Adorning the Gospel of God Our Saviour (Part 1) — Denny Kenaston

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold.

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These messages are offered to all without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. Well, we're very grateful to be here this morning, this beautiful Sunday morning.

I never, ever, ever get tired of coming to church on a Sunday morning. It's never, ever, something that I have to do. Never. So, I'm very grateful to be here. I was thinking about Rodney and Don and George and Rose.

They just got back from Africa today. I thought about you this morning. I thought, oh my, how this service lands upon your hearts today after being gone for three weeks. May the Lord somehow baptize us all with gratitude and help us to see and know in the depths of our heart what we have, what we have here.

Well, this morning, this is not the opening meditation. We're ordering the service a little bit differently. We have some testimonies for membership today. And so, I was asked to have the main message now.

So, if you'll just turn your attention to the Word of God and to the God of the Word to see what He will say to us this morning. This message is in two parts. I cannot finish it in one. So, we'll do it this morning and we'll also share again the next time God gives us the opportunity, if He does.

Decorating for the Joy of Others

This morning I want to talk about decorating. Decorating. I'm sure that many of you sisters understand this activity very well. At wedding times, many of you that are in this room have spent a lot of time decorating what we call the bridal table.

Or the table where the bride and groom and their attendants will sit at the reception. What you do with that table and the way you put a special tablecloth on it and maybe put little flowers in the front and maybe even put some banner behind it, that is called decorating.

As I thought about this subject this morning, I also thought about the single sisters banquet. And my wife shared with me the last banquet that you had, how beautifully it was all decorated for those single sisters.

Decorating is a joyful, satisfying experience. Every mother in this room has enjoyed decorating a birthday cake for a child. Amen? In these examples, the decorating is for a person or persons. In all those different examples, nobody is decorating just for decorating's sake.

But you're doing that for that person. And if you can just put your heart into the mind of a mother who's, maybe she's making a John Deere tractor cake or a bunny cake or whatever it is for a little child on their birthday.

And while that mother is making that bunny cake, her joy and satisfaction is not making a bunny cake. Her joy and satisfaction is decorating that cake so that she can see the joy and the delight in the heart of the one who beholds the cake.

Amen? And again, my wife reminded me of the joy of those dear single sisters when they came to that banquet and saw how it was all decorated just for them. Our joy is to see their joy. Amen? That is the whole purpose in those decoratings.

Now, I know that we can get off on this, we can decorate our houses just for our own heart's pride's sake, so that others would walk into our house and tell us how nice it is. I'm not speaking about that kind of decorating here today, but something that is done for someone else.

Adorning the Doctrine of God Our Savior

This illustration leads me to my title this morning. And the title this morning comes out of a Scripture verse, is in fact a Scripture verse, found in Titus chapter 2 and verse 10, where Paul says these words to Titus, adorning the doctrine of God our Savior.

Adorning the doctrine of God our Savior. Now, the word adorn means to ornament, or to beautify, or to decorate. All of those three words are words which mean adorn, to ornament, to beautify, to decorate.

If you turn to that word, adorn, in Titus chapter 2 and verse 10, we'll find the word, the Greek word is cosmeo. Cosmeo, it's where we get our English word cosmetics. We don't use cosmetics, amen? We do not cosmeo our faces, nor do we cosmeo our ears and our hands and our wrists with ornaments.

But the Greek word is cosmeo, nevertheless, in Titus chapter 2 and verse 10. It means to arrange, or to set in order. In the book of Revelations, as the apostle John is speaking about what he saw when the heavenly city, that heavenly Jerusalem was coming down from God out of heaven, he said, I saw this city coming down from God out of heaven, adorned as a bride for her husband.

There again is the word adorn. And again, that word adorn, it doesn't mean to hang jewels on or paint your face. It doesn't mean that. It means to set in beautiful order. And I thought this morning about a bride.

You know, we have a lot of weddings around here. And it's always a joy to see the beautiful bride who has adorned herself for her husband. Or she has set everything in order. Now that morning, every hair was in place.

That morning, the covering was on just right. That morning, the dress was very carefully placed. That morning, the shoes were very neat and orderly. Everything was in order as the bride adorned herself for her husband.

That is what the word adorn means. Paul says, we should adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. And that's the word that he used. This morning I want to give you something that you can spend your lifetime decorating.

And I trust that you will find as much joy and satisfaction in decorating the doctrine of God our Savior as you do in all these other things, these illustrations that I've given. I want to give you something this morning that you can spend your lifetime adorning.

