Gotta get my puzzle together up here. You would think a pulpit that was this wide would be plenty wide enough. Still run out of space. Alright. The children can be dismissed for children's church.

I guess they didn't need me to say that. So We'll be in Titus two in just a second. Couple verses up on the screen first This morning, we'll start with this one. Matthew five sixteen. Let your light so shine before men lives, not just in the four walls of this building, but more importantly, outside the walls of you realize you are still Missouri Avenue Baptist Church when you are not in this building.

We are Missouri Avenue Baptist Church wherever we go during the week. And as people watch us, our testimony for Christ is important. First Peter two eleven and twelve is in the bulletin. I'll read it once again. He writes, dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conversation, your conduct, your behavior honest among the Gentiles.

That whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works which they behold glorify God in the day of visitation. Peter is saying the exact same thing that Jesus said in Matthew five sixteen when he says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. Last week, we took a quick look at the first three specific areas of testimony listed in the church covenant and began to discuss the fourth one, our deportment. One of those words you use every day, I know. But deportment.

It says in our our covenant, be exemplary in our deportment. Deportment is a reference to our overall behavior, particularly that which the public sees, that is our our deportment, which should be as Christians holy. First Peter 15 says, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Set apart in our ways unto the will and the way of Christ and not the ways of sin and the world. That is what others should see in us.

In first in Titus two, Paul addresses the behavior of the young and the old, the men and the women in the church, and the church is that Titus is instructing on the island of Crete. If you look with me in Titus chapter two and beginning in verse one, Paul writes, but speak thou he's speaking to Titus. Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine, that the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, which is love, in patience. The aged women likewise that they be in behavior as become of holiness, not false accusers. That that plays a part in our message this morning, not given too much wine, that plays a part in our message next Sunday morning, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works, in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, seriousness, and sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. So in this, we see Paul addressing these different groups in areas of concern that he has for their testimony. And more importantly, the testimony of who? Christ that should be seen in them. So that, as he finishes verse eight again, so that he that is of the contrary part, he that is looking for something that he can use against us to say, see, they're a what?

They're a phony. They're a hypocrite. So that those that are looking for something to detract from our faith and from our savior will have no evil thing to say of you, will have no ammunition to use. Not so much against you, but against who? But against Christ and against the gospel.

That as others look for some fault to accuse Christ's followers, whether they be young or old, they might come up empty. In first Peter four twelve, Paul writes to Timothy, another young man in service of the Lord, and he says, be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation or conduct, in charity, that is love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. You know, don't wait till you get older, start when? Start now. Whatever place in life, station in life you find your don't wait till the next decade.

Don't wait till the next thing you succeed at. I remember thinking when I was in high school, when I graduate from high school, then I am going to become this mature, great servant of the Lord. And I graduated from high school, and guess what? I was the same person the next day as I was the day before. And I thought, when I graduate from college, a Bible degree and all that, I'm going to be a great giant in service to the Lord.

And guess what? I found I was the same person the day after I graduated as I was the day before. I thought, when I get married, I will grow into this very mature, wise person who never makes wrong decisions. And I was still the same person the day after I got married or I went into the ministry, Growing day by day, little by little. But the time to start is when?

Now. Don't think, oh, I'll it'll happen, you know, after this happens. That doesn't work that way. We start drawing close to the Lord and seeking areas of service to become more like our savior. Start it start it today, Timothy.

Be an example today. It's not enough to have the right doctrine. We need to live it and apply it to how we behave. We react and interact with one another inside and outside of the church. And back in Titus chapter two and verse 11, it says, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us what is the grace of God we have in Christ, our salvation.

What does it teach us? It teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. That's what it should teach us, that we need to be conformed not to the image of the world, not to the ways of the world, but to the image of who? Jesus Christ, our savior. As it says in first Peter, in all manner of what?

Conversation. In all manners of behavior and conduct, we need to be changing and conforming to the image of Jesus Christ so that the world, when they see us, will see who? They will see Jesus because that's who they need to see. How we behave in public matters. Our language matters.

Our attentiveness, our appropriateness, our timeliness, even our appearance reflects on our savior and speaks to the character and holiness of the God we serve. In first Thessalonians five twenty two, it says, abstain from all appearance of evil. Now, the word translated appearance may mean every kind of evil. It can be translated that way. Or it could be translated just like it is here in our Bible, appearance.

