Your Sins are Forgiven

A few weeks ago an oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11 people. Officials estimate the sunken rig was gushing almost 210,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf waters each day. Humanly speaking, oil spills are bad, causing separation between people and the ocean. Spiritually speaking, sin is worse. Like an oil spill it messes us up; causing separation in relationship with God and people. We need forgiveness. That we can be forgiven is the greatest news we could hear – because we are all in the same boat so to speak when it comes to sin. Like a ruined oil tanker gushing oil in the water – we are polluted, without any hope of cleanup on our own – and if we are to be forgiven God has got to do it. God knows our sin condition and has provided a means to deal with it in the person of Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 9:1-8 we see that Jesus got in a boat and went back to Peter’s home (Mk. 2:1) in Capernaum. In the gospels Jesus is a man of 4 cities: Bethlehem (birth city), Nazareth (growth city), Capernaum (ministry city), Jerusalem (city of death and resurrection).

People brought
Some people brought to Jesus a paralyzed man lying on a bed. Real friends, bring their friends to Jesus. Jesus saw their faith. Mark 2:1-5 and Luke 5:17-19 explain in greater detail that they came in through the roof at great risk and cost. They were crazy desperate for Jesus. This unnamed man’s friends brought him to Peter’s home, most likely a 2-story structure with an outside stairway to the roof where people would go to relax in the cool of the day and sleep on hot nights. They lowered their friend right in front of Jesus as He was teaching the Word. Deroofing was antisocial but faith is compelled to get in the presence of Jesus. Jesus says to the man “take courage, My son, your sins are forgiven”. Courage overcomes inward fear as opposed to simply being outwardly bold. “Forgiven” means sent away, driven away, done away with. Ps. 103:12 says “as far as the east is from the west has He removed our transgressions from us”.

Scribes thought
The scribes thought ill of Jesus. They accused Him of sin against God. To them Jesus had insulted God by acting as if He was God. Jesus acted as forgiveness’ source. As God this is what He was and is – they just didn’t believe He was God. Only God can forgive sin.

Jesus taught
Jesus knowing their thoughts said 'Why do you think evil in your hearts?' He also asked 'which is easier to say: your sins are forgiven or rise and walk?' He gave a telling answer which revealed His heart, His power and their error. 'But that you may know I have authority to forgive sins' - He said to the paralyzed man – 'rise, take up your bed and go home.' The healing showed the mighty works of God; showed forth His glory. Jesus doesn’t just heal bodies, but souls. The Scribes believed that a person could not get up and walk unless his sins were forgiven. Jesus made him walk, proof He was able to forgive sins.

Man walked
Jesus healed him spiritually and physically; he obeyed Jesus’ instructions and went home.

Crowds awed
Their reaction was reverential fear in the presence of Him who was so superior to them. So they gave credit to God for what they had seen – contrary to Scribes who in accusing Jesus of blasphemy were guilty of blasphemy themselves

There are some significant implications for us. Let’s draw a circle around one phrase in Matthew 9:2 and dive into its depths.

3 things we need to know regarding forgiveness.

1. While everything we suffer is indirectly due to sin, everything we suffer is not directly due to our sin.
In those days people believed disease was the direct result of a person’s sin. Not true. Job, who through no fault of his own, encountered horrific tragedy and debilitating illness. His friends thought he had sinned: one asked him ‘who ever perished being innocent?’ In John 9, we see a man born blind; Jesus’ disciples asked ‘who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?’ Jesus said ‘neither – it was that the works of God might be displayed in him’. Avoid making unwise connections between sin and sickness.

2. Everyone needs God’s forgiveness because everyone sins.
We hide our sin (minimize it, like using air freshener to hide odors) or we overemphasize it (magnify it). I recently toured the Frank Bowerman landfill Irvine. Landfill is a fancy word for “dump”. It’s where we take our trash, our garbage. The smelly stuff we don’t want to see. Those working the landfill are engaged full-time in a complicated, time-consuming process of getting rid of trash – multiple layers, buried, covered. It’s a picture of what God does with our sin. He removes it from us. He frees us from the power and penalty of sin and one day in heaven will free us from its presence completely. I have a deal with the waste management company – I pay them and they take away my trash every week. Every time you see a trash truck, think of what God does with your sin. The difference is He pays the entire cost and takes out the trash in our lives as we confess (admit) our sin and accept His forgiveness. (Read 1 John 1:7-10)

3. Everyone needs Jesus.
God has provided a means to deal with our sin in the person of Jesus Christ. The man knew he was a sinner because he was. And since he was he must have figured God was his enemy. Jesus brought him forgiveness and then he knew he was God’s friend. The scribes felt no need for forgiveness. They felt a person had to earn it and they felt very deserving. The man had the debt of sins released by the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (Luke 1:29). Jesus came to "save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). There is no forgiveness from God apart from faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Not everyone acknowledges or believes this or ever gets there. Jesus is the Savior of all who believe. If you will not believe He will not be your Savior. If you don’t know Jesus there is a separation between you and God and if that doesn’t change before you die you will stay in that state forever. The substitutionary death of Jesus is the only basis for forgiveness. You need to accept Him as your substitute, and God will no longer relate to you on the basis of your sin, but on the basis of the shed blood of His Son. As Ephesians 1:7 says, ‘In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins’.

