The Abundant Grace Of God: Hope For The Future

INTRODUCTION

Read Titus 2:11-14.

This passage highlights God’s Abundant Grace, and reveals Christ as the ultimate revelation of that grace, as our Savior.

God’s Abundant Grace is shown in The Incarnation and God’s offer of Salvation for All. God's grace is offered to all people, showing His inclusive love and generous offer of salvation

The grace of God has appeared, which is good news of great joy that is for all the people: the Word became flesh, who is Christ the Lord, and was born in the city of David. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But He brings salvation for all people… to all who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. (Titus 2:11; Luke 2:11; John 1:9-14)

This passage in Titus also shows how God’s Abundant Grace is a Call To Holy Living. There is a transformation that begins with our faith in Christ.

Ezekiel 36:26–27 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

God has graciously given us His Son as a model for Godly living; and has given us His word of instruction to learn from and obey.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Understanding this call ought to reshape our lives to be conduits of hope in a world yearning for God’s truth.

This involves God’s Spirit transforming us from worldly passions to self-controlled, upright, and godly lives

This change testifies to the hope within us, enabling our lives to show the Gospel through actions empowered by God’s grace.

Our present living should mirror the future hope we have in Jesus: the hope of His return.

Titus 2:13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Consider a couple points regarding the blessed hope.

It Is The Completion Of Our Redemption

Titus 2:14a

God has made clear what our redemption looks like in Christ:

Romans 8:29–30 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

We are to be conformed into Christ’s image.

We are called out of the world to live a life of holiness.

We are justified by the righteous acts of Jesus, so we can stand in the day of judgment.

We will be glorified when we are in His presence.

Presently, we ought to live confidently in Christ, seeking to be more like Him through our increasing knowledge of the Word, looking less and less like the world we were called out of.

Putting off the grave clothes and putting on the grace clothes

We should be regularly asking: “What does God want from me?”

Though we may err from time to time, we have the confidence of already being justified through the shed blood of Christ.

We are no longer condemned before God because we now possess the righteousness of Christ.

However, we live in anticipation of what is yet to come: the day that we graduate to glory and are always in His presence.

1 John 3:2 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.

What we will be is what we have been predestined to become: the image of Christ. And when the blessed hope of His return happens, our redemption will be made complete because we will be glorified.

This hope should inspire and comfort us. It should serve as a reminder that our present challenges are temporary. Our hope in His return should fuel our faith and witness.

Matthew Henry; Puritan, Commentator A life spent in the service of God, and communion with Him, is the most comfortable and pleasant life that anyone can live in this world.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

It Is The Purpose Of Our Purification

Titus 2:14b

We Are Purified By Jesus Because We Are His

We acknowledge Him as our master and ought to follow His example.

John 13:13–15 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

Though the Old Man still creeps in from time to time, we must not be confused as to who it is we serve.

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Though Jesus is our master, we have a daily struggle with sin due to our sin nature.

Read Romans 6:16-18; 7:21-25

We belong to Christ, and He continues to purify us day by day.

We Are Purified By Jesus Because We Are To Do Good Works

The world rejoices in it’s own “goodness” and acts of compassion. Yet, as believers, we have a different purpose behind what we do.

HINT: It’s not about us

Being born again in Christ establishes a newness to our lives. Newness in deeds and newness in purpose.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We don’t do good works to be recognized or praised by others. We do good works to show Jesus to others and point them to God.

CONCLUSION

The hope we have in Christ empowers us to live righteously today, looking forward to the glorious future He has promised.

Jesus’s return will:

Be the fulfillment of the prophetic promises of the Old Testament

Complete God’s story of redemption

Be the culmination of our life of faith lived on this earth

In a world so dominated by hopelessness and fear, may we truly be the salt and light of the world, living in anticipation of the blessed hope and pointing people to Jesus.