Well, we are returning this morning to our study through the pastoral letters, and today we will be looking at Titus chapter 2, verses 1 through 10. Remind you that Paul sent Titus to the island of Crete to give leadership to the Christians who were there. Paul and his team had spent time on this island at some point in the fairly recent past, and preaching, sharing the gospel, and there were clearly Quite a few who had responded by putting their faith in Jesus Christ, and some work had already been done to help them begin to organize as churches in the various cities on the island, but there was more that needed to be done. In Titus 1, verse 5, Paul says that he had left Titus in Crete to set in order what remains, to continue to help those churches organize in the way they needed to be organized. And the first thing that Paul emphasized to Titus was the need to appoint elders for those churches, pastors for those churches in the various cities. So Titus would obviously get input from the congregations to see who the biblically qualified men were in those congregations, and then those would be identified. And identifying this man was key to the success of his church, because it's the first thing that Paul talks about in this idea of setting everything in order. And Paul especially emphasized the need for the elders to have the ability to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict, because that was a big part of what was going on in Crete. They needed to be founded in sound doctrine and also to refute those who were challenging that. Right after that, Paul speaks of people in the culture and some who were connected with the local church as well. And he gives warnings about those who claim to be Christians but were openly challenging some of the basic doctrines of the faith. He warned about the sinful traits of the Cretan culture. He said that they should notice that these people who were embracing unbiblical teachings were also people who would end up approving of detestable things. So these actions showed the true state of their hearts. When the verses that we are considering this morning, Paul makes it clear that believers must stand against these things, not get caught up in them. They must be people who both teach and actually show by their lives what true biblical doctrine is. So let me read for you Titus chapter two, verse one through 10. But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith and love and perseverance. Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, not enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women. to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. Likewise, urge the young men to be sensible in all things. Show yourself to be an example of good deeds with purity and doctrine, dignified, sound in speech, which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. Urge bond slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect." Two main things that we're going to be looking at in these verses. First, Paul is making it clear that Titus And the focus of the churches in Crete must be not to follow the distortions of the truth that were there in the culture, but to hold firm instead to sound doctrine. So he speaks of that first. And then secondly, this is where most of the verses tie in, is that sound doctrine is not just something you know in your head. It actually is something that changes the way you live. It affects your very life. So Paul makes application to Christians who are in all different seasons and circumstances of life to see what that godly life looks like. So our first main point this morning is this. There will often be distortions of the truth that are embraced in the culture, but the church of Christ must be consistent in teaching sound doctrine. In the closing verses of chapter one, Paul described rebellious men, empty talkers, deceivers, he said, who were quite common in Crete. Some of them were Jewish who had believed that Jesus was the Christ, but they were teaching things that were not consistent with the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. These particular people were telling those that in addition to believing in Jesus Christ, they must also be circumcised. In other words, they also must become Jewish. So they're saying that faith in Jesus Christ was not enough. They needed to basically become Jewish, add circumcision, observe the Jewish festivals, food laws, things of that sort. This was a big problem. And Paul says that they were being quite effective, actually. He said whole families were being led astray by these things. So beginning in chapter two, Paul says to Titus, but as for you, so in other words, this is what's going on in the culture, but Titus, What happens with you and with the churches is different. So, but as for you, here's what needs to happen. And so these things should not be allowed to infiltrate the churches. Instead, Titus must speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine." So Titus must not be swayed by the false teachings that were being propagated by others. The people of Crete would be more attuned to those rebellious men and empty talkers as he described them. In fact, in Titus 1.12, we see that the people of Crete were known for embracing deception. They were known for being liars. There was a word in the Greek language that was based on, I think it's kreatize, that actually speaks of being deceptive. It was taken from that island. So their culture did not value the truth. So that made it even more crucial that Titus would hold firm to sound doctrine and exhort the churches of Crete to do the same thing. Every culture, including ours, has a strong tendency to embrace false doctrines and other philosophies of men. There was a time, for example, in our nation's history where