Sometimes we don’t believe we are really forgiven. Maybe because we know how hard it is to forgive others – we say “I forgive you” but still hold the thing against them – and we think God is just like us. God really lets it go! God doesn’t say “I forgive you but…” or “I forgive you” and then continue to bring it up. In Jeremiah 31:34 God says ‘I will forgive their iniquities; their sins I will remember no more.’ God freely forgives those who trust Him humbly by faith.

There may be things you have done and things that have been done to you that make you feel dirty, shameful, even unlovable. Things you don’t want anyone else to know. God knows. But you find it hard to relate appropriately to the people God has put in your life – spouse, siblings, friends. You hear the gospel but end up only applying part of it. You don’t experience the true victory Jesus won. God wants you to see the true gospel message – including the parts you tell yourself just can’t be true or possible in your situation. Jesus despised the shame of the cross so that we could go free. You may be living with huge relational and emotional scars, Jesus loves you just as you are.

Eugene Peterson said 'a person has to be thoroughly disgusted with the way things are to find the motivation to set out on the Christian way. A person has to get fed up with the ways of the world before he, before she, acquires an appetite for the world of grace.' We need to be disgusted by the thought of our sin and want Jesus to forgive us. A good look at the badness of our sin drives us to Jesus. To make us thankful to God for the blessed bankruptcy of soul that drives us to seek forgiveness. God cleans up the oil spill of sin in our lives. Ps. 32:1 says 'Blessed is the man who transgressions are forgiven, whose sin the Lord will not take into account.'

Your sins can be forgiven

Have you ever felt so bad about your sin you got discouraged or depressed over it? So weighted down by your failures and shortcomings that you were depressed and downcast? Ever experience a consequence of sin that hindered your daily life? If so, you know how the paralyzed man in Matthew 9:1-8 felt.

I doubt that there was a more comforting sentence the paralyzed man could have heard from Jesus than the words "Take courage, My son, your sins are forgiven." This man, most likely tormented by his failure and the consequences of his sin, had the debt of sins released by the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (Luke 1:29). Truly Jesus is the one who would "save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).

Jesus says to him, "take courage", in essence pointing to the cross and saying in a matter of speaking, "don't continue to think of yourself in terms of your sins because God is no longer going to relate to you on the basis of that sin, but on the basis of My soon-to-be-shed blood. There will be blood to cover your sins and it will be Mine. So be of good courage, I have overcome the world. And I will overcome your sin."

Beautiful words. Everyone needs forgiveness. Everyone needs a Savior. The problem of forgiveness is that it is unattainable on our won. The nature of forgiveness is that God freely gives it to those who trust Him humbly by faith. Everything we suffer is indirectly due to sin, though everything we suffer is not directly caused by our sin. God knows what He is doing and why He allows what He allows. Trust Him to do what is right.

We humans have a tendency to go to one of two self-centered extremes. We either think "How dare you call me a sinner, judge me, not allow me to make up my own version of reality." This person is their own functional lord. They are in control. The other extreme is to say "How could you love someone like me, forgive such a huge debt of sin." This person is their own functional savior. They think they are too bad for God to save. Both are prideful. But need to humble themselves before God.

If you belong to God by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone, then take Him at His Word.

Believe Him by faith - strong encouragement to press on through the discouragement often brought on by sin.

Rest in His love - recognize His ownership over your life and that you belong to Him and don;t try to hide your sin from Him.

Cling to the hope you have in Him - which is an anchor for soul (Heb. 6:19). Your standing with God depends on His faithfulness not yours.

When God Orders Chaos

Psalm 97:1 says "The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice". But looking around we could conclude that chaos reigns. Sin and its effects wreak havoc on mankind. Life is chaotic but there is reason for hope. Romans 5:20 says “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”. God is not the instigator of chaos; not the author of confusion. Sometimes He allows it to bring about His good and perfect purposes and plans. God does not cause chaos, He brings order in the midst of chaos caused by sin.

What a chaotic scene it must have been when Jesus freed the two men from demon-possession and 2000 newly demon-inhabited pigs ran over a cliff (Matthew 8:28-34). In Matt, Mark and Luke this miracle follows Jesus calming the storm. These 2 stories belong together, examples of Jesus’ authority over the chaos in nature and man. Back-to-back verses in Psalm 89 summarize these back-to-back miracles in the Gospels: Psalm 89:9 “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them” (the storm) and Psalm 89:10 “…You scatter your enemies with your mighty arm” (the demoniacs).

It happened in the country of the Gadarenes, the district controlled by the town of Gadara, near the village of Gergesa; about midpoint on the Sea of Galilee’s eastern shore. [Josephus says Gadara had territory and villages on the border of the lake, including the little village of Gergesa. Gadarene coins sometimes had ships on them]. It was Gentile territory. To Jews in that day unclean (the people and pigs). On a nearby hillside were ancient tombs, small caves where the men lived. No one wanted to come nearby. The 2 men were demon-possessed and dangerous.

