A Gospel-Centered Commission

[0:00] Well, if I could, this evening, for a short while, if I could turn back to that portion of scripture that we read, Paul's letter to Titus, Titus chapter 3, and we're going to look at the whole chapter, but if we read again at verse 1, Titus 3, from the beginning, where Paul says to Titus, remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy towards all people.

[0:50] When I was growing up, I feel I'm still growing up, but when I was growing up as a young Campbell, my mother would often remind me that the motto of the Campbell clan is forget not. The motto of the Campbell clan is forget not. And as her maiden name was MacDonald, my mother would always find it hilarious that no one in our house ever lived up to their name, because all the Campbells in our house were useless at remembering anything, and safe to say, well, nothing has changed. I still don't live up to the Campbell motto of forget not, because I'm always forgetting things, and I'm sure you're quite well aware of that, that I'm always forgetting things. And I constantly need reminders. And I have to write things down, or I have to put it in the calendar, or I have to make a note of it somewhere, just so I don't forget. And maybe you're the same. Maybe you're always forgetting things as well. Maybe you're always forgetting things, or misplacing things, or even missing events, because, well, you've forgotten all about them.

[2:02] We all need reminders to help us. And we need reminders, and we can have reminders probably on our phone, if you use that format, or even on post-it notes, or on a calendar, or even by telling someone else, so that they'll prompt you to remember. And you know, that's what a reminder is for. A reminder is there to prompt us to take action. A reminder is there to prompt us to take action. Even when it comes to paying a bill, and we've forgotten about it, we'll get a reminder letter, or we'll get a reminder email prompting us to take action. And that's what a reminder is. It's there to prompt us to take action. And you know, that's what we see in this chapter. Paul is giving Titus a reminder. A reminder that the church has a gospel-centered commission. And by giving Titus a reminder, Paul is prompting Titus and his island congregation, he's prompting them to take action.

[3:04] And that has actually been the thrust of Paul's letter to young Titus. It's been a letter prompting Titus to take action in his island congregation. In fact, that's why Paul wrote these pastorly epistles, the pastorly epistles of both Timothy and Titus. Paul wrote these pastorly epistles in order to instruct Timothy and Titus to guide them, to exhort them, to encourage them, and even to prompt both Timothy and Titus, to prompt them in their ministries. And as you know, Timothy, he was laboring in the city of Ephesus, while Titus here, he was on the Greek island of Crete. And as you would expect, both places and both people, they were very, very different. But all the problems would have been just the same.

[3:57] But here in his letter to Titus, Paul is giving, he's giving personal and very pastoral advice and instructions. And he's even prompting this young island minister in his island church. Because, you know, Paul's greatest concern for the island congregation to whom Titus was ministering, his concern was that the congregation had become self-centered. They were a self-centered island church. And in his letter, Paul is reminding Titus that they need to be a gospel-centered church, not a self-centered church. And, you know, we've noticed, as we've gone through this letter, we've noticed Paul's emphasis upon the need to be a gospel-centered church. And we've noticed it because of the structure of the letter. At the beginning of the letter, we saw that Paul reminded Titus, and even prompted Titus, that he has a gospel-centered calling. And that Titus's gospel-centered calling is a call to preach to his people. It's a call to pastor his people. And it's a call to prepare his people for eternity. As an island minister in an island church, Titus, he says, has a gospel-centered calling. But then in the second half of chapter one, we saw that Paul taught what it was to be a gospel-centered church. And Paul said that a gospel-centered church will have leaders with a gospel-centered character, a gospel-centered conduct, and a gospel-centered conversation. And then last week, when we looked at chapter two, Paul gave instructions, and then he also gave incentives on how to be a gospel-centered

[5:38] Christian. And Paul did that by giving an exhortation. He gave an example, and then he gave an encouragement. But this evening, as we're considering this closing chapter of Paul's pastoral letter to Titus, we see that Paul is giving Titus a reminder, a reminder that the church is to be, the church has a gospel-centered commission. And you know, that's the structure of this letter. It's a wonderful letter.

