I have entitled this message,
Set in Order the Things that are Wanting. Get that from this
text. Paul's writing to Titus and he
says, for this cause, verse 5, for this cause left I thee in
Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are
wanting." Now, I've left you behind in Crete. Crete's one
of the largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea. And I left
you there to set in order things that are wanting. Look what he
says in verse 10. This is what was going on in
Crete. Look in verse 9, holding fast
the faithful word as it had been taught, that he may be able by
sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers,
the contradictors, for there are many unruly and vain talkers
and deceivers, talking about in Crete, especially they of
the circumcision whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert
whole houses, teaching things which they ought not for filthy
lucre's sake." That was going on in Crete. Look at this, verse
12. One of themselves, even a prophet
of their own said, the Cretans are always liars. It's pretty rough, isn't it?
Evil beasts, wild beasts, slow bellies, idle gluttons. This witness is true. Now that is what was going on
in Crete. And Paul says, I've left you
in Crete to set in order things that are wanting. Now that doesn't
mean to try to straighten up the island of Crete. This is
talking about the churches. He wasn't trying to reform the
island of Crete. This was talking about the churches
that were in Crete. Now set in order things that
are wanting. The set in order comes from the
word that we get orthodontics and orthopedics from. The word
is straighten up that which is crooked, set that which is broken. There were a lot of crooked teeth.
There were a lot of broken bones in Crete, a lot of bad speech,
a lot of bad doctrine, a lot of evil practice. And Paul says,
I want you to set in order the things that are wanting or lacking. Now that's the same word Paul
uses in, or James uses in James when he says, if any man lack
wisdom, if any man is short on this thing of wisdom, let him
ask God who gives to all men liberally and upbraids not, he
shall have it. but if you lack, if you want
wisdom. Now, to lack or to want means
to be inferior, to come behind. Do you see things in yourself
that are inferior as to what they should be and coming behind? Of course you do. Of course you
do. Of course I do. Well, he was sent to set in order
that which was wanting. And he was to do this through
ordaining elders. We're going to get to this next
week, but he says, for this cause left Ivy and Creek that thou
should have set in order the things they're wanting and ordain
elders. in every city as I had appointed
thee." Now, part of what was going to be used in setting an
order that was wanting was the ordaining of elders. Now, I don't
know how Titus went about ordaining elders. We're not told. I have
wondered about that. But Paul told him to ordain elders
in every city. All these different cities in
Crete where there were these churches, the ministry was to
be used to set these things in order. Turn with me for a moment
to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 11. And he gave some apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers for the
perfecting of the saints. That has something to do with
setting things in order, doesn't it? For the maturing of the saints. for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying, the building up of the body of Christ, till
we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, unto a perfect man, a mature man, unto the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth
be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine by the slide of men and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie and wait to deceive. That's what was going
on in Crete, where you had these men who were deceivers and teaching
things which they ought not for filthy lucre's sake. Now, Paul
says the way this is to be done is through you ordaining these
bishops. And he gives the qualifications
for a bishop in verse six through eight. I'm going to read that.
We're going to look at it next week. But he says, if any be
blameless. The husband of one wife, having
faithful children, not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop
must be blameless, as the steward of God, not self-willed, not
soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy
lucre, but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just,
holy, temperate, holding fast the faithful word as he has been
taught. Every believer, setting in order
the things they're wanting. Think about that concept. Setting
in order the things they're wanting. Setting in order the things that
are lacking. Every believer, and I wish I
could say this the way I ought to say it, and I want you to
hear this, I want me to hear it. Every believer is complete
in Christ. Now believe that. You're not
wanting anything. You're not lacking anything. All that God requires of you,
you have in the Lord Jesus Christ and you want nothing. There's nothing to be set in
order. You see, there are not degrees
of justification. If you're justified, that means
you stand before God as one who has never sinned. There are not
degrees of that. There are not degrees of holiness. You can't become more holy or
less holy. You're either holy or you're
not holy. There are not degrees of holiness. There are not degrees
of acceptance. He has made us accepted in the
beloved. There's no being more accepted
or less accepted. You are complete in Christ. Would
to God that me and you would get a hold of that. Rest in it. I am complete in the Lord Jesus
Christ. I need nothing else. I want nothing
else. I'm perfect in Christ Jesus. Let me give you a couple of scriptures.
Of him, or you, in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, holiness, and redemption. That's the description of every
believer. Is there anything wanting there?
Is there anything lacking? If God be for us, Paul said,
who can be against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who is he that can condemn? It's
Christ that died. Yea, rather that's risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. Is there anything lacking there?
