When Slaves are Christians (Titus 2:9-14)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:03.640 Well. If you are able, please remain standing and let's give our attention 2 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:07.629 to God's word. Now in Tiedus, chapter two, tied us two, 3 00:00:08.630 --> 00:00:37.649 verses nine through fourteen, Titus two, verses nine through fourteen. Bond servants 4 00:00:37.689 --> 00:00:42.049 are to be submissive to their own masters. In everything. They are to 5 00:00:42.130 --> 00:00:47.890 be well pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, 6 00:00:48.490 --> 00:00:52.840 so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God. Our Savior 7 00:00:54.039 --> 00:00:59.520 for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training 8 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:03.709 us to renounce on godliness and worldly passions and to live self controlled, upright 9 00:01:03.909 --> 00:01:07.989 and Godly lives. In the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, 10 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:12.950 the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 11 00:01:14.790 --> 00:01:19.099 gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself 12 00:01:19.180 --> 00:01:26.060 a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. May God 13 00:01:26.180 --> 00:01:47.239 bless his word. Word, please be seated. As Christians, we believe 14 00:01:47.319 --> 00:01:53.920 that our actions make a difference and make a difference to God and they make 15 00:01:53.000 --> 00:02:00.359 a difference to how other people perceive our God. As Paul gives instructions to 16 00:02:00.750 --> 00:02:06.870 tied us this pastor on the things he used to instruct his people, both 17 00:02:07.109 --> 00:02:12.030 old and young men, old and young women, I'm older and younger, 18 00:02:12.590 --> 00:02:17.259 and now also to bond servants or two slaves. I'm we've seen now three 19 00:02:17.419 --> 00:02:23.180 times, three different ways in which I'm God has told us that our actions 20 00:02:23.620 --> 00:02:30.330 make a difference. In Verse Five, after in Verse Five, we read 21 00:02:30.569 --> 00:02:37.490 that good works prevent the reviling of the word of God. They keep people 22 00:02:37.530 --> 00:02:43.129 are when we act in a Christian way, people are kept from reviling God's 23 00:02:43.169 --> 00:02:47.120 word. In Verse Eight, we read that when we act well, when 24 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:53.879 we do good works, this shames the opponents of God by taking away all 25 00:02:54.120 --> 00:03:00.870 hope of any true accusation. If they can't bring true accusations, they're left 26 00:03:00.949 --> 00:03:07.430 to only live in their lives. I'm to stand on falsehoods. These are 27 00:03:07.469 --> 00:03:10.310 the first thing. Two things are that are mentioned. Our good works prevent 28 00:03:10.389 --> 00:03:15.099 the reviling of the word of God. They shame opponents by taking away the 29 00:03:15.300 --> 00:03:20.659 hope of true accusations. And now, in verse ten, we read that 30 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:27.139 are good works also adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior. This is 31 00:03:27.169 --> 00:03:31.770 an amazing thing to say, like a painting, a beautiful painting that can 32 00:03:31.930 --> 00:03:37.530 certainly stand all on its own. That's what the doctrine of God is like, 33 00:03:37.770 --> 00:03:42.240 the doctrine of God our savior. What might be included in the doctrine 34 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:47.919 of God our savior will all kinds of things. His triune nature on his 35 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:53.319 saving plan, his perfect will, his goodness, His grace, is justice, 36 00:03:53.759 --> 00:04:03.590 His mercy, his infinitude, his all powerfulness. All of these things 37 00:04:03.830 --> 00:04:09.909 would be included in the doctrine of God our savior. We are talking about 38 00:04:10.259 --> 00:04:14.819 the god of the universe as he enters into the world to save his people. 39 00:04:15.860 --> 00:04:21.939 That's the painting, and what Paul Tells Titus is that these bond servants, 40 00:04:21.980 --> 00:04:28.290 when they do good works, they amazingly by those good works, are 41 00:04:28.329 --> 00:04:33.970 able to adorn the painting, like taking a great masterpiece and putting it in 42 00:04:34.089 --> 00:04:40.800 a frame that holds it up, displays it, magnifies it all the more. 43 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:46.959 What an amazing thing to say that our good works can adorn the doctrine 44 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:53.870 of God our savior. We often doubt these kinds of things. We doubt 45 00:04:53.990 --> 00:04:59.670 that our good works do much of any good. We doubt this a lot, 46 00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:02.589 and often we use this doubt as an excuse not to be zealous and 47 00:05:02.709 --> 00:05:08.300 good works. We think that our actions can't really have any good effect. 