WEBVTT 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.480 Well, thank you for having me here. 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:22.239 It is a privilege. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:26.239 I love getting to see other churches worship. 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:31.199 And just it's just a great reminder that God's church is worldwide. 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:35.920 We don't see that often enough when we stay in our own environments. 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:38.399 And so it's just really, really enjoy it. 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:39.840 So thank you for that. 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:42.640 We're going to be in Titus. 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:47.759 We're going to walk through all three chapters, if we can, through this entire weekend. 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:51.039 We're going to start just on chapter one. 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:55.439 And I want, here's my hope for you and for City Church. 00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:05.040 I want us to understand what it looks like, what it feels like when we are both at home with God personally and we are home together. 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:06.560 That is so important. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:14.959 I'm not sure how things are in the Republic of Ireland, but in the United States, churches are dying quickly. 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:19.920 So in the last 25 years, there's 40 million adults right now. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:24.480 That's 15% of the entire population in America that used to go to church. 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.439 They are dechurched, they no longer want it. 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:32.480 And I know that there's not a lot of Christians in the Republic of Ireland as well. 00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:35.120 So we are a family. 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:36.319 We have to understand that. 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:48.879 Whatever you thought we were, in America, we had conflated politics with churches and culture with churches that's all crumbling and falling apart in realizing not only do they not belong together, they tear one another apart. 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:59.680 And so the churches that are thriving, and there's some that are, that are thriving, are growing, are churches that understand that now this is God's household, that this belongs to Him. 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:03.519 So that is my hope and my prayer for us today. 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:08.000 Um I moved, as I mentioned, to Mark, and Mark has been such a good friend. 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:12.560 Uh, just had the chance to meet him last summer at a conference and just became fast friends. 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:16.960 Uh, and so it's been a joy to get to know him, and he's really served us well. 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:18.400 So thank you for that. 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:21.280 Uh, as I mentioned, we moved from California in 1998. 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:25.599 We were young, I had three kids, uh, and I did not want to be married anymore. 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:29.120 We were Christians, uh, but life was very different than what we thought. 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:33.120 Uh, we were in our late 20s, and I had gotten a job. 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:35.599 I mean, we lost my job, so that wasn't fun. 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:37.520 And we ended up, uh, we didn't want to move. 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:38.800 All of our family was in California. 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:41.199 We had no desire to do that whatsoever. 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:42.319 But we prayed. 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:46.400 We didn't go to church much, we didn't see the use for it, but we were still believers. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:48.319 We still would say that we knew Jesus. 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:50.240 And so we prayed, and God opened up. 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:56.319 You know, you should hate that when you pray and God opens up, like he answers you, and you're like, well, no, not that one, right? 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:58.400 And so I'm looking for a job on the West Coast. 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:02.080 God opened up a church or he opened up a flying position on the East Coast. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:03.520 And we, I mean, we had to go. 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:06.319 So uh our marriage is falling apart. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:07.759 We had three kids under eight. 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:10.479 Um, my wife hurt her back and couldn't work. 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:12.080 We were out of money. 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:13.280 Uh, we lost our home. 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:14.639 It got went back to the bank. 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:15.520 It was terrible. 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:18.000 It was like the worst season of our life. 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:22.879 And only in the midst of that did I see, like, that's where God got my attention. 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:32.400 That's where I understood that until you, the saying, it sounds a little campy, but until Jesus is all that you have, you don't actually realize that he is all that you need. 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:35.759 That is where the church became real to me. 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:42.960 That is where the church migrated from something that I go to when I need to get juiced up on the weekend or feel good about myself or get a little bit of Jesus, right? 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:46.319 A little bit of Bible, uh, to like, I, this is life. 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:47.680 This is living water. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:49.199 This is this is the bread of life. 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:50.319 These are my people. 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:53.599 That was a transition that and God used that. 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:59.120 Um and your participation here in City Church is is huge. 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:00.080 I want you to know that. 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:01.599 I don't know how you feel about yourself. 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:03.759 I don't know how you feel about you and the Lord. 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:07.439 I don't know how you feel about these people that you're around. 