It it kind of covers both. We should avoid or abstain from every kind of evil and its appearance in our lives and before the world. Either way, the either way, appearance does matter. As others look at Christians for what is right and wrong and what pleases God. It is up to us to set the example, not them.

They need to be taking their cue on what pleases God from the children of God and not us taking cues from them who live in darkness. We have the what? We have the truth. We have the light. We have the Holy Spirit.

We should be setting the example before them. Let's take a quick look this morning at two specific areas of our deportment mentioned in our covenant. It says to avoid tattling and backbiting. Okay? Tattling and backbiting.

Now, that never happens among Christians and in churches. I wish that were a true statement. And it should be. But sadly, often, it is not, which is why it is mentioned. To remind us that we have to get control of our what?

Our tongue. In first second Corinthians twelve twenty, it says this, for I fear lest when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, that I I would like to, but that I that I should be found unto you such as ye would not, lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings. What's whisperings? What's whisperings? Gossip.

Gossip. There we go. Swellings and tumults. Contention. Contention caused by people running their what?

Mouth where and when and how it shouldn't be run. And that is something that we really do need to take maybe a little more seriously than sometimes we do. Tattling is telling on someone or someone solely in order to cause them harm or to stir up trouble when you were not directly harmed by whatever they did. Now sometimes people do things to us. Sometimes they need to be dealt with.

Sometimes, we need to go have a conversation with them. Sometimes even, due to the nature of it, you might have to have a conversation with someone else. But tattling is when it does not directly affect who? You. And you're telling someone else in order to what?

To do harm to the testimony or the person or stir up trouble between people. For instance, this is what the Pharisees were doing when they accused Christ's disciples of eating with unwashed hands. Did they really cons were they really concerned about the disciples getting sick because they didn't wash their hands? No. They came to Christ, said, look at your disciples.

They're not washing their hands. Something's wrong with them. Did it affect the Pharisees? Did it make their hands unwashed because the disciples didn't wash their hands? No, I don't think so.

For instance, the Pharisees were doing this when they accused Christ of carousing with the riffraff. Look, look, Christ, you you see, you know, your leader, he he's eating at at Levi's house, and look at all those, yeah, yucky people that are there. Doesn't He know better? He's not supposed to be hanging out with those sinful people. It'll rub off on Him.

This is what Pharisees were doing when they drug a woman caught in adultery before Christ. Somehow, I don't think that they were dragging every person. A matter of fact, they didn't drag the man, notice just the woman, before Christ. Out of concern for the law. No.

They were trying to cause what? Trouble and contention. This is what they were doing when they told John the Baptist that Jesus' disciples were baptizing more people than His disciples were baptizing. They were trying to cross a rift between John and who? And Jesus in John chapter three.

They were tattling. They had no interest in justice, only in stirring up trouble for Christ and His followers and making themselves look good. How immature. How worldly. And these were supposed to be the pious, great religious leaders.

We look at the Pharisees and we go, yeah, that's right. They they that's the way they were. But we better be careful that we don't fall into the same kind of trap with our mouth as they did, being a little too quick to speak when we should keep it shut. First Peter four fourteen and sixteen says this, if ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye. In other words, if you suffer for the name of Christ, you should count that as a badge of honor.

For the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. On their part, he is evil spoken of, but on your part, he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer. Well, that's right. You know, you that that would be you know, that that's nothing to be happy about.

Or let none of you suffer as a thief. That's right. You you just you know, if you steal something, you deserve to suffer. Or as an evildoer, or as a well, what's the next word? Busy body.

Another translation, it's translated meddler in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffers a Christian, let him not be ashamed. Busy bodies. That's what the Pharisees were in many respects. Rather than making sure of their own relationship with God, they were constantly meddling in everyone else's for personal gain.

Look at me. I'm better than so and so. Kids tattle often to get back at their peers or make themselves look good in the eyes of someone else. It is a very poor testimony and habit for God's children to be acting like little children and tattling on one another before the world in particular. In first Corinthians chapter five, Paul rebuked the church at Corinth because they were having spats within the church.

And rather than taking care of it in the church, they were dragging their fellow church members to a public court to deal with insignificant matters. What a poor testimony before the world. Grow up. I saw them. They said.

