I believe the Lord has given
me exactly the message needed to follow what I believe I was
able to preach to you this past Sunday afternoon. Once our daughter began to go
out with folks on her own without us being around, from the time
she started doing so till she was married, I would say to her,
don't ever forget who you are and whose you are. Your name is Faith Fortner. Everything you do reflects on
me, on your mother, on the church of God, on this assembly, On
the gospel of the grace of God we believe, don't ever forget
who you are and whose you are. Don't ever forget. Now that's
my subject tonight. I say to you as I said to my
daughter, don't ever forget who you are and whose you are. I'm specifically addressing you
who are gods. You who are chosen unto everlasting
life by God Almighty. You who have been bought with
the precious blood of Jesus Christ. His purchased possession. You
who are born again, regenerated, sanctified and kept by God the
Holy Spirit. who truly are branches within
Christ the true vine. You who are justified, pardoned,
forgiven, accepted, saved everlastingly. Don't ever forget who you are
and whose you are. So that's a mighty big load to
put on a child's back. Children need to have big loads
put on their backs. The earlier the better. The earlier
the better. You teach your children their
responsibility and their place and press the things urgently.
And this is a big load to put on your back. You, Samuel, belong
to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And everything you say and do
reflects on him. Everything you say and do reflects
on him, positively or negatively. When the gospel of God's free
grace in Christ went forth in the early ages of the church
into the Gentile world, a world much like ours, the Roman civilization
was so very much like our present day world, own country, our own
nation, filled with corruption. From the chief politicians to
the lowest people in society, filled with corruption. Homosexuality,
immorality, fornication, adultery, idolatry, drunkenness, reveling,
Those were just common things that were expected among men.
And to raise your voice against them was to somehow suggest that
you have a very high opinion of yourself, a bigoted attitude
toward others, and you dare not speak against such things. But
when the gospel of God's grace went into that amoral Roman world,
it radically changed the lives of men. Do you know in Ephesus,
at the temple in Ephesus, one part of worship amongst the pagan
idolaters there was fornication. It was commonly practiced in
the temple. Commonly practiced in the temple.
Just commonly practiced. But when God got hold of folks
in Ephesus, it changed the way they lived. It radically altered
their lives. Turn there if you will. Ephesians
chapter 4 for a minute. Ephesians 4. Brother Rex just
read the 5th chapter of Romans. After telling us what God's done
for us in Christ and how we profess faith in Him and believers' baptism,
the Spirit of God says, Let not sin therefore reign in your moral
bodies, that you should obey it in its lust. He said you were
the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine that was delivered unto you. Now look here at Ephesians
4 verse 17. Paul's writing to these saints
in Ephesus. This I say therefore and testify
in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk. Don't live like your neighbors.
Don't live like your families. In the vanity of their mind.
That's how everybody around you lives. Bill Raleigh, everybody
up and down the street you live on live in the vanity of their
minds. In the vanity of their minds.
Chasing the wind. Living after their own lust.
Read on. Don't live like other Gentiles
in the vanity of their mind. Verse 18. having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through ignorance,
the ignorance that's in them because of the blindness of their
hearts, who being past feeling, have given themselves over unto
lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. Who on earth
is that talking about? When you go home tonight, read
the Advocate Messenger. Talk about folks in Danville,
Kentucky. Talk about folks all over this country, in this society,
living in the vanity of their minds, given over to lasciviousness
to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so
learned Christ. Now, if you haven't already done
so, I suggest you mark that and ask God the Holy Spirit stamp
it on your heart. You didn't learn this from Christ.
You have not so learned Christ. Verse 21, if so be that ye have
heard him and had been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus
that you put off concerning the former conversation. That word
conversation is manner of life. Put off the concerning the former
conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lust. He's still with you. That old
man of Adam still lives in you. That's what you are by nature.
Put him off. Don't ever give over to it. And
be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that you put on the
new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Put on Christ. Put on Christ. Put on Christ. Wear Christ, not
Adam. Brother Don, I can't do that.
You told us the other day without me you can do nothing. You can't.
You can't. And yet the admonition is given.
Put off the old man, put on the new. That means that we beg God
continually for grace that we may put on Christ Jesus the Lord. Verse 24, put on the new man
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness,
wherefore putting away lying. Now he's getting down to where
the rubber meets the road. He says, now I don't want you
to have to be guessing about what I'm talking about. Putting
away Lying. Speak every man the truth with
his neighbor. Speak every man the truth with
his neighbor. I reckon why Paul would tell
us such a thing. Because we're all liars by nature.
