Ready for every good work
Sound Doctrine, Sound Living • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 8 viewsNotes
Transcript
Text: Titus 3:1–8
Series: Sound Doctrine, Sound Living (Week 3)
Introduction
Introduction
We’ve been walking through Paul’s letter to Titus....
and each week he’s been laying a foundation for what it means to....
live as God’s people in a broken world.
In titus chapter 1,
Paul warned us about false teachers.
HE SAID....They claimed to know God but they actually denied Him... by their actions.
The message was clear that.....faith that doesn’t match your actions is false faith.
Real faith is visible faith.
In chapter 2,
Paul reminded us of the power of God’s Grace.
we learned that......Grace is not just a pardon—it’s power.
Grace doesn’t just cover you—it changes you.
the book of Titus says....
God’s Grace trains us to say no to sin and yes to godliness, so we can shine bright in a dark world while we wait for Christ’s return.
Now we get to chapter 3,
And Paul turns our attention outward.
He says....
If you’ve been rescued by grace, if you’ve been changed by grace....
then now it’s time to live out that grace before the WORLD WHO IS WATCHING.
OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....
It’s not just about what happens in church on Sunday.
This is about your everyday witness—
your words,
the way you react,
your compassion,
your integrity.
I want to just pause here for a moment,
because I know many of us are grieving and processing the recent TRAGEDY of Charlie Kirk’s death.
Whatever you may have thought of him politically, one thing is clear—
he said he wanted to be remembered not for power,
not for popularity,
but for courage for his faith.
That’s a statement worth TAKING IN.
So let me ask you:
If today were your last day,
what would people remember about your faith?
Would they remember your courage?
Your love?
Your compassion?
WHAT ABOUT Your integrity?
That’s exactly what Titus 3 is about.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE heart of the text THIS MORNING:
GOD’S Grace doesn’t just save you, it sends you.
1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.
14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.
I WANT TO GIVE YOU 3 THINGS THIS MORNING TO REMEMBER
3 THINGS THAT I BELIEVE PAUL IS SPEAKING TO US EVEN TODAY
AND ALSO I BELIEVE THESE 3 THINGS ARE THINGS WE CAN SEE DISPLAYED IN CHARLIE KIRK’S LIFE
BUT EVEN MORE THAN THAT....
I BELIEVE THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS TRYING TO SPEAK TO US TODAY THROUGH THIS PASSAGE
1. Remember Your Conduct (vv. 1–2)
1. Remember Your Conduct (vv. 1–2)
📖TITUS 3:1-2
1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.
Paul says.....“Remind them.” WHY?
WHY DOES TITUS NEED TO REMIND THE PEOPLE?
Because TOO OFTEN....WE forget.
We forget that our conduct.... is a witness.
THE THINGS THAT YOU DO AND THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE SPEAK VOLUMES TO OTHERS
PAUL SAID....
Be subject to rulers—MEANING .....show respect to authority
1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Be ready to do good— MEANING ......serve whenever you get the chance
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
HE SAID....
Don’t slander— MEANING.....speak life instead of tearing OTHERS down
6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
THEN HE SAID.....
Be gentle toward everyone— THIS DOESN’T MEAN.....just the people you like.
OH COME ON SOMEBODY....
“Church........ let me say it plain—
your life is a sermon.
Your words.... preach.
Your actions.... preach.
The way you drive YOUR CAR..... preaches.
The way you handle pressure.... preaches.
The way you treat your family..... preaches.
CAN SOMEBODY SAY AMEN.......
THERE IS SOMEONE AT YOUR JOB THAT may never open a Bible, but
I PROMIST YOU THIS....
they’re reading..... you ......every single day.
Here’s a truth worth writing down:
the loudest gospel some people will ever hear..
is not the one you preach with your mouth,
but the one you live with your life.
So the question is THIS—
what gospel are they RECEIVING FROM YOUR LIFE?
When they look at your patience.....do they see Christ?
When they watch you under stress.....do they see Christ?
When they hear you talk about people—especially those who disagree with you—
do they hear Christ,
or do they hear YOUR flesh?
OH MY LORD....
Don’t tell me you love Jesus if...... nobody can see Jesus in your life.
13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....
IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW....
IT’S ABOUT HOW YOU LIVE
WRITE THIS DOWN....
Grace doesn’t just save us, it sends us.