Anything needed? Anything wanting? Now knowing
this, this is so important, knowing this is what will prevent us
from trying to set in order things that are wanting in order to
gain assurance from it. If you think of all the things
you're wanting in and I need to get these straight or I can't
have any assurance that I'm a believer, you missed it. This is not something
we want to do to gain assurance. My assurance is in Jesus Christ. I am complete in him. I want
nothing. And if I hear about the things
that I'm wanting and think, well, I need to man up and start doing
things better in order to have assurance of my salvation. That's
wrong. That's evil. That's contrary
to the gospel. So before I get into this thing
of, setting in order things that are wanting, understand this,
in Christ, you are complete. You can't get any more loved.
You can't get any more saved. You can't get any more accepted
than you are right now in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, while
we believe that is true, we are also painfully aware that we
are still sinners. Are you not painfully aware of
that? And we feel a need of being set
in order because we feel very lacking. Now I know I'm complete
in Christ and I believe that. And that's why I have boldness
in the day of judgment because my salvation is in him. I'm also
aware of, you name it, I lack in it. Whatever it is, you name
it, I lack in it. It's part of being poor and needy. When you're poor and needy, oh,
that's a good place to be. When you're poor, you have nothing
and you have great needs and you see great lacking in yourself. I'm not talking about lacking
in somebody else. I'm talking about lacking in
myself. Turn with me for a moment to
Philippians chapter four. Paul says in verse 12. I know both how to be abased
and I know how to abound. I know how to be abased in my
own eyes because of my own sinfulness and my wanting and my lack. And I also know how to abound,
abound in his grace, glory in his grace. Both are true at the
same time. Now let's go on reading. Everywhere
and in all things I am instructed." Now that word instructed means
initiated into the mystery. This is the only way you can
know this. This is the only way you can enter into this. This
is the only way you can understand this. If God by His grace, by
His Spirit, initiates you into this mystery, This isn't something
you learn by education and proper instruction. This is something
God must do for me and you, to initiate us into the mystery.
And what is that? I'm instructed both to be full
and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I'm full
in Christ. I don't need anything else. I
hunger and thirst after his righteousness, which is a perceived lack of
it. And I need it. I abound by his
grace. We're seeing abounded. Grace
did much more abound. I suffer need. I am full and hungry at the same
time. I abound and suffer need at the
same time, feeling my wants. I am a saint and I am a sinner
at the same time. And I say that reverently with
fear that it's the truth. And you have to be initiated
by God the Holy Spirit into this mystery of being both at once. Being complete in Christ and
yet suffering need and needing that which is wanting to be perfected. I need to have set in order the
things that are wanting, lagging behind. You know, somebody once
said to me, I was, I was, I was in college at time is how young
I was. I was talking to somebody and
I was talking about my own sinfulness. And that person looked at me
and they said, you need to get out of Roman seven and into Romans
eight. And I remember at the time it scared me. I was still
a teenager, I think. And I thought, maybe I do. But I see now that somebody that
would say something like that's never been in Romans 7 or Romans
8 in the first place. You never leave Romans 7. You
never leave Romans 8. You suffer need and you abound
at the same time. Now, Paul said, set in order
those things that are wanting. And here's a scripture that goes
with this so clearly because the same word is used if any
man lack wisdom. Would that be you? No, I got
plenty of that. You're deceived. Is there a believer
that feels that, oh, I've got plenty of wisdom? No, we all
feel a lack of wisdom. Well, like that one ask of God
who gives to all men liberally and up braids not and he shall
have it. You find yourself lacking in
wisdom. Well, you should be feeling that way. You do. I do lack in
wisdom. Does this discourage me? No,
I see that that's the truth about me, but what's it make me do?
Lord, give me wisdom. You told me to ask for it. You're
the one that told me and you said that you'd give it to me.
I'm asking you because this is what you said to do. Every believer
feels lacking. If you feel like he's given you
enough spiritual wisdom to look to Christ only, But you feel
a lack of it, we're encouraged to say, Lord, give it to us. Now think about this, setting
in order the things that are wanting or lacking. Anything
that admits of growth has in it a lack that needs growth. Do you need to grow? Well, you
feel a lack in yourself that causes you to need this growth. You know, we love babies, but
we don't want them to stay that way. We want them to grow, grow
in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Turn with me to 2 Peter chapter 3. He says in verse 17, you therefore
beloved seeing, you know, these things before beware, lest you
also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from
your own steadfastness. Well, what do I do about that?
Grow in grace. and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now there are things that cannot
be separated. If you grow in grace, you grow
in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If
you grow in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
you are growing in grace. Grow in grace. Growth is like
a tree. You grow downward. in your view
of yourself. Oh, the roots go down deep. If
you're growing, you're having a lower opinion of yourself.
And if you have a higher opinion of yourself, you're shrinking.
