Hold Firm to the Trustworthy Word
First B Jackson
2018-07-15

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

----
Good morning, everybody. How are you? Good. All right. That was pitiful.

Good morning, everybody. How are you? Good. Okay. That's better.

How about standing up? We'll wake you up. Stand up, and we're going to sing I'll Fly Away, hymn number seven seventy nine if you're looking for your harmony part. If not, just sing unison with the rest of us, alright?

Some glad morning when this life is old fly away I think we should do one more verse.

It's a little hard. He keeps me singing. How about that?

I like that 46. This is a good one. If there's foot tapping on this and they're skating, you can go right ahead. There's within my heart a mellow deed. Jesus whispers sweet and low.

Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know fills my keeps me singing as I go

Amen. Little desk count. Y'all can have a seat. We've got a few announcements this morning about what's going on. Coming soon, Lagoon.

Lagoon is not just a lagoon. We're not dropping the kids off in a swamp. Lagoon is an amusement park in Salt Lake City and it is a place we're gonna take the youth on August the tenth and eleventh. They camp out the night before, and then we'll go to amusement park on the August 11. So that's happening.

If you have a youth person, somebody between middle school and high school age that you'd like to send on this trip or that you would like to go and chaperone this trip, you can let us know and we will get you signed up all the permission slips and all that sort of stuff. Oh my goodness. That is the weirdest announcement ever. It's to remind me that there's a men's horseshoe tournament. The men's horseshoe tournament is happening and the guy who's kind of the in charge of men's ministry right now is this guy.

Thanks, Ray.

Kyle, can you do that?

This Tuesday is the men's horseshoe tournament. Mike Yockel Park right down here on Kelly at 05:30. I'd love to see all the men there. It's one of the things we do to get a little fellowship amongst the men in the church in the summer when we're not doing a Bible study. But please come, bring your friends.

There'll be burgers and hot dogs and drinks provided. 05:30?

Mike Mike Yoka Park is just about four or five blocks that way. Long blocks, but it's that way. Kelly, thank you very much. And what else do we have going on? Turning Point, a pregnancy resource center.

Their annual gala is happening on the Gill Ranch. It's not at Spring Creek this year. Not Spring Creek this year, but it's at the Gill Ranch on July 19 at 05:30. If you want to go and still do not have confirmed tickets, please let us know. You can call the church office or you can call Turning Point directly.

The annual gala is July 19 at 05:30. Monday nights at first b. This Monday night, Carl, is gonna be

In Luke chapter 20, and thanks. And barbecue beef is gonna be on the bed.

Barbecued beef.

06:00. Meal, music, message.

Meal, music, and a message on Monday nights, every Monday night at 06:00, and he's in Luke chapter 20 right now. Teton County Fair is happening. It always happens the last weekend in July, beginning of August, right there. So the twenty ninth at 11AM, we are going to have church at the Teton County Fair. They have moved the tent this year.

It's not across the street at the 4 H Building. It is going to be in the big top where the Lions Club breakfast is. They're using a bigger tent, and they invited us to come and do church there. So at 11:00, we're doing a combined service. We're not doing church here at nine.

We are not doing church here at eleven. We're doing it there, just a few blocks away. And it's after the Lions Club breakfast, but we're going be sending shuttles of cars and vans, taking people. If they show up for the 09:00 service, we're going take them to the Lions Club breakfast. If they show up for this service, we're going to take them to the big Top for church at eleven.

The the band, I think Carl's going to lead the band and we're going to have mostly hymns but it'll be with the whole band, stand up, bass, and guitars and everything else. So we should all get together. Teton County Fair service July 29. That's three weeks from today. Only one service at 11:00 in the Big Top at the fair.

So that was fun last year too. And it's not going forward, Blake, for some reason. They're not clicking. So there we go. If there's any other announcements Amanda, you want to come up or you want me to announce it for you?

You've got a microphone, do it right there. This is Amanda McMullen. She has grown up here in church, but she is our intern for this summer.

Okay, now it works. So I mostly finished the history project. There was a little bulletin with all of our history in it from the hundredth year anniversary. And so I put it online on our First Baptist website. So everyone can access that, and I also put all the pictures on there as well.

So it's all organized in that way. But the only thing I don't have is the last seven years. So

Roughly the time that I've been here.

So, if you have any information about our church over the last seven years, please contact me so that I can write it down and we can have that in our history.

And it is available, like she said. She went back and took all the pictures that we've had gathered over the years. And she digitized them and put them online so that anybody can access them. You can look up on our website and see our history and it goes back to 1911. One hundred and seven years, we have a 100 worth of history on there.

