An Attractive Gospel

Well, good morning, everyone. It's so lovely to see you here today. Big welcome if this is your first time with us.

Great to meet some new folks this morning. Know that you are genuinely so loved and welcome here today.

And if there's anything that we can do to help you or serve you during your time with us today, it would always be our joy to help you with that.

So let me invite you to come expectantly to God's Word this morning.

Why don't you grab your Bible if you came with one? If you didn't, you can grab the Pew Bible, which is, I hope, on the pew in front of you.

It's roughly about page 1200 is where you're going. Or you can scroll on your phone if you so desire to the book of Titus.

And this is such a brilliant passage. I have loved getting into it this week. And it is so much to teach us, I think.

Let's just read this together as we hear God speak to us through his Word.

You, however, and this is Paul writing to Titus, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.

Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.

Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands so that no one will malign the Word of God.

Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.

In everything, set them an example by doing what is good.

In your teaching, show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned,

so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them and not to steal from them,

but to show that they can be fully trusted so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.

It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age

while we wait for the grace of God our great God our great God our great God our great God our great God our great God our great God our great God our great God our great Savior Jesus Christ

who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

these then are the things you should teach encourage and

rebuke with all authority do not let anyone despise you and so father we pray

this morning that you would enthuse us as we turn to your words may the

challenge may the comfort from this text lord may it hit us square between the

eyes and may it settle squarely in our hearts

father be by your spirit we ask in jesus is worthy

and in his beautiful name we pray amen

okay so put your hand up if you put either cream on your face or gel on your

hair this morning

okay i'm not here to act to the vanity police i promise

who let the max factor do the x factor put your hands up i'd say keep them up

come on keep them up so i can see okay a number of us did that this

morning if you did i want to reward your bravery

and i want to say to you you've got a head start on understanding

the wonderful truth at the heart of this passage here is the key verse i think at

verse nine

maybe you took it in as we read it together

paul says so that in every way you will make the teaching about god our savior

attractive now when you consider that the word that the paul uses at the end there attractive maybe some of your translations run with adorn when you consider that's a translation its root is in the greek word

cosmosin which is where we get our english word cosmetics from

why does paul want this for this church in crete

so that people from the outside world would look in and do you know this to be true in your own life people look in and say we don't get why you believe what you believe

we find it if we're honest borderline offensive but we cannot argue with what it seems to do in your life

and they see verse 14 christians in the world who are zealous

for good works

now be clear that we are not saved by our good works

that is a foundation of our faith we are not saved by our good works

but

we have been purposely saved by god

for good works

now we thought last week about this culture in this island of crete and maybe if you weren't here last week this is a great chance for you to tap into this

we saw paul quote from one of crete's leading thinkers this man called epimenides if you see him at verse 12 there of chapter 1

this is what he says about the people who live on this island of crete he says

cretins are always liars evil beasts lazy gluttons now we thought about the fact that that is a slogan unlikely to make it onto the front page of your visit crete holiday brochure

but just to show you that this is not just one man's opinion of these people on crete

here's greek historian

paul obias i think you pronounce his name as who wrote this he said

it's impossible to find conduct more treacherous or public policy more unjust

than

in crete

and onto this island then that's known for its wild living

god through the proclamation of the gospel as it's gone forth

the message has birthed this church

and paul has called them if you remember last week to live lives that are counter-cultural to the people who are on this island who they rub shoulders with

every day if by nature cretins are liars evil and lazy

how different then are the jesus people on crete

going to look

as god's grace truth and his truth trains them to live lives that are marked by truth

self-control

self-control

and good works

and so as you consider your life this

is the question that this week and next week are going to invite us all to think about and consider

is what are the good works that god has put in your path for you to do wherever you find yourself right now

next week we're going to think about how those good works are going to look out there

but this week we're going to think about the place where those good works are developed in us

which is

in here

there's two points in this today here's the first one

the church is called to make the gospel beautiful

now if you want a strap line here it is

the local church is the godliness gym

the local church is the godliness gym

now here's what i want you to do

and we're all in this together as high school musical so beautifully sang

why don't you turn around and take in look at the people who are around about you

