Chapter 2, please. Open your
Bibles to Titus, the second chapter. Titus, chapter 2. You'll find my subject in verse
10. Adorn the doctrine of God. Adorn the doctrine of God. In this pastoral epistle of Titus,
the Apostle Paul, being inspired by God the Holy Spirit, is instructing
this preacher, this pastor, Titus, and all other preachers, all
other pastors, and all of God's saints to adorn the doctrine
of God. He's teaching us how to instruct
God's people in the gospel of Christ that we may adorn the
doctrine of God. The gospel of the grace of God
teaches all to whom it is revealed. The gospel of the grace of God
teaches all to whom it is revealed that salvation is by grace alone. in Jesus Christ alone. Every saved sinner knows that. And this gospel, this gospel
of the grace of God, teaches all to whom it is revealed how
we are to live in this world. The gospel teaches all to whom
it is revealed how we are to live in this world. Every one of you here who knows
God knows how to live in this world. The problem is our flesh
opposes that which is clearly revealed in the scriptures and
that which we've been taught. Our flesh opposes it. I dare
say with regard to you, even who are not born of God, having
the law of God written on your hearts and consciences by creation,
you know right from wrong. I know that's so. I know that's
so. There's no one sitting here,
not a human being in the world, who doesn't know that murder
is wrong. No question about that, is there?
Not a human being in the world who doesn't know it's wrong to
steal something that belongs to somebody else. You know that. You know that. If you didn't,
you wouldn't hide to do it. You know that. Every human being
knows that adultery is wrong. Every human being knows it. Well,
to consenting adults, it doesn't matter. Try telling yourself
that on your way to hell. Every human being knows it. Every
living person knows that fornication is wrong. Every living person
knows that sodomy is wrong. You don't need a preacher to
tell you that. You need a whole society to constantly bombard
you and tell you exactly the opposite to convince you that,
well, maybe it's not so bad. You know what's right and wrong. And every believer knows how
he is to live in this world for the glory of God. We need instruction. We need guidance. We need guidelines,
not laws, not rules, not regulations, guidelines given by the spirit
of God to constantly guide our feet in the way. But every believer. being taught of God knows the
gospel of the grace of God and knows how to live for the glory
of God. And I pray for that. I pray for that. I don't believe there's been
a day to dawn on my life since I was 17 years old when I haven't
begged God for grace to live this day for your glory. Well, Mother Donna, if you know
what you ought to do, why don't you do it? Maybe you don't know as much
as you should if you ask that question. Because my flesh is
opposed to everything I know to be right. My flesh is opposed
to everything I want as a child of God in this world. And so
I keep praying, God, teach me to live for your glory. Now let's
look at this second chapter of Titus. And may God, the Holy
spirit be our teacher. As I show you five things in
these 15 verses, nothing new, nothing profound, nothing extraordinary,
but things vital. If we would adorn the doctrine
of God. I want folks to believe the gospel
of God's grace. I want my family to believe the
gospel I preach. I want the people I influence
to believe the gospel I preach. If I would have folks to believe
the gospel, it is my responsibility to adorn the gospel, to set it
forth attractively. to set it forth in the most clear
and appealing light possible. Not so much by speech, though
certainly that's my responsibility as a preacher, as by the way
I live in this world. I was talking to a very dear
friend this week, married to an unbeliever. And I said to
him, if you want to witness to her, love her to death. Be a good husband. Love her. Don't nag her about doctrine
and religion and going to church. Just love her. Just love her.
