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May 19, 2021 12:00 am
Uniformity is a dirty word in a country filled one authority stands in our way authority stops us from doing what we want to do authority class for person all freedom you suggested. That's right, that's wrong. That's God's sinful and you know that we here in the country. The blind are much more comfortable regularly in contact. It's God's desire that we, as his church would take initiative in talking about the things of the Lord in Titus 215.
The apostle Paul reminds us that evangelism should be part of our every day lives in this final message of his series family talk Stephen Davies shows you practically how to be a better witness for Jesus Christ.
This message is called in the country of the blind. It occurs to me as I study the word of God, and certainly what it must've been like on the island of Crete for Titus in a very real way, he is living in a country of the blind and slave to sin.
Given over as a culture to drunkenness, debauchery, with sexual immorality as its chief religion. The answer comes, if you have that letter turn and look at chapter 2. The game plan involves a living, dynamic, unified gospel saturated God exalting body of believers you I find it fascinating and have been studying this letter that the solution to the country of the blind is is not just putting shepherds in place that are qualified and committed to teaching the word of God but also putting the rest of the church family on assignment. The solution is not going to be sudden. It will not be countrywide.
It will take a lifetime of daily influence as salt and light, which see the difference between us and that young man in Wells novel is that we do not run away and escape with our lives.
Neither do we accept the surgery. We give our lives we invest our lives in the darkness around us where we shine as lights and we tell people of another world, and things they cannot see we are ambassadors of the King of lights, who dwell among a people. Paul wrote, who are blinded by the God of this world and we pray that their eyes will be opened to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
Second Corinthians 4 verse four is not going to be easy because you gotta be surrounded by people who think you're insane people who assume more and more you're not a very good citizen. You don't really fit in. You lost your mind, you're making it up. If that were living in a world in our generation that is determined to silence any revelation of another world out there right there determined to remove any semblance of spiritual site I read a few days ago. Only one more illustration of a country's fascination with removing anything of Christianity from site one. US District Court Judge proposed a solution to the case brought before by the American Civil Liberties Union, a case bringing suit against the high school in Southwest Virginia that was persisting on hanging a copy of the 10 Commandments and had so for the last 10 years on one of the buildings on school grounds. The judge ruled this most interesting proposition. He ruled that the school could continue to display the 10 Commandments only if they removed the four Commandments that explicitly referred to God.
He ordered the school in the mediation with the ACLU to work up a compromise. See, we don't want anybody to see all reference to our creator, but let's surgically remove from our culture, we have more and more illustrations that all the time knowing any reference to God and then you will be a good citizen in the country of the blind Paul provides an answer in his letter to Titus, and he begins remember in chapter 2 verse one rather serious family talk and he says, but you Titus, but as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.
In other words, continue to tell the truth and you start with the church that you notice the last verse of chapter 2 ends is a bookend to his thoughts here with the same verb these things speak and amplifies it there in the rest of this verse that will look at is our text for today as we complete this series. The chapter begins and ends with the same command you can circle that words speak and draw a line down as I have, to the verb speak in verse 15, Paul is is using what we call the imperative, the! In the in the Greek language you could take those three verbs in verse 15 and right in your Bibles and an exclamation point after each one, these things speak!
And exhort! And approve!
So, you immediately get the idea.
These are not suggestions. These are not options. These are the commands. In fact there the commands to the shepherds and in the flocks that will make a different actually form the game plan for the church at large.
So today let's take a closer look at this plan for the church on the island of Crete and certainly for any country will call the first initiative conversation conversation. Paul writes in verse 15. These things speak uses a word that can be translated these things and now these things reveal these things disclose it can be used for careful teaching certainly, but it can also be used to refer to ordinary conversation is not just talking about sermon manuscripts and apologetic discourses and in theological dissertations.
These he's talking about conversations that take place on your back deck conversations in the hallway conversations across the fence in the backyard conversations with children as you sit with them on the edge of the bed before you tuck them in at nine. Paul is saying in and I can and I can just anticipate his thoughts.
I know it sounds simplistic and the not all that strategic but I just wanted to talk about Jesus Christ, bring him into your conversations. Make him the object of your discussions. Bring him in as you're going around the course and that golf cart looking for your lost ball bring him in at that restaurant as you're sitting with friends or coworkers when you sit on an airplane and you have a you have somebody there they can get away bringing them the wonderful way by the way that only delivering the gospel to unbelievers, but finding family members.
You never knew around the world right my wife and I had the privilege of being helped with our bags by two sky caps one, and one going in and we you know stood by them for at least five minutes which gave us an opportunity to drop the seat of the gospel in both of them responded with that look of I know exactly what you're talking about and I with you hundred percent. We ended up meeting brothers. We had no idea were part of our family. Only problem is you tip them. You know now that you are what give me that look of love and affectionately get your wallet out honey be very generous side of the verb refers to the ordinary conversations of like none other. Specifically, Paul writes these saying speak.