[6:08] He's talked about a gospel-centered calling, a gospel-centered church, a gospel-centered Christian, and then lastly, a gospel-centered commission. And Paul's greatest concern for the island church to whom Titus was ministering was that they would be gospel-centered, not self-centered. And so this evening, we're looking at this reminder that the church has a gospel-centered commission. And as we said, a reminder is there to prompt us to take action. And that's what Paul is doing. He's prompting Titus. He's prompting this island congregation to take action and fulfill their gospel-centered commission. And he does it, you could say, using four headings. We're going to look at it using four headings. Because Paul, he gives a reminder, then he gives a reason, then he gives a requirement, and then he gives them a responsibility. And there are four headings. A reminder, a reason, a requirement, and a responsibility. So look, we'll look first of all at a reminder. Paul gives them a reminder.

[7:17] He says in verses one and two, remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy towards all people. Paul brings his letter to Titus to a conclusion with a reminder. And this reminder which Paul gives is an imperative. It's a command. Where Paul commands young Titus, he says to him, remind them. Remind your island congregation, he says. Remind the elders in your island congregation. Remind the deacons in your island congregation. Remind the Christians in your island congregation. Remind everyone in your island congregation that they have a gospel-centered commission. Remind them, he says. Now, the reason Paul says this to Titus is because this is something the island congregation already know. What Titus is to teach them isn't new.

[8:24] It isn't a new doctrine that the church is unfamiliar with. It's not an original thought. What Titus is to teach the island congregation is something they already know and something they've heard before. But the problem they had and the problem we all have is that we're quick to forget.

[8:46] We forget the teaching of scripture so often and so quickly. And that's why we need to be reminded. That's why we need to be prompted. Because there's a danger in forgetfulness. That was Israel's problem.

[8:59] They soon forgot. And we sang about that in Psalm 106. Where they forgot. They forgot the Lord's love towards them. They forgot how gracious the Lord was in redeeming them and bringing them up out of bondage and slavery in Egypt. They forgot how good the Lord was to them. And they soon rebelled. And that can often be the case with us too. We can so quickly and so easily forget. We forget that we've been rescued from sin. We forget that we've been redeemed to salvation. And very quickly, when we forget, we can become rebellious. We can say, no, we don't want to follow the Lord's commands. That's why we need reminders. We need to be prompted by God's word.

[9:47] And that's what Paul was commanding this young island minister to do. He was commanding Titus not to get caught up with this unhealthy desire to always be original. But Paul was saying to Titus, take pains in making old truths new and stale truths fresh. Paul says, remind them because we're prone to forgetting. Remind them because we're prone to losing sight of our gospel-centered commission and what it really is. Remind them because we all need prompting now and again.

[10:28] And you know, our gospel-centered commission is to live out our faith as disciples of Jesus. Our gospel-centered commission is to be disciples that seek to make disciples of all nations.

[10:42] That was the great commission of Jesus. Go and make disciples of all nations. But here, Paul, he commands Titus to remind his island congregation of their great commission.

[10:56] He reminds them that they're to fulfill their gospel-centered commission. And you know, Paul gives this reminder by using six infinitives after this imperative.

[11:11] Paul has given the command to Titus, remind them. That's the imperative. Then following that, there are six infinitives where it's, you could say, to be words. Six to be words.

[11:23] Where Paul, he commands Titus, what his island congregation is, to be. He says, remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy towards all people.

[11:48] And in this list, Paul is giving Titus and his island congregation, he's giving them a reminder of their Christian conduct. Therefore, he says, in order to fulfill your gospel-centered commission, both the minister and the island congregation must have a gospel-centered conduct.

[12:09] And the first thing Paul notes that we're to remember to be, is that we're to be submissive to rulers and authorities. And this exhortation and this encouragement, you know, it's so relevant for us.

[12:26] And it's relevant for us because of, well, we think of all that's going on in Westminster at the moment. We think of the chaos that's going on in Parliament over Brexit.

[12:37] And, you know, you look at the news and you wonder how we can take our politicians seriously and submit to their authority. And yet that's what Scripture commands us to do.

