Devoted and Fruitful

Amen.

Please open your Bibles once more to the book of Titus.

You can find that on page 939 of the Pew Bibles there in front of you,

if you're using a Pew Bible.

And we will finish out, officially, finish out the book of Titus this morning.

I'm going to conclude it, bring it to a close.

So we will be looking at verses 12 through 15 of chapter 3 this morning.

So Titus 3, verses 12 through 15.

Titus 3:12–15

Would you look there and follow along with me as I read?

When I send Artemis or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis,

for I have decided to spend the winter there.

Do your best to speed Zenos the lawyer and Apollos on their way.

See that they lack nothing.

And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works,

so as to help cases of urgent need and not be unfruitful.

All who are with me send greetings to you.

Greet those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with you all.

This is God's word.

Let's read.

Let's pray over the reading of his word.

Would you pray with me?

Father God, we thank you for Titus.

Lord, we thank you for Paul and this letter that he wrote.

We thank you for the zeal for good works that is displayed here in this book

and the ways that you've used this book to build your church.

And we pray now that as we bring this book to a close,

that we would leave this place stirred up to love and to good works.

And we pray this in Christ's name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

We have spent the past eight, now nine weeks together unpacking the book of Titus.

And now this morning, Lord willing, it is time to bring it to a close.

In my Bible, it's only two pages long.

It doesn't even make it all the way to the end of the second page.

It's just three chapters, just 46 verses.

But it is amazing, isn't it?

How much rich gospel doctrine is jam-packed into this little letter

and how much rich gospel implications are flowing out of it for us and for our lives together.

As we prayed before the service this morning, Miss Priscilla asked me,

she said, I just don't know how you could possibly squeeze one more sermon out of the book of Titus.

Well, we're going to try together this morning.

And as we bring the book together to a close,

all of our time spent reading this book, studying it, preaching it,

just 46 verses, hours together here,

worshiping the Lord for the truths proclaimed in the book of Titus.

The question that's put before us now as we bring it to a close,

it has to be, did we get the message?

Did we get the message of the book of Titus?

Well, I don't know how they get my number,

but I, like many of you, am a victim of political text assault.

I don't remember signing up for their mailing list, for their text list,

but my phone, without fail, just consistently, constantly gets peppered with reminders every single week.

Jonathan, did you know midterm elections are coming up?

Jonathan, did you know we need your vote?

Jonathan, did you know let your voice be heard?

And I try and I try and I try in vain to unsubscribe,

make it stop, stop texting me.

But somehow they find a way.

They're persistent.

A new number will show up.

A new text will come.

They're persistent with these constant reminders of what they want me to do.

Well, I've not read any scholarly material on this,

but I am pretty sure that they got this tactic from the Apostle Paul.

His aim, his desire throughout the book of Titus has been that we would see the fruit of good works

in the lives of all those who believe the good news.

And because Paul couldn't text Titus seven times a day, seven times in a week,

he wrote a letter to Titus.

Titus three chapters, 46 verses.

And in those three chapters, we see some variation of the phrase good works show up seven times.

And he's not subtle, is he?

The Apostle Paul.

The false teachers had come who professed to know God, but they deny him by their works.

So they are unfit for any good work.

And so he says to Titus, you need to be a model of good works.

You are to teach how Christ came to purify a people for himself who will be zealous for good works.

And at this point, all the false teachers in Creed are hitting unsubscribe, unsubscribe.

Stop, stop.

Don't want to hear it.

Don't want to hear it, Paul.

Leave us alone.

So he says, Titus, remind them to be ready for every good work.

I want you to insist on these things, insist on the message of the gospel so that those who believe God will be careful to devote themselves to good works.

And here in our passage this morning, as we bring Titus to a close, just in case we have been sleeping through the past two months together,

Paul reminds us once again, chapter 3, verse 14, let our people learn to devote themselves to good works.

Did we get the message?

Have we gotten the message of the book of Titus?

You know, the message of Titus is very simple.

If I could sum up the whole book in a sentence, it would be something like this.

Those who have believed the good news ought to be devoted to good works.

Those who believe the good news ought to be devoted to good works.

That's the book of Titus in a sentence.

So this morning in our time together, as we bring it to a close, I want to ask the question, how?

How?

