It's good to see you all this morning.
Good to hear you guys. Fellowshiping is great to hear
you singing. For those of you that know me,
you know, already, for those of you don't, I'll tell you, I wear
hearing aids and they are great. Sometimes, sometimes they're
awful, but I hear really well behind me.
And so, sitting up here, I got to hear you guys and I thought
at first, it's things were turned up a little too much
like, wow, that is really loud and I tried to turn them down.
It wasn't you guys were just singing really, really loudly.
So that is awesome. I'm just going to tell you that.
Combined with fall weather and all the flannel and Boots.
This is my favorite time of the year.
I'm loving it. That just couldn't be happier
than right now. This is like perfect so it's
good to see you guys this morning.
I'm glad you're here as we sang about just a second ago, in one
of the songs we did our sins, they are many but his Mercy is
more, that's a great great statement and it's a great Truth
for us as born-again Believers. And that's why we sing to God.
That's why we pray to God. That's why we're we're here.
This morning is to honor and glorify God for what he has done
in our lives, to open his word to learn more about it, so that
we can live our lives in a Godly manner bringing honor and glory
to him. Amen.
And so that's what we're here to do today.
That's what we're going to look at today.
Specifically is Godly living among Outsiders and so the same
theme, we've had going all morning.
We've been singing. A god.
We've been praying to God. We've been thanking him for what
he's done. We're going to keep that going.
And look at. What does this mean now?
Now that we've been redeemed, what does this mean for us as
the people of God living in this world?
So that's what we're going to talk about today.
Let me catch you up just really quickly for anybody that maybe
has missed some weeks, or maybe you're visiting for the first
time we've been in the book of Titus.
So, if you have your Bibles, go ahead and turn to the book of
Titus Chapter 2, we're going to be starting around verse 15.
So the book of Titus so far will give you the snapshot of what
we've learned. And what we've looked at the
book of Titus, Titus was written by the Apostle Paul to his
disciple, his Protege Titus Paul had planted churches on the
island of Crete and there were multiple churches on this
island. He left Titus there to put what
remained in to order to establish these churches and get
them up off the ground and going.
Okay. That's why Titus was there.
He left him behind to do this. Now, Crete was a very Pagan
culture. It was a very sinful culture,
their own people describe them as Liars.
Evil beasts and lazy gluttons. They were detestable they were
untrustworthy. They were very mean-spirited.
Just nasty people. So Paul throughout this letter
has been stressing stressing that all this sound doctrine
that tied us has to teach all these things were learning about
the Lord and the gospel, and all of that has to influence your
life, okay? It has to change the way you
live, especially in the culture of Crete and where you're at,
this is huge. This has to be a part of your
life and so throughout chapters 1 and 2, we've seen Paul
instructing Titus on what to teach how to teach it, who could
be teaching, it who was qualified to do that.
And then the implications that this should have on the people
in the lives of the people of Crete.
In the churches, we've looked at several several different people
groups. We've looked at what this would
look like for older men, younger men, older women, younger Women
and then Bond servants. So we've kind of covered the
entire spectrum of people groups within the church and what Godly
living should look like for them.
Over the last couple of weeks, we've looked at some of the
motivation behind it. Why is this so important?
What is it that makes us want to do this.
And so that's been really great to.
So Titus was to be teaching encouraging, encouraging people
showing them how to do this but then also correcting and
rebuking them when they did not. Because of the culture in Crete,
this sound Doctrine should lead to sound living.
You should make sure that they realize that their faith has to
influence their lifestyle. That's been a huge emphasis and
his letter. Everything we've seen so far up
until now has been kind of looking inward.
It's been about personal Holiness.
It's been about holding us in the home.
It's been about Holiness within the church and what that should
look like. It's been a, how should we
conduct Our Lives as Christians among One another in our homes
and our families, and just personally, what does my life to
look like as a born-again Believer?
Today, we are going to shift the focus, Paul changes.
