Good News and Good Works

Good morning.

Thank you.

I was going to try again.

Excellent.

Well, let me greet you from a few groups of people.

First, let me greet you on behalf of the pastors of Covenant Fellowship Church.

That's the church where I get to serve.

I've been there since 2006.

And we have a number of guys who regularly ask me there how Trinity Cambridge is doing.

And so they've asked me to extend their love to you.

I also have the privilege, as Sean said, to represent the Northeast.

So let me greet you on behalf of the pastors and the members in the Northeast region.

I will tell you this.

Our region is all but this church.

It's very, very geographically close.

And so whenever I'm meeting with the other guys, they're always asking, how's Sean doing?

How's Trinity doing?

We carry you on our hearts.

I would love for you to get to meet a good number of the guys from our region.

Hopefully you have and will over the course of the years.

We are going to be spending this morning in Titus 3.

So if you brought your Bible, you can turn there.

We will get there eventually.

There's some business we have to do up front, though.

Let me share just a couple things.

This message was birthed out of a burden that in an increasingly divisive culture, where compromise and compassion seems to have evaporated,

and opinions and positions are further and further polarized, that the church would fight that trend, that the church would seek not to represent one pole or the other, but to represent Christ in all we say and do and how we do it.

And thankfully, I didn't have to make Titus 3 say any of that.

Titus 3 does that for us.

It organically is holding out for you how to live a gospel-driven life, what it should look like, at least in the elements that it hits.

Okay, so let me give you some background.

Titus was a young pastor.

He was trained up by the apostle Paul.

And this letter is written to him as he takes over the church in Crete.

He's providing instructions and encouragement to Titus on how to lead the church, how to teach the church, and even areas he needs to correct the church.

And we could jump into any one of those areas and really benefit from studying what he says about church leadership and what he says about correcting quarrels,

roles of men and women, both young and old, and the area of Christian conduct, which we'll spend a little bit more time focusing on today.

But throughout all of those topics, there's one overarching message, burden, that Paul is holding out for Titus to hold out to the church.

And it's this.

We should live godly lives because of the gospel.

So the gospel, of course, it's the gospel that saves us.

But it doesn't just save us.

It transforms us.

It transforms how we think, how we feel, how we speak, and how we act.

You're going to see throughout this message, I was, I don't know if this was intentional or not, Sean,

but throughout the service, there are various scriptures that we read out loud or were read to us that overlap with this very theme.

So anytime you come to a service and you see, okay, the preacher seems to be saying what we just said in worship,

that's not redundant.

That is God-ordained repetition so that we hear it more than once and we learn and are changed by it.

And I come here to the first one of those.

Right here, this call to be governed by the gospel in our life is reflected in Ephesians 2.

For by grace you've been saved through faith.

Our salvation, friends, is not a result of works.

That's very clear in this passage.

We are not saved by good works, by what we do.

However, we are saved for good works.

So they don't make us Christians.

They reflect that we are.

We are created to live out the gospel in all we say and do.

These good works we're called to are found in how we obey God's word.

How we treat one another.

How we cherish what God cherishes.

How we manifest the gospel through good deeds like service, giving, evangelism.

And it's very important in the Christian life and particularly for the rest of this message.

It's very important that we strike the fine but important theological balance for the relationship between faith and good works.

Because various Christians can fall a bit too far on either side of that.

Some may believe that your standing before God is based on the type of day you've had.

Or how you've done this week.

Where good works actually influence our standing before God.

And that's simply not true.

It is the completed work of Jesus Christ that determines our standing before God.

Okay, so we don't want to go so far as to say good works determine our relationship with God.

But we don't want to react to that and jump all the way to the other side and say,

Okay, in reform doctrine, good works don't matter.

God saves.

We're secured by the gospel.

Therefore, good works don't matter.

We need to come to this theological fine line where we realize that good works don't save us.

But they are a trademark of the saved.

They are an imprint on our lives to demonstrate, not to make us children of God, but to demonstrate that we are.

And just so you're aware, I'm not trying to shoehorn this idea into this letter to Titus.

He says, Paul says to Titus in chapter 1 verse 16 about the people in Crete,

They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.

So let's break that down.

They're saying the right things.

Maybe they're singing the right things.

They're participating in the public reading of Confession in Scripture here on Sunday morning.

But when you look at their lives, their lives deny their profession.

And the vast majority of this letter is written to adjust and correct that problem.

So that our lives would be consistent with our profession.

And let me ask you, do you have room in your reformed theology for this?

The reformers had room for this.

