Making use of God's Grace

If you have a bible open it up to Titus chapter 3. I have titled the message this morning. Making use of God’s Grace.

So this is essentially an extension of what we talked about last week. Which was this idea that Gods grace changes everything about the Christians life. Everything. And I want to hammer home the application of that everything today. Because what we must understand as believers living as redeemed people is that we are to be people who make sure we make use of God’s grace.

Let me read you the text and ill unpack what I believe is the main idea of the text this morning. Titus 3 says this.

Titus 3 ESV

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 for people. 9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. 12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. 15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.

main idea is this…

We make use of God’s grace because we have been changed by his grace.

Seems very much like last week, but friends its a reality that you can never get over. We make use of God’s grace because we have been changed by his grace.

In this chapter we see one of the greatest sections of scripture in any book of the bible I believe verse 4-7 which I will unpack in just a moment.

Now the question really is today how do we make use of God grace.

Well Lots of points to unpack that first is this.

We make use of God grace by being ready for every good work

How does one become ready for that. Well it tells you how to start. Remember Paul and Titus were living in a time that the gospel was not well recieved, not well known, and seen by many as a threat to the way of life of the land. And in order for them to be ready for every good work they were going to need to be good citizens obeying the rulers of the area as long as they did not cause them to sin.

As much as we want to be rebels of the authorities in the name of Christ the Bible does not say that here. Scholars are in agreement that if the early church was more about being outlaws than faithful Christ followers it would have been a bad look for believers. It would not had the impact of it may have had if they were just rebels.

There has to be some sort of balance. Because as Christians we are subject most importantly to Christs authority, and the scriptures authority. We cant be people who don’t submit to authority.

Proof of that is found in Rom 13:1-7

Romans 13:1–7 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

If you want to be ready for every good work subject yourself to authority to obedience because if we dont we actually go against the word of God not ready for every good work.

In order to be ready for every good work we also need to have this right attitude. Paul tells Titus something we all struggle with. Because he says speak evil of no one to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Ouch right. Because this is a requirement to being ready for every good work. When you are born again ready to live more like Christ your life will begin to look quite different in fact it leads to my next point.

Second point is this.

We make use of God’s grace by leaving our old lives.

Paul tells Titus you were once what foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

Our past lives prior to Christ coming in our life was full of Sin! The most foolish thing we did prior to not being a believer was denying Christ as our savior.

Our former lives prior to Christ is full of disobedience. Our desires came from our various passions and pleasures. Those who do not believe in Christ are marked with so many sins.

More of which Paul says are malice and envy which produces this hate for the sinner and hate for the other sinners.

but don’t be fooled yourself and say my old life did not look like this, because the reality is this all of us are sinners, and I dont want you to just node in agreement understand the weigh of your sin, and the need for the grace of God in your life. Listen to this because i hit me this week..

If we do not know this truth of our universal need of grace, then we are not prepared to pastor, counsel, teach, or lead in Christ's church. Those whom God calls to lead his people are those who can say, "I was at one time foolish, disobedient, led astray, and a slave to various passions and pleasures, passing my days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating others."

When we recognize that we were rescued from a pit deeper than we could crawl from, that we were saved from a darkness greater than our light could penetrate, that we were delivered from sin greater than our resolve could control-only then are we prepared to lead others. Such humility enables us to proclaim the gospel eye to eye with those who believe they will never measure up to the goodness they think we have attained by our resolution and strength of character.

Only when we truly believe that apart from Christ there is no more hope of Heaven for us than there is for the worst sinner we meet can we minister the gospel to that one and others. Believing the leveling truths of the gospel creates a community where malice, envy, and infighting disappear along with the need to measure our righteousness against one another. In humility lies the key to living out our obligations to rulers, to one another, and to God—and what produces that humility is the message that Paul says must be our ultimate priority.

The reality is this for me I believe i am the greatest sinner in this room, but Jesus is such a great savior, king, Lord and my Old life is my old life and it has no room in my new life, and the same goes for you and why is this, because of what Jesus has done for you.

IF you want to make sure of God’s grace you will know what you use to be and leave that life and know who you are in Christ.

We make use of God’s grace because we have been regenerated for good works.

God did not just save us to leave us the same. This point ties closely with our main idea. And the main idea enables us to experience the effects of grace.

verses 4 through 7 are so good that I have to read them again.

Titus 3:4–7 ESV

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.

Pause.. What an introduction.. But when. Just those words in scripture show you God did something. But when.. God took the initiative to come and do something we could not do. He brought heaven down to us. He brought his goodness and loving kindness as a savior. because we needed it. We needed that grace because we are natural rebels who have no ability nor desire to want to be saved, BUT when he appeared he appeared for a purpose to Save us. Last week I told you that God’s grace came down to us, it appeared to us born just like us in order to save us.

This was not a doing of our own, but an act of mercy. an act of grace. Without that mercy we could not be saved because our works to a Holy God are just filthy rags. Listen to this good news.

