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Pursuing Godliness in a Godless World, Part 2

Leading the Way / Michael Youssef
The Truth Network Radio
January 14, 2025 12:00 am

Pursuing Godliness in a Godless World, Part 2

Leading the Way / Michael Youssef

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January 14, 2025 12:00 am

Is godliness an optional advanced study course in the Christian life—or the core curriculum of following after Jesus? In his five-part series, Pursuing Godliness in a Godless World, Dr. Michael Youssef reminds us that we have been saved for a purpose—to bear fruit and to become more like our Savior. Follow along in the short book of Titus, where Paul outlines for his protégé the importance of godliness in the Christian life—and learn what it means to present your life as a sacred offering to a holy God.

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Welcome to Leading the Way with pastor and international evangelist, Dr. Michael Yusef. False teaching surrounds us.

People and groups are selfishly creating their own truth, which leads to stealing, killing, and destroying lives. Up next on Leading the Way Audio, Dr. Yusef reveals ways that you can stand up and fight for truth. Now before he begins, a quick reminder that Leading the Way is listener supported, made possible through your generosity and your prayers. Learn more.

Call 866-626-4356 or go to ltw.org. Right now, listen with me as Dr. Michael Yusef continues this week's challenging series, Pursuing Godliness in a Godless World. Titus chapter 1 verses 10 to 13. In verse 10 he said, for there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers.

Paul knows experientially what he's talking about. Every town he went to, with a big Corinth or Ephesus, every town where he went and preached the gospel and he proclaimed that Jesus and Jesus alone saves from sin and eternal destruction. Many people came and believed the Lord Jesus Christ.

They received forgiveness of sins and they've received the assurance of spending eternity in heaven with him. But in every town, as the church begins to flourish, all these false teachers were nabbing at the heels of the Apostle Paul. Opposition arose. Read about in the book of Acts.

Everywhere he went, opposition arose. And that opposition came from the outside of the church and from the inside of the church. From outside of the church they say, no, no, no, no, Jesus is not the only way. There are many ways to God. From inside the church they said, no, no, no, Jesus yes, but Jesus plus, something else, keeping of the ceremonial law, circumcision or whatever it may be.

And so he knows what that is like. Jesus himself of course warns us against those people. In Matthew 7 21 he said, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But who will enter the kingdom of heaven? Only he who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven.

Please hear me right. Those who rebel against the authority of the scripture, those who deny the inerrancy of the scripture, those who try to modify or improve on God's Word, they are not rebelling only against God's Word, they are rebelling against God himself. There is no such thing as a godly rebel.

I know that was fashionable in some circumstances. They are godly. There's no such thing. Godliness demands obedience to God. Rebellion against God's truth is a virus that is infecting many a church today. And that is why Paul calls them empty talkers.

In fact, in the words of Shakespeare, full of sound and fury signifying nothing. Ah, but they are so captivating. They are so persuasive.

They are so smooth talkers. Today there is a major movement among the evangelical churches known as the emerging church movement. Let me tell you about it. The emerging church main philosophy is the rejection of the certainty of the Bible. One of the leaders puts it this way. Let me quote.

You must drop any affair you may have with certainty. Another one, he said, we must stop looking for some objective truth when we delve into the text of the Bible. The problem is this.

Hear me right, please. When we blur the edges of God's truth, we attack the very authority of God's word. And when we attack the very authority of God's word, we are rebelling against God himself and the authority of God over us. They often say we can't be certain about the virgin birth or the miracles of Jesus or the resurrection. These are just mere narratives. They are only comforting allegories. Their leaders teach that Christianity has shown a pervasive disdain to other religions of the world such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and atheism.

They continue. Christians should view other religions as dialogue partners and even collaborators. Now my beloved friends, let me tell you something. I went back to the Word of God and I searched in vain to find one single instant where God said to his people, you shall become dialogue partners or collaborators with the Canaanite religion. You shall be collaborators with Baal and the worshipers of Baal. You shall be collaborators with the Babylonians or the Persians or the Romans or the Greeks.

I couldn't find it. Instead, God's Word is very clear. Thou shall have no other God before me. And the Word of God, God himself tells the Christian believers, do not be yoked together with unbelievers.

What fellowship can light have with darkness? Having said that, I want you to listen to me please with your heart and with your ears. Surely you know, surely you know that I have deep love for non-believers, for the Buddhists and the Hindus and the Muslims and the atheists that I have deep love for these people.

What do you think I'm doing every waking moment in planning and working and spending the hours trying to share the light of Jesus Christ with them? We don't have an option but to love the non-believers. That is the command of Jesus. And if we have no love for these who are lost, then we are not obedient to Jesus. So the question is not loving the non-believers.

That's not negotiable. That's very different from collaborating with other religions. Jesus did not say you shall collaborate with other religions and that will set you free. I can't find that in my Bible. Jesus said that only if you know the truth and the truth is Jesus and he is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You shall know Jesus who is the truth and the truth will set you free. That's what I found in my Bible. How do we deal with these people who are infecting many a church with their falsehood?

Verse 11 gives you the answer. They must be silenced. They must be silenced. Now the Greek word that is used here means to put a horse's bridle on them.

