Adorning Our Doctrine

Titus Chapter 2 and this morning as we do that our goal for opening the word of God together is what it always should be that we might know better who it is that we worship and know better how it is that we ought to live in light of that real but this past week I was I was reflecting on some things that the world situation that we find ourselves in right now has led me to some interesting conclusions that has has led us to some interesting places as a culture that one thing that I noticed this week and it's not that this is a new realization. That's not that this is a new development, but there is an increasing rise in anti-intellectualism. All right. There's just increasing movement away from knowledge away from deep thinking right who needs who needs scholarship when we've got YouTube. Am I right? Right. It seems like now the most credible thing the best credentials of someone can possess is a video camera and an internet connection, right? Because we will ignore we will ignore what somebody with multiple phds has to say. In favor of some guy with a camera and an internet connection, right and we will take the opinion of a self-described. F expert over somebody who is giving years of their life to studying a topic. Now. I'm not saying that by pursuing a PhD and getting a doctorate in higher education. I'm not saying that that automatically makes you write as a matter of fact I can very much make you wrong but there's a problem when we immediately right off the view of somebody who studied something because they've studied something that there's a problem when we operate under the assumption that education is bad that deep breathing is bad and it's academic accountability is nothing more than groupthink. And its tendency is not just evident in our culture. It has spilled over into the church and there's a tendency for people in our day to dumb down the face now. I want to be very clear. I do not think that you have to go to Bible College to follow Jesus. No matter fact, if you want to follow Jesus Bible College probably isn't the best place to start. I don't think that you have to be an academic who reads 10 books a week in order to follow Jesus. However, it is a mistake when we say that we ought to not think deeply about our faith is it is a mistake for us to not pursue understanding when it comes to matters of faith. It is a mistake to say that all we need is a feeling when it comes to our fake know we are until we are told him scripture that we got to love the Lord your God with what all of your heart all of your soul all of your mind all of your strength. All of who we are is to be wrapped up into what it means to be a Christ follower. We need maybe not each of us, but we need in the church those who will devote themselves to pursuing a academically rigorous theologically deep. Understanding of what it means to be a Christ follower this past week in preparation to the sermon. I listen to a couple of books. I won't name them because I would not necessarily recommend them, but these were both books written by non-believers specifically for the points. I'm getting Christians to deny their faith intentionally trying to convert people away from Christianity. And I realized as I was reading this book that having the benefit by God's grace and through the sacrifice of many of his people having the benefit of the theological education. I do that. These arguments were not convincing to me that what these guys said did no way to shake the faith that I hold because I know why I believe what I believe I know what I believe and I know who I believe in But I thought if if I had spent my Christian Life saying I don't need to read the Bible. I don't need to study. I don't need to develop a deeper understanding the faith. These books would have been very dangerous to me. And they would be very dangerous to someone who said I don't believe. Did I need to study as a Christ follower? So I want to warn us this morning away from a view of Christianity that would seek to dumb down your face. I want to warn you this morning away from a view of Christianity. That would be based in how you feel rather than what you see to be true in the word of God. however I think there's an equal Temptation away. There's a equally dangerous move to move away from a Christianity that makes a difference in the world and a Christianity that exists only in my mind even as I say that we ought to reject anti-intellectualism. Even as I say that we got to study deeply of our faith. I want to encourage us Christ follower to know our face means to do something with our faith. Don't want to encourage you christ-follower would learn theology read books. Primarily the Bible, but other good books about the Bible as well read know, but don't let that be enough. You cannot substitute knowing about Christianity for following Christ. So what I'm calling us to is this well-rounded pursuit of Christianity Christianity that does not just live in our heart but lives in our head of Christianity that doesn't just live in our head but lives through our actions in this world. What I would ask is that like Paul encourages Bond servants in Titus 2 that we would Adorn our doctrine that we would decorate our theology. With a lifestyle that points to its truth because as we've moved away from intellectualism in our churches. We've also moved away from Holiness. We've moved away from Christian Living substance abuse a relaxed approach to sexuality divorced abortion greed hate racism violence idolatry. These things are not something that just happened in former generations of the faith. They are the reality for many in the church today. But that ought not to be so amazing doctrines of Grace being made available to us through the death of Jesus Christ being offered to us freely as a gift not of works so that we can't post this beautiful Doctrine is made available to all through Christ.

