The Transformed Life
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus has been quite a journey through the doctrine of the church (ecclesiology).
Chapter 1 - Leadership In The Church
Chapter 2 - Character Of The Church
Chapter 3 - Conduct By The Church
Here in chapter 3, we have seen the very formula that should fuel our conduct as believers:
Remember where you came from
Remember where you came from
We were once foolish, disobedient, and led astray
Slaves to various passions and pleasures
Passing our days in malice and envy
Hated by others and hating one another
In summary:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Remember how you were delivered
Remember how you were delivered
By God’s:
Goodness
Love
Mercy
Washing of Regeneration
Renewal by the Holy Spirit
Son
Grace
In summary: You were saved by God!
Recognizing these two very important ingredients, and cogitating on them from time to time, ought to develop in us a desire to obey God and love others… which is the point of the two great commandments.
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Returning to Titus 3, we are going to see today that Paul emphasizes the importance of good deeds flowing from a transformed life in Christ.
Read Titus 3:1-11
In verses 8-9, we see two directives given to believers by the Apostle Paul.
DIRECTIVE 1: Devote Yourselves To Good Works
DIRECTIVE 1: Devote Yourselves To Good Works
(verse 8)
Having been saved by God out of a life of depravity, we recognize the need to be transformed in our mind, from dead man thinking to newness of life thinking.
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
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.
The process of being conformed to the image of Christ is just that: a process.
Theological Term: Progressive Sanctification
Progressive = gradual; incremental
Sanctification = the process of being set apart/made holy
It takes time for God to expunge the bad effects and influences of the sin nature in our lives and to be given the mind of Christ.
Ryrie’s Basic Theology A. The Concept of Sanctification
Every command and exhortation to holy living concerns progressive sanctification
Similar to how a parent repeatedly reminds their children of what they ought to be doing, so God repeatedly reminds us, in Scripture, of how we should be living.
since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
That is not to say that we have a perfect experience in obedience, but that we are to strive toward that perfection.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Those who are saved are the handiwork of God
Matthew Henry:
The new man is a new creature; and God is its Creator. It is a new birth, and we are born or begotten of His will.
A new birth indicates that there are going to be growing pains, and occasional plateaus, on the path to maturity.
Ultimately, that path is to be defined by the good works that God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Good works are not a means to salvation, but they ought to be shown because of our salvation.
And these good works that we are created for are not for our recognition and praise. Rather, they are for the glory of God.
let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Transition:
Paul’s directive here is for believer’s to Devote Themselves To Good Works, which is an indicator of the change that God has made in their life through salvation and the sanctification process.
It is in the realm of expectation that a believer will increase their output of good works as they are increasingly being conformed to the image of Christ because it will become more and more “natural” to them.
DIRECTIVE 2: Avoid Foolishness
DIRECTIVE 2: Avoid Foolishness
(verse 9)
This directive would be easier to follow if our world wasn’t so full of foolishness.
The Greek word for foolish, μωρός , is the root for a derogatory term in English.
This word has a commonly understood meaning of “stupid” or “nonsensical”
It immediately gets at the heart of how Paul feels about those matters that distract from a life devoted to good works.
These matters in a church may, on the surface, have a good reason to be engaged; however, there is the danger of being so consumed by them that we can forget why we were saved in the first place: to bring glory to God.
In Paul’s day, those foolish matters were centered on debates about whether or not Gentile believers needed to keep aspects of the Law in order to be saved.
Acts 15 - the Jerusalem Council to determine whether or not Gentiles had to be circumcised
Galatians 2 - Paul confronted Peter who was being influenced by the Judaizers about Jews not eating with Gentiles
Today, debates over minor, non-essential details of scripture or religious practice can be divisive and distract from the core message of the Gospel.
Some people get caught up on things like:
the exact day of Jesus' crucifixion
the interpretation of obscure prophecies
the proper way to utilize music in a worship service
the “right” Bible version (namely, the KJO crowd)
Arguably, some of these matters need to be addressed to one degree or another.
However, they must not be so focused on that we forget our purpose in Christ.
Transition:
Paul’s directive here is for believer’s to Avoid Foolishness for the sake of the first directive: Devote Yourselves To Good Works
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
A genuine transformation in Christ compels us to engage in good works that reflect His love and grace while drawing us away from divisive behavior and toward unity in the faith.
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
