The Minister's Job

WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:05.360 If you are able, please remain standing, and let's give our attention to 2 00:00:05.599 --> 00:00:34.859 titus, chapter two. Titus too. But as for you, teach what 3 00:00:34.899 --> 00:00:39.570 accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober minded, dignified, 4 00:00:40.090 --> 00:00:45.409 self controlled, sound in faith, in love and insteadfastness. Older women, 5 00:00:45.530 --> 00:00:49.810 Likewise, are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves too much 6 00:00:49.810 --> 00:00:53.479 wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young 7 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:58.479 women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled, pure, 8 00:00:59.079 --> 00:01:03.840 working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word 9 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:07.189 of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be 10 00:01:07.310 --> 00:01:11.750 self controlled, show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, 11 00:01:12.269 --> 00:01:18.030 and in your teaching, show integrity, dignity and sound speech that cannot 12 00:01:18.069 --> 00:01:22.540 be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing 13 00:01:22.700 --> 00:01:26.180 evil to say about us. Bond servants are to be submissive to their own 14 00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:30.939 masters and, ever everything there to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not 15 00:01:32.140 --> 00:01:36.890 pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn 16 00:01:36.969 --> 00:01:40.569 the doctrine of God. Our Savior, for the grace of God, has 17 00:01:40.609 --> 00:01:46.129 appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce on goodliness and 18 00:01:46.170 --> 00:01:49.840 worldly passions and to live self controlled, upright and Godly lives. In the 19 00:01:49.879 --> 00:01:55.480 present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of 20 00:01:55.519 --> 00:02:00.040 our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to 21 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:06.430 redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own 22 00:02:06.469 --> 00:02:12.710 possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things, exhort and rebuke 23 00:02:12.870 --> 00:02:17.460 with all authority. Let no one disregard you. Hey, God bless his 24 00:02:17.580 --> 00:02:38.490 word to us, he may be seated. We have been going through titus 25 00:02:38.530 --> 00:02:43.849 chapter two, a little bit by little bit, connecting each of these commands 26 00:02:43.930 --> 00:02:51.599 with this Gospel passage in verses eleven through fourteen. We finish this chapter to 27 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:55.719 this evening. By looking at the whole chapter, I'm particularly from Titus's perspective. 28 00:02:57.879 --> 00:03:01.389 As you probably noticed, particularly in the beginning and in the end of 29 00:03:01.550 --> 00:03:08.189 this chapter, there are is a particular direction to titus, this fellow servant 30 00:03:08.310 --> 00:03:14.099 with the Apostle Paul, who has been set on the island of Crete to 31 00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:21.180 establish these churches, the appolic God's Apostle commands tied us and ministers after him 32 00:03:22.060 --> 00:03:27.810 to teach in verse one what accords with sound doctrine, to declare these things 33 00:03:27.889 --> 00:03:31.050 at the very end, in Verse Fifteen, Exhort and rebuke with all authority. 34 00:03:31.129 --> 00:03:37.009 Let no one disregard you. We have other commands or titus. In 35 00:03:37.129 --> 00:03:42.319 the sections between the young men and the bond servants. We're titus is called 36 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.080 to show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works and in 37 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:52.960 your teaching, show integrity, dignity and sound speech that cannot be condemned so 38 00:03:53.159 --> 00:03:57.270 that an opponent may be put to shame having nothing evil to say about us. 39 00:03:58.949 --> 00:04:02.349 So the sort of simple point here is what is true and titus true 40 00:04:02.469 --> 00:04:05.229 is, of course true of the whole letter. It's a book written to 41 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:10.419 Titus. It's a book written to this minister and how to do his work, 42 00:04:10.580 --> 00:04:14.620 how to do his job, but of course it's also to the people 43 00:04:14.659 --> 00:04:19.060 as well, and that means this evening that God requires us to get a 44 00:04:19.300 --> 00:04:24.329 little personal, and I don't just mean about the ways in which we think 45 00:04:24.370 --> 00:04:28.610 about our personal lives, and we've been doing that as we've been going through 46 00:04:28.769 --> 00:04:31.970 this chapter, as we think about the particulars of how we lives our lives. 