The New Normal, Part 2 - Titus 1:8

What kinds of things are worthy of your time and worthy of you spending your hard earned money on whatever is true, whatever is whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is that that is excellent if anything is worth praising God about all those things and say all those things dwell on those. Spend your time and money on those heavy personal convictions to pursue the things that God considers good is one of the qualifications for church elders in a world where people tend to pursue whatever their heart desires a commitment to pursue the things that God declares to be good and honorable is a mark of godliness here on wisdom for the heart.

Stephen Davey has been working through a series from Titus one Ripoll gives a list of qualifications for church elders.

We've seen several things that elders don't do. But today we shift a bit now were looking at the positive things that elders are supposed to do today. Stephen concludes a message.

He began yesterday called the new normal. Let's get started. He writes next in line here that are not only hospitable but notice their loving what is good again, Paul uses a compound word begins with the same word philosopher lover side effect and hostages were typically translated good and elder law strangers what is good, he allows good stuff that's my word, not Paul's.

That helps you understand one ancient manuscript use the same word for a man who virtue itself disallows whatever is intrinsically good. Which means you know, I will remind you of God right because, as Jesus told the rich young ruler. He came to visit, and there is no but God is intrinsically good but God the father saw the course and spirit. So if you want somebody who is godly. God, they will be walking after the character and nature of God, which is reflected in goodness they will love things I got below Greek form here to be rendered lover of good things doesn't mean he sequestered himself away from all that is bad, but it does mean he doesn't love what is bad because the world is filled with so many men who love what is bad, which is the nature of man right so the world is more and more openly in love with bad things about activities and bad music, bad people bad language and then finish it takes another step down hurting that it turns around and says this is a really bad after all. This is actually you guys are just way too uptight.

This is a bad day will not only do sinful things, bad things, they will give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Romans chapter 1 verse 30 is why you did that so Paul effectively says here Titusville finds a mentor the churches serve as elders straighten out the definitions men who will form personal convictions after the intrinsic nature of God's goodness and then be able to turn around the floppy lead and say no that's actually bad. And this is actually good you'll be able to spot the kind of man because he is not only to tell people with good. He actually loves you. See what an elder love is revealing what he wants to linger around what he wants to talk about what he wants to read what you want to listen to what he looks forward to what he wants to be in the company of Paul effectively asks not only elders but congregants are they good things he hears is a challenge can can you write over the books and magazines that your reading the word good. That is not offensive to the intrinsic nature of God, violence, character, can you write over what you listen to or watch or participate in that little word good. Can you write over the head of your boyfriend or girlfriend. The word good. Can you write over the songs of your the lyrics of your favorite song. The word good. That doesn't mean you define good as those things you do in church.

If you can do them or enjoy them in church and they're not really good is not when I go home today when I got home this afternoon I'm going to take an I'm going to get that our back.

I was looking forward to it all morning. Active I just hurry up I get there quicker.

And when I get up I say to Marsha that was a good it was good. I mean, I believe God was pleased the spiritual discipline you know it isn't something I do insert some of you do your skill that what I mean is, is that or that not all walk in the park or that painting or the driver that game or that's where that friendship there is anything about it. That would be offensive to God's nature is good and there are a million things you can dislike.

So the question is are you developing personal conviction and the love for those things that do not offend the here are are you a Christian under the influence of modeling asked surrounding yourself with that which is good.

Whether you are or not. That's the goal. If you are an elder or an elder want to be. You must be a lover of that. Thirdly, he says here to Titus that an elder is going to model personal common sense uses the word in verse eight, translated sensible elsewhere, perhaps in your Bibles.

It might be even here prudent again is another compound word that helps us understand a couple of nuances. It's a combination soft costs. We know the name Sophia lies along the added word from which means to set my the combined idea means that you have a wise mind set. Keep in mind that wisdom has a practical sense of putting into action the things you know you might know a very knowledgeable man who is in life. He knows the last thing but it is but in practice things that matter. That's what he's talking right here. One Bible scholar wrote that this word meant to think soundly to use common sense not just sort of stuck with me. I couldn't help but think immediately of that phrase. The problem with common sense is that it is no longer common anymore. You paraphrase to keep one's head about to keep your head did not go off the reservation, so, so speak what Paul is saying here.