there was wide respect for the Christian faith. Even among those who didn't call themselves Christians, there was still a respect for the Christian faith. That's not true anymore. Christians are now the bad guys. Sound doctrine is mocked. Sound doctrine is rejected. But we must not compromise. We must hold firm to the biblical gospel. That is not only the hope for men and women, but also boys and girls, because we're all sinners. We all need that gospel. The gospel is basically this, and that is that Jesus Christ paid the price for sinners when he endured the wrath of God as the substitute for our sin on the cross. He rose again from the dead to confirm and complete that salvation, and our only hope to be right with God is to receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. So we trust that Jesus Christ has endured the condemnation that we deserve so that we can be forgiven and made righteous. So the choice ends up being this. Either we trust Christ as the one who paid the price for our sins, or we pay for our sin ourselves. And if we pay for our sin ourselves, that's eternity in hell. So it's imperative that we not compromise the gospel. We all Christians are to stand firm for sound doctrine. Well, after making this point with Titus, Paul then gives him guidance on how to encourage the various believers in the churches, how to encourage them to hold to the faith themselves. So our second main point is this, and this is verses two through 10. Believers in all seasons and circumstances of life are to be careful to live in ways that are in accordance with sound biblical doctrine. In verse one, which is already mentioned, Paul says, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. So what Paul is saying, he's saying more than just know what you believe. He's saying more than just be clear on what the truth is. He's saying that believers must live in ways that fit that truth. In other words, if you believe the gospel, if you embrace sound doctrine, it will affect the way you live. It will affect the things that are most important to you. in a culture that was willingly embracing distortions of the truth, believers needed to consciously live their lives in ways that were consistent with what the truth was, which was doctrine according to the scriptures. So it means not doing the same thing that the culture does. So you're going to look weird, obviously, in many people's eyes. But sound doctrine is not just something you believe, it is a way of living as well. And that's what these verses are about. The culture needs to see Christians who are not content with just being spiritual, but who are distinctively Christian in the way they live. Well, to lay this out for Titus, Paul speaks of five different groups of people. He speaks of older men, he speaks of older women, he speaks of younger women, he speaks of younger men, and he speaks of those who were bond slaves. And he gives several words or phrases that Titus was to apply to each of these group of people as he taught them, encouraged them. By the way, let me mention this, in light of distortions in our culture, Paul has no problem addressing men as men and women as women. I mean, he understands there's a distinction there, no confusion. There are things that each group must be strong in. There are things that were unique to each of these five groups. There are things that were the same, but there are also things that are unique. And it all has to do, there's three different phrases that he used to describe what he wants to see accomplished as Titus speaks to each of these groups. In verse five, he said, it all has to do with making sure the word of God is not being dishonored. That's one of the goals. He says it in a different way in verse eight, that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. because of what he sees in people's lives. And then in verse 10, he talks about showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior, adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. Kent Hughes describes what Paul was saying in this way. This is a quote on your outline. Everyone, everyone in the church community has a role in the progress of the gospel. He's saying everyone does. In these verses, it's interesting, Paul isn't talking about sharing the gospel with your words with somebody. That's not what his focus is. I mean, it's a good thing to do, but that's not what his focus is here. He's not talking about being a street preacher, which is fine as well. Those are good things, but that's not what he's emphasizing here. In these verses, he's talking about character. He's talking about attitudes. He's talking about priorities. He's talking about how we interact with people, how we do our jobs. Those are the things that he is focusing on here. So he's saying that every one of us have to be careful to live in ways that are in accordance with, that are fitting with sound doctrine. First group he addresses is older men. By the way, I'm not going to try to classify. You guys can classify yourselves wherever you see yourself fitting. We're not, you know, I have no list here. you decide what fits with you. Older men are first, verse two, which says, older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. So here we see this. In accordance with sound biblical doctrine, older men in the church are to see that as they persevere in faith and love, they will be men who are worthy of honor, worthy of honor. Now, Paul is assuming here, the way he has laid out this list, that generally speaking, it's the older men and the older women who will be the most mature Christians in the church. That's why he starts with them. They need to set the pace for the others. So, let's consider first the older men. Even though the words faith, love, and perseverance are at the end of the sentence, It seems that Paul means for these things to actually be the means or the cause of the behaviors that he speaks of at the beginning of the sentence. And that's because each of those words are preceded by a definite article, which kind of sets them apart from the other words. So the faith, the love, the perseverance, they're set apart differently than the other words. First is the faith of the older men. So that's speaking of their relationship with the Lord. They have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. And that faith in the Lord is meant to govern everything else in their life. Older men are supposed to be an example of this to other believers. And actually, the faith should be growing as we age. growing as we age. Second is their love. This is obviously how you relate to other people, how they relate to other people. 