just do it for a minute we're all in this together

so it's not weird just look at the people around about you

the people that you look at

have you ever thought about this

are god's gracious gift to you

when was the last time you thought about that

you might think i've got nothing in common with that person around about you

you might be right

but in actual fact if you're a christian here today

then you've got the biggest and the most important thing in your life in common

with these people

and the beauty of it

is that god has purposefully and perfectly given us

each other

that you're not here by an accident

you are here for a purpose

and you're surrounded by people who that for whom that is exactly the same

these are the exact people that god knows in his wisdom

that you and i need right now

if we are to grow in godliness

you see titus chapter 2 contains a wonderful picture

Titus 2 · chapter mention

and did you pick it up as we went through it

of an intergenerational church

now it's likely that an older person in this context

and i think in paul's mind is somebody who's above 40

right and i happen just to be the other side of that which is lovely

now you might be laughing at that

but i think in the context that's true

so for the purposes of this older younger thing

we're going to run with the track of that

okay

but let me pitch you a vision

of the kind of church culture

that we're looking to cultivate here

that the grain of the new testament invites us to see and go with

and this is why i think this is a wonderful word in season for us

at the start of a new year and it's a wonderful opportunity

as we demonstrate the power of what god has done

to our world right now in this cultural moment

you ready for this

come on

right

what's playing out in our world right now

and i just took that from a newspaper

i quite liked it as i saw it a few weeks ago

what seems to be playing out in our world right now

is the opposite

of what you have in titus 2

isn't it generally true that in our world right now

where the generation gaps seem ever to be increasing

that you have a younger generation

who are critical of an older generation

you guys are clogging the house and market

you aren't being authentic

and you also have an older generation

who are suspicious of our younger generation

you're not committed as we once were

you've got an entitlement mentality

what you have right now is generations in our world

who are not speaking to each other

they seem to be speaking over each other

does that sound fair?

that sounds roughly familiar?

God calls his people to do this generations thing

radically differently

and to lovingly enter

each other's worlds

now think about the other generation

if we're taking 40

go with it

think about the other generation

to the one that you're in right now

here's some questions for you

as you think about them

do you know

their biggest struggles and their fears?

do you know the things that have influenced them

over the years?

