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Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, titus, chapter 3, and today's title is Don't Be Cussing With Me. I'm already embarrassed saying that, but it works. It works, don't be cussing with me, and we'll get into exactly what I'm talking about in just a moment. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you're leaving us a five-star review on the podcast it really does help and make sure we're all gathering together at the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook, because I'm going to tell you something the more we dig, the more we find, and they do such a great job over there.

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This week, or not every day, all right, every day I'm already distracted because I'm embarrassed about my title, but pretty distracted because I'm embarrassed about my title, but it was the best one I could come up with. So if you have your Bibles, open it with me to Titus, chapter three. Let me explain myself. My girls showed me an animated feature not too long ago. I don't know if you call it a movie or what it was. It was this animated thing and in it there was all these shenanigans that were happening and I am very old to use the word shenanigans and there was this moment and it was made for kids and so they were not going to actually use cuss words at one another, but whenever this one character got mad at this other character, instead of talking it out, he would say or excuse me, are you cussing with me? And he would say no, you cussing with me. And then every time he would get angry. That was his way of challenging someone. Right Is if they were cussing with one another.

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Well, this chapter, this final chapter, is all about how we relate to each other, making sure we're honoring each other and not stirring things up with each other. Rather than the character in this movie who is constantly challenging people and stirring stuff up, and he was using that phrase don't be custom with me. In other words, don't be threatening me or don't be doing whatever. It became an all-encompassing phrase. It can be easy to live a life that we are constantly either challenging one another or we live in such a place where we are removing ourselves from any challenge. There's got to be this happy median where we allow people into our life that love us enough to warn us when we are walking off a cliff. But on the other end, we need to be careful not to surround ourselves with people who just love to stir the pot, if that makes sense. So I'm going to read this as we finish this and remember from all the way back in Titus, chapter one, paul warns Titus that hey, now these folks in Crete it's a rough group, they are rough and they got hard edges and you got to do a lot of work on these guys. And so now, as we get into chapter three, he's saying we really need to be careful how we relate to one another, how do we relate to those who are over us leaders and political people, also relating to people under us. Well, just being careful that we're not stirring that pot so that we're not, we're not custom with each other. And so we're going to read this together and see if the Lord will encourage you in some ways and maybe also challenge us all in some ways too. So you ready.

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Titus, chapter three, verse one, says this remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient and always ready to do what is good. They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they must be gentle and show true humility to everyone. Once we too were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. But our lives were full of envy and evil and we hated each other. But when God, our Savior, revealed His kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things that we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Christ Jesus, our Savior. Because of His grace, he made us right in His sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. So I want to pause there for a second, because the first two things he says are already very hard to do.

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The first thing he said in verse 1 was that believers should submit to the government and its officers. Now, depending on what part of the world you're reading this with us in today, that could hit you a little bit differently. But in the United States of America we're going through an election cycle right now, and even if we're not going through an election cycle, depending on. When you listen to this, there's always something going on in the political world where if you agree with it, then that's great, if you don't agree with it, it's like the worst thing ever. And so we say, well, I don't want to pray for that leader, I didn't vote for them or whatever. You've got to remember in first century Rome they didn. The emperor is in charge, whether you like it or not, and he's leading you, whether you like it or not, and you live or die based on how he feels that day. Right, and Paul is saying remember to submit to those people.

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And in other places he says we do this because we trust that God has put them in position and God can remove them from position. He also says to not slander anyone and avoid quarreling. Well, here's the thing. Those three things are easy as long as you agree, but what happens when you disagree? That's hard, paul. How in the world are we supposed to do this? Well, he says the reason why we do this is because our focus is on God, his love and his kindness toward us, and because he has forgiven us the way he has. He now gives us the ability to do the things that were impossible. It is he who empowers us to submit to authorities, who gives us the ability to not slander and then to not quarrel with one another.

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And so already out of the gate, he's saying don't be cussing with me, be careful not to stir up all this stuff. Well, how in the world do I not stir it up? Paul, because we trust in God over everything else, here we go, verse 8. This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone. Do not get involved with foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees or in quarrels and fights about obedience to the Jewish laws. These things are useless and a waste of time. If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them, for people like that have turned away from the truth and their own sins condemn them. Now pause again.

