Beacon Sunday Service: June 8, 2025

I'm just gonna read Titus chapter 3, verses 12 to 15 for us. This is the reading of God's word. When I send Artemis or Tychicus to you, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Diligently help send Xenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way, so that nothing is lacking for them. And our people must also learn to lead in good works to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. All who are with me greet you. Greet though those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Let's pray together. Father, we're so thankful that you've brought us through just the last uh eight months, uh, just instructing us on how to build a church that honors Christ.

And we pray that you would allow just all of the teachings that we receive to bear fruit in our lives in your way in your time and according to your purposes. We pray today, as we are fed once again through your holy scriptures, Lord, that you would just encourage our hearts, challenge us so that we really would recalibrate the areas of our lives that need to be focused on you. We pray for just your blessing over just our time together, and I pray for your protection over the preaching of your word. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Go ahead and take a seat. Well, we started this short epistle uh to Titus on Sunday, October 6th, and so we've been in this epistle for the past eight months, and this will be the 28th sermon, the final sermon in the Titus series.

So it's been a dense and a compact manual for the church, and I felt that it was very appropriate for us to start this new chapter at the beacon by carefully studying through it. And I hope that we've grown and better understanding our purpose as the beacon church and our purpose as members of the universal church, a collective of saints who bear the name of Christ. So I just wanted to start with a review of what we covered in our sermon series through Titus. First, God's desire for sensibility in every believer, and that's been repeated repeatedly mentioned many times. Good works has been repeatedly been emphasized as a non-negotiable in the church, and it's going to be emphasized one final time today.

The importance of fruitfulness, be fitting of the pure of God, just runs through the letter. Sound doctrine and the adornment of sound doctrine by the believer's life. That's been highlighted multiple times. And we've been instructed in what the believers are to pursue and what the believer was to abstain from. And then the hope of eternal life and the believers' longing expectation of the return of Jesus have bookended this letter. And ultimately, the theme for this entire epistle has been basically an answer to the question, how do we do church God's way? So we've arrived at Titus 3, 12 to 15, and in these last four verses, the Apostle Paul gives some final instructions. He reemphasizes the importance of good works and fruit.

He mentions some very key people. He speaks of his next few steps, and then he closes the letter with a final greeting and a blessing. So we're going to look at these four verses just slightly out of order. So here's a sermon outline to help you track through this last sermon in Titus. So first, as if it hadn't already been made clear, Paul closes with a mention, final mention of the church's priorities again. So what were the Cretans to be diligent in? What were they supposed to lead in? So first, we're going to be looking at the church's priorities. Second, Paul mentions some very key people who were to be helped and honored in one way or the other. And then lastly, Paul closes with the mention of the Cretan church's power source, the all-sustaining power source that would ensure the accomplishment of the mission of the church.

And that's the grace of God. So the epistle begins with grace, continues with grace, and then ends with grace. And so we're going to be looking at that. Okay. So let me read the passage again for us. Titus 3 12 to 15. When I send Artemis or Tichicus to you, be diligent to come to me in Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Diligently help send Zenus the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. Our people must also learn to lead in good works to meet pressing needs so that they will not be unfruitful. All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. So first, Paul gives a reiteration of every church's priorities, and is specifically to the Cretan church here.

So what's supposed to be the priority of every Christian? What is supposed to be the obsession and the objective for every church? What's the desired result of all the lives of Christians throughout all time? And it's fruit.

God honoring fruit. So the church was to be fruitful. And fruitfulness was God's expectation for all the churches of Cr. It's God's expectation of all the churches today. So the church's priority has always been in the bearing of God honoring fruit. So read uh we see this in verse 14. Jesus' own words lead us to understand that the bearing of God honoring an enduring fruit was actually the very purpose for the believer's election. So John 15, 16, it reads, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would abide, so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give to you. So why has the believer been chosen? Why was he appointed to whatever specific ministry he's been appointed to?

