Book of Titus - Ch. 1, vv. 3-4

We've been moving our way slowly, but surely through just the salutation of Titus. We will be jumping into verse 3 today

When we covered verse 2 most of everyone in the room currently was not here whether Because of travel or otherwise we had the

Kings with us that day Mimi and pop -pop were here But everybody else I think was out so I don't have a whole lot of time

To do too much review. I will say this though as far as verses 2 & 3 go There's quite a bit in there that I'll probably

Set aside for the time being and maybe cover In the future whether that be in a sermon or otherwise there's a lot in these first four verses of Titus, but We will let's go ahead and read the first four verses together, and then we'll jump into verse 3 specifically which is where kind of where we left off last time so Turn to Titus chapter 1 let's read the first four verses and then we'll jump into it says

Paul a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God's elect and the

Acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness and hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began

But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our

Savior To Titus my own son after the common faith grace mercy and peace

From God the Father in the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior Now again like I said a couple well

Maybe two three weeks ago at this point or three or four weeks ago. We covered verse 2 the hope of eternal life

Which was which God that cannot lie promised before time eternal would be kind of a literal

Rendering of that final phrase there we discussed the significance of the fact that our that promise was made before time

Which is an indication that not only is time itself a creation a creature another servant of God Something that God is not bound by but the promise that was made by definition would have had to have been made to somebody that Pre -existed that in other words a promise was made that we are involved with it has it's directly related to our hope of eternal life

But the promise was made to somebody that existed prior to us And of course we talked in detail about the fact that that was

Jesus Christ the Eternal Son It was a promise made between the Father and the Son That involved us is that love gift it would eventually be given to Jesus So obviously so much in verse 2 there that we covered last time, but let's move on to verse 3 and Start diving into that a little bit.

Let's read verse 3 just one more time. It says but hath in due times Manifested his word through preaching which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our

Savior now what believers experience in salvation and You could look at the full

You know train their Sanctification our future glorification all of it is because God made that eternal promise to the

Lord verse 2 Which is what we talked about last time But not only did he make that promise he revealed that promise to us in a particular way

He revealed that eternal promise in his word so that we could understand it so that we could begin to grasp

This promise in some way or at least to the extent that God wanted us to understand it we get to know about the plan because as it says in due times or In due season it was revealed to us.

How was it revealed? It was revealed through his word and it's interesting because Paul puts an emphasis on another aspect of that It was revealed through his word through preaching

Paul is telling us that he understands that the means by which God delivers his message

The mission the message itself it always comes from God's Word and that Word comes through proclaiming it through preaching it now the

New Testament emphasis on the cut on the concept or the reality of word in Particular it's really hard not to notice you see this popping up as a is a theme a reoccurring theme everywhere and Because of it we learn

Pretty spectacular reality about the way in which God interacts with his creation, but more specifically with his people the father is

Transcended as dad says the father is in a place. That's not a place we can't really even understand it because we live in three -dimensional space and time and The father is in a place that we couldn't even really comprehend and yet Even with that reality even with that is truth.

We can still know him intimately and This is because he makes himself manifest in the visible image of his son

It was also known as the word However, we also learn about the word being spread

In another particular way and that is like I said a minute ago our preaching preaching consists of words which represent

The word again another name for the Eternal Son and he is representative of the father

So we have this really beautiful Cascade that flows directly from the father all the way down to the words of You know little meager human beings men that are filling the open air

With the words of Scripture through preaching so that sinners can hear from God himself and we get to be a part of that It's a really spectacular thing that well ministers have the

Wonderful honor of getting to partake in regularly, but really any believer that goes out and is

Proclaiming the word of the Lord talking to people evangelizing They all get to take part in that honor the words that are coming out of their mouth, especially

When they are from Scripture, they flow directly from the father Through the the word which is

Jesus Christ through our words as we speak Now this idea of preaching the significance of preaching the significance of this role that Paul took very very seriously that he's talking

About in verse 3 here. He talks about it in a lot of other places as well If you want to go to 1st Corinthians 1 for a second

We're gonna there's a few very brief passages in 1st Corinthians that will kind of skip through All of which they'll emphasize what

Paul is talking about here in Titus 1 3 as well and it will just shed a little bit more light on How important this was to Paul how important it is for the people around us in 1st

Corinthians 1 Starting at verse 20 a very familiar passage. We were in the past couple of weeks as Matt was bringing

Sunday school It says where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world?

Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world for after that in the wisdom of God?

So there's some contrast there the world by wisdom knew not God it

Pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe now this particular context is interesting because what we're learning here is

That preaching is not only the ordained means by which God brings his message to the world so that they can hear it so that it

Can transform their lives but even in the foolishness of preaching this same The same mission can be accomplished so to speak even at times when the messenger himself is

Far from ideal and delivering the words that are needed for people to hear them

Be transformed by the word and so on and so forth. Even when it's less than ideal even when it's

Coming from a somewhat foolish place. It can still accomplish that mission to save them

That believe as Paul puts it here But preaching is the key preaching is the emphasis if you skip over one chapter and you look at verse 4 first Corinthians Chapter 2 verse 4 it says in my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom

But in demonstration of the spirit and of power that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men

But in the power of God it was the preaching of Paul that was a demonstration of the spirit and his power now again that goes back to the

Unbelievable reality that we as humans Paul is a human but by extension all of us as well

Get to partake in that type of power in the demonstration of the spirit and of power simply by preaching

Faithfully the Word of God faithfully would be the key word there a lot of preaching goes on around the world but when we preach in the likeness of Paul when we preach with the

Emphasis of the word at the forefront of our minds wanting to accurately handle that and faithfully

Preach that then this is the kind of power that it carries if you skip all the way over to verse

I'm sorry chapter 15 of first Corinthians just one quick verse I just want you all to see some of these because I want you to see this running theme of Paul That carries all the way into the

Titus passage we're in this morning in 15 verse 12 It says now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead

How say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead now, this is really fascinating because the context here

Paul is about to talk about the first resurrection and some really deep doctrinal things and he asks this kind of rhetorical question

That is pointing out how can these things even be questioned when you hear that Christ is being preached in other words he's letting us know that the power behind the words that are being preached are enough as Are enough reason for you to believe that these things are true even such doctrinal realities as the first resurrection the resurrection of the dead something very unique To the

Christian faith very unique to the gospel that Paul and the Apostles were preaching So this this emphasis on the preaching to deliver these very serious things

Was something that Paul took very seriously this preaching was something that Paul was totally committed to and It couldn't be overstated how important of a job it was to Paul how important that job was to Paul And this is someone that understood the sovereignty of God Probably better than any other human that ever lived

Not counting the Lord himself, of course and yet even with that deep understanding He emphasized evangelism which we looked at in verse 1 of Titus 1 1

Emphasized preaching the delivery of God's Word just about well I would say more than anybody else but a big a big reason why is because of how much of the

New Testament that he The prophets of the Old Testament were preachers Jesus himself was a preacher and the

Apostles of course were preachers Themselves turned to Romans chapter 10. We're kind of hopping around a little bit here, but I think this is worth doing

While we're in While we're honing in on verse 3 here before we move into verse 4

Because when you think about how magnificent verse 2 is while you're turning to Romans I'll just read it one more time in the hope of eternal life, which

God cannot lie promise before the world began There's the promise a decree that was made that could not be changed the immutable

God was going to fulfill this promise But what what is one of the ways in which he would fulfill the promise but hath in due times manifested his word

Well, we know that that's a key ingredient for lack of a better term in bringing

God's people to faith But in due times manifested his word through preaching using his creation his image bearers

Paul the other Apostles their disciples and by extension all ministers over the last 2 ,000 years all of the successors of the

Apostles With that regard were all used as the instruments By which the word was made manifest from which is what delivers

Information about this promise that was made before time eternal It's all just unbelievable and preaching is the thing that does it

Romans chapter 10 verse 13 Of course is one that everybody knows but look at the immediate the verses that immediately follow for whosoever shall call upon the name of The Lord shall be saved

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have?

