Good morning.
Thank you.
I was going to try again.
Excellent.
Well, let me greet you from a few groups of people.
First, let me greet you on behalf of the pastors of Covenant Fellowship Church.
That's the church where I get to serve.
I've been there since 2006.
And we have a number of guys who regularly ask me there how Trinity Cambridge is doing.
And so they've asked me to extend their love to you.
I also have the privilege, as Sean said, to represent the Northeast.
So let me greet you on behalf of the pastors and the members in the Northeast region.
I will tell you this.
Our region is all but this church.
It's very, very geographically close.
And so whenever I'm meeting with the other guys, they're always asking, how's Sean doing?
How's Trinity doing?
We carry you on our hearts.
I would love for you to get to meet a good number of the guys from our region.
Hopefully you have and will over the course of the years.
We are going to be spending this morning in Titus 3.
So if you brought your Bible, you can turn there.
We will get there eventually.
There's some business we have to do up front, though.
Let me share just a couple things.
This message was birthed out of a burden that in an increasingly divisive culture, where compromise and compassion seems to have evaporated,
and opinions and positions are further and further polarized, that the church would fight that trend, that the church would seek not to represent one pole or the other, but to represent Christ in all we say and do and how we do it.
And thankfully, I didn't have to make Titus 3 say any of that.
Titus 3 does that for us.
It organically is holding out for you how to live a gospel-driven life, what it should look like, at least in the elements that it hits.
Okay, so let me give you some background.
Titus was a young pastor.
He was trained up by the apostle Paul.
And this letter is written to him as he takes over the church in Crete.
He's providing instructions and encouragement to Titus on how to lead the church, how to teach the church, and even areas he needs to correct the church.
And we could jump into any one of those areas and really benefit from studying what he says about church leadership and what he says about correcting quarrels,
roles of men and women, both young and old, and the area of Christian conduct, which we'll spend a little bit more time focusing on today.
But throughout all of those topics, there's one overarching message, burden, that Paul is holding out for Titus to hold out to the church.
And it's this.
We should live godly lives because of the gospel.
So the gospel, of course, it's the gospel that saves us.
But it doesn't just save us.
It transforms us.
It transforms how we think, how we feel, how we speak, and how we act.
You're going to see throughout this message, I was, I don't know if this was intentional or not, Sean,
but throughout the service, there are various scriptures that we read out loud or were read to us that overlap with this very theme.
So anytime you come to a service and you see, okay, the preacher seems to be saying what we just said in worship,
that's not redundant.
That is God-ordained repetition so that we hear it more than once and we learn and are changed by it.
And I come here to the first one of those.
Right here, this call to be governed by the gospel in our life is reflected in Ephesians 2.
For by grace you've been saved through faith.
Our salvation, friends, is not a result of works.
That's very clear in this passage.
We are not saved by good works, by what we do.
However, we are saved for good works.
So they don't make us Christians.
They reflect that we are.
We are created to live out the gospel in all we say and do.
These good works we're called to are found in how we obey God's word.
How we treat one another.
How we cherish what God cherishes.
How we manifest the gospel through good deeds like service, giving, evangelism.
And it's very important in the Christian life and particularly for the rest of this message.
It's very important that we strike the fine but important theological balance for the relationship between faith and good works.
Because various Christians can fall a bit too far on either side of that.
Some may believe that your standing before God is based on the type of day you've had.
Or how you've done this week.
Where good works actually influence our standing before God.
And that's simply not true.
It is the completed work of Jesus Christ that determines our standing before God.
Okay, so we don't want to go so far as to say good works determine our relationship with God.
But we don't want to react to that and jump all the way to the other side and say,
Okay, in reform doctrine, good works don't matter.
God saves.
We're secured by the gospel.
Therefore, good works don't matter.
We need to come to this theological fine line where we realize that good works don't save us.
But they are a trademark of the saved.
They are an imprint on our lives to demonstrate, not to make us children of God, but to demonstrate that we are.
And just so you're aware, I'm not trying to shoehorn this idea into this letter to Titus.
He says, Paul says to Titus in chapter 1 verse 16 about the people in Crete,
They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.
So let's break that down.
They're saying the right things.
Maybe they're singing the right things.
They're participating in the public reading of Confession in Scripture here on Sunday morning.
But when you look at their lives, their lives deny their profession.
And the vast majority of this letter is written to adjust and correct that problem.
So that our lives would be consistent with our profession.
And let me ask you, do you have room in your reformed theology for this?
The reformers had room for this.