And it's been stained by lifestyles of disgrace. From those who ought to know better. And who want to be better through the presence and power of God's. We need both intellectual rigor? And practical living if our faith is to be made whole. We can't just get goosebumps. When we sing that song. We can't just feel our way into a Christianity that somehow props up our mental state and helps us feel better about ourselves and the world we live in we must think and we must be Difference salvation is by Grace. Let's not forget that salvation is by Grace. But that Grace that saves us also frees us. To think rightly and to live rightly now at this point. I've not said anything that's new to any of you write my goal on Sundays is not to surprise you with something new my goal on Sundays is to open this very old book. And just point to it and say God inspired this for the sake of his people. Let's study it let's learn it. Let's put our minds to it in order that our lives might be transformed but is often as I say that I think sometimes I go a little light on the specifics. I tell you that the gospel that we see revealed to us in the word of God is transformative. I tell you that the gospel that we believe about to have consequences in our daily lives, but I'm often the light on the specifics. That's the purpose of today's message because in Titus Chapter 2 Paul is writing to a young Protege in the ministry titles. He's on the Isle of Crete and he has been helping the church there grow and be put into order helping them understand. Okay, here's the contents of the Gospel. Here's the intellectual properties of the Gospel. Now, here's the lifestyle that results from that soap All rights to tide us to help him move the the cretan church from an intellectual understanding of the face and it sent to the facts of the faith and move into an application of that Faith to their daily lives there in Titus Chapter 2. We're lookin disses by the way for the sake of time. It was going to be Titus Chapter 2 in chapter 3 So what I would encourage you to do is after we get done looking at Titus two together this week go through and read Titus Chapter 3 sometime and reflect on it and recognized it to is giving us specifics for walking out our faith in our day-to-day lives right such but Titus Chapter 2 will be the focus this morning. I want you to read with me as we encounter the word of God. But as for you, this is Paul speaking to Titus as for you teach what Accords with sound Doctrine older men are to be sober-minded dignified self-controlled sound in faith in love and in steadfastness older women likewise are to be reverent in Behavior. Not slanderers or slaves too much wine. They are to teach what is good? And so train the young women to love their husbands and children. To be self-controlled pure working at home kind and submissive to their own husbands. That the word of God may not be reviled likewise urged the younger men to be self-controlled show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works and in your teaching show Integrity dignity and sound speech that cannot be condemned so that an opponent may be put to shame having nothing evil to say about slaves are we just supposed to be submissive to their own masters in everything there to be well pleasing not argumentative not pilfering but showing all good faith. So that in everything they may Adorn the doctrine of God our savior for the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all people training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions into live self-controlled up right and godly lives in the present age waiting for our blessed. Hope the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify himself for himself a people for his own possession, who are Zealous for good works declare these things exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one just regards you. Church, that's the word of God. And what does Paul do in this Paul under the inspiration of the holy spirit says teach what Accords with sound Doctrine right? This is this is intellectual language. This is nonsense language. This is Paul saying here's what you want to do. You want to teach what Accords with sound Doctrine but then he goes on and he says in that teaching what you doing is establishing Lifestyles that speak of God's goodness and his grace. The doctrinal content of our faith is really simple to grasp. God is Holy. We are not. God is righteous. We are not and God in his love and in his grace wants to bridge the gap between his Holiness and his righteousness and our unworthiness in our sinfulness. And so he does that by sending his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and to open up this path of redemption to invite all to put their faith in his sacrifice on our behalf to to envelop us into this Grand narrative story of redemption that he is writing in Christ through the crossing through the resurrection. To bring us back into fellowship with God when we reject our own self-righteousness and accept the alien righteousness of Christ. That is the content of our faith. That's the demere nutshell if you will of the Gospel. Which each in accordance with that? But we can't just teach it. We can't just believe it. It is entirely possible to sit in church all your life to know that backwards and forwards and to know beyond that and to be able to give me a summary of every biblical book from Genesis to Revelation and to be able to outline the flow of Redemptive history in to be able to use terms like supralapsarianism in a sentence and actually know what it means. And miss the gospel.