The demons believe and shudder.
As they were crossing the lake the disciples were asking: Who is this man? When they got to the other side the demons came out of the tombs to tell them. They approach Jesus only to insult Him; more assault than request. They used His name as Son of God as a defensive put-off, a verbal shield to defend themselves. D.A. Carson says, “The question the demoniacs hurled at Jesus…is hateful and tinged with fear. They scream instead of speaking, revealing their imbalance. They acknowledged Jesus’ character, power and authority. They believed more truth about Jesus than many who claim to be His followers. What did they believe about Jesus? Jesus is God, the Son who eternally exists with the Father and the Spirit – fully and equally God in eternal relation with each other. They believed that as God Jesus is Judge; there will come a day of reckoning, a time for demonic hosts to be tortured and rejected forever (Jude 6, Rev. 20:10). They know Jesus is the One who will Judge at the appointed time. They believed that as God Jesus is Sovereign He has authority over all. They presuppose Jesus’ preexistence by their use of the word “here”, meaning ‘here and now on earth’, where they had been given some freedom to trouble men before the end. Jerome said, “in the presence of the Savior the demons are tormented”. The word tremble in James 2:19 is best translated shudder. Have you ever been so scared it made cold chills run up your back and your hair stood on end? This is the thought here. When the demons think about God and the judgment awaiting them due to their sin, they shudder from fear. If people could see what awaits them because of their sin and rejection of Christ, they would shudder, too.

Why would the demons have plead with Jesus to let them go into the pigs; an innocent herd of 2000 pigs minding their own business (Mark 5:13 numbers them around 2000)? Two possible reasons are hatred of God’s creatures and a desire to stir up animosity towards Jesus. Elsewhere in the gospels evil spirits being cast out sometimes express their rage by visible acts of violence or mischief.

The Lord sets the prisoners free (Ps. 146:7).
That’s what Jesus does here. Jesus sent the demons away; but why would He allow them to destroy pigs that belonged to others and represented their owner’s livelihood? Sometimes God allows some puzzling things. Why are humans possessed or diseased, and why do we suffer? The answer isn’t given here but can only be answered in a larger context of who God is and what He does and why. The context does give us a few hints. Jesus is the Master of nature (Matt. 8:23-27) and its ultimate owner (Matt. 8:28-34; Ps. 50:10). The appointed time (Matt. 8:29) for complete destruction of demons’ power has not yet arrived. The stampede proves the men had been freed (Matt. 8:33). God always has a good purpose in what He allows. Probably the biggest answer lies in the response of the people. The loss of the herd became a way of exposing the people’s real values. They preferred pigs to people, swine to a Savior. As a result people told on Jesus and those who heard rejected Jesus. The whole town said “Would you mind just leaving town?” Jesus’ ministry was not limited to Jews only and not only Jews rejected Him. People’s response matters.

Some implications and applications for our lives today:

1. God’s Word is powerful all by itself. Jesus only says one word in Matt. 8:28-34: “Go”. Do not underestimate the pure, sheer power of God’s Word. 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Tim. 2:15; John 17:17; Heb. 4:12; Rom. 1:16. As Savior Jesus will save according to His Word. As Judge He will judge according to His Word. As Sovereign King of the universe He rules over all according to His Word. He always acts consistent with His Word. He is faithful.

2. There is always hope. Two demon-possessed men driven to the edge of town, marginalized, ostracized, forsaken; Hopeless, right? Wrong. People needed help badly – there is this missionary emphasis in Matt. 8, dealing with cultural outsiders of one sort or another: lepers, Gentiles, women, weak disciples, and now demon-possessed pagans. The Gadarene formerly demon-possessed men turned into Jesus freaks! Jesus says, therefore "GO" - He points the demons in the direction of hell (the fate of the pigs foreshadowing what would someday happen to them in hell) and the two men to a ministry of reconciliation, pointing others to Jesus. We too are to go ands tell our people what God has done. As Eph. 1:6 says "to the praise of His glorious grace". We exist to enhance the glory of God. He is using everything including sin to ultimately praise Him.

3. Jesus can save from anything. He is the Sovereign Lord and Savior. If you want what He wants more than what your sin demands (sin is an enslaving tyrant) then you will know the freedom of the children of God born of His Spirit washed in His blood. Everywhere you look there are people in need. Real people with real needs that only Jesus can meet. People with addictions, compulsions, obsessions. Notice Jesus lived what He preached in the Sermon on the Mount. He did not return evil with evil. Questions as confused as the demoniacs cannot be answered. Remember that when you deal with difficult irrational people: Keep your cool, there is a person underneath all that chaos!

In Matthew 8:28-34 we see real people enslaved by sin and humanity's enemy. We see by this passage that demon possession is a real, serious thing. Remember that demons cannot possess Christians (we are indwelt by the Spirit of God and possessed by God) but they can harass Christians. Luther’s famous hymn A Mighty Fortress points this out: “and though this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear for God has willed His truth to triumph through us, the prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for Him, his rage we can endure, for lo his doom is sure, one little word shall fell him”. A God-indwelt believer’s primary defense against our enemy the devil is the Word of God. Do not live in fear of evil. 1 John 4:4 says “greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world”. [Read 1 Pet. 5:8-9 and John 8:43-44.]

Set Free...and Enslaved

This poem is based on Matthew 8:28-34, the story of Jesus freeing two men from demon-possession, 2000 pigs running off a cliff and drowning, and the townspeople whose true loyalties were revealed as they asked Jesus to leave town - caring more for pigs than people, loving swine more than the Savior.

"Set Free...And Enslaved"

The men that day did not bow down
they thrashed and gnashed outside of town
their names we know not, but we do
that of their torturers: Many.