How are we, the church at Seaweed Bay, how are we to be devoted to good works?

If this church is to be marked by God glorifying, God honoring good works in our neighborhoods, in our communities, in our places of work, in this area of the world, how will we get there?

And so this morning, as we conclude the book of Titus, we will, by way of overview of the whole book, we'll let Titus as a whole answer that question for us.

You know, the last airplane flight I took, it had one of those screens on the seat back in front of me.

And I had the option to either watch a movie or play a game, or I could watch the flight tracker.

You know what I'm talking about.

It's a flight tracker with this little cartoon plane that makes its way across the United States, slowly going to our destination.

And I knew where our destination was, but the flight tracker gave us the big picture.

Let me see how we were going to get there.

That's a little like what this morning is going to be like.

We are going to fly once more over the book of Titus.

Get the big picture.

Destination good works.

So this morning, I have four answers to our question.

Four answers.

This will be our outline this morning if you're taking notes.

Four answers to the question, how do we devote ourselves to good works so that we're not unfruitful?

How do we devote ourselves to good works?

Four answers to that question this morning.

First, Paul says, good works begin with faith.

Answer number one, good works begin with faith.

This is step number one.

Those who believe the good news are to be devoted to good works.

Good works are the fruit.

They're the result.

They're the overflow of belief, of faith in Christ.

And so if we don't first have faith in Christ, Paul says we can't do any good works.

This is what Paul told us in chapter one.

Would you look there with me?

Titus chapter one, verse one.

Paul told us why he wrote this letter in the first place.

You remember, he said,

That's why he's writing.

That's the aim of his ministry.

The faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness.

So he's aiming for the roots that will then produce the fruits of godliness and good works.

You might remember the election bone is connected to the faith bone.

You remember this?

The faith bone is connected to the knowledge bone.

And real, genuine, saving knowledge is connected with godliness.

It produces godliness.

It produces good works.

Now here's the thing.

Election is invisible.

We can't see it with our eyes.

Faith is invisible.

We can't see it.

Knowledge is invisible.

But you know what isn't invisible?

It's godliness.

Good works.

They're seen with our eyes.

Amanda and I, several months ago, we went to an orchard.

And we could not see the intricate system of roots that dug down into the ground

and then spread their roots down into the soil.

But I could tell when I saw blueberries on the bush that it was, in fact, a blueberry bush

and not an orange tree or an apple tree.

See, godliness and good works are the fruit that make the roots of election and faith and

knowledge visible to us and the world around us.

And so Paul says, before we get to it, before we go out of here and try to bear fruit, try to do good works,

we had better make sure we have the roots of faith in Christ.

Isn't this what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7?

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

What does he say?

A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

What kind of tree are you?

See, when God saves you, he transforms you from the inside out,

from being a diseased tree, in Jesus' example, to being now a healthy tree.

From bearing bad fruit to now bearing good fruit.

When God saves you, we are remade.

We have a new heart.

We have new desires.

We have new love for God.

We have new resistance to sin.

We have a new root that produces new fruit.

Those who believe the good news will bear good fruit.

You will be changed.

Do you have a story of that saving faith in your life?

Do you have the roots of saving faith in Jesus Christ?

This is what Paul reminded the church of in chapter 3, verse 3, if you look there.

You remember this before and after picture.

Chapter 3, verse 3.

Paul says,

We ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray,

slaves to our various passions and pleasures,

passing our days in malice and envy,

hated by others and hating one another.

That's the fruit that we bore in our lives.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God, our Savior, appeared,

He saved us.

Not because of works done by us in righteousness, no.

But according to His own mercy,

by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior,

so that being justified by His grace,

we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The saying is trustworthy.

And Titus, I want you to insist on these things,

so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.

That's the fruit of faith.

See, when I read these verses in chapter 3, by God's grace,

I can look at them and say, that's me.

That describes me.

I was lost.

I was bearing bad fruit.

I was showing by my life and by my sin that I did not know God like I thought I did.

I was familiar with Him.

I did not have faith in Him.

I had learned about Him, but I did not, in fact, love Him.

And those invisible roots were made visible by my life of sin.

But by His mercy, God saved me.

Do you have a story like that, of saving faith in Christ?

If you do this morning, praise God.

That's God's work in you.