The call to obedience was rampant throughout their preaching and their writing.

So I hope you do, particularly since that's how we're going to spend the next 30 minutes or so.

To sum it up, God alone saves.

The evidence of God's salvation is seen in our lives, is seen in how we act and speak, in our good works.

We can say the right things, but it's the good works that reveal what we believe.

And I want to come to Titus 3 now and break it just into two points.

The first one is the power for godly living.

Before we read God's word at this point, would you pray with me?

Father, as we come now to Titus 3, we thank you for the ministry of the Apostle Paul.

We thank you for Titus.

And we thank you for all of the hands that preserved your word from its initial writing to now.

Lord, ultimately, we thank you for preserving your word for our reading and our benefit.

Holy Spirit, now would you act through the preaching of your word to apply it to our lives,

to give us the sweet conviction that comes through illumination,

and to help us rest in and trust you more.

We ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Let's jump into verse 4.

We will come back later and pick up verses 1 through 3.

So Titus 3, verse 4.

Titus 3:4

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

He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness,

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 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.

These things are excellent and profitable for people.

So Paul lays out this gospel foundation.

In the midst of all of this call to gospel living and to good works,

he lays out this gospel foundation

because he doesn't want Timothy or the Cretans to be confused

on the role between the two.

Look at the verbs in what I just read.

If you've been out of school a while, those are the action words.

Look at the verbs.

God is the one doing all the action.

We are the one being acted upon.

God appeared to us.

We didn't discover Him.

He appeared to us.

He saved us.

We didn't somehow crack the code on salvation.

He actively saved us.

It wasn't because of good we had done.

It's not like, oh, that person's doing great.

Let me save them.

It was because of His mercy.

He washed us with regeneration.

He renewed us with the Holy Spirit,

pouring richly on us through Jesus Christ.

Justification is not due to our own merit or our own works.

It is simply by His grace.

And because His grace is poured richly on us,

we become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We are recipients of salvation,

objects of salvation,

not participants in salvation.

And this is demonstrated throughout the Bible

as salvation belonging to God.

It's captured beautifully in Revelation 7.

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne

and to the Lamb.

It doesn't belong to us.

God owns it,

and He gives us the gift of salvation,

does the work of regeneration,

and we are just humble, unworthy recipients,

which is why our response to our salvation internally

ought to be gratitude through and through.

We don't somehow say finally or congratulate ourselves.

We just bow our heads,

raise our hands,

and worship.

This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus bore our sins,

saving us and washing us with regeneration

so that we are born again.

As a result,

we become children of God,

indwelt with the Holy Spirit,

heirs of eternal life.

Jesus Christ and nothing else,

Jesus Christ and no one else,

saves us.

The classic hymn captures this,

nothing can for sin atone.

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Jesus,

not of good that I have done,

putting our works in their place.

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

And then that chorus,

oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow.

No other fount I know,

nothing but the blood of Jesus.

I'm underscoring this.

This is probably review for many of you.

We don't ever want to tire of hearing this.

But we don't ever want to tire of anchoring ourselves in this

when we're going to talk about implications of this.

Let me just underscore the importance of this for the believer.

If we're going to talk about obedience,

or we're going to talk about self-discipline,

or we're going to talk about sexual purity,

or we're going to talk about marriage or parenting,

or whatever it is, evangelism,

if we don't ground the conversation first in this truth,

this gospel truth,

the Christian life ends up becoming a list of to-dos,

not a list of outflows from the gospel.

And so Paul grounds Timothy in this,

sorry, not Timothy, Titus, in this.

He then calls Timothy,

nope, not Timothy, Titus.

He then calls Titus to ground the church in this.

And you may be here as a guest.

You may be here for the second or third week,

and maybe this is the first time that you've heard this.

That Jesus alone can save.

That it's not half Jesus and half you,

but Jesus alone can save.

And so if you're hearing this for the first time today,

let me tell you,

this is not something I've innovated.

This has been the gospel of Jesus Christ

for 2,000 years.

And each time it's declared,

each time it's preached,

is an invitation from God to respond to it today,

to entrust yourself to it today,

to place your faith in the only one who saves today.

Today is the day of salvation.

If you've come with somebody,

talk to them after the service about this.

If you've not, or you'd prefer,

you could talk to me or to Sean

about this after the service.

Don't leave this place today

without taking action toward God

and entrusting yourself,

your soul, and your eternity

to the capable and perfect hands of Jesus.

Now to the rest of the church

for whom this has been reviewed,

let me ask you,

does the gospel still shock you?