1 Corinthians 13 is the most detailed description of love. I'll just use several phrases from 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. Love doesn't brag. Love is not arrogant. Love doesn't act in unbecoming ways. It doesn't seek its own. Love is not provoked. Love does not take into account a wrong suffered, so it doesn't hold grudges. And true love also will not rejoice in things that are unrighteous, even though other people do. To rejoice in something that's unrighteous is not loving. And he speaks about how love endures all things. Well, this is something that's pressed on older men to make sure that they are giving attention to love. Interesting, the third word that he adds here, usually when you have faith and love, the third word that fits with that is hope, but not here. Here, the third word is steadfastness or patience or perseverance, depending on how it's translated in your version. So the older man, as he gets nearer to the end of his life, there may be a temptation to slack off. in the Christian faith. But Paul's saying, no, that is not what I'm saying the older men need to do. They must not slip back. They keep going forward. They keep moving forward. As long as they're physically and mentally able to serve the Lord, they press on. They continue to press on. steadfastly continuing no matter what the opposition might be. There may be health challenges, but they continue to press forward in their faith. So they will persevere in their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in love for other people all the way to the end of their life. So with those three things in mind, let's look at the other three words that are at the beginning of verse two. that Paul uses to challenge the older men. In view of their faith, love, and perseverance, the older men need to be temperate. This means sober-minded, clear-headed. So they're to let their faith determine their reactions to what's going on around them. They're also supposed to be dignified. This speaks of conducting yourself in such a way that people will think highly of you. They may not agree with what you believe, but they think highly of you because of the way you act. They're compelled to show respect because of that. Again, this is a fruit of faith, love, and steadfastness. The last word is sensible. Sensible shows up three or four times altogether in this list. Sensible is the idea of having a sound mind. It can also be translated as having self-control. So wrong desires and wrong impulses are curbed. So this is how Paul says sound doctrine shows itself in older men. And this is a good testimony to the world and also to fellow believers. The second group addressed is older women, verse three. Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, not enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good. So here we see this, that in accordance with sound biblical doctrine, older women in the church are to be revered for lives lived under the Lordship of Christ. They are also blessed with the wisdom to teach younger women what is good and godly. Paul starts off by saying, older women likewise, so in other words, in the same sense that the older men are to be challenged to godliness, older women are as well. Both are considered to have a level of Christian maturity. And they are called to be reverent in their behavior. So they were called to have a holiness of heart, the reverence, and inward desire to honor the Lord that's going to show itself in how they conduct themselves, reverent in their behavior. In other words, living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In light of this, Paul speaks of two things they must not do, two things they need to guard against. They must not be what he calls malicious gossips. So they, This speaks to the need of self-control regarding words, regarding the tongue. Guard themselves against the temptation to gossip against others. The second thing he warns against is don't be enslaved to much wine. Now this may well have been a particular temptation among the Cretan people. But again, just because something's acceptable in the culture does not mean it's something we should participate in. So there should be no slavish addictions. Another way might be to look at that. And then Paul says that really because of the wisdom they've acquired over the years, they should teach what is good. Now, modesty, humility might cause these ladies to think they don't have a whole lot to offer. Paul is saying that's not true. There are lessons that you've learned over the years that other people can profit from. And what Paul especially has in mind here is younger women. The younger women are in situations that the older women have already been in. And so it's helpful to have others who are willing to share things that might help us in the situations we're dealing with. And they can share things with us from experience, how they've done well, maybe even how