Upholding Biblical Truth in a Broken World Part 3 – Framework for Living a Godly Life

Gtcotr/ss081725 

Life affords each one of us with instances which are simply Outside the envelope of our expectations. In my early 20’s I drove a police car each day and wrote traffic tickets. Today I tend to hold law enforcement officers to a higher standard than other drivers on the road. It makes me a little sad when I see a police car disobeying the traffic laws in a non-emergency situation. It can be as simple as failure to signal a turn or a lane change, speeding, or paying more attention to texting than to driving. I suppose I expect more from a professional than I do from others on the road. 

I get the same sad, almost bewildered feeling when I see a school coach smoking in front of their athletes, or a pilot in uniform drinking at a bar in the airport. I suppose if I went to nightclubs, I would be sad to see husbands or wives partying there without their spouses. As I said, there are some things which are simply outside the envelope of our expectations. 

Article 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the manual of laws governing our US Armed Forces, is entitled: “Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman”. This article addresses the high standards of moral and ethical behavior expected from a commissioned officer in the United States Military. A violation of the provisions of this article will result in a court martial which can carry heavy fines, a reduction in rank and/or forfeiture of pay, plus prison time, and even a dishonorable discharge.  

The article has been found to be constitutional based on the need America has to maintain military leaders who uphold the highest standards of moral and ethical integrity. In many instances, we all expect those in coveted positions to behave themselves in a wholesome and well-ordered manner. We tend to judge our leaders with more scrutiny. 

One of the most disappointing and sad instances we face in life is to see a Christian engaged in conduct that is unbecoming of Christ. (The way they feel about money, respect marriage, respond to politics, or even the way they drive, talk, or treat their children.) It’s not only us who feel sad when we see a Christian misbehaving, God feels sad too.  

I think this is one reason God gave His Children a framework for godly living. He also gave us a new nature and His own Spirit to help guide and enable us to make godly choices in life.  

This morning we are going to take a brief look at a passage of scripture that intimidates a lot of Christians, especially those who were raised in the Western Gentile Church world. This passage comes from the Old Testament and was written in the times of Moses. It is found in the Book of Exodus, chapter 20. Many of you will recognize it as The 10 Commandments. This morning we will refer to them as the: 

Framework for Living a Godly Life 

Exodus 20 NLT 

1 ¶  Then God gave the people all these instructions: 

2  “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 

3  “You must not have any other god but me. 

4  “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 

5  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected — even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 

6  But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. 

The framework for living a godly life includes: 

• 1. A recognition of God. 
  
• a. Creator 
  
• b. Deliverer 
  
• c. Sustainer 
  
• d. Lord 
  
• e. Judge 
  
• 2. “You must not have any other God but Me.” 

• a. No other gods will be tolerated. 
  
• i. Not the Greek gods. 
  
• ii. Not the gods of Hinduism. 
  
• iii. Not the gods of the ancient eastern religions. 
  
• iv. Not aliens or prophets, not demons or satan himself. 
  
• v. Not the gods of mother nature or mother earth or scientific research or re-written history. 
  
• b. Allow nothing and no one to take God’s place. 
  
• i. He is the Creator – Not evolution 
  
• 1. We didn’t come from monkeys 
  
• 2. We were created by the hands of God. 
  
• 3. Upholding Biblical Truth in a Broken World … 
  
• a. It’s been about 6,000 years since Adam. 
  
• b. What happened before Adam, no human knows. 
  
• ii. He is the Deliverer – He is the One and only One who saves. 
  
• 1. Only He can separate the sin from the sinner. 
  
• 2. Only He can rescue us from slavery to this world. 
  
• iii. He is the Sustainer of the universe – All things were made by Him and by Him all things continue. 
  
• iv. He is Lord – Master, Commander, King. 
  
• 1. We should never expect to be treated better than Jesus. 
  
• 2. We should follow His example. 
  
• v. He is the Eternal Judge – Omnipotent and Everlasting 
  
• 1. Not all roads lead to heaven. 
  
• 2. Not all religions are true. 
  
• 3. Not all gods are God. 
  
• 4. Upholding Biblical Truth in a Broken World. 
  
• 3. God is a jealous God. 
  
• a. What we do impacts our families for generations to come. 
  
• b. God lavishes unfailing love on a thousand generations of those who love and live within His framework. 
  

It should not surprise us that as Christians we are held to a higher standard of ethical and moral behavior by both God and society. Our families have a reason to expect more from us. I don’t imagine any one of us is perfect and when we recognize conduct unbecoming a follower of Christ in our lives, it is up to us to repent and ask God to help us recover ourselves from that snare of the devil. 