Are you still overwhelmed

at the immeasurable grace that comes to you

through the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Does it still elicit gratitude

and worship and joy?

It's not difficult,

though it is glorious,

to come together and sing

when we're led by wonderful musicians,

but it's not difficult to sing praises then.

With your life in your heart,

in the privacy of your own home,

do you worship God

just out of blown away gratitude

that you are saved,

that you are born again,

that you have a security in heaven

because of the work of Jesus Christ?

I hope your answer to all of those questions

is yes, yes, and yes.

But if not,

if you find yourself not stirred regularly in gratitude,

or you're not regularly just worshiping God

for the goodness of the gospel,

or you've assumed the gospel

because it's just so familiar to you

that you don't reflect on it

when you're taking action in your Christian life.

If any of those places are found wanting,

let me just encourage you

in that very place today,

before you lay your head down tonight,

do business with God,

ask for his help,

read the scriptures,

confess any sin

that's getting in the way

of that type of response,

glorious, grateful,

awe-inspired response to the gospel

so that our Christian lives

are fueled by a grounding in

and appreciation for the gospel.

In Titus 3,

this is of particular importance

because it's this gospel

that Paul holds out

that empowers godly living.

He's not just reminding them

that they're saved,

you know,

put a period at the end of that,

turn the page,

now let's talk about how you behave.

No, it is the very reason

and the very power for their change.

It's the power for godly living.

One verse before what we read,

in verse three,

it says,

for we ourselves were once foolish,

dishonest,

led astray,

slaves to various passions and pleasures,

passing our days in malice and envy,

hated by others,

and hating one another.

Wow, what a list.

What happened?

That they were once that way

but are that way no longer.

What happened?

Well, what happened is the gospel.

What happened is the gospel changed them.

The gospel changed how they view other people,

how they view wisdom,

how they view the word of God,

how they view the purpose of their lives.

We reflected this in the reading

that we don't belong to ourselves any longer.

First Corinthians six says,

you are not your own

for you were bought with a price.

So glorify God in your body.

Now that passage is taken,

that verse is taken from a passage

talking about purity,

talking about sexual purity.

That's only one application of this gospel.

We are bought at a price.

We don't belong to ourselves.

So treat your body

as though it belongs to God

and not to you.

Salvation by grace has rescued you.

Now we're called to live like we're rescued.

That's where the power comes from.

That's where the liberty comes from.

And God doesn't just save us

and then say, hey, listen,

here's how you're supposed to behave.

Good luck.

He gives us his Holy Spirit.

Right there in the verse.

It's poured out on us richly.

He is poured out on us richly.

So if your reflections on the gospel

are merely quick and passing thoughts,

friend, you are going to be powerless

to change in the area of greatest temptation

in your life.

Let me just spare you

a lot of heartache and failure.

Don't go to war with your sin

apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You will change for a time.

You will see spurts of victory

followed by seasons of failure,

followed by great discouragement

and then conviction

and then spurts of victory

and then seasons of failure.

And this cycle will go on and on

in areas where you're seeking

to change the most.

ground yourself here.

Ground yourself in the power

of the gospel,

walking in the power

of the Holy Spirit

who fills us

and empowers us.

First John promises us

that he who is in you

is greater than he

who is in the world.

So don't go after your worldliness

without him.

Go after it in the power of Christ.

Our success in godly living

is going to be proportionate

with our appreciation of

and gratitude for this gospel.

Milton Vincent says,

the more I embrace

and experience the gospel,

the more I delight

in the worship of God,

the more I express,

the more expressive

my joy in him becomes

and the more I yearn

to glorify him

in all I say and do.

Where does the power

for all that come from?

Back at the beginning,

the more I embrace

and experience the gospel.

gospel-driven living

leads to God-honoring living.

The Christian life

is not marked

by guilt-driven living.

There's no power in that.

It's not marked

by status-driven living.

Let me just make sure

I'm holier

than the person next to me.

If my sins just aren't as bad

as those others are sharing

in small group,

I'm doing okay.

Well, that's status-driven living

and there's no power in that.

The Christian life

is not compliance-driven living.

It is gospel-driven living.

It's not obedience

as some albatross on us.

It is freedom to obey

because we've been liberated

and empowered

to live differently.

So that's power

for gospel living

and that's Titus 3,

that center section

of Titus 3.

Now let's go

to the next section

where we'll go before

and after that

and we will look at

pursuing godly living.

What does it look like

to pursue this?

