WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.580 Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons podcast. 00:00:12.100 --> 00:00:14.000 We're so glad you chose to listen today. 00:00:14.540 --> 00:00:19.980 This week's message from Titus 2 focuses on the importance of sound doctrine and spiritual 00:00:19.980 --> 00:00:21.560 maturity in our daily lives. 00:00:22.520 --> 00:00:27.020 Paul emphasizes the role of older men and women in guiding the younger generation, the 00:00:27.020 --> 00:00:31.260 necessity of self-control, and the power of a life rooted in godliness. 00:00:32.380 --> 00:00:36.380 Through principles of discipline, reverence, and discipleship, we are called to live in 00:00:36.380 --> 00:00:38.360 a way that reflects Christ's teachings. 00:00:39.460 --> 00:00:44.380 Join us as we explore how growing in faith transforms our character and strengthens our 00:00:44.380 --> 00:00:45.280 witness to the world. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:46.820 Thanks for listening. 00:00:57.020 --> 00:00:57.840 Well, good morning. 00:00:59.020 --> 00:01:03.260 If you have your Bible, and I hope you do, I invite you to join us in Titus chapter 2. 00:01:04.440 --> 00:01:06.640 We'll all get through today. 00:01:06.980 --> 00:01:12.900 We'll all be energized in the morning, and hopefully we'll all get a nap this afternoon. 00:01:13.260 --> 00:01:18.900 I heard somebody say the older and older that you get, the harder these Sundays are, and they're 00:01:18.900 --> 00:01:20.540 difficult by all means. 00:01:20.600 --> 00:01:24.880 But I want to thank each and every one of you for being here, even though you lost an hour 00:01:24.880 --> 00:01:26.140 of sleep last night. 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:29.400 If you're a first-time guest, thank you for being here, especially. 00:01:29.820 --> 00:01:31.940 You are an honored guest here at our church. 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:34.360 We are blessed to have you here with us. 00:01:34.600 --> 00:01:38.860 And at the end of the service, my wife and I will be back here at this table with a black 00:01:38.860 --> 00:01:39.560 cloth on it. 00:01:39.800 --> 00:01:40.780 And we're there. 00:01:40.860 --> 00:01:43.400 We'd love for you to stop by so that we can learn your name. 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:45.380 We can thank you personally for being here. 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:51.060 And then if you do happen to have any questions for us, we would love to be able to answer 00:01:51.060 --> 00:01:51.460 those. 00:01:51.940 --> 00:01:56.180 A couple things for you guys to be praying for and praying through this week. 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.780 First off, I will be leading a team. 00:01:58.900 --> 00:02:02.580 There will be 10 of us that will be traveling to India this week. 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:05.440 We'll be leaving Wednesday, and we're excited about that. 00:02:05.500 --> 00:02:08.340 We've been working on this trip for really almost a year. 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:10.680 Team come together over about the last six months. 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:14.580 We're going to be going into the Christian school that we work with there and teaching 00:02:14.580 --> 00:02:16.520 health science through a Christian worldview. 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:18.000 So we're excited about that. 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:20.140 We're going to host a women's ministry event. 00:02:20.220 --> 00:02:21.500 We're going to do a community concert. 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:23.260 We're going to do small group leaders training. 00:02:23.460 --> 00:02:27.340 And then we're going to be doing some teaching and a Bible college about discipleship and working 00:02:27.340 --> 00:02:28.260 through Titus. 00:02:28.340 --> 00:02:31.280 And so excited about all of those opportunities to do that. 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:37.660 So I want to encourage you to be praying for us as we head out on this journey. 00:02:37.880 --> 00:02:40.920 I want to read a Bible verse and then say a couple things. 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:44.680 Before we pray, but to get our mind focused on what God has for us. 00:02:45.180 --> 00:02:51.460 Titus 2 verse 1 says this, but as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 00:02:52.340 --> 00:02:56.380 A little sneak preview into the message. 00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:02.560 When Paul says to teach sound doctrine, that word, when you begin to understand what it literally 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:05.120 means is not just what you know, but it's what you live. 00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:06.700 It's what you live. 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:09.960 So there's kind of point 1A and we'll get there in just a second. 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:18.040 This week, one of our beloved, dear church members, Ms. Vera. 00:03:18.460 --> 00:03:19.560 Many of you know Ms. Vera. 00:03:20.740 --> 00:03:23.220 She got some tough news from the doctor. 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:27.800 And we didn't know if we'd see Ms. Vera this morning. 00:03:29.860 --> 00:03:38.420 And so I was walking to my office to get my notes for this morning and Ms. Vera was walking 00:03:38.420 --> 00:03:38.620 in. 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:43.400 And so Ms. Jackie's going to be back there with Ms. Vera. 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:47.400 What I'd like for us to do is just pray for Ms. Vera. 00:03:48.100 --> 00:03:48.440 All right. 00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:54.080 And thank God for her faithfulness. 00:03:54.880 --> 00:03:55.100 Amen. 00:03:56.100 --> 00:04:04.100 That what she knows about the Lord is not a thought in her mind simply, but it is evidence 00:04:04.100 --> 00:04:05.240 of faithfulness in her life. 00:04:06.220 --> 00:04:10.600 And so would you join me as we go before the Lord, as we prepare to study his word, and 00:04:10.600 --> 00:04:11.520 as we pray for Ms. Vera. 00:04:12.180 --> 00:04:13.320 God, I thank you for today. 00:04:13.580 --> 00:04:16.160 What a joy and honor it is to open your word. 00:04:17.500 --> 00:04:20.940 God, I pray that what will be said is that we teach sound doctrine. 00:04:25.660 --> 00:04:33.740 But God, I thank you for the saints, like Ms. Vera, who faithfully live what they believe. 00:04:35.780 --> 00:04:38.000 God, I pray for Ms. Vera, and I pray for her doctor's appointments. 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:43.220 I pray for those that are caring for her during this time. 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:51.540 I pray for her family, her friends, her loved ones who surround her. 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:54.180 God, we pray for her. 00:04:56.760 --> 00:04:58.000 We pray for her healing. 00:05:00.900 --> 00:05:10.580 God, whether her healing happened here, or praise God for her healing for all of eternity. 00:05:12.760 --> 00:05:14.020 God, we thank you for her. 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:17.300 We thank you for her faithfulness. 00:05:19.460 --> 00:05:26.900 God, we thank you for how that's modeled to her brothers and sisters in Christ, her fellow 00:05:26.900 --> 00:05:27.580 church members. 00:05:29.760 --> 00:05:31.080 God, we thank you for her. 00:05:36.140 --> 00:05:37.340 We thank you for her, Savior. 00:05:39.580 --> 00:05:40.740 It's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:42.280 Amen. 00:05:43.280 --> 00:05:43.600 Amen. 00:05:45.840 --> 00:05:46.860 All right, Titus 2. 00:05:47.440 --> 00:05:48.220 Start verse 1. 00:05:48.400 --> 00:05:49.260 We're going to read it back over. 00:05:50.740 --> 00:05:56.480 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 00:05:56.480 --> 00:06:04.080 Last week, we saw the dangers of what happens when you begin to let false doctrine, false 00:06:04.080 --> 00:06:05.840 teaching invade the church. 