They wore. They did. Fill in the blank. Genuinely seeking to help someone in need is commendable. A matter of fact, it is commanded.

But tattling and backbiting, gossiping and meddling and slandering others is not Christ like at all, and yet one often practiced by Christians. Consider these verses. Leviticus nineteen sixteen, thou shall not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people, neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor. I am the Lord. Proverbs eleven thirteen, a talebearer revealeth secrets, but he that is a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

Proverbs eighteen eight, the words of a talebearer are his wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Proverbs twenty six twenty, where no wood is, there the fire goeth out. So where there is no tear talebearer, the strife, what? The strife ceaseth. So where there is no wood, the fire burns out.

But if you keep adding fuel to the fire, guess what? It burns, what, hotter and brighter and bigger. And that's what happens when we go around tattling and tail bearing, gossiping, and backbiting. Why mention this specifically in our church covenant? Because it is extremely divisive and destructive worldly practice, which all too often is prevalent in the church.

I it it would be one thing if most church splits were over genuinely important doctrinal issues. But sad to say, more church splits are over this than they are over real, issues that cause people to separate. Watch your tongue. For it can, in a moment, undo a great testimony for Christ and send a lost soul spiraling further down the path of destruction rather than drawing them closer to the Lord. James chapter three.

I'm gonna read a few verses from there. Just just as a reminder of the dangerous nature of our tongue and the importance that we keep a tighter rein on it than sometimes we do. James says in James three three, behold, we put bits in in the horse's mouths that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm whithersoever the governor listeth directs. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasteth great things.

Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members that it defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the course of nature and is set on fire of hell. For of every kind of beasts and of birds, of serpents, and of things in the sea is tamed and hath been tamed of mankind, but the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison.

Therewith, bless we God, even the father, and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude or the image of God. Out of the mouth, same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things, what, ought not so to be. By God's grace, we can get a better control on what? On this tongue and the things we say, that they bring honor to our father in heaven and that they project a good testimony to the world around us.

The second thing I want to look at this morning in our covenant is excessive anger. Abstain from excessive anger. What is what do we mean by excessive anger? I don't actually think we find the word excessive in the Bible. So what do we mean by that?

Well, this includes anger which is uncontrolled or ongoing, which is often selfish and always, what? Destructive. For the wrath of man worketh not the, what? The righteousness of God. James chapter one.

Be quick, swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. But you say Christ came into the temple and He threw out the the money changers. Yes. And he worked the righteousness of God because he did so in the power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit that was with him.

But most often when we get angry, we're not walking in the spirit, we're walking in the what? We're walking in the flesh. And the wrath of man tends not to work the righteousness of God. Therefore, we're told here in Ephesians four, it says, be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place or opportunity to the devil.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking, which would kinda, you know, be in there with tattling and backbiting, be put away from you with all malice, with all ill intent, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. We all get angry. The problem is both in the reason why and how we deal with it. It isn't necessarily a sin to have the emotion of anger. The sin comes after when we deal with that emotion in an ungodly manner, which often happens, even among Christians.

When we lose our temper and say things ungodly or harmful to others which we can never unsay, you can say, oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. Does that erase it from the mind of the person you just said it to? The answer is no. The the the saying, sticks and stones might break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Is that true? Obviously not. The things that hurt and stick with us the longest are often the things that people say to us, not what they do to us. If somebody hits me, it hurts for a moment. I might get a bruise, but it heals, and oftentimes I forget about it.

But there are things that were said to me when I was eight years old that stuck with me for decades and still continue to hurt me long after. We must not lose our temper and say things ungodly or harmful to others in our anger. Peter got angry. With who? He got angry with Jesus.

When Jesus said He was going to Jerusalem and He would be what? He would be crucified. And Peter spoke up and he told Christ, that's not right. You're not going to be killed. And what did Jesus say?

Get thee behind me, Satan. Because Peter, in his his anger and frustration, was allowing Satan to control his what? Tongue and not the Lord. Later, Peter got angry once again at those accusing him of following Christ. And he swore and he denied the Lord, what?

Three times. You say it was out of fear. Yes, I think fear was part of it. But I also think another part of it was, what? Anger.

He wanted them to shut up and leave him alone. And he got angry. And when he got angry, curse words came out of his mouth as he denied his Lord. How many times have you said something in anger and wish you could have taken it back? Or maybe you've been on the other end of the anger and the verbal wrath.