47 00:04:32.089 --> 00:04:36.649 A live our lives before God. But Titus too, and honestly the 48 00:04:36.730 --> 00:04:41.360 book as a whole, also asks us to think about the particulars of our 49 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:46.079 lives as we relate to one another. And when I say we I mean 50 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:51.680 you and me, sheep and shepherd, preacher and parishioners. We have to 51 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:57.589 consider our lives as they are lived out together, because this is what God 52 00:04:57.790 --> 00:05:02.310 is talking about. In Titus too, on the one hand, he speaks 53 00:05:02.670 --> 00:05:09.540 God's apostle rights to titus and writes this pastoral letter to a pastor. We 54 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:15.980 see these commands teach, exhort, rebuke, do so with authority. He's 55 00:05:15.019 --> 00:05:19.300 given particular doctrines that he is to teach, duties that he is to command 56 00:05:19.420 --> 00:05:23.850 his people. He is called to be bold in all of this, to 57 00:05:23.889 --> 00:05:28.930 let no one disregard him. These are the in explicit instructions that are given 58 00:05:28.970 --> 00:05:31.129 to this minister. And yet in all this there are, of course, 59 00:05:31.290 --> 00:05:38.000 implicit instructions to those whom he is called to preach. Command, the Claire, 60 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:43.120 exhort, rebuke. These instructions that are given to all of us as 61 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:47.519 a whole, as Christians in a general sense, are not there by accident. 62 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:53.269 They're given directly to us by the spirit of God. In other words, 63 00:05:53.310 --> 00:05:56.949 we didn't happen to find this letter to tide us sort of slipped in 64 00:05:57.269 --> 00:06:00.589 this pastor's desk drawer and then sort of looked at it and thought, well, 65 00:06:00.629 --> 00:06:03.779 what might we learn about our own lives from this? No, the 66 00:06:03.819 --> 00:06:08.540 spirit of God gives us to tide us, but also to his people, 67 00:06:09.139 --> 00:06:13.019 and it's similarly. He gives it to me and he gives it to you, 68 00:06:14.740 --> 00:06:17.180 and so in this we are called to think about these things together. 69 00:06:18.490 --> 00:06:24.730 And here we find. We find that in addition, that, in addition 70 00:06:24.810 --> 00:06:28.329 to the law, in addition to these requirements that we are to live by, 71 00:06:28.490 --> 00:06:33.319 we are also given the Gospel, tied us to centers our lives and 72 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:38.560 pulls our lives around these two great truths, the Law and the Gospel. 73 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:43.800 God calls us to live a certain way, but to do so by faith 74 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:48.029 that God is living in us in a certain way. And in all of 75 00:06:48.189 --> 00:06:54.750 this, the one thing becomes really clear that we are all under one authority, 76 00:06:55.269 --> 00:07:00.819 both pastor and congregants, shepherd and sheep. We all answer to the 77 00:07:00.860 --> 00:07:05.379 same chief, the same shepherd, just as we all have our saving grace 78 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:10.899 in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is, in Colossians, one called the 79 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:15.699 head of the church. So though God is called some to be overseers, 80 00:07:15.810 --> 00:07:19.410 like titus, and some to be overseen, some to preach and some to 81 00:07:19.490 --> 00:07:25.649 receive preaching, no one is said above God. It is God who governs, 82 00:07:25.730 --> 00:07:29.529 it is God who graces, and it's together that we are called to 83 00:07:29.610 --> 00:07:34.079 submit to him in faith. So, in fulfilling my own calling this evening, 84 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:38.639 the command of God in my life, to preach these things to you, 85 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:43.560 I want to bring your attention to God's word, to these particularly these 86 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:46.589 two things which are really at the center of the whole of Christian life, 87 00:07:47.149 --> 00:07:50.990 the Law of the Gospel, and how they relate to each other in Jesus. 