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:09.840 But you have a story, right? 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:11.360 It's it's and it's big. 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:12.800 It's not a small story. 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:16.160 If you'll be willing to hear it, God will use you. 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:25.759 I mean, think about like Jesus after his resurrection and his ascension, after three years of ministry, there weren't a lot of people that were following him, especially after he was murdered publicly, right? 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:27.920 That tends to make your followers go away. 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:33.839 But there were 120 people, and the Spirit of God came, just like Jesus said, like, hold tight. 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:37.439 I'm gonna send the counsel, I'm gonna empower you to be my witnesses. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:42.720 And the Spirit of God comes at Pentecost, and those 120 people changed the world, right? 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:44.240 They overturned empires. 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:47.519 They didn't do it through violence, they did it as the family of God. 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:49.040 So don't forget that. 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:53.360 So our goal is just to understand what it takes to thrive as God's household. 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:54.720 Um, a little bit of context here. 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:55.759 So I'm not preaching this. 00:04:55.839 --> 00:04:56.959 This isn't me teaching. 00:04:57.040 --> 00:04:59.199 So we'll try to do a little QA at the end. 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:05.120 Um so I just, but we have a lot of content to cover, so it's gonna be a little more low-key. 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:09.680 Just I'm not sure how it works over here, but this isn't me teaching a little bit different. 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:11.839 Um, so who this is the Apostle Paul. 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:13.680 You know, he wrote most of the New Testament. 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:18.720 This is about 30 plus years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. 00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:23.360 He's writing this letter to Titus, who was a faithful coworker. 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:24.480 They had worked together. 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:26.319 You see him show up in Galatians. 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:30.879 Titus is really good as like he's that guy you call when everything falls apart. 00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:32.079 I understand that life. 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:36.720 So he he was there uh when at Corinth when the church had issues. 00:05:36.959 --> 00:05:38.480 He took special offerings. 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:44.399 He seemed to be that guy that Paul would lean on when there was trouble, and in the church there was always trouble. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:46.000 Uh, but they worked together. 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:48.160 This church was on Crete. 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:53.519 Uh, it's a little island about a hundred miles south of Greece, was known for piracy. 00:05:53.680 --> 00:06:00.319 Uh, it was not like you don't go to places like that to live unless you like want to be away from people and do your own thing, right? 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:02.399 They were not in the normal society. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:07.439 Uh they they they scrolled away and kind of lived how they wanted to live. 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:08.879 And there was crisis. 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:11.199 So this church, however, this got started. 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:15.920 Some people think that it was on Paul's fourth journey, missionary journey, but nobody really knows. 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:22.079 But a church showed up on Crete, and they had a certain culture that wasn't good. 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:26.000 So it was not operating as a healthy home at all. 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:28.800 So the Apostle Paul writes this letter. 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:34.079 It was to Titus, but as you look at the end of the letter, it says right here, Grace be with you all. 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:38.639 So it's meant, like most epistles or letters, to be read to the entire church. 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:49.680 So this is not just to Titus, it's primarily to him, but he would have most likely, or somebody would have read that letter, like we're doing publicly, so that everybody could have the benefit of that. 00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:51.920 Um, but things were going sideways. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:58.319 And the way that things were going sideways is that they were using another gospel. 00:06:58.480 --> 00:07:03.680 In other words, God's word was not the most plausible voice in their life anymore. 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:05.199 They were self-willed. 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:07.519 They said, That's good, I'll take that in advisement. 00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:10.480 But there's other ways that I need to justify myself. 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:14.879 There's other ways that I can find value, and it just destroyed everything. 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:20.160 It wasn't a little bit off, it completely destroyed the church or was destroying the church. 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:28.560 So we're gonna jump in there and we're gonna learn a little bit about what the Apostle Paul recommends to them and how they respond to that. 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:32.639 So a little bit, so words, uh lexicon here, church. 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:37.839 When I say church in here, or when we're talking about the church, you can think household. 00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:39.360 It's used that way. 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:41.279 So think household of God. 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:43.600 I don't know how you see the church. 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:50.720 Uh, we don't, the church does not have a good reputation in the United States, um, especially in the northern part of the country. 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:51.439 It doesn't. 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:54.000 I want you to think, I don't know how you think of the church. 00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:56.639 I want you to think of this household, like as a home. 00:07:56.800 --> 00:07:59.519 In fact, most churches met in homes. 