A Trustworthy Saying
Notes
Transcript
This morning we return to our study through the book of Titus, if you are visiting this morning, or maybe if you forgot - Titus is a book written by the apostle Paul to a young pastor named Titus, concerning how he ought to pastor on the Island of Crete. (Crete is south of Greece in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Last week, we focused, maybe even exhausted, verse 1 looking at what it means to submit to the government, when we should ignore that submission, and our reminder to be eager for good works.
Last week, I left us with the application to be ready for every good work. This week gave us the opportunity to be prepared for every good. One practical way that we can follow up on that fell into our own laps this week - in our own gym - when I received a call asking if we can utilize the gym for a flood relief center - and while I knew it would cause some inconveniences with my own schedule and even Bible Club among other things - I knew that this was a way that I can follow my own application. Be prepared for every good work.
At times there is a need for heavy lifting, other times there is a need for direction, but the most important need in those moments is to pray with people. All of us can do that. While helping people get food, clothes, water, and other supplies is great - my favorite thing to do for people is to pray for them, give them a Bible, invite them to church and tell them the good news that Jesus Christ came to save sinners.
Now there is an appropriate caveat to works here in this text. They don’t save you. Paul writes of good works, and bad works.
Yet this text almost seems as if it is written out of order. We often expect to read a list of what’s wrong with you and what you do wrong, the solution, and then the correction.
The root of this text is that you ought to act one way, because you were once one way, but are no longer that way because Christ has redeemed you.
This text is not a list of ways that you ought to act to be saved, or even to be a “good person”. This text is instead: You should act this way (1-3), because you used to be this way (v 4), but Jesus has done something remarkable for you.
In short, a redeemed people ought to act accordingly.
This mornings text can be divided into looking at three kinds of deeds.
The Good Work, We Ought to Do
The Bad Works, We Used To Do
The Best Work, Done for Us
Or:
As I will shorten it
Good Work, Bad Work, and Christ’s Work
As we already looked at verse 1 last week, and a little this morning, I will move to verse 2. This speaks of the kind of good works that we ought to be prepared for.
2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
Good Work
Good Work
To speak evil of no one… I think this might be the
How do you speak of that person who doesn’t come to church anymore? How do you speak of your unbelieving neighbors? How do you speak of your least favorite family members? How do you speak of those politicians? How do you speak of your leftist friends who love abortion,
Is it true that you do not speak evil of them? Are you now mentally justifying the evil comments you have made about them because they deserved it, or because they are just evil? Each of us likely stand condemned by this sentence. We are far too cavalier with our language and far too quick to speak evil of others.
I’ve said before that the Bible doesn’t call us to be nice, but to be kind. Speaking evil of no one does not mean that we ignore the truth, or that we
The Legacy Standard Bible frames the list this way:
2 to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, demonstrating all gentleness to all men.
Simply put:
Don’t slander.
2. Be Peaceable
3. Be Considerate
In many cases, we would almost summarized these to simply be “a decent human being”. Historically, in America these were the values we taught out children. Don’t speak wrongly of other people, don’t pick fights, and consider others needs before yourself. That’s very much gone away - as the culture has moved more towards postmodernism and away from Christianity morals have devolved - people have stopped pretending - when people want to get their way they disregard peace pick a fight and start yelling.
Especially in retail, or when business goes wrong. Whenever someone wanted to get away with stealing when I worked retail they would start to create a scene. They would come in with product that has clearly been stolen - and when we would tell them that we could not return it without a receipt they would start yelling, name calling, making everyone uncomfortable and starting asking for a manager. Because of embarrassment many people will cave in this moments. For many people the opposite of these things is the norm… And this isn’t just how it worked with return fraud… this is how many people begin their phone conversations with sales reps. We have trained our culture to be rude, combative, and inconsiderate - rather than peaceable, considerate, and gentle.
And this is appropriate for a world that has rejected Christ.
Paul tells Titus to remind the people in the church to do otherwise. It’s once again another place where Paul is instructing his readers to not act like the world. And I get it because we all know then when your internet provided continues to raise you rates and one day you look at your bill and it’s twice as high as it was when you signed up you call them get upset, and raise your phone, the sales rep will quickly cut your bill.
But as we will see in the remainder of this text - these are not good deeds that earn you salvation. These are not good deeds expected of sinners. These are good deeds that Paul is expecting of people who have been saved by Jesus, and want to glorify him.
Being a good person doesn’t save you. But the phrase “good person” really doesn’t mean anything any more. To be honest, I roll my eyes whenever I hear anyone say “they’re a good person.” Especially because of the number of times I have heard it said of someone who is most definitely not a good person.
However, a person should be evaluated by their works. We saw that in the book of James - faith without action is dead… if you say you have faith show me your works. Jesus also teaches us that you will know a person by their fruit - a good tree bears good fruit, a bad tree bears bad fruit.
And that’s where Paul goes next in verse 3, as he instructs of the kind of works that we used to do: bad works.
Bad Works
Bad Works
In verse 3, Paul writes this list of sins, that remind Titus, and each and everyone of us what is wrong with us, and what is wrong with the world: sin.
First 5 words there… are a reminder of what each Christian used to be… and what every non-Christian still is.
Define Christian… not just someone who comes to church and calls themself a Christian. there are a whole lot of self-professed Christians who do not believe in Jesus. They just call themselves that because their parents were Christians, or because that’s what they have always called themselves that… when I am referring to a Christian i mean someone who believe in Jesus as Lord and savior - they believe that he died on the cross to save them from their sins, he rose again defeating death - and has people with his Holy Spirit, who has turned away from their sins… their bad deeds - and seeks to obey Jesus.