88 00:07:50.990 --> 00:07:56.790 This is what comes out to us in the in this chapter and really 89 00:07:56.910 --> 00:08:01.339 in many ways summarizes the whole of Christian life and t and and Christian doctrine 90 00:08:01.339 --> 00:08:05.620 in general, the law and the Gospel as we find them related to one 91 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:11.579 another in Jesus. So let's consider both of these. First, the law. 92 00:08:13.810 --> 00:08:16.810 God commands us to live as a certain way. This is his law. 93 00:08:18.449 --> 00:08:20.209 He is the king, he has a right to make these commands, 94 00:08:20.250 --> 00:08:24.689 and he does, and we've been considering these in depth. I won't go 95 00:08:24.930 --> 00:08:28.720 through them all in the way that we have, or we would be here 96 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:31.600 for a long, long time, but we will go over them briefly and 97 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:35.679 I want, as we do, I want you to call to your mind 98 00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:41.360 the things that we've been considering and discussing as we've gone through these requirements one 99 00:08:41.470 --> 00:08:46.429 by one over the last several weeks. If you were to summarize all of 100 00:08:46.509 --> 00:08:50.429 it together, how might you do it? What is the Christian life to 101 00:08:50.549 --> 00:08:52.669 look like? What are we to do? How are we to live? 102 00:08:54.590 --> 00:09:00.059 Here's one way to put it. No matter what your place or station is 103 00:09:00.299 --> 00:09:03.779 in life, God has called each of us to live before him with the 104 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:09.580 honor, wisdom and obedience that is right for those who represent the king in 105 00:09:09.779 --> 00:09:13.529 this world. It's a little bit long, I know. I'll read it 106 00:09:13.610 --> 00:09:18.129 one more time. No matter what your place or station in life, God 107 00:09:18.289 --> 00:09:22.289 has called each of us to live before him with the honor, wisdom and 108 00:09:22.450 --> 00:09:28.879 obedience that is right for those who represent the king in this world. Older 109 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:35.240 men and older women are called to be examples of people who are mature in 110 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:39.110 their faith. They are to be leaders of the young, guiding them in 111 00:09:39.230 --> 00:09:43.509 Godliness. They're thinking is to be clear. They are dignity as to be 112 00:09:43.629 --> 00:09:48.309 true. They are to control themselves, not living according to the lusts of 113 00:09:48.350 --> 00:09:54.379 the flesh, but according to the life of the spirit. Younger men and 114 00:09:54.500 --> 00:09:58.139 younger women are called to follow suit, learning to respect those whom God has 115 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:03.500 put in their lives to teach them and help them grow. And as they 116 00:10:03.539 --> 00:10:07.929 do that, they are to learn to work with diligence, love and service 117 00:10:07.009 --> 00:10:13.009 and the callings which God has called them to. Slaves and others under authority, 118 00:10:13.129 --> 00:10:18.210 like children, are called to obedience, even when it's difficult. Their 119 00:10:18.289 --> 00:10:24.159 service should be rich, not poor, in love. It should be found 120 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:28.120 in the heart and not only in the hands. Because we think about these 121 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:33.879 things, as you think about your particular calling, your station in life, 122 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:37.309 the things which God has asked you to do, the wisdom and dignity and 123 00:10:37.509 --> 00:10:43.549 honor and obedience he has called you to live with, you'll realize very quickly 124 00:10:43.629 --> 00:10:48.830 that you've been called to a very high and dignified and noble calling. It 125 00:10:48.990 --> 00:10:54.139 is a calling that is a pleasure to fulfill. It brings joy to our 126 00:10:54.259 --> 00:11:00.700 hearts, it benefits our communities, it honors our kings, our king, 127 00:11:00.740 --> 00:11:05.370 and this is what makes it so bad when we don't live this way, 128 00:11:05.370 --> 00:11:11.409 when we live in a ignoble way, when we live in a dishonorable way, 129 00:11:11.450 --> 00:11:18.159 when we live in unrighteousness instead of godliness. Simply consider the headlines this 130 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:24.480 week, as millions of people, some of them prominent, professing believers, 131 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:28.200 have been exposed to have committed, or at least pursued the sin of adultery. 