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:04.160 So it was very easy for them to understand that, but I want you to think household. 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:13.759 Secondly, when we hear the word grace or gospel or salvation, uh, I want to think, I want you to think transformation. 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:19.120 This is a very Western idea that uh we're saved by information. 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:22.000 You are not saved by information at all. 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:25.040 Like you can have information that can do nothing for you. 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:31.120 It can actually take you further away from God because information will uh will make you think, I've got this. 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:32.399 I understand. 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:34.720 So grace is not about information. 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:36.080 It's nothing less than that. 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:42.240 You have to hear the true gospel, and and the apostle Paul will say that, but it has to be embraced. 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:45.120 You have to assent to it, understand the facts, and agree to them. 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:46.799 That still doesn't save you. 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:49.759 You have to embrace the gospel in its fullness. 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:50.399 You have to. 00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:54.399 And what will happen is that grace will change your life. 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:56.480 Now, it might be a small thing. 00:08:56.639 --> 00:09:02.799 So this is where some of the people in the church on Crete were messing with people's heads. 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:06.240 They would say, unless you look like this, you're probably not saved. 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:11.039 Unless you're keeping the law of Moses and Jesus, you're probably not saved. 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:12.559 So that's not what I'm talking about. 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:16.240 I'm talking about grace gives you a new identity, as Mark mentioned. 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:17.039 What's your identity? 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:18.639 Who asked that to a person, by the way? 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:20.559 Um, it gives you a new identity. 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:21.759 What's wrong with you? 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:25.120 Um, yeah. 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:25.840 We'll all talk. 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:27.440 Mark go other and we'll talk later. 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:31.039 Um it gives you new loves, it gives you new life. 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:36.240 So the gospel is not something that you add on to your life, or it's like I grab onto it. 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:38.159 It is something that creates new life. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:48.080 It transforms you from out of a kingdom of darkness where you are self-willed, but confident that I'm getting it right, into a new kingdom, right? 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:49.440 Where Jesus is king. 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:54.960 So think through those into think, use that framework as we're walking through this text. 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:57.120 So we have this little clever acronym. 00:09:57.200 --> 00:10:00.399 I normally don't do this, but you know, I got bored, and so I did it. 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:02.399 Uh it's it's just an easy way. 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:07.039 We're gonna walk through these five letters, Titus, as we as we open up the book. 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:11.840 So today we're gonna talk about um true faith and irreproachable leaders. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:24.320 The big idea for this whole letter is that God's household thrives on this foundation when it's built on first true faith, secondly, on irreproachable leaders. 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:27.360 So those are that now that's I know what you're thinking about. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:30.639 Are you thinking, oh, Mark and you know, Peter and I no. 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:32.720 Yeah, yeah, nothing less than that. 00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:40.320 But the whole point of giving qualifications for leaders in this letter is so the entire home looks like that. 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:47.120 When you raise kids, you don't raise them to just figure out life on their own, do you? 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:49.840 They will take on the family resemblance. 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:59.360 Not only do they have your DNA, maybe, unless you adopted them, but even if you did adopt them, they still grow in that identity of what it means to be your family. 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:01.840 So that we get this wrong in this letter. 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:03.600 We think, oh, these are just for the leaders. 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:04.399 No, it's not. 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:05.600 It's actually for all of us. 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:08.159 These qualifications are extremely unremarkable. 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:09.679 They're very basic stuff. 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:13.600 So, theocentric servants, this is where it comes to the church whole. 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:17.840 Uh, we are to operate as God-centered servants, meaning this. 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:19.919 Here's what I mean by God-centered. 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:23.360 Your greatest concern in this community is not you. 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:33.919 That grace has so affected your life and so changed your affections that you are most energized by how people around you are doing. 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:36.159 And you become other-centered. 00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:37.519 That's how a family works. 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:45.440 Upright citizens, so that that speaks to not just inside the church or inside the household, but how do we look outside? 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:48.480 How do I look like when I go to work? 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:52.320 How do I look when I go to, you know, school? 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:53.679 What does it look like? 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:55.519 What does the home look like when we're scattered? 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:58.720 And then lastly, steadfast devotion to good works. 