WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:07.200 So uh the next three messages we'll have, at least from me, will come from the book of Titus, this little letter in the New Testament. 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:14.960 I say for me because throughout the summer I'm gonna be gone next week at a camp that we're I'm gonna go be the chaplain at, and then have some sabbatical weeks in July. 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:16.399 So different people are gonna be preaching. 00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:21.600 So if I'm here, we're gonna be going through Titus, and if somebody else is here, they're gonna be doing something else. 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:30.079 So we're gonna have three sermons coming out of this letter that Paul, the Apostle Paul, writes to this young pastor named Titus. 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:35.439 Now, Titus was out in this area called Crete, and that's where we got when you're reading through the passage. 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:38.000 Cretans sound like aliens to me a little bit. 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.840 That term, every time I hear it, I sort of chuckle, sounds like a group of aliens. 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:42.479 But they were people. 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:44.719 The Cretans were people, not aliens. 00:00:44.960 --> 00:01:10.719 And these people, they had become Christians, but either they were sort of, there's a whole group of them, they were either headed into uh legalism, so they're headed into like lots of rules, lots of rules to feel like they were approved and accepted by God, or they were headed into license, like they would basically take God's grace as an excuse to do whatever they wanted to do. 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:14.400 Like God just pretty much didn't have much to say about their behaviors. 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:16.959 And maybe you're hearing, well, what does this have to do with me? 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:21.840 Well, if you've been a Christian for any amount of time, you'll feel this tension. 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:38.239 You will feel the tension to slide into legalism and just use rules to feel like you're approved by God, or you will feel the tension to slide into license and say, Well, God's grace is enough, and I'm gonna kind of do whatever I want in this situation. 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:41.680 And you've probably, and I have, done both. 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:42.159 Right? 00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:44.959 We've all sort of done both at different times. 00:01:45.040 --> 00:02:00.799 And maybe you've been more legalistic and judgmental towards people who use license, or maybe you're more on the license side and you've been judgmental toward people who are legalistic, or maybe you just haven't been in church a lot, and you're like even that little summary is wow, these people are really messed up. 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:04.159 Well, you're messed up too, so we're glad you're here and welcome. 00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:09.199 Uh so I can remember when I was in high school, I attended a church that had some legalistic notions. 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:13.759 And and I'm not bashing that church because I had strong legalistic notions. 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:19.439 So I was there and I was happy to rise up and take any rule you put before me. 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:23.520 Not only would I accept it, I would crush that rule in obedience to it. 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:26.400 I I would be the most obedient to it. 00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:35.759 And I can remember one Sunday the challenge was put before everybody to witness, right, to evangelize to 20 people in 20 days. 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:38.240 So that was that, and you had to accept this. 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:41.919 And what was clear was it was clear you didn't have to take the challenge. 00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:43.199 That was clear. 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:47.919 But what was also really clear, so the challenge itself wasn't bad, nothing wrong with that. 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:57.280 But what was what was also felt was if you're if you're a serious Christian, you you'll come down front for this one. 00:02:57.360 --> 00:03:06.879 Like, I mean, that's what you didn't have to take it, but really if you stayed in your seat, you're not serious, your heart's not right with God, and you're not passionate, that's for sure. 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:14.000 And so you put this in front of me, I am I'm first one down, I'm signing up, and you know the story of this kind of thing. 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:23.759 Day one, you find some lonely guy at the coffee shop, and you saddle up and you have a great discussion, it goes great. 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:27.280 Day two, you just get busy, right? 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:30.400 The end of the day comes, you're oh, I missed it. 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:32.080 So you feel a little bad. 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:35.520 Day three, maybe maybe day three, you do it again. 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:36.080 Good job. 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:38.240 You know, grab some kid at school. 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:40.800 Day four, just forgot. 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:42.639 Day five, got busy. 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:45.199 Day six, you sort of forgot about the whole challenge. 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:51.360 And then you're starting to feel guilty about it, so then you're trying to like find ways to sort of earn it back. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:53.840 I mean, this is what was going on in me. 00:03:53.919 --> 00:04:03.120 I can distinctly remember these 20 days of oppression, basically, because I accepted this rule of which I was failing miserably at. 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:06.159 I mean, I you know, you I mean, you would, and I would sort of count anything. 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:08.400 You know, if somebody sneezes, God bless you, that counts. 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:11.199 You know, count that one, that counts. 