00:06:06.260 --> 00:06:09.680 We saw that Jesus warns and speaks to this. 00:06:09.940 --> 00:06:11.540 Paul warns and speaks to this. 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:13.840 Peter warns and speaks to this. 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:16.080 Jude warns and speaks to this. 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:21.640 Multiple times throughout scripture, what we begin to see are the heresies, the false doctrines, 00:06:21.900 --> 00:06:23.220 and how to deal with that. 00:06:23.340 --> 00:06:27.380 And what we find is that the false doctrines, they invade the church. 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:33.620 And when false doctrine invades the church, the gospel message itself is attacked. 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:45.080 And so Paul is calling Titus to not only be the leader and to call qualified leaders, but 00:06:45.080 --> 00:06:49.480 to also make sure that these leaders are ready for the fight that is there. 00:06:49.660 --> 00:06:55.160 And then in these transitioning here in chapter 2, we're going to get some application parts. 00:06:55.480 --> 00:07:01.400 And he begins this transition by saying, but as for you, Titus, let's make sure that this 00:07:01.400 --> 00:07:02.160 begins with you. 00:07:02.440 --> 00:07:05.600 But as for you, Titus, teach what accords. 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:09.860 So this is what you're going to focus on with sound doctrine. 00:07:11.080 --> 00:07:15.460 And this is important, that sound doctrine, lots of times we hear this word doctrine, we 00:07:15.460 --> 00:07:22.100 hear the word theology, and we begin to think of right and correct thinking, or right and 00:07:22.100 --> 00:07:23.000 correct belief. 00:07:23.140 --> 00:07:26.060 And that is absolutely, partially true. 00:07:27.060 --> 00:07:28.900 Sound doctrine is right thinking. 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:31.300 Sound doctrine is right teaching. 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:34.920 But sound doctrine is also right living. 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:38.280 It's the proper application of that. 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:45.020 If we go back to two weeks before, when Pastor Dave welcomed us with this book, brought us 00:07:45.020 --> 00:07:50.100 into this, he says, it says that Paul, a servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the 00:07:50.100 --> 00:07:57.220 sake of the faith of God's elect, and their knowledge of the truth, so for the sake of the faith 00:07:57.220 --> 00:08:04.160 that they believed, and then they knew, so that it accords with godliness. 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:09.780 And yes, godliness is the way that we think, but godliness is the way we speak, godliness 00:08:09.780 --> 00:08:14.140 is the way that we act, it's who we are, because of who we are in Christ. 00:08:14.940 --> 00:08:18.740 It's not what we do so that we will be saved, it's who we become, because we are saved. 00:08:19.460 --> 00:08:24.380 That all throughout Scripture, continuing the New Testament message, in the gospel of grace, 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:31.480 that God has saved us, that God calls us, that God equips us, that God transforms us. 00:08:33.940 --> 00:08:39.220 In the Great Commission, Matthew 28, 19 through 20, it's not an intellectual pursuit. 00:08:40.220 --> 00:08:44.220 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and 00:08:44.220 --> 00:08:49.260 the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 00:08:49.800 --> 00:08:51.820 And behold, I'm with you always to the ends of the age. 00:08:52.040 --> 00:09:02.140 Teaching them that what we know, we tell, what we know, we show, and that when we show, we go. 00:09:03.420 --> 00:09:06.340 And we see this process of what's there. 00:09:06.680 --> 00:09:14.880 God's Word will always point you to application, and application always comes from transformation 00:09:14.880 --> 00:09:17.820 through the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:09:18.700 --> 00:09:25.700 When I was in college years and years and years ago, the college that I was at required 00:09:25.700 --> 00:09:37.480 us to take two arts classes, musical appreciation, theater appreciation, and art appreciation. 00:09:38.700 --> 00:09:43.700 Well, I was the type of student that did research because I wanted to understand what was going 00:09:43.700 --> 00:09:45.220 to be asked of me. 00:09:46.420 --> 00:09:51.840 The first class that I took was music appreciation because I found out that basically everything 00:09:51.840 --> 00:09:56.720 that I had learned in middle school band was going to get me at least a B. 00:09:57.540 --> 00:09:59.560 All right, like sign me up for that. 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:05.900 Then close to the time that I was getting ready to graduate, I had to make the decision, do 00:10:05.900 --> 00:10:09.540 I take art appreciation or do I take theater appreciation? 00:10:09.860 --> 00:10:15.420 All right, so I went to my research, and I went for theater appreciation first because I 00:10:15.420 --> 00:10:19.520 like movies, I like plays, I like watching people act, this could be fun. 00:10:20.060 --> 00:10:25.520 And I found out the irony of this, I found out that in theater appreciation, at the end of 00:10:25.520 --> 00:10:33.060 the semester, you had to put on a play in which everyone was required to be on stage and speak 00:10:33.060 --> 00:10:34.960 in front of a crowd of a couple hundred people. 00:10:35.860 --> 00:10:39.260 And I was like, there's absolutely no way that I can ever do that, right? 00:10:40.040 --> 00:10:41.700 So no, so I'm not going to do that. 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:45.300 So instead, I signed up for art appreciation. 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:49.940 Now, let me tell you, if you're an art person, man, that is great. 00:10:50.220 --> 00:10:52.000 My grandma was an artist. 00:10:52.100 --> 00:10:54.220 We've got her paintings all over our house. 00:10:54.860 --> 00:10:56.040 I'm not an art guy. 00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:57.820 Like a stick figure is good. 00:10:57.900 --> 00:10:58.960 I can't draw a circle. 00:10:59.260 --> 00:10:59.900 Like it's bad. 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:05.600 If my kids ever needed me like in third grade or second grade to like plagiarize for them 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:08.300 the art project that they were sent home to do, like I can't do it. 00:11:08.420 --> 00:11:10.920 I can't cut in a straight line, never was able to. 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:11.960 Like that's just not me. 00:11:12.020 --> 00:11:12.900 That's just not my thing. 00:11:13.160 --> 00:11:20.240 But I found out that the class, like what we would have to do each week was we would 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:26.900 be given 50 pieces of art from a specific discipline of art. 00:11:27.560 --> 00:11:34.700 And then we would be tested on 10 of those that were selected randomly. 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:38.280 And we had to answer for each piece that was selected. 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:39.960 We had to answer these four questions. 00:11:40.280 --> 00:11:43.220 Who was the artist that created this piece? 00:11:43.740 --> 00:11:48.120 The second thing, when did the artist create this piece? 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:52.440 The third one was what was the name of that piece called? 00:11:53.060 --> 00:12:01.320 And then the fourth is one additional piece of information about that piece of art that 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:02.160 we could share. 00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:04.380 It's like, I can do that. 00:12:04.860 --> 00:12:06.040 Got to do this to graduate. 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:07.260 Here we go. 00:12:07.620 --> 00:12:08.920 I made flashcards. 