they blew it. But still you can get wisdom from those things that can be helpful. So it's the idea that as Christians we need each other, we can learn from each other. This leads Paul to his third group. In accordance with sound biblical doctrine, younger women in the church are to learn well what the crucial job of loving their family and excelling in the domestic arts entails. They're to be women of godly character who not only think clearly, but also pursue purity and kindness. So verse four and five talks about what the older women are to focus on teaching to the younger women. It says this, so in this idea of teaching what is good, what he means is, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. So there's several character traits that younger women are exhorted to have. Once again, we see the word being sensible, which again is having a sound mind. It's being self-controlled, thinking clearly about things. Purity, especially regarding sexual temptation, is spoken of. And then finally, he speaks of the need to be kind. That word for kind, more literally, speaks of being useful for a purpose. Something that's kind is useful for a particular purpose. And it seems to be especially tied into the responsibilities at home, which leads us to Paul's main theme when he's speaking of the younger women. When Paul addresses the younger women, he emphasizes the crucial role that they have in the family. The family unit really is the fundamental unit in the culture. And as you've heard, and I know it's true, as the family goes, so goes the nation. Families are so important. Well, first, the older women are to teach the younger women about loving their husbands. Let me tell you what I think's going on here. Most of us husbands are really immature when we first get married. Now, I'm really mature now. But young husbands, generally speaking, and I speak from experience, are more immature and the younger wives are more mature. That is almost, I've done a lot of weddings over the years. I know that was true of me. It's true in most cases. The women are more mature than the men, especially the early years of the marriage. So, wouldn't it be helpful to have an older lady you could talk to and says, I know what it's like. I've been there. I know what it's like. So, that's, I think that's, to me, as I look at this, I think that's a lot of what's going on here. Help is often needed as well with loving the children. Now, this was a little bit interesting because kind of a mother's love for her children, I mean, is understood really all through cultures all over the world as being a very natural thing. A mother's love is just something that is natural. Well, this isn't denying that, but I think it's a realization that raising children is a really stressful thing. It's a really hard thing to do. I mean, there's so many different things to deal with, and oftentimes, you're having to deal with them all at the same time. And even when you think you've figured it out with one child, the next one comes along, and they're very different. Things that are similar, but things that are really different. What a help it would be to have an older woman you could talk to and says, well, here's what I did. Here's what helped me in that situation. So no matter how good a mother is, there are always things to learn that can be a big help. Another family-related issue is being a worker at home. This doesn't mean a mom can't have a job outside the home, but it does indicate that the most fundamental job as one author called it, is the domestic arts. I thought that was a cool little phrase there. The domestic arts. I mean, there is so many skills that are necessary in being a homemaker. And once again, learning from others can be really helpful in that. The other family-related issue is, he says, being subject to their own husbands. Now, this is one of five different times that Paul speaks of this in his letters. This is not at all any kind of dictator-servant kind of arrangement. This is not giving the husband the right to be unfair, to be selfish, to be abusive, because the submission is always in the context of love. In Ephesians 5.25, husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the church. So that's the context for the kind of submission he's talking about. The word for submit means to arrange under. to arrange under. So the wife is using her own gifts, her own abilities, and supporting the husband as the spiritual leader in the home. After saying this, in verse 5, Paul adds, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. As we noted, this directive about ordering of the Christian home shows up multiple times in the scriptures, especially this one about be submissive or subject to their own husbands. Generally speaking, our culture doesn't like these verses. They are not real popular in our culture. I've quoted Rosaria Butterfield a lot at times in the past and she's written so many, so many good things. And I ran across the other day something she said and she wrote this. She said, under feminism, men and women are interchangeable. The Bible doesn't agree with that. Men and women are different, praise God. Different roles, different characteristics, different responsibilities, not the same, not the same. In fact, Paul is really saying here that when people are able to see a Christian woman making application of these things in her life, in her family, it's a testimony to them that the word of God can be trusted. The word of God really is true. Well, the fourth group that Paul addresses is young men. So as he addresses young men, he also speaks to Titus, who was a young unmarried man. So look at verses six through eight. Likewise, urge the young men to be sensible in all things. Show yourself to be an example of good deeds with purity and