2. Remember Your Condition (vv. 3–7)
2. Remember Your Condition (vv. 3–7)
📖 TITUS 3:3-7
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
Paul IS SAYING.....
Don’t forget where you came from.
You were lost, blind, enslaved to sin. But then—verse 4—
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
THERE IS A VIDEO OF CHARLIE DEBATING WITH AN ATHEIST...
HE IS ASKED....WHY ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN?
HE SAID THIS........”JESUS SAVED MY LIFE”..... HE SAID.....
“I AM A SINNER AND I GAVE MY LIFE TO CHRIST” ...“AND HE HAS CHANGED MY LIFE”
THEN HE WAS ASKED..... WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS REAL?
ONE OF HIS ANSWERS WAS THIS.....SO SIMPLE YET SO TRUE...
“THERE IS NOT A TRUTH IN THE BIBLE THAT IF YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR LIFE, YOUR LIFE DOES NOT IMPROVE DRAMATICALLY”
OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....
“Let’s get real—
WE weren’t always in church clothes and Bibles in hand.
We weren’t always worshipping and lifting holy hands.
No, some of YOU remember the LATE NIGHT PARTIES,
the BOTTLE,
the DRUGS,
the ANGER,
the SHAME.
Some of us remember the sleepless nights and broken promises.
Paul says...... ‘Don’t you forget.’
But then WHAT HAPPENED—HALLELUJAH—mercy showed up!
Grace found you in the mess,
pulled you out of the pit,
and set your feet on solid ground.
CAN SOMEBODY GIVE HIM 10 SECONDS OF PRAISE.....
Here’s the TRUTH—
mercy doesn’t find you at your best, it meets you at your worst.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT????
Grace doesn’t wait for you to climb out of the pit,
it climbs in...... and pulls you out.
Ephesians 2 says, ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in sin.’
So don’t ever look down on somebody WHO IS still lost.
Don’t ever shake your head and act like you’ve always been holy.
If it had not been for the Lord on your side, where would you be?
OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....
IF NOT FOR THE GRACE AND MERCY OF GOD.....THERE I WOULD BE!
The same grace that erased your past
is the grace that empowers your future.
CHURCH.....
moments like the one we’ve seen this week remind us—
life is short,
and LIFE IS fragile.
If you’ve been saved by mercy, don’t waste a day living like you weren’t.
Use ALL OF your days well.
Make your faith visible..… LIVE IT OUT LOUD
BECAUSE...... Grace doesn’t just save us, it sends us.”
3. Remember Your Calling .......WORSHIP TEAM COME
3. Remember Your Calling .......WORSHIP TEAM COME
📖 TITUS 3:8
8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
Paul says..... stress this!
Emphasize this!
Christians should be known as people who are devoted to good works.
Not dabbling,
not occasional,
but devoted.
“I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO MAKE THIS CLEAR—
good works DOES NOT save you,
but OUR salvation should produce good works in US.
OH MY LORD....
LET ME SAY IT A LITTLE DIFFERENT.....
good works don’t save you, but if you’re saved,
there will be good works....BECAUSE...
Faith without works isn’t faith—it’s fiction....IT’S DEAD
LET ME SHOW YOU.....WATCH.....
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
That means if you say you’re saved but there’s no fruit...... something’s wrong.
If you say you love Jesus but never serve.....something’s missing.
If you say you trust God but don’t obey Him......your faith is shallow.
OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....
You weren’t saved to sit, you were saved to serve.
You weren’t delivered to be dormant,
you were delivered to make a difference.
If you want a life that matters, here it is: ARE YOU READY????
spend YOUR LIFE on something that will outlast YOUR LIFE.
THIS IS WHAT CHARLIE KIRK DID......
MY WIFE TOLD ME THAT IN ONE DAY HE WENT FROM 3 MILLION FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM TO 10 MILLION
IN ONE DAY
I’M TELLING YOU WHAT THE ENEMY HAS AWAKEN A SLEEPING GIANT IN THE FAITH
I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ABOUT TO BE AN AWAKENING THAT WE HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE
GENESIS 50:20 SUMS UP THIS TRUTH....
WHAT THE ENEMY MEANT FOR EVIL
GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD
OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....
GOD’S PEOPLE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED
MATTHEW 16 SAYS......
ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH..... AND WHAT?????