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:10.540 We got it done. 00:12:10.840 --> 00:12:16.620 And at the end of every test, I forgot what I just learned. 00:12:17.940 --> 00:12:26.200 At the end of art appreciation, I did not appreciate art anymore than when I started with art, right? 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:33.360 I didn't gain the ability to paint, the ability to sculpt, the ability to draw. 00:12:34.100 --> 00:12:43.120 I didn't even gain the ability to look at art and tell you, like, what is good art and what is not bad art. 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:46.120 I just knew a list of facts. 00:12:47.280 --> 00:12:47.980 That's it. 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:53.240 That was the extent of my art appreciation. 00:12:56.020 --> 00:12:58.060 Paul's warning to Titus is this. 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:05.440 Do not teach Bible appreciation. 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:24.940 That sometimes in the teaching of God's Word, it's done so with a desire to give me the facts 00:13:24.940 --> 00:13:40.060 that I can regurgitate them, I can tell you the author was, I can tell you the name, I can tell you when it was written, I can tell you a couple things about it. 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:55.400 But to develop the heart, but to develop the heart to transform and to being the one who knows this, who lives this, who desires this is foreign. 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:08.060 So Paul writes to Titus, but as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 00:14:10.060 --> 00:14:21.980 that it's who you are in Christ Jesus and that it's what you know and that it works through the power of the Holy Spirit to produce godliness in you. 00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:27.500 And then Paul is going to address, instruct Titus. 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:30.260 He's got, the church there is like our church now. 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:34.100 It's got different people, different aspects, different backgrounds. 00:14:35.660 --> 00:14:41.580 And he says, like, here's, here's how you're going to do this with the five different types of people in your congregation. 00:14:41.900 --> 00:14:49.900 He said there's going to be older men, older women, younger women, younger men, and servants, bond servants is what they refer to here. 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:50.280 All right. 00:14:51.660 --> 00:15:00.260 And here's, there's a reason each of these people, groups, ranges are being addressed. 00:15:00.820 --> 00:15:03.880 And we're going to talk about why they are addressed. 00:15:04.180 --> 00:15:12.300 But, but the important part that's for us as well is there's, there's something that we can all learn from their instruction, right? 00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:15.200 There's something that we can all learn from their instruction. 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:18.260 So, so here's, here's also getting into this. 00:15:18.900 --> 00:15:24.080 If I will let you choose, if you fall into the older or younger category, right? 00:15:24.160 --> 00:15:26.680 Somebody asked me this week, like, what is the age on those? 00:15:27.640 --> 00:15:29.020 Man, I ain't answering that, right? 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:29.260 Right. 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:31.500 Like, I'm not falling into that trap. 00:15:31.700 --> 00:15:36.180 I'm pretty sure every lady here falls into the younger category, though. 00:15:36.420 --> 00:15:36.740 All right. 00:15:37.520 --> 00:15:40.520 Every single one of you, regardless that that's where you fall. 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:45.760 But we're all going to take these truths and see what God wants to do in us and through us with this. 00:15:45.760 --> 00:15:49.480 So, so Titus 2.2, we're going to get some different kinds of doctrine here. 00:15:49.820 --> 00:16:00.080 Titus 2.2, older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-control, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 00:16:00.260 --> 00:16:02.060 We're going to call this the doctrine of maturity. 00:16:02.880 --> 00:16:04.080 We're going to call this the doctrine of maturity. 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:09.320 Older men, the older we get. 00:16:09.320 --> 00:16:11.580 Here's what Paul instructs Titus. 00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:16.320 The older we get, the more we should have grown in maturity. 00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:23.420 And this is marked by, catch this, fellas, self-controlled faithfulness embodied by love. 00:16:24.260 --> 00:16:37.280 The older we get, the more, Paul says to Titus, that your older men should be marked by self-control and faithfulness, which is embodied by love. 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:43.120 In 1993, a classic movie of all time came out. 00:16:43.860 --> 00:16:53.520 One of the greatest comedies of all time because it honestly reflects a lot of popular, of today's actual culture, both in 1993 before and after. 00:16:54.680 --> 00:16:59.500 It starred Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, and Anne Margaret. 00:17:00.780 --> 00:17:07.440 The movie is entitled, appropriately so, Grumpy Old Men. 00:17:08.360 --> 00:17:10.040 And you know what that movie was about? 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:15.000 Two grumpy old men, right? 00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:16.780 That's the whole premise of the movie. 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:18.360 These two guys are grumpy. 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:19.240 They don't get along. 00:17:19.320 --> 00:17:21.640 They get a negative mindset of how they live. 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:22.800 They're selfish. 00:17:23.100 --> 00:17:24.140 They're focused on themselves. 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:25.320 They're not thinking about others. 00:17:25.320 --> 00:17:31.240 And the truth is, though, oftentimes, apart from Christ and maturity of the Spirit, this is who we become. 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:44.660 The more we're left with our sin, the more the stereotype of the movie falls into actuality in our lives. 00:17:45.660 --> 00:17:51.200 The older I get, quite honestly, the less that I care. 00:17:53.840 --> 00:17:57.100 And unfortunately, we wear it as a badge of honor. 00:17:58.580 --> 00:18:03.580 But that can, that's opposite of what the gospel teaches. 00:18:05.100 --> 00:18:06.540 You see, here's what the gospel says. 00:18:08.100 --> 00:18:13.740 Older men, younger men, older women, younger women. 00:18:14.820 --> 00:18:34.820 Here's how the gospel works, that the longer I live, the more I walk with Jesus, the more I walk with Jesus, the more I should look, act, think, respond, and speak like Jesus. 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:45.400 Not grumpy old men, but older, matured, Christ-like followers. 00:18:46.940 --> 00:18:48.820 This is who we're called to be. 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:56.480 When Paul defines maturity of the church at Ephesus, here's what he says. 00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:11.180 So that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro from the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes. 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:20.540 Rather, he says, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ. 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:27.360 So Paul says, like, spiritually speaking, like, stop being little children. 00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:34.460 Stop being tossed to and fro like the waves, but grow. 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:41.780 Grow up, mature, become seasoned, become experienced. 00:19:41.780 --> 00:19:49.820 The longer you walk with Jesus, the more you should reflect the walking with Christ. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:20:01.000 And in every way in which you walk, there's no part of your life that should be left unchecked. 00:20:02.620 --> 00:20:07.940 There's no part of your life that you get to hold sacred apart from him. 00:20:08.800 --> 00:20:11.620 That it's all before him, the doctrine of maturity. 00:20:12.620 --> 00:20:22.840 That you and I, as we walk with Christ, regardless if we're older or younger, male or female, when we are a follower of Christ, there's a pursuit of maturity that we go after. 00:20:24.340 --> 00:20:25.440 Now, older women. 00:20:26.900 --> 00:20:33.360 And again, I'm not speaking directly to anyone here directly with that title, but pieces we can draw. 00:20:34.360 --> 00:20:43.040 Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. 00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:46.020 They are to teach what is good. 00:20:47.540 --> 00:20:49.320 We see this, we see the doctrine of reverence. 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:54.280 Paul addresses three areas with these ladies. 00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:57.480 He addresses their action, their speech, their self-control. 00:20:59.100 --> 00:21:02.660 And a lot of ways very similar to what he's addressed with the others. 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:04.180 Here's what Paul's getting to. 00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:10.820 Here's what Paul is asking when we use this word reverence and why we use this word in the doctrine of reverence. 00:21:11.100 --> 00:21:16.660 Is how do you carry yourself before the Lord, before him? 00:21:17.840 --> 00:21:19.980 We don't just come before the Lord in worship. 00:21:20.920 --> 00:21:22.520 We are always before him. 00:21:23.600 --> 00:21:27.300 How do you carry yourself before the Lord and before others? 00:21:27.300 --> 00:21:40.920 The idea of reverence is aligned with fitting for an office, and very specifically what Paul gives Titus is that this office for these older women is to be that which teaches the younger women. 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:54.560 To live a life under the authority of God and in relationship with God, and do we carry that type of faith? 00:21:55.920 --> 00:22:09.720 Are we those that say that I surrender to him and that I carry forth a relationship with him that is so impactful in my life because of who I am in Christ, 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:18.780 because now the call of my life is to take that of what we've already seen in the Great Commission in Matthew 28 and teach it to others. 00:22:18.980 --> 00:22:19.820 Well, how can we teach it? 00:22:19.840 --> 00:22:20.460 Because we live it. 00:22:20.660 --> 00:22:21.780 We pursue it. 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:25.260 We walk through it day by day in the faith of Jesus Christ. 00:22:29.020 --> 00:22:32.040 Hebrews 11, 7 says, 00:22:32.040 --> 00:22:45.440 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear, constructed an ark for the saving of his household. 00:22:46.340 --> 00:22:50.600 By this he condemned the world and became an heir of righteousness. 00:22:50.600 --> 00:22:51.680 That comes by faith. 00:22:52.280 --> 00:23:04.020 Both here and in Titus, they carry this idea, this truth of God's word as presenting yourself as one who has heard from God. 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:07.760 Build a boat. 00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:09.400 Salvation. 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:14.080 Trust in Christ. 00:23:15.520 --> 00:23:16.040 Salvation. 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:21.900 And then, in reverence, we have to do something with that. 00:23:22.900 --> 00:23:29.440 And the reverence is we respond accordingly to faith-filled obedience. 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:30.620 Right? 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:35.900 Like, it's never been the work that justifies. 00:23:37.340 --> 00:23:41.120 It's those who have been justified who does the work that God's called them to. 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:46.940 And he says, older women, as you're going to take and you're going to teach, 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:51.200 as you're going to teach these younger women that we're going to talk about in just a second, 00:23:51.520 --> 00:23:53.680 this has to be who you are and what you do. 00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:58.340 In church, that has to be us. 00:23:59.880 --> 00:24:04.160 We're going to see this with the discipleship, the process of what God's called us to. 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:06.160 But we've all got a purpose. 00:24:06.260 --> 00:24:07.180 We've all got a place. 00:24:07.760 --> 00:24:10.200 We all have a peace in where God's placing us. 00:24:11.360 --> 00:24:12.480 So, younger women. 00:24:12.980 --> 00:24:13.900 Verse 4 and 5. 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:16.080 Younger women. 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:23.020 And so, train the young women to love their husbands and children, 00:24:24.100 --> 00:24:30.940 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:33.600 that the word of God may not be reviled. 00:24:34.840 --> 00:24:36.920 So, we're going to look at this and we're going to look at the doctrine of teachability. 00:24:37.820 --> 00:24:39.100 The doctrine of teachability. 00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:44.680 He says, those of you who have the experience, 00:24:45.500 --> 00:24:49.400 what you're to do is you're to teach those who do not have the experience. 00:24:49.900 --> 00:24:52.240 We're looking at men and women. 00:24:52.360 --> 00:24:55.600 We're talking first generation believers. 00:24:56.560 --> 00:25:04.060 We're talking what we're seeing is their life has been penetrated and changed by the power of the gospel. 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:09.780 And in very early onset, right, it's the process of what we're continuing with today. 00:25:09.940 --> 00:25:13.660 It still works because God is in it and this is what we see. 00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:19.680 We see the process of discipleship in the church and we're all a part of that. 00:25:20.080 --> 00:25:25.500 Those of you who've experienced this, those of you who know this, those of you that this is what you're about, 00:25:25.740 --> 00:25:26.440 what are you to do? 00:25:26.600 --> 00:25:29.820 Are you to hold on to it and guard it and protect it and this is yours no matter what? 00:25:30.020 --> 00:25:30.520 No, no, no, no. 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:32.080 You're to teach it. 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:33.960 You're to share it. 00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:39.020 This is what it means to walk alongside others. 00:25:39.020 --> 00:25:47.740 This is what it means for them to grow in godliness, to grow in Christ likeness, to grow in obedience to him. 00:25:48.100 --> 00:25:51.520 This is the discipleship process that we see. 00:25:51.840 --> 00:26:00.060 And those of us who need to be teaching are those of us who need to be and oftentimes find ourselves in the exact same situations 00:26:00.060 --> 00:26:02.980 where the people we are teaching currently find themselves. 00:26:04.500 --> 00:26:12.800 And so we walk through, through life's experience of this is what it means to watch God work and move 00:26:12.800 --> 00:26:19.640 and I can testify to it because I've seen it in my life and I've walked through it as well. 00:26:21.960 --> 00:26:25.620 Peter talks about this in 1 Peter 5.5. 00:26:27.380 --> 00:26:34.180 He says, likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. 00:26:36.500 --> 00:26:45.520 Clothe yourself, all of you, with humility toward one another. 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:53.580 For God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 00:26:55.020 --> 00:26:55.860 Be teachable. 