The focus is a bit and this letter and we're going to look
outward. Now, we're going to look at what
should Godly living look like for Christians out there amongst
Outsiders as we leave the church and maybe step out of our homes
and all of that and we get out into the world around us.
How are we to as Christians approach?
Unbelievers and approached the culture around us and The
Outsiders. So that's what we're going to
look at today. You see, it's Christians.
We are caught up in this struggle of being in the world
yet not of the world. Amen.
World is not our home. We look forward to a Heavenly
home. So, how are we to interact?
As we are still here in this world?
How are we to conduct ourselves as aliens and sojourners in a
foreign land? That is what Paul is talking to
Titus about in today's text and he's going to help answer that
question for us. So let's read Titus Chapter 2
starting at verse 15. Declare these things, exhort and
rebuke with all authority. Let, no one.
Disregard, you remind them to be.
Submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient to
be ready for every good work to speak, evil of no one to avoid.
Quarreling, to be gentle and to show perfect courtesy toward all
people for we ourselves were once foolish disobedient.
LED astray slaves to various passions and Pleasures passing
hour days in Malice and envy hated by others and hating one.
Another So the the big idea for today's sermon the kind of the
central proposition if you will the thing I want you guys to
remember, if you don't remember anything else, write this down
is that the gospel transforms us into ambassador's of Christ?
Okay. The gospel.
That's what does the work? The gospel transforms us into
ambassador's of Christ. That's what we want to talk on
today. So let's jump right into the
text. 2:15 in many of your Bibles.
This is the last verse in chapter 2.
Before we start chapter 3, it's the end of that section.
When I first started preparing for this, I kind of wondered why
it was broke up this way. Why did we choose to do it this
way? And then I realized that 2:15 is
a, it's kind of a summary sentence.
It's summarizing everything we've talked about and it's
helping set the tone for everything we're about to talk
about, okay? So it's a transitional sentence
here. Not only is tied as to teach and
encourage and rebuke. All of the things that we've
talked about so far in the church with the Christians, but
he is to do so with all authority, not letting anyone
disregard him, okay? Now this is very, very
reminiscent of his instruction to Timothy in 1st, Timothy 4:12
or he told Timothy, let no one despise you for your youth, but
set the Believers and example in speech and conduct and love, and
And in Purity so these things that tied us was to be teaching
all the things we've learned all the things we've looked at that,
he's to be teaching these are not just suggestions.
Okay, he's to teach, he's to encourage these things in the
people and he is to do. So with all authority.
So these weren't suggestions that Paul is making saying, you
know, what if the people feel like doing these things, tell
them that would be great. If they, if they can manage it,
this would be wonderful. Know he's telling Titus teach
this rebuke them in this. Make sure they understand that.
These things are absolutely crucial.
These were not optional qualities.
So this verse 15, it helps set the tone for not only everything
we've just looked at, but going forward how important all of
this is He was to Titus was to remind them of the things that
we are about to discuss verse 1 of chapter. 3 says, remind them
to and then we get into all of it.
So these were things that they've already been taught.
These are things. They would have already known
throughout the Book of Titus Paul has been stressing that as
Christians, they were to live differently from the culture
around them. They were to live opposite of
the way. The culture looked He has over
and over again in the book of Titus listed the qualities of
the false teachers, and the Pagan culture there in specific
detail and then turned and said, but you were to look like this.
Here's what they look like, here's what the world looks like
in your culture, your to look like this and they're always
Polar Opposites, he's done this multiple times, and that's
exactly what he's going to do in today's text.
So let's get into this. In verse 1 of chapter 3, he
starts out by saying be submissive to the rulers and
authorities be obedient be ready for every good work.
Let's stop there. That's verse 1.
So let me let me give you just a brief history lesson.
Paul here in verse 1 is telling the be submissive to the rulers
and the authorities to the governing authorities over you.
Okay? So give you a brief history
lesson. Crete this island of Crete was
conquered by Rome sometime around.
And 66 BC 66 to 67 68 BC, Paul's letter to Titus was written
sometime in the mid 60's ad. So there was a little bit of a
gap there between the time when they were conquered by Rome.
