Titus 2:11-14 - Grace In A Nutshell
In A Nutshell • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Scripture Reading: Titus 2:2-10
Scripture Reading: Titus 2:2-10
Introduction
Introduction
The 18 year old high school graduate was given a sweet deal by his parents:
“If you go to college & stay until you graduate…”
“You can continue to live in our house & you don’t have to get a job.”
“You’ll have everything you need provided for you.”
“But, if you don’t stick with it…”
“If you drop out or are expelled…”
“Then you will no longer be welcome to live here…”
“And we will no longer provide for you.”
So the son takes the deal & starts going to college
One of his 1st classes is an extremely important class
If he doesn’t pass the midterm & final exams…
He will be expelled from the school
But, instead of taking the class seriously…
He skips class, doesn’t study, & parties late every night
Then, before he knows it, it’s time for the midterm
He’s handed the exam, & he stares blankly at the questions
He doesn’t know the answer to a single one
He begins to think about the consequences he’s about to face:
He will be expelled from the school
His parents will kick him out of the house
He will have no house, no money, & no hope for a successful future
Because of his bad decisions…
His life is about to fall apart
So he does the only thing he can do
He signs his name at the top of the page…
And takes it to the professor’s desk & hands it to him
He hangs his head and begins to walk out of the room
But before he does, the professor stops him…
And hands him another exam
But this one already has all the answers filled out
And there’s a big red 100 at the top of the page
The only thing that is blank is the line beside the word “Name”
The boy asks the professor, “What is this?”
The professors replies, “This is your test, if you want it to be.”
“I’ve already filled in all the correct answers”
“All you have to do is sign your name at the top”
The boy asks, “Why are you doing this? I didn’t earn it. I don’t deserve it.”
The professor says, “I know. This is called ‘grace’.”
“You didn’t earn it, and you don’t deserve it.”
“But I’m offering it to you anyway.”
“And though I won’t force you to…”
“I hope that you appreciate my grace.”
“And that your gratitude will lead you to change your ways…”
“And come to class, study, & work hard to pass the final exam”
With an overwhelming sense of gratitude & tears in his eyes…
The boy signed his name at the top of the page
And the professor smiled and said:
“Congratulations! You passed.”
The boy was on the verge of throwing his life away
But now, due to undeserved kindness & compassion…
He’s been given a 2nd chance
His 0 was turned into 100
His failure was turned into success
And because of this amazing gift…
He determined within himself to become the top student in his class
Not just for his own sake
But also to make his professor proud
Let me ask this question:
Did grace save the boy or shape him?
Was he saved by grace or sanctified by it?
The answer is “yes, both”
Grace saved him from being expelled from school
Grace sanctified him/led him to clean up his act
Grace is found over 150 times in the NT
It can be a little nuanced in its meanings…
But my new favorite definitions of Grace are:
“Free Benevolence”
“Free Kindness”
“Free Compassion”
It is goodwill…
Felt & acted upon toward someone…
Who has done nothing to deserve it…
And cannot possibly earn it
According to Paul, Grace is made up of 3 components:
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Grace = Kindness, Love, Mercy
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, 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, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
God’s grace is:
His Mercy, Love, & Kindness all rolled up into one
And it never relies upon our own good deeds or works
In our Nutshell text this morning…
We’re going to look at a passage that is extremely rich
It’s going to put the Christian life in a nutshell
It’s going to show us how it’s all about God’s grace
His grace came to save us
His grace is here to train us
His grace is coming again
In our Scripture Reading (Titus 2:2-10)…
Paul writes to Titus telling him to speak healthy teaching:
Older men, live this way…
Older women, live this way…
Younger women, live this way…
Younger men, live this way…
Slaves, live this way…
Our Nutshell text is the very next passage
And it answers the question, “Why?”
“Why should these Christians live this way?”
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Let’s break down this passage
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.
How can an invisible concept such as God’s grace “appear”?