00:26:57.060 --> 00:26:57.780 Be teachable. 00:26:58.920 --> 00:27:04.160 Like when, when someone comes to you 00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:10.520 and they're going to point out something that you need to correct. 00:27:12.760 --> 00:27:18.080 They're going to point out something in your life that you've done wrong. 00:27:19.060 --> 00:27:20.640 That's, that's not godly. 00:27:20.860 --> 00:27:21.820 That's not good. 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:23.320 That's not of him. 00:27:23.860 --> 00:27:25.920 How does your heart begin to respond? 00:27:31.660 --> 00:27:32.760 Is it receptive? 00:27:35.520 --> 00:27:36.520 Is it humble? 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:40.260 Or is it defensive? 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:43.820 And arrogant. 00:27:46.320 --> 00:27:50.600 I became the pastor of this church 12 years ago. 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:54.600 Loved every single moment. 00:27:56.100 --> 00:28:00.200 Sometimes been really, really sweet and easy. 00:28:01.360 --> 00:28:03.300 Sometimes been really, really hard. 00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:06.060 And God's been good all the way through it. 00:28:07.300 --> 00:28:13.500 About a year in, one of our elders, who loved me enough to say this to me, he calls me. 00:28:14.520 --> 00:28:15.600 He said, what are you, what are you doing? 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:16.460 I was like, nothing, man. 00:28:16.460 --> 00:28:16.980 I got some time. 00:28:17.060 --> 00:28:18.100 Like, what's going on? 00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:21.120 We had had an elders meeting the week before. 00:28:22.760 --> 00:28:29.020 And he said, you know, whenever somebody starts off with, I need to tell you something, but you need to know that I love you. 00:28:32.300 --> 00:28:35.120 Like, what they're saying is, I might make you mad. 00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:36.480 Please remember that I love you. 00:28:37.860 --> 00:28:39.400 And he said this. 00:28:40.560 --> 00:28:47.560 He said, please don't respond and just think and let the Holy Spirit teach in this. 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:52.840 He said, I love your leadership. 00:28:53.140 --> 00:28:54.920 I love what God's doing in you. 00:28:55.020 --> 00:28:56.000 I love all of that. 00:28:56.000 --> 00:29:15.280 But man, when you receive criticism, he said about five seconds in, I'll watch you stop listening and I'll watch you start to formulate your argument. 00:29:19.120 --> 00:29:24.580 And he said, that's not godly. 00:29:31.380 --> 00:29:32.500 And I said, thank you, man. 00:29:32.540 --> 00:29:33.200 Have a nice day. 00:29:36.500 --> 00:29:39.220 And he said, I love you. 00:29:41.360 --> 00:29:43.060 But I just need you to share that with you. 00:29:44.460 --> 00:29:45.360 And you know what? 00:29:47.860 --> 00:29:48.720 He was right. 00:29:49.120 --> 00:29:51.540 And you know what? 00:29:52.820 --> 00:29:55.760 A lot of times, he still is. 00:29:57.800 --> 00:30:08.100 And the problem is not that your or their criticism is unfair. 00:30:10.260 --> 00:30:18.280 The problem is not that your or their criticism isn't true. 00:30:19.820 --> 00:30:23.460 Because sometimes you get criticism that's both unfair and untrue. 00:30:25.040 --> 00:30:28.260 But not all the criticism that you and I get is unfair and untrue. 00:30:30.360 --> 00:30:40.360 The problem is that sometimes, a lot of times, more times than I wish, my heart is arrogant. 00:30:43.060 --> 00:30:44.060 And the issue is me. 00:30:44.060 --> 00:30:54.980 And I need to do what God tells us to do. 00:30:56.540 --> 00:30:59.220 And embrace humility. 00:31:00.680 --> 00:31:05.320 That there are things that I do not know. 00:31:06.320 --> 00:31:09.520 There are things that I do incorrectly. 00:31:09.520 --> 00:31:15.880 And I need faithful people in my life to address those areas in my life. 00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:22.920 And I need to receive that instruction and watch and wait and praise the Lord for two things. 00:31:23.020 --> 00:31:26.040 Number one, that there's people who love me enough to say the difficult things to me. 00:31:28.100 --> 00:31:33.760 So many times we think, we think, I love encouragement. 00:31:34.580 --> 00:31:34.860 Right? 00:31:35.280 --> 00:31:37.060 How many of you love encouragement? 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:38.440 All of us. 00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:48.860 We have a tendency to think that those people who encourage us are solely the people who love us. 00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:52.660 But we need to be taught as well. 00:31:54.340 --> 00:31:55.920 And imagine being a teacher. 00:31:57.400 --> 00:32:01.380 And every student that writes two plus two and answers at five, 00:32:01.500 --> 00:32:03.360 if you pat them on the head and say, 00:32:03.720 --> 00:32:07.500 well, you got it right because you didn't want to tell them you got it wrong. 00:32:09.780 --> 00:32:10.580 Be teachable. 00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:11.900 Be teachable. 00:32:13.080 --> 00:32:15.600 And be willing to teach others. 00:32:16.840 --> 00:32:18.060 Be willing to teach others. 00:32:18.780 --> 00:32:20.080 Next, younger men. 00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:21.580 Younger men. 00:32:22.820 --> 00:32:24.480 It's a category I feel like I fall into. 00:32:26.320 --> 00:32:27.320 Just kidding, right? 00:32:27.780 --> 00:32:29.980 I worked in the yard yesterday for six hours, 00:32:30.080 --> 00:32:31.600 and it feels like I got hit by a Mack truck. 00:32:31.660 --> 00:32:32.600 I'm just going to be honest with you. 00:32:33.760 --> 00:32:34.300 Younger men. 00:32:34.380 --> 00:32:39.020 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 00:32:39.120 --> 00:32:46.620 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works. 00:32:47.860 --> 00:32:54.880 And in your teaching, show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned. 00:32:56.000 --> 00:33:05.740 So that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 00:33:06.740 --> 00:33:08.360 We'll talk to you about the doctrine of discipline. 00:33:09.260 --> 00:33:10.380 The doctrine of discipline. 00:33:11.400 --> 00:33:12.240 Self-control. 00:33:12.440 --> 00:33:13.700 This has been a theme through all. 00:33:14.580 --> 00:33:24.180 Self-control is defined as one who follows sound reason of the gospel, of God's word, and restrains his passions. 00:33:24.500 --> 00:33:26.700 So we begin to see with self-control. 00:33:26.700 --> 00:33:31.680 Self-control is one who follows sound reason and restrains his passion. 00:33:31.920 --> 00:33:39.940 The way Paul defines this and gives examples of this is modeling good works, teaching integrity, using sound speech. 00:33:40.100 --> 00:33:40.700 Think about this. 00:33:40.960 --> 00:33:45.000 Men, young men, old men, young ladies, older ladies. 00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:45.860 Here's what we're going to do. 00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:50.180 Model the good works of Christ that God promises for us in Ephesians 2.10. 00:33:50.400 --> 00:33:51.220 Do them. 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:52.860 Model them. 00:33:54.240 --> 00:33:57.540 Bring someone alongside with you so that they see. 00:33:58.040 --> 00:33:59.140 Model the good works. 00:33:59.480 --> 00:34:00.500 Teach integrity. 00:34:00.780 --> 00:34:02.160 The integrity of God's word. 00:34:02.460 --> 00:34:03.420 Be who you are. 00:34:03.420 --> 00:34:06.660 If you claim Christ, let that be what comes from you. 00:34:06.920 --> 00:34:07.800 Teach with integrity. 00:34:08.200 --> 00:34:10.560 Use sound speech. 00:34:15.560 --> 00:34:20.700 What comes from the mouth is a picture of the heart. 00:34:25.100 --> 00:34:27.940 Here's what I think Paul is saying. 