That is the glorious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The life-changing message of Jesus Christ. God wants us to adorn that message. According to the Bible, this life-changing message goes out in two ways.

Number one, when we preach it. And number two, when we live it. And oh, what power when these two come together. The preaching and the living of the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Now, first of all, I'd like us to consider the message a bit.

The Gospel as the Power of God

If you turn to 1 Corinthians, let's just consider the message a bit. Because that's what Paul is concerned about. There is a message. It is a powerful message. It is a life-changing message. And Paul is concerned that we adorn that message in such a way that it has an effect on people's lives.

In 1 Corinthians, in chapter 1 and verse 17, Paul says these words. For Christ sent me, not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. Not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

I want you to notice what he said there. This powerful message must be preached in purity and in simplicity. It stands all on its own. It doesn't need any wisdom of words or craftiness of words. Just the simple, proclaimed gospel.

He says in verse 18. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto us which are saved. And that word saved means us that are being saved. It is the power of God. The message is the power of God.

That's what Paul is saying. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to naught the understanding of the prudent. How? By changing people's lives through the preaching of the gospel.

That's what Paul is saying. That God is saying, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and I will bring to naught the understanding of the prudent. How? By changing lives through the preaching of the gospel.

Where are 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, the world by wisdom knew not God.

It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Paul is giving us God's heart on how people's lives get changed. And it pleased God. It thrilled God. God ordained that people's lives would be changed by the preaching of the gospel.

And God through that confounds the wisdom of the wise. For the Jew requires a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block, unto the Greeks foolishness.

But of them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Or Christ is the power of God and Christ is the wisdom of God. This gospel message, this message of Jesus Christ which Paul is so jealous over and is exhorting us to adorn and beautify this beautiful message.

Why is he so jealous and so concerned about beautifying this message? Because this message is the only way that men and women's lives can be transformed. There is no other way. And down through the centuries, God has confounded the wisdom of the wise and confused the understanding of the wise ones by simply changing people's lives who hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters, this gospel message has been entrusted to us as we sit here this morning. It is the most powerful news revealed to man. It is the life transforming word out of heaven. It's the secret of the ages that brings liberty to the captives.

It's the sweetest message of hope to a poor and searching world. Hippies hear it, repent and get converted. Psychopaths hear it and they find themselves clothed and in their right minds sitting at the feet of Jesus.

This gospel message has that much power in it. Drug addicts are changed by its power. Alcoholics dry up without therapy. And Satan's kingdom trembles at the sound of one who is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is the message. It's good for us to consider the message a bit before we consider the subject of adorning this message. But first, just to consider the subject. This message is the most powerful message that ever fell on the ears of the heart of mankind.

And brothers and sisters, we are all a testimony of its power. Even as we sit here this morning, we are saved by that message. Whether it be five years ago, two years ago or thirty-five years ago, we were saved when we believed that message and turned from our sins and looked to the Lord.

Total change took place. Things were passed away. Behold, all things are become new. Even as we sit here today. Isn't that glorious? Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that wonderful that such a message would be given that we could hear, that would so change our lives?

And here we sit today, totally different because of the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Paul says, Adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. What do we adorn it with, Paul? What do we adorn it with?

How shall we make it more beautiful? Shall we make it in more beautiful letters? Shall we make the letters in different colors? Shall we put ornaments around the letters? Is that how we adorn it, Paul?

Remember, the decorating, the adorning is for a person or persons. And the joy of the one who is decorating is to see the joy in the heart of the one for whom it's decorated. Whether it be a five-year-old little boy whose eyes light up and his smile is from ear to ear as he looks at his John Deere tractor birthday cake.

Or whether it's one of those single sisters who walks into the basement and sees all the beautiful things that were laid out just for you. Or whether it be the God of heaven who looks down jealously over the message which will change the lives of many people and smile as we decorate the doctrine of God our Savior.

In all things, it says in Titus, in all things. This decorating flows two ways in this case. First of all, it flows to God who is jealous for His great name's sake, who longs for people to hear and see and be drawn unto Him.

Can you see why God would be jealous over the adornment of this message? Because when people see and hear, they are drawn to Him. And then we also think about man who will hear and see and be drawn to salvation.

So this decorating is two-fold. It flows to God because God is jealous over His great name's sake. And it flows to a lost humanity around us who is searching for something that is real. So the decorating flows two ways.

