[0:00] Open your Bibles to Titus chapter 3, and that's where we're going to be this morning. Let's stand together.

 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work. To speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God, our Savior, toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that having been justified by his grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

Thank you, Lord, for your word to us. We ask, Holy Spirit, that you have your way in our lives, in this place, in our community, and that we would be conduits concerning the gospel and your love, that you could work through us, in us, Lord, and among us, that we might make a difference. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. You can be seated.

 So, I entitled this message, Maintenance Matters. Maintenance Matters. And that's true, practically speaking, as well as spiritually speaking. You know, if you never change the oil in your car, you're going to have problems. Especially if you never put oil in your car, you're going to have problems. Well, you know, concerning the spiritual things, it's similar. You don't want to be those caught without oil in your lamps.

And so there's ways of staying on top of that. And so it's obvious where today's title came from. Besides the overall chapter, you look specifically in verse 8. This is a faithful saying in these things I want you to affirm constantly. That those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. So maintenance matters. You know, we learn in Scripture that the smallest of efforts and the simplest of things could constitute good works. You know, many times getting up every day, we don't give it much thought, but by faithfully fulfilling our routine activities, our good works that glorify the Lord, that's important to know.

 God is blessed when we're responsible with the things that he's given us to do, the things that he's put on our plate. But it also speaks volumes to those who have insights into our lives and are watching your every move. Does our walk match our talk? People are watching. And that's how the gospel is communicated. People have a hearing ear when you share the things of the Lord if your walk matches your talk the very nature of our new birth in Christ includes this condition this reality where Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10 where he says for we are his workmanship his poema in the Greek, his poem being written, his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. And so it's part of our spiritual DNA, you might think of it.

Like when a car comes off the assembly line, what do you expect that car to be doing? What do you expect and why did it come off an assembly line? To look at? No, it has a purpose. You know, when we come off the assembly line, so to speak, born again in Christ, we have a purpose. We're created in Christ Jesus unto good works. And so right out of the gate, we are informed that we have a mandate to accomplish good works. That's what God's up to in our lives. We either yield to it or we don't. We go along with it or we don't. Jesus said it plain and simple. No other way to read it when you read in Matthew 5:14-16, you are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works.

 And glorify your Father in heaven. I don't know, no matter how you slice it and dice it, that's pretty simple. And it's important to understand from our standpoint so that we don't get confused about these very basic things in our Christian service. There are eternal rewards promised us who are about the Lord's business in the here and now and also in the future. But I think of one scripture, particularly in Luke 6:38, that says, given it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be put into your bosom for with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. And that's not, you know, a scripture that mainly means what we're giving financially. This is a scripture that means what we're doing in our service and how we're giving of ourselves and how we're serving the Lord. And so, you know, it's important that we don't reduce that any less than that.

And, you know, the good works means there when you look up those words, it means to show forth those things God's doing, you know, to make, to deliver, to put, and it means to grant. And so like light, when light shines, all those things happen. When light shines, you know, you see what is in front of you. You understand. You know, you're able to move around. You take light away and suddenly things change. You don't understand. You get confused. You bump into things. You can't even do the simplest of things, you know. Try and thread a needle in the dark, you know. Doesn't work. And it's just great when we understand and that happens through the Holy Spirit. I just recently put new reverse lights on my Nissan, my.

 Because it has the most pathetic reverse lights. You put it in reverse, and you think, like, I can't see anything out there. I don't even know. And I look, and they're working and everything. And so I put these new reverse, these LED reverse lights on there, hung under the bumper. And when I put that thing in reverse, I could see, just like my headlights, they actually are, I could see the whole back down the street. So I had to point them down. They're so bright. But it's so wonderful to put it in reverse and just be able to see where you're going. No more guessing. It's like, I hope nothing's back there. You know, as you're going back there, because I can't see anything. There's been times I've got out of my truck just to look around to see if there's anything back there. Now, I do have a beeper that tells me that, but you know what I'm saying? This is what the word of God does. This is what, when you're in service to the Lord, this is what this does. You're illuminated and God does that. This is something you muster up.

And, you know, certainly that should be our main focus is that there is an eternal rewards. There's an eternity that we're headed towards. But the benefits here in this temporal realm, here and now, can be extreme as well. You know, we're blessed here. Besides the fact that we're blessed for eternity, we're blessed now when we're serving the Lord. I love that example given in Acts chapter 9.