do you see the unique opportunities

that they have right in front of him

them

and so here's a loving challenge

to both generations

older generation

do you pray for

and are you willing to invest yourselves

in

a younger generation

who by the way

are the church leaders of tomorrow

in a way that communicates to them

that we don't just want you

to simply keep up the momentum

of what we've started

no we long

that you guys accomplish

and see so much more fruit

than we ever did in our life

as this generation of God's people

do you appreciate

that they are facing things

that you probably never had to face

and never had to worry about

in your lifetime

mounting student debt

gender critical

and sex saturated places of work

online school learning

social media

mental health worries

do you

are you willing to

enter their world

and be their biggest cheerleaders

in godliness

and younger generation

are you sitting here

right now

deep down

thinking to yourself

that you have nothing to learn

from an older generation

do you see

that they have so

much Christian life experience

to share with you

people who are in this room

who have had marriages

that have lasted

for longer

than I've been alive

people who know

what it is

to live through

and suffer bereavement

people who know

how scary it is

to face unemployment

and redundancy

people who know

what it is

to be tired

and exhausted

and at the end of your tether

as a parent

people who know

what it is

to run a business

and to do that

with integrity

people who know

what it is

to be a missionary

in a foreign country

and experience that

when you consider

all of what I've just said

do you see

how the local church

is a truly

marvellous gift

from God

that he would put

each other

all of us

in the same

church family

and here's the challenge

what we're called to do

is that we are called

to help each other

figure out

what faithfulness

to Jesus

looks like

in our different

life stages

and so into our world

that encourages

a culture

of dishonor

are you up

for being

a church

community

who fosters

and creates

that culture

of honor

amongst the different

generations

generations

in here

two things

that Paul

tells Titus

to foster

in this church

family

in Crete

two little

sub points

here

here's the first

one

it's a culture

of modelling

do you see

the different

generations

playing out here

there's four

of them

in Paul's

mind

do you see

he's calling

older men

verse 2

to be examples

of a dignified

life

particularly

so that the

younger men

can look at

them and think

that you are

what I want

to be

when I

grew up

how many

of us

did that

when we

were growing

up by the

way

was it just

me

who had

posters on

my bedroom

wall of the

person I

wanted to be

when I

grew up

I think it

was Ryan

gigs at the

time if that

mean he

means anything

to any of

you

probably not

in the later

years of his

life

but older

men we need

you in this

church

know how much

we love having

you as part of

this church

family

hear the

encouragement

to live that

sober minded

self-controlled

sacrificial life

in front of the

rest of us

because we need

you to be

setting the

pace here

we need you

by the rings

that are on

the tree of

your life

to show us

that Christianity

still makes

sense in your

70s

can I encourage

you not

you might be

physically taking

your foot off

the gas a

little bit

understandably

so

but inwardly

spiritually

can I encourage

you to live a

life in front

of the rest

of us

that shows

us that

you're putting

the gas

well and

truly on

when it

comes to

your love

for and

walk with

Jesus

older women

verse 3

do you see

that be

examples of

how to use

your words

of how to

conduct

yourself

socially

of how to

be with

your family

which by the

way is the

thing that

makes them

perfectly suited

to be the

ones who

do you see

it who

teach and

train the

younger

woman

now that's

not saying

that men

can't meet

with women

or anything

like that

understand that

I take it

that there are

so many good

and appropriate

ways where we

can and where

we should

foster those

kind of

relationships

between the

sexes

but wisdom

would say

wouldn't it

that the

people who

are best

placed to

nurture a

younger

generation

of females

are the

older women

who are in

this church

family

because they

just know

what it

is

they get

it

in a way

that I

certainly

know that

I just

don't

and you're

to pass

that on

as you

teach the

younger

woman

just worth

flagging there

in case you

picked up in

the reading

that working

at home

just doesn't

mean that you

can't have a

job

got to remember

then this Roman

culture family

life work

life they all

happen in

the household

so it's not

quite a straight

line there that

you can draw

but and yet

hear me say

and I know

this will

click with so

many in this

church that

in a culture

that subtly

undermines

family and

marriage and

spotlights

independence and

career advancement

that if you

find yourself in a

season of life

that is calling

you to be at

home that if

children and if

your marriage is

just what you do

with your days

you might be

thinking I'm

kind of missing

out I've had to

park things

can I just

encourage you

that what you

are doing

is a glorious

thing in the

sight of the

Lord please

please know

that please

know that

and younger

men do you

just see how

they are told

to be self

controlled and

just in case you

think you're

getting off really

lightly because

there's one thing

there this is the

equivalent of the

personal trainer

pointing you in

the direction of

the gym and

saying go and

get fit you

don't hear that

you wouldn't hear

that and think

I'm just he's

just talking about

my upper left

tricep he's

talking about

no go and

get fit that

means all of

your life all

of you how you

spend your money

what you look at

online the jokes

that you make

