Learning to Say the Right Words, Part 1

Recipients of God's grace. How can we express the true meaning and significance of God's grace in our lives. Grace is going to tutor us to say everything first expression is that little word no verse 12 instructing us to the Dean I that were denied means say no it means to you the kind of life you are living. You are now dishonoring you're saying no to God has given us his grace can we ask how we please.

Knowing that God will forgive us, well in Titus chapter 2, the apostle Paul helps Pastor Titus learn how to express God's grace properly working a look at that passage together today.

This is wisdom for the heart.

Stephen Davey is in a series from Titus two called family talk the lesson he's about to share with you is called learning to say the right words, Cohen was a likable Texan. I read a little bit of the story love the outdoors, in the late 70s he moved to Alaska to the trucking job with the Trans-Alaska Pipeline good money. Few friends took up photography planned to make an expedition into the wilds of Alaska that still to this day bewilders everyone here's a story at the age of 35, he embarked on a five month photography expedition and spent a year planning every single detail he had solicited advice he had use the year to purchase supplies. Then in the spring of 1981 he hired a bush pilot to drop him at a remote lake 70 miles northeast of Fort Yukon get along with them to rifles, a shotgun 1400 pounds of provisions 500 rolls of film he arrived, deep set up his camp there in the isolation of the wildest surrounded by nothing but gorgeous nature. Spend five months of hiking and hunting and fishing and photographing that the splendor of his surroundings. He was blissfully unaware of one overlooked detail that would cost him his life. He had made no arrangement with anyone to be picked up. It didn't dawn on him until August. His only hope was that a friend would remember how long it expected to stay notices absent everyday search for foodie.

He scanned the sky's for rescue, and none came. By the end of September. The lake was frozen.

The snow began piling up hiking out was now impossible supplies nearly gone as well as his ammunition. The details of his final days are known to us because of the more than 100 page diary found near his body where he detailed those last months of freezing cold and starvation. He was found by authorities nearly a year after he had first set up camp begun his expedition in his diary is perhaps the greatest and most tragic understatement of his life as he wrote and I quote I should have used more foresight about arranging my departure get planned every detail of his expedition. He had not planned any details for his exit.

He planned everything for his alleged saying he planned nothing for his leaving. Frankly, I as I read that story just a few weeks ago couldn't help but believe that is the story of most human hearts on the planet today they think only of living and nothing about leaving you nearly 2 people will die on this planet every second more than 6000 in our hundred and 55,000 people die every day around 57 million a year find it wonderful that the grace of God is made for us every provision not only for living in this wild world, but in leaving this world that the only way you're ever gonna live in this world heading in the right direction.

The only way you're gonna leave this world heading for the right destination happens to be the grace of God we are saved by grace, we live by grace we are taught by grace we die in grace and go to heaven on the promise of God's grace for those who believe the gospel of grace in Titus chapter 2 where I invite your attention. The apostle Paul is been delivering what I call the family talk.

He comes to the end of this address. Speaking to every member of the family sort of pulls the cart over on the side of the road is a look I want to summarize everything by just telling you it's all about the grace of God that only living and dying living here in leaving, here's the grace of God the graciousness of God. Notice verse 11 where we left off for the grace of God has appeared, that little word for that is everything I've been talking about to use directly connect. Back to an empowered then by and encouraged by the grace of God is an older man, you can pull off what I challenge you to do without the grace of God as an older woman, you can begin with the grace of God, a younger wife, mother, younger man with a servant of the household.

You can't do what I challenge you to do. You can't believe that you're not ready to leave without the grace of God. Would you notice he says the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, and others. This is your way out of here, this is your exit strategy. The grace of God's will see in a moment. What if you done then with the gracious offer of salvation from God. Have you made any plans relative to being picked up. Now I want you to notice that Paul is not saying that all men are saved. No misunderstandings not preaching universalism here.

This connective conjunction to begins the sentence is very long sentence. By the way the stretches from verse 11 all the way through verse 14. One of those classic sentences by Paul is connecting it back to the context of the previous verses where Paul is address different categories of people you can understand Paul to be saying here in verse 11 for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all kinds of people. Whether you're a man or woman, young or old bond or free.

Toss in rich or poor Jew or Gentile, married or single or widowed. A parent or parent glass child by citizen or foreigner. Anybody can be a member of the family of God. If you're a member, you got that membership card solely by believing in the gospel of the grace of God. It's appeared.

It is your way out when you got say grace was not finished with you. Far from it. You're going to now grow in grace Peter Road second Peter 318 that is you gonna grow up in the gracious character of your living Lord.

So Paul effectively down the cynicism to keep the cart parked over on the side of the road for just a few minutes and explained to every member of the family how grace impacts every aspect of living and leaving. That's what he does in verses 11 to 14 one want to do is outline what Paul has to say. By giving you three different words or expressions to learn how to say three expressions determined by governed by the grace of God.