What was and is the purpose of the believer's life? Not only this passage, but many passages will say it's the bearing and enduring of the bearing of uh enduring and abiding fruit. So you and I have been created by God and for God to love God and to serve God and to bear fruit in love and in service to God. God does not exist to bless us. Amen. So theologically we understand that, but in practicality, we want him to exist or to bless us. But it's a good reminder that we exist to bless and glorify God. And the believer's fruit is the primary means through which the believer which God is glorified. John 15, 8. At the bottom there, my Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

So fruit isn't only the purpose of our election, it is also the means through which God is glorified. So if you're saying, I want to glorify God, well, then bear fruit. Okay. And it's not only the means through which God is glorified, if you also see verse 8, hopefully you notice that good fruit and the abundance of it is also the evidence of genuine salvation. It's actually required proof. God is faithful to his branches, he cleans and dresses his branches so that they will be abundantly fruitful. And it's not up here, but it's John 15, 2. So fruitfulness is the evidence of God's working in our lives. We serve a God that makes no mistakes. And so in God's omnipotence, if he desires fruit in our lives, he's gonna bear fruit in our lives.

So has God saved you? Has the blood of Jesus atoned for your sins? Has Christ's righteousness been imputed to you? Then you will bear fruit. So you aren't just transformed in legal standing only, you are transformed in the very core of your being, and you cannot but be fertile soil. So you guys know the parable of the four soils, right? So in that parable, Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8, only the fourth soil is the one that gives evidence of salvation. The other three soils are all unfruitful. They may have sprouted some leaves, but they had no fruit. So if you read the wording of these accounts pretty carefully, you'll notice that none of the first three soils onto which the sower sows bears any fruit.

It's only the fourth one that believes accepts the word and bears fruit with perseverance. So the elect and fertile soil will bear God honoring fruit. So elect people, fertile soil, are one and the same. So this parable of the sower, it contains so important a teaching that it is found in all three synoptic gospels in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. There aren't many that are found in all of them, but that one is. So fruit is evidence. It is not possible for a bad tree to be spiritually fruitful. It is not possible for a good tree to persevere in unfruitfulness. A bad tree can have counterfeit fruits, or even have lush green leaves, like the fig tree which Jesus curses. A good tree may have seasons where fruit is not immediately visible, but with time a good tree will and bear and must bear good fruit.

A bad tree will and cannot but bear bad fruit. And again, these are Jesus' own words. Matthew 7, 17 to 21, and there's no hidden meaning here, okay. Every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Pretty clear, right? Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire, so then you will know them by their fruits. Again, pretty straightforward.

So here's a one of the reasons why people don't like Matthew 7. And it's not often preached. Fruitless trees go to hell. Every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and then thrown into the fire. Do you see that in verse 19? So those who do not have the fruit of the Spirit will not inherit the kingdom of God. That's Galatians 5 21. So unfruitfulness disqualifies a person from entrance into the kingdom of heaven. That much is clear in Scripture. And so because it is evidence, good fruit also becomes a criterion through which a soul will be judged. Matthew 7 19. So good fruit is the purpose of election. It's the means through which God is glorified. It is the evidence of election, and it's a criterion for judgment.

So the bearing of good fruit is very important. The believer has not been saved by good works.

And that has to be clear from what we've previously covered in Titus. So by way of quick review, just a few verses before this, in chapter three, Paul wrote, He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to his mercy, through the washing of our generation and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. That was just a couple verses before. So I'm not preaching a gospel of works, a workspace salvation. So the Spirit of God poured out upon us richly, will ensure that fruit will be wet? Not really. And I won't be bothered by it at all. If you are to submerge me in a swimming pool, my shirt cannot but be wet.

Sprinkle some water on me. Hardly a concern. But if you dunk me in a pool, I'm coming out drenched. So if the person of, if the spirit of God is poured out upon a person, as it says here, richly, the Spirit of God will ooze forth from every spiritual pore of that person. Because God makes no mistakes, He is mighty to save, and then He will be mighty to bear fruit in and through the believer who's been saved, washed, and renewed. So the Spirit has been poured out richly and abundantly on the believer, and the believer has been fully submerged into the Spirit. So it's gonna show. So there will be fruit. So fruitfulness is the priority of the church. Fruitfulness in the making of disciples through baptizing and equipping with the entirety of Christ's teaching and doctrine, that's supposed to be the priority and the obsession of every church.