doctrine, dignified, sound in speech, which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. So from these verses, we see this next point, which is in accordance with sound biblical doctrine, young men are to be self-controlled, clear thinkers in all areas of life. Their life is to be characterized by good works, purity in doctrine, and speech that is healthy. Verse 6 begins again with the word likewise, so meaning that just as the younger women have certain obligations that are in line with sound biblical doctrine, younger men do as well. Paul begins once again by using the word sensible, but here he seems to expand it with the young men, really saying, you really got to be sensible because you got to build a big challenge here. He speaks of the need to be sensible in all things. Now, different versions put punctuation in different places here. Sensible in all things, the American standard which I use actually applies in all things with showing yourself to be an example. Show yourself to be an example in all things, which definitely fits there. But it seems to fit better with saying, do in all things and apply that with being sensible, which kind of seems to expand the application of the idea of being sensible. So I think that's what he intends here, even though the other is not wrong. But the idea is here that in every area of life, young men need to have a sound mind. They need to have a Christian worldview. that ends up applying to every area of life which includes being self-controlled. The word sensible ties in self-control as well. And again, this is one of the big challenges that young men have. They are not to be people who just do what they want or do what other people want them to do. They don't just drink in the latest fads of the culture and just do that. That's not living sensibly in all things. They're supposed to be people who think. More specifically, they need to learn to think biblically about every area of life. They need to learn to practice self-control versus being controlled by what other people want you to do. This is a big challenge, and it seems like he's, Paul is especially emphasizing that he knows this is a big challenge for young men. So therefore, they need to especially give attention to it. As I said, Titus was a young man. So in verse 7, Paul addresses Titus personally with the idea that he was to be an example to other young men. He's to be an example of good deeds. And this is once again, as we've already mentioned, that's an emphasis on the fact that what we believe is going to be evident in the way we live. Comparing some of this with some of the contrast that he's making back to what he had in chapter 1. Back in Titus 1.16, Paul talks about people who profess to know God, but by their deeds, they deny him. In fact, he says they are worthless for any good deed. Christians are supposed to be different. We are known by the fruit that is seen in our lives. Here in verse 7, that fruit, those good deeds, is directly tied to purity and doctrine. Again, back in chapter 1, verse 15, the false teachers teach a doctrine, he says, that's defiled. Because of that, nothing they do is pure. Nothing is acceptable to God. Christians aren't like that. As a young man, Titus is to be dignified. Same thing he told to the older man, but it's going to be a little different here because the older man, their dignity was seen really from years of serving the Lord. Titus didn't have those years behind him, but he still should have a dignity from not only teaching sound doctrine, but living it as well. In verse eight, those good deeds are further described as being sound in speech, which is beyond reproach. Again, you compare that to stuff he said back in Titus chapter 1. In chapter 1 verse 10, he said the false teachers were empty talkers. But the speech of young men should be right. It should be trustworthy. It should be things that are actually beneficial to other people. And by being self-controlled, by being a clear thinker in all things, having good deeds that proceed from pure doctrine and healthy speech, he says these things will put the opponents of the faith to shame. It'll show that Christians are different because our God, our Savior is different. They're going to see the good examples that those who deny the gospel just don't have the same examples. So young men are really being challenged here. Yes, there's a place for having fun, for enjoying life, really, for all of these categories. Older men, older women, younger men, younger women. Yes, we should enjoy life. Yes, there should be a fun aspect to the whole thing. But the key here is don't waste your life. Don't waste what's available to you in the different seasons of your life. Don't waste it. Those of us who have any years at all can look back and think of all kinds of things that we wish we had done better. We wish we'd taken more advantage of this or more advantage of that. He's saying, don't waste the opportunities that you have. Use them in the season of life that you're in. We're supposed to be godly examples in whatever season of life we're in. Well, in verses nine and 10, Paul switches gears a little bit here. In these verses, he addresses those in the congregation who were slaves. Timothy did the same thing, or Paul did the same thing with Timothy in the city of Ephesus. And just like in Ephesus, this seems to indicate that there were quite a few believers who were also slaves in the Roman Empire. Now, one of the problems we have in reading this and trying to understand this is that to equate Roman slavery with the sinful chattel slavery that took place in our country. And there would be some of that in the Roman Empire, but the Roman Empire was a huge mixed bag when you talk about the issue of slavery. Because slavery in the Roman Empire