Ephesians 2:4–6 ESV

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

But God, But When. Friends Our deadness in sin could not stop our savior from offering up to us mercy in such a way that washes us clean. Listen to what John MacArthur says. Salvation brings a divine cleansing from sin and the gift of a new, Spirit-generated, Spirit empowered, and Spirit-protected life as God’s own children and heirs. This is the new birth, renewing of the Holy Spirit. He is the agent of the working regeneration.

And friends this kind of washing this kind of giving is not given half heartily like we give to the Lord so often he gave us everything because in him saving us he gives us himself. What kind of love is this? Its an abundant love because when you are saved you have God living in you. God gave it all when he saved you, because he gave you himself.

And friends we are justified. And that simply means we are declared righteous. Friends did you know if you are born again God looks at you as though you have never sinned. Mind boggling. He looks at you like he would look at Jesus Christ. We are justified not by works, but by faith in Christ. Remember my favorite verse, and the one that follows.

Philippians 3:8–9 ESV

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

And friends not only are we justified we are heirs of Christ. Believers are his adopted Children. and get all the benefits from being a child of the creator of all things. . 1 Pet 1:3-4

1 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

This inheritance that we have is given to us by a work of the triune God. One man said it was signed, sealed, and settled issue. God has done a good work in us and for us and because of that you are made for good works. Eph 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

God saved us changed us so we would walk in good works. And those good works are good for us.

Next thing you might make note of is this.

We make use of God’s grace because its excellent and profitable.

Listen to the words of one man. He says this… Since true godliness flows from love of and for God, He says that the duties he has enjoined are "excellent and profitable for people" (v. 8c). What God has commanded is not burdensome or punitive. Rather, those who pursue the godliness that only comes out of love for God will discover additional riches of his grace. His commands lead to what is "excellent" (beautiful, honorable, or precious) and "profitable" (resulting in blessing) for "people" men, indicating people generically, not just the religious elite or those already converted).

Making use of God’s grace can change the very life on the believer and non believer. What God asks you to do is good for you, its excellent its profitable. It will change your life to use God’s grace.

If you don’t use God’s grace you may get caught up in all the bad things of this.

Next point is this.

We make use of God’s grace by not getting caught up in the wrong things.

Paul says to avoid things that involve bad doctrine, and bad people.

He uses some things in the text here to describe what people should avoid. These are things we have touched on in our study of the pastoral epistles. He says avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. I believe the key of all this is understanding just how much stuff is unprofitable and worthless.

Many of us waste our time more on the wrong things than the right, dont get me wrong know the enemy know his ways but know the savior more. Dont waste the grace of God on things of the enemy and the world. Dont do it. Know your bible, read it for yourself so you don’t get caught up in any new way of thinking. Think about the great truths of verses 4-7 and let that grace transform your life and let those who teach things outside of scripture be ignored because they are worthless.

Now for those people who do cause division there is a word for them here, and its a serious one. It says for a person who stirs up division after warning him once and then twice have nothing more to do with him knowing that such a person is warped and sinful he is self condemned.

How do we handle situations like this.. This does not mean that we can get upset with someone twice and then not have anything to do with them. Paul is discussing something that must be serious. Something that involves the integrity of the faith or the health of the church.

He isn’t saying if you disagree with someones end times view or amount of committees we should have or where the piano is placed kick him out of the church. I believe he is talking about people who go into the church threaten its purity threaten the faith, and threaten people in the church. One guy said this..

Those who are divisive by nature lust for the fray, incite its onset, and delight in being able to conquer another person. For them victory means everything. So in an argument they twist words, call names, threaten, manipulate procedures, and attempt to extend the debate as long as possible and along as many fronts as possible.

Divisive persons frequent the debates of the church. As a result the same voices and personalities tend to appear over and over again, even though the issues change. Paul's words caution us about the seriousness of being divisive.

Though ego or entertainment may be served by argument, such engagement damages the church and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

The truth is this. We need to stay away from things that cause us to not make use of God’s grace. Whether that be wrong doctrine or wrong actions from others through you or someone else be someone who uses God grace for the kingdom of God and not the enemy.

Final point is this..

We make use of God’s grace because it impacts others lives.

Paul at the end of this letter mentions several people who are no doubt his friends. And he says to greet those who love the faith there in Crete. I am not going to get into what these people did some we know some about some we know nothing about, but we know they were friends of Paul who made use of God’s grace and Titus had a responsibility to take care of them. To make sure they had what they needed.

At the end of this book Paul makes the statement. And Let people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. As I have already said in this sermon your good works matter for your witness.

This whole study has been about making use of God’s Playbook. If we are going to live out God’s grace we need to know all the plays. Not just jet sweeps to the side if you got that one than you are a true fan. Know how to live out Gods grace, because its worth it to do so.

SO what are you making of God’s grace today? Are you one saved by it? have you met the God who is good and kind who appeared and lived the perfect life dying on the cross rising again on the third day so he could cleanse you by faith alone make you new justified and a heir of God having eternal life. If you have been saved are you making use of God’s grace.

Man Paul who wrote this letter made great use of the grace he had been given going around the world showing others the change in his life, and seeing many come to Christ. Friends present yourself in such a way knowing you are ready for every good work. Leaving your old life behind. Realizing you have been changed by God from the inside out to do good works that benefit you and others.

Friends make use of God grace lets us pray.