132 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:33.190 When we fail to live according to Grace, the grace we've been given, 133 00:11:35.269 --> 00:11:39.710 when we don't mortify the flesh but feed it instead, we do harm 134 00:11:39.909 --> 00:11:43.389 to our souls, to our neighbors, and we bring dishonor to the name 135 00:11:43.429 --> 00:11:48.419 of our king. We even cause people to doubt about the power of the 136 00:11:48.580 --> 00:11:52.139 word of God. We're told that the Gospel is the power of God, 137 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:58.659 Unto Salvation, and yet if we don't live as saved people, it brings 138 00:11:58.779 --> 00:12:05.090 doubt, unnecessary doubt, unfair doubt, on the word of God. But 139 00:12:05.169 --> 00:12:09.250 you almost soul. Might consider another headline from this week, that of the 140 00:12:09.370 --> 00:12:13.610 brave off duty American soldiers risking their lives to stop mass murder on a train. 141 00:12:13.690 --> 00:12:18.919 As Americans and a foreign country, their actions represented all of us in 142 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.360 a way, and for that reason many people find themselves quite proud of these 143 00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:30.149 men and what they did. A similar thing is true for us as Christians, 144 00:12:30.950 --> 00:12:33.870 no matter where we live, no matter what country we belong to. 145 00:12:35.350 --> 00:12:39.350 One of the earliest ridings we have, after the New Testament, one of 146 00:12:39.389 --> 00:12:41.990 the earliest Christian writings, has this line in it, if I can remember 147 00:12:41.990 --> 00:12:48.179 it somewhat exactly, says that to every country, to the Christian, every 148 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:54.700 country is a fatherland and every fatherland is foreign. Is this me has this 149 00:12:54.860 --> 00:12:58.289 sense in which we can live anywhere and have our place in that society, 150 00:12:58.850 --> 00:13:03.409 and yet it a sense no matter where we call home, it's never quite 151 00:13:03.490 --> 00:13:07.889 home, because we are, after all, citizens of a heavenly country, 152 00:13:09.769 --> 00:13:13.519 and God calls us to a loyalty and a pay treatism to this kingdom that 153 00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:18.519 exceeds any other love. When we live this, when we live in light 154 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:22.679 of that and live in light of that citizenship, seeking God himself to sustain 155 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:26.960 us and work in us the kind of life he wants us to live, 156 00:13:26.750 --> 00:13:31.830 then we are called to represent him in these foreign countries in which we live. 157 00:13:31.429 --> 00:13:35.549 As pilgrims in this world. We are called to live in a way 158 00:13:35.070 --> 00:13:41.230 in which people recognize us as Christians, as one who, as people who 159 00:13:41.269 --> 00:13:46.259 belong to the Kingdom of God. And Paul says that when we show the 160 00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:52.179 truth and power of God's word in this way, we take away any valid 161 00:13:52.340 --> 00:13:58.649 reason for accusation and we even adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior. 162 00:14:01.370 --> 00:14:05.529 Well, this, beloved, is the law. It is beautiful, it's 163 00:14:05.529 --> 00:14:11.200 a wonderful, high, noble calling. It is a thing which we ought 164 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:15.639 to think of often and dwell on deeply. We ought to think about in 165 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:20.039 ways and in ways that apply to our hearts, in our lives, and 166 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:24.149 this is why Paul Calls tied us to command these things, to teach them 167 00:14:24.230 --> 00:14:30.190 these things that accord with sound doctrine. People, a people of God, 168 00:14:30.269 --> 00:14:33.750 are not left to live their lives of wandering about in this world without direction. 