The call to obedience was rampant throughout their preaching and their writing.
So I hope you do, particularly since that's how we're going to spend the next 30 minutes or so.
To sum it up, God alone saves.
The evidence of God's salvation is seen in our lives, is seen in how we act and speak, in our good works.
We can say the right things, but it's the good works that reveal what we believe.
And I want to come to Titus 3 now and break it just into two points.
The first one is the power for godly living.
Before we read God's word at this point, would you pray with me?
Father, as we come now to Titus 3, we thank you for the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
We thank you for Titus.
And we thank you for all of the hands that preserved your word from its initial writing to now.
Lord, ultimately, we thank you for preserving your word for our reading and our benefit.
Holy Spirit, now would you act through the preaching of your word to apply it to our lives,
to give us the sweet conviction that comes through illumination,
and to help us rest in and trust you more.
We ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Let's jump into verse 4.
We will come back later and pick up verses 1 through 3.
So Titus 3, verse 4.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness,
but according to His own mercy,
by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that being justified by His grace,
we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
The saying is trustworthy.
And I want you to insist on these things
so that those who have believed in God
may be careful to devote themselves to good works.
These things are excellent and profitable for people.
So Paul lays out this gospel foundation.
In the midst of all of this call to gospel living and to good works,
he lays out this gospel foundation
because he doesn't want Timothy or the Cretans to be confused
on the role between the two.
Look at the verbs in what I just read.
If you've been out of school a while, those are the action words.
Look at the verbs.
God is the one doing all the action.
We are the one being acted upon.
God appeared to us.
We didn't discover Him.
He appeared to us.
He saved us.
We didn't somehow crack the code on salvation.
He actively saved us.
It wasn't because of good we had done.
It's not like, oh, that person's doing great.
Let me save them.
It was because of His mercy.
He washed us with regeneration.
He renewed us with the Holy Spirit,
pouring richly on us through Jesus Christ.
Justification is not due to our own merit or our own works.
It is simply by His grace.
And because His grace is poured richly on us,
we become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
We are recipients of salvation,
objects of salvation,
not participants in salvation.
And this is demonstrated throughout the Bible
as salvation belonging to God.
It's captured beautifully in Revelation 7.
Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb.
It doesn't belong to us.
God owns it,
and He gives us the gift of salvation,
does the work of regeneration,
and we are just humble, unworthy recipients,
which is why our response to our salvation internally
ought to be gratitude through and through.
We don't somehow say finally or congratulate ourselves.
We just bow our heads,
raise our hands,
and worship.
This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus bore our sins,
saving us and washing us with regeneration
so that we are born again.
As a result,
we become children of God,
indwelt with the Holy Spirit,
heirs of eternal life.
Jesus Christ and nothing else,
Jesus Christ and no one else,
saves us.
The classic hymn captures this,
nothing can for sin atone.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Jesus,
not of good that I have done,
putting our works in their place.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
And then that chorus,
oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know,
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
I'm underscoring this.
This is probably review for many of you.
We don't ever want to tire of hearing this.
But we don't ever want to tire of anchoring ourselves in this
when we're going to talk about implications of this.
Let me just underscore the importance of this for the believer.
If we're going to talk about obedience,
or we're going to talk about self-discipline,
or we're going to talk about sexual purity,
or we're going to talk about marriage or parenting,
or whatever it is, evangelism,
if we don't ground the conversation first in this truth,
this gospel truth,
the Christian life ends up becoming a list of to-dos,
not a list of outflows from the gospel.
And so Paul grounds Timothy in this,
sorry, not Timothy, Titus, in this.
He then calls Timothy,
nope, not Timothy, Titus.
He then calls Titus to ground the church in this.
And you may be here as a guest.
You may be here for the second or third week,
and maybe this is the first time that you've heard this.
That Jesus alone can save.
That it's not half Jesus and half you,
but Jesus alone can save.
And so if you're hearing this for the first time today,
let me tell you,
this is not something I've innovated.
This has been the gospel of Jesus Christ
for 2,000 years.
And each time it's declared,
each time it's preached,
is an invitation from God to respond to it today,
to entrust yourself to it today,
to place your faith in the only one who saves today.
Today is the day of salvation.
If you've come with somebody,
talk to them after the service about this.
If you've not, or you'd prefer,
you could talk to me or to Sean
about this after the service.
Don't leave this place today
without taking action toward God
and entrusting yourself,
your soul, and your eternity
to the capable and perfect hands of Jesus.
Now to the rest of the church
for whom this has been reviewed,
let me ask you,
does the gospel still shock you?