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:16.240 And then, you know, you just feel horrible, and it's you're just gonna go like, what do I need now? 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:19.279 What do I need to do to feel right before God? 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:29.279 Like, for I'll form another rule, and that way I can obey that rule, and now I'll obey that one, and then I'll feel better about myself because I'm failing at these other rules. 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:36.240 You know, I'll have a longer quiet time, or I'll go to church longer, I'll be more serious, or I'll give more money, or whatever. 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:38.480 And there's legalism. 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:41.519 Well, two years later, I'm in college. 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:47.120 I have a friend who she uh she was hit on by a University of Georgia football player. 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:55.519 Probably not the first time somebody was hit on by a University of Georgia football player, but the dialogue between these two was so fantastic, I have remembered it forever. 00:04:55.680 --> 00:04:56.319 I want to share it. 00:04:56.399 --> 00:05:02.959 I'm not gonna share who the University of Georgia football player was because a lot of us would know who this individual is, and I'm not gonna do that publicly. 00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:12.160 So uh basically he hits on her uh for certain activities, and she says, Well, don't you have a girlfriend? 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:15.040 And he goes, Yeah, yeah, well, that that's okay. 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:16.879 We can just fool around. 00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:22.399 And she says, Well, I'm I'm a Christian, I don't just go fooling around. 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:30.000 And then he says, classic line, you'll remember it forever, I'd be a Christian, but I'd be having sex. 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:37.199 And I'm not sure if he thought, like, all of a sudden she was gonna go, oh, you got me. 00:05:37.279 --> 00:05:38.240 You won me over. 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:39.439 What a great argument. 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:41.279 You have a wonderful argument there. 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:42.480 That's a wonderful argument. 00:05:42.639 --> 00:05:44.319 You've got take me home. 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:45.439 Take me home. 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:47.199 You have a great argument. 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:51.120 Now, what's interesting about this is his argument's very clear. 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:55.040 I be a Christian, but I'm doing whatever I want. 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:56.720 It's not a new argument. 00:05:56.879 --> 00:05:59.920 I mean, this argument's been around for centuries. 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:03.439 This argument actually has a really big theological term. 00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:05.279 It's called anti-anomenism. 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:08.000 It's such a big word, we're not going to use it the rest of the sermon. 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:10.319 We're just going to use the word license. 00:06:10.879 --> 00:06:13.279 It's sort of the opposite of legalism. 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:22.079 It's basically saying, because of God's grace and its fullness, I have license to do whatever I want. 00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:28.879 So let's jump into Titus because Titus talks very clearly about these two positions. 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:35.839 And we're going to start in verse 1, and eventually we're going to get to verse 10 where Paul really gets into it, uh, legalism and license. 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:46.959 So verse 1, Paul, a servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness. 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:50.879 So Paul's writing this to help the faith of God's elect. 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:53.759 So another big theological term, election. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:54.639 God's elect. 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:57.279 God, if you're a believer, God elected you. 00:06:57.519 --> 00:06:59.120 I don't know if you're comfortable with that yet. 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:03.759 You can work that out, but he chose you even when you weren't choosing him. 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:06.240 That's what enabled you to choose him. 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:11.120 He chose you when you weren't choosing him, which enabled you to choose him. 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:13.360 Just go chew on that later. 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:16.879 You know, sit out in a field with flowers and meditate on that one. 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:21.040 And then this phrase, knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:23.279 So hold on to that because we're going to come back to that at the end of the sermon. 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:31.439 So moving on, then he hits into a handful of verses that we actually wrestled with a lot at the beginning of our church because it talks about elders. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:34.480 It talks about what elders look like. 00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:40.959 And you read through this, and some of these things you're going, well, okay, I'm alright at that. 00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:41.839 I'm not too bad. 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:43.199 I'm not a drunkard. 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:44.800 Not violent. 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:46.959 But then there's some other ones. 00:07:47.199 --> 00:07:52.079 You're like quick-tempered sometimes. 00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:53.759 Greedy? 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:57.199 When's the last time you knew you were greedy? 00:07:58.319 --> 00:07:59.920 Nobody knows when they're greedy. 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:01.120 That's the thing about greed. 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:02.800 You don't know when you're greedy. 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:05.040 You know when you're drunk. 