And maybe God will open a way for you to speak a word in season. But if you don't love her, she
ain't going to hear you. If you don't adorn the doctrine,
nobody's going to pay any attention. Everybody will presume it's just
so much yik-yak. I believe in God. Let's see. Let's see. Let's see. All right. Here's the first thing. Paul
urges us in the first 10 verses of this chapter to do just that,
to adorn the doctrine of God. And he addresses it, his words
to everybody here, everybody here, starting with the one talking
to you, starting with the preacher as a pastor, as a preacher, look
at verse one. As a preacher of the gospel,
I am responsible to adorn the doctrine by faithfully proclaiming
it. But speak thou the things which
become sound doctrine. Every preacher has a mandate
from God. Every preacher has a mandate
from God. He's on a mission from God. Every God called preacher. Every
man gifted of God to preach the gospel, he comes with a mandate
from God. A mandate, a fellow who's got
a mandate is a dangerous fellow if you get in his way. He's a
dangerous fellow because he'll roll over you. He'll roll over
you. He's got a mandate. A man who,
somebody said, well, he's got a message, thinks he has a messianic
mission. Every gospel preacher does. Every
gospel preacher does. And you get in his way, you're
in danger because he'll roll over you. He ain't going to back
up. He's not going to back up. He's not going to bend. He's
not going to bow. He's not going to scrape. He has a mandate to adorn
the doctrine by preaching it. by plainly proclaiming the gospel
of God's free grace. It is the responsibility and
the privilege and the life of every faithful God-called preacher
to preach the gospel, to speak things which become sound doctrine. Preach the word, be instant in
season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering
and doctrine. Preaching the good word of God
The doctrine we preach is the doctrine of grace The doctrine
of Christ and those things which become sound doctrine are those
things? Consistent with God's free grace
in Jesus Christ the Lord we preach not We talked about back here
in the study Not we get together and discuss it at the coffee
shop We preach from this pulpit and by every means God puts at
our disposal sovereignty substitution and satisfaction and I make no
apology for it anywhere to anyone you if you should Follow me along
different places. I go if I go somewhere to preach
for the first time The first time I preached there the first
time I preached there Almost always, I find something to preach
from 2 Corinthians 5 21. Because I'm determined to preach
sovereignty, substitution, and satisfaction. That is the absolute,
total sovereignty of God, especially in the exercise of his grace.
the full substitutionary sacrifice, death, and effectual atonement
of Jesus Christ as the sinner's substitute who died at Calvary,
accomplishing eternal redemption and satisfaction, the complete
satisfaction of divine justice by the incarnate God who gave
himself for us. Specifically, gospel preachers
are responsible to pointedly apply the gospel to the daily
affairs and responsibilities of men and women as they live
in this world. It's a pastor's responsibility
to faithfully teach people how to behave for the glory of God,
applying the word of God pointedly and clearly, so that you who
hear understand how this applies to you. Let me give you a homework
assignment. Go home and read the epistles
of the Apostle Paul, the imminent apostle to the Gentiles, specifically
our apostle. Read his epistles. All of them,
with the exception perhaps of Philemon, began with solid doctrinal
instruction. You read the book of Romans,
the books of 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians,
Philippians, so on. Read the epistles. He lays down
solid gospel doctrine. He lays down solid, absolute,
clear gospel doctrine. And then he wraps up the epistle,
applying that doctrine to the way you live in this world. And
the pastor has not properly expounded the gospel. except he apply the
gospel pointedly and personally to himself and to his hearers.
So the gospel is preached with application. Now watch how Paul
applies it here. He speaks to every group of people
in the church. First, aged men, verse two. He
says that aged men be sober, grave, temperate, Sound in faith,
in charity, in patience. Aged men, you older men, act
like older men. Don't act like little boys. Be
sober. The word sober is vigilant. That
seems odd. Why would I tell a fellow the
age of Claus Petersen and Bob Ponser to be vigilant? You don't
expect a fellow walking around on a walker to be vigilant, do
you? It's exactly what it says, be vigilant. As devoted to Christ
and his cause as when first God saved you. Vigilant. Merle, don't give this up like
you give up carpentry. Be vigilant. Vigilant. Vigilant to the end. Sober, grave. Seeing things in their proper
light. Judge Temporal things as temporal
things, eternal things as eternal things. Temperate. Exercise control of yourself. Sound in faith. Study the gospel. Study the word of God that you
be sound in faith and sound in charity. What? Sound in charity? What does that
mean? Be generous, caring for people
who need you. Look for an opportunity to serve
the needs of others and in patience, in patience. I'm almost at the
category you could call me an aged man, I reckon. I'll be 63
in just a week or two. And I need to learn something
about patience. I have a tendency to expect young
men to behave as older men. And I get impatient with them.