And when Paul's writing this letter, but Crete was an island
that was ruled and conquered by Rome, Crete would have not only
been ruled by them. So not only would there have
been officials and governors and however, their political stuff
was set up there to rule over But there probably would have
been soldiers there as well. I didn't dig deep enough to find
out if there was a military for it, there any of that, but no
doubt, there would have been at least a few soldiers there to
help prevent any kind of rebellions or uprisings, but
basically Rome had conquered them and they were their ruling
over them. So, the cretans, the people of
Crete, the natives had some animosity toward the Romans to
say the least. Many of the cretans were known
to be disobedient to be insubordinate, especially,
especially the Jewish leaders of the day who were always trying
to start some sort of a riot, or an uprising or Rebellion, Titus,
110 told us when we read it, there are many who are
insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers, especially those
of the circumcision party. And then in verse 14, chapter 1
verse 16, we saw that they profess to know, God, but they
deny him. By their Works, they are
detestable disobedient unfit for any good work.
So these false teachers these Jewish leaders, these people
that are leading everyone astray, they were known known
for their Rebellion for they're trying to provoke these
uprisings and these division in the culture, they're occupied by
Foreign leaders. Everyone there seemed to hate
them. So this was a constant ongoing
issue. There were constantly trying to
start a revolt on the island of Crete.
It is a very common theme and that's why Paul writes to Titus
on how Christians are to approach.
This, how Christians are to live their lives in relationship to
the governing authorities, Paul lays out that as Believers in
Christ, as born-again new creatures in Christ, they are to
behave differently. Remember, all through the
letter, here's what they look like.
Here's what you should look like.
If they like to start uprisings. I hate the government and do all
of this and they're causing Division and conflict.
What you you do, should be obedient.
You should be submissive So remember we're not of this
world, right? This world is not our home.
We shouldn't act like everyone else in this world.
When Jesus saves us, he takes us out of that former life, out of
that, former situation. He redeems us, he cleans us up.
He gives us his righteousness bestows that upon us, and then
puts us right back in the same situation.
We were in, but we're not the same.
As we were before we've become new creatures, but we're still
in the same job, the same home, the same.
We'll all of those things. But now, were there as a
representative for Christ were there as one of his ambassadors,
and that's what an ambassador does.
An ambassador goes into a foreign land to act as a
representative for his home country in that place and that's
what we are as Christians. That's what the people of Crete
would have been in that culture there in their New Creations
there. Now ambassador's for Christ,
Living amongst these pagan people, that's what we're doing
while we're Still here on this Earth.
So knowing how the Jewish authorities have these false
teachers. And most of the culture of as
treating these Roman officials and the Roman authorities, those
Outsiders who were their ruling over them.
Paul tells Titus remind the Christians in Crete that you
aren't here to start revolts, you're not here to start.
Uprisings, you are here to spread the gospel you are here
to represent Christ. That is your mission, not an
uprising, make that your priority.
And you do that by being submissive verse 1.
Be submissive to rulers and authorities I can just hear it
now. The Christians in Crete assay.
Whoa. Like you want us to submit to
these guys. Are you kidding me?
Yes. Yes.
In a climate where everyone everyone seemed to be angry
looking for a reason to Rebel hating the government hating.
The rulers Paul says, be submissive.
Christians are not to be hateful, angry people who are
constantly trying to stir up, Discord and resentment.
They had every reason to be mad. They had been conquered by a
foreign ruler. Okay.
There were now under Roman rule. Sure they could have been pretty
salty but Paul does not urge them to revolt.
He urges them to be Peaceable. To be obedient.
Why why in the world? I think Romans 13 can help us
with this event. This has been a verse that's
been thrown around a lot over the last couple of years and we
don't have time to dive deeply into Romans 13 and unpack.
That today, that's not our ticks but I love that in verses 1 and
2. It says, let every person be
subject to the governing authorities for there is no
Authority except from God and those that exist have been
instituted by God. Jay Paul is reminding the Romans
in that letter and he's also reminding the cretans in his
letter to tide us. That God is Sovereign.