Heard and how shall they hear without a preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent so there is a very specific reference to the commissioning of Certain men that were called by God to do this thing as it is written

How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things

Just the approach of these men to whatever community whatever congregation whatever group of people they were approaching to bring this good news just Just their presence their imminent presence was something worth rejoicing over Paul wasn't about perfect oration or being manipulative in any way in his speech in the way

He delivered these things even when he debated the pagans in the streets in front of everybody

He wasn't all that Worried about strategy to a degree depending on how you define that he wasn't worried about being manipulative.

He wasn't worried about The perfect delivery of his words

He approached his preaching with the fear of the Lord and that is of course something that not only every minister should emulate

But I would say every believer every believer that is held responsible which would be all of them

In sharing the gospel with the world. I want to I want to turn over to 1st

Corinthians one more time I know I read a couple of verses in chapter 2. I want to read a couple more though just to demonstrate

Where Paul's cares were he says and I brethren when I came to you came not with excellency of speech

This is 1st Corinthians chapter 2 opening verses. I came not with the excellency of speech or of wisdom

What is that wisdom a reference to the wisdom of the world? Declaring unto you the testimony of God for I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ in him crucified

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling and my speech and my preaching

This is what we read earlier was not with enticing words of man's wisdom But in the demonstration of the

Spirit and of power that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God that is how

Paul approached his preaching not with enticing words not worried about the perfect delivery or the perfect Oratory skills that it that some may emphasize today and have throughout all of church history all he cared about was accurately handling the

Word of God and being faithful with it and he knew that it would not return void and that was whether he was

Evangelizing whether he was on a missionary journey or whether he was debating the pagans in the streets of Athens in front of everybody to show the foolishness of man and the wisdom of God.

He didn't care about Delivery as much as he cared about being faithful and being accurate now

One last note and we'll leave verse 3 here and tie you can go back to Titus back to Titus 1 3

No, also that God's Word which is the very Basis for Paul's entire mission

What was it it was? entrusted to Paul It was entrusted to him.

It says verse 3 But hath a few times manifested his word through preaching which is committed or entrusted

Could be either word there which is entrusted unto me according to the commandment of God our

Savior This was something that Paul was entrusted with he God Trusted Paul and commissioning him to do what

I was saying a second ago to accurately and faithfully Handle his word and by extension

This is true for all of Paul's successors every minister of the gospel that had followed

Paul Titus being one of them Titus and of course Timothy which we'll get to one of these days were imminent successors of Paul But what about after they were gone

Well, there were successors of them and after them all the way down through church history to present day.

All ministers of the gospel are entrusted with this word that is to be preached that is to be manifested by preaching that means that When you are a minister of the gospel when you are a preacher when you are a pastor an evangelist

Whatever it may be a revivalist you are responsible To not change the words that you were entrusted with You were given something that came from God himself.

The only perfect physical thing in the universe. Well, not the universe On earth,

I guess you could technically argue that the third heaven is in the universe somewhere but the only physical perfect thing on earth in our solar system is this word and this word that came from God was

Entrusted to Paul but by extension all ministers of the gospel after the fact you don't get to mess with that You are responsible to faithfully and accurately bring that to bear so that sinners can so that sinners hear it and so that sinners change so that they hear this gospel and Resonate with it

We're responsible for not changing it when we proclaim it. Let's go ahead and go to verse 4 now

Titus chapter 1. Does anyone have any thoughts so far before we move into the next verse any any thoughts y 'all would like to share?

