Titus #2

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.960 Word to us, the word of your son, who was from before the 2 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:12.800 beginning, who promised to us a salvation, and himself that is ever secure, 3 00:00:14.199 --> 00:00:19.039 strong, is anything, and even beyond what we can imagine. Safe 4 00:00:19.079 --> 00:00:24.559 and secure in You we have our life. Help us to live in you, 5 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:30.559 and even now to hear your word anew, a fresh and a right. 6 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:35.600 Please be with the preaching and hearing of your word. Now we pray 7 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:42.200 this in Jesus name. Amen, please remain standing if you're able, and 8 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:48.880 let's turn to God's word and taught God's word. In Titus Titus, chapter 9 00:00:49.000 --> 00:01:03.959 one, verses one through four. There's three letters in the New Testament that 10 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:10.760 we call the pastoral epistles, or sometimes they're called that Um. That's first 11 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:14.840 Timothy, second Timothy, and Titus Um. They're called this because they are 12 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:19.120 written to Um. These these two co workers of Paul to Titus and Timothy, 13 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:23.719 who are called to serve as as ministers, as pastors, and they 14 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:27.840 give instructions to them and their work, and they give instructions to all of 15 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:32.519 us. Each one of us is a part of the body of Christ. 16 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:37.319 For how we are to live in Him and how we are to serve Him 17 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:42.760 as well. This morning, we come to Versus one through four, and 18 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:47.480 we're going to look at this passage next week as well. Here we get 19 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:53.439 a sense of Paul's understanding of himself. How does Paul understand himself and his 20 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:57.840 work and his life, and how does he share that to tied Us and 21 00:01:57.879 --> 00:02:01.760 what difference does that for us. That's what we'll be thinking about this morning, 22 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:08.319 particularly this morning, about the source of Christian ministry, the source of 23 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:13.240 Paul and tit Us and our our life and work. Let's hear God's word 24 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:17.919 tied Us one one through four. Paul, a servant of God and an 25 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:23.560 apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and 26 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:28.800 their knowledge of the truth which accords with Godliness in hope of eternal life, 27 00:02:29.159 --> 00:02:32.639 which God who never lies, promised before the ages began, and at the 28 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:38.639 proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted 29 00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:45.960 by the command of God our Savior, to tit Us, my true child, 30 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:50.840 in a common faith, grace and peace from God the Father and Christ 31 00:02:50.919 --> 00:03:16.199 Jesus our Savior, you may be seated h M. One of the questions 32 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:22.759 I thought a lot about when I was on my study leave, Um, 33 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:29.639 coming from this, coming from questions good friends asked me, Um, just 34 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:34.400 the work of God in my life is? Was this is Jesus at the 35 00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:38.719 center of my ministry? Or am I trying to fit him around the edges? 36 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:46.479 Right? It's easy even for ministers, maybe even especially for ministers. 37 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:52.520 I think, UM, and those that are engaged in full time Christian ministry 38 00:03:53.199 --> 00:04:00.560 very sadly and ironically and um despicably, we could add um to move Jesus 39 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:06.879 or allow him to become sort of what I have time for. If I 40 00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:14.479 happen to have time. It's easy to just get busy, and not just 41 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:18.319 get busy and lose sight of the one who is the most important of all 42 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:24.519 things, the one who is our God and our Savior, the one who 43 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:28.720 is the source of all life, of all righteousness, of all godliness. 44 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:33.839 But it's easy to begin even not just losing sight of him, but to 45 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:40.480 replace him, right, because he doesn't just go somewhere and there's a void, 46 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:46.680 right, he gets replaced. He gets replaced by idols of all kinds. 