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:02.879 If we're to understand Ephesians 2, that is the purpose, right? 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:04.960 We're to live our life holy unto God. 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:10.000 Even says that we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:24.720 So good works are kind of like the evidence, if you will, if that's not too harsh, but the joy, if you will, of what it means to be in a love, trust, relationship with Father, Son, Spirit, the living God. 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:26.000 So we're gonna walk through that. 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:29.120 First, uh, we're gonna talk about true faith. 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:33.840 So God's household thrives on a foundation first of true faith. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:36.320 I'm just gonna cover the first four verses here. 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:38.799 So, uh, what is true faith? 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:41.200 Well, first, it's Paul's faith. 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:51.759 What you wanna see is that this gospel is not just a letter that circulates, it's not just information, it's not just something that Paul said, Hey, I've heard this, because this is very common in the ancient world. 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:53.200 We have a new philosophy. 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:54.320 We have this thing. 00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:56.320 Hey, you gotta listen to this podcast. 00:12:56.480 --> 00:12:57.840 It's amazing, right? 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:01.360 It we still think like that, it's the next big thing. 00:13:01.519 --> 00:13:04.480 But this was not, this is very personal to Paul. 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:05.840 This was his faith. 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:10.000 Paul, a servant of God and apostle of Christ Jesus. 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:13.840 So he's a servant, and in the ancient text that would have been slave. 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:17.519 And that means that it was like an indentured servitude, do los. 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:23.840 So he sees himself as a servant, but a servant can walk away the way he uses it, but he stays. 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.080 He uses his freedom to give his life to God. 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:29.200 Well, he's a servant, he's humble, but he's also an apostle. 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:37.360 An apostle is someone who has seen the living Christ and has been sent out by him to be a witness of him. 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:39.039 This is this is what he does. 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:47.440 So he's embracing that call, and he's calling the church in Crete to embrace it with him. 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:50.480 Would you guys like food over here? 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:51.279 Okay. 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:52.639 Can I ask you a question? 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:56.399 Would you send somebody to a really expensive restaurant if you've never been there before? 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:01.600 I don't know who said that, but I'm not gonna listen to you. 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:02.159 All right. 00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:05.039 Okay, maybe that's valid. 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:06.320 Maybe that's valid. 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:08.240 The apostle Paul's not doing that. 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:09.679 He's like, this is my faith. 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:12.559 Not of me, but I'm living this. 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:17.360 He experienced great loss because he followed Jesus. 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:19.120 This is his faith. 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:25.279 He's humble, he's a man under submission, he's under authority. 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:34.480 He's gonna call people to do stuff, he's gonna call people to be submitting to one another, but he himself is a man who has given his life to Jesus. 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:36.399 He's a servant, he chose to stay. 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:38.480 He's humble, but he's also confident. 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:41.679 He understands the gospel, and he's not gonna budge on it. 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:44.960 And he's not gonna say things like if you agree with it. 00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:45.759 No, no. 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:47.759 He's gonna say this is this is life or death. 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.240 Like, I know this to be a fact. 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:51.759 Give your life. 00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:53.759 He's witnessed the risen Lord. 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:55.919 I mean, God knocked him off his horse. 00:14:56.080 --> 00:14:57.360 I mean, it was violent. 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:00.080 And Paul was so self-willed. 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:06.799 Paul was absolutely confident that his life was approved by God, and he was completely blind. 00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:09.279 And then God blinded him to show them that. 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:12.960 So he was, he was the he says, I'm the worst of the worst. 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:14.240 I'm the chief of sinners. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:15.679 That is not poetic language. 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:20.159 He actually destroyed the church, he oversaw the stoning of a deacon. 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:21.600 How many deacons in here? 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:24.799 Let me say we're gonna take you out back. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:25.600 Share with the nice. 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:26.799 Um, right? 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:28.879 So this is Paul's faith. 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:30.080 This is personal to him. 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:33.360 Secondly, a true faith is a promised faith. 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:51.360 Uh in the verse two, it says, in the hope of eternal life, which God who never lies, promised before the ages begin, and at the proper time manifested or brought to light in his word through preaching, which Paul had been entrusted. 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:53.919 So here's what we need to understand, but I promise faith. 00:15:54.080 --> 00:16:06.000 This faith is not a moral system or a mantra or simply some way to find personal peace and to build an identity where I have a meaning in life. 00:16:06.159 --> 00:16:08.480 That is really not what the gospel is here for. 