Now that you know

it's supposed to be

grounded here,

what does it actually look like?

What should you be aiming for?

Now before we read

the beginning of Titus 3,

I want to underscore

this is not just

a Titus issue.

Throughout the scripture,

I'm going to hit

four citations

just to make the case,

but throughout the scripture,

there is a regular claim

from the gospel

on how we live.

It is relevant

and it matters.

Ephesians 4 starts,

I therefore,

a prisoner of the Lord,

urge you to walk

in a manner

worthy of the calling

to which you have been called.

Colossians 1 says,

walk in a manner

worthy of the Lord,

fully pleasing to him,

bearing fruit

in every good work

and increasing

in the knowledge

of God.

Psalm 1 says,

blessed is the man

who walks not

in the counsel

of the wicked

nor stands in the way

of sinners

nor sits in the seat

of scoffers,

but his delight

is in the law

of the Lord

and on his law

he meditates day

and night.

And then back

to the New Testament,

Romans 6 says,

do not present

your members

to sin

as instruments

for unrighteousness,

but present yourselves

to God

as those

who have been brought

from death to life

and your members

to God

as instruments

for righteousness.

The implication

of being freed

from our sin,

having our sins

paid for,

does not mean

we've been freed

from a master

and now we are free

to do as we wish.

The gospel

does not set us,

in setting us free,

it doesn't make us

independent.

It transfers us

from one kingdom

to another,

from the kingdom

of darkness

to the kingdom

of light.

We are no longer

slaves to sin,

praise God,

but we are slaves

to righteousness.

So much

of the

Western mind

is looking

to move

towards self-expression

and self-determination

and those things

are just antithetical

to the word of God.

We have been

slaves to righteousness,

purchased by Christ.

We are not our own,

we've been bought

at a price.

That's what's held out

for us

as we now pursue

godly living.

And so we as Christians

need to choose

every day

to believe

that the gospel

is true.

That belief

is a pursuit

of godly living.

That's the first step.

We've got to ground

ourselves there.

But in our text,

Paul gets specific.

And he holds out

two categories.

There's not only two

in the Christian life.

These happen to be

the two

that Paul is calling us to.

The first is the

category of humility.

Take a look

at verses 1 through 3.

Remind them

to be submissive

to rulers

and authorities,

to be obedient,

to be ready

for every good work,

to speak evil

of no one,

to avoid quarreling,

to be gentle,

and to show

perfect courtesy

toward all people.

For we ourselves

were once foolish,

disobedient,

led astray,

slaves to various

passions and pleasures,

passing our days

in malice and envy,

hated by others,

and hating

one another.

All of those commands

I'm capturing

under this heading

of humility.

And that's something

we cherish,

something we pursue,

simply because

the scriptures

call us to it,

specifically here

in verses 1 through 3.

And our humility

is something

that we express

to all people,

to our neighbors,

to our coworkers,

to our social media

friends and followers,

those in authority,

those under authority,

members of our family.

Christ was humble

in all directions,

Christians,

and we're called

to be the same.

So let me break this down

to the very things

that Paul addresses here

in verses 1 through 3.

First,

our humility

should result

in submission

to authority.

And that means

authority we agree with

and authority

we disagree with.

As a broad marker,

Christians are called

to be a submissive,

peaceable people.

This should be the case

in church,

to the authority

that God has placed

over the church here,

in relationships,

at work.

This should be the case

in how we talk

about authority

on social media

or in our engagement

with and our engagement

about government

and politics.

This should simply

mark the Christian's

attitude.

Now that doesn't mean

that we're to follow

authority when it's

calling us to

oppose the word

of God.

But it does mean

in disputable matters,

though you may

vehemently disagree,

the call here

is submission

to authority.

And we can do this

for one primary reason.

Because we know

who holds

ultimate authority.

We know that

in the end,

even wrongs

being done now,

that all things

will be made right.

That no wrong

will go unaccounted for.

No injustice

will go unpunished.

For the Christian,

the injustices

have been punished

in Christ.

For the unbelieving

world,

they will be judged

on the last day.

And there is ultimate

justice

and ultimate righteousness.

We know who holds

ultimate authority,

which gives us

faith in the temporal

to submit to the authority

that God has placed

over us.

next,

our humility

should result

in obedience.

The very word

implies that

there are rules

or guidelines

or instructions

that we are supposed

to come under.

And again,

this individualism,

self-determination,

it rubs right

against that idol

in our culture.

So often,

we determine

right and wrong

by whether it agrees

with what we already think.

Do you listen

to sermons that way?