47 00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:53.079 When he's there at the center of my life, when I am focused 48 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:59.000 number one on him, my relationship with him in my life, with him 49 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:03.720 try as all of a sudden our gifts. Suffering is a joy to rejoice 50 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:11.879 in. And success, Yeah, it feels wonderful, and it's all to 51 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:16.920 his praise. I see him and and feel him working and moving. It's 52 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:20.720 not about me, It's about him. And that just feels really wonderful. 53 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:27.920 And both the joys and the sorrows and ups and downs, contentment doesn't isn't 54 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:33.279 based on those things anymore. Contentments and satisfaction and belonging and meaning and all 55 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:39.319 of those really good things that we want. They're all just fruit of knowing 56 00:05:39.399 --> 00:05:44.839 him, of being in him. But when he is no longer the center 57 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:51.920 of my life, then those other things become the God, the gods, 58 00:05:53.480 --> 00:06:00.600 they become my idols. Success, getting rid of suffering, um, having 59 00:06:00.040 --> 00:06:04.600 people think well of you. I'm doing good works, all kinds of things 60 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:09.680 that maybe some people would outwardly see and go like that's great, and other 61 00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:15.839 people would have that's not so great. But whatever they replace that center wells 62 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:20.360 Paul speaks to Titus. He wants him and me and all of us to 63 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:25.959 think about what is the source of our work, the life of the church, 64 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:29.399 the service that goes on in the church as Titus is to go out 65 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:32.560 and do these things. Remember last week we talked about this to do list, 66 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:39.240 these five things Paul is calling him to do. He has to remember 67 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:44.160 that that all flows from one place where it must flow, or it all 68 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:50.199 falls apart, it doesn't work. It's a question that it's important not just 69 00:06:50.360 --> 00:06:54.519 for me to ask, but for all of us to ask as a church. 70 00:06:55.480 --> 00:07:02.480 Is Jesus the center of ministry? At Isn't It is Jesus who it's 71 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:08.279 all about. Is Jesus and his word of life, his salvation, his 72 00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:13.480 hope. Is that what's at the center of everything is that which is that 73 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:16.560 which? Uh? Is he the center and everything flowing from there? Or 74 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:20.199 do we try to fit him around the edges in our business and in our 75 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:28.160 activity. These are things that we want to think about. And I'd encourage 76 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:30.199 you to think about him, not just today, but even as we approach 77 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:34.000 the end of the year and we think about next year and what we might 78 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:44.879 do or do differently. Start here is my encouragement to you start with him. 79 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:49.279 That's because that's how Paul starts, That's how the Holy Spirit starts. 80 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:53.639 Here is he speaks to Titus as he speaks to this pastor and says, 81 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:57.480 here's how to here's what I want you to do. Here's the work I 82 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:03.399 want you to be doing. Listen to how Paul understands himself and the work 83 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:09.120 that he's doing. He sees God as his source. Listen how he begins. 84 00:08:09.160 --> 00:08:13.839 He says, Paul a servant of God. That's how the whole letter 85 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:24.360 starts. Paul a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. We 86 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:30.480 see that self understanding his and God as the beginning and the source. Um 87 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:35.159 in his expression about how things happen, about his work and the aims of 88 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:39.039 his work. In verse two, he says that he does this work in 89 00:08:39.080 --> 00:08:41.919 the hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before 90 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:46.159 the ages began. He's a servant of God. He's a slave of God. 91 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:50.320 He's an apostle of Jesus Christ, which means that he's somebody who has 92 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:58.440 been sent who has been commissioned and sent out. And he does that speaking 93 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:03.039 things on behalf of God. That's the message he brings. He doesn't bring 94 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:07.600 Paul's message or tied us his message or the message of the people that cret 95 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:13.759 want to hear. He brings God's message, who never lies. At the 96 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:18.919 end, they are of verse three noticed how he puts his preaching. He 97 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:26.200 says, I have been entrusted by the command of God, our Savior. 