That's just our nature. Paul says speak the truth. Be
honest men, honest women. Speak the truth with your neighbor.
For we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not. You get upset, don't let that
control your life. Let not the sun go down upon
your wrath. Neither give place to the devil.
Let him that stole steal no more. But rather let him labor, working
with his hands the thing which is good. Labor, working the thing
that's good, not so he can get money to put in the bank, that
he may have to give to him that needeth. Verse 29, let no corrupt
communication proceed out of your mouth. Now, please don't
misunderstand what I'm about to say. I'm not inclined to think
you will. Folks who hear this might, if
I didn't preface it that way. I'm not suggesting by any means
it's all right to use filthy language, but that's not what
he's talking about here. I'm not suggesting that you ought
to go around using vile language, but that's not what it's talking
about here. I recall some years ago, it had been a long time
ago, I've given up the notion anymore. I wrote a letter to
William Buckley. I used to watch him and whenever
his program came on, I forgot what it was, but he got placed
several little bit, he'd have to just reinforce what he said
using some profanity. And I wrote to him, I said, you
may be a brilliant man, but you show yourself weak. You don't
have to talk like that. You don't have to talk like that
to make a point. There's no need in that. No need
in that. That's not what he's talking about here, though. This
is talking about gossip and backbiting, speaking evil one of another.
Let's read and see what it says, what it's saying. Let no corrupt
communication, no backbiting, gossip, no snide comments proceed
out of your mouth. But that which is good to the
use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers,
and grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby you were sealed unto
the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and evil speaking, there's that corrupt
communication, be put away from you with all malice, and be ye
kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Now that's the
essence of godliness. That's the essence of what men
speak of when they speak about good works, as far as the scriptures
are concerned. That's the essence of walking
uprightly and in holiness. Be kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another. even as God, for Christ's sake,
hath forgiven you. How is that? Freely, unconditionally,
without asking for it, forgiving one another. Be ye therefore
followers of God as dear children. What is it to live in godliness? What is it to walk uprightly? What is it to live in this world
as the children of God? Be ye followers of God. The word is imitate God. Imitate God. How can a man imitate
God? How can a woman imitate God?
Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God for Christ's sake has forgiven you, and walk in love. as Christ
also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and
a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor." Every now and then, every now
and then, I hear folks make statements like this. I read or somebody's
written such. Folks will write to me and ask
me about it. Character and conduct don't matter. We're saved by
God's grace. What you do doesn't matter. Character
and conduct does matter. Matters a great deal. Matters
a great deal. My daughter is my daughter, but
her character and her conduct matters a great deal, for it
reflects a great deal on me. Upon this assembly, upon the
God we worship, the gospel we profess to believe, the same's
true of you. Same's true of me. Paul urges
us then as believers to honor God, to remember who we are and
whose we are, walking in this world in such a manner as reflects
our knowledge of the living God. When the gospel conquers the
heart. When the gospel conquers the heart. When the gospel conquers
the heart, a person's life is radically and continually changed
forever. When the gospel conquers the
heart, a person's life is radically and continually changed forever. When God saved that Samaritan
woman, she who had five husbands and
thought nothing of it, she thought nothing of it. She thought nothing
of it. It was just the way they lived.