What's the difference between knowing of Christ and knowing Christ? When we see what a chords in our lives. With the sound Doctrine in our heads Titus is encouraged to teach what Accords with sound Doctrine and what Accords with sound Doctrine is always activity. Transformation being difference after Christ than you were before Christ for the men in your congregation Titus. Here's how this looks for the women in your congregation Titus. Here's how this looks for you as a teacher Titus. Here's how this looks for slaves. Here's how this looks for everyone. So we're going to walk through it and we're going to look at it. And I'm going to talk to each of those groups. I'm going to talk to the men and I'm going to say this is what the truth of the Gospel indicates Our Lives. To look like This is what Accords with the sound doctrine of grace through Christ men. Here's how you want to live and we're going to look at his instructions for women women. Here's what a chords with the gospel of Christ. This is the kind of life that is measured by that teachers. This is what Accords with sound Doctrine. Here's how you ought to be in your teaching slaves or employees people engaged in the marketplace. This is what your life out to look like in light of the gospel and all of us. This is what our lives. To look like in light of the Gospel. Now the reason that I cut this off at chapter 2 Is because that's going to take a while. to do that So I want us to not assume that this is the only time in our day where we can go through this I want us to look at this is merely part of the process this week of God transforming us through his word. So men. Let me talk to you what does it look like to live a life that Accords with sound Doctrine the first thing that he uses to describe it is to be sober-minded sober-minded. What is sober minded if I can paraphrase the definition is that we're not dependent on any sort of outside stimulus for our satisfaction. We are not dependent on outside stimulus for our satisfaction men. We do not need alcohol. To satisfy us men. We do not need Sports to satisfy us. We do not need our hobbies to satisfy us. I was reflecting on something this week.

I haven't been able to watch sports. For like the last 4 months. ESPN has been covering cornhole. For Heaven's Sake I love playing cornhole. I have no interest in watching other people play it. But if I do that is foolishness and silliness to waste my time doing why in the world would I be willing to give up hours of my week 2 reading about another sport watching another Sport and saying I need this to be satisfied. The other day been asked me. My son asked me like, how come we don't have this TV subscription. We used to have I said because football is not on right now band really get that subscription when you can have it then right. I'm not dependent on anything outside of Christ for my satisfaction. I am sober minded. My mind does not require external stimulation. I am fixed on Christ. I'm satisfied in him. He said that may not to be dignified dignified. Now. This is something that frankly my generation in those after mine. Had lost sight of the importance of dignity. We have lost sight of the value of dressing up. I mean, I'm preaching in cargo pants and a polo shirt and this is dressing up for me. Right there was a day when a pastor would not dream of stepping into a Pulpit without a suit and tie on right in awhile. I would reject that external formalism. That would say what is on the outside is but is important why would reject that at the same time. There's a part of me that would long for the sense of dignity that says this act is important and I ought to come to it prepared. Write this dignity is not just what we wear though. Is it right? Anybody can put a suit on? Anybody can learn to tie a tie? But in Christ, we are called to be more than that. We're called to be honorable to be serious to be reverence not to be flippant or immature. Right? We're told that in James not many of you should become teachers my brother's for you to know that we who teach will incur stricter judgement that does not always weigh on me. Like it should have a tendency to be flippant or immature in in the words. I say I like to you know, get you guys laughing. I like to get you guys thinking sometimes though. We don't need to laugh. Sometimes we just need to reflect on the seriousness of what it is that God has done for us in Christ. Two men. We got to be dignified. We have to be self-controlled now, this will come up again. So I want to just give you a warning guys. This is not unique to you. But guys this is essential to you to be self-controlled to be moderate in your opinions. And in your passions to not lose control of yourself in conversation or an action to not give yourself over to things that would disgrace Christ. To be able to control your emotions your desires to be able to submit the entirety of your being to Christ to be self-controlled. Does where to be sound in faith in love and steadfastness, what's it mean to be sound? What does it mean to be sound means to be whole right it mean it means to be totally complete and so in our faith, we can't just settle for a Sunday only kind of faith. We need a seven-day-a-week twenty-four-hour-a-day kind of Faith a whole face a total face a face that does not just put on a good face when we're around the guys from church.