98 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:31.559 And that last part is important. Paul's understanding of the one who has sent 99 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:37.960 him, Paul's understanding of the source is very particular. It's very particular. 100 00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:43.559 When Paul says he is a servant of God, he has something very specific 101 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:48.519 in mind, some one very specific in mind. Who is the God that 102 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:54.159 Paul serves? Well? He tells us he is not a servant of a 103 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:58.799 internal sense of call, though that might be part of it. He is 104 00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:05.159 a servant of a sense of love all the part of it. He's not 105 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:11.279 a servant of of other people, although that's part of it. He's he's 106 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:18.200 not a servant of of of of distraction. He's not a servant of purpose 107 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:22.480 or meaning. He's not a servant of of just trying to do good things. 108 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:33.519 He's a servant of God, Jesus Christ, our Savior. When he 109 00:10:33.559 --> 00:10:37.639 talks about God, he reveals the God who is a trinity. The Holy 110 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:43.759 Spirit is not mentioned here explicitly, but he is the author of these words. 111 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:46.799 We have Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Not just a power, 112 00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:52.399 not just a strength, not a duty, but a triune God, 113 00:10:52.600 --> 00:11:01.159 the one and only true God, eternal, inscrutable, everlasting, This God, 114 00:11:01.320 --> 00:11:07.559 this Father of all, this one who uh gave birth to the one 115 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:11.679 who has eternally begotten these great mysteries that we can't get our minds around. 116 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:20.960 This one who is not really understandable. He serves that God, a God 117 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:26.919 who has made himself known, not by revealing him himself and in all of 118 00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:31.120 his ways to us. For what creature could understand God? But God reveals 119 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:37.519 himself to us. And what in the proclamation, in the preaching of the 120 00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:43.679 Word that was manifested at the proper time. We're coming close to Christmas time? 121 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:46.399 Right, What are we talking about here? What's Paul talking about here? 122 00:11:46.519 --> 00:11:50.000 He's talking about that, as the scriptures say, at this perfect moment 123 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:56.000 in history, not perfect because of fate or at some sort of accident, 124 00:11:56.080 --> 00:12:01.799 but perfect because God designed it for exactly this way. He enters into time 125 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:07.840 and space, takes on human flesh, and reveals himself to us in that 126 00:12:07.879 --> 00:12:16.600 way. He reveals himself in the way of the Cross. When God comes 127 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:22.080 to us when the Son of God comes into this world and becomes man and 128 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:28.840 then dies for us, suffers for us, endures the wrath of God on 129 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:35.639 the cross for your sins. That's how God reveals himself to us. That's 130 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:43.240 how we know him through Jesus Christ, our Savior. You see what I 131 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:46.320 mean. It's when Paul says, Jesus Christ, our Savior, entrusted by 132 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:52.080 him, a coming at the proper speaking a word that was entrusted to him, 133 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:56.639 that came at the proper time. He is a very very specific God 134 00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:01.480 in mind, a God who has aid him, a God who has entered 135 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:07.159 into this world, a God who has endured in human flesh, suffering and 136 00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:13.840 terror and all kinds of horrible things so that we might be saved for from 137 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:22.240 our sins. It's that God that he is the servant of. It's that 138 