One of the road is that an elder must not be given the wild and foolish idea.

Yes, he must be a man. He writes who believes that God is the God of the impossible. But you must mix such faith and trust with a good dose of common sense, for God who gave us our hearts is the same God who gave us our head church leaders use both their hearts and their heads which is an essential ingredient in the elders again to be involved in all kinds of decision-making involved in all sorts of tangled things and in conundrums and problems with people and decisions need both faith and common sense that discernment and wisdom to know when and where to step man one more thing to this word before we move on. It has an idea of thinking differently thinking unlike anybody else. Maybe this is why Paul will use this particular word and refer to that word as being part of the lives of every one of those individuals.

The titles will minister to Susan just for the elder.

This is for those who need to begin to think different, why because we want to squeeze into the mold. We think like the world. So now we come in.

We need to be transformed by the renewing of our lives are my throat. When we got begin to think differently and listen when you think differently. That means you will be different.

Are you willing to be influenced by the crowd, but by Christ to be like that one teenage ironing interviewed by on Christian radio where where he said at my school. I am the peer pressure's powerful state your opinions change according to the latest fad the latest fancy fine right or wrong based on the crowd, you're not all driven that on my mind like everybody else during this election season.

Don't you years only stand up and saying their opinion and you wonder how much of it is related: I hope everyone to believe this is a believe tremendous pressure one former President of the United States. Years ago no longer live obviously under the pressure of poles road.

I took this in my file and pull it out again here years afterward.

He said I can't help but wonder what Jesus Christ would have preached if he taken a poll. I wonder how far Moses would've gone to be taken a poll in Egypt where the Reformation a minute Martin Luther taken a poll in Germany is in the poll accounts. It's what's right and what's wrong. That's what makes good leadership men with courage and belief. And what's right that makes epics in the history of the world and I would not only agree on what that is exactly what makes for godly leadership in the church and so Paul is telling Titus go find men think wisely and in differently than culture. They're probably worth following. So elder models, personal care models personal conviction models personal common sense. Another quality services from the pages of Paul's letter that ties the diversity in an elder is my text translates it just just he models personal consistency. He's upright translated in fact in the last three characteristics just devout and self-controlled don't have to do with rightness and relationship.

Jost refers to an elder's right relationship with others devout first when I was relation with God and self-control refers to an elder's relationship with oneself is attitudes and is apt. We'll talk more about those because when I get there today, but the words just carries the idea of fair play, this is Amanda when he shakes your hand, it matters. That's how he has just relationships with other shows, and he follows through the Greeks to find a just man, by the way, as someone who gave to man. Whatever it was they were due simply man of his word minimum integrity who wants to pattern his life after personal consistency.

It relates to man's efforts as we say it to walk the talk, to practice what he preaches. That's important because the shepherds life is to be patterned so to reflect the character of the chief Shepherd represents because people are watching talk about that last time we were together. People are watching you know this is true as well.

Maybe you don't need to be reminded of watching you give kids there watching, are they ever watching little children there watching everything little miss anything to be able to talk just like you there that keen observer and even with your accent.

They don't walk just like they swing the bat like you do and flip their hair like you do there watching more than we can imagine, I can members a youth pastor many years ago working with a teenager continually lied is nearly impossible to get from him a straight answer, never knew what he was telling the truth is often caught in lies. I would discover later that his own father been found to be lying often to his company and eventually because of his lying lost his job. Now let me be quick to declare any misunderstanding about implying that every dishonest child has a dishonest parent. I know because I was a dishonest child and I had on his parents.

Trouble comes when a parent refuses the pattern when a parent abandons the pattern where there is no consistency. There's no right or wrong, are left to determine your sensitivities are left to develop their personal choices. Their consistencies based on a missing model a child hears mom or dad call in sick and and now they're getting a bath or shopping are not sick. A child gets it when the telephone rings and they answer this for uncle Henry and mom says don't live here thinking that that because there will read some time ago about a California mother.

It was observed going to the grocery store disorder tapping items every so often she drew attention within cameras and ending in a watcher and I noticed that her two children coming behind her would pocket the things that she attacked. I would doubt that one day will steal everything from her Boston Globe.

An interesting article about setting an example your walk measuring up to your talk is rather humorous.

Practice what you preach it. It carried an article to cover the annual convention of the American Heart Association convention.