would include those who were apprentices, We don't usually think of that as being a slave. Indentured servants. It would include what might be described as domestic workers. There were slaves in the Roman Empire who were also professional people. There were even people who held government offices who were slaves. See, that's just, so it's different. It's a different context than what we think of from what took place in our country. And we can also say, see that these slaves Those who were slaves in Crete were not forbidden from joining a local church. They had freedom to do that. So with that in mind, the treat verses nine and 10 urge bond slaves to be subject to their own masters and everything to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God, our savior in every respect. So I'm going to expand Paul's application here from slaves to workers in general. So our last point I'm saying is this. In accordance with sound biblical doctrine, those in the workforce are to honor their employers, not abusing the privileges they are given, but being honest and trustworthy. As employees, We serve under one who is our employer, whoever that might be. We have the freedom to change jobs if we want to change jobs, freedom to make appeals about issues that come up, whatever it might be. But as employees, we are to be submissive to those who are employers. We're to do our work, yes, to satisfy the boss, but more precisely, we do our work unto the Lord. Which means that what we do, whatever your job is, you strive to do it well. We're supposed to act responsibly. We're supposed to act with respect. Christians should make the best employers. Christians should also make the best employees. That's because all that we do is done for the glory of God. Verse 10, Paul says, not pilfering, so that means not to set something apart for yourself that's not rightfully yours, which is a fancy way of saying don't steal. Don't take what doesn't belong to you, which would include giving an honest day's labor, whatever that means. So we're to show good faith. The sound biblical doctrine, we believe, should be what motivates what we do. It motivates what we do at home. It motivates what we do in our free time. It motivates how we do our jobs. Our faith is to guide us in every area. Now, in these verses, Paul is specifically pressing even those who were slaves to live out their Christian life in those challenging circumstances. They were to live in such a way that they would make the gospel appealing to their masters. Employees are to do the same thing, make the gospel appealing by your life. I love how Paul speaks of the need to adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, in every respect. Adorn it. To adorn something is to decorate or call attention to something that's already attractive. You're calling attention. So in these verses, it's directed specifically towards slaves, but I believe it applies to all these others, older men, older women, younger men, younger women. that whatever our circumstances in life might be, whatever season of life we might be in, our life is to adorn the doctrine of God. It's adorn what the gospel is all about. We're to make it clear by the way that we live our life, that Jesus Christ is our savior and we are living with him as our Lord. That's the way Paul is saying here to give a strong witness in a culture where distortions of the truth are running rampant. Distortions of the truth that are being embraced by others and really pushed on us as well. Christians don't live by defiled and detestable teachings. We adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. Matthew Henry said it this way. This quote is on your outline. He said, true religion is an honor to the professors of it, and they should see that they do not any dishonor to it, but adorn it rather in all that they are able. So as Christians, it's our responsibility and our privilege by the grace of God to see that our lives adorn the gospel. Lord, we thank you again for your word. These are some of those sections that are very practical. Paul goes out of his way to direct teachings to people who are in certain seasons of life or certain circumstances that especially characterize what their life was all about. Being very specific, very indirect. Lord, I thank you that your word does that. I just thank you for the fact that everything we do, whatever season of life we're in, whether we're a man or a woman, a boy, a girl, whatever we might be, I thank you that your word applies to us. I thank you that as we understand what it is to be a Christian, as we understand what it is to just follow you as our Lord and Savior, That that shows itself in our life and the way we live. Lord, help each of us to grow in that. We are all in different seasons of life. No matter who we are, we're all in different places. And some places, the challenges might be similar. Some places, for some of us, they're very different. But Lord, help us to continue to be the people who press forward and who seek to adorn the gospel wherever we are and in whatever our circumstances of life may be. Help us. We need your grace to do those things. If you're one who's never put your faith in Christ, a prayer like this would be a way to start. Lord, I realize that I'm a sinner. Do not measure up to what God requires of me. I know that there's all kinds of things in my life that are wrong. And I want to receive Jesus Christ as my savior. I know he paid the price for my sin. And I want to commit my life to Jesus as the Lord of my life, so that I will follow him the rest of my days. If you want to talk in more detail about that commitment, you can make a note in your tear-off, or those who are watching online can reach out to us through the website. It's in the name of Christ that we pray.