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Once again, he's also saying be careful not to just get in endless conversations. Now, it's different if you're in a conversation where you're working with someone as they're struggling with something, or you're reaching out to someone as an outreach to them, but if you're talking to someone who just wants to stir, just wants to argue. They just love arguing Paul's saying be careful, don't be around that person. I knew somebody one time who they just loved to argue, and so what they would do and they were not a Christian, and so what they would do is they would bring up things that they knew there wasn't really answers for. They just wanted to bother me. They weren't even trying to have just an intelligent conversation, they were just trying to stir the pot, and I noticed that, even though I would try to talk to them, I left feeling like really I did more harm than good, and so eventually, what I had to do is what Paul talks about, and it's the idea of saying you know what? I'm just not going to be able to have a relationship with you right now because all you're wanting to do is stir the pot and you have to be careful that you have people in your life. Now, once again, if you're doing an outreach to them and you're trying to reach them, that's different. But if it's someone who's just constantly trying to stir, paul says be careful and tell them I really don't want to do that anymore. I don't like having these pointless conversations, and if you're not willing to do that, then we're going to have to, you know, to think about our relationship and how we're able to communicate with one another. All right, let's finish this chapter.

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Verse 12 he says I am planning to send either Artemis or Tychicus to you. As soon as one of them arrives, do your best to meet me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to stay there for the winter. Do everything you can to help Zenos, the lawyer, and Apollos with their trip. See that they are given everything they need. Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others. Then they will not be unproductive. Everybody here sends greetings, and please give my greetings to all the believers and all who love us. May God's grace be with you all.

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Now very, very interesting on how this chapter ends. And that is not that it is the end of the ministry, but he's saying as it continues, make sure that you continue to grow, and I'm going to send people to help you along the way, because it's a big work that they're doing. And, as we know, throughout history this church continued and it continued to do all the things that God had called them to do. But as we end our chapter and, as we end Titus, what are the main takeaways that we can think about today? First of all, remember that this church in Crete, where Titus was, it was a hard group of people but they were working the problem, they were trying to figure it out. And that already encourages me, because I've been through seasons in my life and I just really felt like you know, this is just hard, this is difficult. But what I love is that just because something is hard and something is difficult doesn't mean that God just kind of moves on away from us. He continues to work in us and through us in everything.

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Specifically in this chapter 3, he talks about how important it is to keep the main thing, the main thing, to not get wrapped up in all the different arguments and all the different things where you're just bringing one another down, but instead you're encouraging one another. That doesn't mean you don't have difficult conversations, but we have these difficult conversations with the hopes of resolution and moving forward, not just so we can continue to stir that pot. And he gives a stern piece of sound advice when he says if you are surrounded with people and all they want to do is stir, then you need to go and have a conversation with them and say I love you, but I'm not interested in just having pointless conversations anymore. And then, if they do it again, you give them a second warning. And then, if they do it again, then for the sake of your own soul and your own peace, you say hey, you know what, if you're unwilling to take this step with me, then we're going to have to put some boundaries. Now, if you're married to them, you can't do that. You've got to work out something different. But if you're not, then you have to be careful, because you have to make sure that you're protecting your own soul.

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So here's the question today, based on what is happening is there someone in your life that is a constant source of negativity, a constant source of struggle, a constant source of just stirring the pot? Do you need to have a conversation with them and say I need to not be part of this anymore. I want us to redefine how we're doing this. On the other side, are you that person? Are you the one who just loves to stir you? Just, you just love just asking the hard questions? Just get a rise out of people and see what to do. You know what God's word says. Stop. Make sure that you are not stirring, but rather you are encouraging others.

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It's a hard thing to think about, especially hard to look in the mirror on this one, but it's very, very valuable. Let's pray together, god. Thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you love us enough, lord, to challenge us. Challenge us in our relationships, god. Relationships are so hard because they have to do with more than one person. Sometimes we can fix ourselves, but we can't do anything about that other person. Sometimes it's us that's the problem. But I'm so thankful, god, that you're more interested in us having healthy relationships than we do.

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So as we finish this book of Titus, god, I pray that you will speak deeply to our hearts. If there's difficult conversations on the horizon, I pray you'll give us the courage to take that next step. Maybe you want to use us to bring conviction to someone else's life because of them watching us work out holiness in our own life. Maybe, god it's us. Maybe we need to go ask forgiveness of someone else. However that is, I pray you will give us the courage to take the next step and we know that you are with us all along the way. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. You know what God's word says in Titus 3, verse 5 and 6,. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out His Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ, our Savior. It's so encouraging that God gives us the ability to live a God-honoring life because of His goodness in us. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow as we begin a brand new book of the Bible in the Old Testament called Job, chapter 1.