Don't move past that.

If you have a story of God's grace in your life,

if you're here this morning and you don't have a story like that,

maybe God's calling you today.

Put your faith in Christ and come to Him.

Sow your roots down deep into Him that you might bear fruit of godliness.

We have to start there.

Do you know Him?

Second, second,

we must constantly root our works in the gospel.

We must constantly root our works in the gospel.

If we are going to be devoted to good works as a church family,

we must constantly root our works in the finished work of Jesus Christ in the gospel.

You see, good works, they begin with faith in Christ,

but they don't move on to something else.

They continue in faith in Christ.

Jesus says, abide in me.

Not just once, but abide in me continually,

and you will bear much fruit.

I love how Tim Keller puts it.

He says, the gospel is not the ABCs of the Christian life.

The gospel is the A to Z of the Christian life.

It's not just the ABCs.

This is not Christianity 101.

You become a Christian by believing the gospel,

and then you live as a Christian by faith in the message of the gospel.

You don't ever move past it.

See, the gospel is what drives and defines every good work.

Say that again.

The gospel is what drives and defines every good work.

We saw that in one little word.

Do you remember what it was?

It's the word for there in chapter 2, verse 11.

As you look there with me, chapter 2, verse 11 of Titus,

that one precious word for that gives us the basis and the motivation

and the definition for every good work.

Paul says, do this, live this way, pursue godliness,

pursue good works, devote yourself to bearing fruit.

Why, Paul?

For the grace of God has appeared.

Do you see that?

For Christ has come.

And this is why we spend ourselves for the glory of God.

The gospel drives devotion to good works.

If you've joined us this morning and you're not a Christian,

you might wonder, why do Christians act the way they do?

Why are they so strange?

Why do they do those things that they do?

What is it about Christians that make them act the way they do?

Why do Christians act so different?

That's what we want the world to say.

Why don't they join us in sinning the way that we do?

Why do they serve us without any expectation of repayment or any strings attached?

Why don't these Christians seem to stress out or freak out about the same things that I do?

Because, for, the grace of God has appeared.

Bringing salvation for all people.

Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions

and to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives in the present age.

Church, this is the gospel.

Christ has come,

ushering God's grace into the world in a way that he never had to that extent before

for any who would have it.

Bringing salvation available by faith,

by his life,

his death,

his resurrection,

because of his work through faith in him.

Church,

we have been saved

and we have been trained in godliness.

Why?

What's the point?

Sometimes I think that we tend to forget the scope of what Christ came to do.

He did not just come to save you.

That's too small.

There's more to that story.

There's more to his aim.

Christ came to usher in the kingdom of God.

Christ came to restore all that was lost in the fall.

All that has been cursed by sin,

including you,

including me.

Christ came to recreate a world that has been broken by sin.

He came to peel back the layers and the influence of sin and Satan

and to usher forth his reign here on earth.

And it is that work of the gospel that defines all of our good works.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

nor thorns infest the ground.

Y'all didn't know you were getting Christmas music this morning.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

nor thorns infest the ground.

He comes to make his blessings flow,

far as the curse is found.

As far as the curse is found.

Christian,

Christ came to undo what was cursed in the fall,

including us.

That's why we're different.

We have been remade.

We have been reclaimed.

We have been plucked out of belonging to this world

and made citizens of the kingdom of God.

And because Christ became a curse for us,

we are no longer under the curse of sin.

We've been made his sons and daughters.

And so now we join him in that mission.

That is our mission.

It's to fill the earth with the glory of God.

To reclaim worshipers of the living God.

To make worshipers of those who have been lost and cursed by the dread of sin.

That is the whole point of good works.

Our risen King,

Jesus,

has given us a mission.

Do you know what it is?

Go therefore,

and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father,

and the Son,

and the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you

to the uttermost ends of the age.

That is the mission of the church.

We may do many good things to that end,

but church, hear me,

our mission is not primarily to be kind people.

Our mission is not primarily to be good citizens,

or to feed the hungry,

to do works of mercy,

to hold the door open when someone is lagging behind,

to help someone with their groceries,

to say,

God bless you at the checkout line.

Though we may do these things,

though we should,

as Christians,

do these things,

those acts of kindness,

those works of charity,

those good deeds,

are props and pointers

to the good news of the gospel.