The Lord Jesus conquered her heart. And she said, come see
a man who told me all things that ever I did. And she served
him faithfully. There was a Gadarene, a wild
demoniac of Gadara, who lived among the tombs, lived like a
madman, insane, wild. beastly man, a man that everybody
else wanted to avoid and wanted their families to avoid. The
Lord Jesus came, cast the devil out of him, and he's found sitting
at the Savior's feet, clothed and in his right mind. The Lord
Jesus came one day to a man named Zacchaeus, a publican, a rich
tax collector. This man, Zacchaeus, was not
just a man who was rich. He was a man who enriched himself
by abusing others. He was a tax collector and they
were reputed and well known for their self-serving cheating of
other people. And this tax collector one day
was conquered by the grace of God. And it took that which he
had gained falsely and used it now generously for the glory
of God and the benefit of others. When the gospel conquers a person's
heart, it radically changes his life continually and forever. The gospel of the grace of God
teaches all to whom it is revealed. that salvation is by grace alone. And it teaches us how to live
in this world for the glory of God. I want you to turn with
me to Titus, the second chapter, and just hold your Bibles open
right here at Titus chapter two. Paul is instructing Titus in
the work of the gospel ministry. He's telling this man Titus how
all gospel preachers ought to lead and instruct God's saints
in the preaching of the gospel. Titus was a gospel preacher,
a young man instructed by Paul by divine inspiration. And here,
as Paul writes to Titus, he is instructing all gospel preachers
how they are to lead and guide and teach God's people by the
gospel in this world. First, let's look at verses 1
through 10, just very briefly. Paul speaks here of adorning
the gospel. He tells us both as men and women,
both the man who preaches the gospel and those men and women
to whom the gospel is preached. He tells us what we are to believe
and how we are to adorn the gospel that we believe. How we're to
behave ourselves in a manner that will adorn the doctrine
of God our Savior in all things. You see that in verse 10? He
says, not for learning but showing all good fidelity that they may
adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. This is both our responsibility
and our privilege. Our delight and our duty. I don't much like the word duty. When it comes to anything that
involves marriage, home, family, I especially don't like the term
duty. When it involves anything with
regard to our relationship with and service of God our Savior,
administering to one another. But there are worse things than
duty. Duty is the very least you can do. Duty. is the very
poorest of motives, but it's the very least you can do. And
that which is our delight as believers is our greatest duty,
and that is the glory of God. You understand that? That which
is our delight as believers is our greatest duty, and that's
the glory of God, doing the will of God. All right, let's look
at it. as Paul gives it to us here.
First, in verse 1, he speaks to me as a preacher. Speak thou
the things which become sound doctrine. But you'll notice that
verse 1, chapter 2, begins with that word, but. And it connects
it with the last verse of chapter 1, talking about the ungodly,
the reprobate, Unclean he says in verse 16 they
profess that they know God But in works But they deny him being
abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate
They profess that they know God but in their works in the way
they behave themselves day by day They deny him altogether,
unto every good work reprobate. But, he says now, Titus, Don
Fortner, speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. Every gospel preacher has a mandate
from God. And every preacher's mandate
is exactly the same. All who are sent of God as his
messengers to eternity bound men and women are sent to preach
the gospel, to constantly declare those things which become sound
doctrine. The doctrine we preach is the
doctrine of Christ, the doctrine of the grace of God. All those
things that become sound doctrine are those things that are consistent
with and honoring to the gospel. Let me give them to you briefly.
You can make yourself a note. T-U-L-I-P. And I'm not talking about a flower.
Total depravity. Unconditional election. Limited
atonement. Irresistible grace. Perseverance
of the saints. These are things that become
sound doctrine. I am sometimes asked, not very
often, but sometimes, How often do you preach those things? A man, sometimes older men, find
out you believe the gospel of God's grace, and they'll kindly,
out of one side of their mouth, talk like maybe if nobody hears
them, you know, I believe that too. How often do you preach
that? I say, as often as I preach.
What? What? Pam Woods brother brother Ron
Rumberg, you know, I've been friends for a long long time
talked to him yesterday And he's done but when he was in school
down at Reform Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi they get together
in the evenings and be discussing things and he said I got up walked
out one evening to go do something and left the Bible that somebody
opened up my notes for that morning's message and I came back in and
they They said you don't just believe these things you preach
them And that's shocking to folks.
That's shocking. Yes, incessantly declare man's
utter depravity. That salvation is according to
and by God's free election alone. Accomplished and purchased for
us by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on behalf of his
elect, effectually. comes to pass in the life of
the believer by the irresistible effectual power and grace of
God, the Holy Spirit. In short, salvation is of the
Lord. You've got nothing to do with
it. And he preserves and keeps his own unto everlasting glory,
constantly replenishing us and refreshing us and filling us
with his grace that we may believe and walk before him in the uprightness
of faith. Specifically, Gospel preachers
are responsible to pointedly apply the gospel to the daily
affairs and responsibilities of men and women in this world.
