Outside the Walls | Titus 2:15-3:3

Well, good morning, church. If you brought a

Bible, and I hope you did, go ahead and grab

it. We're going to jump right in, turn over to

Titus chapter 2, and find the very last verse

Titus 2 · chapter mention

of that chapter, verse 15. This is the verse

I left out of last Sunday's message. And I got

a bunch of questions like, why would you do that,

Jeff? It's because I ran out of time. But also,

it really fits well with what we're talking about

this morning. So I promise to touch on it. Let's

look at it. Titus 2, verse 15. So this morning

Titus 2:15

what we're going to see is Paul making an interesting

transition in subject matter from chapter 2 to

chapter 3. And for scholars who love the text

of Scripture, these are always exciting things.

We can break up what we call pericopes or units

of thought between Paul doing this and then doing

that. Now, having said that... It might be important

for me to remind you, if you didn't know this,

the chapter divisions in our modern -day Bibles

were first proposed 800 years ago, in the early

13th century. It wasn't until Wycliffe's English

translation in the year 1382 that the chapter

divisions that we have today were standardized.

So obviously they weren't part of the original

text. So when we look at changes in biblical

subject matter between one chapter to the next

in our modern Bibles, we have to be careful that

we don't bifurcate what the author of scripture

was trying to do. Because when Paul wrote this

letter to Titus, it was exactly that. It was

a letter, meaning there was a flow of thought

taking place here. And what he finished up with

in chapter two, is only one stroke of the pen

away from what he wrote at the beginning of chapter

three. So we need to make sure that we recognize

that. So here in verse 15, what Paul's about

to do is sort of finish his thoughts about these

five categories of believers in the churches

of Crete. Remember, he talked about older, men,

good, younger, men, younger, good, older women,

and then, slaves and household servants. Very

good. And the focus there in chapter two was

on the development of their character and how

they relate to one another within the body of

Christ. But also there was sort of a subtle focus

on with an eye to their witness to the world,

that the way that they function within the body

of Christ, and this is important for us today,

how we function in the body of Christ. Does it

dishonor God's word? Or does it adorn the beauty

of the gospel? Does it show how the gospel actually

transforms lives? So that's what Paul's been

doing here in chapter two. So you might look

at this as here in verse 15, he's wrapping up

an internal discussion, a inter -family discussion

between fellow believers. Then when we get to

chapter three, Paul's gonna start looking outside

the walls of the church and he is going to address

a very interesting question. How should the believers

on that island in Crete How should they function

in the midst of the pagan society that they live

in? So we're going from an internal discussion

to an external discussion. But before we jump

into chapter three, let's briefly look at this

verse 15. Everybody there? He says, these things,

Titus, meaning all the things that I've just

written about in this chapter, these things speak

and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let

no one disregard you. Now, this kind of instruction

is common in the pastoral epistles that are written

to both Timothy and Titus. And you see there

three actions commanded. Speak, exhort, and reprove.

Speak, exhort, and reprove. So both Timothy and

Titus were commanded by their mentor, Paul, to

do all three of those things in every place that

they were sent. Number one, speak the truth.

Declare it. Proclaim it. Preach it. Number two,

exhort the people, meaning make sure that they're

paying close attention to your teaching and make

sure they're not just hearers of the word, but

doers of the word. And number three, when necessary,

when the folks aren't responding, when they're

not listening, then reprove them or rebuke them.

And what's interesting in the original Greek,

each of those three verbs that you see on the

screen. are written in what we call the present

active imperative, meaning they are commands,

first of all, and secondly, they're commands

that should be lived out, keyword, continuously.

So literally, it should read, these things, Titus,

keep on speaking, keep on exhorting, and keep

on reproving. Just keep doing it over and over

again. And then Paul adds, keep on doing these

things with all authority. and don't let anybody

disregard you. Now, that's a heavy thing to lay

on a young pastor like Titus. Paul says, look,

when you instruct the people, Titus, your words

carry authority. Not just because you represent

me and my apostolic authority, but the very authority

of the Lord himself when you teach from his word.

Now, give me a moment to unpack some of the implications

of what Paul's saying in this verse. First of

all, let me say for some churchgoers, This idea

of authority might bring back bad memories from

your past because abuse of authority in the church

is a very real thing. We all probably know somebody

who has been hurt in the past. And far too often,

unqualified men who have character flaws somehow

are able to grab the reins of power and they

end up damaging churches and hurting people.

And if that describes you at some place somewhere

in your past, When you hear an instruction like

this, wield your authority and don't let people

disregard you, it might like feed that fear of

submitting to church leadership. But we have

to realize that just because some men have abused

their power, it doesn't mean that we can ignore

all of the New Testament instructions we have

about how leadership is established. Because

God does call men like Titus. to do these things,

to teach and to shepherd, and yes, to correct

church members using the authority of Scripture.