169 00:14:35.590 --> 00:14:39.620 We're given specific, clear commands that we are to apply and live as 170 00:14:39.179 --> 00:14:45.899 citizens of Heaven in this world. This is the obedience that we are called 171 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:50.620 to. Let it be clear in your mind. Don't be confused about the 172 00:14:50.779 --> 00:14:56.929 points, be single minded in your dedication and in your devotion to them. 173 00:14:58.409 --> 00:15:05.490 This is the law of God. Now let us consider the Gospel in verses 174 00:15:05.570 --> 00:15:13.039 eleven through fourteen. In verses eleven through fourteen, we have a connection between 175 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:18.200 that First Section, in the next these commands, and then in verse eleven, 176 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:22.509 for the grace of God has appeared, and he goes on from there 177 00:15:22.710 --> 00:15:28.070 to describe what has appeared and what has what is God is doing in His 178 00:15:28.230 --> 00:15:33.830 grace. Let me read this passage. For the grace of God has appeared, 179 00:15:33.629 --> 00:15:39.940 bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce on godliness and worldly 180 00:15:39.059 --> 00:15:43.899 passions and to live self controlled, up light, upright and Godly lives in 181 00:15:43.980 --> 00:15:48.379 the present age, waiting for our blessed hope and the appearing of the glory 182 00:15:48.539 --> 00:15:54.049 of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us 183 00:15:54.049 --> 00:15:58.649 to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his 184 00:15:58.769 --> 00:16:03.879 own possession who are zealous for good works. I want to point out a 185 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:11.039 simple thing, but which all admit, is very easy to miss, and 186 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:15.879 that it's this and these verses a liven through fourteen. We are not told 187 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:18.950 in the first place what we are to do, but what God is doing. 188 00:16:21.149 --> 00:16:23.870 We're not told in eleven through fourteen in the first place what we are 189 00:16:23.990 --> 00:16:29.509 to do. But what God is doing not us. What he says, 190 00:16:29.990 --> 00:16:33.220 he says, for the grace of God has appeared. God's grace has appeared. 191 00:16:33.899 --> 00:16:38.100 Verse Fourteen explains what that is, the appearing of the glory of our 192 00:16:38.179 --> 00:16:42.860 great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem 193 00:16:42.860 --> 00:16:48.649 us from all lawlessness. Well, who appeared? Well, God did, 194 00:16:48.769 --> 00:16:53.409 Jesus Christ. What did he do? He gave himself for us to do 195 00:16:53.570 --> 00:17:00.970 what? To redeem us from all lawlessness and what else? To purify us 196 00:17:00.009 --> 00:17:04.000 for himself, a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 197 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:08.559 You see this as God's work. It's God's appearing, it's God's doing. 198 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:12.440 He comes to redeem us, he comes to save us, to purify 199 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:18.230 us and to make us a particular kind of people, a people for his 200 00:17:18.349 --> 00:17:22.710 own possession, a treasure to himself, a people who are zealous for good 201 00:17:22.750 --> 00:17:29.109 works. Here we read what God is doing. Of course, implicit in 202 00:17:29.190 --> 00:17:33.059 this is what we are to do. But that's not the apostles first focus. 203 00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:38.420 God is doing these things and we are to receive them and rest in 204 00:17:38.500 --> 00:17:42.460 them. A consider them a little more in depth. What is God doing? 205 00:17:44.410 --> 00:17:48.890 At first we read that he's made his grace to appear. Jesus Christ 206 00:17:48.049 --> 00:17:52.490 has come into the world to save people for them, sent from their sins, 207 00:17:53.410 --> 00:17:59.279 to redeem us from all lawlessness. This means that when Jesus comes into 208 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:02.920 the world, he comes into the world with a particular mission in mind. 209 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:07.119 He comes into the world for the very purpose of doing God's will, to 210 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:14.150 save people, and not just a general salvation or to save them from general 211 00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:19.990 evil or wickedness, but from their wickedness, from their lawlessness. He wants 212 00:18:21.069 --> 00:18:26.789 to purify for himself a people that are impure, to make a people for 213 00:18:26.990 --> 00:18:34.299 his own possession who are zealous for good works. That's Jesus Christ's mission. 