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:26.840 God in which Paul goes out into life and travels around and endures all kinds 139 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:31.879 of hard stuff for the sake of that God. And he does it freely, 140 00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:37.679 and he does it with joy, And that's not an accident because of 141 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:43.960 who God is, because of what he has done. Paul then works in 142 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:50.639 this way because Paul's faith is not in himself anymore because Faul. Paul's faith 143 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:54.399 is not in a sort of general God, because Paul's faith is not in 144 00:13:54.480 --> 00:14:01.120 his works, but it is in this God and our say Year, and 145 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:05.840 the one who came into this world and gives us eternal life. That's why 146 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:11.320 Titus flows out the way that it does. Paul's ministry to tied us into 147 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:15.080 us, tied us as ministry or the crete, to the island of crete, 148 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:20.080 and our ministry to one another and to our community. It all flows 149 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:26.960 out of this one place, this source. If it doesn't flow out of 150 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:33.159 that source, where's it flowing out of? Nowhere? Good? Because at 151 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:39.759 that point even our best works condemn us. Even our best works, the 152 00:14:39.799 --> 00:14:43.519 best things that we can do, are coming out of a sense of pride 153 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:48.600 and self sufficiency. And we can do it on our own because we are 154 00:14:48.679 --> 00:14:52.639 our own we are own gods. At that point, even our best works 155 00:14:52.759 --> 00:15:01.840 become acts of rebellion essentially, which is to say sin. But Paul is 156 00:15:01.879 --> 00:15:07.440 not in rebellion here is he listen to his voice. Paul a servant of 157 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:13.720 God and apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's 158 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:18.200 elect and their knowledge of the truth which accords with Godliness in hope of eternal 159 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:22.799 life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began, 160 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:26.639 before there was a Paul, before there was a heavens of an earth. 161 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:35.240 There was God, and he was making promises in love about you. Those 162 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:39.559 promises manifested at the proper time in his word. Now through the preaching which 163 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:45.919 which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior, to Titus, 164 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:52.399 my child, in a common faith, grace and peace from God the 165 00:15:52.480 --> 00:16:00.360 Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. You hear his love. You here his 166 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:06.159 confidence. You hear his sense of duty, and his passion and his joy. 167 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:11.639 Where does that come from? He's telling us where it comes from. 168 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:18.120 It comes from God, from Christ, Jesus our Savior. Later in Titus, 169 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:22.879 in chapter three fifteen he'll tell Titus, um, that's not right. 170 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:29.320 To fifteen he tell us a good thing, that's a short pook. He 171 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:37.639 tells Titus, declare these things, exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let 172 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:45.120 no one disregard you. Where in the world, if I could put it 173 00:16:45.159 --> 00:16:49.879 that way, is Titus supposed to get that kind of confidence from to go 174 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:59.039 to these people who Paul in a very bold way calls in verse twelve liars, 175 00:16:59.080 --> 00:17:03.919 evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. Paul is going to go into the 176 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:07.079 culture of create, this culture of create, and he or Titus is going 177 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:11.119 to go into this culture, and he is going to exhort and he is 178 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:18.279 going to rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. That's gonna 179 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:25.640 take some resilience. He's gonna get knocked down. It's gonna be hard. 180 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:30.240 There's gonna be people who do not like it when he the when he tries 181 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:37.880 to silence them, as Paul tells him to do, and yet he's supposed 182 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:45.039 to do it with authority. It's guaranteed to be difficult work. One. 183 00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:48.680 The world is