48 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:14.579 But let the Christian slave, or the instructions to the Christian slave, put 49 00:05:14.660 --> 00:05:19.540 this particular doubt to rest. If anyone would ever think that they were too 50 00:05:19.740 --> 00:05:27.050 below the possibility of making a difference, of doing something like adorning the doctrine 51 00:05:27.050 --> 00:05:31.009 of God, of preventing the reviling of his word or shaming the opponents of 52 00:05:31.089 --> 00:05:38.040 his God, of God, consider the slave. Consider the position of a 53 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:44.000 Christian who is a slave, who is weak, who is oppressed, who 54 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:47.879 is no doubt in all kinds of difficult circum stances that would lead one to 55 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:55.470 things like depression and frustration and all kinds of anxieties. Think of the slave. 56 00:05:56.870 --> 00:06:01.389 And here God speaks directly to the lowest person in civil society, the 57 00:06:01.589 --> 00:06:08.019 most troubled, the most bound, and tells them that when they do good 58 00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:14.740 works, they adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior. An amazing thing. 59 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:20.449 If that's true of the good works of a slave, certainly that's true 60 00:06:20.490 --> 00:06:26.050 of the good works of those of us who have the luxury and the blessing 61 00:06:26.170 --> 00:06:32.639 of being more free. So as God sets his loving eye on Christian slaves, 62 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:40.040 bond servants. What is it that he requires of them? God does 63 00:06:40.120 --> 00:06:45.040 not pass over them. God does not say the are unworthy of receiving his 64 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:49.269 commands, of belonging to his kingdom, of being called his servants. Know, 65 00:06:49.470 --> 00:06:56.029 he speaks to them directly and says, you are my servants, I 66 00:06:56.189 --> 00:07:03.019 have instructions for you to follow. What does he require of them? He 67 00:07:03.220 --> 00:07:09.060 requires of them good works. He requires them to do things well, to 68 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:13.980 do them by faith and to glorify God. These are three good things to 69 00:07:14.420 --> 00:07:17.329 member as a kind of a side. If you ever are asking yourself, 70 00:07:17.529 --> 00:07:24.370 but what is a good work, it's always these three things. It's it's 71 00:07:24.410 --> 00:07:30.720 an accord with the Commands of God, it proceeds from faith and it is 72 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:35.319 unto God's glory. Missing any one of those three and it's not really good 73 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:40.680 work. When you think about that, you'll quickly realize how weak our works 74 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:46.029 are. Maybe, sometimes, sometimes they might be in some ways somewhat in 75 00:07:46.110 --> 00:07:51.310 accord with God's commandments, but do they proceed from faith or are they done 76 00:07:51.550 --> 00:07:57.870 out of our selfish ambition, our pride? Are A man pleasing? Are 77 00:07:57.949 --> 00:08:01.699 they done for our glory or for God's this is, of course, why 78 00:08:01.779 --> 00:08:07.500 we need Jesus to save us, not only for them our evil, but 79 00:08:07.660 --> 00:08:11.420 also, in a very real sense, from our good, properly defined and 80 00:08:11.579 --> 00:08:18.970 evaluated. But this is what a good work is. It's done in accordance 81 00:08:18.009 --> 00:08:22.329 with God's commands, it's the fruit and evidence of true faith, and it's 82 00:08:22.490 --> 00:08:28.680 done for his glory. And though they are never perfect and require the blood 83 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:33.200 of Jesus Christ to cover them and perfect them and present them before the father 84 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:39.960 is a sacrifice, they are nevertheless in this way good and God is pleased 85 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:45.909 by them. They adorn born the doctrine of God, our Savior. Well, 86 00:08:45.950 --> 00:08:50.590 what are the specific good works that God calls Christian slaves too, and, 87 00:08:50.750 --> 00:08:54.190 by extension, all of those who are called to be under the authority 88 00:08:54.350 --> 00:08:58.940 of others, who are called to obey and in one sense or another? 89 00:09:00.220 --> 00:09:03.059 Well, the first thing God says to them is that they are to be 90 00:09:03.700 --> 00:09:09.970 submissive, they are to have a posture towards their earthly masters of obedience. 