty 00:23:38.700 --> 00:23:39.399 hard to get a 00:23:39.399 --> 00:23:39.839 handle on, 00:23:39.920 --> 00:23:40.480 but maybe a 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:40.920 couple of 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:42.319 illustrations will 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:43.079 hopefully flesh 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:43.740 out the idea 00:23:43.740 --> 00:23:44.420 a little better 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:45.519 that what God 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:47.440 has done should 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:48.160 affect how we 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:48.480 live. 00:23:49.059 --> 00:23:49.720 I don't know 00:23:49.720 --> 00:23:50.319 if you've seen 00:23:50.319 --> 00:23:51.359 the Shawshank 00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:51.839 Redemption 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:52.399 movie. 00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:53.779 If you 00:23:53.779 --> 00:23:54.379 haven't, you 00:23:54.379 --> 00:23:55.899 should, and if 00:23:55.899 --> 00:23:57.279 you have, then 00:23:57.279 --> 00:23:57.859 you'll know the 00:23:57.859 --> 00:23:58.139 ending. 00:23:58.259 --> 00:23:58.720 But at the end 00:23:58.720 --> 00:23:59.279 of that movie 00:23:59.279 --> 00:23:59.700 there's a 00:23:59.700 --> 00:24:00.439 character called 00:24:00.439 --> 00:24:01.720 Red, and Red 00:24:01.720 --> 00:24:02.779 is Irish I 00:24:02.779 --> 00:24:03.579 think, and he 00:24:03.579 --> 00:24:04.519 has been in 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:06.019 Shawshank prison 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:08.059 for decades, and 00:24:08.059 --> 00:24:08.899 he's finally been 00:24:08.899 --> 00:24:09.599 released, he's 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:10.639 finally free, 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:12.399 totally free, 00:24:12.779 --> 00:24:13.500 free to the 00:24:13.500 --> 00:24:14.079 point that if he 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:14.779 went back to the 00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:15.579 prison and asked 00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:16.480 let me in, they 00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:17.019 wouldn't let him 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:17.539 in, because 00:24:17.539 --> 00:24:18.059 he's free. 00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:19.660 And yet at the 00:24:19.660 --> 00:24:20.779 same time, there 00:24:20.779 --> 00:24:21.400 are things in 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:22.700 Red's life that 00:24:22.700 --> 00:24:23.480 he can't seem to 00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:24.299 shake from his 00:24:24.299 --> 00:24:25.319 imprisoned past. 00:24:26.099 --> 00:24:26.759 So when he's 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:27.879 working in the 00:24:27.879 --> 00:24:29.299 supermarket, he 00:24:29.299 --> 00:24:30.059 asks the 00:24:30.059 --> 00:24:30.700 manager whether 00:24:30.700 --> 00:24:31.339 he's allowed to 00:24:31.339 --> 00:24:32.539 go to use the 00:24:32.539 --> 00:24:33.599 bathroom, and the 00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:34.339 manager is getting 00:24:34.339 --> 00:24:35.440 frustrated because 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:36.759 he doesn't need 00:24:36.759 --> 00:24:38.339 to do this, and 00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:39.259 yet Red keeps 00:24:39.259 --> 00:24:40.839 asking whether he 00:24:40.839 --> 00:24:41.299 can use the 00:24:41.299 --> 00:24:41.900 bathroom because 00:24:41.900 --> 00:24:42.819 he's living in a 00:24:42.819 --> 00:24:44.139 way, even though 00:24:44.139 --> 00:24:44.980 he's free, he's 00:24:44.980 --> 00:24:45.779 living in a way as 00:24:45.779 --> 00:24:46.759 if he was still 00:24:46.759 --> 00:24:47.319 imprisoned. 00:24:48.619 --> 00:24:49.400 So I think that 00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:49.980 helps us to 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:50.980 realise that there 00:24:50.980 --> 00:24:51.480 are things that 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:52.119 have happened to 00:24:52.119 --> 00:24:52.599 us, we've been 00:24:52.599 --> 00:24:54.039 delivered from 00:24:54.039 --> 00:24:55.299 these ways of 00:24:55.299 --> 00:24:56.240 acting so that we 00:24:56.240 --> 00:24:57.700 need to no longer 00:24:57.700 --> 00:24:59.359 live that way, we 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:00.039 need to no longer 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:01.819 be disobedient or 00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:02.599 disleaved or 00:25:02.599 --> 00:25:03.019 enslaved. 