God loves us. He loves every person. His Word was not given to condemn us but to save us.  

As Believers in Jesus, we should search the word and embrace strong personal convictions based on a Biblical worldview. Also, our faith should guide our lives and help us make godly decisions along life’s way.  

It is also responsibility of each Believer to gently and humbly encourage other Believers to uphold Biblical truth in this broken world. You can do this … Paul admonished Timothy to: 

2 Timothy 2 NLT 

25  Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 

26  Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

ENTRUSTED PART IV - ENTRUSTED WITH RELATIONSHIPS

Recap: 

• • God has entrusted to us that which He considers valuable 
  
• • Entrust = To assign the responsibility of something valuable to someone in confidence. 
  
• • In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), we learned: 
  
• i. God owns everything. 
  
• ii. We are stewards of what He has given. 
  
• iii. God expects a return. 
  
• iv. What we do with what we’ve been given matters. 
  
• • In Part 1, we saw that God has entrusted us with the greatest message in the world — the Gospel. We steward it by preaching it, living it, and preserving it. 
  
• • In Part 2, we saw that God has entrusted us with influence. Influence is not about having a platform — it’s about being faithful where you are and pointing people to Jesus. 
  
• • In part 3 we discussed how God has entrusted money to us.  
  
• • The Bible talks about money as a heart issue.  
  
• • The Bible speaks more about money than faith, heaven, or hell because how we view and use money reveals what we value most. 
  
• • What we have is what God has given us 
  
• • Money is meant to be our servant and not our master. 
  
• • The greatest return on investment comes from using resources for God’s Kingdom, which pays eternal dividends. 

Entrusted with Relationships 

Intro 

In 2011, when Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, passed away, his sister Mona Simpson wrote a eulogy about his final days. She described that although Steve had built one of the most successful companies in the world, created revolutionary products, and accumulated incredible wealth, none of that was what mattered to him in the end. 

As his health declined, what he wanted most was not his business achievements, trophies, or money. He wanted the people in his life that mattered most. Mona described how Steve was surrounded by his family in those last hours — his children, his wife, his sister. He wanted them close. His last words were simple but profound: “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” He was looking at his family gathered around him. 

It wasn’t about the empire he built or the fortune he made. In those final moments, what mattered most to him was being with the people he loved. 

That tells us something: at the end of the day when it is all said and done, relationships are what matter most. Not possessions. Not achievements. Not what is in our bank accounts. But, people. 

If what is most important at the end of our lives are relationships; then that tells us what is most important right now. People are the most valuable asset that we have in this life. 

Relationships are one of the most precious gifts God has entrusted to us. They are essential to life. God Himself is a relational being. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit work together and commune together as one. Relationships are a reflection of who God is; it is a precious gift. 

Knowing that they are a gift from God, we must know that God has given us relationships with a purpose. Therefore, we must learn to handle them the way God intended. 

So today, we’re going to talk about how to manage relationships God’s way. 

To do that we are going to take a look at what Jesus said to His disciples about relationships in Matthew 22. When Jesus was asked the greatest commandment, He didn’t point to rules and regulations, He pointed to relationships. 

Matthew 22:37-40 

“37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”” 

Jesus reveals what is most important to God by wrapping up all 613 commandments into just two: 1) to love God with all of your heart, and 2) to love your neighbor as yourself. Simply put, He says to love God and to love people. Both of these have to do with relationships. In other words, all 613 commandments in the Old Testament are wrapped up in how we treat God and how we treat other people. Clearly, relationships are important to God.  

Why are relationships so important? 

• A. Because God is relational by nature 
  
• • From the very beginning, God has always existed in relationship: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
  
• • Genesis 1:26 “ –Let us make man in our image…” The Trinity shows us that God Himself is community. 
  
• • Since we are made in His image, we were created to thrive in relationships. 
  
  
• B. Because people are God’s most valuable creation 
  
• • Out of everything God made, only humans were said to be made in His image (Genesis 1:27). 
  
• • That means every person has intrinsic worth and carries His fingerprint. 
  
• • When we love people, we are honoring the image of God in them. 
  

Jesus says that we are to love God with all of our heart. First, God wants us to love Him. Our relationship with God is important! Why? 

• 1. God loves you 
  
• • God desires for us to love Him because He loves us. 

• • God’s love for your is not based on your performance— His love is not based on what you do but because of who you are. 
  
