And today we are doing Chapter 2, that's Titus Chapter 2, verse 9 to 15. And as Pastor Clary stated, everyone needs to be in his lane. So I'm going to try to be in my lane and then make sure I can let us understand what the Bible says about the importance of serving God. It is about service. That is what my lane talks about. So that is Titus chapter 2, verse 9. And I read, exhorts servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again, let free. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you, bless you, give all your glory, all your adoration for giving us this day, for the gift of life, for the opportunity, the traveling mercies guiding us to get into your presence today. We are grateful. We thank you for even allowing us to pour out our hearts, to bring us our problems and our burdens onto your hands. Father, we ask that by the time we leave here, we will see answers to our prayers. May you speak through me and may your words be heard. Prepare the hearts and make them willing to listen to your word and for us to live a godly life through the word that you are going to speak through me. I thank you and I bless your name. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. So the Titus chapter 2 verse 9, it said, exalt servants to be obedient unto their own masters and to please them well in all things. As I said, the topic for today is the importance of serving God. And I think we first have to understand the meaning of the servants. And in the Bible, servants has appeared so many times, more than 1,000, according to the references, over 1,100 times in the Bible. So it means it's very important of how God want us to know who we are and who he is to us as well, because God is the father, and we are the sons of God. So in the actual sense, when we are saying somebody is a servant, it means there's a master. So the master is there, and the servants account to the master. The same way children account to their fathers or their parents. So in this angle, God is trying to let us know the role that we're supposed to play as servants, because every servant is a count to the master. And the master can be a good master or a bad master. It doesn't matter who the master is. And if I take you back to the olden days, there was a word that we used to use as slaves. So the masters go out there to buy the slaves, and when they bring the slaves to their homes, the slaves are bound to whatever instruction they give them. If the master tell you to do this or do that, you dare not to complain. You have to obey your master. And that is what Paul, this is a message Paul wrote to Titus. It's one of the brother Paul's books. And it's very interesting because he took his time to explain the Christian life. We being the servants and what we supposed to do to our master. how we're supposed to obey our Master, how we're supposed to live our life, how we're supposed to be humble in our Master's home. Because every servant, every child living with the Master or the parents, try to live the life that the parent has instructed them to live. So as we Christians, we also have our master, which is this God, or Jesus Christ, and we are trying to follow. So with this, today I'm not going to add too many quotations. I'm going to try to break it down for us to understand every point from the Bible, so we can know how best we can use in our life as well. So the 9 is saying, exhort servants to be obedient. So that what we are saying here is to be obedient. And the result is like trying to encourage every servant to be obedient unto their own masters. So one, we have to be very obedient to our master. And who is our master? It's Christ. He is our master and that is what we are following. So in this world, there are two masters in this world. We have the devil and we have the God. So if you are not following God or your master is not God or Jesus Christ, then your master is the devil. So whatever instruction you are listening, you are taking from, if it is from God, then the instruction that you are following would portray or actually declare or let people know who your master is. So our lives and the way we live our life will portray or let people see who the Master we are serving. So what we are trying to say here is that, he said, obedient to us from our Master or to our Master is the most important key here now. Because he said, and to be pleased and to please them well in all things. So one, the nine saying that we should try, we should encourage the servant or we the servant should encourage ourselves, we should try as much as possible to be obedient to our master and to be able to please our master. If you are saying you should please somebody, it means you have to do things for the person to like you or for the person to love you. You please somebody, you do whatever you have to do to make the person be aware that you are like a fool, or you are not wise. Because when he tells you something to do, you don't try to say you know better than your master. So by doing that, it pleases the person, especially when you have your child in the house and you tell him, sleep, and he sleeps. Don't go here, he doesn't go there. It makes you to love the child more. So this, we being the servants of God, The two things the nine is telling us is to be obedient and to try to please him. You cannot please