Faithful in Good Deeds Pt 1

all right good morning i'm glad you're all here it's good to see everybody i want to invite you to stand with us we'll pray and we'll get started and father we thank you for another day thank you for allowing us to be in your house this morning lord and just ask your blessing upon this time lord lord help us to to lavish praise upon you lord god because you're worthy of it all and so lord again we just ask your blessing upon this time in jesus name amen

you can have a seat if you like is the battle you see my victory does i walk through the shadow your love surrounds me there's nothing to fear now for i am saving you and every battle belongs to you against me for you are Jesus, there's nothing impossible.

You go and can stand.

You go and can stand the shadows. You win. And yes, Lord God, in you, Lord, there is victory, God, over sin and death. And Lord God, we just praise you. Lord, help us to rest in you this morning. Help us to rest in the fact, Lord, that in you, Lord, who you say that the highest king would welcome. I was lost, but he brought me in all his love, for he has ransomed me.

His grace, yes, he is a place.

Yes, Lord God, we just give you praise and we give you thanks, Lord, that today, that we get that settled today. Lord God, that in you, Lord, they are free. In you, they have new life. God, that in you, they have hope, Lord, hope for internal life with you, Lord.

My Jesus. Jesus, my Savior. Lord, there is none like you. All of my days, I want to praise the wonders of your mighty comfort. My shelter, tower of breath, never cease to bow down.

That this earth has to offer. The way that you do.

Lord, I just pray for your presence to be with us today as we're here worshiping you. Bill Ryan, as he's speaking your word and truth to us, let us hear from you and know the ways that we should go. And what we should be doing this week to show that we are your children. Let us not just live lives that look nice. Let us find ways to speak truth and love and to be doers of your word and to be diligent in our relationship with you and our walk with you this week.

Lord, I pray for a mighty change in all of us.

And I just pray that it will be done in your name and in your glory, Lord, as your children. And let us rest in your peace that you give us. Only you. In your name I pray. Amen.

Was a wretch. I remember who I was. I was lost. I was blind. I was running out of time. Sin separated. The breach was far too wide.

So you would speak mightily. That you would change our lives through the power of the cross, through the power of your blood that you spilled out for us. We love you and we praise you and we thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Let's have some fellowship.

Good morning.

If you could begin the process of locating your seat. Grab a bulletin. We'll get ready to go over some announcements together.

Welcome to Calvary Chapel. I'm glad that you have joined us this morning. A handful of things to take note of. Not much changed this week. All the things going on on the left-hand side of the bulletin. Over in the middle section, just a couple of things to take note of. First of all, we are continuing to make really good progress. We're going to make progress with the building out there.

Just so you know, it's not as big of a deal in first service, clearly. But second service, they don't have room. And so the plan as of now is once that building is done, we can turn that back room back into an overflow room. Which, believe it or not, actually is a necessity in second service. Turn that into an overflow room back there. With the hopes that one day we're going to build a sanctuary just to the west of that new addition.

And then we can just turn this into a sanctuary. Turn this whole building into the children's wing. And that will be the new sanctuary. And that's what we're looking towards. So if you would be in prayer for us for that. Because buildings take time and money. And wisdom. And so pray that we will have all of those things in abundance. To be able to do what needs to be done as God continues to bless his word going out here.

So I just want to make sure and share those things with you as we are continuing along. We're working on plans for those. We're working on plans for those things. If you're interested in serving here at Calvary Chapel, you've been around for about six months. Again, I'm going to throw this plug in there. I have people come up to me every week, which is great.

That say, hey, I want to get involved. And so it's fun to see that. It's great to see the church do what God has intended for the church to do. Also, just a reminder with the new church directory coming out. If you have signed up for pictures today, your pictures are today. I just saw somebody cover their mouth as if to say, hoopsie, that's us. That's okay.

You look great. Everybody looks great. That's great. That's great. I would take a picture of all of you and put it on my Instagram right now. Because you all look beautiful. Okay? So don't worry about it. Just go get your picture taken. If you have not signed up yet, make sure you talk to Lauren. Or I don't remember if there will be another sign-up sheet out there or not.

But we want to get everybody in there so that when you go, hey, shoot, who is that person again? I talked to him today. Totally forgot their name. Well, I do this. Maybe you guys don't do this. I totally talked to him today. Don't remember their name. Let me grab my handy directory with a picture in it. And now I can remember their name because I can identify their face.

That's the goal. So make sure that you are either signed up or you're getting that picture taken today. So those are the things that are going on. If you would make sure that your mobile device is silenced for our responsive reading this morning. We are going to be in Psalm 111. Psalm 111. For this part, we'll be looking at the New American Standard Bible so that we all sound the same.

If you need a copy, there should be one in a row around you. And as you are turning to Psalm 111. Psalm 111. If you are able, please stand in the honor of the reading of God's word.

I will read the odd verses. If you will follow along with Pastor Allen and the even verses. Psalm 111. Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart in the company of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord. They are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is his work. And his righteousness. His righteousness endures forever.