What are these things Paul is referring to speaking the things that EE referred to in verse one and following the things which fit with sound doctrine is effectively saying speak the things that I just been talking about with you for the previous 14 verses so I just kinda went back in the chapter.
Okay wants us to talk about what it means to be a dignified older man had that conversation men with other men. What is it mean to be a man, talk about among women what it means to be committed to sobriety and control in teaching those things that are to talk about what it means to be a young mother in that role.
Talk about what it means to be maturing and responsibility in and that the acceptance of of the hard work as a young man talk about what it means to have the ethics of an honest employee talk about what it means to be a man or woman of your word.
Talk about that kind of stuff and not just in here take it out there shed some light on on the subjects these subjects for the sake of your world is wandering around in view of the subject without a rider in the water during the dark talk about this with those who are citizens in the country of the blind subjects then are not to be reserved for Sunday make them a part of your conversation. Secondly, not only are we to be involved in conversation but were to be involved in what medical motivation and you'll understand why in a minute look at the second initiative. Paul writes in verse 15 these things speak! The notice and exhort that this verb is a little more intense. In fact, all three verbs get more intense.
You take the church and just see how people peel away as we get past these verb wonderful of the whole church would be involved in daily conversation and that's wonderful and that's a great point to begin with but you moved out of this one.
Exhort, it's a favorite word of the apostle Paul's. He used nine times in writing to Timothy and Titus his young sons were pastors in the faith that he used the 64 more times in the rest of his letters. He loves this this word, depending on the context. You can translated with that with the nuance of encouraging or counseling or or commending or admonishing again it's it's a stronger word than just talking or or speaking, it carries the idea of a motion to EE it carries the idea of inviting in treating fleeting for something that I know is true and I want you to do it to. Is there any possible way I can motivate you to consider this.
We do that all the time and in the world we got a product and will just want to talk about it. We want to sell it right.
Let me tell you why you gotta have it. Same thing here is not just conversation. It's an invitation.
It's like the difference between casually informing someone there's a forest fire in California and telling them the back of their shirts on fire you're talking about fire in both instances, but one of them is you gotta do something about it right now.
This is important so we in this particular culture or passionate that they understand these are things they must see there is another world out there. There are elements in chapter 2. As I thought about it. Look back to the chapter that you can't talk about but with including a lot of emotion for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men bringing the offered salvation all men got costs. Grace is offering you salvation. I want to invite you to accept it. Believe it join me in. He says further from verse 11 on in verse 13 EE since we are all looking were waiting were longing for looking for that blessed hope.
It is the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. He's got to. There's there's there's a there's an idea of what we want to invite you to be ready with us. He says little later on in verse 14, Titus tell them to be zealous of good deeds. I mean not just let's do some good deeds.
I mean being zealous for good. Do you know the difference between being available for good deeds and being zealous for good deeds being available creates a list of good intentions being zealous means were going to tackle almond and check those boxes off. We must do it. That's the seal. As I thought about the distinction between conversation and motivation just occurred to me that you can talk about something without ever becoming personally involved, but you can motivate someone, you can plead with someone you can't counsel someone you can't commend someone without becoming personally involved as 1/3 initiative, the game plan for the church is not only involvement in conversation and motivation, but alteration is where really gets interesting alteration. The word Paul uses here is a word that could be rendered correct convict await I just rather talk about will that's good, that's a great starting place. But then you want to motivate them to believe the gospel in the things that is discussed eventually is going to lead you to say we not the path you're on the wrong end and this would write what we need, when you tell that's where conviction occurs alteration.
By the way, begins with us.
Speak these things. This is the job description effectively. Verse 15 as of the pastor teacher over those who shepherd the flock signature to do these things delivered in chapter 2, which convicts and cuts and reprove and correct so might be good for us to have the image when we come as an assembly under the word of God in the singing of the word of God and the praying of the word of God. It might help to to to just kinda consider this place like a tailor's shop. You take care your dresser, your parrot trousers to the tailors because something is not right. It doesn't fit, you might need to have it taken in an inch you might need to have it taken out and we will talk about that but something's gotta be changed. Truth is, you wouldn't go back to that tailor.
If they didn't if they didn't take what you brought in an alternate you brought it to them for alteration to be different than when you dropped it off can imagine a tailor, Sadie, when you come back a few days later was II appreciate you so much. I would never want to offend you by suggesting that anything you needed changing.
So all I did was I am that it looks we have been coming here to look better. Maybe get iron to bed we come to be altered and and genuine worship corrects convicts in my studies and reading the summer. One Puritan defined good worship a few centuries ago this way. Listen to this definition of good worship good worship is that which enlivens our conscience by the holiness of God feeds our minds with the truth of God purges our imagination by the beauty of God opens our heart to the love of God and causes us to devote our will to the purpose of God. Hey, how is worship this morning.