And he calls church members to submit to that

leadership and not disregard those that he put

in place. Both those things have to happen at

the same time, right? Here's the thing. When

authority in the church is stewarded properly

and when it's executed with care, it blesses

and protects the people that it covers. And that

is the goal we see in scripture and that is what

we strive to do in our leadership here at Oak

Hill. So what this requires is for churches to

show great care and great discernment when they

examine the character of the men they're considering

for leadership positions. That is a process that

needs to move slowly and carefully. Too many

times in church life I've seen people get rushed

into positions for all the wrong reasons and

it doesn't end well. This is why I think Paul

is, what he's getting at here when he says to

Titus, don't let anyone disregard you. This is

actually a character thing. Some have misconstrued

this statement, I think. Some people think that

Paul is saying, hey, Titus, as you're teaching,

don't let people push you around. I don't think

that's what he's saying. The way I read it is

this. Titus, be such an example of godliness

that people won't be able to disregard you because

your life backs up your teaching. They'll have

nothing to accuse you of. And the reason I think

that's the right interpretation is because Paul

writes something similar to Timothy in 1 Timothy

4. He says, let no one look down on you or disregard

you, Timothy, because of your youthfulness. Now,

how is a young pastor supposed to make sure that

doesn't happen? Is he supposed to run around

and thump his chest and say, stop disregarding

me? That's not what Paul says because in the

very next sentence he says, in your speech, your

conduct, your love, your faith, and your purity,

show yourself to be an example. That's how you

make sure that people don't disregard you as

a leader, your life. When church leaders are

men of character and it shows up in their lives,

then submission to them becomes easy and it becomes

desirable because then church members feel cared

for and protected. And that's the goal. So that's

one side of the coin related to this verse. The

other side of the spectrum is this. While there

are certainly unqualified and even abusive leaders

in churches today, there are far more congregants

out there who flat out have no respect for authority.

And they have no intention of submitting to the

leaders that God has placed over them. Too many

churchgoers today act as if they are the customer

to be served by the elders. And that they're,

not that they're called to engage or to serve

or to follow themselves. No, they're to be served.

And the elders are supposed to just give in to

all of their whims. That is very common. If you

go around churches in America, you will find

congregants who say, no, this is my church. We

tell the elders what to do. And so we get it

all backwards. So when their leaders speak, exhort,

and reprove as commanded in Scripture, too many

congregants today feel comfortable just disregarding

them. Just disregarding them. It's all optional,

they believe. I can listen to that teaching or

not. I can apply it or I can ignore it. And by

disregarding those in authority, they actually

disregard God's Word. And that means in reality,

they're not in submission to God himself. And

in order to dodge that serious implication of

that truth, what they do is they look at that

man in authority and say, well, I'm not sure

I want to follow that guy. And we call that spiritual

rebellion. And it's a destroyer of unity in the

church. So when it comes to leadership, And when

it comes to congregations, there's this important

balance that we have to find. There's a, I call

it a delicate dance that everybody has to agree

to and live out. First of all, God calls and

establishes leaders in his church. Second, those

leaders are commanded to employ God's word in

doing those three things, speaking, exhorting,

and reproving. That's not optional for a leader.

Third, church members are called to respect the

office of elder. and to follow after their shepherds

without grumbling or rebellion. And finally,

in return, those leaders are to continually let

their godly character show forth so that they

build trust in the congregation and they function

as good stewards of the responsibility given

them by the Lord as under shepherds under the

great shepherd. All of those things have to happen

at one time. That is the delicate dance that

we walk. And I have to tell you, here at Oak

Hill, you guys are doing an amazing job. Every

elder here would affirm that for the last 18

years, this has been done beautifully, and we

need to continuously talk about these things

and make sure that we're all on the same page.

Okay, so much more can be said about authority

and leadership, but I have to leave it there

because we have to get on to chapter three. So

if you're not there yet, Turn over to chapter

three. Oh, it's right there. Okay, good. Chapter

three. Okay, now as I shared earlier, Paul's

about to make this shift in direction. Having

dealt with internal matters among the believers,

he's now gonna look outside the walls of the

church. How should the believers in Crete, and

we looked at, remember the character of Cretans?

What that society was like? How are these newer

believers, because the gospel would have just

come there recently, how are they supposed to

function in the midst of this very pagan society?

Now, the section we're going to read, actually

the pericope runs all the way through verse 8.

But as I was looking at it this week, verses

4 through 7, guys, some of the richest language

in the entire New Testament. So I couldn't just

skim over it. So what we're going to do today

is focus on just the first three verses. We'll

come back to verses four through eight next Sunday

and give them the attention that they really

deserve because they are beautiful. But let's

read together all the way through verse eight.