He has made his wonders to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and compassionate. He has given food to those who fear him. He will remember his covenant forever. He has made known to his people the power of his works in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of his hands are truth and justice. All his precepts are sure. They are upheld forever and ever.

They are performed in truth and uprightness. They are performed in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to his people. He has ordained his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all those who do his commandments. His praise endures forever. And Father, I just echo the words of the psalmist.

Praise the Lord. God, praise your name that we get to gather together to hear what your word has to say. To praise you in song. To worship you through the study of your word. And to be able to fellowship. To be able to worship together as the body of Christ. And so, Father, as we now move into the second part of our service of worshiping you through the study of your word,

I just pray that your Holy Spirit would move through this time. Father, that you would take the words that come out of my mouth that hopefully come directly from your word. And Lord, use them in the lives of the people that are here. That your word would go out with power. And that only you would shine through in everything that's said here this morning. And so, Father, we thank you and we praise you for who you are.

In Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. And if you would, open up in your Bibles to the book of Titus, chapter 3. Titus, chapter 3. Well, as always, I like to try to invite you into my own life with the things that go on. So that I'm not just declaring to you the gospel, but I'm also declaring to you my own life. And I got to spend this last week in Kansas City.

Believe it or not, the international headquarters for Fellowship of Christian Athletes is in Kansas. Kansas City, Missouri. It's right across the interstate from the stadiums up there. So I had to go up there for a week-long training. And it was great. It was so refreshing to sit in a group of, I think there was about 75 of us in there. And we were all from very different states.

All from very different backgrounds. Very different denominations. But nobody brought up any denominational differences. Nobody brought up what we maybe don't agree on. We all agreed on the main thing. That the word of God is the authority of God. That Jesus is the only way. And that discipleship involves teaching people about the truth of Jesus with the authority of the word of God.

So it was beautiful to sing praises with God's people. And to be mutually encouraged with each other. But I learned something this week. Okay? So I was in a room with a whole bunch of guys from Georgia and Tennessee. I love people from the South. Right? My favorite teacher in high school was Mrs. Jones. Because Mrs. Jones was from Atlanta, Georgia. And she taught us all to speak Southern.

Right? And I loved Mrs. Jones for that. I learned a little something new about Southerners this week. When they get really excited when a speaker is talking, they say, come on. Only they don't say, come on. That's how I say it in Kansas. Right? You know how they say it? They go, come on. Come on. Right? And so the speaker would be up there speaking. And all around me I would hear, come on.

And go dogs. Because they're all from Georgia. I hear, come on. And I was like, oh, I'm going to go back and tell my church, this is what I want you to do. Okay? Listen, all I'm saying is, all I'm saying is, if you shout out, come on, I'm going to preach harder. That's just all there is to it. It will energize me, just like it energized those speakers. Just like it energized me as a congregant listening to the speakers.

So, if you feel so led by the Holy Spirit to shout out, come on, I'll appreciate it. I may point you out real quick. I may just go and then preach a little harder. That's all there is to it. So, the guy that was sitting next to me, his name is Tyler. And Tyler. Tyler is this kid, right? He's 23 years old. And played baseball for the University of Memphis. He's a fantastic guy.

But I leaned over and I said, is this what Southerners always do instead of saying amen? He goes, come on. I was like, oh, yes, that's right. They do. I said, I'm going to tell my congregation that. He goes, I'm going to have to listen on Sunday. So, Tyler, if you're listening, that was for you, buddy. All right. Titus chapter 3. Now, we are coming into this last chapter of Titus.

And as we do so, again with the theme of faithfulness. When we come to chapter 3, I've simply entitled it Faithful in Good Deeds. Faithful in Good Deeds. It was very hard for me not to lump this chapter into faithful conduct. But as I was reading and studying through, three times in this chapter, good deeds are mentioned. And so, I thought, boy, that sure feels like a really good theme for what we're supposed to do.

Because good deeds are the good works that we do. It's not just the way that we live our life. It's the way that we intentionally live our life. It's to live according to good deeds. But it's kind of interesting because before we really get to the exhortation, there's one in verse 1. But before we really get to the exhortation to good deeds, he talks about the right heart.

And so, as we look at chapter 3, there's five things he's going to teach us about good deeds. And we're going to look at the first three of them this morning. But let's start by reading verses 1 through 7. It says this. Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed. To malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

For we also once were foolish ourselves. Disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures. Spending our life in malice. And envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us. Not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness according to his mercy. By the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

Whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. So that being justified by his grace, we would be made heirs. According to the hope of eternal life. Well look at the first three of these things this morning. The first one that he tells us. That if we are to live a life of good deeds. We must first of all respect the governing authorities.

Right before I came up here somebody said you're just going to make me angry with this one aren't you? And I said that's right. I am. I'm going to do the best that I can to nail all of us today as the book of Titus has continued to do. He starts off by saying remind them. Remind them. That tells us something. That tells us that what Paul. Is about to tell Titus to instruct the people is nothing new.

