Evangelizing Your World

Want to know how to live in society are so be subject to rulers now. You really might be Caesar ruler might be pilot the subject to rulers and authorities. That's the kind of behavior that gives testimony and unbelieving watching God openly every day. So what is your role in an increasingly secular society. If you're a Christian, to what degree should you focus on say social justice or politics or trying to form a moral majority. What do you think what the Scripture say today on grace to you.

John MacArthur was Chancellor of the Masters University and seminary considers the mission of the church and the role you have in it.

He's continuing a series of foundational messages that he originally preached during chapel services at the Masters University.

This study is titled a course for life. Listen now as John looks at the powerful role God equips believers for in this spiritually dark world.

I want to talk a little bit in the broad sense about the Christian's responsibility in a pagan society. I was just going to give a big picture framework.

Open your Bible to Titus chapter 3 I want to just look at this passage for the time that I have I that there's a lot here and obviously when I got to be able to cover it all, but it really it is a very important passage. Titus chapter 3 just a little bit of background. Titus was a young protégé of the apostle Paul. Titus had a responsibility given to him.

He was sent to a place called Crete. Crete was an island. As you know, and the responsibility of Titus and Crete was to build churches and to develop leadership in those churches now. Cretins were tough people to deal with go down to chapter 1 verse 10. They were rebellious.

They were empty talkers and there were deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who needed to be silence. So you had to deal with a lot of false teaching that had already come into Crete. He didn't just go in to offer yourself as the first purveyor of truth. You went into town and you would find it already. There were isms and Chisholm's and cults and whatever else falls teachers in all those places.

Furthermore, the cretins themselves.

Verse 12 says were liars, evil beasts and lazy gluttons. I don't think the local Chamber of Commerce would put that out in the brochure on Crete but that's the truth. They were liars, evil beasts and lazy gluttons and Paul says in verse 13 this testimony is true.

I've met a naysaying and that's an accurate assessment so you had some problems, challenging problems when you went into Crete you had a very pagan society. People given the lies people given to beastly kind of existence people given to laziness. They were living in a very temperate Mediterranean climate taking full advantage of it by doing nothing you're really going there and plant churches. This is a very very pagan environment. What does exist. There is false religion. Empty talkers deceivers there everywhere. This is rather typical of New Testament churches, though they were small islands in a sea of paganism and they they existed in absolute contrast to everything in their culture and I just want you can get a feel for this in the Gentile world, neither the Bible, biblical morality or Christianity had any profile there was no such thing as Christian morality.

There was no such thing as Christians in high places. As far as we know there weren't any Christian politicians. There weren't any Christian governors.

There weren't any Christian rulers. There weren't even any amazing Christian athletes as far as we know there were any Christians of any influence at all.

In the Greek society was all paganism. It was all idolatry was all wickedness 1° or another in one definition or another and we also know that the early church never attempted to establish cultural morality. They never attempted to quote unquote in the vernacular. To date, impact their society. They never intend attempted to impact their culture. They never worked again biblical moral agenda never got involved in trying to elect certain people to political office.

They never got involved in trying to push people up some the social ladder or some ladder of influence under the idea that somehow they could have some pervasive moral influence on their society.

They never really tried to change the moral agenda of society.

The never worked toward any political goals or political ends. They only sought to do one thing and that was to reach the unsaved with the gospel. That's all they've sought to do had no other agenda they were concerned as it says back in chapter 2 verse five that the word of God would not be dishonored.

They were concerned.

In verse eight that the unbelievers would have nothing bad to say about them.

They were concerned, according to chapter 2 verse 10 that the doctrine of God our Savior would be adorned in every respect. All they were concerned about was evangelism all they were concerned about was bringing the word of God into the public forum so that the people could hear the truth of God. They were concerned about living godly lives so there wouldn't be anything bad to say about them. They were concerned about adorning the teaching about God as Savior by demonstrating save lives German philosopher Hein once said, show me your redeemed life and I might be inclined to believe in your Redeemer. There were concerned about demonstrating redemption through redeemed lives and I think they had it right and I think we need to recapture that the early church sought only to reach the unsaved with the gospel of Christ that no political agenda for the culture they had no moral agenda for the culture they weren't swept up as Christians are today in the elections and in politics. They weren't swept up in not moralizing the society as so many Christian people and organizations are today. They had one thing in mind and that was to bring lost people to the knowledge of God through faith in Jesus Christ and I just remind you that that's why we exist today. We are an island in the middle of a sea of paganism and our responsibility is not to moralize the culture.

