The Kingdom Starts with Mercy
The Kingdom is Everything • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Today’s Reading from God’s Word
Today’s Reading from God’s Word
3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life. 8 This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone.
Introduction
Introduction
This year, the majority of our time in this pulpit talking about the kingdom.
The kingdom of God was the central message of Jesus.
Earlier this year we referenced this passage — written about the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry:
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Before Jesus performed miracles, gathered disciples, before he went to the cross… He proclaimed the arrival of the kingdom.
If we want to understand Jesus, we must understand the kingdom.
If we want to follow Jesus, we must live as kingdom people.
And as we embrace that life every day, we’ll come to see more and more clearly that the kingdom is the story of salvation.
When we share the gospel, we aren’t just offering people forgiveness — we’re inviting them to switch kingdoms.
He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
The gospel is not only about what we’re saved from, but what we’re saved into, i.e., a new rule, a new identity, and a new hope under the reign of Christ.
Our July sermon series does just that by reminding us that salvation is more than a rescue — it’s realignment.
It brings people under the reign of the king who is full of grace and truth.
And as kingdom citizens, we presently live with new priorities:
We have new values, a new identity, new character, and a new mission.
And our life as a kingdom citizen is not just about living a moral life or attending church,
we have been saved to be ambassadors of righteousness, peace, and joy, in a broken, hostile world.
There is power in our message … because the world is starving for a better kingdom.
Cultural collapse is all around.
People are angry, confused, lonely, and hopeless.
They’re looking for:
answers
belonging
and truth.
The gospel we teach, the gospel of the kingdom, answers all of that because it is centered on a perfect king who reigns forever in justice, mercy, and truth.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
This is what we live for and this is what we proclaim.
And it is because of this that during July we will anchor ourselves in the greatest truth of all: The kingdom is everything.
This is at the heart of Jesus’ message.
It is the context of our salvation.
it has the power to change lives
it is the mission we’re called to share
and it is the hope we’re clinging to forever.
If you miss the kingdom, you miss the king.
So, now, let’s turn to Titus 3.
What kind of people get into the kingdom?
This question is not new.
It sits at the heart of every religion, every moral philosophy, and every human heart.
The natural assumption is:
The good ones.
The deserving.
The clean and the disciplined.
The strong.
But the gospel turns that assumption upside down.
How many of you have heard of Frank Caprio?
He’s a judge in Providence, RI, handing minor offenses like parking tickets and speeding.
But his courtroom has gained worldwide notoriety, not because he is harsh with offenders, but because he shows mercy.
In one case, an elderly man stands before the judge — charged with speeding in a school zone.
When asked to explain the man broke down:
My son is sick with cancer. I was rushing him to the hospital. I didn’t even realize it was a school zone.
The courtroom went silent.
Judge Caprio leaned foward and gently said:
“You’re a good man. You’re doing the best you can in a hard situation. And that deserves our compassion - not our punishment.”
And with that he dismissed the ticket.
No lecture.
No fine.
Just mercy.
That story has moved thousands. The video has been shared countless times on social media.
Not because justice was ignored — but because compassion spoke louder.
And this is exactly what Paul is speaking of in Titus 3.
We stood guilty: rebellious, deceived, and enslaved to sin.
And just when we had no case left to make, mercy appeared.
Not a fine.
Not a warning.
But a God who saved us, not because of our righteousness, but because of his mercy.
This is how the kingdom begins — not with our performance, but with God’s kindness and love appearing.
Not with what we’ve done - but with what He has done for us.
So today as we launch this new series, the Kingdom is Everything, we start where the kingdom starts:
With a king who shows mercy.
with a gospel that changes lives.
and with a Savior who welcomes the undeserving.
Let’s open our bibles and behold the mercy of our king.
Remember What You Were
Remember What You Were
To remind us of how desperately we need saving, look at v. 3:
For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.
Notice how the verse begins, “for we too were once…”
Don’t forget. Don’t forget where you came from.
Don’t forget who you were when mercy found you.
Let’s unpack the terms Paul uses: We were once:
Foolish - spiritually blind, living life without recognizing God, truth, or consequence.
Disobedient - willful rebellion - we knew better but didn’t care.
Deceived - misled by sin, the world, and our fleshly desires.
Enslaved to passions and pleasures - not just occasional indulgence, but controlled by impulses. Sin promised freedom but gave chains.
Living in malice and envy - not content with what we have and angry at those who have what we dont.
Hateful and detesting one another - broken relationships, bitterness, and resentment were our operating system.
In short, we need to understand that we were not victims of bad behavior - we were participants in it.
And we deserved wrath.
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
death. hell. eternal punishment.
it was this horrifying state from which we needed to be rescued.
“we” “we once were.”
This is the gospel leveling the ground.
No person will be in the kingdom who is not there by mercy.
There is no place for pride, because everyone came in broken.
Look over this verse again.
This isn’t describing just a few bad people.
It describes the normal human condition without Jesus.
And the obvious fact is that we could not rescue ourselves.