under a curse. Two. Titus still has the old man 184 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:55.240 in him, the fallen of flesh, putting up a stink, and God 185 00:17:55.359 --> 00:18:00.640 himself, of course, will bring suffering to put to death old man, 186 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:06.319 to try him and push him and strengthen him and purify him and make him 187 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:11.440 his own. Where is he going to get his confidence from? Where is 188 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:14.599 he going to get his resilience from? How is he going to wake up 189 00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:18.400 in the morning and let no one disregard him. Is it going to be 190 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:25.039 because he's really awesome. That might work for a little bit, but eventually 191 00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:27.200 tied us, like all of you and like me, come to a point 192 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:33.519 where we go, I'm not that awesome. We all get to a point, 193 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:37.960 if God is gracious in our lives, where we realize we don't meet 194 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:42.759 all the qualifications as well as we think we ought to meet them, that 195 00:18:42.920 --> 00:18:48.039 we come short in so many ways that like Paul, he says in the 196 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:52.519 Letter and one of the letters of the Corinthians, I came to you and 197 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:56.559 my knees were knocking. I was trembling and afraid. I wasn't anything impressive. 198 00:18:57.160 --> 00:19:02.960 If Paul went to corinth You might remember this from our time and the 199 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:07.960 Corinthians. If Paul went to corinthe trusting in his ability to knock all the 200 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:11.960 sophists and the great speakers out of their seats, and everyone goes, oh, 201 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:15.519 Paul, such a great speaker. You know, we'll listen to you. 202 00:19:15.559 --> 00:19:18.839 Now. He didn't have it. He was a smart guy. He 203 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:25.000 was an educated guy, but he was not super polished, super refined. 204 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:30.000 You couldn't count his syllables and his speeches and see how they all paralleled each 205 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.640 other perfectly, and there's perfect semmetry and balance and all this his game. 206 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:38.440 His aim wasn't to be an artist, and he struggled with various things. 207 00:19:41.880 --> 00:19:45.000 Where would Paul get that confidence from? How could he keep moving? How 208 00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:51.440 when, especially when you realize that there's things in you that are problematic, 209 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:56.720 difficult, Sometimes people have a hard time getting along with you. Sometimes you 210 00:19:56.759 --> 00:20:06.759 miss things up, sometimes you sin. And in that state, he's somehow 211 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:11.519 supposed to get up in front of people and let no one disregard him. 212 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:15.359 He's supposed to have confidence in his rebuking, He's supposed to have confidence in 213 00:20:15.400 --> 00:20:22.359 his exhorting. Yes, But the only way he will have that, and 214 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:30.240 the only way Paul has that is by stop looking at himself. If I 215 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:33.599 stop trying to pretend that he and all his good works and all these sorts 216 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:41.359 of things will somehow give him the authority that he needs. Titus does good 217 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:48.000 works, Titis meets the qualifications for an elder. So does Paul. But 218 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:51.240 how does Paul think about himself? How does he want Titus to think about 219 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:55.200 himself? How does he want us, as a church, in our collective 220 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:59.920 ministry to think about ourselves? And all works in our in our work. 221 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:04.440 Yeah. He doesn't want us to look at ourselves and say, okay, 222 00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:07.720 well we finally got it together and now we can go do these good things, 223 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:12.000 or now people will listen to us, or whatever. He says. 224 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:19.720 Paul a servant of God, an apostle of Christ, Jesus who serves God, 225 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:26.759 who has been entrusted by the command of God, are what our savior? 