Our responsibility is not to get involved in politics so that we can get the people in power who can change the cultural morality. Our responsibility is redemptive. Our responsibility is evangelistic, our non-Christians, the enemy or are they the mission field.

They're not the enemy. They're not to be hated. They're not to be fought there not to be belittled there not to be demeaned. They're not to be assaulted or not to be attacked. They are the very people that we have been called to reach you see a politicized kind of Christianity blurs the priorities it confuses all the issues it it weakens our loyalties and diffusers. The tightness of our vision. We are not even citizens of earth are we as our citizenship is in heaven. You know, this language of spiritual citizenship that gets wrapped in the red white and blue all the time really confuses the issue we are called to reach lost people.

We cannot afford to weaken our mission by making the unregenerate people in our society. The enemy we can hate that the sins we can even have a holy rejection of the sinner in the sense that we feel about the sinner, the way God does and is angry with the wicked every day, but we cannot ever become the enemy of the sinner because we're his only lifeline so that all has to be handled with an evangelistic perspective. With that in mind, let's look at Titus chapter 3. Not a whole objective of the little epistle of Titus is to help the Christians reach the pagans. That's the whole point in chapter 1 verse three says God our Savior.

Chapter 1 verse four Christ Jesus our Savior.

Chapter 2 verse 10 God our Savior. Chapter 2 verse 13.

Our great God and Savior Christ Jesus.

Chapter 3 verse four God our Savior. Chapter 3 verse six Jesus Christ our Savior. This whole epistle is about the salvation of God. God is the Savior. Christ is the Savior. And that's the emphasis and how are we going to win these cretins how would general. When these lazy gluttons.

These evil beasts. These liars how we gonna win these people who have no morality.

These base people who are no better than a wild animal, no better than a lazy good for nothing, no better than a deceiver and a liar.

Who are caught up in false doctrine, cultism, schism spasms, yogis, whatever else, other things were going on their how we can reach a speed I was going to bring them the truth of God, a Savior, Christ the Savior. How are we going to live our lives so that the word of God is not dishonored, how we live our lives so that they have no evil to say about us how we going to adorn the doctrine of God as Savior by demonstrating what a saving life looks like, how we can do that what we called to do or we called to attack them in the political arena.

No tears were called to do was look at verse one pulses to Titus and you tell believers this, remind them to be subject to rulers, authorities, and be obedient.

Be ready for every good deed to malign no one to be un-contentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men, for we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. That being justified by his grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

This is a trustworthy statement concerning these things.

I want you to speak confidently so that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men to get that last line you want to reach people. Here's the things that are good and profitable. That's a statement referring to your influence your evangelistic influence what is good and beneficial to the people around you is just given to you in verses one through eight pallets. Can you break that down. Paul tells Titus you tell the people you remind the people present imperative. This is a regular duty. You remind the people that they must do these four things. First of all they have to remember their responsibility in the society remember their responsibility in the society and he gives seven virtues seven virtues be subject to rulers or authorities be obedient, be ready for every good deed malign no one be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. Seven virtues want to know how to live in society. Here's how.

First virtue be subject to rulers and your ruler might be Caesar ruler might be Pilate, your ruler might be Felix might be Festus might be Agrippa might be heron.

It might be Stalin might be Hitler might be Saddam Hussein be subject to rulers and authorities basic principle that's what were asked to do. That's citizenship.

That's the kind of good behavior in society that gives a testimony to an unbelieving and watching world. We don't always agree with the leaders, but were always called. According to first Timothy two where to pray for kings and all who are in authority and where to live, tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, we submit, we don't rebel we don't revolt we don't storm the City Hall and damn the leaders we submit, obviously our submission is limited by the word of God. If they ask us to do what God forbids us to do with. We can't do it.

We have to take the position of the apostles in the book of acts they said don't preach.

