Pursuing Godliness in a Godless World, Part 5

An invitation to pursue godliness from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading the Way. Thank you for listening to Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. On this episode, Dr. Youssef brings his series, Pursuing Godliness in a Godless World, to a close, revealing roadblocks that you must overcome to fully experience joy, fulfillment, peace, and ultimately maturity. Remember that Leading the Way is on the radio, on the web, and on your mobile devices.

Visit ltw.org to find ways to connect with Dr. Youssef, including streaming and podcasts everywhere. Now let's listen together as Dr. Michael Youssef begins his teaching time. Today we come to the very final message from Paul's epistle to Titus. In the past messages we saw the importance of the word of God in godliness. In fact, without feeding upon the word of God, there can be no godliness. Then we saw the evidence of godliness that manifests itself in relationships. And then we saw the anti-virus program that God gives us to protect us from this godless world. And then we saw the training program in godliness through the grace of God. And we saw how grace is past, grace present, and grace future. And God uses his grace to train us in godliness. And today we'll see how to grow in godliness. And so if you haven't already, I hope you turn to Titus 3, beginning at verse 8.

Now here is a fact. The Lord Jesus does not save us. He does not redeem us so that we can mark time in life. That is not the purpose of our salvation.

As I've said many times during this series, he pursues us and he brings us to himself. From that moment on, we are to pursue godliness. There is no such thing as standing still in the Christian faith.

It really isn't. You're either going to slide back or you're going to go forward. There is no such thing as standing still. It is a continuous progress. It is a continuous forward motion.

The Bible teaches us that when we are in Christ pursuing godliness, we move from one point of glory into another. Now there are some people who like to look back. They're always living in the past. They want to stay back. Some people who mark time and just stand still.

But then there are others which is doing the will of God in their life and that's going forward and progressing in godliness. I was sitting down writing and thinking about going forward and going backward and I thought of a true story. A friend of mine that went to Africa was visiting with an African host and the African host said to him, let's go and hunt lions. And he said, hunt lions? You want me to go with you? He said, yeah.

Yeah, let's go together. And so they go out and the African host saw a footprint of a big lion. He said, hey, there was a big one that just passed through here. Let's go and find out where he went. Upon which my friend said to him, he said, I'll tell you what. You go out and find out where he went. I'll go back and find out where he came from. Well, there are just some people like to stay back.

They never go forward. But here's a biblical fact. It brings joy to the heart of the Lord.

When he sees his children whom he saved with his precious blood going forward in godliness day by day. Look at verse 8. Paul writes, this is a trustworthy saying.

What is that trustworthy saying? That Paul is not only telling Titus to believe it but to enforce it in the church among believers. It is all of these biblical teaching we've been seeing. It's all of these biblical truths that are found in the infallible and inerrant word of God. Everything in the word of God is excellent.

Everything in the word of God is profitable. I know there are some people today who are trying to tear down our confidence in the word of God. There are those who teach that the Bible is not an objective truth that teach that the Bible is a virtue to doubt the Bible. In fact, I can tell you that Satan is never happier than when some preacher undermined the authority of the word of God.

Never happier. But Paul is saying the word of God is trustworthy. You can trust it with all of your heart.

You can trust it with all of your life. Remember the first message? I gave you a formula. Faith plus food equal fruit. Faith plus food equal fruit.

What is that food? It's the word of God. Unless you are feeding upon the word of God on a regular basis, there can be no fruit. I mean real fruit in your life and in my life. Hear me right please because it is vitally important for those who have trusted in the word of God to bear fruit. This is the one thing that Jesus emphasized over and over and over again. Unless you abide in me, unless you abide in my word, you will not bear fruit. He emphasized it so many times in the scripture. But that fruit that we are supposed to bear or produce is not manufactured.

It's not something you can conjure up. That fruit is a natural product of growing in godliness. And when that happens, the work of God and serving God is a joy, not a chore. Look with me please at the word of God in verse 9 of chapter 3. In fact, in this verse, the apostle Paul introduces four roadblocks to growing in godliness. Four.

What are they? Foolish controversies, useless debates, endless arguments and unedifying conflicts. Foolish controversies. You and I know there are people who just love to argue and debate everything.

It doesn't matter whether they know the subject matter or not. They just want to do it. And they argue about some things that are absolutely not necessary for salvation. Listen, when it comes to things that are necessary for salvation, I'm not only going to take a stand for it but I'm willing to die for it because that's the gospel.