I realize that many people prefer to ignore this fact, but it's
a fact nonetheless. God Almighty interferes with
the lives of his people. He interferes. When God saves
sinners, do you know what He does? Do you know what He does? He takes over. He takes over the life. He takes
control. He takes the helm and you're
glad for Him to have it. He takes the reins and makes
you willing to give the reins to Him. He is either Lord of
all or He won't have you at all. One of the two. People these
days talk about making Jesus your Lord. What nonsense. When Jesus Christ comes, first
thing he does out of kidney is conquer the heart as Lord. And
he keeps on conquering it. He subdues the will. He makes his people willing in
the day of his power. So that those who are born of
God are subdued under the rule of Jesus Christ, under the rule
of his word, and they are his servants, willing servants, forever. Now notice how Paul gives a word
to nearly everybody you can imagine. First, in verse 2, he speaks
to aged women. Now I won't call any names here,
you know who you are. Aged women. That's all of you
ladies who are older than Deedee here. Aged women. That the aged women be sober.
Sober. That doesn't mean that you don't
get drunk. But again, don't misunderstand
me. Don't go get drunk. But this
word means sober as in sober thinking. Not giddy girls. Sober. Not flatty. Sober. Grave. Almost as though he's saying
sober, sober, grave, grave. He's stressing the thing. You
aged ladies act like grown women. Behave like grown women. And
when you get to be 40 or 50 or 60 years old, don't start acting
like teenagers again. Act like grown women. Temperant. That's a strange word. Temperant.
The word means control from within. Control your tempers. If you
control your temper, you'll control your tongue. Sound in faith. Now, I could spend a little while
here. I hear from women every now and
then. I don't usually hear from them
twice in this regard, but they like to deem themselves theologians. Ladies, don't ever imagine you're
going to get to be theologians. It ain't going to happen. It
ain't going to happen. You think like women and I'm
glad you do. That means you think with your
hearts, but you're not going to get to be theologians. That's
the reason you to ask your husbands at home about various things
concerning doctrine and whatever you do. Don't come over here.
Start teach me something about it. I, uh, I generally answer
when I get reproof from a woman, when I want a woman to teach
me theology, I'll go to a nunnery. I'm not asking you. I'm not asking
you, wow, that's arrogant. Chauvinists, call it what you
want to. Call it what you want to. Sound in faith. But don't imagine that you're
theologians. Don't imagine that you're to
be trying to instruct folks in the doctrine of the gospel. Sound
in faith simply means sound in the doctrine of the gospel, sound
believing God, and in charity. and kindness, and love, and generosity,
and patience. That's talking to the aged men.
Now, look at aged women. I said aged women before, it's
aged men. Aged women, likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh
holiness. Holiness. Not false accusers. Not given
to much wine. Now folks will say, well, there
you, not to have any wine. That's not what it said. Not
given to much wine. If you don't have a glass of
wine with your meal, that's fine. If you don't have a glass of wine and
you go home tonight before you go to bed, that's just fine. But
don't get drunk. Teachers of good things, that
they may teach young women, not theology, not doctrine, teach
young women to be sober. Teach young women to be sober.
Teach your girls to grow up. To love their husbands. Well,
nobody needs to teach anybody anything about that. It's not
talking about sex education. It's talking about loving your
husband. To love their husbands. Take care of them. Take care
of them. Well, I wouldn't do that for any man. If you love
one, you will. If you love one, you will. Take care of them.
To love their children. Well, every mother loves her
children. No, mamas who love their children
take care of their children. that take care of their children.
Young women are addressed in verse five to be discreet, discreet,
chaste. Oh, what a strange word in our
society, chaste, chastity, chaste. Mama, teach your daughters to
be discreet and chaste. What's that mean? to act like
ladies, talk like ladies, behave like ladies. Teach your daughters
that. In word and in conduct, by example. Keepers at home. What's that
mean? A woman ought never work outside
the house. That's fine. If you don't want to work outside
your house, fine. If your husband doesn't want you to work outside the
house, that's fine. But this same word is used with regard
to men in the book of Habakkuk. So it's not talking about folks
aren't allowed to work outside the house. What's he talking
about? Your primary principle sphere
of care and activity ought to be your home. Your husband, your
children. Well, I have an independent woman
of the 21st century. Have it your way. Have it your
way. But if you're going to be a chaste, honorable, discreet
lady serving God, You make it your business, take care of your
husband, take care of your children. Make it your business. That the
word of God be not blasphemed so that people don't look at
you and the way you behave and say, now that's what you call
a Christian. Ha! Verse 6, young men likewise
exhort to be sober minded. I was out at San Leandro, California
a few weeks ago, where the Jessica stand was addressing some young
men. And he made a statement that I thought was just outstanding.