[12:49] Scripture commands that we're not to subvert those in authority. We're to submit to them. Because ultimately the Lord is sovereign in every decision.

[13:00] He's in control over all that's taking place to do with Brexit or to do with any decision. He's ruling over and overruling in all things. But, you know, when many of them don't look to the Lord, many of our politicians, we know that they don't look to the Lord for guidance or direction.

[13:19] And when you think about it, it's no wonder Paul said to Timothy, the other young minister. Paul said to Timothy, he said, And so what Paul is saying is that in order to fulfill our gospel-centered commission, And so what Paul is saying is that in order to fulfill our gospel-centered commission, He commands both minister and island congregation to have a gospel-centered conduct.

[14:04] He says, submit to those who are rulers and authorities. We're to be submissive. We're to be obedient to those in authority. But more than that, he says, the next one.

[14:18] He says, we're to be ready for every good work. And what Paul means by this is that there's to be a willingness. There's to be an eagerness to serve the Lord in any way that we can.

[14:31] He says, we're to be obedient. We're to be ready for every good work. There's to be a willingness, an eagerness, not a laziness or a stubbornness or a reluctance or even excuses as to why we can't serve the Lord.

[14:46] Paul's command, you could say, to both island minister and congregation is clear. We're to be ready for every good work. We're to be ready to put our hand to the plough.

[14:58] We're to get involved in the life of the church and in the life of the community. Because how will we ever get to know the people in our church if we're not involved?

[15:10] And how will we ever get to know the people in our community if we're not involved? Now, when it comes to the life of the community, Paul puts a limit on our eagerness and our willingness and our readiness to work.

[15:27] He says that your involvement in the life of your island community must only go so far as good work. Therefore, he says, you mustn't get involved in something that will compromise your gospel-centred commission.

[15:41] And, you know, this is important. My friend, never get involved in something that will compromise your Christian witness. And it might seem like an obvious thing to say.

[15:55] But it happens so often. Paul says, be ready for every good work. But don't compromise the work of the gospel in the process. Because you must have a gospel-centred conduct if you want to fulfill your gospel-centred commission.

[16:11] Therefore, he says, get involved in the life of the church. But be careful when it comes to your involvement in the life of the community. Be involved. But be careful with your Christian conduct.

[16:24] And the way you are perceived by others. And, you know, Paul's advice, it's invaluable. Because there are times that we can put ourselves into awkward and even uncomfortable positions that may compromise our Christian conduct.

[16:42] But Paul says, don't do it. Don't do it. Be ready for every good work. And Paul, he even goes on in verse 2. He describes some of the possible scenarios in which we may compromise our Christian conduct in the church and even in the community.

[16:59] He says, as those with a gospel-centred commission, we're to remember that we're to speak evil of no one. We're not to gossip about others. We're not to speak ill of them or criticize them or condemn them.

[17:14] Why? Because that will never help the work or the witness of the church within a community. And he says, neither does quarreling.

[17:25] We're to avoid quarreling, he says. We're to avoid disunity and disharmony. We're to avoid factions and feuds. We're to avoid arguments and alienation.

[17:36] Instead, he says, we're to be gentle and we're to show perfect courtesy to all people. He says, we're to be gentle and gracious. We're to be gentle and gracious.

[17:50] And both of these characteristics were characteristics of Jesus. Jesus was gentle and gracious towards all people. Not just some people, but all people.

[18:03] And Paul says, that's our example. Jesus is always to be our example. If we want to fulfill our gospel-centered commission, then we must remember to follow the example of Jesus.

[18:18] And you know, what a reminder Paul commands Titus to give to his island congregation. What a reminder. Remind them, he says, to be submissive to rulers and authorities.

[18:29] To be obedient. To be ready for every good work. To speak evil of no one. To avoid quarreling. To be gentle. And to show perfect courtesy towards all people.

[18:42] But you know, Paul doesn't give this reminder for no reason. And he explains in the following verses that there is a reason. There's a reason for this reminder. And that's what we see secondly.

