back to index2017-02-19 Pastor James Lee (Guest Speaker)
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- All right, well thank you for having me come 00:00:08.160 |
It really is a joy and a pleasure to just administer 00:00:14.640 |
You guys have been a huge blessing to me personally 00:00:18.440 |
I know a lot of our members at our church have friends here 00:00:21.760 |
and so it's just good to know that there's like a, 00:00:24.880 |
almost like a sister church with which we can labor 00:00:29.180 |
And you know, I wanna say that I'm so thankful 00:00:36.560 |
I was so humbled that he would ask me to come 00:00:57.120 |
but you know, he would say, he would go like this a lot. 00:01:15.720 |
but you know, there was a time when we were praying 00:01:19.000 |
And so I saw him pray, another person prayed. 00:01:56.600 |
He is faithful in getting the gospel out to the nations. 00:01:59.720 |
and the opportunity for guys like me to come alongside. 00:02:05.560 |
I feel like I've gotten to know him a lot more, 00:02:14.200 |
And I just think about the ways in which he has blessed me, 00:02:16.480 |
and I can't imagine how much he has blessed you. 00:02:20.880 |
week in, week out, in the middle of the week, 00:02:31.800 |
And one of the encouragements I would want to give you 00:02:36.880 |
Let him know how much you appreciate all the sacrifice, 00:02:45.160 |
A lot of times people think that pastors are impervious to sin, 00:03:04.560 |
Bless him, and I know he will be deeply encouraged 00:03:10.480 |
But as I was thinking about what to preach today, 00:03:24.360 |
And so I thought it would be great for me to preach 00:03:26.480 |
on the book of Titus, Titus chapter two, verse one. 00:03:34.360 |
turn with me to Titus chapter two, verse one, 00:03:37.880 |
and then I'll open us up in a time of prayer. 00:03:48.040 |
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 00:03:55.720 |
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 00:04:12.560 |
And God, we know that in it is the answer to life. 00:04:18.680 |
In it is the path to have a relationship with you. 00:04:21.840 |
And Father, we are humbled that we are able to read 00:04:41.680 |
But we know within its pages is the power of God 00:04:44.160 |
for the salvation of man to those who believe. 00:04:46.920 |
I pray that we will understand the weightiness 00:04:50.400 |
that we will be a people who submit to the word 00:04:54.680 |
we are submitting to the king who gives us his word. 00:04:57.320 |
God, we pray this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. 00:05:21.360 |
against the Gnostic heresies in the second century. 00:05:27.800 |
John Hus in the 15th century fought for Christ's headship 00:05:32.920 |
Luther in the 16th century recovered the gospel 00:05:35.640 |
from the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. 00:05:38.120 |
Edwards in the 18th century profoundly developed 00:05:43.920 |
preached the doctrines of scripture with fire. 00:05:52.400 |
who have delivered the word of God unashamedly, 00:06:16.120 |
about the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 00:06:21.880 |
the souls of men are resurrected from the dead. 00:06:39.520 |
that those who are saved might grow in their faith. 00:06:47.520 |
there's a simple lesson that many of you guys know already, 00:06:50.880 |
and it's this, the responsibility of the preacher 00:07:02.560 |
But there's three applications I want to draw from this. 00:07:05.800 |
Okay, three applications I want to draw from this. 00:07:07.580 |
First, to listen to a message for depth, okay? 00:07:13.260 |
Secondly, to listen to a message for the sake of God. 00:07:25.700 |
but that doesn't mean you just sit there idly. 00:07:27.980 |
As a congregation, you have a responsibility before God. 00:07:30.560 |
You need to worship God in listening to the word. 00:07:38.420 |
and listen to a message for the sake of the community. 00:07:47.660 |
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 00:07:53.580 |
As for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 00:08:14.540 |
"and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. 00:08:18.960 |
"but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. 00:08:22.200 |
"But both their minds and their conscience are defiled. 00:08:24.120 |
"They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. 00:08:35.640 |
"saying that the death and the resurrection of Jesus 00:08:37.420 |
"is not enough for salvation, it's not sufficient. 00:08:46.880 |
the apostle Paul commissions Titus, calls Titus, 00:08:54.720 |
He's emphatic and he says, "But you yourself, Titus, 00:08:57.680 |