91 00:09:11.929 --> 00:09:16.289 They are to be ones that are desiring to honor the authority of the one 92 00:09:16.409 --> 00:09:20.769 who is over them. Now, God doesn't say here that this is only 93 00:09:20.809 --> 00:09:24.639 a honor, that is to this honor is to be given only in those 94 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:30.679 cases where there is a good master. There are times, the Bible will 95 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:33.919 tells us, and of course we know from experience when people who rule over 96 00:09:35.080 --> 00:09:41.990 us are not good. They are even evil and require a very difficult things 97 00:09:43.789 --> 00:09:48.750 in requiring sin. God, of course, would never have his servants obey 98 00:09:48.789 --> 00:09:54.500 an earthly master at the expense of their heavenly master. But in everything else 99 00:09:56.379 --> 00:10:01.539 the answer is yes. It's the clear teaching of scripture here and in several 100 00:10:01.580 --> 00:10:07.809 other places throughout the New Testament that bond servants, these slaves, are to 101 00:10:07.889 --> 00:10:15.090 be submissive to the ones who are over them. We read they then Paul 102 00:10:15.129 --> 00:10:20.289 gives some specifics to that. I'm not only are they to be submissive, 103 00:10:20.370 --> 00:10:24.759 but they are to be well pleasing. They are to be well pleasing, 104 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:28.840 which means that they are to aim not only to get the job done, 105 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:35.240 but to aim for the pleasure of the ones that they serve. You know 106 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:39.990 this at work. It's a big difference to simply do the job that you're 107 00:10:39.990 --> 00:10:43.909 acquired to do and do it with a spirit that is aiming to bring pleasure 108 00:10:45.149 --> 00:10:52.059 to those who are over you. One way to avoid this or or too. 109 00:10:52.100 --> 00:10:56.980 I mean rather to accomplish this is by the next command, not being 110 00:10:56.179 --> 00:11:05.409 argumentative. People who are under authority are often attempted to be argumentative about things, 111 00:11:05.809 --> 00:11:11.370 making the tasks that they are called to do and the authority of the 112 00:11:11.450 --> 00:11:16.690 ones who are over them very difficult, fir challenging. When we when a 113 00:11:16.889 --> 00:11:22.480 servant is argumentative with his master, it disrupts the entire household. It challenges 114 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:28.000 the relationship at every point. It makes things difficult. Children, you know 115 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:33.830 this when you are argumentative with your parents. It doesn't make life easy. 116 00:11:33.429 --> 00:11:37.070 It does and make it their jobs easy for them. In fact, they 117 00:11:37.269 --> 00:11:43.870 end up doing it with much groaning. It becomes challenging and difficult and it 118 00:11:43.070 --> 00:11:48.860 is not pleasing to the Lord. The same is true for workers who are 119 00:11:48.899 --> 00:11:54.419 at work. It's one thing to respectfully ask why a thing might be done 120 00:11:54.460 --> 00:12:00.460 or challenge in an appropriate way to lead towards good things. It's another thing 121 00:12:00.580 --> 00:12:07.169 altogether to be argumentative, and this honestly doesn't need a whole lot of time, 122 00:12:07.370 --> 00:12:13.570 does it? We know what this means. Next, we are told 123 00:12:13.610 --> 00:12:18.440 that slaves are also not to be pilfering. It's a turn. That means 124 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:22.919 basically stealing, taking things that don't belong to you. And this, of 125 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.759 course, is a great temptation of those who are called to be under the 126 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:33.509 service and authority of another because, as you know, masters do not all 127 00:12:33.549 --> 00:12:37.309 are not always fair with wages, with time, with all kinds of things, 128 00:12:37.909 --> 00:12:43.669 and there's a temptation, strong temptations, and ones that feel justified that 129 00:12:43.230 --> 00:12:46.740 well, of course, I can take this home and I can use this 130 00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:54.620 for myself, but often times the stealing that happens is not justified at all. 131 00:12:54.259 --> 00:13:00.090 It's simply I want what I want and I want it now. Employee. 132 00:13:00.210 --> 00:13:05.090 Theft, as many of you know, is a big deal and some 133 00:13:05.250 --> 00:13:11.610 of your own businesses you have all kinds of safeguards and protections and policies to 134 00:13:11.730 --> 00:13:16.399 guard against this very thing, because it's a very real thing. It costs 135 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:20.200 our country, our economy on all kinds of money all the time and it 136 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:26.080 ends up affecting the way that we make transactions and live in the market place. 137 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:30.429 Well, imagine if this was happening not just in the marketplace and in 138 00:13:30.549 --> 00:13:35.350 common society, but but in your own home. Stealing, thieving, pilfering, 139 00:13:37.629 --> 00:13:41.019 not just things, of course, but time as well. When a 140 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:46.179 servant is lazy and doesn't use his time to the best of his ability is 141 00:13:46.460 --> 00:13:54.460 essentially taking from his master or his employer. We can think of other things 142 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:58.049 as well, but the point is that in all respects, the one who 143 00:13:58.090 --> 00:14:03.490 is a servant must be careful. We remember, Jesus is parable of the 144 00:14:03.570 --> 00:14:09.289 servant who received the talent and didn't embezzle it and didn't lose it, just 145 00:14:09.409 --> 00:14:13.480 didn't do anything with it, and he was still condemned. Servants are called 146 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:16.120 not merely to hold on to what they are given, but actually do something 147 00:14:16.440 --> 00:14:22.799 for the profit of those who rule over them. And finally, this is 148 00:14:22.039 --> 00:14:28.789 a shown, or this is summarized by the expression showing all good faith. 