But a sound Faith the whole faith that is reflected when we're hanging out with the guys after work. We were sitting around the campfire with our buddies. When were engaging with our children when we're communicating with our wives we need a faith that informs all of that. We're supposed to be found in Love Hole In Love Not Just limiting our love to those who serve us not just limiting our love to the circle that the appropriate according to our culture. But an expansive Supernatural kind of love that encompasses. Not just those who look like me like the same things that I like live in the same house as I live but even those who would be my enemies even those who would be opposed to me. We're to love them. Our love is to be whole not partial where to be found in our love we're supposed to be found and steadfastness found in patients is some translations may have found in the sense that we're not losing faith without losing heart when hard times come. Men your family if God blesses you with one will face hard times at sometime. Your family will be challenged your worlds beyond that your world will be facing Hard Times. Your co-workers will go through difficult times. You will go through difficult times. Be steadfast not just patient when things are going well. It's super easy to be patient. When things are going well, I used to work for a tire company up in the mountains of Idaho and we had some accounts that were like logging accounts and and they would have these log Skidders and they would get a flat, you know, something would poke through the side of it and there for 5 hours out in the mountains and it was my very difficult task to drive 4 hours one way through the beautiful mountains of Idaho stop and eat lunch by a stream kind of babbling through the Alpine Meadow. And get there and realized. I can't do this. They parked it on the side of the Hill. I've got to get a key to move the skitter or I can't fix this tire and then I'd have to very patiently sit and wait admiring the beauty around me watching the deer come down through the meadow was a tough job. I tell you what hard to be patient when you're getting paid to sit. In creation and yet I somehow managed it. Much harder to be patient when I'm standing at the sales counter and the customer is yelling at me telling me that my fixing a flat on his car. We broke his radio. much harder to be patient and yet if I'm to be sound and steadfastness. It's the same either way to me. Impatient regardless of the situation I'm in I'm not losing sight of Christ no matter what's going on. I'm sound and fade sound in love sound in steadfastness men. This is what the gossip urges you to mend. This is what Christ Grace on the cross calls you two to be sober-minded to be dignified to be self-controlled and to be sound in faith and love and stead fastness my question this morning, is is that your reality? Is that your experience? Is that even your desire? To hear these things in the say because of Christ. This is what is incumbent upon me as a man of Christ. If it is not.

You need to figure out why. Is it because you just not understood the gospel? Or is it because you've never accepted the gospel your faith is an intellectual awareness alone. Not one that has penetrated to the core of Who You Are. Women the implications of the gospel for you. This says that the women are to be reverent in Behavior. What does it mean to be reverent? Will this is the analog to what he was talking about above with the men being dignified the idea that women as you go through your life your to do. So with a deep awareness of the glory of God to do so with an awareness of the fact that Christ is King to be constantly aware of the fact that he reigns and he rules to be irreverence is the opposite. To be flippant is the opposite to be mindful of Christ at all moments is to be Reverend. It says women are not to be slanderers. What does it mean to be a slander?

Does it mean to be a gossip? What does it mean to speak evil for the sake of self-advancement of another here's a rule of thumb that because guys this is not just a woman thing as much as we'd like to blame them. This is true for all of us. Let me just go ahead and expand out for just a second. Here's the operating principle that I'm trying to inculcate in my life. Ladies. I'd encourage you to adopt this yourselves. 2 in order to not be a slander speak only what is loving? Speak only what is true? Okay. What is loving what is true? Cuz Jesus supposed to speak the truth at all times in love, right? That's what the Bible says. We're supposed to speak the truth in love. I said, what is loving what is true? That's what I'm going to speak not going to talk bad about somebody to make myself look better. I'm not going to put somebody down for my own advancement. We're going to speak what is loving what is true. But sometimes I need something a little more concrete than that. So here's the other model. Only say what you would say if the same for it if the person was in the room with you along with your pastor and your mother. Right, cuz sometimes if it's just the person in the room with us, we might be tempted to say a little bit more than we should. So just imagine if if I'm in a room with this person, what would I say? If my pastor my mother were also there. Right, so don't be Slanders speak the truth speak. What is loving as if you were constantly being observed which you are your reference, you're aware of the presence of Christ with you at all times. You know this Says that women are not to be slaves too. Much wine. This is the same idea of sober-minded for the men right not slaves too. Much wine wine is the substance is mentioned here Christian Lee Christian women. You should not depend on any substance for your satisfaction. You are not to be addicted to Wine, but this principle applies to everything. We are not to be addicted to anything. We have to be not be dependent on anything other than Christ for our daily satisfaction and our life. If he goes on to say teach what is good and then under teach? What is good? He he lays out these things. Here's what you're going to teach. What is good and Tails? Teach what is good train? Younger women. We live in one of the most age segregated societies ever developed on Earth. We live in an incredibly age segregated Society. Right where we're Generations kind of stick to themselves. Write the thing a little while back we forget so quick on social media. But the thing while back was you and everybody is blaming the Millennials for everything and then the Millennials came out and they were blaming the Boomers for everything and there's this like intergenerational Warfare being fomented on social media. The gospel would say to us knock it off. It's not about a generation. It's not about your generation against another generation. It's about every generation coming together to glorify Christ. And here's how that happens. Older ladies teach the younger ladies develop relationships. We have to see in our women's ministry is older women developing relationships with younger women in the helping them walk the path that they've already walked. There is a desperate need in our society for this. There is a desperate need in our society for generations to mingle and for there to be this intentional passing on of the wisdom that has gained with maturity. Right, if you are a young woman here, or I guess this is a broader principle. If you are young man here. Guess what? You don't know everything contrary to what you think. You need the wisdom of previous generations. And you won't realize that usually until it's too late. The older Generations we need you to reach out. And to teach and to train the younger Generations, what is the content of that training that training is to train them to love their husbands and their children now look obviously not every younger woman is going to have a husband and going to have children. This is not saying that this is the normal mode of operating for every single Christ follower for those who don't