This is an extreme example, okay? But this is really how it works, you know.

But in Acts chapter 9... At Joppa, there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. I always liked Tabitha better. But this woman was full of good works, charitable deeds, which she did. But it happened those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. And since Lydia was near Joppa and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, They sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room, and all the widows stood by weeping, showing tunics and garments, which Dorcas had made while she was with them. But Peter put them all out, knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise, and she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up, and when he called the saints and widows, he presented her alive, and it became known throughout all Joppa. Many believed on him. Now, that's an extreme example, being brought from death to life and being known for your good works, the things she sowed for people and gave to people.

She was healed, she was brought back to life. In so many other ways, how many things can be brought back to life that are dead? You know, when you think they're dead and gone, there's no chance, there's no hope, and then God, he works mightily through you, and he brings to life things that you think are dead and gone and hopeless. You know, that's the God that we serve, and it's amazing. Never, this is why I bring that up, and this is what we need to know. This is never downplay or degrade or discount the smallest of things we do in the name of the Lord. And you will discover that God keeps track and it is no coincidence that things work out for you and how you are blessed.

 It's not a coincidence. You know, we know God blesses us amazingly how things work out. And some of you who are strong realize why and give God the glory. You know, you've got things that just are well oiled in your life, you know, whether they be relationships or finances or health or, you know, just overall perspective. And you just got it dialed. Well, give God the glory if you're a believer. Because he's the one that's doing it. He's the one that's allowed it. You know, I don't know why some Christians are more trial-free than others. But in a sense, a lot of our trials are handled by faith. A lot of our trials and our perspective, not so much circumstances, but oftentimes just the circumstances of our life are handled because we believe God and we trust him. And so he's able to work in our lives in that way. And it's just incredible. Yet how quickly we can destroy a history, a testimony of good works by simply taking our eyes off the Lord. And when we do, we become selfish. We do stupid things and we lose traction. We could lose years. We could be set back.

Years destroyed just by taking our eyes off the Lord and doing our own thing, and then even trust factor. You know, we have gained and enjoyed by a good testimony stripped away just because we get out of fellowship with the Lord. And it's sad, but it happens, and it's true. These are things to consider as Paul is closing out his short epistle here, giving not only Titus this important instruction, But those leaders that are being appointed there in the island of Crete, he's appointing the elders there.

But notice in verse 14 there, it says, And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. So this includes us. This word is for us, as well as it is for the leaders, but that's always the case. Things leaders are instructed to do, we're instructed to do. You know, and leaders are to be the example that people would raise up and serve the Lord. You know, trusting the Lord like they, you know, trust the Lord and so forth. And so there in verse 1, it begins with something we all need regularly. And that is a reminder of the things that we have already, you know, been told. You know, basic things, repeated. Remind them, he says. And, you know, how many of us know what that means to have to be reminded? You know, and oftentimes you can end up remembering the same things by doing the stupid things all over. I can't believe I did that again. And it happens. And so I hope you don't say, Pastor, I have no idea what you're talking about. You know, that must just be you, you know.

But it's, you know, a common part of life and Christian discipline, as we learn through the scriptures, is to be reminded. We learn that from Peter. In 2 Peter, when Peter writes in 2 Peter 1, where he says, verse 12 on, For this reason, I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. You already know these things, but I'm going to remind you. I have to. This is important. I'd be negligent otherwise. Yes, I think it is right as long as I am in this tent, alive, right, in this body, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. In other words, I'm writing them all down. You know, here they are. And so we need to be reminded. And then in just two chapters later, you know, he writes, chapter 3, verse 1, Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle, in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder.

And so repetition is vitally important. Beware of those who claim I've got something new. I've got something deeper spiritually, you know, rather, you know, not simple and basic. You know, Jesus was simple and basic. The apostles were simple and basic. My pastor used to who, my pastor who was an intellect, by the way, used to say to us pastors, simply teach the Bible simply. That's what he used to say. You know, because often people want to impress you with their knowledge. You know, use words that you have to look up later.

And there's a place for all that, you know, scholarship and all that. I get that. But I used to like what J. Vernon McGee would say to those high, you know, profile kind of people. He would say, he'd say, get off your high horse. He says, you're not feeding giraffes. You're feeding sheep. Put the cookies on the bottom shelf where they can get to them, you know? And I always liked that. So, you know, it's important.