This is something he has told him over and over and over again. As a matter of fact a theme throughout the New Testament has to do with the respect for authority. Because all authority comes from God. We'll deal with this again in just a moment. But he says to remind them of these things. And I feel like if I brush past this I would be wrong. But may I say that once you become a believer in Jesus Christ.

And start to learn the basic doctrines of Christianity. The basic teachings of what it looks like to be a believer in Jesus Christ. You spend the rest of your life simply being reminded of what you're supposed to do. Simply being. Thank you. Simply being reminded of what you know to be true. And honestly my job as a pastor is not always to tell you some brand new revelation.

My job as a pastor is just to keep reminding you of what you've already been taught. To keep reminding you of what you know to be true. And that's what I have to do as a pastor. That's what we do as parents. Right? Right? It's instructions early on in life. And then you spend the rest of their life reminding them of what you told them when they were five. And so he says remind them of these things.

And what does he remind them to do? To be subject to rulers and authorities. To be subject to rulers and authorities. We've seen this word before. We actually saw this word in the last chapter when he was talking to wives in regard to their husbands. That their wives are to be subject to their husbands. Well the same word is used here. And again it's a military.

It's a military term. It's a military term that means to be under in rank. The idea is the respecting of the authority of those God has put into place. There's a second part of it that's given. And that is that we are to be obedient to the governing authorities. Because that is our Christian duty. I had them put up here Romans chapter 13 verse 1. And if you in the margin of your Bible might want to write Romans 13 verse 1.

Because what Romans 13 verse 1 says is that we are to be obedient to the governing authorities. Because that is our Christian duty. What Romans 13 verse 1 says is all authority is from God. Listen, all authority is from God. That means that the authority that you agree with is from God. And listen, listen close. The authority that you disagree with is from God.

And it's not just speaking of governmental meaning, meaning man's government authorities, but it also speaks of spiritual authority. That all that authority, it all comes from God and we are to be respectful of that authority. and I will remind you that when Paul was writing this they were not making Rome great again they were they were not having leadership that everybody agreed with that when Paul was writing this I bet everybody disagreed with the Caesar at that point of time who by the way was well on his way to saying you must worship me as God and he told him to respect the governing authorities I bet you're asking yourself a question right now but Ryan what if it violates what

God's Word says well then you can't respect that we're told in the book of Acts we ought to obey God rather than man but but I've not seen too many laws coming across in the United States of America today they're in violation of God's Word they happen sometimes but usually we just don't like the person that's in office usually we just don't like the person that's the authority we disagree with some of their policies therefore they're the most evil person in the world but we still have to respect them and it's interesting because he says remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities to be obedient to them and then he follows with this to be ready for every good deed now there's an interesting flow of thought that goes

into that because he starts off with respecting the authority and he finishes with the with the purpose for the clause and that is that you can be ready for every good deed why does one necessitate the other why does being ready for every good deed mean that you have to be respectful of the governmental authorities because if you are living in rebellion against authority you are living in rebellion against God and you are not ready for good works and you are not ready to do what God has called for you to do you know why because your heart is in rebellion therefore you cannot submit yourself to what God wants for you to do and this is an important subject for us to address in the current world that we

live in because right now there's a lot of people in the church that probably really respect the governmental authorities because it's probably the guy you voted for but two years ago I bet if I gave this same message you would be like because you didn't respect the guy in office and in two more years you might not respect that guy that's in office because he doesn't agree with your political opinions but I'm here to tell you right now whoever the person is you need to be a good citizen of the nation that God has called for you to be a good citizen of the nation that God has put you in because that is linked with your witness that is linked with who you are as a believer in Jesus Christ

and we are to respect those who are in authority the second thing that he tells us to do and it's super closely aligned with this first one is that we are to respect others we're to respect others I want you to notice what it says in verse two to malign no one and to respect others and to respect others and to respect others and to respect others and to respect others and to be peace able and gentle showing every consideration for all men to malign no one some of your translations word that a little differently they may stay to speak evil of no one to speak evil of no one that's how the New King James translates it I think the ESV translates it that way too but the idea behind that word to malign or to speak

evil of is to slander or to abuse with your speech friends we are seeing from our eyes we see things that we don't think we see with our eyes we see things that we are not seeing what happens when a culture slanders constantly with their speech we're seeing the effect of that in our culture today we're seeing the effect of the fact that everybody has a voice and that voice is put out in every way possible in every every medium possible and we are constantly filled with the the evil speaking the abuse of the slanderous language that comes out and and it's easy for us to immediately go to what we've just seen right like like i've heard all of the clips here recently that are that are played by the political party that i disagree with i've heard

all of the clips here recently and all of the all of the violent language that's used all of the vehement language that's used all of the all of the calling for for force that's used in the language and we and we saw that spill out into an incident a week and a half ago as the life of someone that was disagreed with was taken by a man who felt like that was the right thing to do because after all he had been called to action and we've seen the effect of what evil speech can do but can i tell you that evil speech doesn't belong to one political party and we just need to know that evil speech doesn't belong even just in politics evil speech is something that takes place in in all of our world i have a question

for you those of you that are football fans what do you say about the team that you don't like and listen i'm not talking about good nature joking and i'm guilty of this too what do you say about the team that you don't like it gets pretty evil right what do you say about the the singer that you that you don't like i'm a kansas city chiefs fan you guys know that about me and i'm so tired of everybody complaining about the fact that taylor swift is is getting married to travis kelsey can i just say vehemently who cares and and listen i say that to the people who are like i'm so tired of seeing taylor swift on tv all the time right i'm not saying that taylor swift is your favorite team