Sad ignore this though. Write what I would say is that this is not for something for everybody. But those who do Christian. Love must be taught, right? Now my wife's not here this morning, you know why she's taking care of some sick kids at home. Right that is an act of love from her to our children. It's an act of love to me to free me up to be here this morning, right? She is loving her husband and her children. Well by not coming to church today. That's not natural. As a matter of fact societies increasingly encouraging young women to not burden themselves with husband's because let's be honest husband's take a lot of training. They're kind of like a puppy but ten times worse, right? One of my favorite sayings is you know, the Christian Christian men, you know, we'll get this today. I'm going to sacrificially love my wife. By throwing my clothes in the general direction of the laundry hamper. I'm going to sacrificially love my wife by putting my clothes more towards it than it was before right. It's not easy to love our husbands like that. It's not easy to love children who are constantly making messes and impinging on your social life and yet the gospel would call you to do that. The gospel would call you to a life. That puts yourself. Up on a Shelf.

Your self your identity is not found in what you do. It's not found in satisfying your own desires. It's found in loving others as Christ loved you. This is hard word and guys, we could make it a lot easier on them. But we need the older ladies to train the young ladies to be loving their husbands and children to be self-controlled right? There. It is again. No different from the man ladies you are to be self-controlled moderate and opinion and passion able to control your emotions desires Etc your not to be driven by. A reactionary culture to be driven by a deep and settled identity in Christ driven by an awareness of who it is who is redeemed you and what it is that he calls you two ladies be pure this is the same root as the word for Saint ladies be Saints. Be Saints be those who are holy be those who are set apart be those who are motivated by love for Christ and four others be kind. And then we get to a hot-button topic working at home submissive to husband will treat both of these together, right? This is not Paul saying ladies that you cannot hold a job outside the home. This is not Paul saying that What we need to understand is the context in which this was given in the first century women were second-class citizens at best. They were property at worst and the gospel comes in and radically changes that the gospel comes in and it is an incredibly liberating message for the women living in that patriarchal society that it's so just absolutely debase them and devalue them in women in the gospel women are given a pride of place who did Jesus appear to first after his resurrection. Not the Hard Hearted men that followed him not the not the stubborn disciples. He shows himself to who the women who would Faithfully been there every step of his Journey Faithfully supported his work. He gives them that glory to be the first recipients of the news of the Resurrection in the church. You got to understand Worship in the first century foremost faced with a male only thing women stayed home. They had their little household shrines. They were not invited into the temple. They were not invited with the men to worship God their worship was secondary was not primary. They worship through their husbands worship Christianity says no, Women have equal dignity and place from God in Christ. They were invited into worship. They participated in Worship in their homes with men with women with slaves with Freeman with Jews with grease. That's the message of the Gospel is there is now no longer male nor female slave nor free Jew nor Gentile, but all are one in Christ Jesus that is a liberating message, but they still lived in a culture. They didn't grasp that they still lived in a culture that if a woman begin to exercise that freedom, it would hamper the witness because the culture would see that woman act exercising that freedom and come to the wrong conclusion. Not that she had been set free and liberated in Christ, but that she was in Rebellion against her husband in Rebellion against the order of society and women. This is a mess. This is part to you and it's hard to say doesn't play well in our current culture. But I'm going to say it. Anyways, even as I say men, listen up this applies to us as well. The freedom we have in Christ is always limited limited by the culture that God has set us in to be his Witnesses. Let me say that one more time. The freedom we have in Christ is always limited by the culture. God has set us in to be his Witnesses. And if the culture would be offended if the culture would run away from Christ instead of towards Christ by you exercising your freedom. You ought to gladly give it up.