One of the qualifications for church leadership is not quick tempered. Wonder why that is. Because when anger takes control of our tongue, it can make a mess in a hurry. Number two, when we throw, hit, or kick things or people which we cannot undo. Let's pick on Peter again.

When the people showed up to arrest Jesus, what was Peter's reaction? He pulled out his sword and he did what? He cut the high priest servant's ear off with his sword. Now, what did that fix? Did they all run scared because Peter cut off the high priest servants?

No. No. Jesus told him, put your sword away. And what did Jesus do, by the way? He healed him.

He healed him. Have you ever lashed out at someone in anger physically? I have when I was a kid, and I ended up getting the wind knocked out of me. You know that sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Well, somebody's words were hurting, And I decided in my anger that going and nailing them in the backside, and up here in their back with my fist was a good thing to do.

Well, they turned around, and then I ended up on the floor curled up in a ball and not be able to breathe. I had to learn that lesson more than once, sadly. It didn't fix the problem. Or maybe you've thrown a dish or punched a wall. Did that fix it?

Really Christlike of you? Somehow, I don't think Jesus ever did that. What is your neighbor or your coworker watching? What are they seeing? Or or your family member or your fellow church member, what kind of testimony are you leaving when you put a hole in the wall?

Because you can't control your what? You can't control your anger. When we stew and we steam and we refuse to give forgive others, we are not acting like our father in heaven who sent his son to die for those who deserve his wrath, which would be me. I think of Joseph's brothers. They were an angry bunch.

They were a jealous bunch. Their anger and their jealousy led them to do what? The unthinkable. They tried to kill their brother. Well, that's what they did when they threw him in a pit and left him to die.

They were killing him. Well, they couldn't bring themselves to actually do it with their hands, so they they throw him in the pit and let, you know, other things take natural course because they couldn't get over their anger, their jealousy. And then look at the forgiving spirit of Joseph. When he had the opportunity to get them back, he told them not to fear. For God they meant it for evil, but God meant it for what?

God meant it for good. And he forgave them. What a what a testimony. And, you know, that act of forgiveness probably made a lot bigger difference in the lives of his brothers than anything else he could have done. He reflected the light of Christ onto them that day.

And no doubt it made a difference in them. Romans chapter 12 verses 18 through 21. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. That doesn't mean give it your best shot and, you know, doesn't work. Okay.

Then you can not live peaceably. No. It means as to your side of the issue, you do everything you can to be at peace with others. Now, when you're dealing with other people, there's part of it that you can't control. You can only control who?

Yourself. So control yourself. Okay? As much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men, dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves. What does that mean?

That is don't get angry and seek revenge and get back. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place under wrath. Whose wrath? Whose wrath? God's wrath, not your wrath.

Our wrath doesn't fix it. The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. But hold yourself back. Let God take care of it. For it is written, vengeance is mine.

I will repay, saith the Lord. And he doesn't have the problem we do. His wrath is just. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink.

For in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. That's exactly what Joseph did that day when he stood before his brothers and he said, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, and he forgave them. He heaped coals of fire on their head. God used that to bring conviction on their hearts and no doubt made them better men because their little brother was a bigger man than they were and showed them the love of Christ.

As Jesus hung on that cross, he said, father, forgive them for they know not what they do. In doing so, he pierced the hearts of many, including my own. How about you? Maybe you need the forgiveness that only God can give today. Maybe you need salvation, and you need to trust in the forgiving one who will save your soul and rescue you from the wrath that is due.

You can do that this morning. He loves you. He even died for you, and he lives again for you. And he offers you forgiveness and eternal life. Maybe you need this morning to confess a problem with anger or gossip.

Don't just sigh and go, yeah. Well, that's just the way I am. Christ didn't save you to leave you just as you are. He can help you. He can give you victory over your tongue and over your anger.

You do not have to be that way. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord. The example of our saviors and others, our savior and others in your word. Thank you, Lord, for the the hope and the opportunity we have been given in Christ to get victory.

And, Lord, I pray that we would take seriously our testimony before one another and before the world that others might see Jesus in us and be drawn to the light out of the darkness. And we pray, Lord, if there be one here this morning that is yet to receive salvation through faith in Christ, that they today would come as we sing this hymn of invitation. In Jesus' name, we do pray. Amen.