Advent According to Paul: Grace has Appeared

In Christ's first Advent, the grace of God appeared which saves us, sanctifies us, and sustains us until His second Advent.

Prayer

May every heart prepare him room

Intro

Often during the Christmas season we spend a lot of time in Matthew and Luke’s gospels which give us the details of the events of Jesus’ birth, and we’ll get their on Christmas Eve. But the first and second coming of the Messiah are spoken of throughout the scriptures, and so this Advent season we are hearing from different authors outside the gospels, getting their perspectives on the arrival of the Messiah. The first week was Advent According to Moses, last week was Advent According to Isaiah, and today we will hear from Paul.

Well, it’s Christmas card season, which means family photos where everyone is looking great - some dress up in nice matching clothes, some go with Christmas pajamas by the fireplace, some with superhero costumes. If there are kids, at least one of them is just not having it. Sometimes with the card you get a long update letter about how each member of the family is doing:

“little Timmy, bless his soul, he’s made the honor roll and finished top of his class in pre-school, he loves play-doh and I think he’s going to be a sculptor, so proud of him.”

Often on these cards there is a Bible verse or a few Christmassy words like “peace and joy” or “hope.”

Well I think that if the Apostle Paul had made a Christmas card, it would look something like this [photo]. On the front his Chrismassy words of choice would be “The Grace of God has Appeared.” And on the back would be the passage we are going to be in today.

You see, when Paul reflected on the first Advent of the Messiah, the incarnation of the Son of God, He summed it up with those words in Titus 2:11 “The grace of God has appeared.”

When you summarize something, you want to capture the essence of what happened or what was written in a shorter form. And when Paul distilled the birth, life, death, and resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, He says “The Grace of God has appeared.”

Great Christmas card material, and a worthy reflection for us today.

Context

A little bit of context for our passage. Paul had recently planted some new churches on the island of Crete and he left Titus behind to care for them and make sure they were established in a healthy way.

So, he writes this letter to instruct Titus in that work. He wants him to make sure there is order in the churches, with proper leadership in place, he warns him about false teachers, and he gives ethical instructions for the community.

In chapter 2:1-10 he’s teaching various groups based on age and gender about proper living in the community, what “accords with sound doctrine.” For Paul, Orthodoxy and orthopraxy, right belief and right living are inextricably linked, they are inseparable, tangled together like the Christmas lights that you recently got out of storage.

And so after talking about what that right living looks like, we get to our passage in verse 11 where Paul grounds the ethical transformation of the community in the first and second Advent of Jesus. Let’s look at it together.

Titus 2:11–14 “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.”

We’re going to look at the appearance of the Grace of God, and then the effects of the grace of God.

The Appearance of the Grace of God

He didn't say “The Messiah of God appeared,” though he could have. He was the Messiah, the chosen, long promised Deliverer come to rescue God’s people.

He didn’t say “The Truth of God appeared,” though he could have. After all, John said that “the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus.” Jesus said “I am the way the truth and the life.”

I think when Paul reflected on God’s acts in relation to His people throughout history, he saw that it was always of grace: it was always unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor from God when he related to His people after the fall.

Throughout History

Just think back with me throughout history. We see the grace of God shown to...

Adam and Eve rebelled against God, hid from Him in shame, and yet in His grace God pursued them, made a promised to bring a Deliverer one day who would crush the head of the serpent, and then He covered them with animal skins - which meant the death of an animal was needed to cover their shame and guilt. Grace.

Noah. Genesis 6:5 “5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” That’s not good. So God says He is going to judge the earth and basically start over. But the text says that “Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Literally, Noah found grace. And he was spared along with his family.

Abraham. Things got real bad again, but in His grace God chose Abraham out of the idolatrous land of Ur to be the one through whom blessing would go to the nations.

Moses. Doubted God’s plan and wisdom in choosing him, he regularly whined and complained to God, he disobeyed a direct command from God and yet God revealed Himself to Moses saying Exodus 34:6 “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,”

We could keep going down the line with the Judges, with David, with the prophets, but you get the point: God’s interactions with sinful humanity have always been of grace - God freely acting for the good of those who don’t deserve it.

Jesus is Grace Incarnate

And so in the highest, definitive, quintessential act of God relating to His people - the incarnation of the Son of God, Immanuel, God with us - it made sense for Paul to summarize His coming by saying “The Grace of God appeared.”

His birth was grace…

He humbled himself and became a man for a nation that knew God but had turned from Him and for Gentiles who were walking in darkness and rebellion.

