What books that your life listens to your conversation watches how you live when they say no that's a real Christian Well let's face it most people who sit in church week after week after week do not necessarily look like what we just described rather than look so much like the world you can't tell the difference between a Christian and a dog Christian and so when you think about this inside in which we live it is aside it is drifting not toward God been away from God It is a site in which generation after generation has drifted away from the principles of the Word of God and the customs and the ideas that were based on biblical principles and so your question is what's the answer to this drift what's the answer to being God in the end I got listen age well I want you to turn to a little book in the New Testament Titus you know background Paul wrote to Titus giving him some admonitions about the church in Crete he sent him to a very difficult place the pastor a church and when you see the description of Crete here you say Well that sounds exactly like this inside in which we live and so he gave him some very strong warnings and so I want to begin reading in verse 5 because what he says in this passage he's saying look the minute you choose to give guidance and to help you the passion of the church is there all of the men like this because this is the kind of society we are facing so he begins verse 5 in chapter one for this reason I left you in Crete. That you would say that in order what remains an opponent to lose in every citizen erected you namely if it if it is above reproach the husband of one wife having children who believe now the case that dissipates in rebellion for the overseer must be above reproach is God stood not self-willed not quick tempered not addicted to wine not taught Nations as a fighter not fond of son again not motivated by money but hospitable loving what is good sensible just developed self-control holding fast the Faithful Word which is in accordance with the teaching so that he'll be able to both exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict that sound doctrine but there are many rebellious men empty talkers deceive us especially those of the circumcision who must be silenced because they're upset the whole family is teaching things they should not teach for the sake of body so again one of themselves that is one of these persons those who secretion said Christians are always why are those evil days Lazika What is this testimony is true but this reason report them severely suddenly may be sound in the face of not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth to the pure all things a few but of those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure but both their minds and their conscience are defile they profess to know God about their deeds they deny him being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed now how does that sound like create it sounds like not only create but the United States in every nation in the world around us we are living and they degeneration of society moving further and further away from God more opposition more unbelief more drifting from things that you went on though to be true so. With that in mind what I want to talk about is this and that is how do you live a god life in a society that is becoming darker and darker more and more on godly more prevalent in the opposition disbelief and rebellion toward a God who is holy so let's think about it for a moment let's think about the character of our society in certain words just that so you can jot them down and think about them and the 1st one is this that it's a secular society we live in that is there is no this and there is no place for God in the lives of many people it's all secular It's what I believe what I want to believe I want I want and the whole idea of secularism is get rid of. Spiritual things church none of that matters a 2nd word is materialism what drives most people today is money but it drives them because it is the desire of money and pleasure is greed oftentimes listen when you drift away from spiritual things when you drift away from Almighty God here's what happens. Leaves a void in your life how do you fill that void you fill that void least you attempt to do so by relationships most people it's by things have enough money and the places enough this enough pleasure to have enough money that seems to be the end of all of Monday if I have enough a very materialistic age a 3rd word is immoral we live in a sense and I think that is saturated with all kinds of sex sex should be motivated by love in the way that God intended it if you want to look at our society look how often how in every way sex is used to advertise all kinds of things that's where we are because it's man and woman's desire to have fulfillment and that seems in there sorted by and there are believe in the dark in there and it really is in Acts and way of looking at love sex isn't love it's all mixed up and someone 7 when you drift from the Word of God That is exactly what happens is a kind of society we become a society that is degenerating all the way a society full of empty philosophy there are all kinds of things. Ready you know television magazines books all kinds of thought that have nothing to do with what truly satisfies truly brings you peace and all of it is just a figment of man's fallen nature why because man's heart is empty of God And so what does he do what does he do you've got to find something to fill this void every void cries to be filled. Only I can feel the human heart when you turn away from the one legitimate absolutely legitimate thing they can they own the human heart it is God through His Son Jesus Christ eliminate him what do you do then you go to fill it with something some of the god some of the plays you something or whatever it might be that's where we are we have becoming more and more desperate as a society to fill the emptiness the longing and the crying of our heart the cry deep down inside is for God that we've been living that in him so therefore it's got to be something else so when you look at all of these words and then the whole idea of being deceived the deception that is rampant today is almost unbelievable people of intellect that hitting upon their intellect rather than through reason all kinds of then philosophies that are floating around and that's one of the most bizarre things become popular Oh here's something new this must be about trying that rock this not trying that must be something new people have deceived. And so when you look at our society like where