Alright. The last seven years you're gonna need to help us with. If you have any stories, can get that information to Amanda and she'll digitize those thoughts too. Thank you very much. If there's any other announcement that I've missed, it should be in the bulletin, the paper bulletin you're handed on the way in.

If you didn't get one on the way in, you can grab one on the way out. We have prayer request in there too and that is a great thing to have upon your refrigerator just to remind you of who to pray for. Would you stand up and greet one another and we will bring it back together with a song.

When my Jesus I shall see and I look upon his face the one who saved me by his grace when he takes me by the hand and leads me through the promised land what a day glorious day

in moments like these, hymn number 91.

A love song to Jesus. I like this song, isn't it? Amen? It's good. I I sing out a love song to Jesus in moments like these I lift up my hands I lift up my hands to

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I'm going to invite the frontline team to come forward Would you pray with me as I pray this operatory prayer? God almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I think of you lord and I'm in awe.

I know that there are many, many, many, lord, who worship creation and think about things and are dazzled by those things but lord, those things are all crying out and calling out that a creator lives, that a creator sustains, and he upholds all things by the word of his power. So, lord, I I praise you as creator God. I thank you that you've given good gifts and resources and you've blessed. Lord, I thank you that you blessed us with salvation and lord that we who believe are a part of your kingdom here on earth. Lord, I pray that it would be here as it is in heaven that we would, lord, give of our best to the master that we would be conscious of our need of a savior even being saved.

A sustainer. In Jesus name, lord, I pray that you'd receive these gifts that were given back, lord, to see your gospel advance. I pray that your good word would go forward and that you would save people. In Jesus name, we ask your blessing on the gift and the giver. Ask you to multiply the gift to do your kingdom's work here on earth.

Amen. Thank you, Judy. That was that that sounds blessings by Laura Story. If you didn't know that, Laura Story went and we overlapped in seminary when I was at Columbia International in Columbia, South Carolina and she is a a very very good lady. Just a great lady with an amazing story obviously from the words of that song if you're keeping up but here we are this morning.

We find ourselves in Titus one five through 16. Last week, we covered Titus one one through four and we are going on a chronological study of the New Testament. We've been doing this for six straight years. It's the longest sermon series I've ever seen but we're going through the New Testament in the order that it was written in. We have come to Titus five through 16 but because of the text of one through four and some later on in this text, I I've gotta start for us today.

It's a classic riddle. Some of y'all are logic problem people or maybe there's a mathematician in the bunch that likes to think about things and if you are, you're probably a fan of good old fashioned riddles. I've got one. I want to read to you. Hopefully, you won't be thinking of nothing but this for the rest of the sermon But that's what happened in the first sermon.

I'm still gonna do it anyway. I'm sticking to my guns here. This classic riddle, you are in a dungeon with two doors. One door leads to escape. The other leads to execution.

So you've got living or dying. There are only two other folks or people in the room, one of whom always tells the truth. The other always lies. Everything that he says is a lie. And the other one, everything that he says is the truth.

But you don't know which is which. There's nothing to distinguish which one is the liar or which one is the truth teller. You don't know but they know. They know that the other one is opposite from them. They know that the truth teller tells truth and the liar tells lies.

You can ask one of them one question, but of course, you don't know whether you'll be speaking to the truth teller or the liar. So what single question, you have one question, what single question can you ask either one of them that will enable you to figure out which door is the door to escape and then be able to make your escape? Got it? I heard a got it from the second rover. How old are

you? 11.

Alright. Anybody else got it? Anybody got it that hadn't heard it before? You got it really? What would you say?

What's the question? Okay. Very good. Here, that's good. Thank you for your honesty and candor.

Yeah. So tell me what is the question? If you ask the truth teller, what is what the other person would say? If you ask the truth teller, Go the opposite door. So you ask either one of them.

Actually, let me flip to my answer. Here it is. If I ask the other person which door is the one to escape, which would he point to? Which is what you just said. And then you take the other door.

Both of them will both of them will have to answer that door because the truth teller's gonna tell you what the other guy would say, right? And he's gonna lie about which one's the one to escape. Alright, very good. Well, the reason I've thought of this is because of this. Last week, we hit this in the text and this week, we hit something else.

This is about someone who always tells the truth and later on, we'll see an always lie. Paul, a servant of God. So, Paul wrote the letter to Titus, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus, Christ, one who is sent out for Christ. For the sake of the faith of God's elect, he's saying that he's writing this for the sake of the faith of God's elect. And their knowledge of the truth.