That's the truth. When it's necessary for salvation, it is our life literally on the line. But there are things that are absolutely not necessary for salvation but people literally spend time and energy and effort and even some money to argue over. Whether what style of music they prefer or whether the spiritual gifts are functioning today or not and whether it has to do with the millennial age or whether it has to do with baptism, whether you dunk them or you sprinkle them, whether you tithe before taxes or after taxes, whether you tithe to the church or you tithe somewhere else. All these arguments, all these goes on and on and on and on. I remember years ago somebody asked me, should I tithe before tax or after tax?

I said, it's very simple. Do you want God to bless you before tax or after tax? It's your choice. All these sideline debates can only help to take our eyes off pursuing godliness which is the will of God for us, which God longs for us to do.

Roadblock number two, these useless debates. Now in the case of the Cretans, social status was tied up to their family connection. It's tied to their pedigree and the same thing with the Jewish Christians. Even though they became Christians, even though they're following Jesus, there was still, they brought their fights and their arguments into the church from the synagogue. Which tribe do you belong to? Which is a better tribe than the other? Who has done what?

What did you do? All that stuff. And we know in the Corinthian church, they did the same thing. I belong to Paul, I belong to Peter, I belong to Apollos and some pious people say, well I belong to Jesus. We all belong to Jesus, nobody else. None of church leaders really matter in the end. Jesus is the only one that matters. Amen? Two thousand years of Christian history and nothing changed.

Truly. Here we are, we receive grace freely, undeservedly. It's lavished upon us from his hand. It's given to us as a gift and yet we still find something to brag about. We try to find something that we can take pride in. Listen, God is not impressed with anything that you can take pride in simply because he gave you everything you have.

You can't take pride in your ethnic heritage, you can't take pride in your social standing, you can't take pride in your degrees, you can't take pride in your net worth, you cannot take pride in your race, you cannot take pride in your connection. God gave you everything that you are. God gave you the family you grew up in. God is the one who brought you through the circumstances. He brought you to this point in your life. God gave you everything that you are. If you want to know how to deal with pride and you can fill in the space in whatever you're proud of, read Philippians chapter 3. I mean Paul, it looks to me at least reading the scripture as I do that he would just have enough of these people who are bragging about this and bragging about that.

It looked like a man who just had his fill of those people. And so he goes in there and starts, he said, you're talking about pride, let me tell you something, I'm a Hebrew of Hebrews. I'm from the tribe of Benjamin. That's the best. I mean, regarding to the law, I'm a Pharisee, can't get better than that, that's a creme de la creme.

They kept it all. I was circumcised on the eighth day. You can't better that. And many people in Paul's day would say, wow, what a pedigree. What a brag list. But after Paul lists all that, he shrugs it off, he says, I consider it all to be garbage compared to the value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Roadblock number three, endless arguments. And Paul addresses personality clashes in that church. And beloved, I know and you know, sometimes personality types just don't mix. I mean, just be realistic about it, okay? They're just, they're like water and oil. They don't mix. There are two personality types that are so opposite, they never agree on anything, anything.

On the other hand, there are personalities that are so alike that they can't stomach each other. But listen, most arguments, most arguments if they're not the gospel, if it's not necessary for salvation, they are stemming out of pride and self-importance. My opinion is more important than yours. I know better than you do. So there's a question. What do you do when someone pridefully argue about anything?

I mean, it doesn't matter what it is. They're gonna argue with you. Let it go. Let it go.

Just like water off a duck's back. Just let it go. Why?

Because I can tell you if you get into it, you can be sure nothing good is gonna come out of it. Are you with me? Do you remember Abraham and Lot? I mean, Lot is his nephew. God has been blessing Abraham.

But Lot, he claimed credit for it. Abraham said, my boy, let's not fight. We're not gonna lose each other over this. You just look over there, take what you want.

I'll take the leftover. You know what happened, don't you? I mean, Lot nearly was saved by the skin of his teeth. God blessed Abraham out of his socks.

You see, God can literally bless you with the little that you got left over if he's in it. Same thing happened with Paul and Barnabas. I mean, Paul owed Barnabas a debt of gratitude. He really did.

And he makes it clear. Barnabas took him by the hand and introduced him to the church in Jerusalem. And they were precious friends and they were going on mission journeys together.

But then they come to a point where I have a disagreement over personality. It was over John Mark, who happened to be Barnabas' nephew. Barnabas wanted to exercise grace. Paul said, no, I've had it. I don't want it. He chickened out.

I'm not taking him back. They got into a heated debate. Two brothers love each other, owe each other a great deal. They said, let's not fight over this.

Let's just part friends. Let's not lose each other over something that is not necessary for salvation. And so here, Paul is saying, avoid arguments because they are roadblocks to godliness.