214 00:18:36.579 --> 00:18:41.019 This is God's mission, the Triune God, Father, son and Holy Spirit, 215 00:18:41.339 --> 00:18:45.650 that he desires to accomplish in us. And as you consider things like 216 00:18:47.250 --> 00:18:52.089 the sovereign power of God, let me ask you, is this something that 217 00:18:52.210 --> 00:18:56.240 God is going to Failin? Did Jesus Christ go to the Cross and sort 218 00:18:56.279 --> 00:19:00.480 of miss the boat, not quite do what he was hoping to do? 219 00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:06.480 No, of course not. Jesus's blood was not shed in vain. He 220 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:11.349 purified for himself a people, he redeemed a people from for himself. He 221 00:19:11.589 --> 00:19:21.269 created a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. This 222 00:19:21.430 --> 00:19:26.859 is the grace of God that has appeared. He explains this and explains that 223 00:19:27.099 --> 00:19:33.579 grace does two things, saving and training. First, he says that it 224 00:19:33.859 --> 00:19:38.569 he brings salvation for all people, all of these different people that we've been 225 00:19:38.609 --> 00:19:42.329 considering, older men, younger man, older women, younger men and women, 226 00:19:44.210 --> 00:19:48.569 slaves, free, all classes of people, it doesn't matter. God 227 00:19:48.650 --> 00:19:52.559 comes to redeem them all. This is so contrary to the world's wisdom, 228 00:19:52.839 --> 00:19:57.759 which sees the treasures being most often given to those who are rich and wealthy 229 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:04.480 and powerful and have status. But Jesus comes to save all from their sins. 230 00:20:04.519 --> 00:20:10.349 He brings this salvation, a salvation which, as we've talked about, 231 00:20:10.390 --> 00:20:15.950 redeems and purifies possesses. This is the saving that he does. He saves 232 00:20:15.990 --> 00:20:21.819 us from our sins, he purifies us from our impurity. But the work 233 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:26.099 goes on. God's work goes on. Not only does he save us, 234 00:20:26.140 --> 00:20:32.819 but we are told here that he trains us to do three things renounce the 235 00:20:32.940 --> 00:20:38.250 bad, live for the good and hope for and wait for the hope. 236 00:20:40.730 --> 00:20:45.329 He calls us to renounce the bad. He trains us, God trains us 237 00:20:45.450 --> 00:20:49.680 to renounce on godliness and worldly passions. He also trains us to live for 238 00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:56.359 the good, that is, self controlled, upright and Godly lives, and 239 00:20:56.519 --> 00:21:00.359 he calls us to wait for our hope. We wait for the blessed hope, 240 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:04.670 the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 241 00:21:07.390 --> 00:21:10.349 These are, of course, things that we do right. We renounce 242 00:21:10.750 --> 00:21:12.309 the bad, we live for the good, we wait for our hope. 243 00:21:14.390 --> 00:21:18.390 But that's not exactly how it's put here, is it? Where is the 244 00:21:18.470 --> 00:21:22.099 emphasis? The emphasis is on God and his work, the things that he 245 00:21:22.420 --> 00:21:26.380 is doing. In other words, we do these things, but we are 246 00:21:26.460 --> 00:21:33.009 told that we do them because God is doing them in us, beloved of 247 00:21:33.049 --> 00:21:38.170 the Lord, people of God, who are his possession. Let that sink 248 00:21:38.210 --> 00:21:45.250 in. Would you understand? Would you believe what God says here, that 249 00:21:45.410 --> 00:21:53.480 the work he calls you to do is the work he's already doing? This 250 00:21:53.640 --> 00:22:00.559 means that, if you're a Christian, no matter how bleak your spiritual life 251 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:07.390 may seem, God is making progress in your soul. This is a promise, 252 00:22:07.430 --> 00:22:12.710 this is God's work that he will not fail to do. It means 253 00:22:12.829 --> 00:22:18.259 that if you are a Christian, you are a tree that does produce fruit, 254 00:22:19.539 --> 00:22:25.740 perhaps slowly, perhaps less than you ought or less than you like, 255 00:22:26.059 --> 00:22:33.170 but nevertheless one that produces one that is glorifying God, one that is, 256 00:22:33.410 --> 00:22:37.849 in some degree or another, zealous for good works, that wants to be 257 00:22:38.170 --> 00:22:45.519 his child, that wants to be his possession, that desire in the bottom 258 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:51.240 of your heart, that that that thought in your mind that won't go away, 259 00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:56.319 of wanting to live for him. It won't go away because it is 260 00:22:56.519 --> 00:23:02.069 from him. It is him in you, working in you, living in 261 00:23:02.309 --> 00:23:08.549 you, doing his own good pleasure. It means that God is being glorified 262 00:23:08.750 --> 00:23:14.819 in you, because God is working in you and his work does not fail. 263 00:23:17.220 --> 00:23:19.900 The Gospel, therefore, in these verses eleven through fourteen, isn't just 264 00:23:21.019 --> 00:23:23.299 a motivation to good, to do good, though of course it is that, 265 00:23:25.180 --> 00:23:29.569 but it's also a promise that God is doing good in you. It's 266 00:23:29.609 --> 00:23:33.410 a work that is begun in Christ and it's a work that will be finished 267 00:23:33.769 --> 00:23:40.970 in Christ. So where does this leave us? Well, leaves us is 268 00:23:41.049 --> 00:23:45.319 people who live the way we live, who obey God and the way that 269 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:51.799 we do, because we are a people who stand on in and by the 270 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:56.829 promises of God, nowhere else. We stand by his strength. We work 271 00:23:56.990 --> 00:24:03.190 because he works in us. We live. We live because he lives in 272 00:24:03.349 --> 00:24:08.470 us. We stand on, in and by the promises of God, because 273 00:24:08.509 --> 00:24:15.180 these promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who has come the grace of God, 274 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:19.220 has appeared in this world. He has accomplished these things and now all 275 00:24:19.299 --> 00:24:26.730 we're doing is waiting for the consummation of them. These promises have been fulfilled 276 00:24:26.890 --> 00:24:30.890 in Jesus through the grace of his first coming, in the coming grace of 277 00:24:30.970 --> 00:24:37.009 his second coming and in all the grace in between. And in between. 278 00:24:37.930 --> 00:24:42.440 He gives us this sustaining grace, which includes the sending of men to preach 279 00:24:44.119 --> 00:24:51.400 the word, Law and Gospel as they are found in Jesus Christ. But 280 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:55.109 not only does he send these men to preach the word, he also opens 281 00:24:55.190 --> 00:25:00.269 the heart of those who hear the word, who receive the word. This 282 00:25:00.390 --> 00:25:06.309 is what God is doing in this world, and this, miraculously through US 283 00:25:06.430 --> 00:25:12.579 sinful people, God is doing among us here. This is His grace. 284 00:25:14.460 --> 00:25:18.259 This is what the Apostle Paul means when he says that we carry this great 285 00:25:18.259 --> 00:25:22.730 glory, this great treasure in Jars of clay. On the one hand, 286 00:25:22.809 --> 00:25:29.250 it's almost unbelievable that sinners like us would be capable of doing these things. 287 00:25:30.329 --> 00:25:33.890 But of course we're not capable in and of ourselves, but we're made capable 288 00:25:33.930 --> 00:25:38.240 because of the spirit working in us, the spirit working against our flesh, 289 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:44.079 the spirit bringing us to life, a life that is begun in Christ and 290 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:52.430 will be completed in him. Let us therefore pray for one another. Pray 291 00:25:52.589 --> 00:25:56.430 for me that I might preach the word as it is found only in and 292 00:25:56.509 --> 00:26:02.990 through Jesus Christ, and I will pray for you that you will hear it 293 00:26:03.190 --> 00:26:07.619 and will receive it and that together, we will all find our salvation in 294 00:26:07.380 --> 00:26:15.140 him. May God grant this in this church, so that we might live 295 00:26:15.259 --> 00:26:21.809 in him and for him, all to the praise of his glory. Amen. 296 00:26:22.650 --> 00:26:22.210 Let us pray