They said sorry we can obey that you'd judge whether we should obey God or man, there comes a point in time you have to do what you have to do and you take the consequence they're going to be times when you're forced into a situation because the culture will not accept the truth of God where there can be conflict and that was what happened in the and in the book of acts when they said don't preach the said sorry we have a mandate from God. So we are to submit to authority until that authority tells us that we have to do something contrary to what God has told us to do. Then we stand our ground so we we do submit until we come to a point we can't because we have a mandate from God.

God tells us to do something they forbid us to do or God tells us not to do something they command us to do other than that we submit to rulers and authorities follow down verse one little further, be obedient was at me just vague laws obey the laws, be ready for every good deed just cooperate in every way with the authorities. Don't be their enemy be known in society for your goodness.

Verse two don't malign anybody, not even one person in the Greek don't blaspheme that. Don't treat somebody with contempt. Don't slander somebody you confront sin you call sinners to repentance. But you don't curse people you don't slander people you don't damn people who are unbelievers and don't be contentious. Don't quarrel with the government. Don't fight your leaders it's unlocked costs. It means don't fight be peaceful, be friendly and then he adds the gentle that's kind of the one transmitter presses that sweet reasonableness a certain sweetness, a kind of bearing that's considerate and patient with sinners in the center sums it up universe to showing every consideration for all men. This is actually the word proud tastes. Meekness don't assert your rights for meat.

Don't fight for your rights don't start and anti-Christian defamation league don't launch an assault to damn the unconverted, and he says are show all this universe to for all men see here we are living in this pagan society, and what are we told to do fight the thing. Damn the thing cursed the thing no submit to it obey you every good thing you can do, never malign anybody or slander anybody don't ever be known for being contentious, fighting things, protesting things, be gentle show every consideration that is being me.

Don't ever assert your own rights or fight for your own rights. Just let God take care the Cretans of course were known for rebellion.

They were known for murder. They had all the vices of the pagan society, and I'm sure there were things that were going on the social structure that were very, very difficult for Christians to deal with. He says just live like this for you. You have to remember your responsibility in the society.

Secondly, remember your former condition, calculate some quick remember your former condition. This is really good. Now look at verse three. Verse three is so good, look what he says hey did you forget we also once were. What would you expect expect an unbeliever act like an unbeliever before you get slanderous and before you get cantankerous and before you get contentious and angry and inconsiderate before you start asserting yourself and fighting against the culture and attacking the unsaved, as if they were the enemy.

Would you please remember we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, and their seven hearers seven characteristics of the ungodly, like there were seven virtues in verses one and two.

There are seven characteristics of the sinner, foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasure spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another what you expect when you expect used to be that way.

Seven virtues in verses 1 to 7 vices in verse three we were foolish, ignorant we were disobedient we were deceived wandering around trying to sort out the issues of truth, we were enslaved to various Faith to me and end on a various passions, various kinds of pleasures. We spent our lives in malice.

It's a word for evil wickedness.

We were envious we were hateful, hating one another, egocentric, self consumed mass that we expect that folks describes unconverted people and we used to be like to forget that when you expect out of them.

People who are converted live enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, why would we expect him to obey the Bible. Why would we expect him to uphold a biblical morality because unconverted people are disobedient and there deceived what you expect. They're going to come up with a biblical agenda when they live in a continual state of deception is a picture of the unconverted. They are blind to God they're blind to spiritual reality.

The rebellious to God's law that are resistant to his truth are utterly deceived about what is true there deceived about what is right there in bondage to mindless passion they feed on the perverse treatment of other people there full of hate and hostility and selfishness lasts.

That's what it means to be unconverted.

So before you damn them. Remember, we also once were just like that. So remember your responsibilities remember your former life thoroughly remember your salvation. The only reason you're different verse for is because the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, and that's an in indication of the incarnation literally appeared bodily in Jesus Christ, and he saved us. I love that he saved us, and it wasn't on the basis of deeds which we have done because the fact is what we were doing was all in verse three, but it was according to his mercy. Now let me stop you right here. The only reason you're in a different from most people is because of God's way. Mercy can't forget that you can't forget that it was because he saved us he washed us in regeneration.

He renewed us through the Holy Spirit, he poured out richly on us, that same Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Savior. The only reason you're in a different is because God saved and that says in verse eight is a trustworthy statement that you have been justified by his grace and so you become an heir.

According to the hope of eternal life.

By the way, in verses seven is a note verses 456 and seven, actually four verses there. There are seven aspects of salvation.