the other servant, maybe you are two servants in the house, you cannot try to please your other servant, your colleague, but you rather try to please the master. Because when you please the master, that is where the reward will come in. or that is where the differences will come in. There are two servants, one that try to please the master and the one that doesn't try to please the master or try to be disobedient. Whom do you think the master will like? He would definitely like the one that listens and obey and try to please him. Even things that he hasn't asked him to do, he try to do it. That is to please. You try to do things that you have not asked to do. You don't need to bring or give water or give food. Master, please, do you want something from me? Can I bring you water? Can I bring you food? Do you want water to do this or do you want this? Could I go to the market to buy something for you? Do I need to wash your car for you? You try to do a lot of things to please him, let him know that you are thinking about him. Because you can only please somebody only when you think about the person. Without thinking about the person, you cannot please. Because you don't know what the person lacks and what the person needs. And as a masters, they are there, that is why they are the masters. The slave masters, for instance, they try to do a lot of things to the slaves because they go and buy them. They pay money to go and buy them and bring them into their field or their homes for them to use them. So we being the servants to Jesus Christ or God, it's like he has gone to buy us from somewhere for us to do what exactly he want us to do. And if somebody go and buy, like for instance, your dog or something or anything that is very important, maybe your car or your phone or anything that is very important to you that you've used money to buy, if you bring it home and it doesn't serve the purpose, what do you do? You try to do away with it. Because it doesn't serve the purpose that you want it to serve. So God has bought us. And he wants us to be a good servant, obedient servant. and then to be able to please him so that it wouldn't be like he has wasted his money on us or he has wasted his time on us or the effort, like your child, you waste all your time to train your child from the infancy to like 16 or 17 and now he becomes like he doesn't even, you don't even know him anymore. All the effort you invested, everything you've invested in him has become in vain because you can't even be proud of him that this is my son or this is my daughter because the attitude or the life that he lives out there, it doesn't conform to the Christian life or it doesn't conform to the rules and the regulations of your family you've built. So it tend to be an outsider than to be a member of the family. So that is what God is trying to tell us here, that we should please and be obedient. And he said not in one things. He said in all things. and to please them well in all things. Not one, or not two, not three. Today you are like this, and tomorrow you are like that. No, he said in everything. We should be obedient in everything. For example, when Abraham was sent, when God was sending him, he didn't even say anything. He said, Abraham, move from your family house, and I'm sending you here. He just obeyed. He just obeyed. And when it was time for him to sacrifice his son, when God asked him that, I want you to sacrifice your son, he'd just obeyed. That is why Paul is reminding us here that we need to be obedient and we need to please God. We need to do whatever we need to. In all things, there are no exceptions. every instruction that the master gives, you dare not to say anything. Our slaves, the slave and the slave masters, the slaves don't have any say in whatever the master says. If master says, yes sir. Like the military people say, do before complain. When they give you instruction, you do it before you complain. Even when you are home, they tell you, it is time to leave home and go for a service, you don't complain. You leave whatever you are doing and you go for the service, because that is what you are called to do. So let's move on to the 10. Not palanoning, but showing all good fidelity that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. As I was saying, it is confirming here on the 10. And when we are talking about their paranoia, it's like stealing something or taking something that doesn't belong to you. And he said, showing all good fidelity. Fidelity is to be faithful in something. So for you to be very honest, as he said, obedient, to please, and they are saying you should be very, very, very careful that things that doesn't belong to you, you don't pick it from your master's home. When you are to take care of your master's property or to take care of master's business or something, your pay is different, your salary is different. Whatever doesn't conform or fall in your salary, you don't touch it until the master has asked you to take it. So that is what is telling us here, that we should be fidelity, we should be very faithful. To be faithful, it is the most important key because if you are not faithful, then the person cannot trust you. the master can only trust a faithful servant. And somebody who doesn't pick things, and when even they ask you, you say, I don't even know