that's what he

means by self

control I'll be

clear this isn't

Paul pushing some

kind of first

century stoicism

saying leave

emotions at the

side the Bible

is full of

emotions self

control is when

we let the Bible

inform us as to

what the right

expression of

those human

emotions looks

like Titus

create a culture

in the church

of modelling

and the other

side of the coin

really create a

culture of

witnessing so

verse 9 Paul

addresses bond

servants and

again this is

not slavery as

our minds

automatically jump

to picturing it

in our day in

this day you have

roughly 30% or

so of the Roman

Empire who are

slaves right

doctors were

slaves lawyers

were slaves this

is much more you

do those things as

you work for the

family that both

employ you and

that you stay

with slaves

perhaps reading

this thinking I'd

love to make a

difference for Jesus

where I am but

I've got all these

work constraints on

my life meaning I

have to be in a

certain place at a

certain time doing

certain tasks what

can I do with my

life for the

witness of Jesus

and Paul is

saying don't

underestimate the

impact that just

doing your job well

and with integrity

the impact that God

may have through that

increase and I hope

that's a word for some

of us today if we're

struggling with our

jobs thinking does

anyone see does

anyone see this is it

making any difference

please do not

underestimate what

God can do with the

your faithful witness

and love for Jesus

wherever you are

and in doing so do

you see how you

will adorn the

gospel of God our

savior what's the

motivation for all of

this well the church

is called to make the

gospel beautiful

because the gospel

has made the church

beautiful that's what

the little word for

do you see that verse

11 indicates it's just

the linking words

what's the logic of

what's gone before it

the word for just

links it to the

section after in other

words saying it's the

gospel that's created

this kind of community

the message behind it

all is the match that

lights the fire of the

practice of it all

do you see how it's a

message with a source

verse 11 that source is

not our efforts that

source is not our

feelings no the source

is the unmerited

grace of God and that

grace is not just a

message to be

proclaimed it's a

message that you see

the word it it trains

us trains us you know

my biggest fear every

time I go to put gas in

my car at a petrol

station my biggest fear

is I put in the wrong

kind of fuel anyone else

have that weird thing

when you go to a petrol

station because I just

don't want to be that

guy who has to call the

AA and says I'm sorry I

put petrol in my diesel

car can you come out and

drain the thing I love

that our car has got a

big diesel sign at the

the where you put the gas

in it gets me every

single time so I don't

know where I'd be without

it okay but I've if I

were to put petrol in our

diesel car the thing

would just stutter and

stall Paul is saying

here that the Christian

life we're designed to

run on grace that's what

we put into our lives we

put in this message of

grace and what we so

often default to doing is

that we put into the

tanks of our lives our

efforts our morals you put

that in you put that in

solely into your life that

will not go far if we want

to see growth in godliness

we need to fill our tank

with the truth of god's

grace the truth of the

that's why we do this

every Sunday we gather

together we have scripture

readings we have songs that

are appropriate all these

things are going on are

designed to fill our minds

with the gospel this message

of who Jesus is and what

he's done for us because

our minds during the week

they just drift and you see

by god's grace we find

ourselves between two

appearings in the text the

first is when first

appearing was when Jesus

came at Christmas well we

celebrate it at Christmas

and his second appearing

will be when he returns

you see those two

appearings and that means

that the gospel gives us a

hope and a future and that

means that we are people who

are waiting for Jesus's

return now again if you think

about Crete if Crete is full

of people who are living

for the moment if Crete is

full of people who are

saying life is too short if

Crete is full of people who

would happily subscribe to

Carpe Diem how different

are lives of people who are

waiting and living not for

today but who are living and

waiting in light of the hope

of tomorrow going to look on

Crete

big question I asked myself

this week and would my

friends would my family with

those walking who I walk and

talk with every day would

they know that I'm a person

who's waiting for Jesus's

return would they see it in

me you know C.S. Lewis I've

quoted this guy a few times

before he said this if you read

history you'll find that the

Christians who did most for the

present world were precisely

those who thought most of the

next and I just caveat that

and just say as long as what

we mean by next is Jesus we

think most about not just

heaven but Jesus

can I just say it's maybe

something that's been in my

mind this week with everything

that's going on in our world

maybe particularly in in our

countries we think about stuff

that's coming up in government

and things like that let's

remind ourselves what we read

we sang at the start that he is

in that place of all authority

and power right now the risen

Jesus we live between these

two appearings but don't ever

doubt the fact that he is in

control every square inch of

our existence he is in control

of the difference is just now

we're living by faith in that

truth but then we'll see it by

sight in his second appearing but

never doubt that he's in control

never doubt that he's not sovereign

over square every square inch of

our existence the gospel gives us a

purpose as well do you see that

now you're living in your woman

world you're used to reading that

the gods came down to get stuff from