God is in control of all of this somehow.
This is part of his plan. We might not understand it, but
he is in control. The Romans didn't conquer,
Crete, and God was standing back saying, what?
I didn't know that was going to happen.
It's all somehow part of God's plan.
He is in control. He is sovereign So these rulers
that are there are put there by God, God appointed them to be
there in that time and place. We might not understand why it
might be that they're there as an act of judgment on that land.
Maybe, maybe not. But what we do know is that it
doesn't matter because our faith is not in governments.
Our faith is in Christ and in Christ alone.
That's the rock. We stand on, so it doesn't
matter. In charge of the government
doesn't matter what matters is Christ and the life that we have
in him. So Paul is charging the cretans
to be submissive not rebellious and disobedient.
They were to be a peaceful people.
In fact, in 1st Timothy 2, he even goes so far as to command
them to not, the cretans, but just to command Christians to
pray for their rulers and authorities.
So not only be submissive and be obedient.
You need to be praying for them. First Timothy 2 1 through 3
says, first of all, then I urge that supplications prayers
intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people for kings
and all who are in high positions that we may lead a
peaceful and quiet life Godly and dignified in every way this
is good and it is pleasing. In the sight of God our savior
So the overall gist here for the cretans is that they should not
be a rebellious people constantly stirring up division.
They were to Adorn the gospel by being peaceful submissive and
living gentle lives. Amongst The Outsiders amongst
amongst unbelievers around them. Now this still applies to us
today, it will look. We're not occupied by a foreign
ruler. Our land has not been invaded,
we've not been conquered. So we have to be very, very
careful. Not to read texts like this and
just automatically insert ourselves into that.
We have to be very careful about that.
Their situation was much different.
Paul was writing what he was writing in this letter for a
reason. This was an issue there but we
still have the opportunity every day to set ourselves apart from
the culture by being peaceful and loving people instead of
being hateful and divisive. I think we could all agree that
right now and over the last couple of years, there's been a
lot of hatred and Division in our country.
We as Christians are to lead a different kind of life.
So I had to ask myself this question and I want to ask you
to when was the last time you prayed for our ruling
authorities and our government? When was the last time you gave
thanks for them. That's hard.
That's really hard at times. We're not going to get into all
the nuances of that but again we are to be a people marked by A
Gentle Spirit by submission and peacefulness.
We need to be praying for those in charge.
We need to be praying that God would redeem.
This nation just as the cretans were to do.
In fact Paul not only commands them to be submissive and
obedient he goes on to say they should be ready for every good
work. Now the commentator, John Stott
says it is not enough for Christians to be law-abiding.
We are to be public-spirited as well.
We are to be ready. Eager, not reluctant to do,
whatever is good whenever we have the opportunity.
So you see these these cretins, the people of Crete, the
Christians there were to be looking for ways to do good in
their Community. They were to be eager to have a
positive impact on the culture around them and help make it
better, not worse. These false teachers, these
Jewish leaders were the opposite of that back in chapter 1 verse
16, it says they are disobedient.
Unfit for any good work. They were incapable of doing
good. Everything they did was evil
defiled and detestable. All they did was bring Division
and hatred. This was the culture that these
Christians were living in. Does that sound Vaguely Familiar
for us today? These Christians of Crete were
to be a light in the midst of all of that Darkness around
them. They were to look for ways to
help make things better to be eager to do, good to not add,
more Discord, and more division. We should do this.
Also, again, we're not we're not occupied by some foreign threat,
but these principles still apply to us today.
We can still pray for those in Authority.
We can live peaceful lives. We can follow the laws of the
land. We can pay our taxes.
When given the opportunity, we can vote and try to make
positive change that way. Should absolutely speak out
against evil. When we see it, we should be
vocal about those things that violate God's word, but we
should not be a people known for constantly arguing constantly
causing division constantly stirring up conflict and strife
and bickering with people that is not a mark of a Christian.