And, so I ask, who will rescue such vicious and evil sinners?
No human has the plan. No human has the power.
Who will do it?
Do What? Look at v. 5:
he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Who saved us?
But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared,
Who saved us?
He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior
God who is a saving God. Jesus, who is a saving Lord.
They are committed to rescuing unworthy sinners.
This is why God and Christ are repeatedly called our Savior throughout the epistle — twice in each of the three chapters.
And what is the goal of this?
so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
That instead of:
living in the fear of death and hell and fear of eternal punishment
living under the power of sin
we might be heirs of eternal life and live in the hope of heaven.
God wants to fill your heart with hope instead of dread.
Mercy Appeared
Mercy Appeared
But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared,
This is a very specific historical moment in human history, i.e., the incarnation of Christ.
The word became flesh… (John 1:14)
wrapped in skin, nailed to wood, rising from death.
This is God’s stance toward humanity:
Not aloof … but kind.
Not cold … but loving.
Not cruel … but merciful.
Now, v. 5:
he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Even my best works couldn’t open the door to the kingdom.
Salvation is not a reward for the righteous — it is a rescue for the ruined.
And that’s why we see that it all begins with God’s mercy.
Mercy is when God withholds the judgment and instead by grace gives us what we could never have come up with on our own.
God looked at your mess — and instead of rejecting you, He came for you.
And what did he do for you?
5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
he washed you in baptism and is renewing you.
The emphasis on baptism should always be on what God is doing in that moment.
He is the one (through His Spirit) regenerating you (bringing you back to life) providing you with the spiritual restart.
Think about it.
The king descended to rescue us.
He appeared, not to give us a better set of rules, but to give us life.
Jesus didn’t throw us a rope, he dove in.
All so that we might receive something greater, i.e, a future, a family, and a forever.
Heirs of Hope
Heirs of Hope
Before we move into v. 6-8 to close, I want to remind you of the context.
Paul is instructing Titus to teach the church how to live.
Chapter 2 - how to live within the church.
Chapter 3 - how to live in the world amid the pagan system.
And one of the important things for them to remember as they live in a pagan world is that they remember the only reason they’re different is because God saved them.
They can’t live with smug self-righteousness, looking down on everyone in condemnation.
They can’t live hostile to the culture — contentious, fighting the culture, demeaning it, abusing people in it, or attacking them personally.
Instead they must come to the realization that the only reason they are not a part of that culture is because God saved them.
It is with a sense of mercy and compassion that we live as Christians.
We don’t resent them.
We don’t hate them.
We don’t feel better, superior, or wiser.
We are simply grateful that God saved us.
And now, v. 6
He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior
He gave us a brand-new identity.
He lavished his grace upon us by the Spirit.
He is poured out generously, fully, richly through Jesus.
The Spirit is not just power, He’s the seal of your adoption.
v. 7:
so that, having been justified by his grace, …
You have been declared righteous…
Not by works, not by penance, not by law — but by grace.
And this is your status in the kingdom:
Not guilty, fully accepted, and clothed in Christ.
God doesn’t just forgive your past — He gives you standing in His presence.
Why?
so that, … we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
This is kingdom language.
We’ve not just been saved from hell — we’ve been given an inheritance with Christ.
Three key words in this verse:
Heirs: adoption into the royal family. What belongs to the king is now yours in Christ.
Hope: a confident expectation, not wishful thinking.
Eternal life: Not just unending existence — but joy, communion, and glory with God.
The kingdom is not something you barely sneak into.
It is your inheritance — secured the grace of God and the seal of the Spirit.
You are a kingdom heir now — even as you away for it’s full unveiling.
You don’t live your life trying to get into the kingdom.
You live your life because you belong in the kingdom.
As We Close…
As We Close…
These verses are a monumental statement about your salvation. Loaded with theology.
We have barely touched it here.
It is just a magnificent passage.
Some believe these verses were an early church hymn, sung for the purpose of committing to memory.
Which is why in v. 8 says this is a “trustworthy statement.”
The passage literally stands alone as a statement on our salvation.
Look at it again:
We were ruined - foolish, disobedient, enslaved, and broken.
But mercy appeared - in the person of Jesus Christ.
And now, we are royality - justified, filled with the Spirit, and heirs of the kingdom.
This is where the kingdom begins: not with our strength - but with God’s mercy.
This is the message the world needs.
Not just more sermons about morality or motivation, but mercy.
Not just self-help, but Spirit renewal.
Not just survival, but salvation.
Today, if you are the person of v. 3…
Stuck in guilt, confusion, or regret…
The mercy of Jesus is available to you right now.
You don’t have to clean yourself up before you come.
Come to Jesus today in faith, turn from your sin, and be washed in the mercy of baptism.
Be mae new, be made an heir, be given hope.
And if you’re already in the family
Never forget what you were.
Never forget what He did.
Never forget who you are now.
And never keep it to yourself.
The kingdom is built on mercy — and now, we are its messengers.