Fierce, they stood to block all men
from passing by their haunted den
they screamed at Jesus standing there
no love was lost in their disdain.

Wrong-minded, blinded in the fray
how dare He come here now today
they cried, shuddering, chilled by hate
fear and anger blending sadly.

The demons begged, the herd was drowned
the herders ran to tell the town
a league of innocent swine
hated as the Son's handiwork.

The Son who freed the men that day
was not welcomed, sent away
they loved creation more, so He
left them to their own devices.

---

I am struck by how Matthew 8:28-34 ends with a thud due to the hardness of people's hearts. Jesus, the Sovereign Lord and Savior leaves, gets in a boat, and heads back across the Sea of Galilee on His mission.

God's Gifts to His Chosen Bride, Part 5

A Mother’s Rescue
Recently I took a bike ride with my three youngest children. We saw two people helping a mother duck and her ten newborn duckings across a six-lane road. When they got to our side we said "we'll take it from here!" and we started down the sidewalk escorting these ducks the quarter mile or so to the nearby lake. When we got to the road nearby the lake we needed to help them across four lanes of traffic, not an easy task, but we managed, almost losing one to a passing roller-blader! When the ducks got to the lake the mother duck hopped onto a ledge above the water and dove in and her ducklings followed suit, making the four foot death dive into the water with rocks on either side of them. It looked like all was well until two ducks came swooping in and began attacking the mother duck. My girls and I couldn;t believe it. We swatted them away with a tree branch we found. All was well. Then another duck came flying in , attacking the mother. I took aim with a small piece of wood I found and pegged the attacker squarely on the side of the head and he flew away. The mother and her ducklings were now safe and we rode our bikes home.

That mother duck cared for her babies. She led, protected, provided for them…and she needed help; needed someone to defend her. Me and my girls, the piece of wood I pegged the attacker with, God’s providential care - all came into play. Moms lead, guide, protect their offspring. And what they need is support, protection and help. What every woman really wants is to be loved, honored and cherished in the most appropriate way. They need Jesus the King, and men captured by His grace and women willing to engage them in relationship. Men are called to complement their female counterparts, not rule over them harshly or disengage from them. The question for us today is: What will we do with what God has blessed us with? Will we abuse the gifts God has given, or will we cherish them and treat them with the utmost honor and respect?

Bringing it down to a Mother’s Day specific…it starts at home base, and it can start today with your mother and the other women in your life. Be willing to give of yourself unselfishly to those who live for the needs of others. What moms really want are the things money cannot buy. Things withheld from some moms - love and honor. Found only in Christ.

A relationship with Jesus might seem like only one way – God’s way – and in a way it is. He has all power. We adjust to Him. Yet in another sense – He adjusted to us in the most radical way at the cross. God wants you to see Jesus laid aside His privileges as God to become one of us, so that we might have life. He came not to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for others. At the cross Jesus did what we could not so we could be and do what He intends.

God's Gifts to His Chosen Bride, Part 4

Titus 2:1-8 presents a balanced, simple and healthy picture of how Christians are to relate to one another. A healthy church will have older men mentoring younger men & older women mentoring younger women by virtue of people doing what God calls them to do. It will be evident in the households of its members. Healthy teaching taken to heart and internalized leads to healthy lives.

Some Daily Implications
1. A vicious or a victorious cycle? 2 Pet. 1:3-13; James 4:1-12) Titus 2 is a picture of genuine Christianity – real v. fake, normal v. abnormal. This is the ideal but many do not experience it. The primary question you should be asking is not why do other people do what they do but am I who God wants me to be? Are you the person God calls you to be? You can pray, teach, urge, but only God can change others. The answer no matter what, is to humble yourself broken before God. For salvation, getting right with God initially – or sanctification, growing in Christ. Gal. 5: 16-26 Walk by the Spirit. When men humble their hearts their wives hearts soften towards them. Like an azalea tree that looks dead but if you water it it will come back, respect can grow back. Who you are (what you choose to think, say and do) is significant and does make a difference. Every idle word.

2. Mindset matters…the key is ETC. take Every Thought Captive to obey Christ. 2 Cor. 10:5. God’s Word is like a governor – won’t let you go too slow or fast. You are going through your day and are tempted to go against what you know God says…obey Jesus. Every Christian is to exercise self-control in word and deed. Amazing what changes come about when you make God’s calling on your life non-negotiable. To apply Titus 2 takes desire to be godly person. It is a manual for church life, you need to want to be the kind of person described here. God’s Word is our authority when it comes to belief and practice as believers, it applies to every culture and age and speaks to and transforms every culture in which it is applied.

Ultimately we do not live for ourselves, or other people, but For the King and His kingdom. Therefore, Fulfill God’s call in your life so others will see the value of knowing Jesus. Titus 2:5 "so that the Word of God may not be blasphemed"; it will be if men and women do not fulfill their roles. Do not give the opponent an occasion to slander the faith. The purpose of godly conduct is to bring glory to God – to not stain God’s reputation in the world. People want to see something redeeming in the lives of the redeemed. So the opponent has nothing bad to say about us. Godly living silences the attacks of ungodly people bent on finding something to accuse Christians of. In Bible times Christians were thought too lenient because the gospel freed women and children from tyranny; our culture sees Christianity as too limiting because it is seen as a limit to personal growth and potential because it constrains our freedom to choose our own beliefs and practices. Immanuel Kant defined enlightened people as those who trust in their own power rather than the authority of another. This is the underlying assumption in our society today. The world says do whatever you want, whenever you want with whomever you want – seems like the ultimate freedom – but it is the most tragic slavery. Christ-centered self-discipline is liberating confinement. Our will subject to His.