Verse one, remember or remind them, Titus, to

be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient,

to be ready for every good deed, to malign no

one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration

for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves,

disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts

and pleasures, spending our life in malice and

envy, hateful, hating one another. But, but,

when the kindness of God our Savior and His love

for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the

basis of deeds, which we have done in righteousness,

but according to what? His mercy. By the washing

of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus

Christ our Savior, so that being justified by

his grace, we would be made heirs according to

the hope of eternal life. That may take me two

Sundays. I'm just saying. I mean, the language,

right, is so beautiful. Verse 8, finishing, this

is a trustworthy statement. And concerning these

things, I want you to speak confidently. so that

those who believe God will be careful to engage

in good deeds. These things are good and profitable

for men. So just a quick outline on these eight

verses. The first thing you see there, verses

one through two, is our obligation to the public

good and our posture towards unbelievers. Very

important. The second thing you see there in

verse three is a reminder of what you and I used

to be before we met Christ. And that's important

to understand. Then in verse four through seven,

this incredibly rich statement about how God

has saved us. And then finally in verse eight,

we have this instruction about going out as witnesses

in the power of the gospel, both speaking truth

and backing up what we say with good deeds. So

it's a beautiful outline. Friends, this is how

we're to live in the midst of a pagan culture

like Crete or Southern California. Are we under

the impression that our culture in Southern California

is any better than Crete? This is incredibly

practical for us. With all the opinions out there

about this strategy or that strategy to reach

people for Christ, it's actually not complicated

and it hasn't changed since the days of the apostles.

And as you look at these eight verses, you look

at that outline, take note of this. It's not

about political candidates. And it's not about

passing laws. It's not about planning protests

or fighting culture wars. It's not about us trying

to impose our moral values upon the culture.

It's about sinners being transformed by the gospel

and over time then seeing culture change from

the inside out. That has always been the strategy.

And that should be our strategy today. Amen?

Okay, let's dig in. I'm actually gonna start

a little bit out of order here. I actually wanna

start with verse three, okay? That's the description

of who every one of us used to be in varying

degrees before Christ drew us to himself and

saved us and began this sanctifying work in us

by his spirit. So look at verse three. These

are six characteristics listed there. that describe

just the average unredeemed man or woman. These

things describe the average person that you're

gonna bump into in daily life in Santa Clarita.

We don't often think in these terms, but this

is the theological truth. They are foolish and

disobedient, and they're deceived or led astray.

They're enslaved by lust and pleasure. They live

in malice and envy, and they are filled with

hate. Now, this morning, I'm not going to walk

through those six things. We'll do that next

Sunday. But for today, it's important that we

acknowledge the truth of this verse for two reasons.

Number one, we have to remember who we used to

be so that when we now go out into the culture

as believers, we know exactly what to expect

because we were once there. Does that make sense?

I mean, how easy is it for us today? To go online

and look at the news and to get frustrated and

get angry and be filled with a sense of disgust

about what's happening in our culture. It's a

world of confusion and criminality and perversion

and selfishness. It is an absolute mess, we all

agree. But of all people, why would we be surprised

by that? Of all the people, why would we be surprised

by that? Paul says, that used to be you. That

used to be you. Before Christ plucked you out

of darkness, that used to be you. So why are

you surprised by the depravity all around you?

That's the first reason we need to acknowledge

who we used to be. The second reason is because

remembering who we once were helps us to see

sinners in a different light. It enables us to

treat ungodly people with grace and compassion

instead of anger and resentment. Which doesn't

please God. Because we know why they act out

like they do. We look at the world, we know why.

It's because people are spiritually blind. They're

dead in their sins. They live according to their

own will and their own desires. That's why they

need the gospel. So we're not surprised by it.

So keeping this in mind will help us to respond.

to sinners with love and good deeds. Even if

they mistreat us or they make fun of us or they

falsely accuse us of things, in those moments

as they do that, we can simply remember who we

once were and say, yep, I get it. I get it. That

used to be me. So verse three is important for

us, for our mindset, our heart set as we look

out at our world. Does that make sense? Okay,

so now let's go back up to the top, back up to

verse one. And let's see exactly what God calls

us to be and do in our pagan society. Now, fair

warning, some of you may be upset by what Paul

prescribes here. It may not line up with the

way you see things in our culture right now.

Because I know that many of us are passionate

about seeing our society and our culture turned

in a more politically and socially conservative

direction. We want to see sanity return to our

culture. We want to see crime actually punished.

We want to see our immigration laws enforced.