• • Psalm 103:11 — “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him” 
  
• • When you understand how much God loves you, it changes the way you see ourselves— and in turn how you treat others. 
  
  
• 2. God loves the people in your life as much as He loves you 
  
• • While God does love you, He loves the people in your life just as much as He loves you. 
  
• • Your family, your friends, your enemies, your coworkers, God loves all of them. 
  
• • Sometimes we forget that the person we are frustrated with, the person we really don’t like, is someone that Jesus died for. God loves them just as much. 
  
• • The people in your life are very important to God. 
  
  
• 3. God cares about how you treat other people 
  
• • Matthew 7:12 “ –So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” 
  
• • How we treat other people is very important to God 
  
• • Your words, actions, and attitude toward others are a direct reflection of your faith
  
• • Jesus connects how you treat people with how you treat Him (Matthew 25:40)
  
• • Our love toward others is the true evidence of discipleship (John 13:34-35). Our love for others is the proof of our faith.
  
• • The Pharisees were experts in religion, but they missed it when it came to loving other people. We can read the Bible everyday, go to every church service, know every word to the worship songs that we sing, but if all of that doesn’t translate kindness and love toward others, then we have missed the heart of God.
  
• • We need God to soften our hearts toward the people in our life that are hard to love. Because how we love others is a direct reflection of how much of God’s love is within us.

• • How you treat your spouse matters. How you treat your kids matters. How you treat your coworkers matters. How you treat your church family matters. It all matters greatly to God— maybe even more than we realize!! 
  

So how do we value people the way that God does? 

• 1. Investing in People 
  
• • Proverbs 27:17 “ –As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” 
  
• • Spend time with the people in your life 
  
• • Relationships are paid for with time, attention, and care 
  
  
• 2. Encouraging People 
  
• • 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “ –Encourage one another and build each other up.” 
  
• • Build people up! Build your spouse up! Build your children up! Build your friends up! Build your co-workers up! We have to build people up! 
  
• • When people fall short in your life, don’t write them off and tear them down. Instead, build them up! 
  
• • What you magnify in someone’s life is all you will see and all they will see. Don’t make people focus on their weaknesses. Instead, build people up! 
  
  
• 3. Checking In on People 
  
• • Philippians 2:4 “ –Look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” 
  
• • When someone is on your heart, reach out to them. Check in on them. 
  
• • Sometimes people just need to know that someone else really cares. 
  
• • Checking in opens up doors for ministry that doesn’t always happen in church 
  
• • Checking in on people prevents them from being isolated 
  
• • Don’t wait until there is a crisis, check in now 
  
  
• 4. Be There for People 

• • Romans 12:15 — “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” 
  
• • Being there for people doesn’t always mean having the right answers. Instead, it simply means showing up. 
  
• • Your presence is powerful 
  
• • People may forget your words, they may forget your conversations, but they will never forget that you showed up. 
  
• • When we show up for people, we are reflected Christ in our life (Emmanuel = God with us)

Takeaways: 

• I. Relationships are one of God’s greatest gifts and greatest responsibilities 
  
  
• II. How you treat people reveals how much of God is in you 
  
  
• III. People may forget your your words, but they’ll never forget how you treat them

Upholding Biblical Truth In A Broken World Part 2 – Christianity

Gtcotr/ss081025 

For those who like numbers and enjoy a little historical perspective, allow me to set the stage for the message this morning with a brief look at a general timeline and overview leading up to Acts 11. If you’re more interested in the scriptures and the heart of the message, I don’t want to bore you or lose you so let me encourage you to take your phone out for about 5 or 6 minutes and text someone you think might need to hear a good sermon this morning and ask them to check out Gtcotr on YouTube or Facebook. By the time they find it, we will be in Acts 11. 

Spring of AD30    Jesus Crucified 

Late May of AD30  Church was birthed in Jerusalem 

Between AD32 & AD33  Stephen stoned  

AD33 – AD34   Saul of Tarsus conversion to Christ 

AD34 through AD46  Paul ministers/grows in many places 

AD46     Barnabas brings Paul to Antioch 

As a matter of perspective, as best many scholars can figure, Jesus was crucified in the spring of the year AD30. The Apostle Paul was born in about AD5, as we know it. This makes Jesus about 8 or 9 years older than the Apostle Paul.  

The Holy Spirit was sent by God to empower Believers on the day of Pentecost which was late in May of AD30 birthing the first Church in Jerusalem. 