Are you still overwhelmed
at the immeasurable grace that comes to you
through the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Does it still elicit gratitude
and worship and joy?
It's not difficult,
though it is glorious,
to come together and sing
when we're led by wonderful musicians,
but it's not difficult to sing praises then.
With your life in your heart,
in the privacy of your own home,
do you worship God
just out of blown away gratitude
that you are saved,
that you are born again,
that you have a security in heaven
because of the work of Jesus Christ?
I hope your answer to all of those questions
is yes, yes, and yes.
But if not,
if you find yourself not stirred regularly in gratitude,
or you're not regularly just worshiping God
for the goodness of the gospel,
or you've assumed the gospel
because it's just so familiar to you
that you don't reflect on it
when you're taking action in your Christian life.
If any of those places are found wanting,
let me just encourage you
in that very place today,
before you lay your head down tonight,
do business with God,
ask for his help,
read the scriptures,
confess any sin
that's getting in the way
of that type of response,
glorious, grateful,
awe-inspired response to the gospel
so that our Christian lives
are fueled by a grounding in
and appreciation for the gospel.
In Titus 3,
this is of particular importance
because it's this gospel
that Paul holds out
that empowers godly living.
He's not just reminding them
that they're saved,
you know,
put a period at the end of that,
turn the page,
now let's talk about how you behave.
No, it is the very reason
and the very power for their change.
It's the power for godly living.
One verse before what we read,
in verse three,
it says,
for we ourselves were once foolish,
dishonest,
led astray,
slaves to various passions and pleasures,
passing our days in malice and envy,
hated by others,
and hating one another.
Wow, what a list.
What happened?
That they were once that way
but are that way no longer.
What happened?
Well, what happened is the gospel.
What happened is the gospel changed them.
The gospel changed how they view other people,
how they view wisdom,
how they view the word of God,
how they view the purpose of their lives.
We reflected this in the reading
that we don't belong to ourselves any longer.
First Corinthians six says,
you are not your own
for you were bought with a price.
So glorify God in your body.
Now that passage is taken,
that verse is taken from a passage
talking about purity,
talking about sexual purity.
That's only one application of this gospel.
We are bought at a price.
We don't belong to ourselves.
So treat your body
as though it belongs to God
and not to you.
Salvation by grace has rescued you.
Now we're called to live like we're rescued.
That's where the power comes from.
That's where the liberty comes from.
And God doesn't just save us
and then say, hey, listen,
here's how you're supposed to behave.
Good luck.
He gives us his Holy Spirit.
Right there in the verse.
It's poured out on us richly.
He is poured out on us richly.
So if your reflections on the gospel
are merely quick and passing thoughts,
friend, you are going to be powerless
to change in the area of greatest temptation
in your life.
Let me just spare you
a lot of heartache and failure.
Don't go to war with your sin
apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ.
You will change for a time.
You will see spurts of victory
followed by seasons of failure,
followed by great discouragement
and then conviction
and then spurts of victory
and then seasons of failure.
And this cycle will go on and on
in areas where you're seeking
to change the most.
ground yourself here.
Ground yourself in the power
of the gospel,
walking in the power
of the Holy Spirit
who fills us
and empowers us.
First John promises us
that he who is in you
is greater than he
who is in the world.
So don't go after your worldliness
without him.
Go after it in the power of Christ.
Our success in godly living
is going to be proportionate
with our appreciation of
and gratitude for this gospel.
Milton Vincent says,
the more I embrace
and experience the gospel,
the more I delight
in the worship of God,
the more I express,
the more expressive
my joy in him becomes
and the more I yearn
to glorify him
in all I say and do.
Where does the power
for all that come from?
Back at the beginning,
the more I embrace
and experience the gospel.
gospel-driven living
leads to God-honoring living.
The Christian life
is not marked
by guilt-driven living.
There's no power in that.
It's not marked
by status-driven living.
Let me just make sure
I'm holier
than the person next to me.
If my sins just aren't as bad
as those others are sharing
in small group,
I'm doing okay.
Well, that's status-driven living
and there's no power in that.
The Christian life
is not compliance-driven living.
It is gospel-driven living.
It's not obedience
as some albatross on us.
It is freedom to obey
because we've been liberated
and empowered
to live differently.
So that's power
for gospel living
and that's Titus 3,
that center section
of Titus 3.
Now let's go
to the next section
where we'll go before
and after that
and we will look at
pursuing godly living.
What does it look like
to pursue this?