I know we're making some progress here. This will be the first time we cover more than one verse since we've started

Titus It's very fun. All right verse 4 it says to Titus So now we learn a little bit about the man that Paul is writing to to Titus mine own son after the common faith grace mercy and peace from God the

Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior, we're gonna hone in on that final phrase there and just a little bit

But first I want to point out a couple of things with regard to Paul's relationships we learned that he has a close relationship right here with Titus and Another purpose of this letter is to give

Titus the authority that Titus needed To face the false teachers and the enemies that he was to face on the island of Crete Well Paul being the preeminent apostle, of course is doing just that he is giving him that authority

One of the ways in which he does it is by demonstrating the bond that he has with Titus The close relationship that Paul and Titus have my own son after the common faith

Paul had zero issue Duplicating and delegating himself. This is something we talked about all the time

This is a needed A needed what would you what would you call it?

A required something. What is it? I don't know what the best word would be in business in life in ministry in Everything you can think of what's the word dead?

Right, oh go ahead Sorry You know

I Think that's left in the face of the entire

Missionary to be saved and to see Jesus out there and say that they can't God God is in control of everything and he will get a missionary where he was a missionary so the people can hear him say in those reasons and You have to be so careful nowadays what we hear not to disbelieve it this is very plain scripture

If you read here, you cannot get around verse 14 Verse 14 is so plain

So clear this is God's plan. He doesn't have five plans to be perfect.

He only has one plan and this is his plan So I thought that was great that you pointed all this stuff out about preachers

You know, you know, you don't get the gospel without a preacher of some sort It's not always what we call a professional minister any any morning in prison is a preacher

It should be a preacher Well and think about how interesting it is that that Paul's The truth that Paul is sharing with us there is during the time of the

Apostles He emphasized it even when the Apostles were still alive were signed gifts were still

Existing Well, I'm glad you brought all that up and just to summarize it for anyone listening online that may not have heard dad

Is it he's just pointing out the fact that in in the 21st century you hear lots of stories

Quote -unquote conversion stories about people that were saved by through visions of Jesus far away without ever needing the work of a missionary an evangelist or a preacher and Dad's point is this passage in Romans 10 specifically verses 14 and 15

Refute that notion because God ordained that the way in which people would hear the word and Resonate with it is through the words of a man of a preacher specifically.

We have a couple of faithful missionaries with us today in Sunday school will be sharing a message later and their work is

Built upon the foundation that a preacher is needed for these people to hear the truth

And so yeah to dad's point that heretical teaching is in the front to all the work the missionaries have been doing for the last 2 ,000 years

You don't mess with the way God ordains his message to be delivered He ordains the the means as well as the ends as we have said a number of times in this study

And we're going to continue to hone in on that because we will see that demonstrated time and time again And so that's very important stuff

No doubt and I'm glad that that I'm glad that we were able to talk about that a little bit While we were in that Romans passage

Now back to the duplicating and delegating for a second dad you helped me out with that as well even in secular business

In the secular business realm it is considered best practices to ensure that if you are good at something You duplicate and delegate yourself because you're gonna get to a point where you can't handle all the work yourself

Well, the thing is it's not really secular business talk That is a biblical principle that we see in the

Old Testament as well. In fact to introduce the book of Titus we talked about the succession of God's people of God's leaders and so we've looked at stories throughout the

Old Testament where one of God's men needed a Successor and what that transition of power looked like and so this is a biblical principle

But it applies across the board so you will see it in business. You will see in other areas, but here

We have it with Paul preparing his successors, and I started all that with a thought

That Paul had zero issue doing that why did Paul have zero issue

Duplicating and delegating himself because his dad will also attest that is that can be very hard for some people to do

In fact it can be seemingly impossible for some people to duplicate and delegate themselves whether it's because they don't want to relinquish any power or in some

Some Dramatic cases that's what I was trying to find there or in some cases.