226 00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:37.319 God doesn't entrust Paul because Paul was such a good pharisee, right, 227 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:41.839 he his level of education was so high. He finally was such a great 228 00:21:41.880 --> 00:21:45.599 teacher. He had gone to all the right teachers, he had followed the 229 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:48.119 law. And then God comes to Paul. You remember this, now you 230 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:52.880 don't, It's not in the Bible. Paul. God comes to God comes 231 00:21:52.920 --> 00:21:59.839 to Paul and then gives him his trophy and his metal and a fancy call 232 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:03.880 heard robe or something that says, here, you have earned my commission as 233 00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:11.319 an apostle. Now, how does Paul become an apostle? Jesus points his 234 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:15.319 finger at him and says, why are you persecuting me? And then he 235 00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:22.279 blinds him. That's how Paul becomes an apostle. He has not rewarded for 236 00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:26.960 his good works. He has not rewarded for his education. He has not 237 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:33.440 rewarded for his his class, or his his his work on behalf of whatever 238 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:41.839 he's put to death. Yes, he suffers in these external ways, right, 239 00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:45.559 he loses his sight for a time, he's shamed in a way, 240 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:49.680 accused there publicly and on the road, and then now for the rest of 241 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:57.680 the history of the world. But in his own heart, and that's good. 242 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:07.720 Paul puts the Lord Jesus put Saul to death so that he could bring 243 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:15.440 Paul to life. That's wonderful. That's the that's the God who Paul serves. 244 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:19.119 That's the confidence and authority in which he goes for. He's not He's 245 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:26.640 not Paul. He's a servant of God. That's who he is. That's 246 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:29.640 how he thinks about himself. That's how he moves forward. And that's how 247 00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:36.119 Titus will have confidence authority, because he's not there representing Titus, He's representing 248 00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:42.000 God, God who is entrusted in him a jar of clay, a man 249 00:23:42.119 --> 00:23:48.240 who's still with sin and being still perfected, still growing, still struggling. 250 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:59.640 God has entrusted him with this message of grace. So this I think brings 251 00:23:59.720 --> 00:24:03.720 us all to a point where we have to ask ourselves, do we know 252 00:24:04.039 --> 00:24:11.240 this God? Do we know this God? Many people think they do, 253 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:19.279 but they don't. Like Saul, Paul. Saul was not an eer irreligious 254 00:24:19.359 --> 00:24:23.680 man. Right. If he was at the you know, doctor's office, 255 00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:30.240 taking his religious preference, he would not have said none or spiritual but not 256 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:37.079 religious. Right, Paul would have known what to mark. He was for 257 00:24:37.400 --> 00:24:41.240 God. He was for Yahweh. He was for the one who created the 258 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:45.440 world, who had given the law, who had revealed himself to Moses. 259 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:52.839 He was for that God. He believed. And he was working, and 260 00:24:52.880 --> 00:25:00.240 he was striving, and he was moving mountains as best he could, even 261 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:06.960 to the point of persecuting these this church, the people that were claiming that 262 00:25:07.079 --> 00:25:15.319 Jesus Christ was their savior. Paul was very busy. Paul was working hard. 263 00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:19.079 Paul was trying to do a lot of good things. Or we got 264 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:25.960 another example Nicodemus. Nicodemus, remember when he comes to Jesus and John chapter 265 00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:30.119 three, he was a man who thought he knew God. Jesus says to 266 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:37.400 him, you're a teacher, and yet you don't understand these things Nicodemus couldn't 267 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:42.039 figure out how is it I'm supposed to be born again? Because Nicodemus was 268 00:25:42.039 --> 00:25:48.319 still thinking that it didn't require something so dramatic as to die and to be 269 00:25:48.519 --> 00:25:56.920 reborn. Nicodemus and and Saul and many of us think it's not as dramatic 270 00:25:56.960 --> 00:26:03.240 as that. It's not as dramatic as dying and being born again. We 271 00:26:03.359 --> 00:26:11.440 think God is simply achieving a good reputation. We think God is doing good 272 00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:17.759 works. God is success, God is importance. God is duty or high 273 00:26:17.880 --> 00:26:26.079 class or calling, or wealth or beauty. And then God shows himself as 274 00:26:26.759 --> 00:26:33.440 in Jesus on the cross, who is low, not high, suffering, 275 00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:41.160 not living, dying, enduring wrath. And this is how he reveals himself 276 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:49.160 as our savior. That's the God that we must know, God that we 277 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:56.359 must die in in order to live in. And that's his promise to us, 278 00:26:56.359 --> 00:27:00.079 brothers and sisters, when we put our faith in Christ, when we 279 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:04.720 give up on our works, when we give up trying to be busy and 280 00:27:04.759 --> 00:27:08.559 doing lots of good things, and we say, Okay, I can't do 281 00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:15.880 it. I'm not able to work this program where I keep doing good things. 