When people think about us as born-again Believers in Christ,
they should not immediately have the image or think of this
person whose tongue is loaded with poison ready to spew Venom
on. The first person that disagrees
with me or gets in my crosshairs and is not the way a Christian
should act and conduct themselves.
Now, do you want to say there obviously are some exceptions to
this submission to the ruling authorities.
Okay. I'm going to, I'm going to chase
just a small rabbit here for a second but we worship God, not
Caesar, amen. We have to remember that our
Allegiance is to the Lord, not to the state, we follow the
rules and the laws of the land, unless they command us to
violate God's rules. And commands, that is where we
draw the line. The Bible is full of great
examples of this just wanted, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in
Daniel chapter 3 King Nebuchadnezzar had made a decree
that when the horn sounded everyone had to Bow Down and
Worship the image of gold. These three guys I would not do
that. When summoned to answer for this
King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw them in the fiery.
Furnace. Here's what they said to the
king o Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this
matter. If this be so our God, whom we
serve is able to Deliver Us From The Burning fiery furnace and he
will deliver us out of your hand O King but if not be it known To
You O King, we will not serve your gods or worship the golden
image that you have set up. So these three guys are saying
you're going to throw us in a fiery furnace, you're going to
kill us if we don't Bow Down and Worship your idol.
Fine do it, God might Deliver us, but if he doesn't, we're
still not going to worship your idol.
Throw us in there. Do it.
Go ahead. And of course, God did deliver
them. Peter and the apostles is
another great example in Acts chapter 5 verses, 27 through 29
says when they had brought them, they set them before the council
and the high priest. Questioned them saying, we
strictly charged you not to teach in this name.
Meaning Jesus yet. Here you have filled Jerusalem
with your teaching and you intend to bring this man's blood
upon us. But Peter and the apostles
answered we must obey God, rather than men.
That is The Stance we take as Christians.
We live as peaceably as we can, we follow the rules.
We do what we can to promote peace and bring people together,
not divided but we never never never violate God's command.
So if our country ever gets to a place for example where a law
comes into into place that says that Pastors in churches have to
no matter what Mary people of the same sex they have to do
that. And if you don't you'll lose
your privileges as a church. You won't be tactics of
tax-exempt anymore. If something like that were to
happen, the Elders of this church will come stand before
you guys and say you're offering is no longer tax-exempt, we're
not going to do it. Another great example would be
if our government tells us you can't worship.
You can't gather together and worship God anymore.
You can't do that. It's against the rules now.
You guys will have to have Miss Kay deliver bread to the jail,
cause that's where we're going to be.
We're not going to stop worshipping ever.
Jesus Christ. Is our King.
We owe him our Allegiance. We are to live as peaceably as
we can while we're here. We are to follow the laws of the
land. We are to be a people known for
gentleness and meekness and be mild but we will not.
We cannot Violate God's command to do so.
So, this was just one of the ways.
That the cretans that the Christians of Crete were to
engage The Outsiders and the unbelievers and their culture.
The government had this is a very specific situation for them
but this is how they were to approach this as opposed to the
culture around them. It was a huge part of what was
happening in created the time. If you'll remember back in
Chapter 2 verses 9 through 10, that was the section on bond
servants, and they also were called to be submissive to their
masters for of Purpose of adorning, the Gospel making the
gospel, lovely, making it attractive to other people.
That was why they were to be submissive.
And it's the same thing here. We are to be submissive to our
government. We are to live peaceably to make
the gospel attractive. Nothing is attractive about a
people that are just constantly fighting and quarreling and
stirring up division, whether it be in person or Online.
So let's move on another way that these Christians on Crete
were to engage the culture around them.
Another way, they were to be ambassadors for the gospel.
Amongst the culture was with unbelievers and just people in
general. So, verse 2.
Paul starts to give instruction on how to treat people people in
general, okay? He starts verse 2 with speak
evil of no one and ends it with show show.
Perfect perfect, courtesy toward all, people or everyone.