about it. I don't know anything about it. That is why they join the paranoia and the fidelity together. Because you need to be faithful and you need to be trustworthy. You don't need to You know, do this and do that. You watch here, nobody is here, then you try to sneak things. You watch here, nobody is here, you try to sneak. And when they ask you, you don't know anything about it. That is the life God is trying to tell us, that we should be transparent and we should be honest and we should be very faithful to our masters. Because Jesus Christ have paid the price for us. We were slaves to sin. We were the slaves to sin, but he came to buy us. Like as I said, the slave masters in Africa, slaves were happening a lot. They bought our forefathers and they brought them here. And this is what exactly Christ has done for us. We were somewhere else that we were being slaves to people, we were slaves to sin. He came to pay. our price and took us, us. He took us back to him and he said, now you are for me, you, you belong to me. So what I tell you is what you have to do. But he is a good master. He doesn't treat us like the ordinary masters that are out there. He thinks about us. He rather want to please us. He rather cares for us. He rather want us to live a life that we will be proud of. That's yes, I paid the price for these people, and they are living a good life, and they are happy, and they are obedient, and they are that, and other people can also learn from her. And follow us to their master. They can tell you, ah, is that your master? Or there are some jobs when you do, and people look at the way you earn or the way your lifestyle is. They ask you, what job are you doing? Which company are you working? And they even want to come and work in the same company, all because of what they are seeing in you. or because of maybe the change of life. As soon as you join that company, your life has changed. As soon as you join that Master, your life has changed. Your behavior, your attitude, your everything has changed. So people look into that and they also want to follow you. They also want to go to where you are, where you've been, that things have changed for you. They also want to follow the pattern. So that is the life God wants us to live. buying us unto himself. He wants us to live a life that people can see through us and see who we are serving, who our master is, so that the glory can come unto him. And the 11, he said, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. So it's exactly what I'm trying, that's why I said the points are building gradually. and it's trying to make it clear. Paul is trying to make it clear to us that the salvation, as I said, we were slaves to sin. Now the salvation is here for every man. Jesus has paid for us. He has paid for everything. We didn't pay a dime. So he is ready and he has open arms trying to direct us, teach us, for us to live a good life. for us to live the life that can bring more people unto him. Because the world is going astray. The devil is trying to take in charge. There's a big competition, there's a big chaos between Jesus or God and the devil. The devil doesn't want to go to the hellfire alone. He want to destroy the good plan that God has built for us. He said, I'm going to the Father and I'll come back for you. If there are no rooms or no mansion in my father's house, I wouldn't tell you. I wouldn't promise you that. And the devil knows that. He knows exactly that. That is why Paul is trying to let us know that we are like slaves unto our master. And we have no option than to obey our master. And the moment we have this at the back of our head, we don't compromise. We don't try to do things that our masters will be angry. and to sack us from the house or to behave in a way that we end up being like the other people who they haven't gone to buy them. Because in our job, for instance, whatever we do, we do the job very well because we expect a salary at the end of the month. Everybody who works expects a salary at the month. So either It is raining, it is shining, it is snowing. He tried to go to work because he knows at the end of the month he will get a salary. He knows if he doesn't go to work, he doesn't get a salary. That is exactly what is happening here. We are servants. We work for our master and we get paid from our master. We get reward from our master. If you don't do a good job, you don't get a reward from your master. So that is what Paul is trying to tell us. and the work that we're supposed to do, he has breaking it down for us. And I'll go through it, and later I'll give the importance of why we should be serving God, or the advantages of serving God. If the time doesn't permit, then we'll do what we have to do with breaking it down, and maybe we can have a good evening. So he said the grace of God has bring salvation had appeared to all men, and the Twelve, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this pleasant world." That is exactly what I was trying to say. So teaching us that denying ungodliness The God we serve is holy. He is pure. That is why he said, if our sins are dirty, that has dirty our clothings, and it's very dirty like blood, he'll wash it. He washes it and make it white as snow. Are we ready? for him to wash it for us. And he can only wash it for us when we are ready. When