And I say that to the people that are like, I can't believe Taylor's going to marry Travis, right? Who cares? Let them live their life and quit talking bad about them all the time. What if tomorrow, what if tomorrow somebody takes an actual shot at a singer? Perhaps it's because of all of the evil speaking that goes on. Sometimes I feel bad for these young kids, right?

Because that's what these kids, the older I get, they really are just young kids, right? I feel bad about the fact that a 23-year-old may have to completely take down their social media as an athlete because of the hate speech that they get every time they have a bad game. Because of the fact that their worth is tied up in the sport that they play. Because when they're doing really good, social media and all of sports talk is filled with all of their praises.

But one bad game and all of sports talk and all of social media is calling them the most vulgar, vile names on the face of the earth. I feel bad for young people in any sort of a public spotlight. You know why I never wanted to go online? It's because I didn't want to deal with that. And I don't. Praise God. I don't deal. I've had two comments I think I've had to delete off Instagram because I thought, well, that's not very nice.

That's it. In all of the time that I've been online. So I've not dealt with a whole lot of that. But I think most of the people that are watching Calvary Chapel of Arc City aren't looking to tear me down too much. But I can't imagine the people that deal with this on a consistent basis. And it's because of evil speaking that takes place. But let's take the public spotlight out of it.

And let's get down to the nitty gritty of us as individuals. What do you say about people when no one else is listening? What do you say about people that you think will never get back to them? Because when he says malign no one, while it includes governmental authorities, while it includes people on a public stage, it also includes the people that you know.

Listen, I'm here to tell you right now, you can say as much as you want to, sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me. That's the most false statement that we can make. I guarantee, I guarantee I can have a conversation with somebody that's my age and they will be reminded. They can tell me about the hurtful thing that somebody said to them when they were 12 years old.

And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life.

And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life.

And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. And how much it has affected their life and their view of life. we are all human beings and we must treat each other like human beings there are plenty of people in the world that I have zero things in common with and I

don't agree with any aspect of their lifestyle I don't agree with any aspect of their politics I don't even like their music right but there's still someone that's been created in the image of God and there's still someone who is worthy of respect there's still someone that God loves and there's still someone that God died for and we need to treat them as if Jesus died for them and quit using our speech to tear people down listen if your politics causes you to celebrate the death of those that you disagree with you're doing it wrong and I don't care which side of the aisle you sit on that's just reality and so he says malign no one but what does he say to do instead to be peaceable

and to be gentle and to show every consideration for all men he says to be peaceable and gentle you know the first thing I thought of when I heard those two words were I thought of the thought of Jesus I thought of the fact that Jesus lived this out in his daily life listen if there was anybody who had a right to speak evil of those around him it was Jesus right because he never did anything wrong and he was only criticized and yet even in the process of being accused of being a sinner and being accused of being a sinner and being accused of being a sinner and being accused of being a sinner and being accused of crimes he did not commit even in the face of death he remained peaceable and

gentle and he gives us the perfect example of what that's supposed to look like but you know what the second thing I thought of is those are two fruits of the Holy Spirit the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control that tells me those are two very important things that if they are exemplified in the life of Jesus and if they are fruits that are produced in our life that we bear in our life through the presence of the Holy Spirit it must be something that we're supposed to pay attention to because rather than being someone who is evil speaking towards the people that are around us perhaps instead we are the people who speak

peaceably and gently to the people that are around us you know the Proverbs tells us the Proverbs tells us that a soft answer turns away wrath a soft answer turns away wrath you know if they teach you and in trying to trying to defuse intense situations is that you need to change your tone because we will match each other's energy if your energy goes high my energy will go high if if you're angry I will match the anger because that's who we are by nature as human beings so if we match nature or if we match energy as by our nature as human beings we have to drop the energy you have to be peaceful you have to be peaceful in the way that you address people you have to be gentle in the way

that you address people let your speech always be seasoned Paul tells us with grace but then he tells us one last thing that we need to do he says and show every consideration for all men show every consideration for all men the word consideration there carries with it the idea of meekness and humility like to read you read this to you out of the Amplified Bible it says and show unqualified consideration and courtesy towards all men it can also be translated like this show true humility in the way that you treat people true humility in the way that you treat people well what does humility of heart lead to in our lives see humility is one of those things it's really difficult to identify right especially in our own lives humility is the one thing that