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:08.560 Like you're like, I that I went too far. 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:11.120 But greed, you don't know when you're greedy. 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:14.079 Arrogant, that's hard to know when you're arrogant. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:18.800 So some of these, you're some of these are so clear, it's like, well, very clearly we could pick out elders. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:22.319 You're this, you're out, okay, you can't be an elder. 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:25.199 But some of these other ones is very difficult. 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:30.000 But see, Paul's writing to Titus, who he, Paul Titus is going and looking for these people. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:33.360 So it's more Titus's observation of these people. 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:41.440 And that's actually what matters, because the individual who will get picked to be an elder is probably going to say, you know what, there's a lot of greed in me. 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:42.320 You know what? 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:48.080 There's a lot of stuff in me that I don't know if I even feel comfortable being an elder. 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:52.000 But see, Paul's writing to Titus, who's the one observing. 00:08:52.080 --> 00:08:53.600 And that's sort of the point here. 00:08:53.679 --> 00:09:00.720 The point is not that these people are perfect, but that these are not ongoing traits that would define their life. 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:08.960 And it was important to Paul that Titus sees that there's godly traits that are defining their life. 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:12.559 And then Paul goes on to say that they must know the gospel. 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:17.679 They have to know the story because they are going to be fighting against false teaching. 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:19.279 So finally we get to verse 10. 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:21.039 What are they fighting against? 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:23.919 And I'm going to reread this, verses 10 through 14. 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:31.679 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:40.799 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:47.519 One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:49.279 This testimony is true. 00:09:49.440 --> 00:10:00.559 Therefore, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:15.120 So there's these false teachers, and basically the false teachers are people who are taking a whole bunch of law that was in Old Testament type teaching, law that people used to feel approved by God, and they're putting it back on people. 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:17.600 So, okay, well, Jesus is sufficiency for you. 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:18.639 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:20.799 But really, you need to do all this other stuff. 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:27.679 Like let's pick out certain foods, let's do certain things, and now if you obey this stuff, now you will have your position with God sealed. 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:40.240 Listen, laws, the law, while it can help us in right and wrong, help us see what is right and wrong, it can help guide us in what is right and wrong, it does nothing to address the messiness of your heart. 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:45.440 It has no power to change your heart. 00:10:47.279 --> 00:11:01.679 I read this week, uh says this, external conformity urged by the legalizers merely papers over heart seeking to gain God's approval by human efforts. 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:15.840 Rule after rule after rule, obedience to that rule, obedience after that rule, it's just papering over a heart that is trying to use human effort to earn God's approval rather than rest in what God did for you in Jesus. 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:20.080 Then Paul talks about people who swing the other way, over to license. 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:29.679 Verse 15 and 16, to the pure all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:31.120 They profess to know God. 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:35.919 So there's some people who profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:40.559 They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:43.919 You're like, wow, Paul, tell us how you really feel here. 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:47.440 So there's some people who give themselves license. 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:50.080 They say they know God, but they do whatever they want. 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:53.519 So two points, I have two points here. 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:55.279 Pretty basic based on what I just said. 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:59.759 Number one is both legalism and license are traps. 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:06.240 They both enslave because they're both justification by conditionality. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:12.080 You're using either one trying to justify yourself by a conditional process. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:16.240 I'll use rule after rule after rule after rule and if I do this and earn this and have this. 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:18.480 And in license is the same way. 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:23.360 I will justify my importance, my existence by experience after experience after experience. 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:30.960 If I have this experience or this thing, or earn this or experience this, or give myself this, then I will feel at peace. 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:43.120 So in legalism, and this is via Tim Keller, author, pastor, in legalism, uh God's very holy and just, and he is, but a legalist doesn't rest. 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:45.759 There's no rest for a legalist. 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:48.559 There's no rest in grace or mercy. 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:52.000 Spirituality is guided by rules and things to do. 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:56.879 Not a lot of freedom, not a lot of compassion. 00:12:57.919 --> 00:13:07.120 In all this, either you'll feel very successful and proud, or you'll feel very defeated and in despair. 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:08.720 There's a lot of judgment. 