00:25:05.079 --> 00:25:05.900 I think if we 00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:06.440 think about the 00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:07.379 future element of 00:25:07.379 --> 00:25:09.140 it, a second 00:25:09.140 --> 00:25:10.059 illustration might 00:25:10.059 --> 00:25:10.379 help. 00:25:11.420 --> 00:25:12.019 I don't know if 00:25:12.019 --> 00:25:13.500 you remember, maybe 00:25:13.500 --> 00:25:14.960 five years ago or 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:15.740 so, Prince Harry 00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:16.440 was in all the 00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:17.380 tabloids for all 00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:18.180 the wrong reasons. 00:25:18.920 --> 00:25:19.759 So Prince Harry 00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:21.100 over in England 00:25:21.100 --> 00:25:22.460 was going to a 00:25:22.460 --> 00:25:23.480 costume party and 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:24.740 he wore what was 00:25:24.740 --> 00:25:25.400 an incredibly 00:25:25.400 --> 00:25:28.039 insensitive costume, 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:29.160 a Nazi uniform, 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:31.160 and he was in all 00:25:31.160 --> 00:25:32.259 the tabloids, in all 00:25:32.259 --> 00:25:34.279 the broadsheets as 00:25:34.279 --> 00:25:35.019 well being talked 00:25:35.019 --> 00:25:36.680 about, and much 00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:37.980 was written, but at 00:25:37.980 --> 00:25:38.860 the very heart, at 00:25:38.860 --> 00:25:40.039 the essence of the 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:40.860 problem was that 00:25:40.860 --> 00:25:41.680 Prince Harry is 00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:42.880 third in line to the 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:43.720 throne of England, 00:25:43.720 --> 00:25:44.940 husband, and he 00:25:44.940 --> 00:25:46.019 acted in a way that 00:25:46.019 --> 00:25:48.079 was not in keeping 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:49.360 with how an heir to 00:25:49.360 --> 00:25:50.079 the throne should 00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:50.480 act. 00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:53.579 We as heirs of 00:25:53.579 --> 00:25:54.579 eternal life should 00:25:54.579 --> 00:25:56.319 act in a way that is 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:57.779 in keeping with what 00:25:57.779 --> 00:25:59.039 it is to be heirs of 00:25:59.039 --> 00:25:59.940 eternal life. 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:01.420 We shouldn't act the 00:26:01.420 --> 00:26:02.380 way we once acted. 00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:03.819 We should live lives 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:05.700 that are peaceable, we 00:26:05.700 --> 00:26:06.519 should live lives that 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:07.880 are considerate, that 00:26:07.880 --> 00:26:09.579 show true humility to 00:26:09.579 --> 00:26:10.139 all men. 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:13.720 I guess as we finish, we 00:26:13.720 --> 00:26:14.699 want to ask what 00:26:14.699 --> 00:26:16.960 repercussions that has 00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:18.439 for how we live our 00:26:18.439 --> 00:26:19.599 lives in Carragalline, 00:26:20.599 --> 00:26:21.579 how we live our lives 00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:22.799 in relationship to the 00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:23.500 government of our 00:26:23.500 --> 00:26:23.819 country. 00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:25.220 I think in Ireland we 00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:26.339 have a somewhat patchy 00:26:26.339 --> 00:26:28.519 relationship to leaders 00:26:28.519 --> 00:26:29.859 in government or in 00:26:29.859 --> 00:26:31.299 church life or in 00:26:31.299 --> 00:26:32.699 financial life. 00:26:34.059 --> 00:26:35.379 We want to ask whether 00:26:35.379 --> 00:26:36.559 the way in which we 00:26:36.559 --> 00:26:37.359 relate to our team 00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:38.480 leader at work or the 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:39.339 people that we work 00:26:39.339 --> 00:26:40.879 with is in keeping 00:26:40.879 --> 00:26:42.259 what Paul calls us to 00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:42.599 hear. 00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:46.319 It's interesting as we 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:47.519 read through verses 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:49.939 1 and 2 that Paul is 00:26:49.939 --> 00:26:51.779 focusing on rulers and 00:26:51.779 --> 00:26:53.059 authorities in verse 1 00:26:53.059 --> 00:26:54.959 but in verse 2 he 00:26:54.959 --> 00:26:56.619 broadens the net. 00:26:57.419 --> 00:26:58.139 He says we're to 00:26:58.139 --> 00:27:00.359 slander no one and he 00:27:00.359 --> 00:27:01.059 says we're to show 00:27:01.059 --> 00:27:02.319 true humility towards 00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:03.319 all men. 00:27:04.439 --> 00:27:05.859 So if you ask what 00:27:05.859 --> 00:27:06.720 about the person who 00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:07.740 cut me off in traffic 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:09.319 this morning, who I 00:27:09.319 --> 00:27:10.319 don't know, I 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:10.899 don't know. 