"you yourself teach what is true, teach what is right. 00:09:01.620 |
"They manipulate, they deceive, they endanger, 00:09:03.960 |
"but you teach according to what is true to the scriptures. 00:09:12.800 |
the responsibility of an overseer of the church. 00:09:34.400 |
But even more serious than the threat of damnation 00:09:45.600 |
Their ascetic works, their manipulative works, 00:09:53.720 |
A God whose love must be earned and worked for. 00:09:59.520 |
A God who rejects the sufficiency of his own son. 00:10:02.040 |
He rejects the crucifixion of Jesus Christ upon the cross. 00:10:12.100 |
"Teach what is consistent with who our God is. 00:10:15.000 |
"Teach what is consistent with what he has done. 00:10:17.400 |
"Teach what is consistent with his character." 00:10:30.920 |
the sacrifice of Jesus, the damnation of Jesus, 00:10:33.880 |
the burial of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, 00:10:49.200 |
Because the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ 00:10:53.280 |
and it's the glory of God that sanctifies us. 00:10:57.840 |
will the church be reminded to wait for the king 00:11:00.000 |
who is going to return, all for the glory of God. 00:11:06.000 |
"For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom. 00:11:10.360 |
"a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles. 00:11:12.860 |
"But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, 00:11:15.640 |
"Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God." 00:11:20.120 |
Woe to the preacher who does not preach the gospel. 00:11:22.680 |
One of the reasons why I'm so grateful for this church 00:11:30.360 |
That's why I'm grateful for this ministry here. 00:11:34.240 |
I know from this pulpit here, God is glorified. 00:11:40.760 |
But you know, that's not the case with a lot of churches. 00:11:51.960 |
because they're more concerned about being popular 00:11:55.520 |
And I know some of you guys come from that background. 00:12:09.640 |
Because then you find people who've been going out 00:12:17.560 |
It's such a tragic thing, and not only a tragic thing, 00:12:22.360 |
but a perverse thing, when professors of Christianity 00:12:25.600 |
wind up in hell because sound doctrine is crucified, 00:12:38.040 |
"but having itching ears, they will accumulate 00:12:39.860 |
"for themselves teachers to suit their own passions." 00:12:48.280 |
but having itching ears, they will accumulate 00:12:49.980 |
for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. 00:12:56.040 |
and the pastor a clown, and the word of God just a show. 00:12:58.840 |
This place is a hospital, and the preacher is the surgeon, 00:13:02.160 |
and the scalpel that he uses is a double-edged 00:13:14.000 |
because when the word of God is not preached faithfully, 00:13:17.600 |
When sin is minimized, the need for salvation is diminished. 00:13:27.480 |
A preacher who fails to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, 00:13:30.080 |
a preacher who fails to preach the word of God, 00:13:32.600 |
is a preacher who fails in his responsibility 00:13:34.880 |
towards his fellow man, and towards his savior. 00:13:44.400 |
gives this serious charge, not only to Titus, 00:13:49.000 |
Second Timothy chapter four, verse one through two. 00:13:52.240 |
to Second Timothy chapter four, verse one through two. 00:13:57.100 |
Second Timothy chapter four, verse one through two. 00:14:09.900 |
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, 00:14:22.880 |
preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, 00:14:30.700 |
Paul charges the preachers in the presence of God 00:14:36.140 |
But look, he doesn't say Jesus Christ, the savior, right? 00:14:40.860 |
He doesn't say Jesus, the merciful one, the patient one, 00:14:57.380 |
The one to fear in this pulpit is not man, but it is God. 00:15:01.640 |
What's man gonna do to you if you preach a sermon 00:15:06.060 |
Better to be blogged about than to be found unfaithful 00:15:22.520 |
from this pulpit, and I know what happens from this pulpit, 00:15:25.360 |
is that the word of God is faithfully proclaimed. 00:15:35.360 |
And the reason for why I'm so grateful for your pastors 00:15:43.540 |
But you have a responsibility as a congregation. 00:15:55.220 |
is the words of James, or the words of Pastor Peter. 00:15:59.380 |
Because the words that proceed from this pulpit 00:16:07.900 |
So it's a responsibility on behalf of the congregation 00:16:25.260 |
I would even venture to say only a few of you, 00:16:42.820 |
unless it is sugar-coated with a lot of jokes and stories. 00:16:59.960 |
"It is not the honey that is bitter, it is your mouth." 00:17:14.060 |