We want to see people acknowledge and live by

their biological gender. We all want that. I

get it. I want those things too. Frankly, if

those things happened, it would be a net positive

for me and my family and our church if just basic

common sense and commonly held values come back

to America. We can agree on that. But friends,

that is not the ultimate answer. Turning conservative

politically or socially is not the ultimate answer

to our problems. And we need to acknowledge this

truth because nowhere in the New Testament do

we see God exhorting us to turn to political

solutions or to social movements as a means of

changing culture. You're not gonna find that

in any of the letters. Not even in pagan Rome

were first century Christians told to do those

things. Not even under the wickedness of Nero

were first century Christians commanded to try

to impose a moral code on all of society. That

is not the emphasis in the pages of scripture.

And so looking back at, I don't know, the last

eight years in America, It's interesting to consider

the questions about how things have shifted left

and right in our world. Ask the question, has

the political cult of Trumpism helped or hurt

our witness among unbelievers? Has the Christian

nationalist movement of the last couple years

aided in our sharing of the gospel or scared

people away from it? How's the growing trend

of hatred for Jews and immigrants among professing

Christians in right -wing circles being interpreted

by those outside the walls of the church? These

things are happening out there. Has it helped

us or has it hurt our witness? I think you know

the answer to that question. And listen, I'm

all for winning hearts and minds in the public

square of ideas. I love that. And I love to see

true biblical principles put out into the public

square to give them a fair hearing. But what's

happening so much right now is we are mixing

Christianity with political ideologies. And by

doing that, we're muddying the waters and we're

creating confusion in the minds of unbelievers.

They don't even know what true biblical Christianity

is anymore because it's so closely now associated

with these political and social movements. We've

muddied the waters. I also think that political

ideologies can lead us down all kinds of rabbit

holes that end up in sin. especially online,

where ungodly things and ungodly ideas fester

and grow if we're not careful. The truth is,

what our perverted, crime -ridden, sinful society

needs is a changed heart. It needs new life and

a new nature and new affections. And that only

happens, friends, when we introduce them to the

Savior. That's the only way. So, like I said,

you may be upset at that. That may bug you. You

may think, ah, hold on a second. I don't know

if I want to look at Paul's prescription for

this, but we have to look at it. Let's see what

he says. Look at verse 1 here in chapter 3. Here's

Paul's recommendation to Titus about how we should

live in a pagan society. And the first verse

could make you angry. It could frustrate you

because of what we're dealing with in America.

He says, remind them to be subject to the rulers,

to the authorities, and to be obedient. Right?

That sort of hurts. Like, really? These guys?

Yeah. And notice he says, remind them. So this

wasn't a new teaching for the believers in Crete.

By the way, that's what we're called to do as

church leaders, constantly remind you guys. about

our obligations, right, to the Lord and obligations

to our culture. Constantly reminding. This is

what Paul's doing. And in this case, it's a reminder

for the believers in Crete to seek the public

good. To seek the public good in obedience as

good citizens. Right? That's what it says. And

it's the same call that goes out to us here in

Santa Clarita as citizens of America. Right?

We're to seek the public good. By obediently

submitting to the governing authorities. But

listen and know this, as Christians, we're always

going to be frustrated and disappointed by government.

100 % of the time. If you haven't dealt with

that in your heart, do it today. You're going

to be frustrated and disappointed. Why? Because

no administration on either side of the aisle

is ever going to govern righteously. It's just

not going to happen. But think about this. In

Paul's day, it was so much worse than anything

we've seen. In spite of all the craziness in

the last couple decades, that was so much worse.

We're talking about Roman rulers were absolute

tyrants. A legal code that was completely arbitrary

and unfair. All of society was governed based

on power and wealth and class. And yet still

consistent all the way through the New Testament.

is this command to be subject to rulers. How

do you explain that? Even Jesus, remember? They

handed him a coin. What did he say? Get that

trash out of here. Slapped it out of the guy's

hand, right? No. He looked at it and he said,

pay your tax to the state. But wait, hold on

a second. Isn't that the image on that coin idolatrous?

Yeah, from a Jewish perspective, yeah, pay your

tax. But wait, the Roman authorities are going

to collect that tax and use it for ungodly things.

True. But still, render unto Caesar what is Caesar's,

Jesus said. I don't have time to go deep into

it, but the first seven verses in Romans 13 are

really instructive for us. Government is designed

and established by God, so when you resist that

authority, you're resisting God. So let government

do what God designed it to do, Paul says. Let

it restrain evil and punish wrongdoers. But wait,

Jeff, it's not doing their job. They're not doing

their job. They're not doing it well. Again,

that is always going to be the case, friends,

because it's imperfect. It's people. But Paul

made no exceptions to this principle in Titus

3 or Romans 13, not even for a godless psychopath

like Nero. No exception. Not even all the Greek

lands that Paul was traveling to where governments

were known for corruption. So I think here's

the bottom line, and let me just say this clearly.