He was given the name Jesus, Yahweh saves, for he will save his people from their sins.

His birth was grace

His life was grace…

In his teaching. He taught about the Kingdom of God, where enemies are loved, where forgiveness is foundational, and where the last are first. His teaching was of grace.

He told parables that showed His heart of grace, like the prodigal son, where grace runs after a wayward son, embracing him, and celebrates his return home, and where grace goes out to the self-righteous older son and invites him in as well. His parables were of grace.

In His acts. He spent time with tax collectors and sinners, he dignified the outcast, he healed the least deserving, he forgave adulterers and traitors and extortioners, showing that he “came to seek and save the lost.” His acts were of grace.

His whole life was grace.

His death was grace…

where on the cross, he gave himself as a sacrifice to turn His enemies into friends

From the moment his eyes opened in the manger to the time when his eyes closed on the cross, Jesus Christ showed that He was the grace of God incarnate.

And then years later, when Paul was on his way to have Christians killed, Grace appeared to Him on the road, changing His life forever.

That’s why, when He distills the person and work of Jesus into a few words, he can say “The grace of God has appeared.”

[Application] Is that how you would summarize the activity of God in your life?

[Christmas lights] Growing up my grandparents would drive us around town at Christmas time and we would look for houses that were decorated, loved seeing the beautiful lights and creativity of folks. Some houses would stand out, amazing, but you know, all the houses had lights, even if it was just a lamp.

I want to encourage you to look back at this year, and look for the evidences of his grace, his light in your life. Sit down with a journal, maybe your photos app to jog your memory. And reflect on the appearance of the grace of God in your life this year.

That will be easier for some of you than others. As you drive around through memory lane, some moments might shine brightly, praise God for that.

But some of you have had a hard, crumple it up and throw it away type of year. But even in the lowest, darkest places, there is a candle of his grace to see. His presence with you in that. His comfort through it. His not giving up on you when you felt like giving up on him.

The grace of God has appeared, and as the risen and ascended King, He continues to display His multi-faceted grace in your life. We would all be better off if we took the time to notice it and praise Him in response.

Ok, so far we have seen the appearance of the grace of God. But what about its effects?

The Effects of the Grace of God

1. Brings salvation

Titus 2:11 ESV

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

[Levi wandering] Earlier in the fall I got one of the worst phone calls I’ve ever received. Jo called to tell me that Levi had figured out how to open our heavy sliding door, and he was gone. Like, gone gone. She said they had been looking for awhile, Millie and Aasha were looking around the neighborhood and nothing. So I got in the car and booked it home, praying the whole way. I got in the neighborhood and called for an update and Jo just lost it crying. My heart sunk and I was like “what happened?!” She said no we “found him we found him.” Oh man, I’m so glad. Please lead with that next time.

Turns out he had wandered out of our back yard, past the house behind us, into their front yard which sits on Old Henry road. They have a pond, it could have been so bad. Thankfully someone at the neighbor’s house saw him, and brought him back when she heard Jo yelling.

When Paul says that “the grace of God appeared, bringing salvation for all people” we need to see that we are like Levi in this story - lost, wandering, and unable to find home. Dangers abound, but we go astray in our sin and, for the most part, we enjoy it. Levi was having a great time. But he didn’t understand that he could have died.

And just like he needed to be brought back, we needed God to graciously intervene to bring us back, to save us from our sins, and to give us life, and bring us back home with Him.

Paul says that “grace appeared, bringing salvation for all people.” Now, salvation has been made available to all people, Jews and Gentiles, people from every tribe, tongue, language, and nation. But that gift must be received by faith.

[Present illustration]

He has brought salvation to all people, not just the Jews. But no matter who it is, this salvation has to be received by faith by particular individuals.

Notice what he says down in chapter 3, verses 3-5

Titus 3:3–5 “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,”

Grace has appeared bringing salvation to all people. Have you received this gift by faith? Christmas is a great time to reflect on your life.

[First light strand - gospel offer of salvation, plug into the source]

The grace of God has appeared, and the first effect we see is that it brings salvation.

The second effect of this grace is that it trains us to live.

2. Trains us to live

Titus 2:12 “12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,”

This shows us that grace is not only necessary to save us from our sins, but grace is also necessary for our sanctification, our ongoing conformity into the image of Christ. We don’t just need grace to start the race, but to continue running it, and to finish it.