The popular idea that each person can and should define their own moral code of right and wrong is based on a belief that there is no objective standard of truth. There is, God's Word, exists independent of us and must be held to regardless of what we think or feel; and ought to shape our lives as believers. Christ’s love brings the ultimate freedom to be and do what we were meant to be and do in Christ. The love of Christ constrains us. Christ’s love is the most liberating freedom-loss of all. 2:11-14. Show them a different kind of life lived in light of God. Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet. 1:29. By His Spirit show others the worth of knowing Jesus by the example of your changed life.

God's Gifts to His Chosen Bride, Part 3

Titus 2:4-5 says that younger women are to love their husbands (husband-lovers) if they have one; they may have the blessing of singleness, love children (children-lovers) if they have them. Sound-minded, Pure (modest, chaste), Workers at home (home-workers) 1 Tim. 5:14. Which brings up a common question: Can wives work outside the home? Workers at home means the primary focus is in the realm of the well-being of the household; in the arena of the home. Keeping a godly home with excellence for one’s husband and children is the Christian woman’s non-negotiable responsibility. As long as the priority of the home is clear, time and energy can be spent elsewhere. As long as the affairs of the home are taken care of how it plays out practically is up to each family to decide with the wisdom God has given them. One commentator puts it this way: “…the point is not so much that a woman's place is in the home as that her responsibility is for the home. She may have a reasonable outside job or choose…to volunteer in many other ways. But the home is a wife's special domain and always should be her highest priority. Where she is able to offer the most encouragement and support to her husband; the best place for extending hospitality to Christian friends, to unbelieving neighbors, and (others).”

Young Christian wives …in consultation with their husbands, must use good judgment in deciding how much time can justifiably and wisely be spent in activities outside the home, whether at a paying job or in some form of service. When you have a genuine desire to obey and honor the Lord in all things and to seek guidance from His Word and in prayer, you can be sure He will give you the needed wisdom and answer. There is nothing in the Bible that specifically forbids a woman from working outside the home as long as she is fulfilling her priorities in the home (Prov. 31). In fact, it is important to remember that every member of a household has responsibilities in the household. Says nothing of division of labor or that the wife needs to do all the work. The husband will be held accountable for what he allows. What he abdicates and what he doesn’t lead – he will be held responsible for. More men neglect their families for their work than women do.

Kind. doing good to others. Subject to their husband. C.S. Lewis (in Mere Christianity, on Christian Marriage) if there must be a head, why the man? Well, firstly is there any very serious wish that is should be the woman? As I have said, I am not married myself, but as far as I can see, even a woman who wants to be the head of her own house does not usually admire the same state of things when she finds it going on next door. She is much more likely to say, “poor Mr. X! Why he allows that appalling woman to boss him about the way she does is more than I can imagine.” I do not think she is very flattered is anyone mentions the fact of her own ‘headship’. There must be something unnatural about the rule of wives over their husbands, because the wives themselves are half ashamed of it and despise the husbands they rule. Paul, in Eph. 5:22-33 puts the wives’s submission in the context of her husband’s sacrificial love. The ideal relationship involves mutual self-giving. Where submission or sacrificial love are not present marriages suffer or fall apart. God’s calling to wives and husbands no conditions or exceptions. Husbands, you are called by God, to sacrificially love and wives, called to unselfishly submit even if your spouse does not do their part.

2:6-8 younger men. Of which Titus was one – being most likely 40ish, are to be sound-minded, a model of good works, uncorrupted in teaching, dignity, sound speech. 1 Pet. 2:11-12. Young men need godly older men whose example is worthy to be copied.

A healthy church has older women mentoring younger women and older men mentoring younger men. Each pouring their lives into younger generations that they might glorify God in their respective callings.

God's Gifts to His Chosen Bride, Part 2

God has given many blessings to His chosen bride, the church. He has given Himself as well as His Word to those who bleive. He also gives godly people to encourage and spur others on to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:23-25).

3. Godly People (Titus 2:2-8). Changed lives result in Gospel-changed relationships. Titus 2:1-10 contains God’s instructions for Godly living and is followed by the theological reason for that living (2:11-15). [Titus 3 follows the same pattern – instructions for godly living (3:1-3) and then the Biblical basis for it (3:4-8)]. God gifts His church with people He is conforming to Christlikeness (Rom. 8:28-30). Paul gives examples of the kind of teaching that leads to changed lives and relationships.

Titus 2:1-2 speaks of older men (in those days men over age 60). They must show their lives agree with their beliefs. They are to be spiritually Sober which means to be temperate, calm, exercising good judgment. They are to be dignified or appropriately mature, reverent for God and kind to others. They are to be sound-minded which is a quality of mind that shows itself in knowing the appropriate time and place for everything; showing proper restraint. They are to be healthy or sound in the faith, love, and patience required of believers. Healthy doctrine leads to healthy life. Areas where health is needed are faith (holding to the truth), love (John 13:34) and patience (James 5:7-8). All Christians should grow in these things, especially older men whom others look to as leaders.