We as Christians should not be lawbreakers. And

we should not be living in rebellion against

authority. Number one, because it's displeasing

to God. And number two, because we're to be a

blessing in the place that God has put us. We're

to be a blessing. And if we're lawbreakers and

if we're rebels, then we are not a blessing.

to the place that God has planted us. In fact,

we become quite the opposite. I think that's

what Paul's getting at here. Now, is there a

time for us to disobey government? Of course.

We know this principle, right? We know this.

When we're commanded to do something that would

cause us to disobey God, we have to say no. And

we have this archetypal example in Acts chapter

five to guide us on this, right? The religious

authorities in Jerusalem, they arrest John and

Peter and they say, we told you to stop preaching

about this Jesus guy, so stop it. And they said

what? Sorry, we have to obey God rather than

men. And then what happened? They were punished.

They were flogged. And yet they rejoiced in their

punishment. Why? Because they honored the Lord.

They obeyed God's command and they kept on doing

it. Then they went right back out and went preaching

in the temple courts because God had commanded

that. So yes, there is a time. And by the way,

this happened during the COVID era. We saw this,

right? When the state turns against the church

and begins to tell the church that they can't

do what God has commanded us to do. And in those

cases. What do we do? We stand our ground and

we do what we have to do and be willing to suffer

the consequences. But other than that, we are

to be subject to the authorities. We are to obey

in every possible case that we can obey. To be

a blessing to the public, good to the citizenry

of the place where God has us. Where God has

you right now, you know this is part of a sovereign

plan, right? It's not an accident that you live

in this valley. So take a look at where God has

put you and be a blessing. Okay. By the way,

just to supplement what Paul is saying to Titus,

how many of you guys listened carefully to the

call to worship this morning that Kenny read

from 1 Peter 2? Peter makes an interesting case

in that passage. He starts with this amazing

statement in 1 Peter 2. He says, did you know

as the church you're a holy nation and a royal

priesthood? You're all priests. Congratulations.

You're all priests. That's what the church is.

What's the function of a priest? To bring people

to God. That's what we do. That's what the body

of Christ is called to do in the New Testament

era. We usher people into the presence of God.

And as a royal priesthood, we go out there and

we proclaim the excellencies of the one who called

us out of darkness and into his marvelous light.

It has got to be our goal and desire as priests

to show others that light that we've received.

But what happens if we don't do this, if we posture

ourselves as enemies of the culture that we're

trying to reach? Who then is gonna usher them

into the presence of God? Christians do this

at times, right? We're so harsh, we're so judgmental,

we forget who we once were, and we posture ourselves

as enemies of the very people we're supposed

to reach. So behind the preaching of the gospel

has to be a posture of grace and compassion,

knowing that the folks out there are spiritually

blind and need help to see. And along with that

posture and proclamation has to come a unique

way of living. that makes what we say believable.

We have to build platforms from which we can

talk about Jesus with integrity. People look

at our lives. Are you building a platform where

you can actually speak with integrity about how

Jesus has changed your life? And to that end,

Peter writes, keep your behavior excellent among

the Gentiles. Why? So that they'll see your good

works, they'll see your good lives, and they

will glorify God. So in all the places that you

go in this valley, in all the daily contacts

you have with people, be mindful of your role

as a priest. Be mindful of that. To bring people

to God, to show them that light. And then, by

the way, Peter also hits on the same theme that

Paul does in Titus 3 and Romans 13 in this particular

passage. He says, here's one of the ways that

you can be an effective witness for the gospel.

Submit yourselves, for the Lord's sake, to every

human institution, whether to a king as the one

in authority or to the governors as sent by him.

This is part of our effective witnessing strategy

when people see us do this well, when we're good

citizens, when we obey. He finishes that section

by saying, honor all people, even sinners. Honor

all people and honor the king. This is the life

we're supposed to live in the midst of a pagan

society. These are things we're supposed to be

known for. And then in verse 2, if you look at

verse 2 in our text in Titus, Paul then piles

on the teaching by laying out four more commands

that describe how our posture should be towards

the world. And these are four things that when

you look at them, you're like, well, those are

obvious things. But friends, listen, in our frustration

and in our anger about the condition of our culture

right now, it's possible that we can forget these

things because we get worked up. Because we want

things to change. We want to see things get better.

So we sit and we stare at our computer screens

and we get all worked up and then we forget this

is how we're supposed to be as believers. And

the first one is this. Stop maligning people.