I get impatient with 20-year-olds who act like they were 11-year-olds.
And I get impatient with 30-year-olds who act like they were 20-year-olds.
But I ought to be patient with 20-year-olds who act like 20-year-olds.
And 30-year-olds who act like 30-year-olds. Be patient. Be
patient. Patient with one another. Patient
with God's providence patient with your wise Patient with your
children look at the next one verses 3 and 4 the aged women
the aged women likewise That they be in behavior as becometh
holiness What's that mean that means you
dear saintly ladies Behave like holy women. It's exactly what
the word is. I Be in behavior as becometh
holy women, sanctified women. Women set apart in their lives
for God. Live for God. Denise Vinery,
see that you live for God. Shelby Fortner, see that you
live for God. Live as women who are holy, holy,
sanctified folks. Not given to much wine. No. That means you can't have a glass
of wine. No. Especially, it seems like older
ladies like to have a little toddy. That's all right. That's
all right. My mother-in-law, every night,
used to sneak around and have a toddy and never did want us
to see it. She didn't want us to know she had a toddy. She
had her toddy every day. And when she wasn't having that,
she'd get something off the shelf that had more alcohol in it than
her toddy had. But that's all right. That's all right. Just
don't get drunk. Don't linger by the bottle, not
give it too much wine. Read up. Oh, that'll get me in
trouble. That's all right. I like being
in trouble. Teaches of good things. Teaches of good things. Not bad
things. God forgive us as parents. We
tend by example, by behavior, by conversation. to teach bad
things all the time. He let it be teachers of good
things. To love their husbands. Teach the young women to be sober,
vigilant, and sober particularly in loving their husbands. Teach a woman how to love her
husband? Yeah, yeah. Your daughters won't have any
trouble, Sherry, falling in love with a fella. That comes pretty
easy. There's a difference between
that and what he's talking about here. It's your responsibility
to teach them how to love their husbands. Teach them to love
their husbands. Be good wives. make their husbands
the center of their lives, to make their husbands the thing
around which their lives are built, to love their husbands
and to love their children. Well, every woman loves her children,
sort of, but they all need to be taught how to love them. You
love them by teaching them. caring for them, providing for
them, not just for their bodies and for clothes for their bodies
and food for their bodies, but for their minds and for their
souls and for their lives to love your children. The young
women, verse five, to be discreet, chaste keepers at home. You older women teach your daughters
and those young women you influence to be chaste. Chaste. What a strange word these
days. Chaste. Chaste virgins. Pure. Chaste. Well, nobody expects
that anymore. Everybody ought to. Everybody ought to. Mamas and
daddies will be offended, but you young people will understand
what I'm talking about. I won't be playing. I'm just playing.
Rickie Dale, if God please to give you a woman to love, Mary,
if you love her, you will not rob her of her chastity. You
won't do it. You rob her of her chastity,
you don't love her, you're using her. You ladies, if you want,
your husbands to respect you, behave with chastity. If you
want a man to respect you, behave with chastity. People talk about
women being abused in the workplace and all that stuff. Most of you
women have worked public jobs. I've been around a good bit before
I started pastoring. I worked in factories and public
jobs. And I'll tell you the ladies
who were treated like ladies. The ones who acted like ladies
and dressed like ladies. And I'll tell you who was treated
like a whore. The ones who acted like whores and dressed like
whores. Is that what you found when you worked in public, Bobby?
That's just the way it is. That's just the way it is. If
you want respect for yourself and wish to respect yourself,
behave with chastity. Mamas teach your daughters so.
to be keepers at home. Keepers at home. That doesn't
mean not to have a job anywhere. That's not what it means. If
you read the book of Habakkuk, second chapter, verse five, you'll
find that men are supposed to be keepers at home too. What
does it mean then, keepers at home? It means, ladies, that
your life is to be built around your home, not a career. Not a career. Oh, I want a career
and a family and children and a husband and wife. You can't
have it all. You can make a sacrifice somewhere. You can't have it
all. A woman's life is to be found in her husband and in a
family. You find your fulfillment in
your husband, in your family, not in a career, not in money,
not in title, not in faith, in a husband and in a family. To
be chaste keepers at home. Good. Obedient to their own husbands. Oh, you folks are just out of
step with the times. I deliberately walk that way. Obedient to your husbands. You
mean a woman's supposed to obey her husband in this 2013 world
in which we live? Yeah. Yeah. Obey your husbands. And godly women do. Godly women do. Obey your husbands.