So, is about truth and lies which accords with godliness. It's not just the truth. It is the truth that accords or squares with good works, good deeds, godliness, righteousness, being able to act out of goodness. It is the knowledge of truth which accords with godliness in hope of eternal life which God who never last promised before the ages began. And at the proper time, God has manifested in his word which his word right here, his word is the truth that does not change.

It's an unchanging truth. He promised before the ages began and at the proper time, he manifested in his word through the proclamation of truth, through that proclamation of truth, which I, Paul, have been entrusted by the command of God, our savior and it's to Titus. So, Titus, my true child in a common faith, grace and peace from God the father and Christ Jesus, our savior. So, Paul's introduction to his letters what we covered last week, just the introduction of Titus. We learn who Paul is, why he's writing, and he tells us who it's to.

It's to Titus, my true child of the common faith. Get past that and then, he starts with verse five and this is why he's telling us again, why specifically Titus, why? This is why I left you in Crete. Crete is an island in the Mediterranean. Romania is right there.

Bulgaria is just below it and Crete, for our little Romanian friend over there. Greece is right here. This is Greece and Crete is a part of Greece. You could see obviously this is Europe, Italy, kicking Sicily right there. Anyway, Crete is right there.

Little bit better map. Crete in the middle of the Mediterranean. This is a real island. It's still somewhere where you can go. I I met last week.

I was trying to have you attach this in a real time, in a real place. This is that place. Y'all know who this is? Do you know who this painter is? This is his son.

This guy painted his son who is also a painter. This is one of his paintings. Do you see the elongation of the body? That's Jesus. The disrobing of Jesus before the crucifixion by this artist.

There is his crucifixion painting and you notice how elongated all of the the forms are there. This I've switched over to art history mode right now. I was an art major the first time through school. You see the elongation right there? So, that's Jesus and the father and the spirit.

This is called the trinity by this same painter. This one is a little anachronistic because he has Saint Andrew and Saint Francis who did not live at the same time together but the reason I share this one is because his signature is right there and his signature is this. Can anybody read that? No, probably not. It is Dominicas de Altacopoulos made it.

That's what it says. Dominicas de Altacopoulos made it. It's El Greco. El Greco, he's a Spanish Renaissance painter. He painted mostly in Toledo, Spain, but he's from Crete.

That's the reason I bring him up. There's also something else about perception there. His elongated bodies for years, art historians and other interested parties have wondered whether why he would paint those things. Nobody else was doing that. Everybody else had the form of the human being that was in proper proportion, but he didn't.

And so they were elongated and they thought, why did he do that? Well, in his time, we could've asked him, but they didn't start thinking this until a couple of centuries after he was dead. They considered that El Greco probably had an astigmatism. So his astigmatism made everything look like a Chinese movie where everything is straight up and down like this. That's the projection or that's what they consider, but the way he perceived the world was the way he painted the world.

But think about that for a minute. If you have an astigmatism looking at your subject, which is right here in the room with you, and you start putting it on the canvas that's right here in the room with you, would you not have the astigmatism for your canvas too? Was that a no or a yes? So you have an eye doctor in the house, would you? It would probably be to varying degrees.

It would be about the same, right? So he would, should be able to replicate things where it looks pretty normal to us. I mention that because perception does make a difference, Okay? How we see the world around us does make a difference. If you see what is there and you're able to accurately report on it, you have to have an objective standard.

Does that make sense? Are you with me? Because I'm gonna speak real fast for the rest of the time we're here. Are are we together? Okay.

So, Paul says to Titus, this is why I left you in Crete, particularly you, Titus. He left Timothy in Ephesus which needed pastoral care from a compassionate and loving and merciful guy but apparently, Crete needed a little more of a hard edge and he left Titus there in Crete so that you might put in what remained into order and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. Paul and Titus apparently were on Crete together sharing the gospel, planning churches as they went and they did not finish everything that needed to be finished and so Paul is writing back to Titus to say from Macedonia probably. He's saying, you are there for a reason. You need to put this in order just like I directed you.

So, he's also given him the apostle stamp of approval, the seal, you're my guy. You're the one that needs to be in charge of this process to bring order to the church of God there. Under the headship of Christ and the direction of the Holy Spirit, certainly. If anyone is above reproach, wait a second. Now, in Timothy, it took him two chapters of niceties and theology and underpinning and comfort before he got to, this is what the elders should look like but in Titus, he just says, this is why I left you there.

Appoint the elders like I would directed you. If anyone is above reproach, he starts off. This is about appointing elders. The husband of one wife, literally, that is a man of one woman. It's exactly the same reading as Timothy three for the elders and three later for the deacons.