we are obedient. When we try to forget about the worldly lust and then focus on him. Our focus is on him. Our master is our focal point. We need not to lose focus in whatever we do. He is leading us. That's why he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And he said, no one goes to the Father except through me. And he came to show us the way. That is why Paul is trying to break this thing. I love this verse. This Titus 1, 2. Titus, the verses are not much. But it's a very solid book. Because Paul took his time to let the people understand the reality of Christianity. Christianity, I keep on saying, it is a relationship. I don't see it as a religion. I see it as a relationship. It is our daily, daily, daily life relationship with God. A personal relationship with God. A personal relationship with our master. We are just a servant. We are stewards. Whatever we have, we are stewards. We are taking care of the things that God has given unto us. Our children, our jobs, our homes, everything that we have, it doesn't belong to us. It's for our master. That is his property. We are just taking care of it. That is why we are servants. Let me make a simple example. Homes that have money, they go either Asia or Africa to bring people to come and become like nannies or something to take care of their homes. When you come home, when you come to their home, it's a big mansion. Everything is there. But the things that are in that house doesn't belong to you. The things in that big man or big woman's house, even if it's the president or minister who needs somebody to take care of his house and had gone to bring you to his home, that you see nice cars, you see homes, you see anything that you see, beautiful things you see, you are just there to take care of it. It doesn't belong to you. And this is exactly what God is trying to tell us. We are just stewards. So the things in this world that are trying to take us away from the focal point, we should do away with it. The ungodliness, we should take away of it. The last things that actually attracting us to move away from the master, we should stay away from it. It's the same thing that happened to the Israelites. When they moved from Egypt, the things that God gave you to them, they were poor, they didn't even have anything. But the favour of the Lord touched the heart of the Egyptians and he said, go and borrow the things, the gold, the silver and this and that and that. And they borrowed it, the people gave it to them. Until they left before they realised they'd made a mistake. But when they left, And they go to the wilderness, they realize that they even have earrings that are gold, necklaces that are gold, and they were thinking of what to do with that. Things that doesn't belong to them, those things were not for them, they were for people. And through God, he made them, became the owners of the things. And they forgot that they were just stewards. Because the Egyptians themselves, it's clearly stated that whatever you possess in this earth, it is not for you. Because the Egyptians, even they had maybe worked hard to earn it. God, in his wisdom, let them lose it. And the Israelites, when they got it, now it became like a lust. It took them. from the main focus point, the focal point, their focal point was diverted. And now their attention was the thing that they had with them. And by so doing, they have to use that against God himself, against the master. So we should be very careful with what actually comes our way and how it has influence in our life. Because if not, it will rather make us become a bad servant. But we need to be a good servant so that our master can love us. We need to please our master. It is our responsibility to please our master and not to talk back. No arguing. When master talks, finish. When master asks you to do something, it is finished. You have to do it because he knows the best for you. He knows the best for us. So Paul is trying to tell us that we should do away with the ungodliness, we should deny ungodliness, and the worldly lust. The worldly lust is something that is killing us. Because it's trying to give us a lot of reasons for not being a good servant. Our job, our family, our time, everything. is trying to take us away from God, trying to take us away from God. And as pastor used to say, things that will drive you away from church or from God, it is not from God. So anything from God should rather help you to please God so you can become a good servant. and said teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust and should live soberly. We should live soberly, humbly, righteously. To be righteous is to be right with God. Whatever you do, is it right with God? If it's not right with God, then it is not something that is righteous. They said there are many ways that seems right to man, but at the end, it leads us to destruction. And it's only when you have the godly life in you, you learn from your master. If a master trains you well, you become like a master. If you get a training well, let's say apprentice, If you are going to learn how to be a construction, how to build, how to do this, when you learn it from a good person, you become expert. When you start doing, everybody will know that you learn from a good person. So what are we learning from our master? If we try not to live