Well, we have a mutual respectful relationship. I don't obey him. He doesn't obey me. Take that
garbage where you want to. It ain't stuff. You have a mutually
self. If you want a family, wives,
obey your husbands. That's your responsibility. If
you're not willing to obey your husband's, don't marry one. Go
live for something else. Don't do it. I have a few policies. Most of you are aware of them.
I've had folks on occasion to suggest that I ought not to have
a wedding ceremony requirement that a woman obey her husband.
And my response is, if I marry him, you're going to say it. Can't make you believe it and
do it. But if I marry you you're going
to swear to it before God Obey your husband's obey your husband.
Let's see what the book says That the Word of God be not blasphemed
for six Young men young men now get off the ladies for a little
bit Likewise you young men Exhort to be sober-minded. Sober-minded. My friend, Brother Curtis, back
yonder fixing to get out of school, going to engineering school.
And he wanted to get a good job with a good engineering firm.
I presume that's what you wanted. Then you can't act like a boy,
got to act like a man. You walk through the door acting
like a boy, folks see you, they'll laugh at you and say we'll come
back in 10 years. Sober minded. But I'm not talking about engineers
and working for somebody. I'm talking about men, young
men in the kingdom of God. Be vigilant. Sober minded. Sober minded. Some years ago,
a good friend of mine, a young man, preaches a good bit. I had
a real plain talk with him. I said to him, if you expect
men with gray hair and no hair to hear you, quit greasing your
hair and combing it in a spike and quit wearing the most modern
clothes and dressing like a 20-year-old trying to attract all the girls
around him. Quit trying to dress in high fashion and quit all
the time joking about nonsense. You can get by with that when
you're gray-headed and don't have any hair, but when you're
20 years old, you can't get by with it. Not if you expect men
to treat you like a man. You be sober-minded. I get too many e-mails from fellows
who ought to be spending their time studying and preparing messages
with nothing but drivel and passing on one silly joke often filthy
from one person to another. I never forward even the good
ones to somebody except perhaps my son-in-law and one or two
very close friends for a reason, for a reason. I don't want anybody
to expect that nonsense from Don Fortner. I want Merle Hart
to expect every time he hears from Don Fortner to hear something
you need for your soul. That makes life miserable, doesn't
it? No, I enjoy life. I enjoy life. I have a responsibility, David,
for you and your family. And you do too. I've got a responsibility for
me and all that I influence. And you have a responsibility
for you and all whom you influence. See then that you influence them
for good. Read on. Pastures, verses 7 and
8. Look what it says. In all things,
showing thyself a pattern, an example of good works. In all
things, behave wisely. Paul said to Timothy, let no
man despise thy youth. You can't keep somebody from
despising you. What you can do is not give them
a reason to. Show yourself a pattern of good
works. In doctrine, showing uncorruptness,
gravity, sincerity. Be sound in doctrine. Sound in
speech. Speech that cannot be condemned. Speech that other folks can't
refute, other folks can't deny. That he that is of a contrary
part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Now,
I got a really nasty letter yesterday. I didn't show it to Shelby. I
didn't read all of it. Lengthy, scathing, nasty letter
from some jack donkey. I don't even know who he is.
Don't have any idea where he lives, where he comes from, where
he got my name. Oh, it was a mean, nasty, nasty
letter. Accusations, horrid accusations. I can't stop that. Lots of people
have lots of evil things to say of me. Lots of evil. Just look up my name somewhere,
you'll find it. Lots of evil things to say of
me. Paul says that they may have
no evil thing to say of you. See to it, Don, that you give
them no reason to speak evil. That's what he's talking about.