George Herbert says, "Judge not the preacher, 00:17:18.100 |
And very often when the man who has condemned the sermon, 00:17:45.820 |
lectures you have no interest in, it's painful. 00:17:48.780 |
It's sleep inducing, you gotta suffer through it. 00:18:01.740 |
if you love nature, you're not gonna be satisfied 00:18:08.500 |
even though it's gonna be excruciating and painful. 00:18:30.980 |
So when you hear about the mystery of the Trinity, 00:18:33.460 |
and the duality of the Christological nature, 00:19:00.980 |
Have I been thinking about the sacrifice of my Savior? 00:19:04.380 |
Have I been thinking about my own wretchedness, 00:19:13.740 |
the God who's throne to which I can come boldly? 00:19:19.340 |
the truth of the gospel will draw out love from your heart, 00:19:29.780 |
because you know in the proclamation of the truth of God, 00:19:34.380 |
May you develop a palate for the deep things of God, amen? 00:19:49.140 |
is not to be entertained or superficially engaged, 00:19:56.620 |
You come here for things that are true, profundity. 00:20:05.180 |
faithful people can come to church mainly for themselves. 00:20:08.740 |
Faithful people can come to church mainly for themselves. 00:20:11.820 |
They might not come to hear something superficial, 00:20:20.300 |
and so we filter things through how it can apply to us, 00:20:51.860 |
but you know, that's more for the young people. 00:20:56.260 |
or for the married people, for the old people. 00:21:02.140 |
In short, we listen to our sermon for ourselves. 00:21:33.180 |
And so, let's say someone was blogging about me, 00:21:39.100 |
he's dividing up the church, he left his family. 00:21:51.780 |
they avoid me, they feel all uncomfortable around me. 00:22:06.380 |
and says, Pastor G, I'm so glad your name got cleared up, 00:22:08.540 |
because when people were thinking all these things 00:22:10.820 |
about you, avoiding you, man, it made my life so hard. 00:22:18.900 |
and when I was around you, man, I felt so uncomfortable, 00:22:21.660 |
so I'm glad that things got cleared up for me. 00:22:35.340 |
As much as all the bad things had happened to me 00:22:38.260 |
affected you, the issue is really what had happened to me. 00:22:50.020 |
were happening to me, it didn't affect our relationship, 00:22:52.980 |
because he already knew what was true about me. 00:23:04.540 |
And that's how it needs to be with us and our God. 00:23:14.620 |
The world is looking at the cross of Jesus Christ 00:23:17.020 |
and saying it's nonsense, that it's foolishness. 00:23:19.980 |
And all we care about is the vindication of God's name, 00:23:33.740 |
How often do we hear the vindication of God's name, 00:23:38.820 |
preaching of his work, and think more about ourselves, 00:23:41.380 |
instead of thinking I'm glad that right things 00:23:58.780 |
Even though it doesn't affect our relationship, 00:24:18.180 |
So it's natural to listen to a message for ourselves. 00:24:49.940 |
There are going to be messages that you listen to, 00:25:04.140 |
if the purpose of the message is ultimately about you. 00:25:09.780 |
because he has loved us and sent his son to die for us, 00:25:15.140 |
if there is no direct application in your life. 00:25:38.660 |
"Thank you for preaching what is right about my savior. 00:25:51.020 |
I don't know if Pastor Peter's gonna listen to this. 00:26:18.940 |
because the focus now, 'cause now you're reminding him too, 00:26:27.700 |
and I'm grateful that my congregation understands that. 00:26:40.420 |
is to listen to a message for the sake of the community, 00:26:44.180 |
Listen to a message for the sake of community. 00:26:50.980 |
to address the Christian community on Crete as a whole, 00:26:53.500 |
but he tells him to address specific types of people. 00:26:56.260 |
Look at the text and read with me from verse two to verse nine. 00:27:01.100 |
let's just read from verse one to verse nine. 00:27:15.680 |
"dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith and love, 00:27:19.420 |
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, 00:27:27.680 |
"to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, 00:27:33.800 |
"Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 00:27:36.380 |
"Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, 00:27:38.880 |
"and in your teaching, show integrity, dignity, 00:27:47.540 |
"Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters 00:27:49.800 |
"and everything they are to be well-pleasing, 00:27:57.980 |
Verse four through five, he addresses young women. 00:28:02.380 |
In verse seven through eight, he addresses Titus directly. 00:28:05.020 |
