God's Grace Toward Us

If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, please turn to Titus 3. This is a small letter toward the end of the New Testament. I am both excited and really humbled to preach the Word of God to you tonight. My hope is that tonight we will be reminded of the goodness of God’s grace toward us and if there are any who are here tonight who are not already believers, that tonight will be the night they begin following Christ.

Background

The book of Titus is a letter that was written to Titus by Paul. Titus was a companion with Paul and Timothy on the missionary journey of Paul. When they arrived in the city of Crete, shortly after Paul left Titus in Crete to help serve as a leader of the church in Crete.

As we read in chapter 3, Paul is concluding his letter to Titus with exhortation toward living Godly lives because of the great grace God has shown to believers. Let’s begin by reading Titus 3:1-8

“1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 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, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist 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…”

1. God is the source of our Christian Ethic

Paul begins this section in the same way he ends other letters he has written to men like Timothy. He tells Titus to remind the believers to live with a Christian ethic. He tells them to live out their faith in several ways:

1. To be submissive to rulers and authorities

2. To be obedient

3. To be ready for every good work

4. To speak evil of no one

5. To avoid quarreling

6. To be gentle

7. To show perfect courtesy toward all people

These all sound like really good reminders and they are great reminders in and of themselves for living a good life. We could possibly even identify with this list if you have ever had a parent or someone you look up to tell you what you need to do to be a good person. For me, growing up my parents would regularly tell me: No sex before marriage, no drugs, and no alcohol. Which is a really good direction for people to follow.

However, Paul is not here preaching mere moralism, teaching them that they just need to be good for goodness sake. Instead, Paul is preparing to build into a section where he shows Titus and the church why they are called to live Godly lives. This is where we get into the meat of the passage. And yes, there are quite a few dependent clauses and what seems like run on sentences, all things that your English teachers probably tell you to avoid. So hang in there with me.

2. Reminder of who we WERE

V.3

“For” when we see certain statements we need to pay attention and “for” is one of those words. Here Paul is using it to connect the believers with the reality that they were once just like those unbelievers they are living among.

“For we ourselves were once…” Paul is calling to mind the reality that even they, as believers, we once living in the way he was about to list. What Paul is doing is establishing a common origin between believers and unbelievers.

I remember the first time I read this passage was early on in my faith. I was serving in college at my local Baptist Student Ministry as a worship leader. My undergrad degree is in theater and if you know anything about theater in college at a secular school you probably know it can be one of the least Godly places. I was working toward my degree in theater tech and I was regularly surrounded by people who were either outspokenly against of at least passively against Christianity. I remember being hit with this passage at a time when I was asking God what I was supposed to do with all of these unbelieving, ungodly people around me daily who were ant-Christian. As I read this passage I was reminded of my own conversion to Christianity just a few years earlier.

Paul gives them statements that define their character before coming to Christ. see if you can identify:

· Foolish

· Disobedient

· Led astray

· Slaves to various passion and pleasures

· Passing our days in malice and envy

· Hated by others

· Hating one another.

Share about each and share personal testimony about how you identified with this passage.

3. Who we are called to be

Then comes one of the greatest statements in Scripture

But when the

Goodness - Chrestotes

And

Loving Kindness - Philanthropia

Of

God

Our Savior

Appeared (epiphaino) – to become manifest of gloriously visible

He saved us

Paul uses two words here to describe God’s attitude toward us. He says God is kind and God is loving.

The word Paul uses here for Kindness he also uses in other places. However, this word in the Greek only shows up in Paul’s writings. One place where we see what Paul is getting at with his use of this word is in Galatians 5:22. For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness… This word Paul uses is for kindness is both a divine quality and a human possibility through faith. Paul is telling Titus and also us that kindness, like love, comes from God and, like love, we can only express kindness to one another because He has first revealed that quality to us.

The second word Paul uses as is Phalanthropia, from the root word Phila. Which is one of three words in Greek for love. You may recognize this word, many of you know the word Philadelphia, the city of brother love. This word and this context that Paul is using this word in is that God is showing a type of love which is a relational love. How is it though that God shows love to humanity in a relational sense? Paul goes there in verse 5 but we already have a hint of how God shows this love sense Paul uses this word which is a relational love. God shows love to us through Jesus Christ.

So even though we ourselves were sinful, and sinful to the point of hatred, God’s kindness and his love appeared. This word though for appeared is such a beautiful image word. Sometimes when we read the Bible or hear the Bible preached we can miss some of these image words which are used in the Greek. The word here translated for appeared is one of those words and for anyone who is a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior you will likely identify with this word.