You can't keep people from speaking evil. You can give them no reason
to speak evil. You can't keep people from slandering
you. You can give them no reason,
no basis for the slander. And then he speaks of servants,
verses 9 and 10. Exhort servants to be obedient
to their own masters, to please them well in all things, not
answering again, not for warning, but showing all good fidelity
that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. You mean work, you ladies work,
you have jobs, somebody pays your salary. Whatever you do,
wherever you work, you who believe God should be the best employees
doing the best job where you are all the time. And if you
don't like things that go on, keep your mouth shut about it.
Not answering again, not for one. Well, I don't I don't like
how the boss does this. He's the boss. That's his privilege.
He he gets to do it his way. You get to be bad. You do it
your way. Until then, behave like a servant serving God. Mark Henson, you don't work for
Mark. And you don't work for that company down in Harrisburg.
You work for Christ. There's a huge difference. There's
a huge difference. We're God's servants, not the
servants of men. Our object is God's honor. Our
object is the honor of the gospel. I'm calling for all who believe
the gospel to adorn it, to show forth the beauty and the grace
and the majesty of the gospel in all things for the glory of
God. Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do,
do all to the glory of God. Whatever you do, whatever you
do, do it for God's glory. Make it the purpose of your life
to honor God. But they'll lend you back their,
how long have you had that insurance company now? Five, six, seven
years? What? Ah, he's getting old. Ten years.
Ten years. And you still have responsibility.
You used to be servant in the company. Now you have responsibility
as master in the company. Honor God. Your business It's
not just to make money and have something leave your family. If that becomes your motive,
you will not honor God. Your business is to honor God.
Honor God. All right, here's the second
thing. Look at verse 11. For the grace of God that bring us
salvation hath appeared to all men. The grace of God, as it is used
here, refers to the doctrine of grace, the gospel of the grace
of God. It's a synonym for the gospel.
The grace of God, the gospel of the grace of God brings salvation. It has appeared to all men. Now,
obviously, the spirit of God is not telling us here that all
men have heard the gospel. They have not. Multitudes are
in hell who never heard the gospel. Multitudes live around the world
who've never heard the gospel. There are multitudes who live
in Danville, Kentucky who have never heard the gospel. It's
not saying that everybody's heard the gospel or that the gospel
has appeared to everybody, but it's speaking of all men in this
sense. All men without consideration
of race or place or face. All men without consideration
of who they are, what they are, or where they are. We preach
the gospel to all men. The grace of God that brings
salvation is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are responsible to
bring the gospel to all men, to every creature. Our Lord sent
his disciples out and said, preach the gospel in all the world,
to the Jew first and also to the Gentile or to the Greek,
beginning at Jerusalem and Judea and into the uttermost parts
of the earth. We are to preach the gospel. make known the gospel
of God's grace by every means God gives us to all men everywhere
seeking the salvation of God's elect among all people, black,
white, Indian, American, African, it doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter. Rich, poor, it doesn't matter. We call sinners to life
and faith in Christ. And those who are born of God,
taught of God, are born of God by his word. The word of God
is that by which we are born again by the Holy Spirit. No,
preaching does not save people. No, it does not. No, it does
not. Preaching the gospel does not save people. Preaching the
gospel and the power of God does. The preaching of the gospel is
the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. The
power of God. The word that's translated power,
if we were to transliterate it, just write out the Greek letters
in English, the word Billy would be dynamite. Now I don't know
anything about the use of dynamite. I don't know anything at all
about it, but I know it's powerful stuff. I remember when we blew
the rocks out of that creek down there, what a mess it made. It's
powerful, powerful stuff. It can do a lot of damage. I
like the way Clint Eastwood plays the cowboy in those old spaghetti
westerns. Got him a cigar and a bag full
of dynamite. You just light the dynamite and you throw it and
you get out of the way. That's what you do with the gospel.
You just preach it and get out of the way. Just preach it and
get out of the way. The explosive power of God under
salvation is the gospel of God's free grace. Preach the word all
the time. Not free will, but free grace.