Our primary mission

is the message.

Church,

our primary ministry as a church,

the mission God has given us,

the risen Christ,

our primary ministry

is the message

of the gospel.

It's the gospel that defines

our good works.

This is what sets our works apart

from every other good work

of every other faith,

every other charity,

every other organization,

your kind neighbor down the street

who just wants to do good.

Church,

what sets our works apart

is what drives it and defines it.

It's the gospel.

It's the mission of Christ.

Because Christ has come,

bringing salvation to us,

church,

we go.

We bring the message

of the gospel

to everyone who will hear it.

Because Christ has come

training us

in righteousness,

we go.

And we make disciples,

training them,

teaching them

to obey all that He's commanded.

Because God is at work

magnifying His glory,

we join Him

in magnifying His glory

in the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

Isn't this what we see

in this conclusion

to Titus?

Practical deeds,

coming and going,

travel plans,

acts of mercy,

support,

encouragement.

Paul says,

come to me,

a Nicopolis,

speed Zenos,

the lawyer,

Apollos,

on their way,

see that they lack nothing,

meet their needs,

help in cases of urgent need,

be hospitable,

send financial support,

meet tangible,

practical needs,

why?

Not just for the sake

of doing good,

but for the sake

of the mission.

And these were servants

laboring to build

the church,

to spread the gospel,

to make disciples,

to peel back

the curse of sin

and usher forth

the kingdom of God.

Every good work

must fit

under that banner,

or it's not good.

Third,

third,

Paul says,

if we're going to be devoted

to good works,

friend,

we must commit

to community.

We must commit

to community.

So you've,

you've believed the gospel,

you understand the mission,

you're ready to get to work.

Paul says,

don't go it alone.

And one of the best ways

to devote yourself

to good works

is to commit yourself

to a community

of people

who are also devoted

to good works,

who also believe

the gospel,

maybe,

maybe even a community

that gathers

in a certain place

every single week

to hear the good news

of the gospel preached,

who gather to worship

the risen Lord,

and then they're sent

out the doors

on their way

into their daily lives

to go about the work

of God

that he's given them

to do.

Do you know

any communities

like that?

That's the local church.

Somehow people

understand this

with CrossFit gems,

but they don't seem

to get it

when it comes

to the church.

We want to be independent.

We just want

to go it alone.

We want to do

our own thing.

Come and go

as we please.

But friend,

that is dangerous

and it's not helpful

if we want to be devoted

and fruitful.

Paul says,

the best way

for you to live

a life that is fruitful

and obedient to God

is to commit yourself

to a body of people

who are committed

to doing it together.

Commit to a healthy church.

And so we commit

to one another.

We're commanded,

Hebrews chapter 10

Hebrews 10:24

verses 24 and 25,

we're commanded,

let us consider

how to stir one another up

to love and good,

deeds.

Not neglecting to meet together

as is the habit of some,

but encouraging one another.

And all the more

as you see the day

drawing near.

We're commanded

to do good to all

and especially

to those of what?

Of the household

of faith.

And so commit yourself

to a healthy body.

Don't just attend.

Don't just stay

on the fringes.

Commit.

Dive in.

Commit yourself

to a church body

that is devoted

to the message

and to the mission

of the gospel.

Paul says,

commit to godly leadership

in the church.

You may remember

this was one of the main issues

in this community

in Crete.

The churches were forming,

good things were happening,

but there were some problems.

This is one of the main reasons

that Paul wrote

the letter to Titus.

False teachers

had crept in,

had come into these churches

in Crete,

spreading lies,

dividing the church,

leading people astray.

And so Paul tells Titus

in chapter 1,

verse 5,

this is why I left you

in Crete, Titus,

so that you might put

what remained into order

and appoint elders

in every town

as I directed you.

False teachers

were on the rise.

Church was dividing.

Division is mounting.

Paul tells Titus,

appoint elders.

Why?

It's because

in this redeemed community,

elders are given by God

to lead the church

in reflecting

and proclaiming

the glory of God.

That's what elders do.

We're given to the church

to lead the church

in reflecting

and proclaiming

the glory of God.

So Paul says,

appoint shepherds,

appoint elders,

appoint pastors

who will lead

in reflecting

the glory of God.