Are you tempted

at all to listen

to a sermon

like, oh, okay,

that preacher was wrong

and the only rubric

you've measured it by

is what you already think

instead of by

the word of God?

If we measure

right and wrong

by what we already think,

we will forever

stay wrong

in areas

that we have wrong.

We won't be changed.

We won't be challenged

because we'll never

receive the information,

the truth

that God

is looking

to give us.

It's as though

at times

our perspective

is never permitted

to be examined

or questioned.

And so we need

to adopt

this pursuit

of obedience

in our humility

that Paul

is calling us to.

And then lastly,

our humility

should result

in kindness.

kindness.

This passage

focuses on

our treatment

of others.

It uses words

like courtesy,

gentleness,

avoiding quarreling,

and speaking evil

of others.

How you treat

other people

reflects what you

believe about

the gospel.

Harsh treatment

of others

reflects a spirit

of judgment

and arrogance,

neither of which

can exist long

at the foot

of the cross.

And so the Christian

is called

to treat others

with gospel-driven

humility.

It's a mark

of mature Christianity.

All right,

I promised you

two things

that Paul addresses

here.

First was in

verses 1 through 3.

Let's jump over

the section

we already read

and pick up

down in verse 9.

This category

is the category

of unity.

Now the unity

that's described

here

is aimed

at the household

of God.

It's another theme

that Paul repeats

in many of his letters

because disunity

is so easy

and so prevalent.

But when God's people

live in unity,

loving one another

sacrificially,

it speaks loudly

of the gospel

that they profess.

We are told

that they will know

we are Christians

by our love

for one another.

So Paul comes back

to that over

and over

and over again.

Now I want to be clear.

We're not talking

about uniformity

where we all think

the same

and act the same

and we watch

all the same shows

and we listen

to all the same music

and uniformity,

if you've ever been

in a place

that's totally uniform,

it's weird.

Like it's unnatural.

You can feel

like something's

not right

in that place.

That's not

what unity is.

Unity actually

is a gospel-driven

commitment

to not allow

diversity

to divide you.

Unity,

a pursuit of unity

protects

the existence

of diversity

and allows

our many different

interests

and gifts

and backgrounds

and experiences,

allows them

to coexist

in a diverse

body of Christ

who is all pursuing

this unity

in Christ.

So it doesn't

eliminate diversity,

unity,

but it protects it.

We may think

differently

about public policy

or about foreign affairs,

but we have Christ

in common.

We may think

differently

about

what type of

application

of the gospel

should apply

to this

or to that,

this area

of life.

We may think

differently

on how

this doctrine

gets applied

in our homes

or this doctrine

gets applied

with our kids

or this doctrine

gets applied

in our friendships,

but we have

Christ

in common.

And what we

have in common

as Christians

is far more

important

and far greater

than that

which threatens

to divide us.

if you believe

that,

then you are

securing unity

in the body

of Christ.

This is why

Paul exhorts

Titus,

not Timothy,

but Titus,

in verse 9.

He says,

avoid foolish

controversies,

genealogies,

dissensions,

and quarrels

about the law,

for they are

unprofitable

and worthless.

As for a person

who stirs up

division,

after warning him

once and then

twice,

have nothing

more to do

with him.

Knowing

that such a person

is warped

and sinful,

he is self-condemned.

Listen,

out in the world

there are

countless voices

that are happy

to give you

something

that is fruitless

to fight

and quarrel over.

They are happy

to give you

something that

will distract you

from the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

Whether it's

news outlets,

social media

influencers,

I know I've

mentioned social

media like

four or five

times.

You'd have to

talk to me

offline.

I do think,

I keep

mentioning it

because I do

think it is

particularly divisive

in the body

of Christ.

we can get

into that

later.

This message

is not about

social media,

but I at least

want to acknowledge

yes,

I know I keep

mentioning it.

It's not all

bad.

I'm not like

anti-social

media,

but we need

wisdom,

don't we?

Each of us

has a responsibility

to build unity

in what we say

and do,

no matter where

we say

and do it.

In personal

relationships,

that means living

at peace

with one another,

refusing to gossip

about people.

Even if you

think what you're

saying is just

in fun,

is just well

intended,

it's harmless,

be careful of any

area of your life

where you say

this is just

harmless sin.

That's a

frightening phrase

to come across

the lips

of a believer

in Jesus Christ.

We must guard

against that.

We must also

stand ready

to forgive,

not allowing

grudges,

judgments,

or bitterness

to grow.