Not works, but grace. Not works and grace, but grace. We preach the gospel of God's
free grace, telling sinners how Sinners are saved by God's grace. How that redemption was obtained
by Jesus Christ the Lord. How that righteousness was finished
by Christ's obedience unto death. How that blood atonement was
made by the sacrifice of God's Son. How that sinners, any sinner,
anywhere, at any time, who believes, obtains this everlasting salvation. It is our business to preach
the gospel, to make sinners know the way of life by faith in Christ
Jesus. Now, look at verse 12. This gospel
of the grace of God that appears to all men everywhere, bringing
salvation to all who believe, all who are called by God's grace,
teaches us, teaches us. The word teach here means educate. We've all had teachers. I had
some professors in school, had some teachers in school who got
paid and they had the title teacher and they had the title professor,
but you could go through the class and not learn anything.
You could just get through the class and not learn anything.
All of you have had teachers like that. I had a couple of
professors and a couple of teachers who were teachers. They were
teachers. They didn't just draw a check.
They were teachers. Our New Testament Greek teacher,
Bob Delnair, he was a heretic as far as theology is concerned,
but he was a teacher. He was a teacher. When you got
out of his class, you knew New Testament Greek, or you didn't
get out. Well, you got out, but you didn't
have a passing grade. You knew the lesson. To teach
is to see to it you get the lesson. I can lay things out for you,
but I can't make you get the lesson as I preach the gospel
to you When God the Holy Spirit teaches you by his word you get
the lesson I recall saying to my friend Harry Graham. I was
just young man's hair blue Lord's trying to teach me something.
He said wait, son He said God don't try if God teaches you'll
get the lesson The grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared
to all men, teaching us, us who are called, us who are taught
of God, us who are born of God. Read what it says. Teaching us
that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. The grace
of God teaches us to live with vigilance. to live righteously. The word simply means, Oscar,
doing what's right. You sell your cattle at market
or you sell them to your neighbor, you do what's right. You take
a bushel of beans to the farmer's market, you sell it for what's
right. You just do what's right. I'm
going to charge you $20 for a bushel or $40 for a bushel. Make sure
you charge it for a bushel. I'm going to charge you so much
for the path, make sure you don't water them down first. You do
what's right. You do what's right. The grace
of God teaches us to live vigilantly for God, doing what's right,
and godly. Godly. The word means, essentially,
to live piously. But the word means more than
that. It doesn't mean to live, as we
commonly use the word, pious, so that Boy, I want to talk different
from other people and dress different from other people. That's not
pious living. To live piously or to live godly
is to live for God. To live for God. Cody, that's what I expect of
you. Live for God. He's yours. And you're His. Live for God. Not for yourself,
not for the world, for God. Not for pleasure, for God. Not
to get what you can get, for God. Live for God. Live soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present world. In this present world. How can you expect that from
anybody in this present world? How can you expect somebody to
live for God, live soberly, do what's right, when everybody
around them lives in revelry and do what they wish? How do
you expect people to live for God in this present world? You're not your own. You've been bought with a price.
So glorify God in your body and in your spirits which are God's.
Is there anything unreasonable about that? You men and women,
please tell me. Right now, is there anything
unreasonable about that? You young people, is there anything
unreasonable about that? Anything? Anything unreasonable
about expecting? About God, our Savior, who bought
us with His blood, who made the world for us, and
rules and disposes of the world for us. Now tell me, is there
anything unreasonable about Him expecting you and me to live
for Him? Paul put it this way. I beseech
you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, by the mercies
of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto the Lord, which is your reasonable service. All right, look at verse 13. Live for God, looking for Christ. looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior,
Jesus Christ. Now, he doesn't say looking for
signs of the end. We spend too much time saying,
well, it looks like the end's coming. We ought not be concerned
about when the end's coming. That's none of our business.