They may just not have the skill set Needed to teach what they need to teach to the next guy or whatever it may be that could be for a number of reasons

So it can be very hard to do this However, it was not hard for Paul and the reason is because Paul had zero issue

Pouring himself into the men around him in Fact He probably didn't even think about this is duplicating and delegating the way that a business mind would strategically be thinking about that He probably didn't have to think about that at all because what he was thinking about was he had men around him and women as Well, but I'm talking in the specific context of pastors here as Titus will be or actually was at the time of this letter being written

He had these men around him that he yearned to disciple. He had these men around him that he

Would pour himself into that he knew needed him needed his guidance needed his leadership and because he had no issue in pouring himself out into these men a just default

Result of all that was that he duplicated and delegated himself Whether he was trying all that hard or not

It just happened because he was he was dedicating his life to instructing these men

He didn't even need to focus on putting great effort into Duplicating himself because he cared so deeply about ensuring that he was always discipling someone

Wherever he was and he was all over the place. He was always discipling someone When you think about Paul, you can think of a number of names that go right along with him

You think of Barnabas you think of Luke you think of Timothy or Titus or Silas? You know these names that you hear about that are walking in lockstep with Paul for so long in his ministry

And then maybe it's someone else at a different part But he always had men with him For the most part and was discipling them along the way if you ever read

Romans 16 It's a really funny chapter because you have 15 chapters some of the deep deepest doctrines in all of Scripture And then it ends with Paul just this long list of people that Paul is talking about.

Sometimes. It's just a name We don't even know anything about the person and there's no cross -references in the rest of the scripture to learn anything about him there either

They're just people that Paul was was talking about and why would the

Lord inspire? Paul to put all these people in there well, I think there could be a number of reasons I think there are a number of reasons, but one of them.

I think is to demonstrate the way in which Paul cared about those around him the friendships that he

Cultivated the people that he cared about the fact that he was always pouring himself into others

He was very involved on a wide scale in The lives of many people not just a few

Not just Titus not just Timothy not just Silas and Barnabas a lot of people and again the last chapter of Romans Demonstrates that plainly when one wonders again why the

Lord did that I believe it so we can learn a lot about Paul He never isolated himself. He loved people.

He loved being around him He loved discipling them Paul's life was filled with people and he was just as committed to God's people as he was his own mission now in present -day missions ministries

You name it? There there are a few examples that you can find out there of men that Put a heavy emphasis on whatever their ministry was

Whatever they were out working on and doing but very little close

Relationships with the people around them very little discipling very little care for Preparing maybe the next generation to carry their ministry on there again

There are a number of examples you can find there Well, that was not an issue with Paul either because as much as he was committed to the mission that he was given

By God, he was just as committed to God's people all around him whether they were of a significant status or not significant social status significant in the ministry with him or Just lay people that were had just been converted and were looking for guidance and that were a part of a little local house church

He cared just as much about all of them and in Titus We'll be wrapping it up here in just a sec.

We learned that this young man was one of these people By this time Titus was already a pastor and he was charged with shepherding the churches of Crete There's no doubt that he was chosen for this task

That he was chosen to go to Crete and to be the one to get everything in order because there's a lot of mess that We'll be learning about as we progress through this letter

There's no doubt that he was chosen for that task because of the discipling that he received from Paul He was prepared by Paul now.

He still needs a little bit of help That's why he's getting this letter, but he wouldn't have been sent in the first place if he hadn't been

Discipled already to a great degree and because of the fact that Paul Under the inspiration of the

Spirit wrote such letters of importance as he did with Titus and with Timothy We know that these two young men

Were two of the most important men in Paul's life even with this wide range of wonderful people that Paul talks about all throughout his letters

Not just in that last chapter of Romans, but he ends many of his letters

Referencing other people in his life These two young men were right at the top because Paul of course again under the inspiration of the

Spirit No less writes these very detailed meticulous letters of instruction just for them.