once you realize you've got it and you've got it you've got it you've got it you've got it you've lost it because I've heard this quote assigned to about three different people so I know who said it but I really like it humility is not looking down on yourself humility is not looking at yourself at all see that's what causes us to truly start to be patient and kind with the people that are around us that if we forget about ourselves magnify the Lord then all the sudden we'll start to look at other people as his creation and not as our enemy that's why I think there's a lot of people out there that don't have the the greatest thing we can do in the times that we're living in right now is

remember something remember that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against every principality and power against spiritual rulers in high places and the weapons as we're told in 2nd Corinthians of our warfare 1st Corinthians are not carnal but they are spiritual in nature we have to remember that we are in a spiritual battle and we have to stop looking at people as the enemy people are not our enemy Right? You don't understand. There are some evil people out there. Yep. And you know why they're

evil? Because they have been fooled by the Holy Spirit. Think about when Paul came to Jesus, right? Think about when Paul came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior. You know what everybody was like? Whatever, dude, you're a spy, right? That's how everybody felt about him. Because why on earth would this guy all of a sudden be a believer in Jesus Christ? He hated us last week,

and now he's one of us? What is he talking about? You see, because he was in the middle of a spiritual battle. He was never the enemy. He was just being used by the enemy for evil. We have to remember that in the world that we live in today, is that people are not our enemy. Instead, we are to show true humility in the way that we live our lives. And true humility

takes my eyes off of me. It puts them on what I can do for the people that are around me. But as Paul's writing this, as he says, respect the governing authority so that you can always be ready for good works. Don't malign people. Don't speak evil. If people instead show, well, how did the Amplified Bible put it again? Let me read that again. Show unqualified

consideration and courtesy for people. How do we do that? Well, we do that by remembering, number three, by remembering what God has done for us. It starts off in verse three. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our lives in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. Why should we show true humility? Why should patience and kindness be what guide us in the

way that we speak about others, in the way that we speak to others? in the way that we refer to people, in the way that we respect other people, well, because you were once a fool. Isn't that great? And I love that Paul doesn't say you were once a fool. He says we were once a fool. He says there were two or three things about us that were important to pay attention to.

Number one is that we were foolish and disobedient and deceived. Foolish and disobedient and deceived. I chose this psalm this morning for a specific purpose. I've had people ask me before, how do you choose a psalm of the day? Well, today, as long as I got my date right, today's September 21st. So I started off in Psalm 21, and not feeling that. And then I went to Psalm 51, way too long.

You know, we'd still be here reading that thing. And then I went to Psalm 81, and then I went to Psalm 111, every 30th psalm. And I read Psalm 111, and I was like, ah, now that's a good psalm. That's a good one. You know why? Because it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. You know what the fool has said in his heart? There is no God. So we were foolish.

Why were we foolish? Because we didn't fear the Lord. Because we had no thought for God in our mind at all. And it makes us fools. Wise in our own eyes, as we're told in the book of Romans. But ultimately, fools in the eyes of God. We were foolish. We were disobedient. In other words, rebellious towards the law of God. But not only that, we were deceived. What were we deceived by?

We were deceived by the very same thing that Adam and Eve were deceived by in the very beginning. What is the great deception that has ruled all of humanity that brought sin into the world? You can be your own God. You can choose what's right. You can choose what's wrong. And you can live your life however you want to and find joy and fulfillment in life as long as you live your truth.

That's called being deceived. The first deception ever, you can be your own God. And that's who we were. We were fools because we wouldn't honor God. We were disobedient to the law of God. And we were deceived thinking we could be our own God. And that played itself out in our lives. And this is how it played itself out in our lives. We were enslaved by lust and pleasure.

We were enslaved by lust and pleasure. And I think if we look at our world today, it's what we see. We see people enslaved by their lusts and their pleasures. They're enslaved by their lust for power. They're enslaved by their lust for money. They're enslaved by their lust for sex. They're enslaved by their lust for the next thing that they can fill themselves with, be it drugs or alcohol.

They're enslaved by a desire for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world.

They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world.

They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. They're enslaved by their lust for more of the things of the world. right now. There are men and women involved in the adult film industry right now that are leaving it all behind to go follow Jesus. And the reason why is because they got into that industry because they felt ashamed of themselves, because they felt like no one loved them, because they

felt like no one cared for them, and because they were deceived by the enemy. And they thought that the best thing that they could do is to make a lot of money while also pursuing their lusts and their pleasures. And what they found at the end of the day is it left them starkly empty. And now they're leaving it all behind to go follow Jesus. Is that not fantastic? Is that not amazing what

God is able to do? That that's who they were, but that's not now who they are. He says, you were once this. This is who you were. You were foolish and disobedient and deceived. You were enslaved by lust and pleasure. But not only that, you lived a life full of malice. Full of envy and full of hatefulness. The malicious lives that we lived, the envious lives that we lived, and the hateful lives that we lived encapsulate who we were before Christ.