00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:34.600 If you're a young man in this room, I wish someone would have said this to me. 00:34:35.480 --> 00:34:41.640 At a younger age and more often, grow up. 00:34:43.320 --> 00:34:44.140 Grow up. 00:34:45.920 --> 00:34:52.320 What this world needs is not more silly little boys. 00:34:52.860 --> 00:34:56.640 What this world needs is more godly men. 00:34:58.560 --> 00:35:10.200 And when we look from and draw from and begin to understand the truth of God's word, it's not grow up as the culture dictates. 00:35:11.760 --> 00:35:15.280 It's not grow up in what you're comfortable with. 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:20.880 It's grow up in Christ. 00:35:22.320 --> 00:35:22.920 Mature. 00:35:23.920 --> 00:35:26.060 1 Timothy 4. 00:35:26.200 --> 00:35:27.640 Paul writes to Titus. 00:35:28.140 --> 00:35:29.320 Paul writes to Timothy. 00:35:29.900 --> 00:35:34.400 Both young pastors that Paul's invested deeply in. 00:35:36.480 --> 00:35:41.540 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. 00:35:43.080 --> 00:35:49.740 Being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 00:35:50.740 --> 00:35:55.820 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. 00:35:56.820 --> 00:36:02.240 Rather, train yourself for godliness. 00:36:05.120 --> 00:36:11.280 In order to grow up, we have to start focusing on the godliness. 00:36:12.460 --> 00:36:23.620 In order to grow up, we have to determine, spiritually speaking, Lord, not through my power, but through the power of your Holy Spirit, Lord. 00:36:24.020 --> 00:36:30.860 Create in me the disciplines that reflect Christ and will bring people to know you. 00:36:32.160 --> 00:36:34.460 Make us disciplined. 00:36:37.180 --> 00:36:48.140 When Aaron and I were away at our marriage retreat, and one of the topics that we talked about was Sabbath. 00:36:49.780 --> 00:36:50.340 Sabbath. 00:36:51.500 --> 00:36:52.260 How about resting. 00:36:53.880 --> 00:36:56.140 And the speaker challenged us. 00:36:57.520 --> 00:37:01.720 He said, you know, we can rest a lot of ways and not Sabbath. 00:37:03.120 --> 00:37:10.180 He said, we can rest in ways that allow us to pursue the passions of the flesh. 00:37:11.540 --> 00:37:20.720 Or we can rest in ways that create in us a growing heart and passion for the Lord. 00:37:22.340 --> 00:37:24.240 And that's what it means to rest. 00:37:26.820 --> 00:37:38.020 Sometimes when we hear maturity, and this is going to be for all of us, for all of us, we think what that word means is I can't have fun anymore. 00:37:39.320 --> 00:37:41.760 We think what it means is I can't laugh. 00:37:42.540 --> 00:37:45.460 We think what it means is I have to be serious all the time. 00:37:46.120 --> 00:37:54.160 We think what it means is I've got to remove these things that bring happiness into my life, and I've got to be the stick in the mud. 00:37:54.420 --> 00:37:56.040 I can't be fun anymore. 00:37:56.300 --> 00:37:57.920 People aren't going to want to be around me. 00:37:58.100 --> 00:38:00.460 Don't you know that's not the type of Christian that I want to be? 00:38:00.600 --> 00:38:03.420 I want to be the type of Christian that people are drawn to. 00:38:03.580 --> 00:38:05.860 I want to be the type of Christian that people want to listen to. 00:38:06.000 --> 00:38:08.420 I want to be the type of Christian that's fun to be around. 00:38:08.420 --> 00:38:20.820 And here's what I'll say when it begins to look, when you begin to evaluate, when you begin to, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit to open your mind, to open your eyes, to open your hearts on the things that you need to eliminate in your life. 00:38:20.900 --> 00:38:36.180 There's one question that I find that I can ask myself over and over again, whether it's Sabbath, whether it's loving my wife, whether it's leading my family, whether it's pastor in this church, whether it's growing in discipline is this. 00:38:36.700 --> 00:38:45.820 Does fill in the blank, whatever that is for you or for me, does it create in me a growing desire for Jesus? 00:38:46.860 --> 00:38:47.520 Does it? 00:38:48.560 --> 00:38:49.200 Does it? 00:38:50.180 --> 00:38:51.220 Go back to art. 00:38:52.360 --> 00:38:53.220 Go back to art. 00:38:53.220 --> 00:39:06.440 For some of you, man, sitting down and working with colors and painting, and it helps you be able to lock in and see how your creator, as he painted the canvas of creation, worked and moved. 00:39:06.600 --> 00:39:11.480 And it causes within you, as you're creating right there before him, to praise and worship him. 00:39:11.660 --> 00:39:14.200 Maybe for some of you, it's being outside. 00:39:14.460 --> 00:39:18.060 It's engaging with nature and the creation of all God has for you. 00:39:18.060 --> 00:39:21.900 Maybe it's gathering with friends and laughter and food and all of this. 00:39:21.960 --> 00:39:23.080 Does it create in you? 00:39:23.240 --> 00:39:25.060 It's not do you enjoy it. 00:39:25.860 --> 00:39:27.540 It's not do you enjoy it. 00:39:28.260 --> 00:39:33.840 It's does it create in us a growing desire for God. 00:39:33.840 --> 00:39:58.940 And God, who is so good to us, God is who is so kind to us, he gives us so many blessings of things to enjoy that movies can sit there and stir our heart and create in us a growing desire for God. 00:39:59.740 --> 00:40:16.540 Watching a baseball game, going to a ballet, reading a book, going for a walk, taking a nap later today, praise the Lord, will create in you or the others around you a growing desire for God. 00:40:18.060 --> 00:40:19.520 Creating the disciplines. 00:40:21.360 --> 00:40:24.080 And the last, bondservants. 00:40:25.200 --> 00:40:25.800 Bondservants. 00:40:28.800 --> 00:40:34.600 Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything. 00:40:36.600 --> 00:40:45.640 They are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith. 00:40:47.080 --> 00:40:52.900 So that in everything, they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. 00:40:54.520 --> 00:40:55.920 It's the doctrine of submission. 00:40:57.200 --> 00:41:02.500 A couple things concerning bondservants as we look at this. 00:41:04.060 --> 00:41:13.340 Slavery in the day that this was written had many different aspects to it. 00:41:14.440 --> 00:41:17.380 Many different types of slaves. 00:41:18.880 --> 00:41:23.980 It's a very common practice during the time that this was written. 00:41:25.560 --> 00:41:34.060 Paul is not, has not, will not condone slavery. 00:41:35.680 --> 00:41:45.780 But there's a work that is happening in these churches that is a remarkable work that is taking place. 00:41:47.040 --> 00:41:52.420 And that, to the best of my knowledge, historically has not been the same. 00:41:52.480 --> 00:42:02.020 What is happening in these places like what we see in Crete and what we see in Ephesus and other areas. 00:42:02.160 --> 00:42:03.860 Again, slavery common. 00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:13.720 Was that both slaves and their masters were being saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:42:14.780 --> 00:42:20.000 And were becoming part of the church together. 00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:26.360 They were becoming brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:42:26.580 --> 00:42:37.460 And so, Paul, while not condoning slavery, is looking at the mission and is seeing what is happening and is taking place. 00:42:37.680 --> 00:42:44.680 And he's responding, addressing how servants should live as missionaries where they find themselves. 00:42:45.400 --> 00:42:54.640 And in instances where, like we look in Ephesians, and we see where he addresses with the masters of how they should conduct themselves. 00:42:56.200 --> 00:43:02.860 And it's the same challenge that God gives you and that God gives me. 00:43:03.600 --> 00:43:07.460 Here, Paul says this word, submit. 00:43:09.500 --> 00:43:10.020 Submit. 00:43:12.440 --> 00:43:13.000 Submit. 00:43:16.360 --> 00:43:25.140 Now, when we use that word, you and I, I'm going to put you in this with me. 00:43:25.340 --> 00:43:27.560 I was just going to say me, but you're there too. 00:43:28.600 --> 00:43:30.920 We want to begin to jump to the exceptions. 00:43:32.220 --> 00:43:33.040 What about this? 00:43:33.080 --> 00:43:33.680 And what about this? 00:43:33.720 --> 00:43:34.280 And what about this? 00:43:34.320 --> 00:43:34.840 And what about this? 00:43:34.880 --> 00:43:35.460 And what about this? 00:43:36.200 --> 00:43:39.340 And I'm not saying that you're incorrect in the whatabouts. 