The timeline offered by Luke as he wrote the book of Acts is not clearly spelled out however he gives us sequence so we can extrapolate from other writings and events recorded in the Bible and in historical documents. From these we expect Stephen, a deacon in the Jerusalem Church, was martyred in about AD32. Shortly after this, the young 28 – 29 year old Saul of Tarsus had his Damascus Road experience with the risen Jesus, and was saved to become the Apostle Paul, sent with a message of salvation to the Gentile nations. 

For many years, AD33/34 – AD46, Paul ministers and grows in grace while living in Damascus, Jordan, the Arabian Desert, briefly in Jerusalem, and then back in his hometown of Tarsus which is in modern day Turkey. In about AD46, Barnabas went to Tarsus to bring Paul back to the Church in Antioch where a great revival was taking place. Let’s pick up there in the Book of Acts, chapter 11. 

Acts 11 NLT 

19 ¶  Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews. 

20  However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. 

21  The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord. 

22  When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 

23  When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. 

24  Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. 

25  Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. 

26  When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

16 to 17 years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and God sending of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Believers in Jesus as Son of God, Messiah of the Jews, and Savior of the World, are finally called Christians. It was at Antioch that Believers were first called Christians. 

What did it mean to be a Christian in that day, in that part of the world? 

• 1. Acts 11:19 tells us that Believers preached the word of God. 
  
• a. But only to Jews …  
  
• b. The world had already crept into the Church with an exclusionary doctrine, intending to limit salvation to “people like us.”

Wherever you draw a line with God is where He will raise up someone else to take your place. 

• c. Acts 13:2 God sent Barnabas and Paul to go and do what the Holy Spirit told them to do … and that meant preach the word to anyone and everyone who would listen. 
  
• 2. Acts 19:21 says the power of the Lord was with them. 
  
• a. Christians must rely on the power of the Lord to be present with them. 
  
• b. True Christianity, being like Christ, is powerful. 
  
• i. Power to save, heal, forgive, intervene, deliver, encourage, restore, and renew. 
  
• ii. Power to melt hearts of stone and change minds from carnal to spiritual appetites. 
  
• iii. Power to strengthen in times of weariness and give hope to the hopeless. 
  
• 3. Acts 19:23 Barnabas “encouraged Believers to stay true to the Lord.” 
  
• a. Just 17 years after the crucifixion, when Church was a brand-new experience and salvation had first come to the Gentiles in Antioch, they needed to know that true Christianity demands we stay true to the Lord. 
  
• b. The world was already threatening the doctrines of Christ and the teachings of the Church. 
  
• i. Idolatry 
  
• ii. Immorality 
  
• iii. Superiority 

We must guard ourselves to uphold Biblical truth in this broken world. The prince of this world hungers to confuse you, give you excuses, justify your sin, and gather your support for worldly ideologies. If it was wrong in the days of Jesus and the first Church, it is still wrong today.  

The most powerful attribute of Christianity is its ability to separate the sin from the sinner. The law could not do that, but Jesus can, and Christians should. We have been given a Great Commission, (Matthew 28:18-20), to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. We cannot do this without: 

• · Preaching the Word – Preach the Word of Jesus 
  
• · Power from on high – Depend on the Power of the Holy Spirit 
  
• · Staying true to the Lord – Serve no other gods

ENTRUSTED PART III - RESOURCES

Recap: 

• • God has entrusted to us that which He considers valuable 
  
• • Entrust = To assign the responsibility of something valuable to someone in confidence. 
  
• • In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), we learned: 
  
• i. God owns everything. 
  
• ii. We are stewards of what He has given. 
  
• iii. God expects a return. 
  
• iv. What we do with what we’ve been given matters. 
  
• • In Part 1, we saw that God has entrusted us with the greatest message in the world — the Gospel. We steward it by preaching it, living it, and preserving it. 
  
• • In Part 2, we saw that God has entrusted us with influence. Influence is not about having a platform — it’s about being faithful where you are and pointing people to Jesus. 
  

Intro:  

God has given us many different resources: 

• • Talents/ Abilities
  
• • Opportunities
  
• • Time
  

However, today we are going to focus in one one particular resource that God has entrusted to us, and that is money.  

The Bible has a lot to say about Money.  

• - There are more verses in the Bible about money/ possessions than on faith (over 2300)
  
• - Money is the second most talked topic by Jesus in the Gospels
  
  
  - 16 of Jesus’ 38 parables deal with money or possessions (That is more than what He said about heaven and hell combined)

• - That goes to show how much God cares about money
  
• - Money is talked less about in the Bible as a financial issue, and more of a heart issue.
  