Every believer is to prioritize abiding in the vine, John 15, 4, and to be diligent in whatever the ministry of the gospel demands of him. So we're supposed to be obsessed with fruit. And through the empowerment of the Spirit, we're supposed to be diligent in the production of God's fruit. We're gonna be diligent to his harvest because his harvest is indeed plentiful. Yes, hello? Okay, so you might be a little bit like, what if there's no fruit in my life? So just keep paying attention. The word for diligent in the scriptures is spadazzo, repeat after me, spudazzo. Spudazzo. And that means to be diligent. It means to be zealous, to obsess, to prioritize, or to use speed. It's urgent, right?

So in other words, it means to make haste, it means to spare no expense, it means to keep at the top of every priority list. So basically, spudazzo, whenever it is used, it means you have one job. Focus on one job. And I mentioned this two weeks ago, but Paul used this word spedazzo in Galatians chapter 2, verse 10 to explain how big a priority ministering to the poor was to the early church. The care for the poor of the church was extremely important for the early church and the apostles. And what else was to be of extreme importance to the early church? The correct handling of doctrine. So one of the last things Paul wrote to Timothy was that Timothy was to be spudazzo in the following. Be diligent, spudazzo to present yourself to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

So we're supposed to love the poor in our community, spudazzo, handle the word of God accurately, spudazzo. Whenever the word spudazzo is used, it means the first fruits of our time, the first fruits of our money, and the first fruits of our passions are supposed to be given to those things, not the leftovers. So we're we don't say things like this.

Once summer vacation hits and I have more time in the summer, then I will.

Kingdom work always comes first. It's supposed to be the first fruits. And so derivatives of the word spudazzo were only used for important things. And it's only been used 13 times in the entire New Testament. So whenever we see the word spudazzo, it's prioritized. And why am I spending time explaining this word? In the closing of Titus 3, 12 to 15, Paul uses it twice of all the 13 in the entire Bible, Paul uses it twice here. And this is where he uses it. When I send Artemis or Tychicus to you, Spidazzo to come to me at Nicopolis. So first fruits. Make haste. For I have decided to spend the winter there. Spidazzo help Xenos the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them.

And our people must also learn to lead in good works so that they to meet pressing needs so that they will not be unfruitful. So the apostle Paul closes the letter with two specific priorities to which Titus and the church were to give themselves. Do you see it? The first one is directed at the young church leader himself. Paul had made plans to spend the winter ministering at Nicopolis. And he hoped that Titus would join him there. Presumably to check in to strategize for future ministry. We don't know the specifics. History doesn't provide us with all specifics. But Titus was supposed to drop everything, even the appointing of elders and setting things in order in the churches of Crete, he's supposed to let all that go because Artemis or Tichocus is going to replace him, and he's supposed to make haste to Nicopolis.

Nicopolis was a busy port town on the west coast of Achaea. It's about 300 miles from Crete where Titus is. That's like San Jose to here. And Titus is to make haste. So as soon as Artemis or Tukekis come, his replacements, he's supposed to go. And that's a long trip. And that's, like I said, from like San Jose to LA, but unlike LA, the winters in Nicopolis were actually known to be harsh. And this is harsh in terms of Mediterranean, not like sub zero, but like 40. Okay. So for us, 40 Californians were like, it's so cold, right? But the winters in Nicopolis were actually cold. It's one of the coldest areas of the Mediterranean. So Paul isn't heading there for warmer weather. He's heading there for strategic ministry.

We just don't know what's happening there. Okay, it's for kingdom advancement. So Titus was to Spidazzo to make his way to meet Paul in Nicopolis. Some scholars say the Apostle Paul was likely arrested at Nicopolis and then taken to trial in Rome. So what Paul was possibly aware of was that he is going to Nicopolis to give Titus specific instructions for kingdom work. He's going to get arrested, and then he's going to get beheaded. This is where he's going to end his life. And then if you look at 2 Timothy 4 10, he says he sent Titus from Nicobalus to Dalmatia. Where we get the dogs. Okay? The Dalmatia. Now, historically or biblically, we don't have much recorded in terms of Titus' ministry in Dalmatia.