Now that you know
it's supposed to be
grounded here,
what does it actually look like?
What should you be aiming for?
Now before we read
the beginning of Titus 3,
I want to underscore
this is not just
a Titus issue.
Throughout the scripture,
I'm going to hit
four citations
just to make the case,
but throughout the scripture,
there is a regular claim
from the gospel
on how we live.
It is relevant
and it matters.
Ephesians 4 starts,
I therefore,
a prisoner of the Lord,
urge you to walk
in a manner
worthy of the calling
to which you have been called.
Colossians 1 says,
walk in a manner
worthy of the Lord,
fully pleasing to him,
bearing fruit
in every good work
and increasing
in the knowledge
of God.
Psalm 1 says,
blessed is the man
who walks not
in the counsel
of the wicked
nor stands in the way
of sinners
nor sits in the seat
of scoffers,
but his delight
is in the law
of the Lord
and on his law
he meditates day
and night.
And then back
to the New Testament,
Romans 6 says,
do not present
your members
to sin
as instruments
for unrighteousness,
but present yourselves
to God
as those
who have been brought
from death to life
and your members
to God
as instruments
for righteousness.
The implication
of being freed
from our sin,
having our sins
paid for,
does not mean
we've been freed
from a master
and now we are free
to do as we wish.
The gospel
does not set us,
in setting us free,
it doesn't make us
independent.
It transfers us
from one kingdom
to another,
from the kingdom
of darkness
to the kingdom
of light.
We are no longer
slaves to sin,
praise God,
but we are slaves
to righteousness.
So much
of the
Western mind
is looking
to move
towards self-expression
and self-determination
and those things
are just antithetical
to the word of God.
We have been
slaves to righteousness,
purchased by Christ.
We are not our own,
we've been bought
at a price.
That's what's held out
for us
as we now pursue
godly living.
And so we as Christians
need to choose
every day
to believe
that the gospel
is true.
That belief
is a pursuit
of godly living.
That's the first step.
We've got to ground
ourselves there.
But in our text,
Paul gets specific.
And he holds out
two categories.
There's not only two
in the Christian life.
These happen to be
the two
that Paul is calling us to.
The first is the
category of humility.
Take a look
at verses 1 through 3.
Remind them
to be submissive
to rulers
and authorities,
to be obedient,
to be ready
for every good work,
to speak evil
of no one,
to avoid quarreling,
to be gentle,
and to show
perfect courtesy
toward all people.
For we ourselves
were once foolish,
disobedient,
led astray,
slaves to various
passions and pleasures,
passing our days
in malice and envy,
hated by others,
and hating
one another.
All of those commands
I'm capturing
under this heading
of humility.
And that's something
we cherish,
something we pursue,
simply because
the scriptures
call us to it,
specifically here
in verses 1 through 3.
And our humility
is something
that we express
to all people,
to our neighbors,
to our coworkers,
to our social media
friends and followers,
those in authority,
those under authority,
members of our family.
Christ was humble
in all directions,
Christians,
and we're called
to be the same.
So let me break this down
to the very things
that Paul addresses here
in verses 1 through 3.
First,
our humility
should result
in submission
to authority.
And that means
authority we agree with
and authority
we disagree with.
As a broad marker,
Christians are called
to be a submissive,
peaceable people.
This should be the case
in church,
to the authority
that God has placed
over the church here,
in relationships,
at work.
This should be the case
in how we talk
about authority
on social media
or in our engagement
with and our engagement
about government
and politics.
This should simply
mark the Christian's
attitude.
Now that doesn't mean
that we're to follow
authority when it's
calling us to
oppose the word
of God.
But it does mean
in disputable matters,
though you may
vehemently disagree,
the call here
is submission
to authority.
And we can do this
for one primary reason.
Because we know
who holds
ultimate authority.
We know that
in the end,
even wrongs
being done now,
that all things
will be made right.
That no wrong
will go unaccounted for.
No injustice
will go unpunished.
For the Christian,
the injustices
have been punished
in Christ.
For the unbelieving
world,
they will be judged
on the last day.
And there is ultimate
justice
and ultimate righteousness.
We know who holds
ultimate authority,
which gives us
faith in the temporal
to submit to the authority
that God has placed
over us.
next,
our humility
should result
in obedience.
The very word
implies that
there are rules
or guidelines
or instructions
that we are supposed
to come under.
And again,
this individualism,
self-determination,
it rubs right
against that idol
in our culture.
So often,
we determine
right and wrong
by whether it agrees
with what we already think.