God’s free & unconditional love, mercy, & kindness…
Appeared in the form of a person
Jesus is the embodiment & personification of God’s grace
From how he lived…
To how he showed love, mercy, & kindness…
To how he gave his life for humanity & rose again
God’s grace appeared through Jesus…
To bring salvation to the world
Salvation = rescue
He came to rescue humanity from sin & its consequences
To justify us & give us the hope of eternal life
Despite the fact that we willingly & actively choose to sin & disobey God…
He still loves us & wants to show us mercy & kindness
We don’t deserve it, but He offers his grace generously
His Grace Came to Save Us
12 It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
Grace doesn’t just save us
Grace isn’t a one time ticket…
That we get punched when we first become disciples
According to Paul, grace continuously impacts our lives
(Or, at least, it should)
God’s grace, personified in Jesus…
“Trains” us
It disciplines us toward transformation & Christ-likeness
It trains us to say “no” to:
Godless ways of thinking & living:
A lifestyle of not caring about God or what He wants
Worldly desires:
Lusting after things that are sinful & harmful
God’s grace trains us to say “no” to such ways of living
It trains us to say “yes” to:
Self-controlled living
A lifestyle of controlling one’s desires & urges
Upright/Righteous living
A lifestyle of doing what is right & good
Godly living
A lifestyle of caring about God & what He wants
God’s grace trains us to say “yes” to such ways of living
How does God’s grace train us…
To reject an uncontrolled, sinful lifestyle…
And live a self-controlled, righteous lifestyle?
God’s grace, when properly appreciated…
Changes our hearts & our desires…
Which in turn lead to a change in our behavior
When our minds are properly focused…
On the cost of sin (death is the cost & Jesus paid it)
And on God’s love, kindness, & mercy toward us through Jesus…
Our desire to sin will greatly diminish…
And our desire to live in ways that would make Him proud…
Greatly increase
As disciples of Jesus…
The gospel ought to be front & center in our minds
It ought to influence every thought we think…
And every decision we make
As we grow & are trained by His grace…
We will see improvements in the way we live
But when the gospel barely finds a small space in the back of our minds…
We’ll find that it has little influence on the way we think & behave
And our lives will steadily spiral back into godlessness & worldliness
His Grace Came to Save Us
His Grace Trains Us
13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Not only does grace train us toward Christ-like living…
It also produces hope & happy anticipation…
For Jesus’ glorious return
Not only does knowledge & appreciation for what God has done…
Lead to transformed living
But hope (confident expectation) for what God is going to do…
Encourages us to live for His honor & glory
Gratitude for the past & joyful excitement for the future…
Make a powerful duo in changing a person’s behavior
God’s grace wasn’t just made manifest through what Jesus did
It will also be revealed in what He will do:
When Jesus returns & all His people will be resurrected to eternal life
His grace came to save us
His grace trains us
His grace is coming again
14 He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good.
God’s grace was shown to us through…
Jesus willingly giving himself as a sacrifice…
To set us free from all sin
That doesn’t just mean forgiveness of all our sins
It means we are set free from the bondage of sin
We are no longer slaves to our fleshly passions & desires
We have been set free, purified, & sanctified (set apart)…
As Jesus’ own people
We are taken out of the world…
And adopted into the family of God
And our purpose as God’s children…
Is to do good works
But not just to do good works because He tells us to
But to be eager to do them…
Because we appreciate His grace & joyfully hope in Him
We have been saved & sanctified by God’s grace…
From Sin
But also…
For good works
When we fully see, believe, & internalize the story of the Gospel of Jesus:
There’s no way we would ever return to a lifestyle of sin
Transformation toward sanctification becomes our desire & mission
The grace of God shown in the Gospel of Jesus…
Changes what we desire & love
Laws & rules tell us what to do…
But grace changes what we want to do
The grace of God shown in the Gospel of Christ…
Transforms our loyalty
It creates a new love within us
It gives us a new purpose in life
The Christian life is grace from start to finish:
Grace that appeared
Grace that trains
Grace that’s coming again in glory
Let’s close the lesson with a few inspired words of wisdom from Paul:
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as 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 so that we would walk in them.
Prayer for God to Help Us Know, Appreciate, & Internalize His Grace So that We can Live for Him & Do Good Works
Prayer for God to Help Us Know, Appreciate, & Internalize His Grace So that We can Live for Him & Do Good Works