And listen, there's two groups of people that need to hear this. First of all, the unbelievers need to hear this because they need to hear that this is who you are apart from Jesus Christ. Who you are apart from Jesus Christ is deceived, enslaved, and hateful. That's all you need to hear. That's all you need to hear. That's all you need to hear. That's all that you know. And that is your life. And that life will lead you straight to hell.

And every unbeliever in the world needs to hear that truth. Because you don't understand the good news until you first understand the bad news. And the bad news is that you've been enslaved. And oftentimes, when you talk to someone and you explain that to them, they go, you're right. I never thought about it that way. Because they're living their lives blinded by the

things of the world. They're living their lives blinded by the enemy. After all, they've been deceived. And so it's important for the people of the world to hear this. And so if you're here this morning, and that's you, you need to know God doesn't want you to stay in that place. God doesn't want you to stay in that lane. He doesn't want you to stay deceived and enslaved and covered

with all of the hatefulness of the world. He wants to see you saved. And so the people of the world need to hear this. But do you know who I think really needs to hear this right now? I think the people of the church need to hear this right now. Because we need to be reminded this is who we are. This is who we were. This is who we were. So stop looking at the rest of the world like they're

unsavable. Stop looking at the rest of the world like they're worse than you. Stop looking at the rest of the world like they should be ashamed of themselves. Stop looking at the rest of the world like they're unsavable. Because that's who you were. That's who I was. I feel like this is Paul giving his own testimony, right? Like I always say, there's three components to every testimony.

Who you were, who you are, and how Jesus got you there. This is what he starts with. This is who I was. Which is why he says, we were at one time foolish and disobedient and deceived, enslaved by our lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy and hatefulness, hating one another. Because that's who we were. Brothers and sisters, if we can lock in our brains that this is who we were, it will change the way that you view your

neighbor. It will change the way that you view a political party that you disagree with. It will change the way you view a young man who thought the only thing that he could do was take a shot at a political spokesperson who he disagreed with. Because do you realize that if Jesus can save Paul, Jesus can save that young man? That's what we call the scandal of the gospel.

Is that no matter who you were, it doesn't have to be who you are. Because Jesus, wants to change you. And this is how he does it. After he says, we were, now he says, but when, verse four, but when the kindness of God, our Savior, and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us. And this is how he does it. And this is how he does it. And this is how he does it.

Through Jesus Christ, our Savior. I love it. He says, but when, but when kindness and love appeared, but when kindness and love appeared, what does he mean when kindness and love appeared? When did kindness and love appear? Well, again, I'd like to quote the Amplified Bible on this. It says, in the person of Jesus Christ, in the person of Jesus Christ, because he taught us

what kindness and love really looks like. When the kindness of God, and the love of God appeared and was personified in Jesus Christ. And I think every single one of us that's born again in this room, if we really took some time to think about it, you can think about when the love of Jesus really truly appeared to you. When you really, though personified 2,000 years ago, when it became real to you, you can be like, this is when it happened. That's when the

love of God appeared to me. That's when he made it more real to me than the very ground that I stand on. That's when he made it more real to me than the very ground that I stand on. Today, when the love of God and his kindness appeared to us, it says, for he saved us, verse 5, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness. I love how Paul starts this,

because he says, this is how he did not save you. He did not save you on the basis of good deeds. Ryan, you just said this entire chapter is called faithful and good deeds. Yeah, but remember, good deeds are not the root. Good deeds are the fruit. The goodness of God, the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ, that's the root. He says, not based on deeds which you have done. This is where true biblical Christianity

separates from every other form of teaching out there. Separates from every other aspect of teaching that's out there. Whether it's, and I'm sorry, I know I'll step on toes of this, but I'm willing to do it. Whether it's Catholicism, whether it's Islam, whether it's Mormonism, whether it's Catholicism, whether it's Catholicism, whether it's Catholicism, whether it's Catholicism, whether it's Jehovah's Witnesses, you name it, you name the false teaching that's out there, this is where it separates. Because all of those, your goodness, your salvation is based on the

deeds that you have done. It's either based on the sacraments, or it's based on the works, or it's based on the righteousness that you can produce in yourself. And you'll never really know until the end. But he says, but when the love of God and his kindness appeared, he saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done. So if it's not based on the deeds that I do, if it's not based on

my own righteous works, then what is my salvation based on? Middle of verse five, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing by the Holy Spirit. But it is according to, to his mercy. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And we are reminded in God's salvation that he saved us by his mercy. Not because of anything that I've done, but because of everything that he did.

Not because of anything that I am, but because of everything that he is. Did I have you put that quote up there from R. Kent Hughes? I read this great quote about according to mercy. I probably didn't. It says this, salvation is a consequence of what is in God's heart, not what is in ours. Let me read that to you again. Salvation is a consequence of what is in God's heart, not what is in ours.