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:18.399 Now it'll give you those things, but again, in a Western mindset, we can reduce the gospel to psychological peace and identity, and it's more than that. 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:21.039 It's not here for personal meaning. 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:22.240 What do you mean by that? 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:25.759 Well, because in Genesis, God says, I'm gonna overcome evil. 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:28.320 He actually makes the promise to the serpent. 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:33.600 Eve's right here, your child, one of your children is gonna crush the head of the serpent. 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:35.759 That is what he's out for. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:42.879 The whole thesis of the Bible is that I will be your God and you will be my people and we will dwell together. 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:45.440 That's where all 66 books are going. 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:50.000 So it's something deeper than your psychological well-being, right? 00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:54.159 It's something deeper than you can have meaning if you understand the gospel. 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:56.559 That is true, but it's much deeper. 00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:57.919 It's a promised faith. 00:16:58.159 --> 00:16:59.840 He talks about the elect. 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:06.079 He talks about this promise came before the ages in eternity past. 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:08.559 This God always had you in mind. 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:10.240 You were never unwanted. 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:12.000 How do you feel about that? 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:19.759 God plans this out, he brings it to light through the preaching of the gospel and through people like the Apostle Paul. 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:21.839 It's a promised faith. 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:25.759 So it's he uses the word hope, the hope of eternal life. 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:27.839 Here's what that means to us usually. 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:29.920 Hope means I sure hope that happens. 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:31.119 It's something that may happen. 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:33.039 I want it, I don't know if it's gonna happen. 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:34.079 Right? 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:35.200 We we agree. 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:40.559 Biblically speaking, it's something I have already. 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:48.000 Hope in the Bible, especially when it's used this way, is it's not something that I hope for, it's something that I have. 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:49.119 Do you understand that? 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:50.720 So it's something that you have. 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:57.920 You you possess it, although it may not be manifested the way that you want it now, nobody can take it out of your hands. 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:02.960 There's nothing that you can do or will do, there's nobody that can separate or yank that from you. 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:04.880 That's a promised faith. 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:07.200 That's the only that's covenant faith. 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:11.200 That's the only way that you can have security and grow in your relationship with God. 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:19.359 The only way, because if you don't believe that, you will be living your life to earn God's approval instead of living your life out of God's approval. 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:20.799 And they're wildly different. 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:23.839 They don't, here's the funny thing, it doesn't look different on the surface. 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:31.359 In fact, many times people that are trying to earn God's approval look better externally, but inside they're dying. 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:34.079 But this is a promised faith. 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:43.920 He's delivered you from the domain of darkness, and he's he's opening up good works to you so that you can resemble Father, Son, Holy Spirit. 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:44.640 Do you see that? 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:46.079 You're born of God now. 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:47.680 You're born of God. 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:51.519 So secondly, it's a it's a promised faith. 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:53.279 Third, it's a preached faith. 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:59.759 Uh Crete, well, we talked about Crete a little bit, but one of the things about Crete is it was a place for villains. 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:01.039 It was not a good place. 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:03.359 It became a byword in the ancient world. 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:05.359 Oh, you're a Cretan, right? 00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:10.160 One of their own prophets, probably Epimenides, said, I mean, he Paul quotes him right here. 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:14.559 He said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, gluttons. 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:16.400 This was actually true. 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:25.119 Now, Crete thought or they embraced the idea that they were the guardians of Zeus and his tomb on Mount Ida there. 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:27.519 Now remember, Zeus was the deceiver. 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:29.440 That's how we got business done. 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:34.960 So it was actually embraced on Crete, a virtue was deception. 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:43.839 So when Paul says God never lies, that's a big deal to them. 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:54.559 God is not just trying to manipulate you or change your life through misinformation or to get you to do what he wants you to do, like a God in mythology would do. 00:19:54.880 --> 00:19:57.759 This word actually transforms you. 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:02.880 If you believe his word, it will change who you are forever. 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:07.119 It will enter you into a relationship with him forever. 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:15.519 So this is a preached faith that comes in absolute truth, and we can embrace you can test it. 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:18.240 Believe it and see what happens. 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:19.279 Right? 