149 00:14:28.590 --> 00:14:33.429 It's not just in these particular little things, but in a very comprehensive sense. 150 00:14:33.590 --> 00:14:39.740 Those who are slaves, Christian slaves, and, by extension, others 151 00:14:39.779 --> 00:14:43.460 of us who are under authority in similar ways, were called to be faithful 152 00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:50.059 in all things, not just in the pleasant tasks, not only when it's 153 00:14:50.179 --> 00:14:56.450 fair or would justified, not only when the job makes sense or when it's 154 00:14:56.450 --> 00:15:03.090 to one's own advantage, but in everything, in everything, God says, 155 00:15:03.730 --> 00:15:07.960 they are to be well, pleasing, submissive, not argumentative, but showing 156 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:15.200 good faith now, my guess is that most of our struggles are not as 157 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:20.320 hard as a slave's might be. But how do you do in the position 158 00:15:20.509 --> 00:15:24.909 of a higher and a freer person, in a position of freedom that you 159 00:15:26.149 --> 00:15:30.070 have and belong to? How do you do in these things as a child, 160 00:15:30.110 --> 00:15:35.100 as an employee, as a citizen? Are you argumentative? Are you 161 00:15:35.139 --> 00:15:41.259 submissive? Are you pilfering? These are things for us to consider. These 162 00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:48.259 are the good works that God calls Christians to, even in very difficult and 163 00:15:48.379 --> 00:15:52.490 challenging circumstances. Will you remember what a good work is? It's not only 164 00:15:52.610 --> 00:15:56.850 to be done in accordance with God's commands, but also out of faith and 165 00:15:58.049 --> 00:16:03.330 to the glory of God. What does that mean? Well, it means 166 00:16:03.409 --> 00:16:08.080 that the Christian slave finds his strength to do these hard things. He finds 167 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:14.440 his strength and will and knowledge of these goods in his God, his savior. 168 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:21.230 What does that mean? Well, a lot of different things. It 169 00:16:21.389 --> 00:16:25.269 means that he knows that the fruit he bears, the good works he bears, 170 00:16:25.309 --> 00:16:30.509 are the fruit of grace and the product of faith in God, our 171 00:16:30.629 --> 00:16:34.899 Savior. The Christian remembers Romans One, thus fourteen, twenty three. For 172 00:16:36.059 --> 00:16:41.059 whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. He looks to God, his 173 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:45.899 savior, to advance these things in him. In his difficult circumstances, in 174 00:16:47.019 --> 00:16:51.129 his challenges, in the ways in which he falls short. He looks to 175 00:16:51.289 --> 00:16:56.529 God to be the one who produces these things in him, to to establish 176 00:16:56.570 --> 00:17:03.360 him in faith so that good might proceed from it. He knows that salvation 177 00:17:03.359 --> 00:17:08.400 has come. This is what verse eleven tells us, for the grace of 178 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:15.950 God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, even for the slave, 179 00:17:17.349 --> 00:17:21.269 the Christian slave, the one who wants to be zealous for good works, 180 00:17:21.309 --> 00:17:26.430 even in Him Pos position, knows that salvation has come even for him or 181 00:17:26.549 --> 00:17:33.059 her, and that in Christ he has been set free. He knows and 182 00:17:33.259 --> 00:17:38.660 he believes that in his union with Christ, he no longer lives aimlessly or 183 00:17:38.740 --> 00:17:45.569 for the pleasures and lusts of in of his flesh, but he lives as 184 00:17:45.890 --> 00:17:51.930 directed and as empowered by the Holy Spirit himself. As Paul says, this 185 00:17:52.130 --> 00:17:56.970 God has is the one who is training us to renounce on godliness and worldly 186 00:17:57.210 --> 00:18:03.799 passions, to live in faith and be zealous for good works. is to 187 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:10.559 be one who enters into this training with a measure of excitement and trust that 188 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:14.710 it is going to do some good. This is often why we don't exercise 189 00:18:14.829 --> 00:18:19.470 right we really wonder is this going to produce benefit? But here we are 190 00:18:19.549 --> 00:18:26.140 promised that God is training us and he does produce benefits in our lives. 