[18:54] We see a reason. So a reminder. And then a reason. A reason in verse 3. He says, For we ourselves were once foolish.

[19:07] Disobedient led us three. Slaves to various passions and pleasures. Passing our days in malice and envy. Hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared.

[19:20] He saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness. But according to his own mercy. By the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

[19:34] So that being justified by his grace. We might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The reason Paul gives for issuing a reminder to both island minister and congregation.

[19:49] The reason he says. Is because salvation is all of grace. And Paul includes himself in this. He says.

[20:00] We ourselves were once foolish. And you know Paul. He gives this all encompassing description. Of what it's like to be unconverted.

[20:12] And out of Christ. And the amazing thing is. Paul admits. That he was once there himself. And you know. This is the amazing thing about Paul's writings.

[20:22] He never forgot. He never once forgot. What he was like when he was unconverted. And you know. Neither should we. We should never forget what we were like.

[20:34] Before we met the Lord. Because as Paul says in verse 3. We ourselves were once foolish. Disobedient. Led astray.

[20:45] Slaves to various passions and pleasures. Passing our days in malice and envy. Hated by others. And hating one another. We should never forget.

[20:57] What it was to be an unconverted friend. And you know my unconverted friend here this evening. When Paul describes the life. That both he and every Christian once had.

[21:07] Before they were saved. He's also describing you. In your current state. He's describing. You in the life that you currently have.

[21:19] It's a solemn description that he gives in verse 3. Because he says that without Christ. As your Lord and King. He says you're foolish.

[21:30] He says you're foolish. You're living. He says like. The fool. Now some people would find that offensive. To be called a fool. But this isn't my description of you.

[21:42] This isn't even Paul's description of you. This is God's description of you. This is how. The God who has made you. Created you. Sustains you.

[21:53] Loves you. And yet you're rebelling against him. This is how he's describing you. This is how God views your life. And the way you're living your life. Without Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

[22:04] And Paul says. He says that. God describes you as foolish. You're disobedient. You're being disobedient. Because you're unwilling to submit.

[22:15] To the authority. And lordship of Jesus. And for this reason. Says Paul. You've been led astray. You've been led astray.

[22:26] This is how he's describing you. You've been led astray. The God of this world. Has blinded your mind. The devil has led you astray. You're walking according to the course.

[22:37] Of this world. The Bible says you're dead. In trespasses and sins. You're a stranger to grace and to God. You're enslaved by sin. And you're a slave to all the fleeting passions and pleasures.

[22:51] That are on offer in this world. And Paul says that when you're unconverted. You pass all your days. You waste all your days.

[23:03] He says. You spend your life. The life that is so short. You spend your life chasing after all these things. That you will leave behind when you die.

[23:15] Love. Loot. And land. You leave it all behind he says. Love. Loot. And land. You leave it all. And you know. We shouldn't need to be reminded.

[23:28] That we can't take any of it with us. Because there isn't a week that goes by. Where we are reminded by the death of someone else. In our community. Or even further afield.

[23:40] We see it all the time. Where everyone. Leaves behind them. Love. Loot. And land. It's all left behind. And so why do we spend our life arguing over it?

[23:53] Why do we spend our life being discontent with what we have? Why? Because life is uncertain. Death is sure. Sin is the cause.

[24:05] And Christ is the cure. Why? Why do we spend our days in this unconverted state?

[24:17] When Christ is the cure. Christ is the cure. And that's what Paul affirms in verse 4. He says. When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared.

[24:30] He saved us. Not because of works done by us in righteousness. But according to his own mercy. By the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

[24:40] Paul says. This is the wonder of our salvation. This is the reason you must fulfill your gospel centered commission. Because salvation is all of grace. Paul says.

[24:51] It was out of the goodness and loving kindness of God. That he saved sinners like you and me. It wasn't because of any works done by us. It wasn't because of our righteousness.

[25:03] It wasn't because we were good people living an upright life in our community. No. Paul says. Our Saviour saved us. Because of his great mercy.