we're at look at look what's happened and then what's the reason part of it part of the reason is false doctrine and if you go back to the 2nd Timothy for example and look in chapter 4 and look in verse 3 this is exactly where we are for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but morning to have the ears to cool they will accumulate for themselves teaches in accordance to their own desires not listen not teaches the teaching the Word of God but teaches who will teach the next that match what their desire is so ask yourself the question do you choose a church all the basis of what you desire to believe so that you can defend your way of living which is not Godly It's just that simple in the minds of many people we're talking about living a godly life we're talking about living a life that is separate not listen not separate in the light that we don't have a relationship but a different kind of life I got that life is a different kind of life then you see around you and what makes our living so important is this. The 1st thing people must see before they open the Word of God is this see a genuine true God and a Christian who says one thing and does the same who says here's what I believe and then they act like it but this is silence which you and I live that's not the kind of society we live in this is why it's more important than ever before the darker things get the pry into the true God the person begins the light those around them the more impact we have and the reason we are where we are is because our impact is less and we've become weakened as a church and it's time for the people who claim to be Christians that live a godly life whole in life and all of them not to impress somebody but to impact them to live the kind of life this book talks about and so when you think about. When you think about it and you look the same when he said about Crete not a lot of difference now the question is this what is the key to living a gone little life well let's go back to this let's go back to this. Nice verse and listen to what he says he's told him what to do he's getting ready to say look at the society you're in here's what he says Night verse holding fast the Faithful Word which is in accordance with the teaching so that he will be able both to exhort and sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict what do you mean Holdfast Holdfast means the group it tight hold it close apply it to your life don't allow it to drift away what he's saying is this the key to living a godly life is right here in this book why do we come and not Linda sorry want to ask you to bring a book bring the Word of God want to ask you if you're in your home or wherever you are listening or watching they get your bible know they get your panel a pencil out and write because what we're talking about is what God says. His word is absolutely essential to live a good God let live and so the question is What does it mean to hold fast to the Word of God It means listen to believe it to cling to it to hold to it it's the make a difference in our life and not only listen to claim to it but to apply it to Merrill life aka all 100 Bibles and put it in my house put it in my study if I don't listen if I don't get in my mind and beyond that and I don't get it in my heart to believe it and I listen and I don't get into Mark conduct in my behavior 100 Bibles won't do me any good and so this is exactly what he said Here to tell us he says cling to the Word of God Take it in hand hold it from it and why why did Paul have in mind when he said to him cling to it hold it fast Here's what he would say list you drift from the truth anybody could drift from the truth in a darkened society it's 15 further and further away from God you don't drift toward whole in this you have to make a decision whether you believe this book or not when you go live with this book of God And so the question is why all this emphasis and from Paul's viewpoint to tie this as he led the church in the midst of a very dark and generation of his day so the emphasis Well I think the 3 reasons primarily and one of them is this and that is because of the nature of this book if somebody said to you what is in the Bible let me give you an answer this book is the mountain on a printed page. It is the eternal Word of God the Scriptures sense the grass with those the flower fades but the word of my God stands for ever this book in essence is the story of God's redeeming love for mankind from all the way from the garden to me from the creation all the way to the last chapter in the last verse in a bible this book is all about God's redeeming love for mankind and all the things that had to that and the things that contribute to this book is the mind of God This is God's text book it's God's god book it's God's eternal book it has been criticized it has been burned it has been cut to sarin it's everything in the world has happened to it what did God say he says the Word of God will stand forever then who burned them died who persecuted those who believe that they're gone and you look back down through history this book has survived every come of opposition and attack and persecution and magical it is as strong today as it's ever been the more translations the day the Word of God is going all over this world and got his makes the Word of God The technology of the world what's he done he's making it possible for us to reach the entire world with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and one of the primary reasons he gave us this book is for the salvation of mankind and it's the reason he gave. So. It's the current the Word of God It's listen you can stack all the older books in the moral in one pile there would be millions of them for example you could put all that knowledge together on this. I can't even begin to equal one book you see it isn't this is the mind of God Listen this man would not have written this if he could he would because it condemns him and he couldn't if they wanted to and he wouldn't if he could but the simple reason because if you choose to live in sin you know I mean read this book if you've decided you don't live your mind the way you want to live it you don't have any interest in God Spiritual things you don't care about what happens as far as you're concerned there is no God You probably would be interested in reading several chapters in this book which condemn you to eternal separation from God but then you have to ask yourself the question do I want the truth or do I want to live in deception the consequences from not reading the Word of God It's the story of