191 00:18:27.140 --> 00:18:32.019 He puts to death, that's which is worldly in us. He strengthens us 192 00:18:32.619 --> 00:18:37.019 in zeal for good works. This is what the Christian does. He looks 193 00:18:37.099 --> 00:18:42.809 to God for these things, he trusts him for these things. Another thing 194 00:18:42.849 --> 00:18:48.569 the Christian does is he seeks his satisfaction, his comfort and his peace and 195 00:18:48.730 --> 00:18:56.039 his care not from material possessions or worldly honor or even the care of a 196 00:18:56.119 --> 00:19:00.680 good master. In fact, he is willing to endure the loss of all 197 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:04.640 of these things because of what he believes. He believes that the salvation of 198 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:10.470 God has appeared and in that the Kingdom of God has come and that he 199 00:19:10.670 --> 00:19:15.710 belongs to it. He knows that he doesn't have to pilfer and steal and 200 00:19:15.829 --> 00:19:21.349 be a man pleaser because his treasures are in heaven. He knows he can 201 00:19:21.390 --> 00:19:26.980 be a good worker and submit even in difficult circumstances, because his master is 202 00:19:27.099 --> 00:19:33.500 the greatest master of all, his savior and his king. He knows that 203 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:37.619 he has cared for it by God, because he believes that on the Cross, 204 00:19:37.740 --> 00:19:41.369 Christ has borne his sins, his grief and has set him free from 205 00:19:41.970 --> 00:19:48.089 sin and death and the evil one. He knows that his troubles, even 206 00:19:48.130 --> 00:19:53.279 the troubles of his slave, will one day be lifted up with Christ in 207 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:59.920 glory. And this is why, quoting from these final passages, a final 208 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:06.000 verses eleven through fourteen, he waits for the blessed hope, the appearing of 209 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:12.630 the glory of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Though he seeks to 210 00:20:12.710 --> 00:20:18.190 be well pleasing to his earthly master, he's not a man pleaser in that 211 00:20:18.430 --> 00:20:23.700 negative sense. He seeks to be well pleasing because he's a God pleaser. 212 00:20:23.740 --> 00:20:30.460 He finds his satisfaction and his hope in the God who has saved him. 213 00:20:30.460 --> 00:20:37.329 He finds his hope not in front of him, in his household and his 214 00:20:37.450 --> 00:20:42.250 duties and his job at this particular moment, but ahead of him. He 215 00:20:42.369 --> 00:20:51.400 awaits for the appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. This 216 00:20:51.519 --> 00:21:03.279 is why a Christian can work difficult jobs, jobs that are terrible and frustrating 217 00:21:03.349 --> 00:21:11.670 and seem like there's spinning nowhere, and and and and all the other things 218 00:21:11.750 --> 00:21:15.069 we complain about. He can do these kinds of things because God calls the 219 00:21:15.109 --> 00:21:21.859 Christian slave to obey and to produce these kinds of works and promises to work 220 00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:26.299 in him. As he puts his faith in Christ, the God will do 221 00:21:26.460 --> 00:21:32.019 these things in him and, as he does as a slave, produces this 222 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:37.289 kind of good works. We see that a person who believes these things, 223 00:21:37.009 --> 00:21:41.609 these good things about the doctrine of God our savior, will be a different 224 00:21:41.890 --> 00:21:48.400 sort of person. If you believe these things about the salvation that has come, 225 00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:52.519 the hope that is to appear, the training that is currently going on, 226 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:57.119 you will be a different kind of worker, different kind of person. 227 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:03.470 You'll be the kind of person who can walk up right when the world and 228 00:22:03.549 --> 00:22:07.630 your master pulls you down. You'll be the kind of person who can breathe 229 00:22:07.670 --> 00:22:14.190 in freedom even while you're a slave. You'll be the kind of person who 230 00:22:14.190 --> 00:22:19.859 whose works will prevent the reviling of the word of God, whose good works 231 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:27.259 will put to shame the accusers of the saints and whose good works, by 232 00:22:27.339 --> 00:22:33.849 God's grace, will adorn the doctrine of God our savior. This, of 233 00:22:33.930 --> 00:22:37.450 course, is all to the praise and glory of our God. This is 234 00:22:37.569 --> 00:22:41.690 what it means to be the frame that adorns the picture. It is to 235 00:22:42.210 --> 00:22:48.039 receive the glory from the picture and send it right back to God and his 236 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:52.880 ever increasing glory as he magnifies himself and his name. This is what it 237 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:59.150 means to be a Christian, to work for God and to be loved by 238 00:22:59.269 --> 00:23:03.670 him. May God teach us these things and how to live in this world 239 00:23:03.710 --> 00:23:07.710 in a way that is pleasing to him. Let us pray