THE GATES OF HELL WILL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT
MEANING......THE ENEMY CAN NOT OVERTAKE IT
HE CAN NOT WITHSTAND IT
AND HE WILL NOT STOP IT
CHURCH TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN
THIS IS TRUE OF CHARLIES LIFE
HE WASN’T ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
HE COULD ARGUE HIS POINT VERY WELL WITHOUT RELIGIOUS ANSWERS
BUT HE KNEW THAT EVERYTHING HE STOOD FOR...WAS FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
__________________________________________________________________SLOW IT DOWN
CHURCH....MY HEART IS HEAVY TODAY.....
I KNOW YOURS IS TOO!
in moments like this, as we reflect on Charlie’s words—HE SAID.....
‘I want to be remembered for courage for my faith’—
let THAT STATEMENT echo in your spirit.
What will your legacy of faith be?
Will it be one of compromise....... or courage?
Silence.......... or service?
So here’s the question I WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE YOU WITH TODAY...
Are you living a saved life......or a wasted life?
CHURCH.....GOD’S Grace doesn’t just save us.....IT SHOULD send us.”
I CAME ACROSS THIS STORY THAT I THOUGH WAS PERFECT FOR TODAYS SERMON.
I CAME ACROSS THIS STORY THAT I THOUGH WAS PERFECT FOR TODAYS SERMON.
“In 2015, a man named Kevin was released from prison after serving 10 years for a crime he deeply regretted. While incarcerated, he had encountered Jesus and experienced God’s mercy in a profound way. Instead of returning to his old life, Kevin started a nonprofit to mentor at-risk youth in his city. He went into neighborhoods where violence, drugs, and despair were the norm and spent his days showing these kids what it looked like to be cared for, guided, and loved.
When asked why he chose this path, he said, ‘I know what it’s like to feel lost, to have no hope. God’s mercy saved me, so now I have a chance to show mercy to others and help them find life too.’
CHURCH.....
Kevin’s story reminds us that..... grace doesn’t just rescue us—it sends us into the world as a light.
Titus 3 isn’t theoretical—it’s real.
Mercy received must become mercy displayed.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Paul GAVE us three reminders TODAY:
Remember your conduct—WHICH IS your witness before others.
Remember your condition—WHICH WAS your past without Christ.
Remember your calling—WHICH IS your purpose in Christ.
This world needs a church that doesn’t just talk about grace, but lives it OUT.
A CHURCH That doesn’t just carry a Bible,
but becomes a Bible that others can read.
In light of recent events, let this be our renewed commitment:
to live so that if tomorrow doesn’t come,
our legacy will be courage in Christ,
faithfulness to the end,
and love that made a difference.
AMEN....
..........STAND TO YOUR FEET........
EVERY HEAD BOWED EVERY EYE CLOSED....
Altar Call
Altar Call
Paul says if you’ve trusted in God,
devote yourself to doing good.
THE REALITY IS....Some of us need to confess—
not JUST CONFESS OUR SINS out in the world,
but WE NEED TO CONFESS OUR neglect in the kingdom.
FATHER PLEASE HELP US THIS MORNING
SOMEONE HERE TODAY.....
You’ve been saved..... but silent.
YOU’VE BEEN Forgiven but YOUR fruitless.
Today is your day to devote yourself again.
maybe you’re here and you’ve never received God’s mercy.
INSTEAD You’ve tried to earn your way,
but today you realize it’s not by works—it’s by His mercy.
Today, you can be washed, renewed, and made new in Christ.
AS THE WORSHIP TEAM PLAYS.....
This altar is open.
Don’t wait. Don’t hesitate.
Come surrender. Come rededicate.
Come receive HIS mercy.
👉 Grace doesn’t just save us, it sends us.”
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
“Lord, thank You for saving us—not because of works, but because of Your mercy. Forgive us for when we’ve forgotten our calling. Fill us with Your Spirit so our conduct IS A LIGHT TO THOSE AROUND US, our memory keeps us humble, and our devotion keeps us serving. FATHER... Teach us to number our days so THAT we may live with wisdom and courage. LORD WE PRAY FOR THE KIRK FAMILY.....LORD YOUR WORD SAYS....THAT WHAT THE ENEMY MEANT FOR EVIL....YOU TRUN IT FOR GOOD......LORD GIVE PEACE AND CONFORT TO HIS CHILDREN AND SEND SOMEONE TO CONTINUE LEADING THEM TO YOU AS THEY GROW. LORD WE THANK YOU FOR YOU GRACE AND YOUR MERCY TODAY AND WE GIVE YOU ALL OF THE GLORY In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