So, these verses are not just about Believers.
These are about all people. Everyone, specifically,
unbelievers, it is essential to notice this.
That this means everybody. So when it comes to dealing with
people, Paul and these verses gives us two negatives into
positives to some do's and some doughnuts.
Okay? So here's the to negative
commands, don't speak evil of anyone.
In other words, don't use your words, negatively, don't
slander. Don't talk about people behind
their back, don't badmouth people.
Paul said the same thing to the Ephesians in chapter 4, verse
29. He says like no corrupting talk
come out of your mouths, but only such as is good.
For building up as fits the occasion, that it may give Grace
to those who hear all of this. Again, still applies.
We should build people up with our speech, not tear them down.
We shouldn't slander others. We shouldn't gossip.
Remember, this is how the false teachers act, right?
This is what they do. They're constantly talking bad
about people constantly, gossiping and slandering, and
backbiting, and we're to be opposite of that.
The other - here is don't quarrel or avoid quarreling, but
don't don't quarrel don't start fights.
They shouldn't be picking fights, they shouldn't be
argumentative and bickering with people, they should be should
not be looking for conflict all the time.
This goes hand-in-hand, with why would they were to be submissive
to the government. Because constantly, bickering
constantly fighting does not do anything but make the gospel
look unattractive. So we shouldn't go looking for
division. We shouldn't be looking for ways
to fight and disagree again with our mouths or with our fingers
on a keyboard. There's we should not be looking
for ways to divide and slander and argue with people as
Christians we shouldn't run toward conflict.
We should be looking for opportunities to reconcile with
people and to love people. We should want to and do our
best to live out Romans. 18 which says, if possible so far
as it depends on, you live peaceably with all people.
Now, sometimes we can't help it. Controversy and divisions are
going to happen, sometimes it just lands on our doorstep.
But how we handle that can still Adorn the gospel?
We shouldn't be antagonists. And those situations, we should
be gentle, our speech should be seasoned with love and grace
toward other people. Give them the benefit of the
doubt. Hear them out, listen to them.
Well, love them. Well, Then the two positive
commands here. Be gentle, do be gentle.
I thought this was really neat. The, the Greek word here for
this means to be gracious or concealed e ettore.
I'm probably saying that wrong, but I had to look the word up.
It means intended to pacify, Okay, don't don't miss that.
You're to be gentle or gracious, or intending to pacify.
So, rather than looking for opportunities, for conflict and
division to stir up Strife, we're to be of people marked by
wanting looking for ways to pacify and bring peace to
situations, especially in our own lives with people that we
deal with. But even in the lives of others,
the rear around weird to be peacemakers So many many times
when conflicts arise, how we handle that can make a huge
difference between reconciliation and division.
So, we need to keep that in mind.
We also are to show perfect courtesy to all people.
Another way. This is translated is all
courtesy to all people. This could also mean gentleness
humility meekness considerate, giving people the benefit of the
doubt. So all gentleness all courtesy
to all people we're to show as much courtesy as we possibly can
to every single person that we come into contact with all
people against Todd says In other words, there's no limit to
how much humble courtesy that we should show or who we should
show it to as much as we can muster.
We should show all courtesy, all gentleness to all people all the
time, there's no caveats to this.
He goes on to say that these two positive commands here where two
characteristics of Jesus himself, that Paul appealed to
the Corinthians with and second Corinthians, 10 meek and Mild.
Gentle and meek, we are to emulate Christ in this.
We are ambassadors of Christ were in a foreign land as his
Representatives we should want to live our lives.
As Christ, lived his life, we should want to be gentle and
meek and mild and how we're Late to peep.
So these are just two ways that Paul wrote to Titus for the
Christians of Crete to engage the culture around them, when
they step outside the church and their homes.
And now you're dealing with unbelievers, you're going to
have this government issue and then you're going to have people
in general. Here's how you are to treat
these people. Now, let's look at the
motivation behind it. All, why, why should we do this?