In fact the most meticulous instruction manuals that we have for church life he wrote

To these guys who were going to be his successors now in verse 4

You may recognize some familiar phrasing that Paul has used before we recently went verse by verse through Philemon He uses physical mental pictures to describe the spiritual bond between himself and Titus when he says mine own son

After the common faith, he's telling us that Titus much like Philemon much like Onesimus these guys that we learned about recently

Titus owes his spiritual life to God Through Paul Paul is claiming

Titus is his own his convert his son after the common faith now

I don't think I have enough time to get into it. There's a couple of passages I have here They go outside of Titus in Galatians in 2nd

Corinthians where we learn a little bit about what made this bond so strong between them I think

I'll save that for next time with what little time we have left here But I'll just I'll just cut to the chase a little bit

This bond Certainly predated Titus leaving to go to the island of Crete and to begin

Shepherding the local churches there And we learned about the bond in Galatians chapter 2 which we'll look at next time where Paul tells us that He chose

Titus to go with him to a very important event To use Titus as a demonstration of the age of grace the grace of God The fact that you can be saved by grace alone and that the law

Was no longer a part of the salvation process not

I worded that a little bit poorly I think salvation was always by grace through faith. But the point was the

Judaizers were trying to be like guys. Come on We know we believe in Jesus.

We believe you know, we're in a new age now, but you still got to get circumcised And Paul was going to handle that and he chose

Titus to go with him and we're gonna learn next week or the next time I'm with y 'all Why he chose

Titus, but we also learned in 2nd Corinthians and we'll look at a few passages next time as well that Titus himself

Much like Paul yearned to go disciple and shepherd people. He actually went

With by his own will to the Corinthian Church Which had a lot of mess that needed to be cleaned up that Paul had to deal with of course all throughout the first letter

To the Corinthians and to some degree in the second as well in Titus went there because he wanted to because he wanted to help that church out and those believers out and He did so with earnest as we will learn in a particular passage in one of Paul's letters where he references

Titus And so that spiritual bond was very very Unique it was very tight between the two of them

And so in verse 4 when we learn that he is addressing this letter to Titus his son after the common faith

We get just a little snapshot of how powerful their relationship was and we'll learn more about that Next time does anyone have any other thoughts they'd like to share before we close out

Sunday school for today I Don't Get so much

What they're doing Yeah, well you pointing out his level of service

I think is is key because even outside of these letters that we have we know that he poured into a lot of people

That we don't have Letters to not that he didn't write to them, but as far as in our Bible He had people all over the place.

He was constantly writing He had a continual correspondence going regardless of whether he was in prison or whether he was on a missionary journey or whatever it may be and so Yes, the level of service was

Spectacular it was it was on a level that might be unparalleled Perhaps even throughout all of church history and yet Paul I mean goodness gracious when

Jesus ascends he spends even after his ascension. He spends time with Paul in the wilderness You have arguably the greatest

Christian that ever lived arguably the preeminent Apostle even at the time that Peter John and James were still alive you have the most significant guy and not only does he have all of those credentials as an apostle of Jesus he has all of the

Pharisaical credentials that you could ask for he has all of the secular credentials you could ask for he was totally

Versed in in the Greek culture of that time He was considered blameless in the eyes of the

Pharisees with how well he kept their rules and regulations And now here fast -forward past all of that he counts all of that loss for Christ.

He doesn't care about any of that anymore He's still at the top From at least our viewpoint and from the viewpoint of the way the

Holy Spirit wrote Paul into his word At the top of all of it and yet all he cared about was serving others

All he cared about was discipling others. He was never Too important for anybody else

And so I think a lot of what you just said was a good example of that or a good way of putting all of That certainly something we don't want to lose sight of because we can emulate

Paul in that fashion as well. Yes, ma 'am Galatians 2 20

Explains why Paul is this way and it's of course very admirable None of us are really like He said

I'm crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me from the life which