No, they're not going

to be perfect.

Goodness, no.

But above reproach,

not arrogant,

not quick-tempered,

faithful to their wives,

godly fathers

to their children

if they have them.

Men of godly character

worth imitating.

Men who are leading lives

worthy of imitation

and men who proclaim

the glory of God.

Paul says,

these elders

must be able

to teach

sound doctrine.

Why?

It's because it's the word

of God

that builds the church.

The word of God alone

is what fuels the mission.

So Paul says to Timothy,

all scripture

is God-breathed

and is useful

for teaching,

rebuking,

correcting,

training in righteousness

that the man of God

may be thoroughly equipped

for what?

Every good work.

So the role of elders,

church,

is to equip you,

the saints,

with the word of God

for good works.

You know,

that's the number one thing

that matters

when you're looking

for a church.

That's the number one thing

that should matter for you

when looking for a church.

More important

than the music.

More important

than the size.

Is it big?

Is it small?

More important

than does it have

the right programs?

What does it offer?

Where do I feel comfortable?

Where do my friends go?

The most important question

you should ask

when you're looking

for a church,

is this a church

that preaches

the word of God?

Is this a church

where the shepherds

are leading the flock

with the word

and with their lives?

Is this a place

where you're being led

to trust

and to follow

the chief shepherd,

Jesus Christ?

Where the attention

is not up here,

where it is

where it belongs.

The focus is on Jesus.

Which is why he says

we must commit

to keeping the gospel

central in our church.

commit somewhere

where the gospel

will be central.

A healthy church

keeps the gospel

at the center

and is not easily distracted.

This is what we saw

last week,

if you remember.

Be watchful of distraction,

be watchful of division.

Chapter 3,

last week we saw

chapter 3,

verses 9 through 11.

Paul told us

to be watchful

of distraction

and division.

Avoid foolish controversy

and if necessary,

with tears,

remove divisive people.

Remember,

discussion

that does not lead

to devotion

might just be

a distraction.

The devil would love

nothing more

than for us

to gather

and to obsess

over some minor topics,

a minor obscure section

of the Bible

and never focus

on the gospel,

never get to work,

never grow in godliness,

never go and change

anything about our lives,

never bear any fruit.

The devil would love

for us to do that.

Always learning

but never arriving

at knowledge

of the truth.

He would love

for us to divide

over some second tier,

third tier issue,

issues that ignore

the unity,

the fundamental unity

that we have in Christ.

And so church,

be watchful

of division,

be watchful

of distraction.

We can get so distracted

by minor things,

even good things,

that we forget

our mission,

that we forget

our purpose,

that we forget

the gospel.

If we are going

to be devoted

to good works,

church,

it's got to be together.

Commit yourself

to the body

of Christ.

Fourth,

and finally,

if we are to be

devoted to good works,

we must each

take personal

responsibility.

Personal

responsibility.

Paul says

in Ephesians

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4,

when each part

of the body,

when each member

of the body

is working properly,

every joint,

every bone,

at work,

in its place,

doing its job,

then the body

builds itself up

in love.

See,

the church

is united.

The gospel

has united

the church.

And the church

is profoundly

diverse.

And we need

each part,

each member,

each joint

to be devoted

and fruitful.

We need

each member

of the body

devoted to the work.

each one of us

must take

personal responsibility

to go bear fruit,

to go do good,

to go do gospel

ministry

right where you are.

Isn't this

what we see

here in our

conclusion?

Artemis,

Tychicus,

Zenos,

the lawyer,

Apollos,

normal people

with day jobs,

a lawyer,

going about

the mission

of the gospel.

This is what

Paul commanded us

in chapter 2.

If you look there,

he commanded

Titus in chapter 2.

He said,

but as for you,

Titus,

he says in verse 1,

teach what accords

with sound doctrine.

Teach what,

teach sound doctrine,

yes,

but don't stop there.

Teach,

teach what accords

with sound doctrine.

The sound doctrine

is always practical.

Teach the,

the godliness

that we should expect

to see in every Christian,

every believer,

every member.

Godliness,

good works,

is for you.

And you may not even

have to leave home

to do it.