If you look at the way the world looks at money, you will notice a pattern — it is all about how much you can get. The bigger the salary, the bigger the house, the nicer the car, the better your “status.” People are often valued, not by their character or kindness, but by their net worth. The more money you have, the more important you are.  

In our culture lives as if the one who dies with the most toys “wins.” We celebrate accumulation — promotions, bonuses, investments, luxury, etc. The question the world asks is, “How much can I keep for myself?” 

However, God sees money differently. God does not determine a person’s value by how much money is in their bank account. Instead, God determines a person’s value by who they are in Christ. 

The Bible says that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. I believe that is why the Bible says so much about money. Because the way a person views money determines what is most important to them.Jesus said “where your treasure is, there you heart will be also.” 

Today, we’re going to see that God has entrusted us with financial resources — not to make them our master, but to use them as our servant for His glory. 

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MONEY:

• 1. “Money Equals Happiness” 
  
• • The world pushes the idea that the more money you have, the happier you will be. They want you to believe that more money means more joy and more contentment.
  
• • Reality: More money only makes you want more money. People with plenty of money still struggle with loneliness, depression, and emptiness. 

• 
  
• 2. “Money is Evil” 
  
• • Many people believe the Bible says that money is the root of all evil. But that is not what it says. Instead, 1 Timothy 6:10 says “The love of money is the root of all evil.”
  
• • Reality: Money is morally neutral — it’s a tool. How we use it determines whether it’s good or bad. 
  
  
• 3. “The more money I have, the easier it is to give” 
  
• • Many people think, “once I have more, then I will give.”
  
• • Reality: Generosity is not about how much money you have, but about the condition of the heart. 
  
  
• 4. “God Doesn’t Care What I Do with My Money” 
  
• • Many people believe that because it is “my money, I can do what I want with it.”
  
• • “As long as I give my tithe, the other 90% is mine to use however I want.”
  
• • Some people believe that there are spiritual matters, and then there are financial matters. 
  
• • Some believe that God does not and should not care how they spend the money that they earned on their own.
  
• • We may not say these things out loud, but it is shown with what we do with what we have been given.
  
• • Reality: What you have has been given by God Himself. God cares about how you use what He has given to you. What we do with what we have been given matters greatly to Him.
  

PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

“14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants 
and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.” 

Things to note about this parable: 

• • The “talents” in this story were financial resources (talents of gold). 
  
• • The talents of gold were given to the faithful servants by their master.
  
• • They were expected to steward the money they had been given to them.
  
• • Two of the servants invested and multiplied what they had been given.
  
• • One of them buried it and did nothing.
  
• • The master rewarded the faithful and called out the unfaithful.
  

Points to Ponder from this parable on how we can steward our finances: 

• 1. Realize that God is the one who blesses you
  Deuteronomy 8:18 — “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
  
• • What you have has been given to you by God.
  
• • He is the one who gives you the ability to earn a living.
  
• • We must first acknowledge God for who He is in our life and be thankful for what He has blessed us with. 
  
  
• 2. Be faithful with what you have been given
  Luke 16:10 “ –Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…”
  
• • What we do with what we have been given is important to God.
  
• • Be faithful with what you have been given.
  
• • Live within your means — Being content and wise how you spend
  
• • Give generously — Helping those who cannot help you back
  
• • Tithe — Honoring God by making Him your provider

•         • Save wisely — Preparing for the known and unknown
  
  
• 3. Investing in the Kingdom of God
  Matthew 6:20 – “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
  
• • The first two servants invested what they were given; however the third buried it.
  
• • There are financial investments, personal investments, relational investments, and then there are eternal investments. God has called us to invest in eternal matters through the kingdom of God.
  
• • Spreading the gospel, discipling believers, serving our community, world missions (feeding the hungry, providing clean water, meeting needs, etc).
  
• • Many investments help provide value in your life today. However, eternal investments last beyond this life. When you invest in the kingdom of God, you are storing up treasures in heaven. 
  
  
• 4. Remember that you will given an account
  Romans 4:12 — “So then, each of us will give an account to ourselves to God.”
  
• • The master returned to settle accounts with his servants.
  
• • One day we will give an account to how we used the resources that God has given us.
  
• • This verse shows that you do with what you have been given matters greatly to God.