Roadblock number four. Unedifying conflict. This particularly has to do with conflict over the ceremonial law and even the moral law, the Ten Commandments. And I'm going to explain this to you in a minute because Paul deals with that everywhere he went. Everywhere he went, these miserable Judaizers were coming after him in every town. And the self-righteous teachers, false teachers were saying to the Cretans, grace is not enough.

You have to do this and you have to do that. And so Paul here in Titus and in Galatians and elsewhere, he says Christ fulfilled the ceremonial law so that it is no longer applicable. What about the moral law? What about the Ten Commandments? They were given to us to condemn us. The Ten Commandments were given to us to show us how sinful we are.

They were given to us to show us how impossible it is to keep them perfectly. They were given to us to show us that we fall way, way, way short of the righteousness of God. The Ten Commandments were never meant to save us. If they were meant to save us, why did Jesus come from heaven?

They were meant to drive us to Christ. That's what the law does. The law does not know grace. The law condemns. And so I look at this and I say, oh, I can't keep this. God says, good.

Look at my son. He kept him perfectly. God to him for salvation. He's the only one who can save you. Jesus is the only one who can save you. Not being good, not trying to be good.

If you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, the greatest joy awaiting you when you do. Talk about the law. Suppose you're driving 90 miles an hour in a 25 mile zone and all blue right there flashing behind you. And you say to him, officer, I'm sorry. I know I was speeding. But you know, I have been a law abiding citizen for over 30 years. I really am. You know, give me some slack. I deserve some consideration because I've been keeping the other laws. Now, if you're going to try that, let me tell you, best of luck to you.

That's all I can say. Why? The law is not given so that there'll be grace. There's no grace in the law. All of those years of obeying the laws of the land, not going to save you.

Why? Because by nature, law condemns and convicts. The law is designed to bring us to the end of ourselves and drive us to Christ.

He's the only one who can save us. But then in verse 10, in addition to these four roadblocks that keep you from godliness, he says avoid fractious person. You know, I ministered in three continents as many of you know and throughout the years and different ministries and different countries, I encountered some fractious people. And it's very interesting that Paul said the fractious person because mercifully there are very few of them. People who stir up dissent and they would just stir up dissent. Now, the sad part about those fractious people is that they leave behind a trail of hurt and conflict.

They really do. And Paul said to warn that person once, to warn them twice and then literally the word says, well it says have nothing to do with them, you just turn your back and move on. If there is one message that comes through the epistle of Titus, again and again and again, it is this. For the believer, not pursuing godliness is not an option. That we have only one option, that's to pursue godliness.

But he also showed us how when you pursue godliness, there is certain joys, fulfillment, peace and maturity that cannot come any other way. And so if you, a believer who's pursuing godliness, let me encourage you. Keep on keeping on. Keep on keeping on. The day is drawing nigh. Keep on keeping on. The coming of the Lord is around the corner. Keep on keeping on.

Don't give up. Don't surrender to the godlessness of this world. If you're a believer that you've never pursued godliness, come on in.

The water is mighty fine. You'll never regret it. Your fears are baseless. Pursue godliness with all of your heart. There may be one here that have never really given their life to Christ. They're just kind of fellow travelers. They like Christianity. They admire Jesus.

They like church. But today you can say Lord Jesus save me eternally. He promised that when you do that, he will.

And he'll never let you go. Wherever we are and wherever you are, you know that you have a loving father who loves you enough to watch his son bleed on the cross and be separated from the father. And his longing for you is to pursue him, pursue godliness. And the Holy Spirit is given to us. He is given to us to help us along the journey.

So we're not alone. A comforting reminder that you have a loving Heavenly Father. If this is new to you, then you're invited to speak with a Leading the Way pastor or counselor to dig into what it all means in real life. Start that conversation at ltw.org slash Jesus. And by the way, Dr. Yousef will return in just a moment to conclude today's Leading the Way with prayer.

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Subscribe now at ltw.org. Well, as promised, let's join Dr. Yousef now as he closes this episode. Let me sneak in this quick invitation to listen again next time right here for more encouragement and teaching from God's Word on Leading the Way. Oh, Father, how thank You for Your Word. I don't know where we would be without Your Word, the infallible, inerrant Word of God.

Father, forgive us when we don't feed upon that Word and we skim through it and we run through life. And Father, help us from this day forward as we pursue godliness, that we would seek You with all of our heart, not just when we need You, not just in the times of trouble, but moment by moment, day by day. Oh, Father, thank You that when we pray, we know You're not only listening, You're answering. Because Father, You know, we know that we are praying according to Your will. Your Word is so clear. Your will is our sanctification. May we make that to be our will too, so that when our will conform to Yours, we get the blessing, we get the fruitfulness in life. We pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Yussa.