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:15.279 There's a lot of comparison, like looking around, see how they're doing, how are they doing, then how am I doing compared to them. 00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:18.559 There's hierarchies of spirituality. 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:24.480 And there may be, they may be rule followers, but there's no power. 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:29.039 There's no power to change the heart of the person. 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:32.320 There's no power to create joy and peace. 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:40.639 See, in legalism, you think you're doing all this to please God, but he's already pleased. 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:47.440 You think you're doing all of it to secure your position with him, but your position's already secured. 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:54.320 God's work in Jesus secures your belovedness with him, not your work. 00:13:54.399 --> 00:13:56.320 And this is why legalism's a trap. 00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:58.480 Now let's take license. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:06.799 And license, you think, well, God's grace is so sufficient and full, uh, but you forget that God's grace has effects. 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:14.639 That it changes a heart, that it inspires and animates fruit that comes out from the inside. 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:18.000 So right and wrong are just sort of suggestions. 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:27.600 So probably the persons of license is actually the person you probably want to hang out with at the dinner party because they're more fun, but come midnight, you just need to get away from them. 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:29.279 That's sort of the summary. 00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:33.759 Because they're really fun for a short period and then they're really dangerous. 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:44.240 They talk a lot about God's love, but not much about his holiness or our fallen nature or God's call on our lives. 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:51.200 You think if I just experience enough and give myself a little more, then I'll feel accepted or justified. 00:14:51.519 --> 00:15:08.159 But if we don't know about our fallen nature, if we don't know about it or God's call on our lives, our frail, sinful hearts, if we don't know this, if we don't know right and wrong, the clarity of the law, if we don't know this, then how great is the grace that we profess? 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:11.840 So license is a trap also. 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:18.879 Now, if we dare to think about both of these a little bit more, we actually see that they're very much in common. 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:33.759 So we were at a playground a couple weeks ago, and the girls were running around, and there was a seesaw, but it wasn't, you remember the old seesaws, like the two by eight metal rod, your buddy was up high, you know, you were down low, you slid off the back, so he would fall down. 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:35.919 Like this what this was a baby version. 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:40.000 It was it had springs on it to, you know, so nobody could hurt each other. 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.080 But Christy and I got on and we had a good time. 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:44.799 And so, anyways, so I've been thinking about seesaws. 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:48.480 So I uh I looked around my house, and give me a break here. 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:49.840 I'm I'm not an engineer. 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:52.720 I found this in the playroom, and this was in the garage. 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:59.200 Um, so I've been thinking about seesaws, especially with um this sermon. 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:10.559 Because what we can tend to think is we think, well, legalism is on one side and people slide off and they slide off. 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:14.720 Or, oh well, license is the other side and they slide off. 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:18.240 So the answer must be. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:22.000 And like I said, give me a break here. 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:26.080 The answer must be, yeah. 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:29.759 This is the problem with uh using your children's toys. 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:34.000 It's close enough, you get the point. 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:36.159 Right? 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:39.759 The answer must be somewhere in the balance. 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:44.080 But we never question if perhaps we have the wrong metaphor. 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:50.879 We know we never what what what if what if what if it's a totally separate path? 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:52.399 Like what if that's the point? 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:54.559 What if it's a a totally separate path? 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:58.159 It's not a balance, it's a total, totally different way to think. 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:07.920 See, Paul says that that the metaphor is is much more like, say, I-75, right? 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:15.519 You had north, you had into uh legalism, you had south, you had into uh license. 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:18.640 And this is point number two. 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:21.359 The solution to both traps is the gospel. 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:24.160 That the gospel is a totally different way of thinking. 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:26.319 It's a different road altogether. 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:35.119 So I-75 north into legalism, south into license, sorry, Michigan and Florida, but the gospel's a totally different way to think. 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:37.440 It's like it's a different road, it's a different path. 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:41.200 It's I-20 headed out into a different territory. 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:45.839 See, I was a Christian saved by the gospel of grace. 