Paul was jealous over the testimony of the gospel. We find it many times in his epistles. All of heaven is watching with concern over how we will adorn the gospel. And don't you doubt it, all hell is set to mess up this message in any way it can.

Amen? Remember the glory thief that Brother Ross challenged us about here a few weeks ago? He's working very hard to steal the glory away from God. And every time a soul sees and hears and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, God is glorified.

And the glory thief does not want that. Amen? Oh, brothers and sisters, let us join in with the heart of God who is jealous and adorn the doctrine of God our Savior with the life that we live. For the adornment of the doctrine of God our Savior is the life that we live.

And the words which we say, Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name by my life that I live. I think this morning of a Bible example, and there are many, but I think it would be good for us to read the Bible example in 1 Thessalonians, if you'll turn there.

The Gospel Confirmed by Holy Living

Now, there are many ways that we could go this morning with this text. But this morning, I would like to see how the combination of a holy life and a holy word changes people's lives. Though we could go many directions on this text, there are many powerful words in these verses.

But I would like us just to consider our theme this morning as we make our way down through these verses. Adorning the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Chapter 1, verse 2. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father, knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God.

For our gospel, that's the message, came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. Look at that. Isn't that beautiful? It came by word. It came by power.

Manifestations of God's power. And it came by the Holy Ghost. The presence of God was there. And it came in much assurance. Notice the next words. As ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

Where did the much assurance come from? By the way we lived before you, Paul says. Now that's quite a powerful combination, isn't it? Here comes the gospel to Thessalonica. What is it? First of all, it comes in words.

Paul is speaking words. But it also comes in manifestation or demonstration of power. The apostles worked miracles. But it also came with the Holy Ghost. There was the presence of God there when the message was preached.

And to top it all off, to put the icing on the cake, or adorn the cake as beautiful as you can, there was such an assurance that came along with that gospel message. As ye know what manner of men we were among you.

Do you see that, brothers and sisters? Now, look what happened. Look at the result. And ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost, so much so that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God is spread abroad, so that we need not to speak anything. Now, Paul is referencing there two things.

They are speaking, but they are also living. And the testimony of their speaking living life is being spread abroad in every place, so much so that Paul says, I don't even need to go there and talk to anybody and tell them about what God did there.

Your lives are so telling them what God did there that I don't need to go. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and the true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Now, in this text, Paul is simply encouraging them and reminding them of the beautiful things that the gospel message and the gospel messenger did to them when they came. And I want us to notice that that message and messenger had such a profound effect upon them that they turned around and did the same thing, speaking to others and living in such a way that people could say without a question mark, they have turned from their idols to serve the living God, and they are waiting for Jesus to come.

They have turned away from their idols to serve the living God, and they are waiting for Jesus to come. They blazed abroad the life-changing gospel everywhere they went by what they said and how they live.

Personal Responsibility to Adorn the Gospel

Now, I know that this is all by the grace of God. It is by the grace of God. There is a life within which produces a life without. We acknowledge that this morning. However, Paul, in Titus chapter 2, exhorted them with personal responsibility to be careful how they live.

And this morning, I also want to exhort us unto personal responsibility to be careful how we live. It is not just God's life within me. My heart must unite with God's heart in order for that life within to produce a life without.

And I believe that that was why Paul was exhorting them, exhorting Titus the way that he did. I want us to turn there just briefly, if you would, to Titus chapter 2, and see how Paul did this. Through this message, or through this chapter, and all the way down to the end of the chapter, God, through the Apostle Paul, is very concerned about the message that changes people's lives.

That is the burden, that is the import of this text. We are not going to read it all here this morning. But, Paul admonishes Titus to speak to the churches there on the island of Crete. And what is he supposed to speak to them?

Things that become sound doctrine. He says, I want you to address the aged men, and address to them how they are to live. I want you to address the aged women, and also exhort them on how they should live.

And also exhort those aged women that they would exhort the young women on how that they should live. And Paul just goes down through this thing one point after another, after another. We find, intertwined with these exhortations on how they are to live, words like this, that the Word of God be not blasphemed.

In other words, our lives, or the lack in our life, can be a blaspheme to the Word of God. To go around and proclaim a life-changing message, with a life that is not in order, can be a blasphemy to the Word of God.

That's what he is saying here. He goes on encouraging the young men. Likewise, exhort them to be sober minded. And then I believe in verse 7 and 8, he is exhorting Titus also about his life. He moves from there, that they could say no evil thing of you.