Seven virtues and one in 27 vices in verse three and seven features of salvation in verses 4 to 7 so this is a well organized section of Scripture by Paul, he says, look at your salvation. It comes by the kindness of God that comes by the love of God's love for mankind, it comes by the mercy of God, not on the basis of deeds which we have done, but according to his mercy. It comes by the regeneration of God by the washing of regeneration, it comes by the renewing of God through the Holy Spirit comes by the son of God through Jesus Christ our Savior.

It comes by the grace of God. Verse seven which has made us heirs according to the hope of eternal life. So how do we live in this world we live by remembering our responsibility to submit to the authority to do all things verses one to indicate we remember that these people who are acting in such a bad way so immorally are acting according to their nature because there unconverted, and we understand that because we were once that way ourselves. Thirdly, we remember our salvation and the fact is the only reason we are any different than them at all, isn't because of anything we've done, it's only because of what he's done right now.

He says in verse eight, Titus I want you to speak confidently.

I want you to tell these people these things because I want the people who believe in God to do good deeds. What in the verse eight. These things are good and profitable for men.

If you live like this, you're going to lead people to Christ going to be good and profitable. Spiritually, for the unconverted father, thank you for our time again were we think it is clear gives us a perspective it was so live in the world to bring glory to your name. Thank you for pricing. Everyone said amen. That's grace to you with John MacArthur.

Thanks for being with us. Today's lesson looked at how you can effectively evangelize this lost and hostile world it's part of John's current study, titled a course for life.

Along with being teacher here on grace to you. John is Chancellor of the Masters University where he originally preached today's lesson John while were on the topic of evangelism we got this question from our Q&A line is a short one, but I think it's a question that a lot of people have, how would you answer this sentence God's will and not man's will and somebody gets a near share the gospel where you go from there. You just walk away and not try to get any response from them.

Thank you so much know know you're welcome of course you plead with them.

Paul says I bade you, for Christ's sake, be reconciled to God and send currencies five I bade you.

I plead with you, Jesus did that. Jesus said why will you die. Jesus confronted them and said, you will die in your sins because you believe not on me. Jesus said, coming to me all you who labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly, and you will find rest for your souls. Jesus preached and Jesus gave an invitation. The apostles preached and they extended an invitation. Having done that, we have exercised all that we can do. So keep thinking of it this way you present the gospel and then you add the call for them to believe it's literally a command repent and believe that's what Paul said to the jailer right repent and believe that's what Peter said on the day of Pentecost repent and believe the results we have to leave to God, but we don't stop short of the call to the sinner to respond and by the way, where in this world.

As believers, so that we can give the gospel and called nonbelievers to Christ as I can wrap up today.

Let me remind you one more time that if you are a student will send you a free copy of my book the keys to spiritual growth almost 200 pages. It includes a chapter on effectively witnessing to others about Christ, as well as chapters on prayer and discernment studying the Bible. Confessing your sin much much more. It's the book that will aid you in your spiritual growth so you can grow into mature believer with discernment and you can not only live a victorious life but haven't an impact. As you give the gospel supported by the evident transformation of your own life by the power of Christ only for limited time.

The book the keys to spiritual growth is free to any student who request a copy and friend. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and is not just for young Christians is for any believer who wants to be more useful to the church and a greater influence for the kingdom to pick up the keys to spiritual growth and again, if you're a student will send you a free copy while supplies last. Get in touch with us today request a copy when you call 855 grace or go to our website TTY.org as John said the keys to spiritual growth looks at Bible study, prayer, witnessing fellowship and the other disciplines that lead to greater love for the Lord and effectiveness in his church. It's an ideal resource to go through with someone your disciple again.

Will send you the keys to spiritual growth for free if you're a student, the number to call 855 grace or go to our website TTY.org and keep in mind something I mentioned earlier, John originally preached today's message during chapel at the Masters University. If you would like to know more about this fully accredited university, including enrollment, course offerings, athletics, all the specifics you will find a link to the school's website@tty.org. That's our website TTY.org now for John MacArthur and the entire grace do you staff, I'm Phil Johnson encouraging you to be here tomorrow. John's lesson will help you up route to sin in your life. Even the deepest hidden sins is continuing his series a course for life with another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to