That word means to slander them or to speak evil

of them. Don't treat people with contempt. Not

your leaders, not those in authority, not your

neighbor. We're not to be known for being slanderers,

treating people with contempt. And sadly, professing

Christians are sort of known for this. I mean,

I know it's a bit of a stereotype, but we're

kind of known for this. I'm not saying those

of us in this room, but when others who profess

Christ become this way, it affects all of our

witness, doesn't it? So whether it's deserved

or not, we have a reputation for being condescending

and sometimes cruel towards those who don't share

our values. And we do that even though we were

once one of them. So what does that say? It says

we're arrogant now. God saved us and now we can

look down on other people. At least that's what

they feel. So you gotta be aware of that as a

priest. Somehow we forget that the minds of the

people out there are blinded by the God of this

world. We forget that we really can't hold them

to the same standard of values that we have because

they don't have the Holy Spirit. We forget it.

Now, we have every right and even an obligation

in some cases to call sin, sin, to say that is

wrong, that is sinful. We can name it. We can

call people to repentance. As long as the motivation

behind that is love, we can and should call people

to repentance. But how we approach those folks,

how we approach that situation matters. Is our

practice just to rip into people for their lifestyles

with slanderous words? Or do we graciously seek

their good by showing them a better way? Those

are two completely different things. The sin

is the sin. We can call it out, but how we get

there, how we approach it, makes a huge difference.

We're not responsible for the results, but we

are responsible for what's going on in our own

hearts as we approach sinners. Amen? So we don't

malign people. Number two, we're to be peaceable.

That means we're to avoid quarreling with folks

in the world. The literal translation of this

word used here is to be not contentious. And

again, I realize it's hard for us to see the

world and our culture spiraling down. But we're

not to respond to that truth by just being combative

with everyone. We should guard our hearts from

feeling offended by everything that we see because

unsaved people are gonna act like unsaved people.

And we should expect that, right? And we should

seek peace. I'm gonna come back to that in just

a little bit because here's the thing, you guys.

If we're gonna be contending for truth in this

culture, there's gonna be times when we have

to argue. And when we argue, we should argue

in a godly fashion. So hold that thought. We'll

come back to it. The third thing here is we're

to be gentle. We should be patient with sinners

because we know their nature. One commentator

sums up the word that Paul uses here. It's a

very unique word. He calls it sweet reasonableness.

Think about that. Do the people in your life

see you with that disposition? Sweet reasonableness.

Or do they see you as somebody that comes off

grumbly and argumentative and hostile all the

time? We should be gentle. Number four, we're

to show every consideration for all men or all

people. In some translations that says we should

show them perfect courtesy, having a mildness

of disposition. And the idea is that in all of

our dealings with those in the culture, we should

be under the control of the Holy Spirit. responding

graciously and kindly even if we feel like we've

been wronged. By God's grace, we should be gracious

in return to fellow citizens and neighbors and

especially towards those who don't yet know Christ.

So this is challenging, isn't it? In the world

we live in, this is really challenging. It sort

of flips upside down all of our feelings about

what's happening around us and sort of reorients

us and says, hey, hold on a second. Do you remember

who you once were? How are you now approaching

unsaved people? What's your heart posture towards

them? It's very important. On the final bit of

time we have left, I want to talk about conflict

and about disagreement and how we can strive

to argue with others in a godly way. This is

a great skill to have, and it takes practice.

I wrote this last night, and the whole time I

was writing, I was thinking, I need to get better

at this. I'm still learning how to do this well.

Because if you're competitive like me, you like

to win arguments, this is a real temptation.

But we've got to be able to argue in a way that

builds that platform so that we can bring the

gospel to bear. And I should start by acknowledging

that, guys, we probably live in the most contentious

period of human history, just interpersonally,

because we live in the internet age. I'm fully

convinced that when the new heavens and the new

earth come into being, there's going to be this

point where everybody said, that's where it went

all awry, the internet. And I can say that because

I existed before the internet. Everything changed.

I mean, honestly, what a crossroads for humanity.

And then on top of that, social media. Again,

I existed long before social media. So we now

live every day in a post -truth world where everybody's

opinion seems to be valid. All you have to do

is have the right platform and the right number

of followers, right? We live in a world where

nothing is any more objectively true, where no

institution or person can be trusted. We live

in the age of conspiracy theories. We live in

the era of outrage over every little thing, the

era of building brands and getting clicks. Oh,

and finding mic drop moments rather than having

extended loving conversations. We just want sound

bites now. Everything is, man, if you put on

a video, you're like, oh my goodness, it's six

minutes long. I don't have time for that. I need

30 seconds. This is the world we live in right

now. So in the midst of all that, Christians

have to figure out how to disagree with people

and have debates in a way that honors the Lord.

So as we've seen already in today's text, some

types of arguing are sinful. We sin because we're

not to be quarrelsome, but peaceable. The Bible

also condemns arguing about things that aren't

worth arguing about. Right? They're called foolish

controversies in the New Testament. Avoid them.