It was just outstanding. Matthew, how old are you now?
14. Not too early to hear it. Not
too early. He said, find out what God would have you to do
and set out to do it. I can't think of better practical
advice for young men in this world. Find out now what God
have you to do and set your heart to do it. Set your heart to do
it. This wimpy, sissy, light-in-the-loafer
society of men has got the idea that somehow a man is not expected
to have any idea of what he's going to do or assume any responsibility
until he's 35, 40 years old. Find out what God would have
you to do and set your heart to do it. Do not turn from it. Behave as men. Teach them such. And it's time we taught such.
Teach young men to behave like men, assuming responsibility
for themselves. And then he addresses pastors,
verse seven, in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works.
Oh. That's my responsibility. To
you. In my day by day life as your
pastor, as God's servant. as a student of the word, as
one responsible to minister to the souls of men, as a husband,
as a father, as a citizen. It is my responsibility in everything
I do to show Rex Bartley how to live. God, forgive me for my failure
and teach me better. Force me to do better. showing
a pattern of good works, in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity,
sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned. That he
that is of a contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing
to say of you. Now you can't keep folks from
talking bad about you. You can't avoid giving them a
reason. Don't you give no one a just
cause to speak evil. Verse 9 talks to servants. Make
the word employees. We don't have slaves today. Thank
God. Exhort servants to be obedient
unto their own masters. You go to work for a man or for
a factory or for a company. An individual or a great number
of individuals put together. You go to work for them. From
the time you punch the clock to the time you punch it in the
evening, you belong to that person. That's not the way things are
done, I know. I know it's one reason we're the mess we're in.
So that you deal honestly with folks. You see, the gospel affects
everything. Everything that God takes over
your life. You were a policeman, weren't
you? Retired police officer. God saves a cop, he's a better
cop. That's all there is to it. And if he saves a janitor, he's
a better janitor. And if he saves a farmer, he's a better farmer.
That's all there is to it. God takes over a man's life.
I'm calling for all who believe the gospel of the grace of God
to adorn it. What do you mean? To show forth
the beauty of the gospel in all things for the glory of God. So that whether therefore you
eat or drink whatsoever you do, do all for the glory of God.
All right, now look at verse 11. Paul speaks to us about the
work of grace. For the grace of God. That's
talking about the gospel of God's grace. The grace of God that
bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men. The gospel we preach
is preached to all men. Preach to all men everywhere
because God has his elect among all men everywhere. Preach freely
among all nations because God has his elect among all nations.
And whenever the grace of God that brings salvation appears
to men, it teaches some men. It teaches chosen sinners. It teaches those who are born
of God's spirit. It teaches us that denying ungodliness
and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly
in this present world. When I was in school, I had All
the way through from first grade through college. I had three,
maybe four teachers. Rest of them just do a salary.
Three or four teachers. Three or four teachers. A teacher
sees to it that you get the lessons. That's what a teacher does. A
teacher makes certain you get the lesson. That whatever it
takes to make certain you get the lesson. Now, anybody can
give out the instructions. A teacher makes certain that
you get the lesson. The grace of God makes certain
that you get the lesson. The word teaching us here means
educating. Educating us. Making us to understand
that we are to live soberly, righteously, and godly. With respect to ourselves, we're
to live soberly. With respect to others, righteously. With respect to God, godly. You're not your own. You're not
your own. You're bought with a price. That means David Burdge, God
Almighty, owns you. If you bought with a price, if
he owns you, he also owns Birge Coating, or whatever the coating
company is. He owns that too. And the car,
and the wife, and the children, and the house, and everything.
He owns you. You bought with a price. So glorify
God in your body and in your spirits, which are God's. The
grace of God that brings salvation, if it brings salvation to you,
teaches you to live soberly and righteously and godly. I have no idea where this foolishness
is coming from, but I've been asked this question twice on
opposite ends of the country in the last couple of months.