A man of one woman. A one woman man. So, someone who is faithful to their spouse. And his children are believers. A word for believers there is pista in Greek pista means trustworthy, faithful, or in this case, it's been translated believing.

Children are believers. They're faithful or trustworthy. The reason I mention this and stop you right here is because most scholars believe that the church on Crete was so young that they probably wouldn't have had a lot of elders there. First of all, older guys that had accepted the gospel and had time to talk their way into the hearts of the children with the gospel. So, faithful, not wild runaway, crazy people and he'll get into that in just a minute but I wanted to stop it right there because some people say, wow, if that's the list, I know one of the elders in our church that doesn't have a calm down.

This is what he has said and this is what we are to pay attention to and we do. So, this is above, if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, his children are believers and he further amplifies that or further articulates that as not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. Now, debauchery, I mean, when's the last time you used debauchery in a sentence in English? Don't come up a whole lot lately but if you walk downtown on Friday night, Saturday night between midnight and one, you'll see some examples of it. Debauchery is excessive indulgence and sensual pleasures.

I could point to another town but I think we got plenty of it going on right A lot of times when debauchery comes up, either the word Sodom or Gomorrah or Las Vegas comes up. Excessive indulgence and sensual pleasures is debauchery. I like actually the New Living Translation of it because I think it's more the way that we speak. An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife and his children must be believers who don't have a reputation for being wild or rebellious.

Primarily because that hurts the credibility of this elder. Does that make sense? So, he says that and then he repeats himself. For an overseer, we call them elders here. For an overseer, as God's steward, he's one who manages the things of God must be above reproach.

The second time he said it. Some of your translations will say blameless but he's saying that it does not need to be someone that is on the line. It's Does that make sense? It needs to be someone that can be trusted, and not just trusted by insiders, but also by outsiders. It's someone who is above reproach.

In our society, in our time, we would think of a judge, hopefully, is someone who is above reproach. He might have been a lawyer but he swapped over and now he's above reproach. Alright. Sorry. An overseer, as God's steward must be above reproach and then, he defines it again and he gives us five must not be and seven beads, okay?

So, we're going to go through the five must not be like Paul does and Titus one seven. He must not be arrogant. So, he's not to be an arrogant person, haughty, proud, loves his own opinion. He must not be arrogant. He uses that word in Timothy.

We've talked about it recently. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this because the list are very similar. He must not be arrogant or quick tempered. As James would say, he needs to be slow to speak, slow to get angry but quick to listen, quick tempered, not somebody who's going to fly off the handle. That hurts your witness, right?

He must not be quick tempered. He must not be a drunkard. Literally, it says, he must not be one who lingers long over the wine. Now, this was written maybe at the same desk near the time that Paul had written to Timothy to have a little wine for your stomach. So, this is not an absolute.

He just says, don't let it be someone who's given to strong drink or lingers long over the wine, addicted. He must not be a drunkard. He must not be violent and Timothy, the word we had of in the King James is pugnacious, not someone who loves to fight. Not violent. He doesn't act out physically towards people violently.

He must not be violent. He must not be greedy for gain. The very last part of first Timothy was the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil and do not be this. In fact, it says, flee from the love of money. Flee from the desire to be rich.

He must not be greedy for gain. So, those are the five must not be. He's arrogant, quick tempered, a drunkard, violent, and greedy for gain. Now, is that to say that you can not be a Christian and have these qualities? That there are plenty of people who have accepted Christ that have some of these qualities that Christ is sanctifying and Christ is working these people through as they submit their will to his but they wouldn't be your best bet for your leadership.

If you want to write a ship, you get good captain and crew, right? And so, if you want to write political party, you get people who are solid people who are the good examples to others where arrogant, quick tempered, a drunkard, violent, or greedy for gain are the five must not be's of an elder. Then, there's a very strong adversity of conjunction but but instead of being this way, they should be this way, hospitable, hospitable, xenophilos is a friend to strangers, a friend to the outsider, a friend to foreigners, a friend to others. Hospitable. A lover of good.

Someone who actually can recognize the difference between good and bad and loves the good because there are plenty of people who love bad. Do you agree? Self controlled. Self controlled, meaning they have themself under control. They might not be able to control everybody around them and it's not asking for that.

It's saying that they can control. It actually, it goes right along with not arrogant, not quick tempered, not drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain. They are sober in the way that they live life. Self control. Upright.