a righteous life, then it means our master, it is not God. Then we have a different master. Then you have to search yourself and see who your master is. If you are not able to live a righteous life, a godly life, in this present world, and you try to give excuses, then you should just search your hearts and see who your master is. Because our master is holy. Our master is righteous. Our master is love. Our master tries to do things to even please us, so that we can also please people, and the glory will go to him. Because of time, I would like to do it fast, fast, fast, fast, and maybe with the right time, you can read home and you can get more understanding to it. 13, looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our savior, Jesus Christ. So as I said, with whatever we are doing, Whatever we are practicing, we know somebody has bought us. And the person that bought us, Jesus Christ, he has given us his word. So we have hope. We have hope that one day, one day, with whatever instruction he has given us, whatever rules our master has left with us, after going through all the process, after being obedient, after being faithful, after living a life, a godly life, we'll get a reward. One day we will see him. And when he comes, and we are not, we haven't been able to live the life that we are expected to live, then we have problem with him. Then we are going to have a very big problem with him. The instruction is clear. So I pray that God himself will strengthen us, and he will let the Holy Spirit dwell in us, so that we can actually obey the instruction that has laid before us. Because our Savior will be coming, and he will be coming soon. So whatever we have in our hands, it is not for us. We are just stewards. So what are we doing with what we have to others? How are we letting people know that we have a good master so they can come and follow our master? What life are we living? Are we giving excuses and following the world? Because this present world, it is nothing to write home about. It is stressful, deceitful, deceiving us all the time with a lot of things. a lot of things that is actually attracting us. So we have to be very careful. And the 14, he said, who gave himself for us that we might, he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a particular people, zealous of good works. So that is what I was trying to say. So God himself has a purpose for us. And you know exactly what he's doing. Because he said, the harvest is plenty. It's ready. But it's a lot. But the laborers are few. So if we are lucky, to know him, if we are lucky, to have him as our master. Then we should go out there and let people know that there's somebody that is ready to let them be a good servant as well, so that we can make the world a happy home. Because he said he's looking for a particular people. So we are lucky to be his servants. We are lucky. It is a privilege for us to be God's servants. And we don't need to joke with it. Because even people, I keep on saying that people, when you are a friend to maybe a president, or a mayor, or very important person, you feel proud. You feel blessed, you feel lucky, because you know when you have any issue, you pick a phone and you call. Something will be done in your situation. When you have a big problem, and let's say somebody, a mayor in your community is your friend, you can imagine. But we tend to forget that the mayor of all mayors, The president of all presidents, the king of all kings, is our master. He can turn the king's heart. Where there is no way, he can make a way. Where there is no hope, he can give you hope. Where your heart is broken, you have given up, he can give you a zeal to move on. He can encourage you. He can tell you it is not over yet because I have done it. He came to overcome all the difficulties. Even He died to overcome death. So what else can't He do for us? That is why He said He's doing this to purify unto Himself. He's doing it unto Himself so that when people look at us, they can see Him. He wants us to be like a glass, that when somebody looks through the glass, he can see what is behind the glass. That's exactly what our Master is trying to do. So we should be ready. We should prepare our hearts and be ready to allow our Master to work on us. When he tells us something, we don't need to complain. Do this, we don't need to give a feedback. Do this, we don't need to, ah, I'm tired. Oh, do evangelism, oh, I'm tired. Oh, church service, it's raining. Oh, like this, it is like that. Oh, no, because he's preparing us. We are in our preparation time. There's a lot of things that are going to come up, and we are the soldiers for Christ. He's trying to prepare us so that we can be ready for the war. for him. That is why he says he's purifying us unto himself for the good works. He is not a bad master that is going to use us to do a bad work. He's a good master, so he's going to use us to do a good work. and the 15. He said, these things speak and exhort and rebook with all authority. Let no mind despise thee. So this thing that we've read, it is something that is going to encourage us, it is something that is going to rebook us, to tell us that you are doing this, it is not good. Stop. and follow this direction, because your master you are following, he's like this, he's like that. He's not like ordinary