And so the word remember means this idea of stirring up your memory as if it's settled somewhere at the bottom. The sludge.

Man, how come you're not remembering these basic things? Let me stir things up. You know, they get back up there where they belong. That's what the word means. That makes sense to me, especially being a painter. You don't see, you know, when paint thinner became expensive, we used to put it in five gallon cans and leave it by the garage and then let it settle. And then we used to pour off just the top. So we'd have paint thinner again. We'd have to buy it. You know, we used to buy paint thinner so cheap, but now it's ridiculous how much everything is. But I remember those days, but that's what the word means, you know? And, you know, so it's not on the surface or the forefront of your mind where it should be. And daily devotions will draw them out and bring them back to the surface where they belong. Daily devotions, you know, because life happens and things get buried, if not careful. And so we need to be reminded. So Paul says to Titus, remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities. Man, how quickly we can get off track with wanting to be in obedience to rulers and authorities.

So this is a topic of submission, this particular topic of submission to ruling authority is always, and it follows the order of first obeying God, number one. That's the rule, always. And then submitting to authority that God has in place. And this is never to be looked at on the same level as submitting to God first.

You know, and here the example is given as being God will for us to submit to authority. So in the context, and for the most part, this is absolutely correct. I remember an evangelist who had a powerful ministry where he had a dinosaur park and everything. He was always teaching on young earth and Kent Hoven. Maybe you can look him up later. I don't have all details and everything, but he messed up his ministry and his life. Why? Because he would give this incredible presentation of young earth and creation and all that kind of stuff. And then at the tail end, and I remember this, he would teach on why we should not pay taxes.

And he was against it. He says, against our Constitution. And he would hammer on it and teach it. And he would not pay his taxes. And so finally, you know, he started getting into trouble with the IRS and started costing him a lot of money, a lot more than it would have been to pay his taxes. And then he, time went on and he was hiding money that should have been paying his employees taxes. And he was all kinds of things to try and, you know, cover up different things. And so bottom line is he got sentenced to 10 years in prison. By the time he got out of there, he lost his wife, who also was sentenced to prison for a year. And then in his ministry, that went on hold. I mean, and what does Jesus say? Render to Caesar what is Caesar's? That's pretty simple. Oh, hey, our taxes is due. Okay, Peter, go fishing. Go fish. Throw your line in the water, you'll catch a fish. Take the gold point out. Pay our taxes. Would you do that? Yeah.

Pretty simple. But yet, court hearings and messing up your whole life to try and prove a point. No, just render to Caesar. I mean, what would you pay to be able to continue to get the gospel out there and to, you know, have such an incredible platform to change people's lives? No, I don't want to pay my taxes. You know, yeah, you go to Target and who knows what that money is going for? You know, you pay for your taxes. Yeah, it's going for places you don't want it to go. But we don't live that way. You know, we say, hey, Lord, you know, this is your money. You've told me to do this. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to rest in you. Concerning all this stuff, I'm not going to get caught up with all this stuff. You know, Jesus didn't get caught up with all that stuff. He had three years and he wasn't going to spend it in Roman courts because he didn't want to pay tax.

I mean, so there's a time and a place, obviously, we kept our church open during COVID. You know, there was reasons for it. And they came against the church direct during COVID. They let bars be open, but not churches. You know, there was Peter. Peter was dealing with all this. And this is how Peter, it says in, you can read the whole context later, but they were dealing with this whole situation in Acts 5:29. Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than man. So you have to understand there's times when you have to be standing for the Lord because the very mandate is against the Lord and against the Christian people and church and so forth. And so Peter was imprisoned at one point. The reason why Paul and Peter and these guys got imprisoned was because they were standing for the Lord, which was not permissible in their situations. So they end up in prison.

Well, God decided, you read later in Acts chapter 12, the Holy Spirit went in and Peter was about to be executed the next day. He was asleep between two guards and the angel shows up, the prison lit up, the shackles fell off. He nudged him like this, Peter half asleep, went through the first door, opened up, second door opened up, ended up in the street. And then the angel departed and Peter realized, wow, this ain't a dream. You know, I'm really free here. Well, meanwhile, it was a prayer meeting, praying for Peter to be free. When he knocked on the door, the girl there opened the door and then slammed it.