282 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:21.880 And then Eventually, the good result happens when we see in ourselves are 283 00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:26.680 how deep our problems go, how infected with sin we are, when we 284 00:27:26.759 --> 00:27:30.400 finally give up all on that and say, I guess my only hope left 285 00:27:30.519 --> 00:27:36.319 is God, our savior. I guess my only hope left is Jesus Christ, 286 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:41.720 and the promise that he makes before the world begins, that he can 287 00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:48.279 save me and do something good with me. When God humbles us in that 288 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:57.799 way, he then exalts us, as he did with Paul before his name 289 00:27:57.920 --> 00:28:03.160 changed. Hasn't been confusing. Saul was once called Saul. Paul was once 290 00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:07.240 called Saul, and then he was renamed or became Paul. In this former 291 00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:11.880 time, he had gotten to the top, so to speak. He talks 292 00:28:11.920 --> 00:28:17.519 about this a pharisee of pharisees, of the of great lineage, of great 293 00:28:17.640 --> 00:28:21.519 education, all these sorts of things. He had gotten to the top. 294 00:28:21.599 --> 00:28:26.359 He worked that program, and eventually it resulted in being accused by the God 295 00:28:26.279 --> 00:28:36.960 of all the world of persecuting him. But when Paul, when God did 296 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:41.680 this to him, humbled him, then what happened to Paul? He was 297 00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:49.160 exalted, He was freed from the chains of the old man. He gave 298 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:55.079 up on that old project and that old way of life, to simply live 299 00:28:55.359 --> 00:29:02.240 in Christ and see Christ work through him. M He says, I am 300 00:29:02.279 --> 00:29:06.920 not my own it's Christ who lives in me. It's Christ who works in 301 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:14.279 me. That's who I am now. And what was the result, Well, 302 00:29:14.359 --> 00:29:22.720 the world was changed not by Paul, but by God working in this 303 00:29:22.839 --> 00:29:26.759 man, and in Titus, and in Timothy, and in Lowest and in 304 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:36.119 Unue and in many many others, in the Cretans here and in us. 305 00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:44.400 And when God begins to do this work in us, it's exciting and it 306 00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:49.680 feels so good, even when it's hurting, even when we're suffering, even 307 00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:53.400 when things aren't going our way, because we know, you know, God's 308 00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:59.920 at work, God's doing his work. I'm gonna be okay. The gay 309 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:07.160 of Hell will not prevail against the Lord who is attacking Hell. The Lord 310 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:12.880 wins. And so this leaves us all with a couple options. One we 311 00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:18.480 can continue on a path apart from God, our savior, a path in 312 00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:25.519 which we are isolated from Him, separated from him doing good or evil, 313 00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:30.759 it doesn't really matter in an outward way. In an an ultimate sense, 314 00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:36.240 we can keep on that path and doing these things, and you may achieve 315 00:30:36.359 --> 00:30:40.079 some measure of success in the church and life and business and whatever, but 316 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:45.279 eventually it's all for nothing and it will crash around you. This is how 317 00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:56.200 pastors burn out and get cotton sin and everything falls apart. That's that's one 318 00:30:56.240 --> 00:31:00.920 way to go. The other way to go is to give up on yourself, 319 00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:04.200 to give up on your good works, to give up on your pro 320 00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:08.480 projects, to give up on trying to achieve. Achieve, achieve, to 321 00:31:08.640 --> 00:31:12.920 do, do do, to gain the love of the one of these false 322 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:19.079 idel's reputation, pride, uh success, beauty, whatever it is, to 323 00:31:19.200 --> 00:31:25.480 give up on that and simply give yourself to the Lord Jesus, and to 324 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:30.400 know him and not yourself, as the source