Appeared in Greek is epiphaino and it is used four time in the NT. It carries the image of “to shine in a dark place. But also here “to become manifest or gloriously visible.” Think about that again as I read this verse.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God, our savior, became gloriously visible.

God’s love for us shined like a light in the darkness. For me when I became aware of my sin and need for a savior it was just like this. God burst into the darkness and revealed to me in a moment my need for Him and at the same time revealed his love and kindness toward me.

V. 5 – he saved us

We could end the service there right? We could begin worshipping again there, right? When God our savior appeared to us, he saved us. Amen. But why did he save me? Why did God show love and kindness toward me?

Not because of works done by us in righteousness

This verse is freeing for both the believer and unbeliever alike. Guys listen close, there is nothing we can do that will earn our salvation and there is nothing we can do that makes us too dirty to save. Our salvation is not based on what we can do, but as we will see, on the finished work of Jesus Christ. I have had people say to me before when I have shared the Gospel with them and asked them if they want to follow Jesus Christ “well I need to get my life right first.” Why? Why do we think we need to get out lives put together first before we can come to Jesus? Trying to get our lives right first is like playing in mud, coming inside and washing ourselves of with dirty water, before we attempt to get in a nice clean bath. Jesus does not need us to be put together to come to him.

Isaiah 53:6 says “we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

If you are a believer here tonight, this passage is reminding us that our salvation did not come because of how good we are, we cant do anything to make him love us more and we cant do anything to make him love us less.

If you are an unbeliever here tonight and you are struggling with your own sin and thinking that you need to be clean before you can come to Jesus. Jesus is telling you tonight through this section “come to me, I will make you clean, I will clothe you in my righteousness.”

Then why?

Because of his own mercy.

Mercy – to show kindness or concern for someone in serious need. What is our serious need? We need to be made right before God. We need someone who can satisfy the righteous requirements of God. We need Jesus. Jesus looks on us with great mercy.

John 3:16-17 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

This is the mercy of God toward us, that God demonstrated his own love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The mercy of God reaches from heaven in the God-man Jesus Christ.

??Now we ask the question: how is it that we are saved. We know we are saved by God alone through His mercy but how?

By the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy spirit

Regeneration- complete change in one’s way of life to what it should be. To be born again. Here specifically we need to think about it this way – through the washing of new birth. What is that new birth? The new birth is the birth from death into life. To go from sinner, to saved. We are saved through being re-born as it were. This is a divine regeneration of the human heart through faith in Jesus Christ.

Renewal of the Hoy Spirit

This does not mean they have received the Spirit once and are receiving him again. No instead Paul is reminding believers that they have a new spirit, a new mind. Paul says it here in

2 corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

We are saved by the divine regeneration of our human hearts and by the work of the spirit in making us a new creation.

Finally

v.6 Whom He (God) poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

So that being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. John 15:26-27[1]

Scripture shows us there is a means by which we are saved and there is a process as well.

The process is as follows:

Regeneration and Salvation

Justification

Sanctification

Glorification

The way God accomplishes salvation in the heart of man is by appearing to Him as a light shining into darkness, revealing his great love and kindness toward us, through the Spirit making us aware of our need for a savior. Supplying that savior in the person of Jesus Christ who lived the perfect life, died a death that we deserved, was resurrected and assended to the right hand of God. And for those who believe in Jesus as their savior God sends the Spirit to make us new, that is regeneration and renewal. So that we may become heirs along with Jesus Christ. And as heirs we are called to do something. Lets look back at verses 1-2.

1-2 “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 courtecy toward all people.”

You may be saying however, that you don’t see the connection between your salvation and living peacable in this world.

God saved us in order that we ourselves can be beacons of light, beacons of the kingdom, taking the kingdom of God with us everywhere we go. Just as Christ came to earth to bring about salvation, we are called as well to be light in darkness. We do not live good lives in order to earn favor with God, no we live good lives because we have already earned favor with God through Jesus Christ.

Tonight, if you are a believer, I encourage you to hear these words and remember that you are redeemed, you are loved by God, and you are called to be a light in darkness, to look to the word for guidance and instruction daily, and to take the kingdom with you everywhere you go, sharing the kingdom with everyone. Maybe you need to be reminded that you are loved by God. We know this because God has shown great love and kindness toward us. Recall the words of

Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesuss from the law of sin and death.

Believer, you are no longer a slave, you are free in Christ from the punishment and slavery of sin.

If you are an unbeliever, I plead with you to consider your state before God. Maybe as we read verses 2, you identified with this. I know I did when I read this passage. Before God I was…

Perhaps you are telling yourself you need to get clean first or that you aren’t good enough. I point you to look to Christ, hear Christ telling you “come, and I will make you clean.”

Closing Prayer