00:17:46.000 --> 00:18:03.039 I personally, I was a Christian saved by the gospel of grace a long time before I realized the gospel was not something I left behind that made me a Christian back when I was 15 years old, but an entirely new way of thinking about myself and my faith and my world. 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:20.000 Tertullian, a Christian writer in the second and third centuries, he said this: just as Christ was crucified between two thieves, so this doctrine of justification is ever crucified between two opposite errors. 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:28.640 So he meant there are two basic false ways of thinking legalism and license. 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:32.000 And the gospel is a totally new way to think. 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:39.039 And the new thinking is this I no longer perform or obey to be accepted. 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:41.440 I am accepted. 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:46.000 Therefore I obey. 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:49.839 See, God doesn't love a future version of you. 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:51.279 We like to say that a lot around here. 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:52.799 He loves you now. 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:53.839 Right? 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:55.759 Now, fully, period. 00:18:55.920 --> 00:19:00.559 Look, here it is in Titus, this different way of thinking that forms a Christian life. 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:08.480 If we go back to verse 1, chapter 1, verse 1, for the sake of the faith of God's alike, and their knowledge of the truth which leads to godliness. 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:10.640 So truth leads to godliness. 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:15.359 And then we think forward to chapter 2, verses 11 and 12. 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:16.720 We'll dig into them more next week. 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:20.960 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people. 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:30.079 So grace of God training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:38.559 So the gospel, which is grace and truth, the grace of God actually leads us to godliness. 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:40.480 Doesn't excuse us. 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:47.519 The grace and truth is what we say every week, that we are flawed. 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:49.200 This is true. 00:19:50.480 --> 00:20:01.119 The law breaks us, that we don't live up to the standard of righteousness, and we are needing an outside source of righteousness, and that's that's why Jesus came. 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:03.359 That's the good news. 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:09.519 And we just have to let this gospel take greater and greater and greater ground in our thinking. 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:11.039 That we are free. 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:15.599 And it's not, no, it's not that we're free, but really you need to. 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:17.200 No, you're free. 00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:19.599 And Jesus, you really are free. 00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:26.640 This secured position is actually what will change you or transform you. 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:32.480 The finality of the secured position is what empowers any Christian life. 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:34.640 And it's it's a different way of thinking. 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:46.480 So you're not sliding into legalism, you're not sliding into license, and it can create a new heart, it can take an insecure person, and it can make them secure because they know they're already loved. 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:54.559 It can take an angry person and it can make them really kind because they realize how much kindness they've been shown. 00:20:55.119 --> 00:21:04.640 It can make a person who's been so judgmental, and it can make them incredibly compassionate to people because they realize they're not perfect either. 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:07.839 And it's not always fast, right? 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:10.960 Like a lot of times you'll catch yourself still on that other road. 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:13.359 Have I-75 thinking. 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:18.880 And then, or maybe you just catch yourself in the gutter alongside 75. 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:21.440 And you'll have to remember there's a different way. 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:23.759 There's a there's a third way to think. 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:26.400 And it's the gospel way of thinking. 00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:38.000 What this means is it means you don't have to pretend anymore, because what I know is I know if you've been a legalist, or you are a legalist, you're not as good as you let on. 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:39.920 You're not. 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:44.880 And if you've been in license, you're not as happy as you let on. 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:46.480 You're not. 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:58.480 And the gospel, God absolutely for you in Jesus, this ongoing persistent love toward you, toward your needy heart, it's a new world for you. 00:21:58.720 --> 00:22:02.960 It's a new world of rest and life and a place to have your being. 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:04.240 Let's pray together. 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:15.759 God, we ask that your spirit would speak to us in our hearts. 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:21.279 Help us to know how near you are to us. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:37.359 We even welcome your spirit to shine your light of truth and grace into the areas of our hearts that perhaps we live in legalism or we live in license. 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:42.400 Would you help us to think gospel more? 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:52.160 For us to know how sufficient you are, to know how great our acceptance is, to know how secure we are. 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:58.400 Would this absolutely transform us from the inside to the out? 00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:00.079 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:01.039 Amen.