Isn't that fantastic? Because it's based on his mercy. Because it's based on everything that God is. It's based on everything that God has done. And all that I can do is come to Jesus and say, I'll take it. I want that because I know who I am. And that's not who I want to be. And so if you offer me something better, I'll take it. It'd be like if I brought you a gift for Christmas, right?

Got a little while until Christmas. It was fun to think about. If I brought you a gift for Christmas and I'm like, look, I have this beautiful gift for you. And you're like, oh, thank you. Wait a second. I need you to go do these things for me. And then I'll give you this gift. Well, at that point in time, it's not a gift anymore, is it? What is it? It's something now that I owe you.

I owe you because of what you've done. No, no, this is just a gift. Based completely upon the fact that I want to give it to you, not because you deserve to receive it. Because it's by mercy. So I always, so I always struggled with people that did the Santa thing. They're like, listen, if you're not good, Santa's not going to bring you gifts. That's where the works mentality begins.

Seriously. We are born with a works mentality. That I have to work to deserve what someone gives. And while in the workforce, that's a beautiful thing. In salvation, it's not what's intended. Because salvation is a gift from God. It is by his mercy. But there's a couple of other words I need to point out to us. Back to verse five. He saved us, not on the basis of the deeds which we have done in righteousness,

but according to his mercy. That's the heart behind it. But this is the process. By the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, the word washing there is very interesting. A lot of people try to point out that this is baptismal regeneration, but it's actually a different word that's used for baptism.

This word is the same word that's used in Ephesians when it talks about the washing of the word. And the idea is this. When it says washing, what it really means is to be bathed all over. To be bathed all over. So I want you to think about this. God, according to his mercy, bathed you all over. What does that mean? It means he washed away every stain. That sin has left behind on you.

He washed away every aspect of that stain to where you came out looking squeaky clean like nothing ever happened. Like nothing ever took place in your life. This is why when Jesus washed the disciples' feet, and Peter was like, whoa, this feels like a bad idea. And Jesus says, if I don't wash your feet, then you have no part in me. And he goes, well, then wash the whole thing.

And he says, no, you are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you. I just simply need to wash your feet. Because we are bathed all over, but we walk in the world. So we're bathed by the regeneration that comes through the Holy Spirit. We need that continual cleansing of the word of God for our feet that touch the earth. Does that make sense? We are bathed all over.

All of those stains are washed away. All of that garbage is washed away. And this is what I love to make sure that people understand. And I'm going to keep preaching this until the day that I die. Because I know so many Christians that still live in the shame of what they've done. They still live in the shame of who they were. And they won't live as a new creation because they still feel bad about what they did 25 years ago.

I want you to know, God doesn't know what you're talking about. God doesn't know because he already washed you clean. He already bathed you. He has cleansed you of those things. And when he looks at you, he doesn't look at you and see sin. When he looks at you, he looks at someone who has been made brand new. He goes on from there to say, by the washing of what?

Regeneration. What does regeneration mean? Regeneration means. New birth. The restoration to a pristine state. The production of a new life that has been consecrated to God. It was kind of put like this by Jesus, right? So Nicodemus comes to Jesus late one night. He's got some questions. He says, listen, you seem like a pretty good teacher. You seem like you've been sent from God.

Is that true? Jesus looks at him and says, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He says, what do you mean by born again? I'm supposed to enter back into my mom's womb? That feels weird and a little wrong. I can't do that. That's impossible. He says, you've been a teacher of the law this whole time. You don't know this? Unless a man is born by both water and the spirit,

you will never see the kingdom of God. What does it mean to be born of the spirit? It means to be regenerated by the washing, that comes through the Holy Spirit. It means to become born again, made completely brand new. I just got through taking some college kids through this a few weeks ago. I love anytime I start a new Bible study group, I always like to start in the beginning, right?

I like to start in the beginning with God. This is who God is, and this is why we can trust God. And this is why we can believe everything else about God. Because if you can believe Genesis chapter one, verse one, in the beginning, God created, bara, spoke into existence, the heavens and the earth, then you can believe anything else that the Bible has to say.

But once we know that God has created, that God is the creator, we have to understand us. We have to understand that we were created with a purpose. The purpose that we were created with is to know and to serve God. But there's one thing that broke that purpose. The one thing that broke that purpose is sin. And that sin spread through all of humanity. And so all of humanity is living today with a broken purpose.

You are in an altered state that comes about because of sin. And then you live that out through all of the things that we said in verse three, by being foolish and disobedient and deceived and enslaved by lusts and pleasures and living in malice and living in envy and living in hate. That reflects who we are as an altered individual because of sin. But then steps in Jesus.

By his mercy, when he died for us on the cross, he washed us clean with his blood, and we were made brand new, regenerated, born again, put back into a pristine state. Or to use the language we used earlier, restored purpose. And that's who you are. You were that. Now you're this. You have been washed. You've been washed with the regeneration, listen, and the renewing by the Holy Spirit.