[25:14] And in his mercy. He says. Our Saviour withheld his wrath from us. And in his grace. He gave to us riches that we did not deserve.

[25:26] And the riches where? He says. He regenerated us. We were born again to a living hope. He renewed us. By his Holy Spirit. He made us new. He says.

[25:36] He cleansed us from sin. He washed us in his blood. He made us white as snow. But more than that. More than that. Paul says. Through Jesus Christ.

[25:47] He poured out on you. Riches upon riches. Grace upon grace. Bounty upon bounty. Where you've been justified by faith. You've been clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

[26:01] You have peace with God. You're a child of God. You're adopted in the beloved. You're heirs of the riches. Awaiting you in heaven. You're joint heirs with Christ himself.

[26:13] And the wonder of it all is. That tonight you're being sanctified. For glory. You're being prepared. For glory. Grace has appeared.

[26:24] In order to prepare you. For glory. And you wonder why. Anybody wouldn't want to be a Christian. And Paul says to you. Paul says to you. My Christian friend.

[26:35] This is all yours. Through faith in Jesus Christ. Christ. It's all yours. You've been saved by grace. Not by works. But.

[26:47] This is the response. Because you've been saved by grace. Therefore. Therefore. Your response to the Lord's love. Which has been demonstrated. Towards you.

[26:58] In the life. The crucifixion. The death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ. Your response to the love of the Lord. Is to seek to fulfill. Your gospel centered commission.

[27:08] By loving Jesus. And loving others. That's your gospel centered commission. And you know my friend. When you look at the cross. If you're a gospel centered Christian.

[27:20] When you look at the cross. You shouldn't need. A reason. To fulfill your gospel centered commission. Because when you look at the cross.

[27:31] When you see. The prince of glory. And how he died. You should know the reason. Why you need to fulfill. Your gospel centered commission. And the reason is.

[27:41] He loved me. And he gave himself. For me. The reason Paul issues. A reminder. To both. Island minister. And congregation. Is so that.

[27:52] When they survey. The wondrous cross. They will know. Like Isaac Watts did. That this love. Is so amazing. It's so divine. That it demands.

[28:03] Demands from me. My soul. My life. My all. It demands. That I fulfill. My gospel centered commission. My friend.

[28:14] When we look at the cross. We should realize. That there is a requirement. A requirement. For following Jesus. A requirement. To fulfill.

[28:24] This gospel centered commission. To love Jesus. And to love others. And you know. That's what we see thirdly. There's this requirement. That Paul gives. So there's a reminder.

[28:36] A reason. And then he gives. A requirement. A requirement. In verse 8. Paul says. The saying is trustworthy. And I want you to insist.

[28:48] On these things. So that those who have believed. In God. May be careful. To devote themselves. To good works. These things are excellent. And profitable. For people. But avoid foolish controversies.

[29:00] Genealogies. Dissensions. And quarrels. About the law. For they are unprofitable. And worthless. As for a person. Who stirs up division. After warning him. Once and then twice. Have nothing more.

[29:11] To do with him. Knowing that such a person. Is warped. And sinful. He is self-condemned. Paul. You can see. He begins verse 8. With the phrase. The saying is trustworthy.

[29:23] And Paul. He repeats this phrase. Five times. Throughout his pastorly epistles. To both Timothy. And Titus. And Paul uses this phrase. To emphasize.

[29:34] To Timothy and Titus. That what he's about to say. Is solemn. What he's about to say. Comes with a solemn requirement. But you know.

[29:45] Paul. He not only emphasizes. Here to Titus. That what he's about to say. Is solemn. He also says. I want you to insist. On these things. Paul says. I want you to speak.

[29:56] About this boldly. And confidently. You could almost hear. Paul saying. Titus. Titus. I don't want you to shy away.

[30:07] From this. I don't want you to avoid. Addressing this issue. I don't want you to ignore this. I want you to insist. On these things. I want you to speak. About them. Boldly. And confidently.

[30:18] Because they're required. They're required. In order for your island congregation. To fulfill. Their gospel centered. Commission. And Paul even says.