You're not growing. Grow down in your view of yourself. When you get down to the bottom,
go a little lower than that. Grow up in your esteem and reverence
and love and awe of God. Grow up in your awe of his word. Grow out in your love to your
brethren. You're esteeming them. That is
growth in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. While you're in Peter, look in
2 Peter 1. He says in verse five, and besides
this, besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith
virtue. Now what's he mean when he says
besides this? Well, he says in verse three, according as his
divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto
life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called
us to glory and virtue, whereby are given to us. exceeding great
and precious promise that by these you might be partakers
of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that's in the
world through lust and beside this giving all diligence add
to your faith virtue." Now that word virtue is taken out of the
word man. What he's saying is be a man,
man up, grow up, show virtue and excellence. Do you have enough virtue? Are
you lacking there? I am. And then he said, add to
your virtue knowledge. Do you have enough knowledge?
Do you know enough? Of course you don't. We see through
a glass darkly all the time and we know nothing as we ought to
know and we're always in a state, I want Him to add to my knowledge. This is setting in order things
that are wanting. And look what he says next. Add
to knowledge temperance. Well, I've got plenty of that.
No, I don't. I need to increase by the grace of God in temperance.
I need His help in that. I need to have that which is
wanting perfected by Him. I certainly feel a need for that.
to temperance, patience. Well, I got plenty of that. No,
I don't. I'm so impatient. I need him to give me this patience.
I'm lacking in that. And to patience, godliness. Now let me remind you that in
the word godliness, in the original, you don't find the word God.
It means, I don't know why the translators translated this,
it means devout, well devout, devoted. Are you devoted enough? Of course you're not. You want
to be more devoted to him. You lack in that. And to godliness, Brotherly kindness. Do you have
enough of that? Don't you need to grow in that?
Don't you need that perfected concerning that which is wanting?
I sure do. And to brotherly kindness, charity. Oh, that charity that's 1 Corinthians
13. It's so beautiful. I've got so
little of it. I want so more of it. Now that's
what, add, add, add. That's setting up in order the things
that are wanting. For these things be in you and
abound, they make you that you shall be neither barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I don't want that,
do you? I don't want to be barren. I don't want to be unfruitful.
But he that lacketh these things is blind and can't see afar off
and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Now
that word lack doesn't mean you don't have them. If you're a
believer, you have all these things, but they can be in such
a state that you can't see them. And that makes you blind and
you can't see a far off and you'll start forgetting that you were
purged from your old sins. You'll start looking to yourself
for your assurance rather than to Christ. Wherefore, the rather
brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure
for if you do these things, you shall never fall. Now, while
we're thinking about fruit, we don't want to be unfruitful,
barren or unfruitful. Turn to John 15 for just a moment. John 15. This is where the Lord
speaks of fruit. Verse 1, I am the true vine,
and my father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit, he taketh away. Now, what does that mean? I know this, it doesn't sound
good. And I know if I am a believer, I have all the fruit of the Holy
Spirit. And I would have a tendency to
think this is somebody that's not truly in him, that appears
to be in him. But whatever it means, it doesn't
sound good, does it? Every branch in me that beareth not fruit,
he taketh away. And every branch that beareth
fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now
that has something to do with setting in order the things they're
wanting, bearing more fruit. Now you are clean through the
word which I've spoken unto you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can you except
you abide in me." Now listen to me, this thing of bearing
fruit, every believer has the fruit of God the Holy Spirit
as soon as they're born again. Love, joy, peace. That's the cluster toward God.
You love him. You rejoice in who he is and
how he saves. You have peace from him doing
all the saving. Long-suffering, goodness, gentleness. That's toward others. Faith, meekness, temperance.
That's about yourself. These are fruits that every believer
has. When a baby is born, he has all
of his parts, doesn't he? But these things grow. Now here's
the key that I want you to have with this, and I want to get
hold of it. What's the key to growth? Abiding in Christ. If I gave you a formula of what
you need to do, here's what you need to do to grow. All it would
do is turn you into a Pharisee. All it would do would have you
start to do things and look for things that'll give you assurance.
And it's wrong. If you abide in Christ, now what's
it mean to abide in Christ? That means I don't want to be
found anywhere else at all times. I just want God to see me in
the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to be viewed in him. If
all of God's blessings is in this room, As an example, if
all of God's blessings is in this room, I'm staying in this
room and I don't want to be found outside of this room. You abide
in Christ. You make that your desire to
simply be found in Christ. You know what? You're going to
bear fruit. You don't abide in Christ. You
will not bear fruit. Abide in me and I in you. Like
I said, this is not some formula. How to grow. How to bear fruit.
There's been so many things said about that that are so wrong.
