TITUS 2: 1-2 1/26/2021*

“But as for you, proclaim the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.”
 
Paul is writing the owner’s manual for Christians.  And this passage deals with “Older men”. So, the rest of you take the morning off, and we old guys will just talk amongst ourselves.

 
Having just told us not to be, hypocritical posers…. Paul clarifies what we are supposed to be …”Accurate”. We are to speak truth and teach sound doctrine.

  
That sounds simple, however it is getting more and more challenging, as people who hate truth, start calling truth hate. It is no longer popular to speak truthfully…and you can expect to be attacked for doing so.

 
While speaking God’s truth can be dangerous… it is not complicated…. you do not need to speak Greek or Hebrew – There is no requirement of great orator skills – You just need to boldly proclaim the things which are clear in scripture.
 
And if you want people to listen, you must show them that truth works…put it into practice…be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love and in perseverance.

  
Take a hard look at that list of adjectives and decide how many of those words describe your life …determine today to improve on that because your effectiveness will depend on your consistency.

Men in our culture no longer strive to be temperate, or dignified, or self-controlled…In fact the opposite seems to be in style. There is an entire generation of young men who have never seen mature Christianity lived out for them … and that is on us. We need to show the world a different path, not just talk about it.

 
If you decide to do this it will not be met with applause - that is why Paul mentions perseverance… You cannot have perseverance without something to persevere through – and if you start speaking truth there will be opposition.  So, our job as old codgers, is to walk through the trouble and be accurate, dignified, and loving.
 
This will take a resolute decision - followed by action…. Agreeing with the concept is meaningless unless you do something about it. You can make a difference starting today, but it will not happen by accident.

 
“Be dogmatically true, obstinately holy, immovably honest, desperately kind, fixed upright.” – Charles Spurgeon

Daniel 2:14 1/19/2021*

“14 Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to Arioch, the captain of the king’s bodyguard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon.” 

Daniel is an adviser to a king in a foreign land…He has just received news that he has been moved to death row - yet he responds with discretion and discernment.

Is that our response to bad news?  As believers, we teach bible, sing in the choir, sit on the front row at church - but when the chips are down – do we have faith?  When things get difficult, does our walk match our talk?

Mike Tyson once said “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth” …Will my plan take a punch?... Is my faith solid or weak?

  
Daniel’s faith was solid - he kept his poise – ask some questions …then he and his friends went to God in prayer.

Is that how you respond to trouble? Do you answer with discretion, or do you fly off the handle?...Do you go to God, or do you run from the problem? Do you ask friends for prayer, or for pity? 

The answer depends on your faith. 

“Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). And faith is not faith until it is all you have left. There is no middle ground when it comes to actually trusting God. You cannot call it faith until you are leaning on it.

You can approve of a chair, you can enjoy the design of the chair, but until you sit down and rest in it – you don’t have faith in that chair.

Do you rest in your faith during times of trouble - or have anxiety while you talk about faithfulness?

Let’s take a lesson today from this prophet in the Old Testament facing a death sentence. Let’s respond with discretion and discernment to those who threaten us…not because we have false confidence in our position, but because we have supreme confidence in our God.

 
Faith is not a last resort - it is plan “A” …It is the strongest weapon you have and the only way you can live in peace and please God ….so the question today is…. Can your faith take a punch?...if not, it is not faith.

“Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will.” 
- Ben Stein

Proverbs 17:27 1/12/2021*

“Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.”

Everyone wants to have conversation, but no one wants to hear what others have to say. We have decided that we know the truth and now our job is to educate others. 

The problem is you may not know the truth.  You think you do - and there are algorithms online that lump us into like thinking camps, so our “itching ears hear what they want to hear” … but accuracy has nothing to do with the filter. 

This illusion prompts us to condemn with self- righteous indignation when we hear a different opinion. Friend, family…it makes no difference. If you do not conform you are evil.  

Often however, the problem is not different opinions, but different “truths” … “Facts” that are often wrong, but never doubted…checked by people who believe what we believe.

The truth…the real, unadulterated truth is hard to find…especially when we are not looking for it.

Anyone can spew lunacy with the click of a button. And the vendors of cyberspace manipulate what we see, based on our own clicks, to convince us that everyone (except a few extremists) agree with the “facts” in our online community.

So, when challenged we shout them down with our “truths” and judge them for questioning the statements on our news feed.

But a man of understanding restrains his words. He remains calm and listens. 

You do not need to change your opinion but consider that you may have different data instead of different morals. Judge information not intentions. Seek to help others understand, instead of trying to humiliate them.

We live in a country where (at least for now) it is legal to disagree. So, search for truth and be willing to adjust your position based on correctness. 

If it appears you have been misled…dig deeper. If your position is accurate, know that condescension and ridicule has never changed an opinion. You may win the argument; but you will lose a friend. 

Stop talking for a minute and consider what others say … Then share your opinion. Find worth in other people, restrain your words, have a cool spirit, and be a man of understanding.  

We are commanded to love each other, and you cannot love without listening.

“Never miss a good chance to shut up.” - Will Rogers

Hosea 5:3 1/5/2021*

“I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; Because now, Ephraim, you have been unfaithful, Israel has defiled itself.”

How foolish of us to live deceivingly and think we can concealed our sin from God.  God is completely aware of who we are.
 
Too often we put on different masks for different people...  But God sees all. Including the arrogance of posing as a “good” Christian while judging those who are not as skilled in presenting the façade.
 
God knows your depravity. Your deepest, darkest secrets, the deeds, and thoughts you are most ashamed of – The things you bury and try to forget…These are the brutal reasons for the Cross … and none of us are beyond needing the enormous payment the cross provides.

We are called to point out and stand against sin – but we should do it transparently, not in an accusatory manor as though we do not battle sin ourselves.  None of it is hidden from God, and none of it is OK with Him ... And yet, because of the Cross - We are clean.
 
There is freedom in that.  We do not need to project false piety. We do not need to craft our spiritual “profile” to conceal the blemishes. What we DO need to do - is own it - and stop pretending it is okay.
 
Something that has disappeared from our doctrine is a hatred for sin that generates confession and repentance…. We prefer instead to blame our sin on others, call it sickness, or normalize it.
  
But God says we need to confess sin with tears on our face …. Not so God will know about it - but so He will know that we know about it…. and that we know that it is unacceptable.
 
Confession that leads to repentance produces change…and that is what God intends for you. Christianity cannot be a part of your life – it must end your life - and allow you to be reborn as a new, different person.
 
If we intend to be called Christians, we must abhor sin and reflect Christ in our attitudes and actions.  If we are not committed to this, we either need to change our ways - or change our name. 
 
“More than once Jesus deliberately addressed certain issues that quickly diminished the number of onlookers. It was commitment that thinned the ranks.” - Chuck Swindoll