Titus 2:11-3:3 - Gospel Living

Intro

We been in the book of Titus because we wanted to communicate what kind of church we want to be.

God has given us Titus to demonstrate to us what a healthy church looks like.

Gospel Identity

We are gospel people

Gospel Leadership

We submit and follow godly leadership

Gospel Doctrine

We believe the Bible

Gospel Culture

We engage one another in discipleship

Gospel Living

Whenever Paul writes about doctrine, he always follows with duty.

Our devotion to God leads to doctrine, and our doctrine leads to duty.

Paul had just telling us that each person in the church was called to discipleship.

The older men are to set the godly example for younger men

Younger men ought to follow that example and show themselves self-controlled, a model of good works, and show integrity in their teaching.

Older women are to demonstrate what it means to follow Jesus to younger women and train them up to love their husbands and their children.

Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters

We are all called to pour into one another with the gospel “so that in everything, they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (v. 10)

Paul is showing us what the progression of a church with gospel-centered leadership with gospel-centered doctrine results in a gospel-centered community.

Paul is leading Titus to build healthy churches

Leadership and Doctrine

Culture and Life

Paul is showing us that what we believe matters

What we believe about Jesus, the Bible, forgiveness, grace, and love matters because it influences how we live.

Titus 2:11–3:3 ESV

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. 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.

The conjunction “for” ties all of chapter 2 together.

The practical application that Paul just gave men and women in the church are rooted in God’s grace.

This is the doctrinal foundation for gospel living.

How God has called us to live is possible because of what He did for us and in us first!

What did God do?

“The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation”

The Lord’s unmerited favor, His goodness and kindness, His compassion and mercy demonstrated toward sinners.

The free love of God that brings forgiveness for sins

The free gift of life that is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The grace of God appeared in the person and work of Jesus Christ!

God sent His Son, Jesus, who would contain the fullness of God in a person.

Colossians 1:19-20 “19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Jesus came to deliver us from our sins and to bring us into His Kingdom.

This means He trains us to live in His Kingdom as citizens.

Without calling for perfection, Paul says that a new direction in a person’s life is the expectation of God for those He saves.

Just like working out

You’re not going to get it over night.

You’re not going to have the beach bod if you start two weeks before you leave for vacation.

It’s going to take time.

Growing into Christ is a work of the Holy Spirit that happens over a lifetime.

Everyone has heard the “Well their parents let them do that!?” “I’m not their parents!”

For Silas, he is my son.

There are rules in my house that I expect my son to obey.

His status as my son does not change, but since he is my son, there is an expectation for him to live as if he belongs in my family.

If you were to move to another country, you have to learn to adapt and live according to that country’s laws.

Similarly, the Kingdom of God has a code of conduct.

When the Bible calls you away from something, it calls you to something else.

The Bible calls you from something, to something.

God’s grace calls us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions (v. 12)

The life Jesus calls us to from our sinful pasts! We’re called to leave it behind, which means that we are called to move toward something else.

We’re called to move toward self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.

We see a clear tear between ungodliness and godliness.

You cannot separate salvation and obedience to Jesus.

Titus 2:11-12 give a death blow to any ideology that disconnects saving faith from obedience.

We do not do what Jesus commands to obtain salvation

We do what Jesus commands as a result of salvation

You cannot earn your salvation.

We don’t obey to be saved,

If you are a Christian, we obey because we’ve been saved!

But if I planted an apple tree, I should expect to retrieve apples, yeah?

If the Holy Spirit has planted faith in you, the result ought to be fruit of the Spirit!

So more and more overtime we grow to hate our sin, renounce and turn away from ungodliness in us and turn to Jesus!

“Why?”

Titus 2:13–14 ESV

13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

This is the “why” of leaving worldly lives.

“Waiting for the Kingdom”

When we think of God’s Kingdom, we often think of how perfect everything is going to be.

We tend to think that “when I get to heaven, I’ll live in a certain way, but for now, I’m going to do my thing.”

Notice the timeframe for type of living: “the present age” (v. 12)

We don’t have to wait to live like we belong in God’s Kingdom.

1 John 2:28–3:3 ESV

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. 1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

“Abide in Him”

Abide means to stay with, remain, reside, continue with,

Be with Jesus.

Stay with Jesus.

Walk with Jesus.

He’s given us His Spirit which does not leave us.

If you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit living in you.

This is God living in you.

Salvation comes from being with Christ.

Be a “human being,” not a “human doing.”

There is a difference in doing things for Jesus and being with Jesus.

“So that” (v. 28)

Here’s the reason for living life as Jesus called us

“…when He appears, you may have confidence”

When Jesus returns, we will not be ashamed of how He finds us

When Jesus returns, we will not hide from Him.

Instead, when we see Jesus’s return, we’ll explode with excitement!

When we live life with Jesus, we can know that we will not have to hide, but instead celebrate His coming.

And when you abide with Christ, you become more like Christ.

When you hang out with someone for any period of time, you notice you become more like them.

I adopt accents easily.

You can tell when I have visited my family in Tennessee.

When you hang out with nonChristians for extended periods of time, you notice that!

Likewise, when we spend time with our church family, when we abide in Christ, we grow to be more like Jesus!

We live as if we are sons of God when we abide with the Son of God.

He says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us”

What does the love of God do for us?

John 1:12 “12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”

God loves you with the kind of love that brings you into His family!

“And so we are.”

Not “we will be.”

We are.

If you are a Christian, you are God’s child now!

We don’t wait for Jesus to return to live as if we’ve been forgiven.

I’m His child now!

I need His grace now, I need Him to hear my prayer now, I need His forgiveness now.

I’m not using God for His stuff without living as His son.

1 John 2:29 “29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.”

We have been born spiritually of God!

Therefore, since I am His son, I need to walk in the light, walk in righteousness, walk in the Spirit.

If I’m going to partake in the blessings of God, I’m going to live as close to Jesus as I can now.

I want a place in God’s Kingdom and I want my life to look like I belong there!

I want to walk in grace, patience, and truth!

I want to live in gratitude, prayer, and dependance on the Spirit.

We get to live in the Kingdom now, because Jesus has saved us from sin!

Titus 3:1-2 “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.”

Gospel living is living as Kingdom citizens now

For the Christians in the room:

Abide in Christ

There are things in our hearts, Christians, that we still need to repent and turn away from.

Live like we’ve been saved!

Walk in the joy of the Spirit and call other people to follow Jesus!

If you’re here and you’re not a Christian, become a Christian now!

There are many people who procrastinate coming to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life.

They don’t want to go to hell, but they don’t want to follow Jesus just yet.

They decide to be saved tomorrow. It’s not that they won’t follow Jesus ever, it’s just that they reject Him today.

Don’t reject Jesus today. I can’t promise you eternal life on tomorrow

Jesus offers you the free gift of God’s grace, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life in His Kingdom today!

Do you want to be a Christian?