Do you listen
to sermons that way?
Are you tempted
at all to listen
to a sermon
like, oh, okay,
that preacher was wrong
and the only rubric
you've measured it by
is what you already think
instead of by
the word of God?
If we measure
right and wrong
by what we already think,
we will forever
stay wrong
in areas
that we have wrong.
We won't be changed.
We won't be challenged
because we'll never
receive the information,
the truth
that God
is looking
to give us.
It's as though
at times
our perspective
is never permitted
to be examined
or questioned.
And so we need
to adopt
this pursuit
of obedience
in our humility
that Paul
is calling us to.
And then lastly,
our humility
should result
in kindness.
kindness.
This passage
focuses on
our treatment
of others.
It uses words
like courtesy,
gentleness,
avoiding quarreling,
and speaking evil
of others.
How you treat
other people
reflects what you
believe about
the gospel.
Harsh treatment
of others
reflects a spirit
of judgment
and arrogance,
neither of which
can exist long
at the foot
of the cross.
And so the Christian
is called
to treat others
with gospel-driven
humility.
It's a mark
of mature Christianity.
All right,
I promised you
two things
that Paul addresses
here.
First was in
verses 1 through 3.
Let's jump over
the section
we already read
and pick up
down in verse 9.
This category
is the category
of unity.
Now the unity
that's described
here
is aimed
at the household
of God.
It's another theme
that Paul repeats
in many of his letters
because disunity
is so easy
and so prevalent.
But when God's people
live in unity,
loving one another
sacrificially,
it speaks loudly
of the gospel
that they profess.
We are told
that they will know
we are Christians
by our love
for one another.
So Paul comes back
to that over
and over
and over again.
Now I want to be clear.
We're not talking
about uniformity
where we all think
the same
and act the same
and we watch
all the same shows
and we listen
to all the same music
and uniformity,
if you've ever been
in a place
that's totally uniform,
it's weird.
Like it's unnatural.
You can feel
like something's
not right
in that place.
That's not
what unity is.
Unity actually
is a gospel-driven
commitment
to not allow
diversity
to divide you.
Unity,
a pursuit of unity
protects
the existence
of diversity
and allows
our many different
interests
and gifts
and backgrounds
and experiences,
allows them
to coexist
in a diverse
body of Christ
who is all pursuing
this unity
in Christ.
So it doesn't
eliminate diversity,
unity,
but it protects it.
We may think
differently
about public policy
or about foreign affairs,
but we have Christ
in common.
We may think
differently
about
what type of
application
of the gospel
should apply
to this
or to that,
this area
of life.
We may think
differently
on how
this doctrine
gets applied
in our homes
or this doctrine
gets applied
with our kids
or this doctrine
gets applied
in our friendships,
but we have
Christ
in common.
And what we
have in common
as Christians
is far more
important
and far greater
than that
which threatens
to divide us.
if you believe
that,
then you are
securing unity
in the body
of Christ.
This is why
Paul exhorts
Titus,
not Timothy,
but Titus,
in verse 9.
He says,
avoid foolish
controversies,
genealogies,
dissensions,
and quarrels
about the law,
for they are
unprofitable
and worthless.
As for a person
who stirs up
division,
after warning him
once and then
twice,
have nothing
more to do
with him.
Knowing
that such a person
is warped
and sinful,
he is self-condemned.
Listen,
out in the world
there are
countless voices
that are happy
to give you
something
that is fruitless
to fight
and quarrel over.
They are happy
to give you
something that
will distract you
from the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
Whether it's
news outlets,
social media
influencers,
I know I've
mentioned social
media like
four or five
times.
You'd have to
talk to me
offline.
I do think,
I keep
mentioning it
because I do
think it is
particularly divisive
in the body
of Christ.
we can get
into that
later.
This message
is not about
social media,
but I at least
want to acknowledge
yes,
I know I keep
mentioning it.
It's not all
bad.
I'm not like
anti-social
media,
but we need
wisdom,
don't we?
Each of us
has a responsibility
to build unity
in what we say
and do,
no matter where
we say
and do it.
In personal
relationships,
that means living
at peace
with one another,
refusing to gossip
about people.
Even if you
think what you're
saying is just
in fun,
is just well
intended,
it's harmless,
be careful of any
area of your life
where you say
this is just
harmless sin.
That's a
frightening phrase
to come across
the lips
of a believer
in Jesus Christ.
We must guard
against that.
We must also
stand ready
to forgive,
not allowing
grudges,
judgments,
or bitterness
to grow.