Well, but how can you ignore these things? I don't ignore
anything. That which men call signs are
unimportant. Unimportant. Well, things are getting worse
and worse. These are just signs of the end
time. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days
of the coming of Son of Man. Men were eating and drinking
and marrying and giving in marriage. Oh, Brother Don, that's what
people are doing. They're eating and drinking and marrying and
giving in marriage. You know that's kind of what
I expect folks to do when they get married? It's just, I kind
of expect that. I expect them to eat every day
and drink every day and if they're married, to give themselves to
the husband or wife in marriage. I just kind of expect that. Is
there anything wrong with that? No? Is that what that means? I think it is. It seems to me
that's what it means. What's he saying? Our Lord said
in Noah's day and in Sodom's day and in my day and in your
day and in whatever days are yet to come men in this world
just Live like animals in this world Don't expect anything more
from them. Don't expect anything more from
Well, what about signs of the end time? They're not any They're
not any our Lord never told us to look for such things. I He
told us to look for Him. Look for Him. Looking for, looking
for, oh God give me grace to be looking for that blessed hope,
the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus
Christ. Standing on the tiptoe of faith, I believe He's coming. I believe
He's coming. I don't know a better way to
illustrate it than I have many times with you. Shelby travels
with me all the time now, but until Faith got out of college
and got married, Shelby always stayed at home during school
terms. And I traveled a lot by myself. And I'd usually call
her about an hour away from home, tell her I'd be home in an hour
and a half, two hours, because I didn't want her to get concerned if
I wasn't there right at the hour. So I'd fudge a little bit. And
I can tell you how she'd look for me. I can tell you exactly
how she'd look. It didn't matter whether I was
coming home at 3 o'clock in the morning or getting home at 3 o'clock in
the afternoon. She'd be in the house working. She worked herself
to death while I'm gone, just morning to night. From the time
she gets up, the time she goes to bed, working. But that day,
she'll get all dolled up about an hour before I get home. How
do you know? I just know. I'm not there, but
I know because I see what happens when I get there. And she'll
get all dolled up, fix her hair, put her makeup on, put on something
that looks nice on her and smells so good, and she starts cooking.
And almost always, she'd be working on some macaroni and cheese in
the oven. Mmm. She knows I love it. She knows I love it. And about
a half hour before she expected me, she'd put it in. And she'd
go back to the kitchen and be working. Go to the bedroom and
be working. Then she'd walk out from the
picture window and look and go back and work some more. minutes
walk back out picture window and look she's looking for the
lights of that truck to turn down the road and Not coming
so go back this more work and then she come back and she sees
those lights Man, she pulled the apron off take the macaroni
out of the oven set it on the table and meet me at the door
Just like that. Why she was looking for me Looking
all the time serving looking all the time laboring Let us
live like this in this world, if we would adorn the doctrine
of God our Savior, constantly looking for Christ and laboring
for him, just as though he may not appear for another thousand
years. Our business is to serve our
Redeemer while we live, standing on the tiptoe of faith, looking
for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Savior, Jesus Christ. And then we have a motive for
it. A blessed, blessed motive. Look at verse 14. Who gave himself for us. that he might redeem us from
all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous
of good works. A peculiar people. The word means
distinctively excellent, valuable, honorable. The Lord Jesus died for us, that
He might make us a distinctly valuable, honorable, useful people. Oh, wondrous grace! Wondrous
grace! The Lord Jesus redeemed me to make me distinctly His, distinctly
valuable, distinctly honorable, distinctly useful to Him. What a motive. What a motive. These things speak and exhort, press with earnestness and rebuke,
reprove and neglect with all authority. Speak these things
in God's name, in God's name. Let no man despise thee. and thus adorn the doctrine of
God our Savior. You all know my way of dealing
with faith when she was a child. She began to go out on her own. She was a teenager, go to various
functions in school and ballgames and things with other people
and go out with other families. And then got to be 16 years old
and not allow her to date. and she started dating, and I
used to say something to her. And she'd come home from college,
when she was in college, and go back on Sunday evening, and
I'd say something to her. I tried to say it every time
she left the house. Every time she left the house.
I said, Faith, don't ever forget who you are and whose you are. When you walk out that door,
you carry the name of Don Fortner and Shelby Fortner, and you carry
the name of Grace Madness Church, and you carry the name of the
Son of God and the Gospel of His Grace. And that's what you
represent. Don't ever forget who you are
and whose you are. Don't do it. Don't do it. And you know that little girl?
She's 42. Got it right this time. She's 42. She never forgot who she is and
whose she is. She did that for me. And I'm nothing. Children of God, don't ever forget
who you are. and whose you are. And adorn
the doctrine of God, our Savior, in all things. Amen.