[30:29] That his instructions. Are excellent. They're profitable. For the island congregation. They will benefit them. As they endeavor. To fulfill. Their gospel centered. Commission.

[30:39] So what does Paul insist on? Paul insists. That Titus. Is. To avoid. Foolish controversies. That profit little.

[30:51] He's to avoid. Debates. And discussions. With false teachers. And unregenerate men. That are of little value. To the furtherance. Of the gospel. Of Jesus Christ. He says.

[31:02] Avoid genealogies. That lead to endless. Quibbles. And squabbles. Avoid dissensions. And quarrels. About the law. Because they're unprofitable. They're worthless. They only.

[31:13] Make you lose sight. Of your gospel centered commission. They take your eye. Off Jesus. And you know. Paul even says. Avoid people. That stir up division.

[31:23] And dissensions. Because. That person. Is subverted. They're sinful. And they're self condemned. Keep your eye. On Jesus. He says. And you know.

[31:34] What Paul is insisting. Is that this island minister. He's to speak boldly. And confidently. To his island congregation. He's to tell them. To avoid anything.

[31:44] That could compromise. Their Christian character. Conduct. Or conversation. Avoid anything. He says. That could bring. Your Christian witness.

[31:55] Or the witness of the church. Into disrepute. Avoid anything. Within the church. Or within the community. That could compromise. Your Christian character.

[32:06] Conduct. Or conversation. And you know. What Paul is insisting. Is something. We need to. Hear more of. In our day.

[32:16] And generation. Because Paul. Is telling Titus. He's telling Titus. To preach. To his congregation. Be a careful. Christian. Be a.

[32:28] A cautious. Christian. Be a. Circumspect. Christian. And Paul. Says this. Because the truth. Is. Living in an island. Context.

[32:39] As we well know. There are far too many. Careless Christians. There are far too many. Casual Christians. There are far too many. Compromising Christians. But what's apparent.

[32:51] To both church. And community. And what will always be apparent. In an island setting. To both church. And community. Is that a careless. Casual. And compromising. Christian.

[33:01] Is not Christ focused. Or gospel centered. And Paul says. This is a requirement. Of the Christian. This is a requirement.

[33:13] Of the Christian. There to be a careful. Christian. There to be a cautious. Christian. There to be a. Circumspect. Christian. There to watch. Their character. Their conduct. And their conversation.

[33:23] Both in the church. And in the community. This is a requirement. But more than that. Says Paul. It's a responsibility. It's a responsibility.

[33:34] Of the Christian. And that's what we see. Lastly and briefly. Paul gives. A responsibility. Because in this. Closing chapter. Paul gives Titus.

[33:44] He's giving Titus. This reminder. That the church. Has a gospel centered. Commission. And Paul gives. A reminder. To prompt us. To take action. And that's what Paul is doing.

[33:54] He's prompting Titus. He's prompting. His island congregation. To take action. In order to fulfill. Their gospel centered. Commission. And Paul is given.

[34:05] He's given a reminder. He's given a reason. He's given a requirement. And then lastly. A responsibility. A responsibility. Verse 12.

[34:16] When I send Artemis. Or Tichus. To you. Do your best. To come to me. At Nicopolis. For I decided. To spend the winter. There. Do your best. To speed. Zenos.

[34:27] The lawyer. And Apollos. On their way. See that they lack nothing. And let your people. Learn to devote themselves. To good works. So as to help. Cases of urgent need. And not be unfruitful.

[34:39] All who are with me. Send greetings to you. Greet those. Who love us in the faith. Grace. Be with you all. Paul concludes.

[34:50] His short. Pastor letter. To Titus. By reminding. This island minister. That both he and his congregation. Have a responsibility. And their responsibility. Is to be gospel centered.

[35:01] Not self-centered. And as you said. That's been the emphasis. Of Paul's entire letter. He reminded Titus. That as a minister. He has a gospel centered calling.

[35:13] He's reminded the office bearers. In the island congregation. That they're to lead. As a gospel centered church. He's reminded the people. In the congregation. That each and every one of them.