In fact, if you want to measure before we dive and settle read ahead if you want to measure.

If you're growing in grace. Just ask yourself the question, we will ask at the end of the study was better. How often am I saying one of these three things in the first word to learn how to say, by the grace of God in your life is the little word no. In oh this is to do the kind of lifestyle you are in the process of rejecting on a daily basis to diverse leavening for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. The notice would grace does next, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires. She Paul sort of personifies grace that you actually think of a person and and grace shows up and begins to teach us and she begins to teach us how to say no. While I thought grace was all about how to say yes. While it is but it's interesting.

The first are taught how to say no that your instructor did you notice that word. It is wonderful implications. Paul could have in this by the way he could've chosen the word did Asko Greek word that refers to a formal setting of teaching, like today I'm teaching your listening behind a desk which even kinda helps present more. The image of a professor in the class.

In this kind of teaching works only if you show up if you miss the lecture or the sermon or the lesson taught you missed it. Paul doesn't use that word he uses the word Pike duo which gives us our word pedagogy pedagogue. It refers more to teaching a toddler teaching a young child, typically by a parent. This kind of teaching is informal and it takes place. In fact, throughout the day whenever teaching moments arise.

You teach that little child 20 means here that even in the choice of that verb is that the grace of God is a teacher that teaches us where and wherever we are. It daily teaches us whenever teaching moments arise which means the grace of God condescends to teach us at our own personal speed factors.

The nuance in the idea that that grace will reinforce truth according to our own personal needs and and and the style of learning where we learn best grace is the perfect tutor if she had taught me science and math.

I'd be a pilot. I would be in the ministry today and I would miss all of you terribly. If you missed the lesson or two yesterday. Grace is in the shop today she's ready to teach if you didn't quite get the lesson which none of us ever really master since the subject of our lesson is the character in the nature of God. Grace is in the shop again and again and again and lead us through the lessons all over again. In fact, for the rest of our lives, we will have the companionship of this teacher.

This tutor called grace and grace is going to tutor us and how to say three things. The first expression is that little word. No collective verse 12. Get a look instructing us to Dean.

Now I that were deny means to say no it means to refuse is also translated to run now's to disown Paul is vaguely saying that the kind of life you are living. You are now disowning you are renouncing your saying no to it, young couple would like to join in the first service told me recently. They literally decided to renounce everything they could think of that might stand in the way of their commitment and growth anything and everything. Anything questionable anything doubtful if they poured down the sink all their alcoholic beverages. They threw away most of their music collection books and magazines began spending their money differently.

The got up in the morning. This young couple deciding to view life with a different shift entirely.

They effectively said were finished with anything that keeps us on the fence when you start saying no to anything that sounds like looks like.

Seems like our past life.

Paul expands the same identity of each of these is don't walk any longer as the unbelievers walk in the futility, reminding darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the hard work they having given themselves over to sensuality for the price of every kind of impurity you didn't learn Christ in this way the Lord praises and tutoring you to live like that in reference to your former manner of life you lay aside the old self, which is been corrupted in accordance with the lust of decedent and in your written nude in the spirit of your mind as you put on the new self, which in the likeness of God is created us in righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 417 to 24 ought to say, learning to walk in Christ, tutored by grace means that you will first of all be taught how to say and to what to say no to the person who says under grace.

And that means I can say yes to everything isn't being tutored by grace because grace teaches you in this text to say no deny the old life growing up in Christ. One author wrote is impossible without the discipline of refusal and isn't that just like growing up as a human being. If you have children you know your spending so much time with your toddlers are literally raising of effective the one word you say more than anything is no you'll go around the house saying that yes yes yes yes yes yes no no no no couple right this the word that is the number one word in your vocabulary.

Your little angel toddles over to the cabinet. There are the coffee table and and reaches out as is his pudgy little hand to grab it and you say no, no, and he freezes he looks over you without blinking in stairs you directly in the grips that he is decided you're not as tough as you. This time he can take you. That's what he thinks of your known. No wonder Mark Twain said when a child reaches to put them in a barrel and feed them through a knothole. He went on to say and then when he turns 13 plug up the whole not recommending that, but he must've had some get the part of the challenge of growing up is responding to the word no. What's wrong with playing in the street was wrong with eating candy for several playing on the ring with his lightning. That's a blast.

As a kid. Somebody comes along. This is no truth is we need grace to teach us what to say no to because our parents are to be around forever, especially as it deals now with with mature spiritual things, physical things, emotional things, financial things are peers argument teaches the world system is a good teaches. The world system is designed to erase every no and replace it with now what are you waiting for now is hold anything say no say now, Francis Schaeffer, a Christian philosopher.

Now the Lord, and author wrote some 40 years ago this like what we are surrounded by a world that says no to nothing. We have a society that holds itself back from nothing any concept of the word no is avoided as much as possible absolutes and ethical principles must given the selfish pursuits.