They're not worth arguing over. And obviously,

we can fall into ungodly anger, which James condemns,

right? The type of anger that leads us to engage

in very unbiblical arguments. But there is a

way that we can disagree with unbelievers. There

is a way that we can call them to repentance

and argue in both a godly way and a productive

way. And Jesus actually models this for us. In

all of the challenges that he lays out against

his opponents, Jesus models this for us. He doesn't

get angry. But he does challenge people. Paul

often argued with others about the truthfulness

of the scriptures. Remember, Peter's the one

who exhorts us, always be ready to give a defense

for what you believe. But with what? With gentleness.

We're told to contend for the faith. Contending

usually means you're battling for something.

But we need to do it in a godly fashion. Pastors

and elders are called to defend biblical doctrine.

We're called to refute false teachers. That is

going to require arguing. So at the end of the

day, I think there's three questions that we

should be asking whenever we choose to engage

in an argument. Here they are. Whoop, there it

is. Number one, ask yourself, what's motivating

me to want to argue about this? Do I really think

it's worth arguing over? Is my motivation for

this right? Or is it selfish? It's a good start.

Before you jump into the argument, why? And is

it worth it? Number two, am I arguing from a

place of humility? Or am I arguing from a place

of pride and contentiousness? In other words,

am I after a fight? Or am I approaching this

with... Not false humility, but real humility.

To actually have a personal interaction with,

I'll call them an opponent. To get to know them,

to hear them, to understand where they're coming

from in humility. Third, am I arguing for truth

and for God's glory? Or is there some other reason

going on that I'm really, really after self -glory?

Because I really like to win arguments. I really

like to outthink people. Or out -logic them.

And I just want to crush them. We can fall into

that trap. So those are really good questions.

This is a foundation for why we choose to argue.

But then I've got a whole bunch of other principles

here. Are you ready? If you want, you can take

a picture. Some people take pictures of those

things if you want to. A whole bunch of other

things. And by the way, these principles, let

me just say this carefully. They don't apply

just to conversations, verbal conversations.

Also to your typing. In fact, some of you do

more typing than you do speaking these days.

And we will give an account for every word that

we speak and every word that we type before the

Lord someday. So you know this happens, right?

There's the real person, then there's the online

persona. There's the real person who will often

engage in a more friendly way, and then there's

the crazy person behind the keyboard who feels

comfortable saying almost anything. So guard

your heart in this. This is both about verbal

and about online. So first principle, treat the

other person with dignity and respect. If you

want to argue in a godly fashion, treat that

person across the table with dignity and respect.

If we're not in control of our emotions, It is

so easy to get angry and lose sight of the humanity

of that person. They are now just a person to

be overcome. And if we're not careful in that,

we will end up using ad hominem attacks, using

slander and name -calling. And so know this principle.

Attack the issue. Attack the false idea. Attack

the sinful thing. Don't attack the person or

their character and inflame that argument. so

that it becomes something ungodly. Okay? Always

know who you represent. Christians should be

better than that. That's number one. Number two,

be a good listener. Be a good listener for the

sake of understanding. Nothing shuts down a debate

faster than when a person feels like he's not

even listening to me. Right, you've probably

had this experience. Maybe it's a gospel conversation

and this person is not even listening. They just

wanna get their next point out. Well, we can

do that as Christians. Remember, what are you

trying to win? An argument? You're trying to

win someone's heart. So listen to them. Listen

for the sake of understanding. James says this,

be quick to listen and slow to speak. And actually,

nothing is gonna win you more respect from your

opponent. than when they feel you're truly trying

to understand them. I mean, look, if you just

want to slam people, then don't listen. But if

you want to actually win the argument in a way

that draws them into the truth of the gospel,

show them that respect. Show them that you're

really listening and you're trying to understand.

And sometimes, even when you do this, you will

find, you know what, we have more in common than

we thought. And you can build on that common

ground in your argument. Number three, in a similar

vein, treat the opposing argument with integrity

and with charity. Okay? Don't twist their logic

into something they actually haven't claimed.

Have you ever seen people do this? They'll make

a statement, you're like, so what you're saying

is, and then you twist the logic and make it

sound really terrible. We call that strawmanning.

You're gonna strawman other people's positions.

They haven't said that, so don't put words in

their mouth. It doesn't make you look good. Actually,

what it does is it causes you to lose your integrity

and it hurts your witness in front of unbelievers.

Honestly, my most common suggestion to anyone

who finds themselves in a argument situation

or a debate situation is to ask way more questions

than you make assertions. Ask people questions.