But I have to believe that he was sent there by Paul with a very specific and strategic missionary task. Because he could trust Titus. Maybe Titus is going there to appoint elders and set up churches in Dalmatia as well. So we are to prioritize and spudazzo mission work as the Spirit leads. So Titus is being charged with this. Drop everything, spudazzo, meet me at Nicopolis. Second, Titus and the church were to spudazzo and helping Zenos the lawyer and Apollos on their missionary endeavors. What are the most pressing needs that the church is supposed to prioritize? It is not food distribution. It is not a fighting for the change of laws of society. It's the salvation of souls. Amen.

And the saving of souls comes through the doctrines of the gospel of Christ. And the believers were to adorn the gospel with their lives, as we've learned previously. So we are supposed to give of our first fruits to these missionaries, so that they could save souls. And we involve ourselves in every missionary endeavor, whether it's by going or by sending. That's the spudazzo, the second part. Okay. So wherever you are, geographically, occupationally, circumstantially, relationally, we're supposed to adorn the gospel in our lives. Amen. So you're supposed to bloom with your planet. But if the Lord happens to relocate you, not just geographically, but relocate you even occupationally, circumstantially, relationally, we're supposed to diligently prepare to adorn the doctrine of the gospel of God simply in that different context.

So in the event the Lord was then to send one of us into a completely foreign context, we are to spudazzo to free him up or her up to adorn and proclaim the gospel of Christ there too. So regardless of our role in this missionary endeavor, whether we stay or whether we go, we're supposed to minister diligently with a purpose. So if the Lord calls us to go, and not just geographically, if he calls us to move and go, we go with a purpose. If he calls us to stay, we stay with a purpose. And if he appoints us to send, we send with a purpose. Spidazzo. And we're supposed to give generously to that ultimate purpose. So the meeting of pressing needs. You guys see that in verse 14? The salvation of souls.

It is for that we're supposed to invest every talent, every dollar, every resource of time, every opportunity, every relationship for the bearing of God honoring God glorifying fruit. Not with the leftovers, but spidazzo implies first fruit, right? So again, in Jesus' own words, it's a little smaller, but I felt this is important to read. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Verses 22 to 23, it refers to the filter by which you view what you own. It's the filter through which you process your purpose in the world. It's the driving force in the decisions that you make. So either you're living for God, or you are living for your comfort, pleasure, and luxury in this life. You are either living with an eye for the kingdom, or you're living with an eye for a happy life here on earth. And these are mutually exclusive. Do you see these at that in the text? It's mutually exclusive. So may you and I, may the beacon church, be spent for the purpose of bearing fruit. May we be a church known for diligence in knowing God and making him known. Amen. That's the priority of the church.

To know God and then to make him known. So, secondly, church is people. There are four individuals mentioned here. Oftentimes when we get to the end of a letter like this, and there is a list of names of people, raise your hands if you're naturally just tend to skip. I won't judge you if you skip over these lists. It's just a bunch of people. I just skip, right? Or we read them really fast, thinking that there's no spiritual nourishment to be found in these lists. Now, these are names that have been eternally etched into the fabric of Christian history. Think about that, right? These four people, their names are part of scripture. They've been deliberately included into the scripture by the Holy Spirit of God.

So we're gonna spend a little bit of time looking at who these people are. Alright. First two people mentioned here are Artemis and Teuchicus. Presumably one of them would be the deliverer of this letter to Titus. And perhaps Paul hasn't decided yet which one he would send at the time of his writing, but he says, I'm gonna send one of these two. First of the two was Artemis.

Perhaps he was the bishop of Lystra. Some people in the early church believed him to be among the 70 disciples that Jesus sent out in Luke chapter 10. But there's nothing conclusive known about this man. All that we can infer from his inclusion in this section of scripture is that Paul trusted him. Not just with doing ministry, not just with the carrying of the holy scriptures of this letter, but he entrusted him to speak on his behalf. Teuchekus, on the other hand, is mentioned several times in the New Testament. He was with Paul on his third missionary journey. He was the courier of the letter to the church at Colossae. He was also the carrier of the letter to Ephesus. So he might be just a healthy, sturdy ox, kind of like a man.