Shocked that Peter was out of prison. Well, so the thing is, it was man's putting Peter in prison, but it was God pulling Peter out of prison. That wasn't according to God's plan. So we can trust God for all that kind of stuff, but you need to obey God and not man when the situation calls for it. You see in chapter, verse 2 there, to speak evil of no one. So right away, you're agitators. You have to—the red flag goes up. If somebody's an agitator, we're not supposed to be agitators. We're supposed to be peacemakers. We're supposed to be sharing the love of God and the truth of the Scriptures, not be agitators. And that's the idea here. You know, it doesn't mean that we don't tell the truth. The example here, you know, even in the first chapter of Titus, just one page back there, remember, verses 12 and 13, where Paul says, One of them, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith. So the example there is that oftentimes Paul would name somebody and say, these guys are not good.

You know, Jesus would speak of those scribes and Pharisees that were not representing the Father direct.

And so sometimes, and that's not what this is talking about. Yes, the Bible tells us to speak the truth in love in Ephesians 4:15. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head Christ. And so that could very well be that necessary part of obeying God.

That would supersede, obeying God that in some cases would supersede being silent. Yes, it's true. Silence is often golden, but sometimes it's just plain yellow because people aren't speaking what's true. They're not representing what's true. And so we need to. And so we say, speak evil of no one to be peaceable. I want to link these two because Paul clarifies here something that helps us to understand this when he says in Romans, in Romans chapter 12, in verses 17 and 19, Repay no evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of you.

The sight of all men. Now here, if it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceable with all men. Don't you be the reason for the unrest. If it's possible, be peaceful. If it's possible. And beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath. For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And so I think that clarifies the idea here. Sometimes we're forced into, you know, speaking the truth, you know, means telling it the way it is.

You know, in love often, you know, will, you know, reveal sin. And so he says afterwards to be peaceful, gentle, showing all humility to all men. So that's the idea is our temperament, our character as Christians. We're to be peacemakers. We're to try to speak the truth. We're trying to present an atmosphere where the gospel can go forth. And that would be in the midst of people who hate us and are trying to stop us from doing that. But we don't cause the agitation. We don't cause the problem. And so that's the idea. For we ourselves, verse 3, were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice, envy, hateful, and hating one another. So if you ever come across a self-righteous, it's because they forgot these things. They're self-righteous because now all of a sudden they put themselves in a higher place. They don't realize it was God who completely rescued them. What are you doing? What are you saying? How are you acting?

And that's what it all boils down to. Consider, you know, what we have been delivered from. Knowing God's heart, which is what? God's heart.Representing God's heart, saying Peter 3, 9, the Lord is not slack concerning his promises. Some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

And so, you know, representing God's heart is, Then also, you know, be willing to yield, to be humble in all that regard. While we're yet sinners, the Bible says Christ died for us. And so this is why when we can show that grace shown to us, we need to step up in humility and accurately represent Jesus Christ. And that's how we do it. You know, and then when we look there at verses 4 through 6, But when the kindness and love of God, our Savior, toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior. And so not by works of righteousness we have done. In other words, not by any of our merit. So don't you take credit for it. The self-righteous will say, oh, it's because of what I've done. That's the reason Jesus blessed me so much. No, it had nothing to do with you at all. It was totally the Lord who had mercy, it says there. So rather than judgment, which we deserved, God showed us mercy, his kindness, his goodness, and did what was necessary to make that happen.

You know, and it says he saved us through the washing, regeneration, renewing of the Holy Spirit. It means God saved us, but by his supernatural power, miraculously taking away our sin. No merit on a part, you know, that we could perform ourselves. Renewing by the Holy Spirit. So renewing by God himself. He did the work. and he poured out his spirit abundantly through Jesus Christ. So Jesus said that he would not leave us orphans. That's a promise that he's given to us, that he would send the Holy Spirit, which he has. He says that in John 14:15-18, if you love me, so now Jesus is making this personal. This is for you. If you love Jesus.

Keep my commandments, he says, and I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever. The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. Promised. And so by loving Jesus Christ and by him being your Lord, you're given the Holy Spirit. Your eyes are opened up to all these truths that we're talking about right now. And then we have there, it says, you know, verse 7, justified by his grace.