us and we thought last week about

Zeus apparently he was born on Crete

the classic example of might and

right the gods come down they demand

our worship they demand our

allegiance and if we obey we get

good things in return from them but

you see how Paul says Jesus is the

complete opposite of that

Jesus gave himself for us to redeem

us you can remind yourself of that

every time you go to buy something

at Tesco when you pick up an item

you go to the tell you pay the price

and now it's yours

Jesus paid the price for our freedom

not in pounds but with his precious

blood on the cross he was humiliated so

that we could be his he was pierced so

that we could be purchased that's what

the word redeemed means he bought us

back for himself and he didn't just

do it for individual people just

although that is true it is our

people do you see that in the text

it's our people collectively why do we

say no to ungodliness because Jesus

has redeemed us from ungodliness he's

called us out of our old way of life

and said I set you free to live for me

that was a whole reason that you were

created in the first place to know God

and walk with him and why do we say

yes to godliness because Jesus has

purified us he's bought us for himself

and we belong to him and so as we do

this together do you see how we become

proof cases we become exhibit a to the

world that the gospel it works

now just as we close can I tell you about

my friend Doug

Doug was an elder at the church I used

to go to up in Aberdeen when I was a

student there

Doug was about 20 years older than me

Doug was an oil and gas lawyer and as

someone who was studying law at the time

I remember really looking up to him

Doug and his wife Ray and their kids

they used to have me around to their

house for lunch I used to send Doug my

CV and job applications he used to look

over and give me some really sobering

words about what I'd written Doug used

to tell me what corporate culture was

like before I entered it but the biggest

thing that Doug did for me was with a 20

year gap between us I could see him

loving his wife I could see him caring

for his children I could see him loving

and serving in his local church because

he loved Jesus now I moved away from

Aberdeen I moved down here and he

subsequently and his family moved away as

well first he worked in America in law

then he went to Hong Kong and I think he

did a bit in legal banking as well

before he retired from law and a few

years ago he moved back to Edinburgh I

did not know this at all and he's just

taken up the role of executive pastor at

Crubber's Christian Fellowship on the

Royal Mile now with that skill set talk

about the right man at the right time

doing the right job as those guys embark

on a really exciting building project that

they're doing there brilliant guy but I

went to to preach recently at Crubber's

and there he was with his wife Ray and all

I could say was just thank you thank you for

convincing me as a 20 year old young guy who

thought he had life sorted and actually

didn't have a clue what life is all about

thank you for convincing me by the way that

you lived your life in front of me that

Jesus was going to be worth following for the

next 20 years of my life

thank you for doing that

wouldn't it be a wonderful thing

if this church community were filled with

more of those kind of relationships

let me just give you a one and a two as

really quick fire applications just as we

finish to do off the back of this here's

number one try and speak to one person today

who's in the other generation from you

right you can use this sermon as an excuse

to do it try and speak to one person today

who's the other generation to you and I also

want you to do is to look in two directions

as we think about modeling friends the

challenge here is to get on the catwalk

who is older than you that you can learn

from who is in this church family who is

perfectly placed to be the person who comes

alongside you and says let's do life

together who's older than you who's younger

than you who can you get alongside with the

sole purpose of wanting to pass on the

things that you have learned in life truth

leading to godliness and together let's just

be this church community who's helping each

other in that privilege of adorning the

gospel listen at the end of the sermon I'm

going to be at the end of the service I'll

be at the back and if you're interested in

this if you would love to be paired with

somebody I love doing that matchmaking

thing if you'd love to do that just give

us your name your details and I'll make

that happen with somebody in this church

grab Kate as well Kate I would love to do

Archie anyone you've seen up the front we

would love to foster those kind of intergeneral

relationships in our church community

let's be those who make the teaching of God

our saviour attractive let's pray will we

and so this is the words of psalm 145

great is the Lord and most worthy of praise his

greatness no one can fathom one generation

commends your works to another they tell of

your mighty acts they speak of the glorious

splendor of your majesty and I will meditate on

your wonderful works so far I just pray that you

would thrill each of our hearts here today with

Jesus with a wonderful vision of who he is today

and his self-giving love for us his redeeming work

for us Lord may it cultivate in us that desire to be

this community who together are zealous for good

works Father would you be prompting our hearts

Lord where we need to change would you be

installing in us that that rock solid confidence in who you are today

Father would you put people on our minds and in our hearts by your spirit who we can draw alongside

we just finished by saying thank you for each other

thank you Father for this church family here today

and Lord I pray that you would help us as we seek to be those who live godly lives for your glory

in Jesus name we pray Amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

amen

call amen

amen

amen