Just he can travel long ways and send letters. And then later, he presumably replaces Timothy in Ephesus. Even though Tukekus is mentioned multiple times, all that we know about him is that Paul trusted him. And it looks like Paul trusted him a lot. The only real thing that is written about Tychicus in any detail is the following.

And then Titus and the church were to be diligent to help them. The first was Xenos the lawyer. The second one was Apollos. All we know about Zenas was that he's a lawyer. He is never mentioned anywhere else. Some people in the early Catholic church suggested that he also was one of the seventy, but that too is nowhere near conclusive. But he was fruitful enough, he was useful enough, he was faithful enough for Paul to endorse him for ministry. He told the church in Crete, support this guy so that nothing is lacking for him. We know a little bit more about Apollos. He was an eloquent Jewish preacher. He had a fan base at Corinth, he had a following there. Some people like Martin Luther actually think that he may be the writer to the letter to the Hebrews.

But with Apollos, we don't know much about him. But let me read the description of Apollos that we do see found in the book of Acts. Now a Jew named Apollos and an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man arrived at Ephesus, and he was mighty in the scriptures. Now that's praise. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John, and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Four just somewhat obscure individuals from our vantage point.

Artemis carried a letter, trustworthy in ministry. That's all we know. Tuchekis carried a few letters, trustworthy in ministry. Xenos, trustworthy, even though he was a lawyer. Apollos, an eloquent teacher who needed to be corrected a bit in his theology, not only gifted and mighty in the scriptures, but also humble and teachable, trustworthy. And that is all that we know about these remarkable men. There were no books, no biographies written, or no documentaries made about these men. So here's a question. If that was your legacy, would that be enough? We have five Alexes here, right? Alex, trustworthy man. Okay, I'm referring to one of you. Okay, you guess who which one?

Abe worked with cadavers, faithful. John played drums, trustworthy. Sarah and Kathy, faithful teachers. Peter, faithful pastor. If that was all that was said about you, for the rest of human history, would that legacy be enough? No one writing about a biography about your life, nothing remarkable ever mentioned about your service to Jesus, your great grandkids knowing nothing about your life except that you were a genuine follower of Christ. Is it okay if after 80 years on earth, your tombstone only reads, here lies a nobody who was made a somebody only by the grace of God? That's it. You come and go.

And you know them, okay? The thief on the cross, the woman at the well, the believing woman, the thankful leper, the God fearing midwives of the seventy disciples whom Jesus sent out for ministry. Would we even recognize them in heaven? We aren't even sure who they are. We don't even know their names. The woman who broke the alabaster jar, the costly perfume onto Jesus' feet. This woman is probably the most famous of all of them. Because any time the gospel is preached, she is made mention of.

Her deed is mentioned, her name is not. Matthew 26, 13. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her. Now, let's try to find her in heaven. Our priority is to know God and make him known. But sometimes we have to be careful because there is a desire in every single one of us that wants to be known as we are making him known. There is a prideful greed for recognition that lies in every single one of us that wants to be appreciated in the process of making him known. Is it enough for you simply to be approved by God and to hear, well done, my good and faithful servant?

Or do you feel the need to make your mark and to be celebrated in this life? That's where we get in trouble. You and I have been created by God and for God to love God and to serve God and then to disappear.

One of the most offensive and yet liberating verses in all of the scriptures is John chapter 3, verse 30. Have you guys ever heard of the man John the Baptist? He's famous. Would you want to live like him? Camelclothes, eating locusts, beheaded? Probably not. John the Baptist had been faithfully ministering, and many people, crowds of people were gathering to him, repenting and being baptized. Then Jesus came onto the scene. And John the Baptist, the greatest man to ever have been born of a woman. That's Jesus' own words. The greatest man to ever have been born of a woman fades into oblivion. John had been created by God and for God to love God and to serve God, and he had been given just one job to prepare the way for Jesus.

So this powerful man, John's disciples, are a little bit confused when Jesus appears on the scene. And they bring this up to John, and this is what John says.

Behold, he is baptizing, and all are coming to him. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You are my witnesses, and that I have said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. He must increase, but I must decrease.