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:24.559 It's not, well, just you know, think these things, pray these prayers, and maybe if you're lucky, God will be real. 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:28.799 It's a it's an embraced, you can embrace this because it's true. 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:31.759 This true faith is also a practice faith. 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:33.920 Paul's really big about this. 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:36.480 Uh, this is a gift, right? 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:41.759 Faith is a gift that creates new life, but it also empowers new living. 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:46.400 I I don't know, again, I don't know how it works in Ireland, but I know how it works in America. 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:51.039 Uh, faith is just something you embrace and then you go to church, and then you just live your life. 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:52.960 It doesn't really change you. 00:20:54.079 --> 00:21:05.440 Paul says that these evil Cretans or these false teachers were professing that they knew God, but they were denying him by their works. 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:07.839 They they were saying, No, we know God. 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:12.480 In fact, you should live with God like we do, you should follow him like we do. 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:16.240 And Paul's like, they're denying him by their works. 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:19.519 Their lives are screaming that they don't know God. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:20.400 Why? 00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:21.599 Because they're not perfect? 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:22.160 No. 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:30.720 It's because they are trying to justify or find value or find salvation on their own terms through their own actions. 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:32.319 It's a practice faith. 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:33.680 How do we know that? 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:34.960 Right off the point. 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:44.559 That Paul, the servant of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake, listen to this, for the sake of the faith of God's elect, not just for the sake of the elect. 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:46.079 That would be good. 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:47.759 Oh, Paul's doing something for us. 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:54.640 For the sake of the faith, that's how important that the preached word in embracing it through trust is. 00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:59.759 For the sake of the faith of the elect and their knowledge. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:06.319 Knowledge, so knowledge matters of what is true, which accords with godliness. 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:12.160 So when you embrace the gospel truth, it should change your life. 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:18.160 So the truth that we embrace comes out of our lives, regardless of what we say. 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:24.240 So Paul wants this gospel to spill out of our lives. 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:30.960 I think belief in Jesus seems pointless to people. 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:37.359 In one regard, because we privatize and partmentalize our faith. 00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:39.359 It's vibrant right here, right? 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:40.960 Safe here for the most part. 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:42.640 And maybe some of you guys are unbelievers. 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:52.079 You need to be around people. 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:54.880 So if you're still seeking great, like you're in the right spot. 00:22:54.960 --> 00:23:00.480 You need to be around people that are living this out, listen to what they listen to, evaluate it. 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:02.000 You have to do that. 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:03.039 It's practiced. 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:03.759 Watch it. 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:07.519 But Christians, we compartmentalize and we privatize our faith. 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:11.359 We don't adorn it, as the text says, or wear it when we go out. 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:14.160 We just put it on when we come in here, right? 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:15.200 And that's good. 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:17.359 But that's not what God has for us. 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:19.440 He wants us to practice it. 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:23.839 We're doing a series at Portico Church in Charlottesville called Controversial Topics right now. 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:25.839 It started off with abortion, right? 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:26.240 Right? 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:28.240 Just light talking. 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:29.200 Right? 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:36.559 Goes into sexuality and gender and politics and all kinds of stuff that we teach in our membership class because people need to know. 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:42.960 They're not the most important things in the Bible, I'll tell you that, but they're really important to culture right now. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:46.880 So if it's really important to culture, we need to give an honest answer to it. 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:54.240 Now, anybody in their right mind, pastors hate this kind of stuff, you would think the church would evacuate. 00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:55.279 It's not. 00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:59.680 People are tired of us nuancing truth and saying, well, it depends. 00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:01.519 No, it actually doesn't depend. 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:05.279 How we apply it, right, can have compassion. 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:06.960 And it depends. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:08.000 But truth is truth. 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:12.799 And we're finding that it's drawing people in that have never been to church before. 00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:14.559 And they're like, okay, I get it. 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:18.640 I'm probably not going to go with you there yet, but I want to know what the Bible says? 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:23.039 And not just in just doctrines you're picking out of it, what does the whole arc of it say? 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:24.799 Why would you say that? 00:24:25.119 --> 00:24:27.759 Is it just because you feel like the church is better than society? 00:24:27.920 --> 00:24:30.559