Christian in general our rights end where are witness begins?

We do not get to claim rights. If doing so would lead somebody to reject Christ unbelievers will always stumble over the gospel. They ought never to stumble over our in cautious use of our freedoms. And that's all Paul is saying he's not saying women your second class citizen. Stay home. Women are inferior to men submit to your husbands. He saying recognize that the world is watching how you exercise your freedom and do everything. You can to avoid the word of God being reviled. Hard words but a good word then he goes on and he talks to Titus nieces Titus. This is what the gospel means for you you teaching record with sound Doctrine you demonstrate Integrity dignity you be careful and how you speak your model good where she teach authoritatively verse 15, right? You ignoring review cuz all authority you let no one disregard you that's the teachers but then he goes on and he talks to the slaves and he says here's what the slaves out to do. Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters. Again, like with his injunctions to the women Above This is not Paul saying that slavery is good slavery is right that some men are inferior to other men. This is Paul saying you live in a culture and when this has in which this is assumed live as Christ in your context. The servants who follows Christ is free. But still living in a culture where exercising that Freedom by rebelling against their masters would bring harm to the gospel Witness. Now there is a great deal. Of information out there about the impact of Christianity on the eradication of slavery Christianity has nothing in fellowship with a system or a culture of slavery true gospel says to the slave you are free in Christ for that freedoms in is exercised in a culture that will accept or reject the gospel based on your faithfulness in that so he says to the slaves and I would I would say we can interpret this for ourselves as employees be well pleasing to your employer's to your Masters. Don't just do the bare minimum. Don't just do what you can to get by Be well pleasing don't steal and this isn't just money. Most of us would never think about stealing money, but some of us would think about stealing some time. Some of us would think about you know, we just fudge the numbers a little bit on the timesheet. Some of us would never dream of doing that and yet will run down the reputation of our employer in conversation with other employee with other employees in the break room. We're stealing reputation. So it's not just not stealing money. This is being whole again. If you will be aware of the Gospel in every circumstance how we use our employer's time how we use their money how we use these other things not feeling not arguing right? This isn't the same thing as disagreeing. It's not saying you just say the boss is right all the time. It means that you don't be just the squeaky wheel for the sake of being the squeaky wheel. You live a life that as it says adorns your Doctrine live a life that shows the gospel of the Kingdom. We don't add to the gospel by being well pleasing. We don't add to the gospel by not stealing but we do decorate it. We do prove it. We make it more attractive more beautiful more desirable when we live that way. Three says all of these things Two Men and two women and two slaves now he speaks to all. Look at verse 11 for the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all people the grace of God has appeared. It brings salvation for all people training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions to live self-controlled upright and godly lives in the present age waiting for our blessed. Hope the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness. To purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. The grace of God has appeared in the gospel and it is the good news of salvation for everyone man woman slave free. everyone black white red indigo everyone every single person created in the image of God is invited to God through Christ. Guess who carries that message? You and me. The Church of Jesus Christ and it does nobody any good if the only thing we have to do is give words. to the world instead we are to be adorning the doctrine with lifestyles of radical transformation radical self-control radical sacrifice of our selfish desires radical desire for good witch rutabagas Ellis for good works. It's not enough just a like good works. It's not enough just to do them on occasion, you know what the opportunity presents itself. We're to be zealous. We're to be sticking them out for suing them Desiring more and more to make a fundamentally good difference in the world. The world has enough words. The Bible even says so the writing of books there is no end, right which is good for those of us who read because none of the reading of books. There is no end. But if all we do is write books if all we do is read books is with all we do is just cram knowledge of the Gospel into our head through Bible study after Bible study after Bible study. And we never seek. To allow the doctor and we've taken in to transform us. Never let it challenge our cultural assumptions. There are things that I've said this morning that I probably said poorly. And if you're mad, and if I misspoke, please clarify to me, please. Correct me. I need that correction. But the fundamental point that I'm trying to get us to see is it men or women? Employer-employee or retired? everyone of us the gospel is true. We have to give ourselves to knowing it to allowing it to fill our brains and to impact our hearts and because of the gospel because of the fact that Christ died and lives again. We have an opportunity. To live as Christ in our families in our workplaces in our communities. With every breath we have we are telling something of the Gospel. Search what is your life telling of the Gospel?