Upright is a synonym of a lover of good. It's actually the same root of righteousness or right that the chaos. Upright. A lover of good, self control, upright, holy. Holy is one who's been set apart, consecrated for the things of God.

Holy, standing out from the rest of the crowd, holy, set apart. And discipline. So, in Timothy, he says, physical exercise is of some value but training in godliness is of value in every way both in this life and the life to come. So, an elder, an overseer should be someone who is lives a disciplined life. Most of those six go along together and then there's one more.

So, the five must not be as you see. The seven must be as he list our hospitable, friend of the stranger, outsider. You've heard of xenophobic, right? Xenophobic is a fear of the outsider. This is xenophilos, like brotherly love towards the outsider.

A lover of good, self controlled, upright, holy, disciplined, and then there's one more and it's a big one. It is this one. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught. I've told you all before and Carl has mentioned it before and on Monday nights that there is a temptation when you're the guy standing upfront to come up with something new and different, to add a character to the Christmas story, to just do something to make it more interesting because we've said this a thousand times. Literally, probably, actually, said, what the gospel is stated, the central truths of the Christian faith but he's saying stick with what is true because it's true.

Don't add to it. In Galatians one eight, he says, if anyone comes to you preaching any other gospel than that which we preach, the pure gospel that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the long awaited Messiah, those that the Old Testament saints looked forward to and those we must look back to, the one in whom we can place our trust. He died for the sins of all who would believe. That's the central gospel right there and Paul said, stick to that. Trustworthy word just as it was taught.

Don't add anything to it. Now, I know he's saying that because he's going further. We'll get further in the text but hold firm to the word. That's one of the seven musts for an elder. What we believe and what we decide should be based upon what the word says.

So, I I also love a good henna clause, a so that clause. The so that helps a preacher because I don't have to guess why Paul wrote this to Titus. He tells Titus why he wrote it. You must be able to hold firm to the trustworthy word just as it is taught so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine, healthy doctrine, and also able to rebuke those who contradict it. Are there any voices nowadays that are contradicting the gospel?

And we're surrounded by it. There are many, many voices that are crying out, that are just telling lies. He's saying that a servant, an overseer should hold firm to the trustworthy word just as it has been taught, passed down faithfully so that he may be able to give instruction in healthy, sound doctrine. It accords with godliness, he said earlier, and also able to rebuke those who contradict it because when they contradicted it, it leads to ungodliness. Does that make sense?

For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers. There are many. Many are insubordinate. What does that mean? They have no respect whatsoever for authority, forgiven structure of authority, insubordinate.

They're stepping outside from the order of things. Empty talkers. They say a lot of words but they don't carry any meaning. It's empty, vain, discussion, irreverent, babbling, he said in first Timothy. Empty talkers and deceivers.

There are some. I would say that these insubordinate and empty talkers in our day and age, I think a lot of em are well intentioned. They think they're right. And so they're sharing rebel against anything. Yeah.

Anything. Any cause will do. Rebel. And whatever you think is what you need to believe. Live it out.

Self actualization is the highest goal. I can I think that those can be well intentioned but still wrong and still lies? But deceivers is and there are those who are just outright deceptive. They are trying to lead you astray. They know that it's wrong, yet they keep doing it anyway.

And they're trying to drag others into their mess. Many are. And I'd say the devil wanting to make himself like the most high was insubordinate. He promises a lot but he gives nothing and he is deceptive. He's the father of lies.

When he lies, he speaks his native tongue. But Paul pins this on the circumcision party. He says, there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. The circumcision party is also known as the Judaizers. These are the folks who would add to the gospel all of the requirements of the Jewish law.

Circumcision was a big part of that. That's why they took that name or that's why that name was put upon them. The circumcision party or Judaizers would require that a new coming Christian would be required to go through all of the steps to be a proselyte of the Jews before being offered the grace of God. Therefore, it be works and not grace. To get that, Paul fought against the Judaizers all the time in his ministry.

So, the circumcision party and then he says, they must be silenced. Now, in America, we hear they must be silenced and we go, wait a second, what happened to freedom of speech? Paul saying, what they're doing is insubordinate, empty talking, and deceptive. They should not be allowed to carry this message forward. It is too damaging for the actual gospel.

When you add anything to grace, it is no longer grace. When you take anything away from the gospel, it's no longer gospel. All roads lead to heaven is wrong. And the way to get to heaven is do this, this, and this. That's wrong.

The good old gospel way is that by the grace of God, we're saved by grace, through faith, and that not of ourselves so that no one can boast. They must be silenced, he says. These are claiming Christ within the church but adding to the gospel. And he just told us that an elder overseer must hold firm to the trustworthy word is taught. So that he may be able to rebuke those who contradict the trustworthy word just as it was taught.