You know,

sometimes I think

that we think

in order for us

to really be about

good works,

to really be doing

ministry,

we have to get up

and uproot ourselves,

go somewhere else,

start something new,

remove ourselves

from our current context,

from our normal

day-to-day lives.

Paul says here

in chapter 2,

he gives us

a model of ministry

for every believer

right where you are.

He says,

older men,

set the pace.

Older men,

set the pace,

set the example,

demonstrate godly character,

urge the young men

to be self-controlled.

Older women,

be reverent,

teach what is good,

train the young women

to love their husbands

and their children.

He gives instructions

for Titus,

a pastor,

and for bond servants,

workers in vocational ministry

and workers in the lowest,

least respected roles

in the world.

He says,

you adorn the doctrine

of God,

our Savior,

right where you are.

The church is not just

made up of pastors,

praise God,

or deacons,

or missionaries.

It's diverse.

Diverse.

God may be calling you,

some of you,

to vocational ministry.

God may be calling you

to go overseas,

to start some formal ministry,

to leave your jobs.

Or maybe,

maybe,

God may be calling you

to bear fruit

right where you are.

At least,

at least start there.

And your ordinary,

I'm putting quotes

around ordinary,

you see that.

And your ordinary,

day-to-day,

normal life.

Would you,

would you look around yourself

and ask,

what roles has God

placed me in right now?

Where has God placed me?

And what opportunities

are there for me

right where I am

to bear fruit

for His glory?

Fathers,

fathers,

what does it look like

for you to be devoted

to good works

in your home?

Husbands,

what does it look like

for you to be devoted

to good works

in your home,

in your marriages?

Mothers,

what does it look like

for you,

as you raise children

at home,

to be devoted

to good works? Wives, what does it look like for you to be devoted to good works? When you go to

bed tonight, you lay your head down on the pillow and your mind starts thinking about all the work

that you have to do tomorrow when you get to work. Are we thinking, what do I have to do or what

opportunities has God given me to bear fruit for his glory? Those are two very different ways to

think about our time. Very different ways to think about our opportunities. How can we be about the

work of God this week? See, the church is made up of all sorts of different types of people with

different giftings, with different opportunities for ministry. There may be people in your sphere of

influence that I will never have the chance to reach, but you do. Are you seeking to be devoted

to good works right where you are? So here's a practical application for you as we close. You

can do this this afternoon in about 10 minutes, okay? Roles and goals. Think about your roles.

Think about your goals. I want you to go home this afternoon, 10 minutes, write down your roles.

What are they? God has given me the roles of husband, of father, of pastor, of friend, of son,

of citizen. These are different roles, spheres of influence in my life. What roles has God given you?

And then beside them, goals. Goals. I want you to brainstorm and to think specific ways that you can

honor the Lord in the place that he's put you. How can you be devoted and fruitful to the Lord this

week? See, Christ came to create a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works at home,

at work, at church, in the neighborhood, at the ballpark, in the gym. Are you zealous to make much of the glory of God?

Because that's the point, isn't it?

Church, our mission is to magnify the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Everything we do must serve that

purpose. Any deed that we do that does not serve that grand purpose is not a good deed. And so we enjoy him.

And we equip the saints. And we evangelize the lost. Do your neighbors know that you're a Christian?

Not just that you're kind. Not just that you're moral. Do they know that you want them to know Jesus?

Nine weeks now in the book of Titus have we gotten the message.

We leave this place commissioned, church, unto good works. Because Christ has come into our world,

rescuing it from the curse of sin, redeeming it from brokenness and rebellion against God,

we now go out of this place into the world to accomplish the good works that God has prepared

for us to do for the glory of God. For by grace you have been saved through faith.

This is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of work so that no one may boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand

that we should walk in them. Let's get to work, church. Would you pray with me?

Lord, we thank you that you have prepared good works for this body to do. We pray that they would become

clear to us as we think and meditate on what opportunities you've given us to bear fruit for

your glory. God, I'm excited to see the fruit that you will bring from the labor of these saints.

God, I'm excited to see those who would come into the kingdom because of the faithful gospel

proclamation of this body. I'm excited to see those who would be served and loved out of the

overflow of our love for you and what you've done for us in Christ. God, thank you for the book of

Titus. Thank you for what we've learned in it. We pray that we would get the message.

We love you, Father. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.

Amen.