I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

And that is why Paul pours everything into you. All that he has

He's crucified It's crucified in flesh. We don't

I don't do that. I'm not that obedient to live by that kind of faith

Well, that's why we have Paul and in the other Apostles as well so that we can continually model our lives after their own there's a reason

Paul said is I Model Christ he didn't use the word model But as I model

Christ you model me or as I imitate Christ you imitate me And so, you know, we may breeze past that and think great, you know, we had yes

Paul was a great guy but when it comes down to practical living and we struggle sometimes with this battle of Doing what we don't want to do and not doing what we want to do

We can we can look to Paul we can look to a phrase like that and know that wait a second We really can imitate

Paul we really can read about his life and acts as well as it is laid out for us in all of his letters and We can use him as our example as Christ was his example and ultimately we'll get to a place like Philemon I believe was a great example of this.

He was converted by Paul So there was a time maybe in his early life where he was looking to Paul as his prime example but he matured to the point where Paul considered him one of the greatest

Christians that was alive on earth at that time and just throws all of these Commendations on Philemon as if he is the exemplary

Christian and it's Paul writing And so there came a time in Philemon's life where he looked to Christ as his prime example but at any given point we can look to Paul who was always looking to Christ and And so, you know, it's it's not there for no reason we have them in there as examples as prime examples because it is possible to look for them and to work on our obedience to work on our faith and to To model them in the likeness of Paul and the other apostles.

So yes Galatians 2 20 is a great reason why Paul cared so much about people he didn't ever lose sight of what his main mission was and That's why he he was one of the most humble people on the planet at the time of his conversion when he had all of The reasons from the human viewpoint to be a prideful man, but he wasn't and that's an amazing thing and we can learn a lot from him.

Yes, sir The whole outline is in the passage.

It uses pository preaching verse by verse because that's how God wrote the

Bible You know, if you want an outline, the points are in it. It's in the scripture.

You don't need to go into philosophies and especially the same philosophies of the world and Psychology and all of the things preachers like to do and then try to go find the verses that match what their points are

You're out of context It's great. That's all it's very clear.

Paul just preached the Word of God in power of the Holy Spirit That is that's the outline.

It should be the outline in every seminary, but not that one. And the simplicity of just using the scripture, but then even also the simplicity of using a

Low -level vocabulary. Simple words that anyone can understand Because a lot of times you use really complex words

Some people do that just to make themselves sound smart. So it's more of a that litmus test who gets

Glory, right? Man gets the glory for being smart as opposed to God getting glory for being God Yeah, I think that I think that when

Peter said that Paul was sometimes hard to understand I don't think he was referencing him being some kind of seminarian style talker because that would in some ways contradict what

Paul said. He didn't do that I think what Peter was talking about was the fact that Paul was on such a deeper

Well, you can either say a higher plane or just deeper level either one Beyond beyond other people that you had to really think

Through the things he was saying just think about the first four verses of this letter that we've been on for like five or six weeks

The things that Paul is covering in such a truncated with such truncated space in the writing

He just really hits deep the things that he's talking about So I think

Peter's reference there had more to do with you just have to be very thoughtful when reading Paul You can't breeze through it or you're gonna miss so much of his stuff

But at the same time he was able to be that deep without being Arrogant and All of the things that you might hear from a seminary graduate not that seminary graduates are bad but maybe just human tendency to want to You know to want to sound like a genius all the time

Which any one of us could fall into at any given point so, you know, that's a that's a call to any of us

It's not a rebuke of anyone in particular It's a call to all of us to keep the main thing at the forefront

Which is God's Word and you don't have to get Fancy with it because it's its own defense.

It has everything there Well, we're past time. So Dave, why don't you dismiss us and then we will go to the next service

Only father we thank you for your word It is sufficient

And Through it and through the knowledge of it by our actions.

We have the opportunity to apply it to our hearts and Really change our lives and give our lives over to you on a day -to -day moment -by -moment basis where we ask that you help us to do

That you better at it And just bless us and keep us in your word as we go throughout today and the rest of this week