Don't add to it. Don't take away from it. The it there is the trustworthy word just as it was taught. We need to hold on to this. Hold on to what God has said.

He never lies. They must be silenced since they're upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain that which they ought not to teach. So now, we see that there was a greed motive by these guys who are teaching the circumcision party was apparently making for themselves either money or fame or glory. They were for shameful gain teaching something that was contrary to the gospel. Paul knew that that would cause absolute heresy and that that would not be building up the church of Christ would be tearing it down.

So, what they ought not to teach in the circumcision party was that Judaism mentality of works plus grace. Are you with me? It's hot in here today. It's it's warmer than it ever is here today. The hottest day we had of the year was yesterday.

I promise it's hotter up here than it is right there. Oh, we got a pop quiz. I forgot about this pop quiz. A pop quiz, take out a clean sheet of paper. No, sorry.

No, I'm just kidding. Don't you don't have to do that. I've got a clean sheet of paper up here on the screen for you. So, when we went through Galatians, Galatians three, it's straight from the text and I want you to answer this because Paul was asking the Galatians. He started off, oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?

I'm going ask you first be Jackson on 07/08/2018. Come on now, people. Who is attempting to bewitch you? I'm not saying they have but I want to know who is attempting to bewitch you. I would say popular philosophies of the day.

All roads lead to heaven is the best of popular philosophies today. Tolerance above all else is another, right? Popular philosophies of the day. There are many competing voices in that sentence right there but there can only be one truth. So, if something is true and I do believe that there is something that's true, absolutely.

Then, everything else is a lie. Popular philosophies of the day are cultural or societal forces whether they be political or grassroots movements, culture, or societal forces are attempting to bewitch us. Heretical pseudo Christian faiths. We are surrounded by various kinds of pseudo Christian cults. They've either added to scripture, new scripture, or they've taken away from scripture.

They've added to or taken away and if you just get off by a little bit, it's not hard to commit heresy. All you have to be off is one degree, two degrees, and then you're off, off. And in the space of eternity, two degrees off does not hit the mark. Does that make sense? New age practitioners.

Oh, let's be thankful to the floor and to the rocks. And the hills that surround us. Hold your hands this way, say these words. Good old fashioned legalists. Oh, boy.

Within the church. Good old fashioned legalists still abound. It's not Judaism. It's over over sanctifying, I suppose, could be one of the ways. When we were in Mexico, there was one that, oh, Christians don't wear blue jeans.

When they saw us wear blue jeans, it's like, you wore blue jeans? You wore blue jeans, the church? Like, wow. What are you trying to do? Get struck by lightning?

That was a normal thing. He's from Romania. They have a very similar mentality in a lot of places. Old fashioned legalist still exist. Tell the first service that when we were going to be missionaries in Mexico and we're doing support raising, we're doing deputation.

We're going take follow every lead that anybody gives. Oh, yo, talk to this guy. He's pastor so and so church. I call him up. He goes, well, brother, we hear you going down to Mexico to help the deaf.

I think that's a noble goal. Got a few questions for you. We're thinking about supporting you. Okay, fantastic. How are you, how are you going?

Is it you and who else? Me and my wife. We don't have any kids. Okay. Long you planning on being there?

Well, it they asked for us a commitment. Two years but we don't have any plans of returning. When we go, we're planning on being there till God does something different. Okay. How do you feel about the virgin birth?

Absolutely. All for it. How do you feel about the crucifixion? Yeah. Jesus is the sacrifice.

Now, how do feel about the role of the Holy Spirit? Yeah. Absolutely. All of these things he's asking question, he goes, does your wife ever wear pants? I went, What was that again?

That was the next question. Does your wife ever wear pants? And I said, well, yeah. I told you we were building a school for the deaf, didn't I? He said, Yes.

I said, Pants on a scaffolding seems more appropriate to me, you know. But she also just wears pants too. He goes, Oh, sorry, we're not going support you, and hung up. That was it. And he had decided that men and women's roles are very different and they should dress different and that's it.

We're not supporting anything that's not exactly that. So, good old fashioned legalists are attempting to be witches. That was the particular case in the day of Paul for the Galatians and for the folks on Crete. Now, the next question, did you receive the spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Which was it?

Did you receive by the spirit by works of law? It's multiple choice test, A or B. It's B. By hearing with faith. No doubt about it.

Underline that one by hearing with faith. It's not by works. So that no one can boast. Amen. So, that's your test.