A bridle on the mouth supposed to keep the horse mouth closed. Why? Because these false teachers cause division in the families. They cause parents against their children and children against their parents.

They cause a husband against his wife and a wife against her husband. By contrast, those who are pursuing godliness, they seek the unity of the family not division. Those who are pursuing godliness will bring wholeness to the family not division. Those who are pursuing godliness seek harmony in the family. They create a loving environment. They create a loving atmosphere.

Here's a fact sin will always divide but the Holy Spirit will unite. Then in verses 12 and 13 Paul takes the words of their own Cretan poet. This is not somebody from the outside. They say he's prejudiced. He's racist. He is this or that. He's way he's their beloved son. He's a son of Crete. A very famous poet.

Poet laureate of Crete if you like. That island of Crete where Titus was. And he was describing the natural state of these people before Christ. Their natural state. Their old state before they came to Christ.

And he said that must be silenced. But it shouldn't surprise us that the Cretans or anybody for that matter be like that in their natural state before they come to Christ. Listen I can tell you they are no different from my natural state before Christ. And that is why I often quote the great preacher of yesteryears Charles Spurgeon who said that talking people will always talk about grace grace grace.

He said the grace that does not transform a life is not the grace of Jesus. But regardless of our characteristics before we came to Christ. Regardless of our past wickedness. Regardless of our past dishonesty. Regardless of our past indulgences. Regardless of our past undisciplined life. Regardless of our past lying and cheating.

Regardless of our past laziness. All of that must be transformed by coming to Jesus Christ. Naturally it will be transformed. Ah but that's just the beginning. There are some people said okay I come to Jesus. I've signed the decision card. I came down the aisle and they go out and live like the devil and said well I'm saved.

No they're not. Doesn't stop there. Like I told you in the last message pursuing godliness is like in a marriage.

You say I do and you keep on doing for the rest of your life. And that's the same thing when you come to Christ you say come into my life forgive my sins and he comes in by his presence of his Holy Spirit and he begins to transform you day by day by day. As we pursue godliness in this godless world we are daily to give up lying and tell the truth.

Why? Do you know that lying has always been associated with fear? But all fear is gone when you come to Christ. All shame is washed by his blood.

All of guilt is covered by his blood. All of our past pain and agony has been forgiven. All we are new creatures in Christ Jesus.