00:43:40.540 --> 00:43:41.860 But here's what I'm going to say. 00:43:45.020 --> 00:43:49.740 Submitting is not a word that we want to embrace. 00:43:51.260 --> 00:43:58.240 It's a word that carries with it a view that is belittling. 00:43:59.840 --> 00:44:08.800 It's a word we see as given from those on high to those who they see as lower than them. 00:44:12.120 --> 00:44:25.000 But Paul, in Ephesians 5, the sentence before he talks about husbands and wives. 00:44:26.360 --> 00:44:29.380 In the section before he talks about fathers with their children. 00:44:30.740 --> 00:44:35.760 In the chapter before he talks about slaves and masters. 00:44:38.040 --> 00:44:47.940 As he's walking through in chapter 4 and chapter 5, at the very beginning of chapter 5, and he's talking about what it looks like to be a part of the body of Christ. 00:44:48.860 --> 00:44:53.500 He sums up everything he's written in one sentence. 00:44:55.560 --> 00:45:16.100 So it's not just the bond servant. 00:45:16.100 --> 00:45:19.980 It's not just the master. 00:45:20.040 --> 00:45:35.900 That the expectation of God's word as we are a body of Christ, we are a family, brothers and sisters in Christ, and the uniqueness of the different relationships in the room, and the uniqueness of how God has brought us together. 00:45:35.900 --> 00:45:49.600 That God establishes amongst his people, modeled by Jesus, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. 00:45:50.860 --> 00:45:52.680 Oh, but that's so belittling. 00:45:55.380 --> 00:45:59.220 Well, here's how I think we submit to others. 00:46:00.820 --> 00:46:02.140 Here's how I think we submit to others. 00:46:03.100 --> 00:46:03.960 Number one. 00:46:05.520 --> 00:46:06.220 Number one. 00:46:07.120 --> 00:46:08.640 It's a willingness to sacrifice. 00:46:10.100 --> 00:46:11.580 It's a willingness to sacrifice. 00:46:12.840 --> 00:46:13.560 Sacrifice what? 00:46:13.880 --> 00:46:14.320 Everything. 00:46:15.500 --> 00:46:15.940 Everything. 00:46:16.080 --> 00:46:18.340 The Bible does not define you and I as an owner. 00:46:19.000 --> 00:46:21.520 The Bible defines you and I as stewards. 00:46:22.540 --> 00:46:24.280 Stewards of all that God has given us. 00:46:26.820 --> 00:46:28.540 And in our stewardship, we sacrifice. 00:46:30.560 --> 00:46:40.080 The second way of how I think we submit to others is we think more about others and less about ourselves. 00:46:41.120 --> 00:46:42.900 We don't think less of ourselves. 00:46:44.680 --> 00:46:48.320 I understand that I, just like you, am made in the image of God. 00:46:48.420 --> 00:46:52.420 I understand that I, just like you, am valuable. 00:46:52.420 --> 00:46:56.940 And I'm valuable because Christ gave his life for me and Christ gave his life for you. 00:46:57.100 --> 00:46:58.120 That I'm precious. 00:46:58.500 --> 00:47:03.120 That this is the words that God uses to describe me and this is the word that God uses to describe you. 00:47:03.300 --> 00:47:06.140 But can I tell you what I'm really, really, really good at? 00:47:06.480 --> 00:47:09.140 I'm really good about thinking about myself. 00:47:10.180 --> 00:47:12.720 And I can be really poor about thinking about others. 00:47:14.120 --> 00:47:20.180 But if I'm going to submit, then what I need to do is I need to get my mind off of me and I need to get my mind on others. 00:47:22.200 --> 00:47:24.160 So I need to be willing to sacrifice. 00:47:24.520 --> 00:47:26.920 I need to get my mind off of myself and get my mind on others. 00:47:27.220 --> 00:47:30.200 And then the third thing that I need to do is I need to seek to serve. 00:47:32.040 --> 00:47:33.120 I need to seek to serve. 00:47:35.120 --> 00:47:39.400 I heard serving one time described as this. 00:47:39.760 --> 00:47:47.620 If you see a need and can fulfill that need by bringing glory to God, then do it. 00:47:48.060 --> 00:47:48.780 That's serving. 00:47:51.660 --> 00:47:54.900 Serving the church, serving your home, serving your community. 00:47:57.120 --> 00:48:07.020 And Jesus says that we can go and by the things that we do and by the words that we say that people will see us and give glory to our God who's in heaven. 00:48:08.640 --> 00:48:09.900 And so we seek to serve. 00:48:11.240 --> 00:48:12.540 We seek to serve others. 00:48:14.420 --> 00:48:18.120 And lastly, that we seek to obey God. 00:48:19.180 --> 00:48:20.720 We seek to obey God. 00:48:22.860 --> 00:48:32.100 I feel like my life for so long has been marked by a negotiation of obedience. 00:48:33.960 --> 00:48:36.820 Well, God, I'm ready for this, but I'm not ready for this. 00:48:37.920 --> 00:48:41.120 God, I'm ready to obey here, but I'm not ready to obey here. 00:48:43.500 --> 00:48:51.440 But that one I seek to obey because it's not just about submitting to just the others in the room. 00:48:51.440 --> 00:49:01.580 It's about submitting to him who's called us and loved us and died for us and saved us in submission to him. 00:49:03.960 --> 00:49:14.760 And all of this, you've got to have a church that's prepared to battle the false doctrines that are being taught. 00:49:16.720 --> 00:49:18.820 Paul warns Titus about that. 00:49:21.160 --> 00:49:31.280 Paul's instructing Titus to prepare a church that's going to be an effective vessel for the gospel. 00:49:34.060 --> 00:49:42.680 And the same model that we see by Jesus is the same model that we see in Acts. 00:49:43.140 --> 00:49:47.260 It's the same model that we see in the early church. 00:49:47.660 --> 00:49:52.100 It's the same model we see continuing on through history. 00:49:52.460 --> 00:49:56.100 It's the same model that we embrace today. 00:49:57.060 --> 00:49:58.900 And it's the doctrine of discipleship. 00:50:00.260 --> 00:50:02.120 It's the doctrine of discipleship. 00:50:03.960 --> 00:50:12.400 That there's this process as God brings the uniqueness of this group together. 00:50:14.160 --> 00:50:16.380 With your strengths and my strengths. 00:50:16.580 --> 00:50:18.180 With your weaknesses and my weaknesses. 00:50:18.420 --> 00:50:20.060 With your gifts and my gifts. 00:50:20.280 --> 00:50:22.420 With your personality and my personality. 00:50:22.860 --> 00:50:25.080 With your perspective and my perspective. 00:50:25.080 --> 00:50:30.740 All centered and grounded on the authoritative truth of the word of God. 00:50:32.400 --> 00:50:37.720 That it's our calling to grow. 00:50:38.720 --> 00:50:39.600 To grow. 00:50:40.180 --> 00:50:40.980 To grow. 00:50:41.580 --> 00:50:43.280 And that happens through discipleship. 00:50:44.420 --> 00:50:45.100 Let me tell you church. 00:50:45.520 --> 00:50:46.840 Discipleship is not a program. 00:50:50.520 --> 00:50:51.780 Discipleship is not a program. 00:50:54.360 --> 00:50:59.440 But that doesn't mean that God can't take and use programs to disciple his people. 00:51:01.400 --> 00:51:06.220 I'm not one for commercials of what we're doing around the church. 00:51:07.460 --> 00:51:17.220 But I can tell you that two years ago when God began to lay on our heart to rethink and to restructure and to move into a way where we would see God grow us in the area of discipleship. 00:51:17.260 --> 00:51:18.600 And all we wanted to do was be obedient. 00:51:18.700 --> 00:51:19.520 We didn't know what it looked like. 00:51:19.560 --> 00:51:20.240 We didn't know what it would be. 00:51:20.480 --> 00:51:21.340 But it came forth. 00:51:21.400 --> 00:51:23.300 And what God did was not eliminate. 00:51:23.300 --> 00:51:26.440 But what God did was grow out our opportunities for discipleship. 00:51:27.600 --> 00:51:32.200 And we said, look, what we're desiring to do, not just for you, but for ourselves. 00:51:32.300 --> 00:51:34.820 My family reaps the benefit of this. 00:51:35.080 --> 00:51:41.600 Is to provide you and I with more and more opportunities where we can come alongside one another. 