How are we to do this? How are we going to accomplish
this? Look at verse. great 3:3 for we
ourselves were once foolish disobedient, LED astray slaves,
to various passions and Pleasures passing hour days and
Malice and envy hated by others and hating one another So
there's two motivations here for all of the things we've talked
about for treating people and Outsiders for unbelievers and
your government. There's two motivations here,
the first one is a love for people.
Paul is saying, look, if he saved us, he might just save
them to says. Remember you used to look just
like that? You used to be part of that?
That was you. You were exactly like that, but
God saved you, he brought you out of that.
So be humble, don't point fingers.
Don't get judgy toward those people.
You used to be just like them. Love them hope and pray that God
pulls them out of that just like he did you.
We never know who that might be. John 3:8 tells us that the holy
spirit is like the wind blows. Where it wishes.
We can't predict it. We never know who God is working
on. We never know who is under
conviction, who the holy spirit is working on.
And so we need to be loving to all people.
We don't get to pick and choose who gives their life to Christ
and who he calls only, he chooses that.
So we love everybody. We keep in mind that anybody
could be right on the edge of giving their life to Christ, you
need to be loving. We need to be, we need to be
peaceful with people. We never know who God's working
on breathing called to love our enemies and pray for them.
So it's not just unbelievers or people in our lives and maybe we
disagree with their people that are our enemies that hate us.
Maybe people that we really don't like we're even called to
love them to pray for them. Pray for their salvation.
It could just be that by doing this through living counter
culturally, instead of slandering and causing Division,
and being hateful, instead of being that if we're loving, we
care about these people. It could just be that God
chooses to use you. As the means to communicate the
gospel in a way that saves their soul.
That doesn't mean you saved them, God does the saving but he
might Use you as the tool to preach the gospel to them.
And how awesome is that that God chooses to use us?
Who used to be nasty? Sinners still are sinners, but
he's redeemed Us and how he uses us to reach other people.
So keep that in mind when dealing with Outsiders and
unbelievers. The second motivation here for y
to do this is a love for God. It's a love for people and a
love for God. Paul reminds the Christians on
Crete that they used to be. Just like that.
They used to be just like those unbelievers.
They used to be a people marked by foolishness Disobedience,
malice, Envy hating other people and being hated the exact
opposite of everything that he's just commanded.
You used to be like that. He uses the words, LED astray
and slaves. There were slaves to various
passions and Pleasures now. This means that they were held
captive by it. They were powerless against it.
They were being absolutely fully submissive, but not so their
government and not to God not to any kind of authorities, but to
their own passions and Pleasures.
They were submissive to sin and to Satan.
That's what they were submissive to their were slaves to the
devil Bound by him. Imprisoned, by him, unable to
Break Free on their own. They spent their days in Malice
and envy hating others and being hated.
But then, something miraculous happened.
This is not part of our text. We're going to get into this
next week but let's just for funsies, let's read Verses 4
through 8 of chapter 3 but when the goodness and the loving
kindness of God our savior appeared, he saved us.
Not because of Works done by us in righteousness, but according
to his own Mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of
the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us richly through.
Jesus Christ, Our Savior. So that being justified by his
grace, Nice. We might become heirs, according
to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I
want you to insist on these things.
That those who have believed in God, may be careful to devote
themselves to good works. These things are excellent and
profitable for people. These people were slaves to sin,
they were LED astray by it. They were captivated by it but
God saved them, not because of anything they did but because of
his mercy and his love and his grace, he saved them, God set
them free. He freed them from their bondage
to sin and slavery and made them a new creation.
The gospel transformed them into a people with new hearts and new
affections. Now, set on Christ.
And as newly transformed people, they were to be ambassador's
representatives of Jesus in that culture.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they were to live a life
set. Apart devoted to Good Works.
Instead of evil works The same is still true for us.
This is our motivation for Godly living among Outsiders.
We have been redeemed, we have been saved, God has set us free
from the bondage of sin. We are no longer slaves to the
Flesh and to sin and it's because of him alone.