Healthy doctrine will show itself in certain ways among older women as Titus 2:3 says. Older women were those who no longer had child-rearing responsibilities, typically around age 60. They are to display a reverent demeanor which reflects a dignified attitude of heart that treats all of life as sacred. They are not to be slanderous, not false accusers; this word is used over 30x in the NT to describe Satan, the one who slanders us before God. This highlights the danger of unguarded speech that is not retrained by self-control. It is painful to be falsely accused, or misjudged. We all know how that feels. Remember we are not God, we do not see into people’s hearts. Older women are also not to be enslaved to much wine. Wine was not completely forbidden; it was the common beverage, but the focus on slander and wine reflects the situation in Crete at that time, the problem being more prevalent among women. Positively they were to be teachers of good things that please God, their major task being to instruct the young women. This assumes there will be ongoing contact; time together between older adn younger. Train means to restore someone to their senses, making them sound-minded. Their ministry with younger women, which we will loook at more closely tomorrow, was to be marked by close relationships where they would equip the women in their primary resposibilities to the glory of God.

God’s Gifts to His Chosen Bride

Read Titus 2:1-8

On our wedding day 19 years ago, Angela and I exchanged rings, gifts that remind us daily of the vows we made. Over the years I have given her other gifts, but they pale in comparison to how God has blessed me through her life. She is truly a gift from God. It strikes me every Mother’s Day, we give gifts, often flowers, that are fast-fading reminders as we pause for 1 day to honor those for whom children’s day comes 365 days a year. It strikes me that those whom we honor often do not stop their labor of love to enjoy the day. I want to call your attention to the gifts God has given His chosen bride, the church – including the very special women among us – and how we are called to love, honor and cherish the women in our lives to the glory of God.

What we often think of when it comes to Titus 2 is mentoring, older teaching younger what it means to follow Jesus. Paul did that for Titus, a young pastor on the Island of Crete facing the challenges of false teachers and immature legalistic believers in the church and opponents to Christianity outside the church. Paul was a gift from God to Titus as a mentor. God has given blessings to His church - God Himself, God's Word & godly people.

1. God Himself. (Titus 1:1-4; 2:11-14; 3:4-7) God has given Himself to the church in the Gospel – in the form of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Titus 1:1 speaks of the elect or chosen ones. It points to God's work of regeneration that He does in the lives of ill-deserving and undeserving sinners when they come to Jesus Christ by grace through faith. Regeneration is something God the Holy Spirit does for us, causing us to be born again, as 1 Peter 1:3 says, to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ; as Jesus said in John 3:6-7, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, do not marvel that I said you must be born again.” Those of us who are "in Christ", believers, Christians are so because God washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life in Christ through the Holy Spirit. God gives Himself to the church, bringing His bride into relationship with Himself in Christ.

2. God’s Word (Titus 2:1). Paul instructed Titus to "speak"(continue to speak, on an ongoing basis what he had already been doing) "the things fitting for sound doctrine", in contrast with the diseased teaching of false teachers. The need for a solid grasp of God’s Word cannot be more strongly stated than in Titus 1:10-16. The Word of God is where sound doctrine comes from. "Sound" means "healthy". The truth produces health in our lives. Believers need to know the truth that sets us free as Jesus said in John 8:32, 36. No need to look elsewhere, God's Word is sufficient – either by way of specific teaching, directly addressing issues – such as how a husband ought to treat his wife; and how kids are to obey their parents - or by way of application and implication as God's Word is applied to issues it does not directly speak to. The Bible has everything we need for life and godliness. God has given His bride His Word, which stands forever, as Is. 40:8 says.

God has given the Church Himself and His Word. He also gives His bride the blessing of godly people - people who are being made by the Holy Spirit more like God, being "conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29). Tune in tomorrow for a look at how older and younger men and women are to live for the glory of God.

Corporate Worship: The Bottom Line

I am going to ask you to do 3 things each week as you anticipate and engage in corporate worship: Pray, Prepare and Participate.

PRAY for a huge display of the glory, character and attributes of God among us. Pray that we don’t focus on what we do and miss God in the process. Pray that we focus on God Himself and learn to worship and build one another up in the process. Pray for each other and for the worship leaders and me as we plan what we do each week. That we would be filled with the Holy Spirit, worship would be "from the heart," we would be God-focused and Christ-centered, that it would be based on the deep truths of God's greatness and goodness.

PREPARE wholeheartedly for corporate worship. Ask God to strip you of all pride and pretense. As Don Carson says we cannot ascribe to the Lord all the glory due His name if we are consumed by self-love or intoxicated by pitiful visions of our own greatness or independence. What will make our worship gatherings great is a renewed focus on who God is and what He does. May we seek the Lord and go deeper with him in our understanding and experience of corporate worship each week. That starts Sunday after the service; and continues to Saturday night and Sunday morning. Prepare your household for what they will experience. Be ready for God to do something.