No, the only thing you and I are called upon to do is to abide
in Christ. And abiding in Christ, I will bear fruit, the fruit
of God, the Holy Spirit. I will grow. And if I am not
abiding in Christ, these things will not take place. So this
is, think about what Paul said. Oh, that I may win Christ and
be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faithfulness of Christ, the
righteousness, which is of God by faith. Oh, abide in me. You can't bear fruit except you
abide in me. Verse 5, I am the vine, you are
the branches, he that abideth in me and I in him, there it
is, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me, you can
do nothing. How do I bear much fruit? by
abiding in Christ. And this is a conscious desire
to only be found in him. You do that, everything's gonna
be okay. You don't do that, you're in
trouble. And you don't really have any fruit. But you abide
in Christ, the fruit of God the Holy Spirit will come. Now, how
do we set in order the things that we're wanting in ourself?
Abide in Christ. It's that simple. Abide in Christ. When the Lord, when the disciples
said, Lord, increase our faith, they were saying set in order
the things that are lacking or wanting in our faith. They made
that request, increase our faith. It's small. And the Lord talked
about weak faith. And one time he even said, where
is your faith? I don't see it. I mean, he knew it was there,
but he said, where is it? A small faith. Lord, increase our faith,
set in order those things that are wanting. Paul said to the
Thessalonians, night and day praying exceedingly that we might
see you and perfect that which is lacking in your faith. Paul said to the Philippians
in giving his own experience, it's not as though I already
attained. Now, if you would ask me who
is the greatest believer to ever believe, I guess I'd have to
say first John the Baptist, because as the Lord said, of them born
of women, none are greater than John the Baptist. But the next
person to come to my mind is Paul. The man God brought into
the third heavens, taught him the gospel directly, listens
to what he says about himself. It's not as though I have already
attained, either we're already perfect. Now that's a conscious
awareness on his part of that which was lacking in him and
needed to be by the grace of God set in order. And we all feel that we want
to grow in the fruit of God, the Holy Spirit. I want to grow
in love to him. I want my love to be greater.
You do too. I want to rejoice in him more. I want to have the peace, the
joy and the peace of believing. I want to grow in that. I want
to quit being, you know, I always have to cry, Lord, I believe,
help thou my unbelief. That's going to be with me until
I die. I realize that, but I want to grow in this thing of peace.
resting in Jesus Christ. I want to be more long-suffering
and patient. I want to be more gentle towards
my brethren and good to them. I want to grow in that. I want
to grow in faith, increase my faith. I want to grow in my meekness
before God. I want to grow in my temperance.
I want to grow in the Beatitudes. I see so much lacking. I love
the way it begins, blessed are the poor. I've got way too high
an opinion of myself. Even right now I know it. I want
to be poor in spirit, have nothing but Christ. I want to have more
genuine mourning over my sins. I don't want to be hard-hearted
towards sin. Before God, I want to mourn over my sin. I want to be meek before God,
really believing that anything he sends my way is right, holy,
just, and good. Not complaining and arguing and
being upset, but meek before God. It's the Lord. Let him do
what seemeth him good. Oh, I want to hunger and thirst
more after his righteousness. I want to be more merciful, don't
you? I want to be a merciful man. I want to be pure in heart. If I'm a believer, I am. I want
it to. I want to be pure in heart. I want to be a peacemaker. I
don't want to be contentious. I want to be a peacemaker preaching
the gospel of peace. And you know what? If I'm a peacemaker,
I will be persecuted for righteousness. Because if you're a peacemaker,
you're preaching the gospel of peace. You're saying the righteousness
of Christ is the only righteousness there is. And you will be persecuted
for righteousness sake. People say, well, you're saying
sin's okay if you say his righteousness is the only righteousness. Say
what you want. His righteousness is the only righteousness. And
I want to be persecuted for righteousness sake. Now, Paul left Titus in
Crete to set in order the things that are wanting. Now, let me
remind you, in Christ, you're complete. There's nothing wanting. Believe that, it's the truth.
Perfect in Christ Jesus. And you know in yourself that
everything is wanting. And you want the Lord to set
in order the things that are wanting. May the Lord do that. And he will, he's the only one
who can do it. May the Lord do that for each one of us by his
grace. Let's pray. Lord, we ask that you would give
us the grace to rest in being complete in Christ, wanting nothing. And we ask that you would set
in order all those things that we feel are wanting in us, that
we would grow in grace. and the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. We pray that we might grow in
love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, and goodness, and
faith, and meekness, and temperance. We pray that you'd enable us
to be poor, to mourn, to be meek before you, to hunger and thirst
after your righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart,
to be peacemakers. And Lord, we ask for the blessed
privilege of being persecuted for righteousness sake. in the
preaching of the gospel. How we thank you for your word.
Bless this word for your glory and for our good. In Christ's
name we pray, amen.