It's just two questions. Now, we get in a very interesting passage. Now, this is funny because Carl, every week, looks over the passage prayerfully and he carefully considers everything and when he considers this one for what to do for the song service for the 09:00 service. He hit this and goes, how am I supposed to come up with the song service based on that? One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, and this is the Cretan, Epimenides, about 600 BC.

He said, like gastro, arge. Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and bellies idle. Our translations, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. Now build a song service around that. I said that in the first service and I had somebody text me during, I didn't see it, but it said, it would go something like this.

Liars and beasts and gluttons. Oh my. Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and lazy glutton. Now, he is he is quoting one of the prophets that came from that place. Just like I pointed out, El Greco came from Crete.

He was pointing out at Ephesians, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. Now, by this time, if you said that someone was cretinizing, that meant they were lying. They were dissembling. They were fibbing. They were telling a story.

They were cretinizing because Crete, folks from Crete were known to lie or exaggerate the truth. They said that the tomb of Zeus was on Crete. And it was they were liars. According to one of their own prophets, evil, beasts, lazy, gluttons. They cared.

Actually, bellies idle or idle bellies as they only cared about their own appetites. You know, anywhere like that? Is there any, is there any anywhere that you've come into that? Cretans, I think that could be said about everyone if we talk about total depravity of man that people look out for themselves. What's funny about this is he didn't just quote the prophet.

He then goes on and says, this testimony is true. He affirms that truth and he left Titus on this island to clean up the mess. Oh, it's no big deal. It's just all of them are liars and evil beasts and gluttons and you're there to to bring about order. This testimony is true.

So, therefore, rebuke them sharply. Now, he said, know the word, trustworthy word, just as it was taught, so that you may be able to rebuke them. Rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith. Why did he write the letter? He says, I wrote the letter for the sake of the faith of God's elect.

He doesn't want for people who believe on Jesus to be persuaded by people that are just out for themselves. Are you with me? Therefore, rebuke him sharply that they may be sound in the faith. Not devoting themselves to Jewish myths, and the command of people who turn away from the truth. Carry forward just as it is written, just as we have preached and taught, Paul says, not these things, these irreverent mythologies, old wives tales, Jewish myths, and the command of people that turn away from the truth.

You will see what someone believes by how they act. And so, he's saying, choose for yourself elders based on these criteria because the transforming nature of Christ transforms people and makes them more and more into the image of Christ. Not devoting themselves Jewish myths, commanded people who turn away from the truth to the pure Titus. And I trust that your heart is pure because Jesus has purified it and I've seen you. To the pure, all things are pure.

You might not see a whole lot that you just are repelled by but to the defiled and the unbelieving, there's nothing pure. Now, does the phrase is nothing sacred? Does that mean anything to you? Is nothing sacred? In our society today, if you watch television or if you hang out for very long, anybody who is in a traditional authority role is absolutely pilloried.

Have you noticed? The father on every TV show is the doofus. All of the kids know better than him immediately and they make fun all the time. Insubordinate, empty talk, no doubt about it. Nothing is pure.

If you have something that is sacred, the name of Christ is sacred. God's word is sacred and you hear people make fun of it all the time. All the time. It happens all the time. To the defiled and unbelieving, there is nothing pure but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

Sounds a lot like Romans one, doesn't it? Where you're without excuse. Creation is calling forth the glory of God like Psalm 19 says and we are without excuse. Yet, we did not want to hold on to what we could see evident about God. We rejected that and in suppressing the truth, we go into a state of reprobate mind, consciences, and minds that are completely seared and unable to see the difference in right and wrong.

To the pure, all things are pure but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure but both their minds, their consciences are defiled. I got just one more verse. They profess to know God but they deny him by their works. There are a lot of voices that are calling out, right? They profess to know God.

Oh yeah, I'm cool with God. Man, upstairs, no big deal. I don't practice anything that the Bible says whatsoever but me and him are good. They profess to know God but they deny him by their works. A lot of the book of Titus is about good works and godliness.

They go hand in hand with what we believe. What we believe is what makes a difference in how we act and he's saying, their works deny that they know God and then he ends like this or ends this chapter at least. Chapter titles are not inspired but the chapter numbers one and two. One ends like this. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

So, the competing voices on the island of Crete coming in and saying, you must do these things. If you do just this, then God will act a certain way. We've got that problem in the prosperity gospel. If you'll send me some seed money, oh God will bless you. Some 100fold and we've got the problem not just there but we've got it among aesthetics that say, you must not eat, must not taste, must not touch, must not do this.

