To continue yesterday's study, we learn from Titus 3:1-2 that Paul's second reminder is:
Reminder #2: Be Obedient Remind them ... to be obedient (Titus 3:1, ESV) That's it. Simple, huh? Just obey. But who? Obey anybody who tells you anything, anytime, anywhere? Well, he doesn't exactly say, but given his first statement (yesterday's topic) he could be referring to leaders and those in authority, specifically the leaders in the church. But the statement's so general, I think he's simply referring to obedience to God. I believe he's saying, "Obey those who have authority over you and, well, just obey!" When God saved us he gave us a new heart and new desires. We should be able to say with the psalmist: Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. (Psalm 119:35, ESV) It should be our hearts desire to obey. Followers of Christ should want to follow his commands. It's true that we will sin, we will mess up. That's a guarantee and that's why we celebrate God's forgiveness. The more serious problem arises when we sin and we don't care. We disobey, we know it and we shrug it off. Warning bells should go off it that's you. And that's why Paul reminds us to be obedient. Don't fall into a habit of disregarding God's truth. Remember to be obedient.
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I love the feature on my computer and phone that dings to remind me of an approaching appointment or event. Even when I write myself a note not to forget, a dinging, blinking screen ensures me that I won't forget my task.
The apostle Paul understood the importance of reminders as well. He knew that we don't all remember it the first time (or even the second or seventh!). That's why when he wrote his pastor friend Titus, he challenged Titus to remind the people in his congregation of a few important virtues. In Titus 3:1-2, Paul lists seven of these areas he wanted Titus to address. Today we'll mention the first and then we'll touch on the rest in the days that follow. Reminder #1: Submit to Authority Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities...(Titus 3:1, ESV) I know, I know, we don't like the "s-word" -- submit. Doesn't Paul know that we just came off a year that saw unprecedented protests around the world and Occupy Wall Street pulsing through our media outlets? But before you navigate away from the page, give the idea a second-glance. The concept of submission is found throughout the pages of the Bible and is rooted in God's authority over us. We, as his creation, are to submit to his authority in our lives (James 4:7, Eph. 5:24). He is a most loving and tender heavenly Father who cares deeply for us and our needs. For us to place ourselves under his authority is exceptionally wise. We could be in no better hands. Here on earth, God has established certain people to exercise authority (which they derive from him) to rule in his stead (Rom. 13:1). When we are refuse to submit to the governing authorities in our lives (boss, government, police, etc.), we are directly opposing God (Rom. 13:2). This doesn't mean we can't express our opinion, disagree or protest. This also doesn't mean that we have to obey when we are told to violate God's Word (e.g. Acts 4:1-22). But it does mean that we do need to follow laws and rules, even if we don't like them. Don't forget, the government Paul and Titus lived under was far worse than anything we Americans have lived under. Some of the Roman Caesars were notorious for the creativity in persecuting Christians. The "s-word" was even s-carier back then. So why do we have to be reminded to submit? Because we don't usually like the idea. Our sinful nature screams for autonomy. So what can we do when it's mighty tough to comply with these standards? We can pray. We can pray for the leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-2) and we can pray for our attitudes. We can encourage. We can encourage those whom God as placed over us and we can gently and lovingly prod our peers who may also struggle with the "s-word." We can trust. We can trust a good and loving God that he knows what he's doing. Even if you don't believe those in authority do! God has put you in this place with that government/boss/supervisor/patrolman, etc. for a reason. Trust in his wise purposes and remember to submit. Here is an excellent post by pastor John Piper:
What should you do if you know someone who seems to be more excited about movies than Jesus? Many professing Christians give little evidence of valuing Jesus more than the latest movie they have seen. Or the latest clothing they bought. Or the latest app they downloaded. Or the latest game they watched. Something is amiss. We are not God and cannot judge with certainty and precision what’s wrong. There is a glitch somewhere. Perhaps a blindness going in, a spiritual deadness at heart, or a blockage coming out. Or some combination. Christ doesn’t appear supremely valuable. Or isn’t felt as supremely valuable. Or can’t be spoken of as supremely valuable. Or some combination. Here’s my suggestion. Instead of dampening their enthusiasm for movies, clothing, apps, and events, let that go as an expression of God-given personality. Instead, model expressive joy in Jesus. Over time, if there is no resonance from their heart with your joy, query them humbly: I love your enthusiasm for the things you get excited about. You’re so free and expressive about good movies and nice clothes and cool apps. It seems odd to me that you don’t seem to be as expressive about the way you feel about Jesus and what he’s done for us. Have you thought about why that might be? The point of this query is to help them see that the problem is not joyfully loving good created things. The problem is the apparent absence of similar affections for Christ. If similar affections for Jesus are not possible, then the specter of idolatry becomes serious. But they may sense this themselves without your having to start with that indictment, if you draw their attention not to the excitement that’s there, but to what’s missing. We don’t want them to lose their exuberance about anything good. We want Christ to be supreme in their hearts so that all their exuberance comes under him and for his sake. When Jesus is felt as supremely valuable in our hearts, all other values gradually become properly ordered and purified. May the Lord give you great courage and wisdom as you help people awaken to the supreme value of Jesus. Here is an excellent post by pastor John Piper:
What should you do if you know someone who seems to be more excited about movies than Jesus? Many professing Christians give little evidence of valuing Jesus more than the latest movie they have seen. Or the latest clothing they bought. Or the latest app they downloaded. Or the latest game they watched. Something is amiss. We are not God and cannot judge with certainty and precision what’s wrong. There is a glitch somewhere. Perhaps a blindness going in, a spiritual deadness at heart, or a blockage coming out. Or some combination. Christ doesn’t appear supremely valuable. Or isn’t felt as supremely valuable. Or can’t be spoken of as supremely valuable. Or some combination. Here’s my suggestion. Instead of dampening their enthusiasm for movies, clothing, apps, and events, let that go as an expression of God-given personality. Instead, model expressive joy in Jesus. Over time, if there is no resonance from their heart with your joy, query them humbly: I love your enthusiasm for the things you get excited about. You’re so free and expressive about good movies and nice clothes and cool apps. It seems odd to me that you don’t seem to be as expressive about the way you feel about Jesus and what he’s done for us. Have you thought about why that might be? The point of this query is to help them see that the problem is not joyfully loving good created things. The problem is the apparent absence of similar affections for Christ. If similar affections for Jesus are not possible, then the specter of idolatry becomes serious. But they may sense this themselves without your having to start with that indictment, if you draw their attention not to the excitement that’s there, but to what’s missing. We don’t want them to lose their exuberance about anything good. We want Christ to be supreme in their hearts so that all their exuberance comes under him and for his sake. When Jesus is felt as supremely valuable in our hearts, all other values gradually become properly ordered and purified. May the Lord give you great courage and wisdom as you help people awaken to the supreme value of Jesus. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:3–8, ESV)
Sometimes I stop to marvel at the wisdom God displayed in creating the human body. When I observe how quickly a cut heals on my child's knee or how much information passes over my five senses in the matter of just a few minutes, I just cannot fathom the depth of the riches of God's knowledge. I sure am glad that he gave us body parts that have different functions. Someone who is clumsy might say that they are "all thumbs." We use it as a figure of speak but don't take it literally. But what if it was literal. What if you actually met someone who was composed entirely of thumbs? What if it didn't seem strange to you because you played bridge with a guy who was all feet and say someone at the gym who was all heads as well? I know, this is pretty silly. But it underscores an important biblical truth -- the fact that God made us all unique and has given us gifts that are just as diverse as we are. Here in Romans 12 we are told that God gives us gifts when he saves us (1 Corinthians 12-14 is the most complete treatment of the subject). These gifts are manifestations of His grace which give us divinely-enabled skills that allow us to play a special role in God's work. For some, it may be teaching while others may an uncanny ability to spot and meet physical needs. The point it that we're not all the same and that's a great thing. If a real human body truly was composed entirely of thumbs (or feet, hands or arms), it could do very little. Each body part has an important role to play. We cannot put a premium on one part over the other. The same is true in God's body, composed of Christians everywhere (1 Cor. 12:12-19). Everyone is needed, from the pastor or musicians up front to the unsung hero who makes coffee for all the visitors, God looks upon all of us with importance in his family. What a relief it is that we are not all the same. Not only has God created us uniquely but he has gifted us uniquely. The body of Jesus Christ is blessed to have you on board. Check out the lists in the above passages and discover where your gifts lie. You just might be surprised at the blessings God has in store for you as you jump into your role in the Body of Jesus Christ. "I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished . . . I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it."
George Mueller of Bristol (quoted in Desiring God by John Piper, p. 122) Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:18, ESV)
The first words of that verse are like a drop of cool water on a parched tongue. They are a soft pillow of a day of arduous labor. They are a strong embrace around drooping shoulders. There is not a person alive who doesn't need hear: the Lord waits to be gracious to you. Let those precious and soothing words settle deep upon your mind and soul. They bring rest and relief. Many days, perhaps today, you will do battle with such truth. A part of you (maybe most of you) will rise up to say that such cannot be. God cannot be interested in bestowing grace upon this undeserving sinner. But isn't that the essence of grace? Unworthiness? There cannot be merit or else it is earned, a reward for some good deed. If there were ever unworthy recipients, it was those who originally heard Isaiah's words. He prophesied to the people of Judah who were neck-deep in rebellion and idolatry. Repeatedly they had been warned by God's prophets, yet they turned with increasing hostility away from their creator. Yet God tells them that he still planned grace for them. God plans grace for you too. Do you believe him? What in you fights against such a promise? The fact that you are unworthy? That you messed up last weekend? That you have a past that still haunts you? Grace assumes that we don't deserve her. Get ready because God waits to be gracious. |
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