The Bible tells us that in Ephesians 2:8-9, for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. So it's apart from anything you've done, even faith itself has been gifted to you and allowing you to exercise faith and believing in the Lord, justified by his grace, we have now hope of eternal life. And not, I hope that's the case, hope of eternal life. I hope that that's the case. No, rather, it's a confident hope that we have eternal life. It's a game changer to living in this temporal life that we live in, to have this hope of eternal life. It changes everything, our perspective. You know.

So just being in this realm and knowing that we're on a fast track to the end. What does the end have for us? A beginning, you know, that isn't the end. It doesn't end. And I don't know what people think of that don't know the Lord. And I think that in most cases, people don't want to think of that. That's how they deal with it. I don't want to think of that.

Because for them, it is. It's, you know, a death. That's all it is. And collision with death itself. But on the contrary, we're not of that mindset. Because Jesus, he says to us in John 11:25-26, Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection, speaking to Martha after, you know, Lazarus, her brother was dead. I'm the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, this physical death, he shall live, spiritual life. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?

That's confident hope. Do you believe this? If you don't believe this, then you can't have that confident hope. That's it. Hope is of eternal life. You notice in verse 8. It says, this is a faithful saying. And these things I want you to affirm constantly, constantly being reminded of those things that those who have believed in God should be careful and maintain good works. This should mean something to us. It should promote something in us as we have this window of opportunity serving the Lord to keep on keeping on, Keep on reminding the church, Paul is telling Titus, of these things. And be careful to maintain good works. Maintain means, and it speaks of prioritizing, placing, you know, before is the idea, maintain. The number one on the list of things to do is serve Jesus Christ. However that works out in the rest of your list.

But that's number one on your list. And you know, you hear from the Lord and then you live accordingly. And in application, it means to fully engage in the service of God. And much of that will be diligent in the smallest task of the day. And so that defines the maintaining of good works. There is a blessing in knowing that you are fulfilling God's will. Just to know that in my realm, in my circle that God's given me, I need to be responsible.

Being faithful with the little things, God is able to do much more if he so chooses. But he doesn't have to because he's already done everything for us by dying for us. And with that, we have a great contentment because he says he'll never leave us or forsake us. And so that is a constant. Now, the enemy will want you to believe something altogether different. Don't fall for it. He wants to lie to you to make you think that, oh, if you're not doing great things, well, how do you define great things? So you don't define them the way the world defines great things. You define them the way the Bible defines great things. When Jesus stood and gave an example of the widow, given the two mites and said, She's given all the rest of them, two little half pennies she gave as a gift. And Jesus said, that's God's economy right there. And God knows, and he's the one that rewards that. You can only work with what you've been given, but if you have false expectations for what you don't have, that interrupts the will of God in your life. You know, you need to trust him for what he has given you completely, and that's very, very important. And then.

And then we look at verse 9. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law for the unprofitable and useless, and reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. Well, there's a mouthful, and there you go. Sometimes you just have to call it what it is. This isn't a contradiction of what was just said about speaking evil of no one. No, because that has to do with the motive for what you're saying and your intentions for saying it. This here is for the purpose of helping and saving and rescuing, calling out what it is. You're to avoid those foolish disputes that end up that way. You know, like, you know, I always say keeping you out of the weeds. You know, what the enemy wants is he wants to argue. He wants us arguing with one another about things that don't matter, keeping us from our focus of what does matter. You know, once again, that's what happened with Kent Hovind, unfortunately.

We have to be careful of that. And then it says literally to reject a divisive man. So God wants unity. We know that. And never at the expense of truth. Yes, the Bible tells us that love covers a multitude of sin. But also love also uncovers sin when necessary. It's important. And so those who don't, you know, those who don't try to foster unity, then we have to come and we have to correct. But if they refuse to change, we are to reject them, to avoid, to steer clear is the idea, which for leaders would also mean to safeguard others from them. Removing their platform of doing that is the idea. And again, would require saying what's true in obedience to God. Not for the purpose of an ill motive, but just dealing with the problem. Because they're warped. People like that. You know, just another example of understanding verse 2. When that person is identified, it's necessary to avoid him, to acknowledge truth about him. And so, don't have time, but...