He says grace trains us, and we desperately need training. We come into the faith with bad habits and out of shape, and we need to keep up our spiritual fitness by grace.

If you want to run a marathon, you’ve got to get out an train. You’ve got to stop doing some things, like sleeping in and eating horribly, and start doing some other things, running regularly, getting enough sleep, eating healthy, get accountability, and so forth.

Training and discipline are necessary for the Christian life, and Paul says it is grace that does the training.

How?

We need instruction

God has not left us in the dark, He has graciously revealed in his word what is good, right and true.

Titus 2:12 “12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,”

In scripture we are shown what an ungodly, self-centered, wordly life looks like. His word graciously calls us away from that former way of life when we were led astray by our passions and enslaved to sin. Like a parent that says don’t play in the traffic so you don’t get hit by a car, God’s commands are not burdensome but he is graciously calling us away from death and into life.

Both the negative, calling us away from sinful deeds and desires, and the positive, calling us to live lives worthy of the gospel, is gracious and for our good.

So how does grace train us? God graciously instructs us.

We need power.

If we only had instructions but no power, that would crush us. The law can show us what to do, but it can’t produce what it requires. Only God’s Spirit can.

Most of us know that salvation is by grace, but if we may look at our lives and wonder how in the world we are going to change. How are we going to grow?

If we try to grow, if we try to change, if we try to be like Jesus without pleading for and relying on His power, we will be like this light strand. [light illustration #2]

We might have an area we need to grow in, but that is only possible when we are connected to the source, when we abide.

Galatians 3:3 “3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

So how does grace train us? God graciously provides power.

We need desires.

As humans, we do what we love. As we saw in Titus 3:3, we were “slaves to various passions and pleasures.” We need new passions. We need new pleasures. We need new desires.

The amazing news of the gospel is that God reorients our desires by His Spirit according to His word.

He takes out our hearts of stone and gives us hearts of flesh, and with it the desires to obey.

Paul prays for the church as says, 2 Thessalonians 3:5 “5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.”

So how does grace train us? God graciously gives us the desires.

We need forgiveness

If you are like me, it is easy to look back at the last year and see all the ways you haven’t grown to be more like Jesus. I had hoped to be more patient with my kids, more intentional in pursuing my wife, more quickly handing my cares and anxieties over to God, spending less time numbing out, more time seeking God. It can be discouraging.

One of the ways grace trains us is that in our inability, in our failure, in our sin, grace is there ready to forgive us. And HE does, again and again and again and again. It’s the gift that keeps on giving because we keep on needing it.

I need grace as much today as I did the day he reached in and ripped out my dead heart and gave me new life. And praise God, that grace available.

So how does grace train us? God graciously forgives us again and again and again.

So, grace brings salvation, grace trains us to live, and finally, grace enables us to wait.

3. Enables us to wait

Titus 2:13 ESV

13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Paul says that as we live by grace in this present age innaugurated by Jesus’ first coming, we are waiting for something by His grace.

He says we are waiting for our blessed hope, literally our happy hope. This hope won’t let us down. This hope won’t disappoint. This hope won’t fail to come through on its promises. This hope can actually hold the weight of our souls. How?

Well, he gives more details: “the appearing (same word as before) of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

This hope won’t let us down because it is our “Great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Jesus, the one who fashioned the stars and formed our souls can and will fulfill our deepest longings when He appears again.

He secured it in His first coming and will consummate it in His second.

He “…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.”

Until then, He graciously provides the patience and hope and everything we need to wait for His return.

Isaiah 64:4 “4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.”

Wait upon Him, church. He will graciously act for your good until He returns to flood the earth with His goodness.

Conclusion

My week started out really rough. I was pretty discouraged about several things. I overwhelmed, feeling beat down, and worn out. Then I would go home and just check out because I had nothing left in the tank, which only further served to make me feel bad.

On Wednesday, I found myself in the office, on the ground, pleading with God to help. To lift the cloud. To cause His light to shine into my darkness.

And this song came to mind:

Come you unfaithful Come all you unworthy Come you with nothing to offer Him Come you unrighteous Come you undeserving

Rejoice He came for you Rejoice He came for you Rejoice He came for you Christ the Lord

Come all you anxious Waiting and wanting Come if your burdens are all you can bring Weary from silence And questions without answers

Rejoice He came for you Rejoice He came for you Rejoice He came for you Christ the Lord

Church, the grace of God has appeared, the grace of God is appearing, and one day the grace of God will appear to make all things new.