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:12.519 Yeah, Paul says no, 00:27:12.579 --> 00:27:13.359 we're not to slander 00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:14.460 them, we're to show 00:27:14.460 --> 00:27:15.799 true humility towards 00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:16.139 them. 00:27:16.740 --> 00:27:17.579 What about the person 00:27:17.579 --> 00:27:18.299 who seems to have a 00:27:18.299 --> 00:27:19.519 vendetta against me? 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:21.799 Paul says yeah, that's 00:27:21.799 --> 00:27:22.639 included in this 00:27:22.639 --> 00:27:23.460 category, we're to 00:27:23.460 --> 00:27:24.879 slander no one and to 00:27:24.879 --> 00:27:25.859 show true humility 00:27:25.859 --> 00:27:26.799 towards all men. 00:27:27.740 --> 00:27:28.700 And the amazing thing 00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:30.319 is that as we do this 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:32.299 people will see and 00:27:32.299 --> 00:27:35.500 realise that we have 00:27:35.500 --> 00:27:36.700 been loved by God, we 00:27:36.700 --> 00:27:38.380 have been redeemed by 00:27:38.380 --> 00:27:38.759 God. 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:40.380 There is a pure 00:27:40.380 --> 00:27:41.660 redemption at work in 00:27:41.660 --> 00:27:43.039 our lives that causes 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:44.680 us to live in this way, 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:45.559 in a way that is 00:27:45.559 --> 00:27:46.819 different to what we 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:48.220 were and hopefully in a 00:27:48.220 --> 00:27:49.360 way that stands in 00:27:49.360 --> 00:27:50.740 contrast to the world 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:51.319 also. 00:27:53.819 --> 00:27:55.039 As we finish, I guess, 00:27:55.080 --> 00:27:55.880 if we're being honest, 00:27:56.180 --> 00:27:57.500 we are sometimes like 00:27:57.500 --> 00:27:58.779 red in the Shawshank 00:27:58.779 --> 00:27:59.220 Redemption. 00:27:59.400 --> 00:28:01.340 We do sometimes return to 00:28:01.340 --> 00:28:02.580 old patterns of life. 00:28:02.579 --> 00:28:05.259 But I want to encourage 00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:06.639 us this morning and 00:28:06.639 --> 00:28:08.500 this passage encourages 00:28:08.500 --> 00:28:10.179 us that we need not 00:28:10.179 --> 00:28:10.980 live that way. 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:12.220 We need not be 00:28:12.220 --> 00:28:14.339 enslaved to our old 00:28:14.339 --> 00:28:15.259 patterns of life. 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:16.659 We have been saved 00:28:16.659 --> 00:28:18.399 from our old selves. 00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:19.000 We can live 00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:19.559 accordingly. 00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:21.559 And we are sometimes 00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:22.759 like Prince Harry as 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:22.939 well. 00:28:23.059 --> 00:28:23.799 We're living in a way 00:28:23.799 --> 00:28:24.759 that is not in keeping 00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:25.859 with people who are 00:28:25.859 --> 00:28:27.279 heirs of eternal life. 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:29.740 And so again, to 00:28:29.740 --> 00:28:30.919 encourage us this morning 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:32.560 that as we look 00:28:32.560 --> 00:28:33.340 towards the coming 00:28:33.340 --> 00:28:34.160 week, to keep 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:35.400 eternity in mind, 00:28:36.120 --> 00:28:37.440 to keep this bright, 00:28:37.940 --> 00:28:40.100 radiant future that 00:28:40.100 --> 00:28:41.100 God has promised us 00:28:41.100 --> 00:28:41.600 in mind. 00:28:42.420 --> 00:28:43.779 It's true that there 00:28:43.779 --> 00:28:45.000 certainly are challenges, 00:28:45.259 --> 00:28:46.340 there certainly is sin 00:28:46.340 --> 00:28:47.519 going on in our lives. 00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:49.060 But hopefully as we 00:28:49.060 --> 00:28:50.300 look to the goal, 00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:51.200 hopefully as we look 00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:51.940 to what God has 00:28:51.940 --> 00:28:53.000 prepared us for, 00:28:53.460 --> 00:28:54.440 we will be able to 00:28:54.440 --> 00:28:55.740 live in a way that is 00:28:55.740 --> 00:28:57.300 in keeping with what 00:28:57.300 --> 00:28:58.320 he has done in our 00:28:58.320 --> 00:28:58.740 lives. 