And lastly, in verse nine, he addresses slaves. 00:28:08.220 |
That's a very important lesson for us to learn 00:28:11.940 |
We are not only to listen to a message for our own souls. 00:28:15.140 |
We are not only to listen to a message for the sake of God, 00:28:31.240 |
So it's not gonna have any practical relevance to you. 00:28:34.240 |
But you need to be able to listen to that message, 00:28:41.240 |
And this is especially true for this ministry 00:28:59.240 |
And yeah, so we're just like a miniature version 00:29:06.080 |
So the target group at my church is maybe 18 to, 00:29:34.680 |
man, you got youth group kids through high school, 00:29:38.600 |
all the way into their like 50s, 60s, I think, right? 00:29:50.920 |
And so it's important for you to develop a discipline 00:30:03.340 |
even though you might be mature in the faith, 00:30:10.440 |
I don't want you to miss out on what God is doing 00:30:12.760 |
in this church through the power of this word, 00:30:14.680 |
as he is saving people, as he is growing people, 00:30:21.520 |
on whether or not the passage is relevant for you. 00:30:27.020 |
and rejoice in what God is doing outside of you. 00:30:30.180 |
Titus chapter two, verse 11 through 14, listen to this. 00:30:39.400 |
training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, 00:30:42.560 |
and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives 00:30:44.960 |
in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope 00:30:47.320 |
and the appearing of the glory of our great God 00:30:49.080 |
and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us 00:30:53.920 |
and to purify for himself a people for his own possession 00:31:03.240 |
We must open up our eyes to see how that grace 00:31:06.560 |
but in the lives of the members here at this church. 00:31:16.440 |
to start a business, an after-school prep course. 00:31:20.640 |
going from a tutoring context to that of a classroom. 00:31:28.840 |
If things were too hard, he would just slow down. 00:31:30.640 |
If things were too easy, he would just pick up the pace. 00:31:32.800 |
But in a classroom, it was much more difficult 00:31:35.000 |
because you can teach a lesson, and one kid might get it, 00:31:39.640 |
But if you slow down, that kid is gonna get boring for him, 00:31:49.640 |
because that's one of the challenges that pastors have. 00:31:53.000 |
But can you imagine a classroom where Steve's students 00:31:58.720 |
to help each other out with physics and chemistry? 00:32:01.020 |
The students who are able to understand things faster 00:32:05.040 |
And in teaching them, they master the material. 00:32:12.200 |
obviously grow in their understanding as well. 00:32:14.680 |
Now does this require the smarter kids to make sacrifices? 00:32:24.740 |
because now as a whole, they move forward towards their goal. 00:32:27.840 |
And this kind of communal growth can happen in the church 00:32:37.660 |
Take your Bibles and turn with me to Ephesians 4, 00:33:00.880 |
It says, "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, 00:33:06.240 |
"the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers 00:33:08.580 |
"to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, 00:33:22.360 |
"to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature 00:33:27.880 |
"He gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, 00:33:32.860 |
"so that you all might attain to the unity of the faith, 00:33:37.180 |
"to mature manhood, to the knowledge of the Son of God." 00:33:49.500 |
He used to say, "Juno, there's something romantic 00:34:30.260 |
You move together, you hunt together, you fight together. 00:34:38.060 |
to minister to each other, to teach each other, 00:34:40.340 |
and to even listen to a message for each other, 00:34:45.260 |
As you guys are growing, there are gonna be people 00:34:53.140 |
and it's the responsibility for the older people 00:35:00.060 |
but for everyone, for those who are younger in the faith. 00:35:06.220 |
that it is going to your older brothers and sisters, 00:35:10.180 |
and even though you might not necessarily understand it, 00:35:28.140 |
to listen to that sound doctrine worshipfully. 00:35:44.860 |
and truly it is the power of God for salvation. 00:35:59.500 |
There is no power like the power of the gospel, 00:36:02.740 |
and I pray that we would understand that power, 00:36:05.500 |
and to know that as we listen to the word of God 00:36:15.860 |
knowing that the power proceeds ultimately from you, 00:36:25.100 |
that as they receive the word of God from this pulpit, 00:36:34.220 |
They would do so listening for this community.