PARTICIPATE wholeheartedly in it when you are here. Heb. 13:15-16: Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Corporate Worship: Who is with us? All Peoples

All peoples Rev. 7:9-12 One day in heaven, we will have perfect worship forever. A representation of all people will be there. God will save those He purposed to save. We will be with Him and one another and worship Him forever. Until then, our gatherings are a taste of what we will do forever, minus the sin. Ultimately, we will worship along with believers from every tribe, tongue, people and nation in heaven. That is something we look forward to. The gospel affects every kind of person. As we interact redemptively with our culture our congregation will reflect it because God saves all kinds of people through the gospel. The gospel is for everyone. We don’t need to import people to get a mix, but we need to look around our community and if we are living and preaching the gospel in a way that reaches people our gatherings will reflect the community. People from drastically different backgrounds are unified in Christ by the gospel - believing the same truth, reading the same Bible, singing the same songs, worshipping in the same church - Jesus tears down race walls, gender walls, class walls, generational walls – we share a common faith that has been shared for centuries.

The implications are huge for our lives, households and the church. Corporate worship anticipates heaven Rev. 21-22. We will see Him face to face. Until then, Worship God because He deserves it and live rightly because He says so. Be aware that you are being watched by the younger generation. Be on your toes. Worship in all of life flows from a life fully engaged with God. So seek to leave a God-honoring legacy with all you spend time with, through your words (confessing the Name of Jesus, confessing your dependence on Him.) and through doing good and sharing (your life, your time, your testimony, your listening ear). 1st with those closest to you – spouses, children, friends, and then as an outflow – with those you are involved with in other areas of life.

Corporate Worship: Who is with us? All Spiritual Conditions

All spiritual conditions. The only true worship is that of believers to God. It is what Christians do when they gather together as one body to honor God. So it must be directed at what Christians do. But who is present in our gatherings? Believers and unbelievers. We plan with believers in mind because true worship is an activity only believers can engage in. We know from the NT that often unbelievers would sneak their way into the church deceptively, trying to turn others away from the faith. We must be discerning. There were also wayward believers who teach false doctrine. While we are aware that unbelievers will be present – we do not plan services specifically for unbelievers – we will not plan seeker sensitive services, or seeker-driven services; but we ought to strive to be sensible to people – explaining the gospel to them, not just using words that only insiders know. But the activities we engage in only make sense for believers. To the unbelieving the gospel of Jesus Christ is foolishness. To us who are being saved it is the wisdom and power of God. There are people of all ages who do not know Jesus. 2 Tim. 2:19-21 Only God knows who is His. Because only God knows the true condition of each person’s heart, we will call people wqho profess to believe to faith and obedience; and unbelievers to faith and repentance.

Corporate Worship: Who is with us? All Ages

Who is with us when we gather for worship? Who is present, welcomed, invited?

All ages Deut. 6:6-9; Ps. 78:1-8. Adults, youth and children. The Bible does not specifically say which age groups are to gather for worship but there are numerous examples of settings where you can see that ages were integrated rather than segregated. Deut. 6:6-9 teach as a way of life, purposefully and intentionally. The people of God and parents are both addressed. In corporate and individual household settings they were to engage in God’s Word.

Deut. 31:12 assemble the men, women and children, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord.

2 Chron. 20:13 All Judah was standing before the Lord with their infants, their wives and children.

Ezra 10:1 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel.

Neh. 8:2 Ezra the priest brought the Law before the whole assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard. 8:3 And he read from it…from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book.

Ps. 78:1-8 (spoken to the entire congregation, to parents and the larger assembly).

Feeding of the 5000 (There were 5000 men present, plus women and children).

The Sermon on the Mount Matt. 5-7.

Acts 2:39-46 All whom the Lord our God will call to Himself (including young children who have great capacity for faith. They were all together and had all things in common. No age boundaries given.)

Acts 15:13-16 Lydia and whole household hear and understand the gospel.

Acts 16:30-34 Philippian jailer and whole household hear and believe the gospel and are baptized.

All ages should be together in corporate worship for a reason: God intends for the faith to be passed on from generation to generation, from parent to child, in many settings. 2 Tim. 3:14-16 from childhood Timothy knew the Word of God, taught to him by his mother and grandmother. From their earliest age children are to hear the Word of God in their parents voice, and observe them responding to God. Not just at home, but in many settings, especially when the church gathers. Some say kids shouldn’t be in corporate worship, that it isn’t practical, that they distract (they do if you let them and parents don’t prepare their children before, and shepherd them during and after). They say parents can’t focus, that they don’t want kids in. Jesus said to permit the children to come to Him, do not hinder them. Some say kids can’t understand what goes on here, they understand more than we give them credit for, don’t sell them short just because they may not be able to explain it like adults. Kids learn from their parent’s example. The Christian life is more caught than taught. Parents are to be the primary and most influential teachers of their children at home and church. Other godly people assist in that process.

Our family’s story:
Ten years ago our family decided we needed to worship together as a family. We were serving at a wonderful church but the services were scheduled in such a way that kids were in Sunday School when worship services were held. Some kids never went to worship until Junior High. When our eldest daughter Alexandra was seven and our son Michael was five, we began taking them with us to worship each week. On the first day we took Michael he was very upset that we weren’t allowing him to go to Sunday School twice that day! We got in our seats in the sanctuary and he turned to me and said “I hate you; you are the worst dad in the world”. I wanted to cry. I thought God wanted us t do this and I am getting flack from my five year old! I prayed for God to change his heart. About five minutes later Michael turned to me and said “I am sorry, I love you.” There was still some resistance for a while afterwards but we explained that this is what our family chose to do, even if other families chose not to, because we wanted our kids to learn what it means to be a part of the church and worship God together. We stuck with it and he settled in soon afterwards. Today he doesn’t even remember doing that to me. It was a learning experience. By the time our other children were five, they were asking when they could join us in worship!