people or ordinary master, that will lead you to destruction. So Paul is trying to say that these things that we are reading, he's trying to rebook us, remind us, or tell us to stay away from our bodies, stay away from the instruction that our God has given to us, our master has given to us, that we are not following. The worldly lust, we should stay away from the worldly lust, and we should stay away from their ungodliness. It's rebuking us. Instead, with all authority, let no man despise thee. Not because of what you are going to do, that somebody will despise you. And because of that, you are going to give up. No. No. Because it's not easy. It is not an easy task. It is not an easy task. It has its own challenges. And that is what Paul is trying to tell us, that we don't have to give up. We don't have to let anybody despise or discourage us. So to bring the message to an end, I try to bring the point down that I try to make, that the importance of serving God is one, serving God is always to express love and gratitude. We try to serve because our Father is love, The master is love. And whatever he does for us, we have to let people see. We should show appreciation. You don't take it and try to hide it. You don't let people see the goodness of the Lord, because he said he does that unto himself. He purifies us unto himself. So if you read Psalm 10, Psalm 100, verse 2, it says, serve the Lord with gladness, and come before him with joyful singing. Let all your attitude, all your everything shows that because you have a good master, so you are happy. You have a good master, so you want to please him. You have a good master, so you have a reason, every reason to be happy. Every reason to love him and to show the love to the people out there. Because your master is love. He allow rain to fall on each and everyone. He doesn't separate it from the good and the bad. He does it to everyone. And that is what he does. And that is what we have to do as well. So you can read 1 Peter 4, verse 10 to 11, that one also talks about the love and the gratitude. And it said each of you should use whatever gifts you have received, whatever gifts you have received, to serve others as faithful stewards. of God's grace in its various forms. So that's what I was trying to say. We just have to be very careful and be very pleased with whatever we have and try to bring people to our Master so that our Master will be happy. And the second point is serving God is a way to reflect Christ's teachings. As I said, Christ is pure, he's holy, he came to show us the way. So if we are truly serving or knowing him or following his patterns, whatever we do will reflect, will let people see that, yes, this is the master we serve. So whatever you do, and it doesn't reflect Christ, then it means you are serving the devil. You have a different master. And without, we can look that in Maitri chapter 25, verse 31 to 46. And you can also read Mark chapter 10, verse 45. And point number three, serving God is a way to grow in faith and holiness. As I said, we should be faithful to our master and we try to be holy. So in doing all this and trying to be a good servant, it actually helps you to have all these qualities. So these are the importance of trying to be, trying to serve God, shaping your life, helping you to be a good servant, trying to please your master so that your master can give you all the goodies you need. It's heaven we all want to go, but we don't want to go to heaven and leave our brother behind. And God need more people in his kingdom. But we are the particular people that he has called. We also have to go out there, we can do the work, that is why we are here. We also have to go out there and bring people into him. And point number four, look at the number three, you can read Colossians chapter three, verse 23 to 24. And at point number four, serving God is a way to bring glory to him. And I want you can read 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 31. And to top it up with it, you can read Romans chapter 12. The Romans chapter 12 really, really goes hand in hand with this Titus chapter 2. I really love Romans 12. So with time, when you have the time, you can go through it. Because of time, I'd want to bring the teachings to an end. And I pray that God will help us so that we will not allow anybody to despise us. But rather, these things that we have read will rebook us, and then will encourage us to know that we have a master. We are just slaves. We are just stewards. And whatever is in our hands, it is not in our hands because it's for us. It is in our hands because we have to use it to glorify our master, to let people see his glory, let people see that we have a master that is above all masters. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your message. We thank you for how you love us, for how you came to birth us. for how you paid our price, for how you made your son, Jesus Christ, came to die on Calvary for us, to pay our sins, and for salvation to be accessible unto us. We are grateful. This evening, Father, may we not just be the hearers of your word, but the doers of your word. Let the Holy Spirit work through us. We are just the clay. You are the potter. work on us, so that when you come, you'll find us faithful. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.