00:51:41.800 --> 00:51:53.380 And we can pour into one another and we can teach one another and we can invest in one another so that we can grow in our relationship with God so that we'll see these aspects that are being talked about here. 00:51:53.380 --> 00:52:06.300 We'll see them ring true in our life so that we can take what we've been taught so that we can take what we've been instructed and we can pass it down to other men and women so that they can be faithful and do the exact same thing so that the true gospel of Jesus Christ doesn't end with you. 00:52:06.360 --> 00:52:12.360 But it continues on from generation after generation and it's not because you and I are good enough and smart enough and capable enough to do it. 00:52:12.440 --> 00:52:16.040 It's because the Holy Spirit is all powerful and that's how he worked in and amongst the church. 00:52:19.140 --> 00:52:20.380 I love this. 00:52:21.820 --> 00:52:23.200 I love this. 00:52:23.740 --> 00:52:31.880 What we do every single Sunday as we gather in this room together to teach and to learn from God's word. 00:52:31.880 --> 00:52:42.400 But church, I'm telling you, what you need are men and women sitting shoulder to shoulder around you as we walk through in smaller contexts together. 00:52:43.980 --> 00:52:45.180 So we can grow. 00:52:46.240 --> 00:52:47.160 So that we can mature. 00:52:48.800 --> 00:52:51.160 This card is out there. 00:52:52.980 --> 00:53:00.860 We've got five different studies that will start on March the 23rd. 00:53:02.260 --> 00:53:05.840 We're covering theology with the doctrine of angels. 00:53:06.540 --> 00:53:11.460 Talking about Satan as well and demons and the work that they're doing. 00:53:14.280 --> 00:53:15.480 We're talking about grief. 00:53:17.360 --> 00:53:17.880 Grief. 00:53:18.460 --> 00:53:23.240 Something that very few of us are equipped to walk through. 00:53:24.500 --> 00:53:26.280 All of us will walk through it. 00:53:27.380 --> 00:53:29.760 And none of us get to choose when we walk through it. 00:53:30.820 --> 00:53:33.420 And how do we walk through it in a way that glorifies God? 00:53:35.420 --> 00:53:36.420 We're going to have two studies for our ladies. 00:53:36.420 --> 00:53:47.900 We're going to have one study for our ladies that will help grow them and teach them with the thoughts that captivate them to set them free. 00:53:47.900 --> 00:53:54.460 To stop listening to the lie that Satan speaks and to live in the power of the gospel with what God has for them. 00:53:56.960 --> 00:54:06.740 We'll talk about how we can be consumed with the hurry and the busy of this world and in doing so we'll lose track of what God has for us. 00:54:06.740 --> 00:54:13.640 And we'll talk about world religions and cults. 00:54:15.740 --> 00:54:25.040 So if Sunday mornings work great for you, we've got the opportunity for you to engage and to be a part of this. 00:54:25.340 --> 00:54:26.460 And we encourage you to do so. 00:54:26.520 --> 00:54:30.480 And you can scan this QR code on the back and you can get connected and everything's good to go. 00:54:30.720 --> 00:54:35.460 And if you don't like signing the QR code, go back there and tell Dave and make him write your name down and we'll get you in one. 00:54:37.400 --> 00:54:53.780 We've also got small groups, small groups to meet on Sunday morning, small groups to meet almost every single night of the week with an opportunity and a place for you to open God's word, to dive in, to come alongside other believers so that we can walk alongside this, alongside one another. 00:54:53.780 --> 00:55:02.940 Now, I'm not saying that you've got to do one or the other. 00:55:04.320 --> 00:55:10.220 But I am saying this, that God has called you to be discipled. 00:55:11.640 --> 00:55:13.760 And you can't disciple you. 00:55:15.140 --> 00:55:16.400 We do it together. 00:55:17.620 --> 00:55:19.000 But it takes commitment. 00:55:20.620 --> 00:55:22.200 And it's hard sometimes. 00:55:25.120 --> 00:55:26.160 But it's good. 00:55:27.060 --> 00:55:28.040 We need it. 00:55:28.960 --> 00:55:33.640 So would you join me in taking another step of obedience? 00:55:34.720 --> 00:55:36.080 For what God has for us. 00:55:36.660 --> 00:55:37.220 Would you pray with me? 00:55:40.300 --> 00:55:42.040 God, I thank you for the truth of your word. 00:55:44.280 --> 00:55:47.960 The truth that, Lord, you instructed Titus to teach at Crete. 00:55:51.000 --> 00:55:53.860 God, the truth of your word that you call us to teach in Lexington. 00:55:57.640 --> 00:55:58.780 God, may we be faithful. 00:56:00.180 --> 00:56:01.420 May we be willing to grow. 00:56:02.620 --> 00:56:04.220 May we be willing to be uncomfortable. 00:56:08.460 --> 00:56:12.080 God, I pray for your Holy Spirit to work and move in us. 00:56:14.300 --> 00:56:16.340 Because, Lord, we thank you. 00:56:17.100 --> 00:56:22.700 We thank you, Lord, that your word says that this is for the sake of your elect. 00:56:24.440 --> 00:56:26.600 Those of us saved by you. 00:56:29.960 --> 00:56:32.320 So that, Lord, we can know about you. 00:56:33.860 --> 00:56:37.120 We can know about your goodness and your mercy and your grace. 00:56:39.000 --> 00:56:41.520 We can know about your plans that you have for us. 00:56:42.660 --> 00:56:44.060 We can know your will. 00:56:47.060 --> 00:56:50.760 And so, God, that from that, Lord, that we can go and that we can do them. 00:56:51.800 --> 00:56:57.720 And that we can live in the power of Christ. 00:57:00.200 --> 00:57:02.100 Seeing others come to know you. 00:57:02.100 --> 00:57:12.320 For your name and for your glory. 00:57:14.320 --> 00:57:15.580 And it's in Jesus' name and pray. 00:57:16.700 --> 00:57:17.020 Amen. 00:57:18.080 --> 00:57:21.120 We've got prayer and courage on either side of the auditorium. 00:57:22.400 --> 00:57:27.600 If you're here today and you're like, I'm not a follower of Jesus and I want to know where to begin. 00:57:29.840 --> 00:57:31.420 Encourage you to come and talk with them. 00:57:32.100 --> 00:57:33.380 They'd love to explain to you. 00:57:33.440 --> 00:57:34.700 They would love to pray with you. 00:57:34.900 --> 00:57:37.900 They would love to encourage you and share with you who Jesus is. 00:57:41.620 --> 00:57:43.480 But I want to ask you a question to think on. 00:57:44.920 --> 00:57:46.620 If you're a follower of Jesus. 00:57:50.840 --> 00:57:51.680 Are you growing? 00:57:53.680 --> 00:57:54.500 Are you growing? 00:57:56.900 --> 00:57:57.760 Are you teaching? 00:57:59.380 --> 00:58:00.300 Are you sharing? 00:58:04.200 --> 00:58:05.200 Are you teachable? 00:58:07.420 --> 00:58:08.400 Are you maturing? 00:58:10.180 --> 00:58:13.360 Are you frustrated because you feel like you're just stuck? 00:58:14.540 --> 00:58:18.600 And you know Jesus and you love him and you follow him. 00:58:18.740 --> 00:58:25.240 But you feel like right now, like spiritually speaking, man, those wheels are just spinning and they're not catching. 00:58:28.680 --> 00:58:30.580 I just want to encourage you this morning. 00:58:32.380 --> 00:58:40.040 Maybe what you have, maybe what you have is a Bible appreciation. 00:58:42.880 --> 00:58:46.720 And maybe what you need is a Bible application. 00:58:49.060 --> 00:58:52.060 And come and join us. 00:58:54.420 --> 00:58:55.780 Pour into us. 00:58:56.900 --> 00:58:58.460 Let us pour into you. 00:59:00.080 --> 00:59:03.500 Let's sit down together and open God's word. 00:59:05.160 --> 00:59:06.440 Let's laugh together. 00:59:06.620 --> 00:59:07.820 Let's cry together. 00:59:08.100 --> 00:59:09.720 Let's encourage one another. 00:59:10.020 --> 00:59:11.480 Let's correct one another. 00:59:11.800 --> 00:59:14.300 Let's celebrate what God is doing. 00:59:14.620 --> 00:59:16.380 Let us seek what God is doing. 00:59:20.380 --> 00:59:24.100 Let us have the reflection of what the church is created to be. 00:59:25.180 --> 00:59:28.740 Men and women under the lordship of Christ. 00:59:29.240 --> 00:59:32.820 Growing together in obedience to Christ. 00:59:32.820 --> 00:59:35.560 So that others will come to know him. 00:59:36.780 --> 00:59:37.940 It's discipleship. 00:59:39.020 --> 00:59:40.180 It's discipleship. 00:59:48.740 --> 00:59:50.480 That's it for this week's message. 00:59:50.940 --> 00:59:53.360 Be sure to check back next week for another episode. 00:59:54.040 --> 00:59:57.480 In the meantime, you can stay up to date with everything happening at Willow Ridge 00:59:57.480 --> 01:00:03.660 by visiting us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and online at willowridgechurch.org. 01:00:03.840 --> 01:00:05.000 Thanks again for listening.