Why? Because you are there preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Verse 9, he encourages Titus to exhort the servants, that's the slaves, or all the guys and all the ladies, who have a job, who work for somebody, exhort the servants also, to be obedient under their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering back, answering again, not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, or being honest, not cheating your boss.

Why, Paul? That they, by the way they live, may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour. You see what his burden is here? He is exhorting them with personal responsibility, though it's true, it is a life within that produces a life without, yet he is exhorting them to personal responsibility about their life without.

Now we are assuming here, that they understand that the life without comes by a life within. And I am assuming that here this morning also. But his burden is, these people are going to see how you live, and that is going to have an effect on the most powerful message that God ever sent to mankind.

He gives the reason for all of what he says in verse 11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. God's Spirit is moving on the hearts of men. Oh, let us adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, because God's Spirit is moving on the hearts of men.

Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Now that's the same thing the Thessalonians were doing. They were waiting for the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, to appear again. And they were waiting who gave Himself for us, brothers and sisters.

Oh, how wonderful. Who gave Himself so you could go to heaven. No, that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. Do you see the import of these words?

Do you see the burden that Paul has? He's concerned about the message. And he's concerned about the messengers. And Paul finishes with strong words of importance. He finishes by saying this, These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority.

Let no man despise thee. Now today, they call you a legalist if you emphasize a practical holy life. I don't know what they called them back in Paul's day, but today I know that's what they call them.

If you emphasize a practical and a holy life, they call you a legalist. But Paul said, Titus, emphasize. Put some responsibility to bear upon those it treats. And do it with all authority. And don't let anybody despise you while you challenge them about a practical holy life.

Lives as Visible Epistles of Christ

They say a picture has a thousand words in it. And this is true. I personally don't hang pictures that don't on my walls. A picture has a thousand words in it. Now I have to say, as I was thinking about that earlier this morning, you know there's a lot of modern art today that I couldn't say that it has a thousand words in it.

If they are, they're in hieroglyphics or something because I can't really understand what modern art says. But pictures that were made, were made to say something. Don't doubt it. A true artist is saying something with their picture.

Amen? A picture has a thousand words in it. And I personally do not hang anything on the wall that doesn't have a thousand words in it. That's just my conviction. Consider. If a picture has a thousand words in it, and it does, what does a life have in it?

But volumes of books, of words which say something. Amen? I thought about the digital world that we live in today. It brings this thing clear into view more than some of us would even like. You see, today it's very easy to take pictures.

It used to be that only a select few who could afford a camera carried one around. And therefore not many pictures were taken. But today, because of the digital world, we have cell phones that have cameras in them.

We have PDAs that have cameras in them. We have digital cameras ourselves. We have cameras that are about the size of a credit card that you carry in your pocket. And we have many cameras that even take short videos of the way we live.

Every picture has a thousand words in it. Amen? Every picture. Not long ago I was in someone's house and saw a picture that they had hanging on their wall of a bunch of young fellas who were carrying on and, I don't know, being a bit silly and all that.

And I know that they posed for that picture, but I wonder if they realized how many people would take that picture and hang it on the wall in their house. I've seen it in three houses. And that picture has a thousand words in it.

And brothers and sisters, the pictures of our lives have a thousand words in them. Also, every picture. I think of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ who had a message and a life that He lived. He had both.

Both of them together. He was the most influential man who ever lived. If a picture has a thousand words in it, think about all the pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, the Apostle John watched Jesus, the way He lived, what He did, what He said, where He went, where He didn't go, and all the life that Jesus lived for three and a half years, John watched Him, and in a sense, John took pictures of His life.

One after another after another. There's one. There's another one. There's one. There's one. Wow, look at that! Wow, look at that! That's beautiful! Wow, look at that! That's awesome! And all through those three and a half years, John was taking snapshots of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And sometime toward the end of His life, He decided to write down some of the words that came out of those pictures that He took. And we have it. It's called the Book of John. We have it today. Aren't you grateful that John took some pictures of the life of our Lord Jesus?

But I want you to notice what he says once he finishes 21 chapters of describing the pictures of the life of the Lord Jesus. He says these words. And there are also many other things which Jesus did. The witch, if they should be written, every one.

I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Oh, that's beautiful, isn't it? Praise God! That's our Lord Jesus. That's the life of our Lord Jesus. That tells me that every move counted.

That tells me He didn't fritter His time away. That tells me everything He did, He did to please His Father. And John took pictures and pictures and pictures and said, oh my, if I were to continue to write about all the words that I saw in the pictures that I took of the Lord Jesus Christ, the world could not contain all the volumes of the books.