One thing we also learned was that we need to prepare our kids for worship. Don’t take them in unprepared. Explain to them what they will see and hear and experience. Prepare them for joining you in worship. Be willing to do the heard work of parenting and prepare them before and shepherd them during and after.

Take a look at one more Biblical example in Eph. 6:1, and Col. 3:20; 4:15-16; What is significant here is children are being addressed directly as responsible members of the church! They were there when God's Word read and explained. [Another example could be 1 John 2:12-14 which either refers to different stages of maturity in the faith or to the actual ages and the different kinds of instruction each age group needed at their level of understanding].

The fact is all Christian parents want the same things for their kids: they want them to love Jesus and the Body of Christ and reach the world with the gospel. They just have different ideas of how best to accomplish that goal. We all know God is the one who does the work, we simply guide them in His direction. What I would say to all parents and grandparents contemplating what to do with their kids during worship is this: Make sure what you choose to do leads them to the goal you have for them of loving Jesus and loving the body of Christ.

A Biblical community is integrated, not isolated; intergenerational. Going to worship as a family can also be a great “togetherness connection”, a shared experience which enables deeper connections to be made on an ongoing basis. When I am not with my kids the most I can expect is a summary of what they experienced. If they tell me about a movie they saw or a book they read I just get a synopsis. But when I go see a movie or read a book with my children, there is a connection that can’t be had by seeing it separately. A deeper connection is made when you process it together – you can go beyond mere summary into greater applicational detail. This is what can happen when all ages worship together, we can go beyond mere summary to what was actually experienced and the nuances of those things. We can go deeper in our understanding of who God is and our application of His Word in our lives.

Whatever you choose to do with your family, may God be honored and people blessed to the glory of God.

Corporate Worship: How are we to do what we do?

How are we to do what we do when we gather for corporate worship?
Our heads, hearts and hands are all involved.

With our heads. we must think rightly about God & who He is and what it is He wants us to do. We need to avoid common misunderstandings of corporate worship. It is not merely external, mechanical doing of things that has no connection to their inner life. It flows from the heart. It is not an individual expression. It is a community event. It is not an emotional uplift. It is not a performance. Understanding what the Bible says Christians are to do will help us do all things properly and in order.

With our hearts. The heart is what God sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart 1 Sam. 16:7. Humble, expectant, trusting, obedient before God.

With our hands. We act upon what we know and believe and seek to glorify God. We follow a biblical pattern and model and focus on God, not the practices. When I was a kid I loved reading biographies, the life stories of others. I read the story of Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys, Pete Maravich of the Atlanta Hawks, John Wooden of UCLA. When I became a believer I began to read Christian biographies of people like Jim Elliot, D.L. Moody, George Mueller, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael and Luis Talbot. Always focused clearly on that life. Everything points to that. That is what we do in worship – everything points to God. The tough thing is the Bible does not have one definitive explanation – there is not one passage of Scripture that tells all. God has left it up to wise leaders to discern what is best for their congregations. It is up to the congregations to trust them.

Basically we must align our practice in worship with all the examples the New Testament gives. Everyone has an opinion. But the Bible does not always specify the exact way we are to practice each element. Just because Scripture is silent doesn’t mean God doesn’t want it to happen. And just because Scripture speaks doesn’t mean your interpretation is correct. Wherever you land on issues, avoid smug arrogance and digging in where God has not commanded a practice. In Acts 6 the congregation made a decision that seemed good to the leaders and the whole congregation. That is what we are seeking, unity in the Spirit. We seek to trust those that God has entrusted with responsibility.

I have found it helpful to remember that there are three realms we usually operate in when it comes to Biblical teaching and practice: Biblical doctrine, biblically-based practice and examples, and preferences and opinions (which are often fiercely held).

Bible doctrine (we are to “live” here): dig footings, lay a foundation and build your house. There are the things which should unite all born-again believers in Jesus – things we would all die for (like the virgin birth; the substitutionary atonement; the bodily resurrection; the imminent bodily return of Christ; the authority, inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture; and justification by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone).

Biblically-based examples and patterns (we are to use wisdom here): Sincere and intelligent Christians will differ on their application of biblically-based practices and examples.

Preferences and opinions (we are to “camp” here): God has given us freedom and we need to be wise and attempt to base our decisions on what the Bible says and what the Bible teaches. Aim to align your preferences, opinions and resulting practices with Biblical truth.

The problem is that many Christians are living where they should be camping and camping where they should be living! Some make preferences doctrines, others downplay doctrines as opinions. This creates needless problems and divisions in churches. We need to ask: What does God say about it? Where is my heart with the Lord? [By the way, people who tend to stir things up in the church usually do so because they are struggling with other issues in their lives. Seldom is the real issue the thing they make a big deal of, usually it’s something else: control issues, a spirit of unforgiveness, fear, some sin in their life, or some idol of the heart.]

We need to allow the Spirit of God to search our hearts, cleanse our hearts, purify us, so that when we come together as a body of believers, a family, we do so with our heads, hearts and hands engaged to the glory of God.