But it's just the idea. What do they do with that?I'm going to try and summarize this. But William MacDonald, he nails it. Where he talks about that divisive man is a heretic, the King James calls it. He says, I do not propose to reject that definition of heretic, but to broaden it. A heretic in the New Testament sense also includes anyone who obstinately promotes a teaching even of secondary importance that causes division in the church. He may be true to the fundamentals and yet push some other teaching that causes strife because it differs from the accepted belief of the fellowship that he is in. And so he goes on to give a great example of somebody who rides a hobby horse to the point of causing division in the body of Christ. Not on the main tenets of faith, but just some hobby horse that gets people, you know, sideways and divided.

And he does a really good job there in describing that. But, you know, it's so true that the incidentals, you know, Do you realize that's why there's so many churches? There's so many churches because there's little things that churches differ on. You may have the same tenets of the faith. That's good. But then have different end time scenario situations that...

That, you know, are for those that want to worship that way or concerning the gifts of the Spirit and so forth and, you know, things like that. And so you have different churches. So, you know, you have—we're kind of in the middle of the row. You know, you have the Baptists, and then you have the Assembly of God, and then you have the four square over here, and you have us. And, you know, we kind of look at it as we like to consider us balanced in all these things. But, you know, don't you think God's in every one of those places ministering to those people? You know, for the person that says, we've got it all right. Now, you know, I would like to say that I do my best to rightly divide in the word truth, but I'm not going to be so, you know, arrogant to say, I think I have it all right.

You know, I just won't do that. You know, so anyway, so, you know, we have to deal with that. Then just quickly, last verses, when I send Artemis to you or Tychicus, Be diligent to come to me in Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. And send Zenos, the lawyer, and Apollos on their journey in haste that they may lack nothing. In other words, supply them for their mission that they have. Let our people also learn to maintain good works, again reminded, to meet urgent needs that they may not be unfruitful. So urgent needs would not be to, you know, continue a luxurious lifestyle, you know, but just it means urgent means essential, indispensable, you know, certain needs like that, you know, and they're different from different people, you know, a soldier has a different need than a widow, you know, just things like that.

But anyway, last, all who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. And so, you know, he's addressing also people he never even met. But the word's going forth. Today, the word's going forth to you. You never met Paul personally. You know, just studying the scriptures, I feel like I know Paul. But I haven't met Paul personally. And so here we have just the closing of the letter. And I would only say that the question is, have you given your life to Jesus Christ and you're trusting him for all these types of things that you're going to deal with in life? You know, are you walking in the blind or you're walking with your eyes open? You know, Jesus said in the gospel of Mark or Matthew chapter 10, where he said, And therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him I will confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. Are we denying Jesus by the way that we're living?

In Matthew 16, Jesus says this. He says there, If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each according to God. his works.

So it's our choice. It's our choice. What do we want Jesus in our life? If we are, then we're going to, you know, love the Lord and we're going to live for the Lord and we're going to acknowledge the Lord. And we're never going to be perfect, but we're going to watch the power of the Holy Spirit. That all of a sudden things in your life will be just the biggest blessing ever. You won't maybe put your finger on it. Why? But you're just going to just suddenly be even experiencing peace that you shouldn't have in the hardest of situations. Oh, the economy has fallen, or it's COVID, or this crisis or that crisis isn't why you have this peace. How do you put a value on that, to have the peace? Not just saying words, but you really do. You have peace. And so you can enjoy that in the Lord by living for the Lord. You don't have to be anxious. You don't have to trust in the security of the world system at all. You can trust completely and totally upon the promise of God. With God, all things are possible. Amen? All right, let's stand together. And if you need prayer, please come forward, okay? Mike, Jeremy will be up here to pray with you. Lord Jesus, thank you for your word. Thank you, Lord, for blessing us like you do, most of which we don't even know, Lord, what you do in our lives.

And yet we trust you, Lord. We know that you're previous to everything that happens in our lives, so we trust you for that. We thank you that your word is a lamp to our feet and light to our path, just giving us understanding. We thank you for that, Lord. We're not in the darkness. I pray for your people, and I ask for a blessing upon each one, Lord, and I ask that they would just follow you all the days of their life, and that we would have that hope of your soon return. The word Maranatha would be at the tip of our tongues, Lord. We thank you for getting us through this year, and we're looking forward to next year, how you can use our lives. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. I encourage you to Fellowship downstairs, there's lots of snacks down there. The sweet and the savory. So the healthy and the not so healthy. So it's all down there. Plenty of coffee. God bless you. Happy New Year.