I'm going to have you write down another verse. It's 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. One of my favorite verses in Scripture. Because 2 Corinthians 5, 17 says this. If anyone is in Christ, and that's what it means to be born again. If anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. And I want you to know and understand that you've been made new in Christ.

It's important to remember who you were because it keeps us humble. But it's important to know who you are because it gives godliness. It's important to know who you are because it gives godliness. And with that godly confidence comes the desire to spread that godly confidence to the people that are around us because we remember who we were. He says that this renewing, end of verse 5, is by the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior. What does that mean? It means the day that you became born again, you were given the Holy Spirit. He poured it into you generously. And that Holy Spirit that God has given to us is what Ephesians refers, who is the down payment, the down payment of the promise of what's to come. Because the promise of what's to come is a brand new life in eternity.

But now we have the down payment. We have the, according to the Greek, the engagement ring, the promise of the Holy Spirit that's dwelling on the inside of us that not only made us new but gives us that longing for what's to come. And what's to come? Well, I'm really glad you asked. It says in verse 7, It says in verse 7, By his grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

So that being justified. So that. That's my next title there. So that. Being justified. The word justified is a very technical legal term. You've heard me share this before. It's a very technical legal term that means to render or declare righteous. To render or declare righteous. I'm sure you've heard this before, but I'm going to say it again because it's fun to say.

Spread that word out, okay? Just if I'd. So if it means to be declared righteous, what does justified mean? It means that once you've been declared righteous by God, it's just as if I'd never sinned. That's how God views you. And since you have been justified, what were you justified by? Well, not the good things that you've done. What were you justified by?

His grace, right? Different word than mercy. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don't deserve. Mercy gives us salvation. Grace gives us new life. This is what he says. So that being justified by his grace, we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. That means that you have an inheritance that's waiting for you.

And the inheritance that you are an heir to is all of the wealth that comes with being a child of God. All of the wealth that comes with being a child of God. I have dug and dug through my family history. to try to find that one rich uncle that when he, God bless him, goes home to be with Jesus is going to leave me his fortune. And then I'll never worry about a thing

and I'll live the life I know God always intended me to live and all of the wealth of the world. But I haven't found that uncle yet. But I have found something even better. The better thing that I have found is that I am an heir to the eternal life that comes through Jesus Christ that means that on this side of eternity I'm probably never going to have all of the wealth of the world but that's okay.

I'm willing to spend my time on this side of eternity wearing myself out to make sure that everybody in the world knows as much as they can about the word of God as possible so that you can understand who you are in Christ. So that you can understand this is who you were this is who you are and this is how Jesus got you there. I'm willing to wear myself out to let everybody in the world know that because I have an inheritance that's waiting for me. Because I have I'm an heir to something that can never have a monetary or dollar amount put on it.

And the reason why is because of the grace of God and because of the mercy of God in my life. Brothers and sisters we have to understand something if we are to respect others if we are to respect the governing authorities if we are to live a life of good deeds it has to come from a humble heart that has been washed clean through God's saving grace. Why do we respect the people that are around us? Why do we refuse to speak evil of them instead we show true humility towards them?

Well because at the end of the day apart from Jesus Christ I'm just like you. Apart from Jesus Christ there's no difference between you and me. And that puts me down on the same playing field with everybody else. You see the great thing about the gospel of Jesus Christ is that it creates a level ground and we all stand in the same place. And now there's only two groups

of people in the world. Those who are in Christ and those who aren't in Christ. And if you're in Christ I want to see you built up in your walk with Jesus Christ. And if you're not in Christ then I'd like to introduce you to him. Because it's the greatest thing you can ever imagine in your life. See that's reaching in and reaching out. Amen? Let's all stand.

And if you'd bow with me.

Father we come before you. And Lord sometimes there's heavy things to learn in your word. Things that step on our toes. But Lord I thank you for the reminders. Lord the reminders that tell us why we do what we do. The reminders that humble us. The reminders that teach us. And Lord the reminders that cause us to say praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures.

Praise him above you heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Because we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that not based on the things that we've done Lord but because of the abundance of your grace and mercy. We as worthless sinners Lord can be called children of God. And so Father I pray that you would be with us as we go out from here. Lord I pray that this truth would resonate in our hearts.

Lord that you would humble us where we need to be humbled. Where we need to learn to show that true humility to the people that are around us. Lord that you would give us godly confidence in who we are in you for those who need to know I am a brand new creation in Jesus Christ and I am not going to live like the old me anymore. And Lord the confidence that we need to go out and tell other people that there is a God who loves them.

There is a Jesus who has saved them. And so Father I just pray that you would do the work in our hearts. And what your Holy Spirit can do. Draw us near to you we pray. In Jesus name. Amen. Be blessed. I love you guys. God we just thank you for another day.

And we just thank you for this time that we can spend in your word and worshiping you Lord. And as we leave here today Lord we pray a blessing over each and every one of us. Go with us. Go before us Lord God. The power of your Holy Spirit. We love you and we praise you in Jesus name. Amen. You guys have a wonderful week. God bless you.