With many of you,
I spent a lot
of time yesterday
focusing on this
very thing.
But we also
bear the responsibility
to build unity
in how we use
words in public,
not just in
private discourse.
Everything you say
online
is public speech.
do you approach
your use of that
platform in a way
that underscores
and builds the
unity of the
Christian church?
When tensions
arise,
disputes arise,
are you eager to
get face to face
with someone
so that the unity
doesn't fracture?
You can be,
you can have full
conversation when
you're in person
face to face.
Are you eager
to do that?
When there's
tensions between
you and another
believer,
is that unsettling
in your soul?
Are you driven
to go and resolve
that to ensure
the relationship
is solid?
Paul is very
clear here.
You see how
harshly he talks
about those who
stir up division.
He calls them
warped and
self-condemned.
that's harsh.
That's kind of,
it harkens back
to Matthew 23
with the brood
of vipers.
You know,
it's this really
categoric type
of terminology.
Why?
Because those
who are actively
stirring up division
are a threat
to the unity
of the body
of Christ.
And it's how
we treat one
another and how
we do life
together that gives
the loudest visual
example of the
goodness of the
gospel.
So those who are
stirring division
within the body
of Christ are
working at
absolute counter
purposes with
the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Paul says,
have warned them
in case they're
just doing it out
of ignorance.
Warn them again
in case the first
time was just
proud they didn't
receive.
Then have nothing
to do with them.
So the caution
here is what to
do about that
person who's
stirring up division.
Let me just
bring it back
home a little
bit more and
encourage you
don't be that
person.
Don't be that
person who is
going to stir up
division in the
body of Christ.
How do we avoid
that?
Well we don't
just swallow
our pride.
We don't just
forget the
concerns we have.
We visit the
gospel of Jesus
and then we
move forward in
gospel driven
power to deal
with our concerns
and then to
release to the
Lord and trust to
the Lord what
we're not able
to resolve.
Let me come to
the end here
because there are
remaining verses
in Titus 3.
We're called to
pursue good works
throughout this book
particularly here in
chapter 3 and
then in verses 12
to 15 it seems
like Paul's just
getting to that
perfunctory part of
each of his letters
verse 2.
Where he's just
saying okay I'm
signing off say
hi to this person
tell this person
I'll call them
tomorrow you know
it's those sections
at the end.
Don't skip over
them in your
Bible reading
because there are
going to be not
just names that
you don't recognize
but real nuggets
of truth and
there is one here
take a look at
verses 12 to the
end.
When I send
Artemis and
Tychicus to you
do your best to
come to me at
Nicopolis for
I've decided to
spend the winter
there.
Do your best to
speed Zenos the
lawyer and
Apollos on their
way.
See that they lack
nothing.
This is just
personal business
right?
But look at this
he comes right
back to it in his
signing off and
let our people
learn to devote
themselves to
good works so
as to help cases
of urgent need
and not be
fruitful.
All who are with
me send greetings
to you.
Greet those who
love us in the
faith.
Grace be to you
wall.
So he actually
interrupts his
signing off to
say okay I
don't know if
I've said it
enough.
Let me just say
it one more
time.
Call the people
to devote
themselves to
good works.
Call the people
to devote
themselves to
good works.
So let me ask
you in closing
are there areas
of your life
that are largely
untouched by
gospel power?
are there
patterns of sin
that you've
just gotten
comfortable with?
I'll thrive in
other areas
God will deal
with this one
in heaven.
Do those
around you
ever express
concerns for
areas that you
don't think are
really a problem?
Did you once
have a greater
passion for
godly living
than you do
now?
If you said
yes to any
of those let
me just
encourage you
we're called
to live
godly lives
because of
the gospel.
So in that
particular area
let today be
the first day
that the gospel
shines light
there that the
gospel sheds
power there.
Pursue humility
pursue unity
pursue a life
worthy of the
calling that you've
received.
And be sure
not to detach
that pursuit
from the gospel
of Jesus Christ
but do it
in the power
of Christ.
Let me pray.
Father thank you
for your word
and thank you
Lord that there
are portions
of this word
that are just
exalting
that we can
just relish
in the portions
that talk about
your nature
and your goodness.
And Lord let us
remember all of
those let us
ground ourselves
in all of those
as we come
to a passage
like this
that calls us
now to something.
Lord give us
your spirit
that we would
never disconnect
the two
but that we
can relish
serving you
with each word
we speak
and each action
we take
because of what
you've done
in and for us.
we ask in
Jesus name
Amen.