Amen belongs here. See that's just the beginning of the process not the end of it and that's what pursuing godliness is all about. After you come to Christ and if anyone here today who has never come to Jesus Christ surrendered your life and received this forgiveness and eternal life you can do that today. But after you come to Christ there's still residue of past sins residue of the old nature and that continue being put down day by day as you put on Christ day by day. In fact every command in the New Testament it is in the continuous tense and so well you've done it and that's it now continue on putting off the old nature continue on putting on the new nature it's a continuous thing it's a daily thing daily washing daily cleansing daily growing in Christ that's what the pursuit of godliness is all about not to modify or nullify or unplug the search light of the Word of God so it doesn't reveal to you where your natural condition now allow the search light of God the Holy Spirit on a daily sometimes even moment by moment basis to shine the light why in order that may expose any lurking sin get it out in the light deal with it because that is beloved the secret of blessing you're agreeing with God and God says when you agree with me I forgive you I'll bless you I said then the last message godliness is not sinlessness sinlessness will be in heaven I can't wait but I will tell you how you know if you are pursuing godliness it's very simple the speed by which you recognize sin in your life the speed by which you recognize sin in your life I know when I was young Christians would take me days sometimes and then I come under conviction and a service or something and I repent and then you know slowly but surely I repent on a daily basis do you know now the moment my mouth is open with the wrong word immediately the Holy Spirit convicts me seconds not days or months seconds that's how you know you're pursuing holiness you recognize your sin immediately the problem with these false teachers who have been infecting the minds of believers is that they never been converted to Christ they've never been truly converted to Christ they've studied the Bible so that they would know how to tear it down verse 15 their conscience is defiled they have corrupt mind and a corrupt mind does not understand of experience purity you said purity yep that's what he said here those of us who are pursuing godliness we know that God the Holy Spirit keeps on purifying us day by day washing us day by day cleansing us day by day forgiving us day by day and that's why God said through Isaiah in 1 18 he said though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they are red as crimson they shall be like wool you see in this pursuit of godliness we become more like Christ every day every day more and more how do I know that I'm becoming like Christ every day well I can testify to you that I'm more like Christ this year than last year and last year I was more like Christ than the year before and if God spares my life and I live another year by his power and his grace I will want to become like Christ more next year than this year that's what the pursuit of godliness is all about here it is more of Christ and less of me more of Christ and less of me can you say that with me more of how by continuously allowing the word of God to dwell in me by continuously allowing the word of God to hold me accountable by continuously allow the word of God to be like a mirror in front of me by continuously allowing the Word of God to reflect reality to me not as I want them to be but as they really are by continuously allowing the word of God to be my antivirus program by continuously allowing the Word of God to destroy all foreign viruses that come to try to deceive me that's why Psalm 119 verse 9 said how can a young man keep his way pure by living according to your word and it goes on to verse 11 of that same Psalm he said I have hidden your word in my heart so that I might not sin against you beloved listen to me either the word of God going to keep you from sinning or sin is going to keep you from the Word of God Paul said to Titus to the pure all things are pure whoo wait a minute here wait a minute all things are pure yeah what does he mean to the pure everything is pure it means the following listen carefully please it means that sex is pure to the pure minded so how come because it is in its rightful place in a heterosexual marriage money is pure to the pure minded how come because we use money as our servant to serve God and to serve other people not the other way around and Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God how you see in the pursuit of godliness the Word of God purifies our hearts opens our eyes to see God listen carefully to see God as he reveals himself not the way we want to perceive him not the way we want to create him in our own image not the way we want to think of him verse 16 Paul gives Titus a spiritual dichotomy they claim to know God just like James said they say they have faith they claim to know God but by their very action but their very lives they deny him they are detestable disobedient unfit for doing anything good question who is Paul talking about he is talking about anyone who uses their claim to Christianity to deceive people and that deception can be all very subtle Satan is extremely subtle and I thought of how can I illustrate this to you had the subtlety of Satan and how he destroys and how he works and I thought of a story that took place back in the days of the Soviet Union when the power of the Soviet Union and and in the factories which they were all run by governments owned by governments they were suffering from a lot of petty thievery the workers in the factories they will steal little things here and little things there and hide them and so what the government did they put a guard in front of every factory in front of every one of those places right at the entrance for one purpose his task is to scrutinize the workers as they were leaving the workplace to make sure they're not stealing anything from the factory and so there was a sawmill outside of Leningrad now it's st. Petersburg and there in that factory there was a worker by the name of Petrovich Petrovich was coming out of the factory one day with a wheelbarrow and that wheelbarrow was filled with sawdust and wood chips and things like that a useless stuff and he was walking out it God said stop it Petrovich what are you hiding there nothing only sawdust wood chips useless stuff he said there is no way you're not hiding something in there tip it over so he tips it over and the guard will kick it with his foot and trying to find something in a tool or something is stolen it was nothing he said okay pile it back take it go the next day at quitting town Petrovich again coming out with a wheelbarrow filled with sawdust and wood chips and he did this day after day and the guard would tip it and look and there was nothing there the guard was absolutely convinced that this guy's hiding something but he couldn't figure it out he tried he couldn't finally he said to him I said I'll tell you what Petrovich level with me tell me what you're stealing and I want to turn you in Petrovich said all right wheelbarrows beloved the devil has been doing the same thing in infiltrating the minds and the hearts and the lives and our homes and stopping us from pursuing godliness he keeps us busy looking at some superfluous things here or there he keeps us busy focusing on some worship style preference he keeps us busy picking on each other scrutinizing the wood chips and the sawdust while he's smuggling wheelbarrows we spend hours in front of television and the internet and few moments and reading the Word of God we read all kinds of sorted stuff and sorted material while we speed read the Word of God we can spend three or four hours in a ballgame but if the church goes five minutes over time we become antsy we get more grief when our team loses then over the lost people are going to eternity in hell what the devil is doing he's stealing the wheelbarrows and leaving us focusing on the sawdust and the woodchips of life beloved in the pursuing of godliness our actions speaks far louder than our words thank you for joining listeners around the world for leading the way audio where you'll always hear pointed solid truth from dr. Michael Yusef and from God's Word now if you would like tools to equip you in your pursuit of biblical truth we've got a great one for you consider this book from dr. Yusef in the book how to read the Bible I wanted to show everyone that the Bible is a one unit from Genesis to Revelation and the body of believers they are slowly but surely becoming doubtful about the Word of God you know when you figure out that 18% of Christians that's the Christians are not saying the non-believers the 18% of them read the Bible on the regular basis that breaks my heart some preachers even are moving away from the Old Testament some are saying we need to be unhitched from the Old Testament that we can't trust the Old Testament people in the pew they take what the preacher says and always quoting the preacher quoting the preacher I tell people don't quote me quote the Bible that's the way to God you need to read it you need to study it and you need to apply it to your life because it is a power for living the reason I worked for 50 years to write this book is because I want to make it so simple that a freshman in college or a freshman even in seminary before they go in and delve deep into the Word of God and our commentaries and their critics and this and that and the other thing you read that book it builds a foundation on which you stand you will be blessed as you read and study this book as an aid to help you it's not in the place of but it is to help you to understand and grow deeper and therefore stronger in your Christian walk for a limited time for your gift of any amount leading the way will send you your own copy to equip yourself for the year ahead by partnering with leading the way you'll be opening doors to unreached people groups as dr. Yusef and leading the way spread the good news of Jesus reclaim the wonder and awe of God's Word and joined in boldly reaching the unengaged for Christ get your copy of how to read the Bible as if your life depends on it for your gift of any amount today to speak with a ministry representative at the leading the way call center the number is eight six six six two six four three five six and online ltw.org this program is furnished by leading the way with dr. Michael Yusef
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-15 05:56:25 / 2025-01-15 06:05:02 / 9

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