of all life, as the 325 00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:36.759 source of all Godliness, as the source of all truly good works. And 326 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:41.920 when we do that, when we give up and just give ourselves over to 327 00:31:42.039 --> 00:31:48.200 God and trust in Him to do his work in us, things often begin 328 00:31:48.319 --> 00:31:53.039 to change in our lives. Sometimes a lot of things all happen at once. 329 00:31:53.160 --> 00:31:59.680 Usually there's some stopping involved. We just stop doing certain things that we 330 00:31:59.799 --> 00:32:05.200 used to do. Sometimes there's some shuffling involved. We we be we were 331 00:32:05.279 --> 00:32:07.359 doing this, and we kind of move over here and we start doing this 332 00:32:07.920 --> 00:32:14.880 instead. We do it in a different way because we're not doing it for 333 00:32:14.920 --> 00:32:20.599 ourselves anymore. We're looking for the Lord and his work in us. Sometimes 334 00:32:20.599 --> 00:32:24.240 it means stopping, Sometimes it means shuffling. Sometimes it means shifting up and 335 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:28.559 do a higher gear, and we go faster, and we do more, 336 00:32:28.680 --> 00:32:31.680 and we all and and and there's there's uh. We find ourselves to be 337 00:32:31.720 --> 00:32:37.640 more capable than we ever were. Usually it's some combination of all of those 338 00:32:37.680 --> 00:32:44.200 things. But the differences is that now, no matter what's happening, no 339 00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:50.640 matter how our lives are changing, they're changing because of God as he gives 340 00:32:50.720 --> 00:32:55.319 us rest in him, and we no longer are seeking to serve ourselves, 341 00:32:57.359 --> 00:33:05.440 but serve Him and allow him to simple work through us. That is Paul's 342 00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:10.279 desire for Titus. That's why he describes himself in this way and more. 343 00:33:10.839 --> 00:33:14.880 Maybe a better way to put it is, that's why he describes God in 344 00:33:14.920 --> 00:33:19.680 this way. And that's the word for us to hear as well, to 345 00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:23.440 hear who God is, to hear what he has done, and to put 346 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:30.200 our faith in him and then let him do his work in us. Let's 347 00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:38.839 pray our father in heaven, thank you for coming into our lives and working 348 00:33:38.839 --> 00:33:47.000 in our lives in such a way that we would stop doing isolation, stop 349 00:33:47.079 --> 00:33:53.480 doing rebellion, stop doing things that are apart from you, and serving the 350 00:33:53.559 --> 00:33:59.359 gods of our own making our own imaginations, the gods of this world. 351 00:34:01.960 --> 00:34:07.319 What a joy it is to serve you, to be known by you, 352 00:34:07.480 --> 00:34:10.320 to love you, to be wrapped up in you and all of the things 353 00:34:10.360 --> 00:34:16.000 that you're doing. To know that even though we are foolish and weak, 354 00:34:16.519 --> 00:34:22.960 struggling in all kinds of ways, that we sometimes don't even know our right 355 00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:24.920 hand from our left hand. It's hard to know which way to go, 356 00:34:25.119 --> 00:34:29.800 what to do, how to help, when to stop, window shuffle, 357 00:34:29.920 --> 00:34:35.719 shuffle, window shift. Despite our confusion, despite our weaknesses, despite all 358 00:34:35.800 --> 00:34:42.800 of these things, you are at work. That you promised before the ages 359 00:34:42.880 --> 00:34:49.400 began that you would save us, and that you would work in us to 360 00:34:49.639 --> 00:34:54.039 save others. Oh Lord, this is so marvelous. What a joy it 361 00:34:54.119 --> 00:35:00.280 is to be known by you. We give you thanks and pray is for 362 00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:04.960 this, and we confess our sins, we confess our idolatry, we confess 363 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.800 our good works, done apart from faith, we confess our sinful deeds and 364 00:35:09.880 --> 00:35:15.800 desires that are meant to simply soothe ourselves and and get the things that we 365 00:35:15.880 --> 00:35:22.719 want. Apart from waiting from you, Lord, we confess that life apart 366 00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:31.960 from You is simply hell and leads to it. And so we ask that 367 00:35:32.119 --> 00:35:37.199 you would bring life into us, that you would open our eyes, that 368 00:35:37.239 --> 00:35:44.440 you would help us to see the Lord, our Savior, on the cross, 369 00:35:44.639 --> 00:35:47.920 suffering and dying for our sins, and now risen from the dead, 370 00:35:49.800 --> 00:35:54.320 seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, who is working 371 00:35:54.840 --> 00:36:00.800 and interceding, and and building and strength, inning and lifting us up, 372 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:09.599 and pressing us on and keeping us all the way to heaven. Lord, 373 00:36:09.679 --> 00:36:15.679 this is grace, and this is peace. Settle our hearts. And as 374 00:36:15.719 --> 00:36:20.400 we find ourselves more and more settled and rested in You, we asked that 375 00:36:20.440 --> 00:36:24.320 you would pour your love and your ministry out through us unto others, our 376 00:36:24.360 --> 00:36:30.159 family, our friends, our neighbors, and all who still need to know 377 00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:32.400 you. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.