Let them share where they're coming from. Oftentimes

they trap themselves, don't they? You can actually

politely corner somebody by asking follow -up

questions to the point where they realize, uh

-oh, my logic isn't very good. But you've done

it with grace and with politeness, and then you

can ease into your assertions in that conversation.

Ask questions. Don't be the one that's constantly

lecturing. Ask questions. Seek to understand.

Make sense? Number four. Stay cool and remember

who you represent. You are an ambassador for

Christ in that conversation, in that argument.

Paul tells Timothy, the Lord's bondservant must

be patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting

those in opposition. That's great advice. Now,

that doesn't mean we're so gentle that we sacrifice

truth, but we cannot revile our opponent. When

you disagree, you've got to measure both your

words and your tone, and you've got to pray throughout

that conversation that the Spirit would prevent

you from being so combative, so combative that

you actually drive people away. Keep the goal

foremost in your mind. You're an ambassador for

Christ, so how you represent him is actually

of utmost importance because you're not responsible

for the results, only the method in which you

employ. I know so many, If you're a fan of YouTube

and you watch debates, Christian debates, I've

watched probably too many of them, but I like

to hear the arguments. You know what's interesting

is you have some guys out there who are debaters,

and they have millions of subscribers, and they

are super smart, and they're well -equipped,

but you know what? They're absolute jerks. I

wouldn't want to be associated with them. They're

not kind, they're not gentle, and they don't

reflect Christ well. That's very common. So they

might win the debate, but based on how they come

across to the audience, no thank you. That's

called winning the battle and losing the war.

It happens all the time. Fifth, remember who

the real enemy is. For our struggle is not against

flesh and blood, Paul says in Ephesians 6. There's

something going on behind the person you're speaking

with. So if I'm gonna demonize somebody, demonize

the demons. Not that image bearer who's just

spiritually blind and struggling. Don't demonize

him. Demonize the demons. They're the ones who

are actually exercising authority in that situation.

Just remember that. And finally, number six.

This is one that I struggle with. Know when to

walk away. Know when to walk away. Sometimes

the attitude of your opponent, his combative

nature, his utter foolishness is going to be

a signal to you that, you know what, this argument

is not going anywhere good. We're not going anywhere

positive here. And as Jesus once said, there

are going to be times in your life where you

say, you know what, I'm not going to throw any

more pearls before swine. And I'm going to dust

off my sandals and I'm going to move on, right?

Because all they want to do is argue. All they

want to do is trample on these pearls that you're

trying to throw out. So employ wisdom in those

scenarios. First, who should I engage with? And

second, for how long? Is this conversation fruitful

or not? Those are really important things to

consider. Okay. There's a lot to learn here,

isn't there? Good, Minnie's taking a picture.

I love it. It's great. Now, next week we'll look

into verses four through eight. For today, I

just want you to take home just... This important

thought, simple but important. Ask yourself,

what is your heart posture towards the culture

around you today? What do you think of it? How

do you approach it? Is it marked by hostility

or anger or judgment? Are we standing apart from

our neighbors with cold indifference or are we

just seething inside about what we see? Or do

we see opportunities? Man, when things get darker,

guess what? The light gets brighter. These are

opportunities. Opportunities to draw distinctions

between people. Opportunities to talk about darkness

and light. Opportunities to talk about true peace

and joy in this life and the life to come. Do

those possibilities excite you? A chance to be

an ambassador for Christ? to take the very same

message that saved you and share it with somebody

else, these things should get us excited. In

every aspect of our lives as Christians, guys,

we've got to keep that evangelistic goal in the

forefront of our minds. Even in the little moments

of life, you may think that you sit down at a

restaurant and this waiter or waitress comes

up, and you may think that's an insignificant

moment. It might not be. Are you thinking with

evangelism in mind? in all of your interactions.

Yes, that means verbally proclaiming Jesus, but

it also means showing the world in word and deed

what a redeemed life looks like. What does a

redeemed life look like this week for you? Where

you're happily in submission to authority, where

you're eager to do good deeds in service to others,

where you're seeking the public good, a life

where you're not and slandering people, where

you're seeking peace. You're seeking to be kind

and gentle to those around you. Even in our disagreements

with people, in the way we disagree. Can you

disagree and argue in a way that makes them go,

you know what? Even though we don't see eye to

eye, there's something different about the way

that person just argued with me. What a compliment

would it be for someone to say that? You know

what? We don't see eye to eye, but. He or she

listened to me. They actually cared. That's how

you win arguments. Ambassadors for Christ, faithfully

representing the Savior. Amen? I'm gonna send

you into a time of quiet reflection because I

know I probably just ruffled some feathers. So

if you would, bow your heads and I don't know,

talk to the Lord about anything that came up

in this passage or in the message that you need

to confess or you need to just talk to the lord

about i'll give you a few moments and then grant

will close us in prayer