Of course, this environment fits exactly into our natural disposition because since the fall of man. We do not want to deny ourselves either when we need grace to show up regularly teaches instruct us tutor us how to say no. Grace will teach us to say no to ungodliness and worldly desires.

One of the lead and gives a list which I think is wonderful because now we can generalize this definition, it would simply be anything but a disciple of Christ wants to grow anything you might do or say, or pursue or or think or participate in work.

You would be embarrassed if Jesus showed up and in you heard the implicit from him known. This is this is how you leave your old life.

It's it's a daily leaving moment by moment sometimes.

But there's more that only disgraced teach you how to leave your past life.

It teaches you how to live your present life does what he writes next in verse 12, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires.

There, but to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in this present world. You will just stop with no UU growing Christian, how do you know I'm not doing this that I'm not doing that about doing that about doing that with don't stop there. Grace is going to teach you how to say yes and what to say yes to infect the tenses of this firm to live to live sensibly indicate that it takes place at the same time as your denials, the wonderful truth and very encouraging to every disciple is a brother in Christ, as you're saying no to ungodliness and nodal worldly desires while at the same time you are saying yes to living sensibly and righteously, and godly. See part of the misconception, especially if you're new in the faith of the enemy can bring your mind is a you're getting negative and become discouraged if you give this belief is this misconception that you'll eventually arrive at some point where you will never have to say no again. Life will be an easy ice earlier mature lies growing Christian gets to the point where he never has to bother saying. Now I know some tasers are finally going to give up say well he like dialogue done work and not according to Paul, according to the rest of the Bible that even Paul is maturing the lever transparently admitted to struggle with doing the things he didn't want to do. Not doing the things you want to do a wretched man that I am Roman seven. You're never beyond temptation. He will never outgrow the need to say no when a daily basis and at the same time you're never beyond the need to say yes to affirm these things we don't just put off the old man we put on the new man.

Ephesians 3 and Paul tells us that grace is going to clothe us correctly take that off and put this on a Paul tells us the grace is going to teach us to say yes to three different attributes the first one here. Verse 12 is sensibility this were to shut up several times and try to market each time in your minds, and it occurred in chapter 1 as a qualification for an elder. He needs to be known as sensible.

It is also a challenge for older men to be sensible. Chapter 22. It's part of of the growing development of young wife and mother. She's also told to be sensible. In verse five of chapter 2 and also in the lives of young men there told to be sensible. In verse six. Now Paul broadens the application.

As I said he would to the entire church family, so that no one is exempt from saying yes to this characteristic. The word means. If you remember to live with discretion to think and act with self-control.

Jordan refers to somebody effective translator off especially Kenyan version to be of sound mind that is. He's a believer who doesn't allow his mind to be controlled or distracted by either circumstances or culture, and that is than the daily battling daily makes up his mind to follow the truth daily Nepal is another course in the curriculum of grace. Not only is the believer to live sensibly but righteously Paul will uses this word in this form to other times in the New Testament, one to defend his own actions as being upright on the rare times he defends himself. First Thessalonians 2 verse 10 in the other time to describe the believers obligation to stop sinning and live rightly for Sweeney's 1534. Living righteously means you live rightly you live with rightness you live in by the divine.

The standard of what is right and it must be a divine standard outside of yourselves because of it is where you nothing whatever were doing is right when you get a little hobbyhorse for moment more and more. You are hearing people talk about their values and their family value with personal values.

The values that made our country great. People who live according to their set of values of a man or woman. The values that word values your flock means absolutely nothing.

It can be defined any way a person wants to define it. The word values is entirely subjective.

Whatever you believe in rehab and I think is something valuable in the eyes of God.

It might not be valuable at all, but you think it is your personal values. That's the word today and it is used for everything from American-made merchandise to organic food. Whatever you value is based on what you believe, you feel you want to do and they are as varied as the wind values have replaced here. Here's the word that's disappear values has replaced word for funding the same amount of value similar man friends. I hope that asked during the topic of race has helped you understand more fully what God has done for you, but also that you've learned more about what it means and how we should talk about it, this lesson isn't complete. It was too long to fit into one broadcast organist stop here for today and will bring you the conclusion on tomorrow's broadcast. In the meantime, there are other ways you can interact with our ministry.

This is wisdom for the heart. We have a website where you can access all of our resources. Stephen Davey has been teaching God's word for 35 years in the archive of all those messages are posted online. In addition, he's authored several books and booklets, all of it is designed to help you understand God's word and grow in your faith, the Bible teaching archivist free and you can listen to each message or read Stephen's manuscript. Once again, that's wisdom online.well thanks so much for joining us today. As I said earlier will bring you the conclusion to this message tomorrow. So join us for that right here on wisdom