I had folks ask me, sir, If a young couple of believers, you're at
the age, they're dating one another, and they're both believers, is
it all right for them to sleep together? I've had folks actually
ask me that out in public. It's all right. As if they expected
to hear me say what somebody else has said to them. Oh, yeah,
yeah. No. No. The grace of God that brings
salvation teaches you to live soberly. righteously and godly. And if you got a question about
something, there's a reason why. If you suspect maybe something's
wrong, there's a reason why. It generally is. If you have
an idea that somehow this is just not becoming a child of
God, that's because it's not. You don't have to question those
things. And folks who teach otherwise
have a corrupt reason for doing so. All right, read on. Look at verse 13. The grace of
God teaches us to live in blessed expectation as well. Looking
for that blessed hope. Every one of God's has the same
hope. The basis of our hope is the finished work of Christ.
And the hope we have is the glorious appearing of the great God and
our savior, Jesus Christ. He has prepared for us an everlasting
inheritance so great, so glorious, so magnificent that no eye has
ever seen it. No heart has ever conceived of
it. No mind has ever imagined it. It's beyond imagination. And
yet it is the one hope of all God's saints. so that we live
in anticipation of everlasting glory with Jesus Christ and the
glory we anticipate is the glory of Christ himself. Jane C. Bonar wrote one of my favorite
hymns. Her husband, Andrew Bonar, was
dying of consumption. He was a Scottish preacher. And
she tended to him. And one night just before he
died, she got him resting and she went back in the parlor and
sat down and wrote this great, great hymn. Fade, fade, each
earthly joy. Jesus is mine. Break every tender tie. Jesus is mine. Dark is this wilderness. Earth has no resting place. Jesus alone can bless. Jesus is mine. Set your affection
on things above. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and his righteousness. And you know what, David? God'll
take care of everything else. God take care of everything else.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. I would be embarrassed. I'd be
embarrassed if I were king in some country and folks who served
me in my court were lacking anything. I'd be embarrassed by it. I'd
be ashamed for anybody to think that somehow I was too miserly,
too niggardly to take care of my own with the bounty that I
possess. Will you hear me? God our Savior
takes care of his own. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and you won't lack anything. All these things shall be added
unto you. Well, I've got this to take care
of. I've got that to take care of. I've got to live in this
world. My dear friend, Brother Harry Graham, he said to me one time, somebody
told him, said, well, Brother Harry, we've got to live in this
world. He said, I beg your pardon, that's one thing I just flat
don't have to do. No, I don't have to live in this world. I
have to leave this world. Let me live like one who's leaving
it. All right, what's going to motivate
you to do this? What is it that will inspire
my heart to devote myself, my life, to
God's glory? How can I inspire you? How can
I motivate you? Well, we'll have to get the whip
of the law out. Paul didn't do that. We'll have
to promise some rewards and bribe folks or they won't have any
reason for doing so. No. Paul simply wraps this up with
this marvelous declaration of grace, who gave himself for us
that he might redeem us from all iniquity. purifying to himself
that peculiar people, zealous of good works. Reckon what will arrest my life
and yours, Lindsay. Reckon what may be tomorrow morning,
will inspire us to awake determined to honor God. He gave himself for us that he
might redeem to himself a peculiar people who are tickled to death
to do what's right. Tickled to death to do what's
right. These things speak both the doctrine
and the duties of grace and exhort, press them with earnestness and
rebuke, rebuke. Well, pastor, you stepped on
my toes today. I meant to get to your heart,
forgive me. Boy, you sure? Made that pointed,
thank God I meant to. Seemed like he wasn't talking
to anybody, just to me. Good, that's why I did it. That's why
I intended it. With all authority. With the backing of God Almighty. What on earth is it that makes
preachers such mealy-mouthed wimps? They can be pushed this
way or that by anything because they lack any sense of divine
authority and they ought to if they don't have it. But those
who are gifted and called and sent of God to preach the gospel
speak with authority. Speak with authority. The authority
of a man who's heard God speak. who must speak truth to you,
that no man despise thee. How can you avoid that? I've
somehow over the years developed a few folks who aren't real happy
with who I am or the fact that I still live on this earth. And
there's not much I can do about that. That's not what he's talking
about. He says, don't give men a reason
to look upon you contemptuously and to hear what you say with
contempt. Don't give men a reason to despise
you. Behave as a man who belongs to
God. And as he speaks those words
to me, he speaks those words to every one of you who are gods. Behave as many women who belong
to God. Oh, Spirit of God, will you teach
us and give us grace to live in this world as many women who
belong to God? Amen. All right, Brother Lynch.