They're detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work. I'm going go one verse farther here in the chapter two because I like to always bring it around to self evaluation. He's talking to Titus. I'm talking to you but as for you, as for you, under the sound of my voice and Titus to Paul, teach that which accords with sound doctrine. Teach the faithful word just as it was taught.

Sound in that sense and in the sense before that is about being healthy. There are some doctrines that are absolutely unhealthy. Gnosticism was one of em that taught that flesh was evil. Spirit was good. Didn't matter what you did in the flesh because your spirit is the pure thing anyway.

That's terrible heresy. Still people practice it then and now. Healthy doctrine comes from a healthy understanding of the gospel. Hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught. Now, I want to say a a few more things.

There is a way that seems right to man. This is Proverbs fourteen twelve. There's a way that seems right to a man. So, someone who is thinking, a conscious person that feels like, this seems right to me. There's a way that seems right to a man but in the end, it's the way of death.

It was so important that it was not just Proverbs fourteen twelve, it's Proverbs sixteen twenty five also. Exactly the same words. There's a way that seems right to a man but in the end, it's the way of death. So, that brings me back to my riddle at the beginning. You are on a path.

Everyone of you is on a path. And there are two gates on this path. One of those leads to life eternal, escape life eternal, incorruptible hope as Peter call it, and the other leads to destruction. Execution and the riddle. Death and there are many people that are giving advice all the time.

There's no shortage of voices, right? Turn on the radio, turn on the television, hang out at a council meeting, do whatever. There are no shortage of voices. Some of those voices are telling the truth. To the extent that they are adhering to what God has said, they're telling the truth.

Now, in the riddle, it was some people lie all the time and others told the truth all the time. In real life, it's a lot more mixed than that but we know that God's word is true. The trustworthy word just as taught. We actually have it written down. Propositional truth right here.

We can see it, study it, figure on it, rest on it, the foundation of his word beneath us is a great foundation. To the extent that I remain true to that, I am remaining true and what I share is the truth. There are many people that are given advice and telling other people the way. Some are telling the truth. While there are many, I say many others that are telling well intentioned lies and I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt on the well intentioned.

I know some people are intentionally deceptive but I think more often people have been deceived and they are sharing what they have been told. Are you with me? Does it sound like it matters today? Does this sound at all relevant today? It does to me.

So, who who will you believe? Who will you believe? And then what will you do? You know, he said, ask either one of em and they'll give you the same response and then you do opposite. This one, who will you believe and what will you do?

Well, Jesus says in Matthew seven, enter through the narrow gate. Gates don't look the same. They're not even the same size. Enter through the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate, narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few will find that good old gospel way where you just cry out to God.

The only only sacrifice that has ever been made that is sufficient for your sin is Jesus Christ. That is the truth. It's the message of the cross. The message of the cross, first Corinthians one hundred eighteen and nineteen says, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but it is the very power of God to those who are being saved. First Timothy, Paul says in chapter 117 or so that this saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

We all like Cretans are sinners. But Christ can and does redeem. So, salvation is available. We're going to sing a last hymn right here. Judy, would you come forward?

Is this what a day that will be? Oh my goodness. That's one I don't know at all. Scott knows it good. Come on up, Scott.

I'm going to stand. This is this is one of those. I am Southern Baptist and by my raisin, you know, and we had an invitation at the end of every one of our services always and I don't do that very often out here because for six years, nobody's ever come forward but they do come to my office and we baptized the fellow this morning that came to the office last week. We have the same access to this altar of prayer no matter where we are but I do want to remind you, the altar is open. I'm actually going to stand right here, turn my microphone off if anybody wants to come forward.

I'll be here to receive. Sing it like you know it. If you do know it, would you stand up?

We're all together in this. Dear Lord and father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways, reclothe us in our rightful mind in pure love as service find in deep and reverence praise in simple trust like there's who heard beside the Syrian sea gracious calling of the Lord let us like them without a word rise up and follow thee breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm. Let sins be done. Let flesh retire. Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire.

Oh, still small voice calm

altar is open. It wasn't exactly I surrender all but I think that the sentiment is good and true. God, would you bless this week? We pray that you'd bless us with supernatural ability to understand by your Holy Spirit's illumination, your trustworthy word. Pray that you'd give us, lord, a humble spirit to learn and to share with a world around us that does not know you and does not know that they don't know.

God, would you give us a clarity and a winsomeness that would bring others to bow at your feet. In Jesus name, Lord, I ask for your blessing. Would you reflect your truth and your light on all we should come into encounter encounter this week. Amen.