And so now because of that, I want to do everything I can to
live my life for Christ and to go represent him well in the
Unity that I'm a part of. So verse 3 gives us the why
behind the how that these cretins were to live their lives
as Christians in the culture around them.
So what does all of this mean for us in Magnolia Arkansas, the
21st century. Well, I have a couple of ideas
worship team, you guys can come up if you want to and going to
wrap this up. What does this mean for us
today? As we've gone through these
things, I've pointed out a couple of times at these things,
still apply to us today and they do.
But specifically, I want you guys to hear a couple of things.
Number one, if you're in this place and you're a believer.
If you've given your life to Christ, these words were written
to a specific people in a specific Place.
Specific time under very specific circumstances but these
principles still apply to us as Believers.
God has set us free from the slavery of sin.
He has redeemed us and made us New Creations.
And as New Creations, as transformed creatures, by the
gospel we are now ambassador's for Christ in the world around.
And us this place is not our home.
We are eagerly longing for the day that we can be done with sin
and death and all the consequences of the curse and be
with Jesus in Paradise. But while we are here, we have a
mission to spread the good news and Adorn the gospel through
Godly living among Outsiders. Second Corinthians 5:17 through
21 says, therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away. Hold the new has come and all of
this is from God who through Christ reconciled himself.
Reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation that is in Christ.
God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their
trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of
reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for
Christ. God making his appeal through
us. We implore you on behalf of
Christ be reconciled to God for our sake.
He made him who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him, we might
become the righteousness of God. So, brothers and sisters.
Let's live our lives in submission.
Let's be gentle. Let's be courteous, not
quarrelsome and divisive. Let's be a people known for that
for being considerate and courteous to other people.
Let's not be quick to judge quick to run to conflict and
stir. Up division.
Now, I know I fail at this and I know you probably do, too.
Unfortunately, when we are saved these things don't automatically
download our hard drive and Bama.
Perfect at this, it's an ongoing process called sanctification.
So I want to encourage you in this pray and ask God to help
you in this. It's only through the holy
spirit's power that we can love people in this kind of way it's
not natural. It goes against what our flesh
tells us to do. So I want to encourage you as
believers. You used to be just like them,
love them. Well you're an ambassador for
Christ in your culture around, you represent Christ, well of
people. Well and then for anyone in here
who maybe hasn't ever placed their faith in Christ, maybe
you've never made that commitment.
Maybe you've never placed your faith in him.
Maybe all of this is brand-new to you, maybe you read that
description of those unbelievers there are so hateful and all
that you say, man, that's me. I want to tell you that is no
way to live your life. Jesus said that he came to give
life and give it more abundantly.
So if you've never placed your faith in Christ, you've never
been reborn and made a new creation, it is not too late to
do that. If he did it for me, he can do
it for you. And that is what Paul is saying.
In verse 3 that we all used to be this way, but through Christ,
you can be made new and it is only through the saving grace of
God, that any of us can be free from this bondage of Sin from
the slavery to sin, but you can be free of that burden.
You can be free of all that hatred and bitterness you do not
have to live your life like that.
You don't have to carry that around all the time.
I beg you to place your hope and your faith in Christ today to
believe in him to turn from that life of hatred and bitterness
and quarrelsome - and all of that to a life of being
submissive to Christ, to loving people, into being courteous and
wanting to be an ambassador for Christ.
Believe in Jesus, place your faith, and your hope in him
today. And if you have any questions
about that, or you won't pray or any of that, I'll be down here.
Be glad to talk to you or pray with you Kyle.
Do the same and stick around and talk afterward.
If you have any questions about that, please come see us.
But don't leave here today, without doing that.
The gospel transforms us into ambassador's for Christ.
Let's remember that. As we leave this place and we go
our separate ways and we go out into the culture out into these
areas where we're surrounded by unbelievers.
Let's remember, we have been placed there by God for reason
to represent Jesus and preach the gospel in the love people.
Well, you guys join. Join me in.
Stand your feet. We're going to sing.
Going to worship. Praise God.
This morning.