With many of you,

I spent a lot

of time yesterday

focusing on this

very thing.

But we also

bear the responsibility

to build unity

in how we use

words in public,

not just in

private discourse.

Everything you say

online

is public speech.

do you approach

your use of that

platform in a way

that underscores

and builds the

unity of the

Christian church?

When tensions

arise,

disputes arise,

are you eager to

get face to face

with someone

so that the unity

doesn't fracture?

You can be,

you can have full

conversation when

you're in person

face to face.

Are you eager

to do that?

When there's

tensions between

you and another

believer,

is that unsettling

in your soul?

Are you driven

to go and resolve

that to ensure

the relationship

is solid?

Paul is very

clear here.

You see how

harshly he talks

about those who

stir up division.

He calls them

warped and

self-condemned.

that's harsh.

That's kind of,

it harkens back

to Matthew 23

with the brood

of vipers.

You know,

it's this really

categoric type

of terminology.

Why?

Because those

who are actively

stirring up division

are a threat

to the unity

of the body

of Christ.

And it's how

we treat one

another and how

we do life

together that gives

the loudest visual

example of the

goodness of the

gospel.

So those who are

stirring division

within the body

of Christ are

working at

absolute counter

purposes with

the Lord Jesus

Christ.

Paul says,

have warned them

in case they're

just doing it out

of ignorance.

Warn them again

in case the first

time was just

proud they didn't

receive.

Then have nothing

to do with them.

So the caution

here is what to

do about that

person who's

stirring up division.

Let me just

bring it back

home a little

bit more and

encourage you

don't be that

person.

Don't be that

person who is

going to stir up

division in the

body of Christ.

How do we avoid

that?

Well we don't

just swallow

our pride.

We don't just

forget the

concerns we have.

We visit the

gospel of Jesus

and then we

move forward in

gospel driven

power to deal

with our concerns

and then to

release to the

Lord and trust to

the Lord what

we're not able

to resolve.

Let me come to

the end here

because there are

remaining verses

in Titus 3.

We're called to

pursue good works

throughout this book

particularly here in

chapter 3 and

then in verses 12

to 15 it seems

like Paul's just

getting to that

perfunctory part of

each of his letters

verse 2.

Where he's just

saying okay I'm

signing off say

hi to this person

tell this person

I'll call them

tomorrow you know

it's those sections

at the end.

Don't skip over

them in your

Bible reading

because there are

going to be not

just names that

you don't recognize

but real nuggets

of truth and

there is one here

take a look at

verses 12 to the

end.

When I send

Artemis and

Tychicus to you

do your best to

come to me at

Nicopolis for

I've decided to

spend the winter

there.

Do your best to

speed Zenos the

lawyer and

Apollos on their

way.

See that they lack

nothing.

This is just

personal business

right?

But look at this

he comes right

back to it in his

signing off and

let our people

learn to devote

themselves to

good works so

as to help cases

of urgent need

and not be

fruitful.

All who are with

me send greetings

to you.

Greet those who

love us in the

faith.

Grace be to you

wall.

So he actually

interrupts his

signing off to

say okay I

don't know if

I've said it

enough.

Let me just say

it one more

time.

Call the people

to devote

themselves to

good works.

Call the people

to devote

themselves to

good works.

So let me ask

you in closing

are there areas

of your life

that are largely

untouched by

gospel power?

are there

patterns of sin

that you've

just gotten

comfortable with?

I'll thrive in

other areas

God will deal

with this one

in heaven.

Do those

around you

ever express

concerns for

areas that you

don't think are

really a problem?

Did you once

have a greater

passion for

godly living

than you do

now?

If you said

yes to any

of those let

me just

encourage you

we're called

to live

godly lives

because of

the gospel.

So in that

particular area

let today be

the first day

that the gospel

shines light

there that the

gospel sheds

power there.

Pursue humility

pursue unity

pursue a life

worthy of the

calling that you've

received.

And be sure

not to detach

that pursuit

from the gospel

of Jesus Christ

but do it

in the power

of Christ.

Let me pray.

Father thank you

for your word

and thank you

Lord that there

are portions

of this word

that are just

exalting

that we can

just relish

in the portions

that talk about

your nature

and your goodness.

And Lord let us

remember all of

those let us

ground ourselves

in all of those

as we come

to a passage

like this

that calls us

now to something.

Lord give us

your spirit

that we would

never disconnect

the two

but that we

can relish

serving you

with each word

we speak

and each action

we take

because of what

you've done

in and for us.

we ask in

Jesus name

Amen.