TAKEAWAYS:

• I. God has blessed you 
  
• • God is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth
  
• • What you have is what God has given you
  
• • Stewardship begins with understanding that God is in control
  
• • Be thankful and honor Him for blessing you 
  
  
• II. Make money your servant, not your master 

• • Use money as a tool to bless other people instead of letting it control your life
  
• • God’s blessings are meant to flow through you, not stop with you 
  
  
• III. No ROI brings greater dividends than the Kingdom of God 
  
• • There is not better investment than the advancement of the Kingdom of God
  
• • Kingdom investments = Eternal investments
  
• • Kingdom investments made in this life today will continue to pay dividends in eternity 
  
  
• IV. One day we will stand before God… 
  
• • We will be held accountable for what we do with what we have been given

Upholding Biblical Truth In A Broken World

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The message from our Lord today is aimed at encouraging every Born-Again Believer to live a godly life in this broken and sin-filled world. The devil is an active, the same devil who personally tempted and tried to deceive Jesus during His earthly life and ministry. This same devil has corrupted the world and continues doing his best to trick you, trip you up, and trap you in sin. His lies are empty echoes loudly trying to cover the truth. 

One of the biggest mistakes is to imagine we are smarter than the devil. We are more powerful, but we are not smarter, more experienced, or somehow exempt from being tempted to believe his lies. Our only hope is the power which comes from living a godly life.  

This morning we begin a series entitled Upholding Biblical Truth In A Broken World. This series will take a candid look at how the devil promotes corrupted truth and what we can do to ensure we do not lose the battle or worse yet, become a well-meaning mouthpiece for the false doctrines of the devil … empty echoes.  

Biblical morality, financial integrity, doctrinal accountability are critical qualities in the life of every Christian. God knows we need encouragement so that we might live godly lives in this world. 

We will begin today by reading from the letter Paul wrote to Titus.  

The young man Titus intrigues me. Titus was an uncircumcised Gentile Christian who was a disciple of the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote to Titus about the importance of living a godly life after having left him on the Island of Crete to set the Churches in order. The people there had a bad reputation. Paul says Cretans were a bunch of lazy, lying, baneful and brutal beasts. 

Crete was under the Roman rule of the evil Emperor Nero at this time and false teachers were influencing Church members to believe lies instead of the truth of God’s word. The Church in Crete was still young and very impressionable. Sometimes people don’t really know the truth and at other times they just want to preach things that sound good. But not everything that trends well ends well. Paul left Titus in Crete to teach Christians how to recognize the truth and use that to live godly lives. Let’s read from: 

Titus 1 NLT 

1 ¶  This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 

2  This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God — who does not lie — promised them before the world began. 

• · Eternal life is critical to the Christian’s confidence. 
  
• · This Truth – The Promise of God – gives us confidence. 
  

10  For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. 

• · Circumcision is a reference to being socially acceptable in today’s terms. 
  
• · Identity religion … believing that being a part of one group, denomination or affiliation, organization or ideology, is more important than your personal relationship with God through Christ. 
  
• · In that day, some had convinced the Cretan Believers that being a Jew and following the law of Moses was more important than being a Christian.  
  
• · Today these empty echoes of the devil continue to confuse doctrine with custom, culture, and condition of life, leading many astray. 
  

11  They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money. 

• · Unfair advantage and ungodly gain … 
  

12  Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.” 

13  This is true. So reprimand them sternly to make them strong in the faith. 

• · Never underestimate the power and profitability of stern rebuke from someone wise enough to give you the Word of God.

• · Proverbs 9:8  So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. 
  
• · Ecclesiastes 7:5  Better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool. 
  
• · Paul instructed Titus to tell them that:
  

14  They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth. 

16  Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good. 

Titus 2 NLT 

1 ¶  As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. 

11 ¶  For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 

12  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God. 

Surely, I can’t be the first person to tell you that the devil wants to trick you, trip you up, and trap you in sin. Titus was given an important job. He was given the responsibility to teach Church members how to recognize the empty echoes of the devil, turn from sin, and begin living a godly life in this world.  

A godly life is lived by faith, with confidence in the truth of God’s Word. According to Titus 2:12, there are Three Steps you can take today. 

• 1. Wisdom – You’ll find this in the Bible … read it daily. If you don’t know where to start – start with John and Proverbs. Read just one chapter of each book every day. 
  
• 2. Righteousness – Say no to sin in your life … simply stop making plans to sin … (lie if you have to, hope you don’t), but stop sinning. 
  
• 3. Devotion to God – Verbally dedicate yourself to God’s plan for your life and make prayer a priority in your life. Develop a daily habit of prayer.