That's a staggering thought that I can't even grasp. I can't get my mind around that. But I believe it because I believe the Bible. Amen? Jesus, He who was jealous of His Father's great name. Jesus, He who was jealous over the Gospel message lived such a life as we have just looked at.

His life was a manifestation of God. And this is God's heart for you and I, that our life would also be a manifestation of God. The Word became flesh, the Bible says in John 1. Truth robed Himself in flesh so that we, flesh, might be clothed with truth.

That's what Jesus did. Who gave Himself for us that He might deliver us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a people zealous of good works. That's what He did. Truth robed Himself in flesh that flesh might be clothed in truth.

The Church as a Letter Read by All

Paul expressed this same principle in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, if you'll turn there with me. In 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 1 is writing a bit in a defensive way in this book of 2 Corinthians. He's already been to Corinth.

He preached the Gospel there. He lived that same life there that he lived in Thessalonica. Lives were converted. Lives were changed. A church was established. And now others have been coming in behind him trying to mess up the message.

Paul's very jealous about that. So in 2 Corinthians, he's writing in a bit of a defensive mode. He's defending his apostleship among them. And he says this, Do we begin again to commend ourselves or need we as some others epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you?

And this was a practice in those days. You went from one place to the next. You brought a letter of commendation with you. Because they didn't know who you were. And somebody that you did know would say this is brother so-and-so.

He's a faithful man. Hear ye him. Paul wrote a letter that way and sent it along with Apollos and said when Apollos comes, you hear him. He's a faithful man. He hazarded his life for the Gospel. Oh, and then the people would hear him.

But Paul is saying, I don't need to write a letter of commendation. Neither do I need somebody else to write a letter of commendation to you to remind you who I am. Verse 2, he said, I don't need any written letters.

Ye are our epistle, our letters, written in our hearts, known and read of all men. For as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in the fleshly tables of the heart.

And all Paul is saying here is your lives are a manifestation of the glory of God. You are flesh robed in truth. That is an example to everyone. You are my epistle of commendation, Paul says. I don't need to write one to defend myself.

Your very lives and the way that you're living and how you're following God is my epistle of commendation. Their lives were changed by Paul's entering in among them. Ye are our epistles, known and read of all men.

We are also epistles, known and read of all men. And brothers and sisters, you know this is true if you've lived very long at all. We are known and we are read of all men. They watch our every move. They scrutinize our every move.

They see what we will do in this situation or that situation. It happens all the time. I mean, it goes all the way down to how a mother corrects a child in the grocery store. See? They're watching us.

Because you see that mother that's watching you, she also corrected hers. And she's frustrated with that child that just keeps on screaming for that whatever it is that they want. And they're not going to be quiet until they get it.

And she's done everything. She's promised them everything. She's threatened them everything. And she still can't get them to behave. And all of a sudden, she hears this godly lady over here out of the corner of her ear.

And the child says, Mommy, I'd like to have that toy. And the mother looks over at the child and says, Oh, my son, we don't have the money to buy that toy. Besides, remember it was just your birthday and you got a nice toy for your birthday.

And the little boy looks up at his mom and says, Okay, Mommy. And the other lady looks over and says, Whoa, what was that? I mean, is that a man or what, brothers and sisters? Known and read. Sometimes scrutinizingly read, but nevertheless read around us.

For many people, they will never come to church to hear. For many people, they will never open up a Bible. We are the only Bible that many will read. Oh, let us be careful what we do and how we live and where we go.

The Anabaptists as Living Epistles

For we are being known and we are being read of all men. I thought about the early Anabaptists early this morning. I've been preparing for my series on the early Anabaptists for the tent meetings coming up in July.

And so I'm reading book after book after book about the early Anabaptists. They are a beautiful example of adorning the doctrine of God our Savior here in all things. Those dear early Anabaptists. But I thought this morning of the context of their lives.

Printed Bibles were something very new. Very expensive. Very big. You didn't just put it in your pocket and go wherever you wanted. They were very big. In fact, you'd get tired of carrying it if you carried it around with you.

In fact, people would probably wonder what's wrong with you if you carried one around with you. It probably weighed about ten pounds. Bibles were something new in the days of the early Anabaptists. And by the way, reading was something very new.

And most of the people did not read, did not know how to read, had no desire to learn how to read. Only the scholars knew how to read. But the Anabaptists learned how to read. They taught themselves to read.