00:28:58.740 --> 00:29:01.859 We are called to 00:29:01.859 --> 00:29:02.779 devote ourselves to 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:02.980 good. 00:29:03.059 --> 00:29:03.900 I think that's probably 00:29:03.900 --> 00:29:04.680 a good summary. 00:29:05.480 --> 00:29:06.900 As Paul puts it in 00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:08.140 verse 8, we are 00:29:08.140 --> 00:29:08.880 called to devote 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:09.640 ourselves to good 00:29:09.640 --> 00:29:10.500 because God has 00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:11.839 saved us from what 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:14.059 we were, because 00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:15.680 God has saved us 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:16.720 to be something 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:17.720 entirely different 00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:18.839 and to enjoy 00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:19.980 eternal life, to 00:29:19.980 --> 00:29:21.880 know him and to 00:29:21.880 --> 00:29:22.779 know his son, our 00:29:22.779 --> 00:29:23.980 Lord Jesus, forever. 00:29:25.900 --> 00:29:26.859 So as we close, 00:29:26.940 --> 00:29:28.299 I'd encourage us to 00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:29.039 keep those two 00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:29.839 things in mind 00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:32.039 this week as we 00:29:32.039 --> 00:29:33.399 live in society, 00:29:33.619 --> 00:29:35.339 in public, as we 00:29:35.339 --> 00:29:36.139 relate to others 00:29:36.139 --> 00:29:37.579 around us, that 00:29:37.579 --> 00:29:39.000 they too might be 00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:40.299 able to say at 00:29:40.299 --> 00:29:41.039 some point in the 00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:42.419 future, I was once 00:29:42.419 --> 00:29:44.059 like that, but when 00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:44.919 I knew the kindness 00:29:44.919 --> 00:29:46.019 and the love of God, 00:29:46.339 --> 00:29:48.000 my Saviour, perhaps 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:49.240 through somebody in 00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:51.480 this church, I was 00:29:51.480 --> 00:29:52.519 able to rejoice and 00:29:52.519 --> 00:29:53.240 realize that he 00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:54.539 saved me too. 00:29:54.539 --> 00:29:58.039 so let's pray and 00:29:58.039 --> 00:29:58.839 commit ourselves to 00:29:58.839 --> 00:29:59.099 God. 00:30:04.639 --> 00:30:05.659 Father, we're so 00:30:05.659 --> 00:30:07.659 grateful for the 00:30:07.659 --> 00:30:08.420 work that you have 00:30:08.420 --> 00:30:09.680 done in us. 00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:12.839 Father, we pray that 00:30:12.839 --> 00:30:13.700 you would work 00:30:13.700 --> 00:30:15.960 through us this 00:30:15.960 --> 00:30:16.659 coming week. 00:30:17.420 --> 00:30:18.359 We're only too 00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:19.159 conscious that 00:30:19.159 --> 00:30:21.659 sometimes we all 00:30:21.660 --> 00:30:23.519 too often fail to 00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:24.360 live in a way that 00:30:24.360 --> 00:30:26.580 is reflective of 00:30:26.580 --> 00:30:27.080 what you have 00:30:27.080 --> 00:30:27.580 done in our 00:30:27.580 --> 00:30:28.000 lives. 00:30:29.360 --> 00:30:31.300 We are conscious 00:30:31.300 --> 00:30:32.000 that we all too 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:32.860 often fail to 00:30:32.860 --> 00:30:34.080 live in a way that 00:30:34.080 --> 00:30:35.620 is reflective of 00:30:35.620 --> 00:30:37.120 the eternal hope, 00:30:37.259 --> 00:30:38.240 the eternal life 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:39.100 that we have 00:30:39.100 --> 00:30:40.000 before us, this 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:41.060 sure and definite 00:30:41.060 --> 00:30:42.460 promise that you 00:30:42.460 --> 00:30:43.200 have given us. 00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:44.860 Help us to know 00:30:44.860 --> 00:30:46.240 your presence and 00:30:46.240 --> 00:30:48.220 your power as we 00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:50.680 seek to live out 00:30:50.680 --> 00:30:51.440 these truths. 00:30:52.500 --> 00:30:53.100 Thank you, 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:54.019 Father, so much 00:30:54.019 --> 00:30:54.920 for this time 00:30:54.920 --> 00:30:55.279 together. 00:30:55.420 --> 00:30:56.560 Thank you that we 00:30:56.560 --> 00:30:57.299 can come to the 00:30:57.299 --> 00:30:58.820 table together and 00:30:58.820 --> 00:31:00.019 remember once more 00:31:00.019 --> 00:31:00.740 what you have done 00:31:00.740 --> 00:31:01.320 for us. 00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:02.980 In Jesus' name we 00:31:02.980 --> 00:31:04.019 pray these things. 00:31:04.259 --> 00:31:04.500 Amen.