[35:23] Is to be a gospel centered. Christian. And as both minister. And office bearers. And congregation. Paul has reminded us. This evening. That we are all. To have a gospel centered.

[35:35] Commission. And that's the structure. Of the letter. But you know. Paul. He closes. This pastoral letter. To both minister. And congregation. He closes.

[35:45] With a word of exhortation. And encouragement. Because there's a phrase. Which Paul repeats. In these closing verses. And it's the phrase. Do your best.

[35:58] Do your best. And you know. It's a great encouragement. It's a great exhortation. To close with. He says in verse 12. Do your best. Then he says in verse 13.

[36:10] Do your best. He's reminding. The young minister. And his island congregation. That their responsibility. Is do your best.

[36:21] To be gospel centered. Do your best. To be gospel centered. To be Christ focused. To live for Jesus. And as a young island minister.

[36:32] In an island congregation. That's our responsibility. That's what we're called to do. To do our best. To be gospel centered.

[36:42] In all that we do. To do our best. Because we have a gospel centered calling. We are to be a gospel centered church. We are to have gospel centered Christians.

[36:55] All because we have a gospel centered commission. Do your best. He says. To be gospel centered. To be gospel centered. In all. That you do. May the Lord bless these thoughts to us.

[37:09] Let us pray. O Lord our God. We give thanks to thee. That thy word is a word that gives to us a challenge.

[37:20] And help us Lord we pray. That in all that is before us. In all that we are to do for Jesus. Help us to keep our eyes firmly fixed upon him. We confess Lord.

[37:30] That we often don't do our best. That we give what is. What is less than a hundred percent. But Lord we pray that. In all that we do.

[37:42] In all that we seek to do from this day forward. That we would give our all for Jesus. Because he has given his all for us. He has done in us and for us.

[37:53] Exceedingly abundantly above all. More than we could ask. Or even think. Help us Lord then to serve him. Help us to look to him. Help us to love him. And to live for him.

[38:04] And Lord we pray. That when we faint and fail. We ask Lord that thou wouldst give us grace. To keep going. To keep looking to Jesus. As the author. And the finisher of our faith.

[38:15] Bless us Lord in the week that lies ahead. A week that is unknown to us. But known only to thee. Help us then to commit. Everything into thine hand. Knowing Lord.

[38:26] That thou art the one who cares for us. Go with us then we pray. Part us with thy blessing. And do us good. For Jesus sake. Amen. We'll bring our service to a conclusion.

[38:40] This evening by singing. Psalm 107. Psalm 107. Psalm 107. It's on page 382.

[38:51] In the Scottish Psalter. Psalm 107. We're singing from the beginning down to the verse marked. Verse 8. Praise God for he is good.

[39:04] For still his mercy's lasting be. Let God's redeemed say so. Whom he from the enemies handed free. And gathered them out of the lands. From north, south, east and west.

[39:16] They strayed in deserts pathless way. No city found to rest. And our commission. Our gospel centered commission. And even our prayer. Verse 8.

[39:27] Oh that men to the Lord would give. Praise for his goodness then. And for his works of wonder done. And to the sons of men. These verses in conclusion.

[39:38] To God's praise. Praise God for me. It's good for still.

[39:51] His mercy's lasting be. Let God's redeemed say so.

[40:05] Whom he from the enemies handed free. And gather there.

[40:20] Whom he from the enemies handed free. From north, south, east and west.

[40:32] This day in deserts pathless way. No city found to rest.

[40:50] For thirst and hunger in them fits. Their soul when streets them rest.

[41:07] They cry unto the Lord. And he them frees from their distress.

[41:23] Them also in a way to walk. The rightest he did guide.

[41:42] That they might to a city go. Where in them they might abide.

[41:58] Oh that men to the Lord would give.

[42:09] Praise for his goodness then. And for his works of wonder done.

[42:27] And to the sons of men. Amen. Amen. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[42:38] The love of God the Father. And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Be with you all. Now and forevermore. Amen. Amen.