There are hundreds of thousands of it.

Only doctors and nurses and medical personnel, researchers who are members of the American Heart Association, and that the particular convention they were covering focused on the fast food industry and course the horror of it all and I know that none of you will ever well nevermind okay but any rain on talking out when one cardiologist was interviewed about where he had just come from eating ice because her song coming out of and on name fast food restaurants. I will tell you the name of it but he had a big Mac and fries.

Okay the reporter went up to him and suck the microphone and base and and asked him if he thought he was setting a bad example and in the doctor, a cardiologist said and I quote no, I don't think so. I made sure I took off my name tag before I went in there that fixes everything.

Thank you for that example with the way the apostle Paul is telling the elders that you never get to take your name tag that is basically for every Christian right your name tag stays on.

That's all. Maybe your aspiring to leadership.

When you hear talk like that thing on my don't aspire because more than anybody in the flock, the elders, those who lead including Deacon. Those who teach you got a name tag and might as well be tattooed on your four head not taken it off the word Paul uses here is that your name tag on a mention right to live up to what applies you live with this sentence, which is visible for everyone to see Christian if you're an elder.

Even more so, you provide the pattern for that kind of sensitivity stakes are even higher for those of you who lead got a good illustration of this number of years ago on vacation. I slipped away one morning to play nine holes of golf.

I like to play alone because of the way I lay and I got put into a threesome. I didn't want to play in the threesome they knew each other but I went along. I just want to tag along behind them there and on the fairway there swearing like sailors in their telling one story after another night's are like mine, which was easy because I did hit the ball as far as they did anyway but I was back there file for one of the guys were standing means is not about leaving you at what you do for living.

I said I'm a pastor and manages turned pale. They begin to apologize for their French. I've never taken friends but that was in French that I was hearing on the golf course.

Maybe start calling me father father father when he and I thought would be your father. Father problem is I had this I have the name tag on now for the rest of the game. I had to watch my fees and keys like the accountability was a good good. Those who aspire to leadership viewings as a good thing they can be painful it can be intrusive, but they know better than anybody is a good thing over again to get in the next three characteristics today but let me disclose with with a positive illustration of being just and I'll take illustration from the life of a golfer who actually knew what he was doing. His name is Tom Watson and this comes out of the legend of this man was known still is for his integrity' is a believer not deserving tells the truth. He provided a rare example of justice or just mass and surprised everyone and of course if you know golf you know he's gonna win.

Most major championship several in the first tournament he ever entered his young man very first one is making a run for the trophy. The pressure on him as a newcomer was intense as the match progressed and it was relentless frankly said he wanted to win so badly he talked about this was this was the moment he been dreaming about since he was a little boy on one of the greens as he moved up to get ready to pot the ball, he put his putter down behind his ball and too closely into his dismay ball moved ever so slightly, no one sought is 40+ years ago where there were cameras on every blade of grass every you know expression. Nobody saw, but he would say later I saw if he admitted he could of course lose the whole because it have to add a stroke and he could even lose the match could cost so much in his young career, but without much hesitation he walked over to one of the officials and he said I move my ball everything just confirms he got to be kidding. He had a stroke at a loss.

The whole the good news is he came back in one but from what I know I can tell you that his decision to be just to tell the truth what it would cost him so much. Maybe even the match. I guarantee you that decision to tell the truth means more to him now in a 45-year-old plastic trophy that by now is probably, part really matters, especially for the believer and even more especially to an elder one Elder according to the mind of God through Paula Titus is to be the one to define what matters. What matters most is demonstrating his life in all our lives. Personal care for those in need of personal conviction for everything that's good wholesome personal common sense for making wise decision of personal consistency of uprightness and integrity to do that and asked the Lord will a moment to heighten our sense of tension. These are attributes of those under the influence of the whole speed. I've often said the Christian maturity is perhaps not sending less testing quicker.

In fact, finding even more things to confess about is as you grow your conscience becomes more and more sensitive, which is a good thing. Charles Wesley wanted such a sensitive conscience to do the right thing pleases Lori rightly wrote a number of him texts and one never quite made it to the top 50, so to speak is worthy of mention was published in 1749 and with this all wrapped up. The lyrics go like this. I want to principal with in of watchful godly fear, a sensibility of sin