God 3 you see it's not a condemnation book he says I didn't come into the world Jesus none came into the world to condemn the world but through through me the world by the say this isn't a book of condemnation it is a book of love that God can reach down to sinful man and then forgive us and make us righteous and hold in his sight then in spite of our failures in spite of our weaknesses in spite of resends he is so loving in some forgiving He sent His only begotten Son Jesus into the world to doubt my cross pay your sin then in full make it possible you to be forgiven make it possible for you to live a godly hold in my and if you spar of that choose not to believe that you are a sponsor when you stand up will go on to give an account for rejecting the living eternal Word of God which is a sin and believe and you will pay a price that is the truth of God's word and so what's this book this is this is an awesome book and not only because of the nature of the Bible but a 2nd reason that it's Paul wrote that he simply wrote had it not him that's this as we said and he said in different ways because the 4th all purpose and simply is this. That we might understand salvation be saved we might understand a godly life and live it we might be equipped to serve God and we might be listened equipped to defend what we believe there's no book like it he said claim to it hold good don't depart from it why because this is this is the god book in fact I don't know if you can come up with a single question and you're like that relates to you personally for which there's not an answer in God's word because it's complete and this is why it's so important we cling to it that is not only should it be in your house and your mind and your heart but in your conduct in the way you and I live that separates us from the on God makes He says you can make a lot of the world what makes us light listen what makes a shine before this dark in the world is Christ living on the inside of us and living through us the life of Jesus what a Christian life's all about the Christian life is all about the Holy Spirit living through us expressing through ones the life of Christ because he says novel about in you you bought it me the Christian life is an expression of the life of Jesus lived through these human bodies of ours these moms these hearts these emotions these wills about in our weakness in our friend of his in are asking for forgiveness and I walk in God before Him God has chosen to demonstrate this to demonstrate in a darkened society what lights really like. Genuine light is Jesus lived out in your life and mine and the unbelieving world has a right for us to expect us to live in what 'd we say and so therefore when you look the reasons Paul says because the nature of the work that's why you cling to it and so you see when you're not thinking of witnessing to someone else oftentimes we can all call not listen as we get all caught up in our selves and I want to be sure I say this right and I hope they'll accept to mean it was for give it. All you've got that there is they give on the Word of God the Holy Spirit takes your word uses it to penetrate their heart and transforms their life. And if you just listen to some of the original is that it's out of prisons for example when men say up in prison for life but on the freest I've ever been the Word of God has transformed my life what could make a man who's going to look at life through bars for the next 30 or 40 years say I'm a free man. The power of God's word cling to it he said Don't go away from. Thanks for joining us today for in touch with Dr Charles Stanley his message living godly in an ungodly age continues tomorrow. The only way to stand against the assault of the ungodliness of this world is to be adopted by God and the only way to become His child is to believe he will forgive your sin through faith in His Son Jesus Christ trust in him today you can learn more about what it means to become a Christian at our website in touch. Search salvation to find many helpful resources and if you go to the bookstore page you can order a copy of today's complete message living godly in an ungodly age again that's in touch. Or call 1800 in touch you can write to us at In Touch Post-office Box 7900 Atlanta Georgia 30357. Dear has consequences and it can cost you more than you might imagine Stay with us for today's moment with Charles Stanley coming up how to bang the same year for people in this year's time to give an address why don't you something one meaning it does care less way President is that less is. Now. You'll be like. 3 years in a row. If you find work or when mother teach your a new one as you know. That. You'll be glad you even knew is that last that. When my daughter was 2 months she was diagnosed with a terminal illness I would pray and ask God if he would heal her and the suffering how do we know what God's will is for life God's will for your life doesn't After mean a mystery learn how to understand and pursue God's alternate plan for your life Dr Charles Stanley's new book The will of God to order visit in touch. Believe is going to rely on the help of the Holy Spirit to put fear in its place here is a moment with Charles stand by. What you allow to become a phobia fear in your life is going to happen more than life and specially if you fear rejection you are going to act in such a want you going to get rejected if you fear favor more than you can act in such a way to fail and many people lose also responsibilities awesome opportunities they fail to the Able to a joy the riches God has for them because they fear something in their life and what says Will God really blessed me financially but he just can't trust me with the money well that is absolutely foolish why don't you get trustworthy and see what he'll do now once we play you ourselves and that people may believe because who live with fear they referred you wise to the people not serve God. Sometimes it's in some time it's fear of failure and probably every man of God who's ever stood by the pulpit on front of a divided spoke the truth all of us have had fears at times fears to forget but you just have to get over that remember they got those they expect you to be perfect in what you do so when you think about all these fears the many other things what you have to ask is What are the consequences and that is what is fear costing you as a person if you wait till everything is just right you'll never get in business their words have a business man have started out thinking what you know is probably won't work and it did and millions have started out say