At a wedding, no bridesmaid or groomsman who is a treasured friend of the bride or the groom should ever be sad that no one's paying attention to them. Can you imagine a bride bridesmaid? Look at me. Who cares? Or if a groomsman thinks he's all handsome, hey, hey. You know, you're all strictly ornamental. No one cares that you exist except the bride and the groom. It is not appropriate for you to be sad that everyone's only looking at the bride and the groom. What a diva. If I love my friend and he asks me to be a groomsman, it's a joy, it's a privilege simply to stand there to make him look good on his special day. As we make much of Christ, we simply are supposed to fade into the background.

And to that end, we labor. We work hard at disappearing. Diligently. To that end, we spudazzo in whatever ministry he has entrusted to us, because we have been created by God and for God to love God, to serve God, and then disappear. The gospel of the kingdom has been carried by a countless army of nameless, faceless men and women whom we have never met. Hebrews 12 calls them the great cloud of witnesses. And you and I are indebted to people we've never met. You guys know this, right? Even if some random person shared the gospel to you, someone shared the gospel to him. We are indebted to this myriad of faithful, faceless, nameless baton carriers. I'm a fourth generation Christian. My great grandfather was the first pastor ever in Kongzang Do in Korea, which is on the very far south of Korea.

He spent time in prison during the Japanese occupation for preaching the gospel. So admire me for having him as my great grandfather.

I don't even know his name.

That we don't consider much of their sacrifice. Right now at present, they're too busy being in awe of Christ. So may we likewise grow to delight in our anonymity. Amen. He must increase, we must decrease. May we consider all things rubbish in the light of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. So at the beacon, we ought never to make much of the beacon. Let me repeat that. It's recorded. So if I'm like beacon of the best, you can show that to me and rebuke me, all right. At the beacon, we ought never to make much of the beacon. We are to make much of Christ to every soul that walks into this church, because he is why we gather, he is why we exist.

We don't exist to make ourselves feel good every week. Christ is why we exist. Lastly, what's the church's power source? The letter closes with the mention of it, and the letter is sealed with the mention of it. It's the grace of God. Grace be with you all. So the letter begins with grace and it ends with grace. You see that in chapter one. And the Christian life starts in your life by grace. Titus 2.11. Then the Christian life is sustained by grace, Titus 3 7, all the way to eternity. So our salvation begins and continues on into eternity by his grace, by unmerited favor, never by our works. We can't boast of anything. R. C. Sproull, the late reformed scholar, he wrote, Christians have nothing to be smug about.

We are not righteous people trying to correct the unrighteous. We're just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. This church was once planted and started in grace. And by his grace, our church has grown, even though we're still small. By his grace, this church has persevered and weathered all sorts of interesting seasons. And by his grace, we're going to continue on. With or without you, with or without me. We are called to be diligent. We are called to be spudazzo by his grace. But our diligence will not be what produces the fruit.

You and I cannot manipulate fruit. And in the event that we could find some scheme that we do, it's a counterfeit fruit that will burn. May we never be so deceived into thinking that the key to growing our church and to growing our life, our people in our lives is our diligence. If anything, our church will grow as we delight in our repeat after me. Incompetence.

And I try to mean it.

And we let God do the building. Who cares how big or small we are five years from now, ten years from now. Let God do the growing.

And I'm going to close the sermon with one verse that reminds us of our true source of power. And this is the secret to bearing fruit. Alright? So pay attention because fruit is very important. It's evidence, it's criterion, it's God glorifying, and that's all we need to obsess about. So this is, you have to pay attention. And he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. For power is perfected in weakness. That's Paul quoting God. So most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions and hardships for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I will be fruitful.

Then I am strong. Let's pray together.

Thank you, Father, for the many circumstances in our lives that remind us that we're spiritually stupid. Thank you, Father, for the many circumstances in our lives that we can't control or manipulate. Thank you, Father, for showing us the evils that are still residually and stubbornly in our hearts. Thank you, Lord God, for all the things that hurt our pride. Thank you, God, for using every opportunity to show us our weakness and our helplessness. So as we grow in decreasing, Father, would you increase mightily in this church? We pray all of these things in Jesus' name.