We didn't sing any. My favorite I didn't get to see all my friends. The sermon was way too short. But what was your imagination purged was your conscience in life and through song and message in prayer and fellowship. Did you send this beauty and the love and the grace and the holiness of God. What kind of church do you go to their worship of God should be like going to a tailor which works in us, in so far as we allow it to make alterations using authority is a dirty word in a country filled with blind people authority stands in our way authority stops us from doing what we want to do authority interrupts our class for personal freedom that what it's all about authority is a bad word pastors today refused to deliver the truth of sin or judgment for fear of losing their influence or their popularity parens today have become jolted into thinking that if they act with any authority they speak with any authority they will lose their children authority is a bad word.
You may be embarrassed today as a parent or a teacher or young person or a leader to represent yourself in a way where people suddenly realize why you're coming across as as an authority you dear suggested that's right. And that's wrong that that's godly and that's sinful and you know that we here in the country. The blind are much more comfortable with opinions that ultimatums and here's what the enemy is ultimately going after the silence, the church, it is your authoritative message from God where you tell your world. This is the way to heaven. That is the way to hell Titus, Paul writes this is not an option, get yourself into gear to talk about it to invite people about it or to it and to confront regarding it but get the congregation involved as well. This is our game plan. In reaching this country of the blind get involved in conversation. Motivation and alteration, and don't expect rose petals along the way the church is experiencing so much heartburn today with the fact that the world doesn't seem to respect the truth that holds we were never told it would affect having aired now for several years. The programs I mention here just in the English world and about three and radio stations.
It is just open the door all kinds of response I get that I rarely if ever tell you about some have written, demanding apologies for what I have said that I should go on the air and demand, or they demanded I go on the air and apologize for what I thought others attempt to get me to try to change my doctor and I get books in the mail to read this and then you'll see it right. Others claim their doctrine and their church is been maligned by me. I need to get on the air and just tell everybody how wrong I wasn't. Please forgive others have written to me to tell me in general to take a hike only and more colorful language than than that. Perhaps that's why Paul concludes by telling Titus and everyone else who will stand for the truth of God's word or universe 15 look. Let no one disregard you.
So he ends the discussion. Let no one disregard that word disregard appears only here in the entire New Testament fascinating word compound word that literally translated means to think around something we would use it in our vernacular today about some of his running circles around us, which is in a good thing that means were were lagging right less. The idea here is this Titus to let anybody run circles around you. Don't let anybody get loose on a loophole.
Make sure your teaching is clear and biblical effect, Paul uses the second person of krone you emphasizing you Titus make sure you do not let people get off the hook so easily.
Which means, do your homework. Starting prepare and for the church body at large. God places you in that hallway and or somebody next to you that believes something in you, the hope, my goodness, I've never heard of that before the end of go home studying get your Bible prepare to go back get involved in conversations make a little more emotional as God gives an opportunity and then say you know what I believe God's word says that that's not true. And here's why this is the game plan not just for the shepherds, but for the flock. Here's the way the daily impact the lives of people on the island of Crete or in Kerry or Raleigh or Holly Springs or Chapel Hill or or done or wherever you you live or work or play here is make Jesus Christ a part of your daily conversation make Christianity a motivating invitation to join you make the truth of Scripture. The basis for what you challenge your world in ways they are to alter their thinking as they come to Christ in their living and by the way I want to encourage you today. Paul writes these three initiatives in the present tense. In other words, he says the Titus first into the body, or by the way, don't stop, don't quit.
Keep on doing keep on talking keep on inviting people challenge keep on talking keep on inviting pleading counsel keep on confronting, don't stop, don't stop. Stay the don't ever forget.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the country but we have the truth of God's word that we are heading for another country of joy and love and perfection and glory and color old what glorious creations await us in endless, endless worship and I want you to know about done. I am certain about. I am sure of it. Why, because God has spoken. It's true that the world resists the authority of God's word. But as believers were still called to speak it faithfully and consistently. This is wisdom for the heart. With today's message Stephen Devi concludes his series entitled family talk our number here is 86 648 Bible. That's 86 648 Bible or 866-482-4253. Our website is wisdom online.org. By the way, when you get to the website. Please use the comment form and tell us how God is using this ministry to encourage you. That would really encourage us. We'd love to hear from you. You can also send us a card or letter in the mail. Our address is wisdom for the heart PO Box 37297, Raleigh, NC 276270 say that one more time so that you can get it. It's wisdom for the heart PO Box 37297, Raleigh, NC 27627 tomorrow we begin a brand-new series from the gospel of Luke. Join us as we begin that study right here on Wednesday