So Paul is writing of the kind of people that they were before Jesus saved them. They were
3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.
In verse 3, Paul pivots. He reveals to them who they were. If you are looking at this text to determine how good a person you are… Paul shifts here and opens curtains to reveal your sin. He is referring to Christian, people who believe in Jesus as the once crucified, now resurrected, Lord and Savior - and he says “This is who you used to be”,
If that above category is not you - if you don’t believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, if you do not believe that Jesus is the resurrected Son of God, who has ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father… then Paul would say that this is still who you are.
Foolish - The Scriptures tell us that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord… this would mean those who previously did not fear God - but rather loved themselves… were foolish and hated God.
Disobedient (contrary to verse 1)
Led Astray/Deceived… not believing truth, or being rooted in the truth.
Slaves to various lusts and pleasure
Spend our lives in malice
Hating others, and being hated by others.
Paul pulls no punches to assert that the life lived without Jesus is an awful life. A life of sinful passions, hatred and evil. To some this sounds like a party - but Paul is asserting that wisdom, truth, freedom and love are all found in Jesus.
Yet before one can ask how can I forsake my life of foolishness, hatred, slavery and evil… Paul gives us the solution:
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
The difference between “what we ourselves once were” in verse 3 and the good works in verses 1 and 2 is believing in the finished work of Christ.
Christ’s Work
Christ’s Work
Verse 4 begins by telling us about the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared.
When Jesus took on human flesh, he revealed to us God’s goodness, God’s love toward man, and God’s generosity. Romans 5 teaches us that God has displayed his love for us by giving us his son, while we were yet sinners. So while we were still in the sinful attitudes of Titus 3:3 - that’s where Jesus finds us. Dead in our trespasses and sins. If we try to make ourselves better before we come to Christ - then it’s like putting lipstick on dead body.
We’ve talked about the good deeds that we should do. They are not good enough to earn your salvation. We’ve talked about the bad deeds that we all have done. They are bad enough to warrant your damnation.
But when we look at the Best deed, the work that Christ has done, we learn that through that work and believe in Christ Jesus. We are saved. But what are we saved from…
God’s wrath.
Our sins - those evil, wicked deeds that we have done - are an affront to a righteous and Holy God.
God is holy, this means that he is completely unstained by sin and evil - though he interacts with sinful, unholy world. God is righteous and just this means he must punish sin.
The Bible tells us that we are dead in our trespasses and sins… we are in desperate need of a savior.
From the gossip that you wont admit is actually gossip to little white lie that you pretend isn’t that bad to the hateful thoughts or lustful glances to the “big” sins - of idolatry, adultery, fornication, or immorality… small or big - a perfect God who demands perfection from his creation - has told us that any sin regardless of how small we pretend it is separates us from God. We have a problem - that problem is our sin. That problem is that without Jesus we are still verse 3.
We cannot work out way back to God…
And that’s what Paul is telling us when he says that it is not by works done by us in righteousness.
You cannot do good enough works to earn your salvation. You cannot be good enough to make it into heaven.
This is why Paul states in verse 5 that salvation does not come because of works done BY US in righteousness…
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
But according to his mercy.
Not because of any we have done. It isn’t salvation after all that we can do - it is salvation in spite of what we have done, because of what Jesus has done.
Not because you are good enough, not because you helped enough people, not because you are pretty enough, not because you believed enough… but because of God’s mercy.
There’s a helpful definition for, justice, grace and mercy - that I’ve used before -
Justice is getting what you deserve.
Mercy is not getting what you deserve.
Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.
Justice is right. Mercy is good. Grace is amazing.
The Justice that we deserve, the divine wrath of God, and that is what Jesus takes on himself on the cross. Each and every one of us has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. BUT JESUS is the substitute for sinners.
And in his mercy, he takes that punishment, from those who believe.
Turn from your sins. Believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior and you can be forgiven and free in Christ.
But his mercy is dependent not upon anything earned, but upon his goodness.
Remarkable… It’s so simple… and yet we cannot do it on our own…
Look at the second part of verse 5 there… the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. We need God’s help. The Holy Spirit of God washes, regenerates and renews.
Salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in the sinner to give him new life, or regeneration, that he might believe in Christ and be justified.
6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
And in verse 6, Paul roots it even further into Christ, our Savior. And verse 6 is another place where we see the word Savior that Paul has applied to God in verse 4 and now Christ in verse 6. Paul is without a doubt asserting that Jesus is our God and Savior. But this is also a demonstration of the Trinitarian role of Salvation.
7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Justification is the legal declaration that you stand before God forgiven.
This is the statement of you being just before God. Jesus received the justice that you deserved - it has been paid in full - and you stand forgiven.
Justification… just as if I never sinned. Jesus took our place on the cross, that we might be given his righteousness.
And while I may feel like Billy Mays for a moment… But that’s not ALL. In his grace, we become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
And verse 8 modifies all of that. Paul writes this then reinforced it to say that this is trustworthy - and this is what I want you to insist upon - that people might root their good deeds - from verses 1-2 in this truth. The good news that Jesus died to save sinners - and that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved - is the reason for why we ought to abound in good deeds.
All of that sums up the trustworthy saying… and Paul in 1 Timothy twice uses that phrase as a partner to the gospel… he’s stating that Jesus has come in the flesh, lived a perfect life, died a perfect death, a death that satisfied the wrath of God - so that sinners who repent of their sins and place their faith in Jesus as God and savior, though this be saved from their sins - not because of anything they have done - but because of God’s good mercy… and through that salvation God’s Holy Spirit is poured out on his elect that those he has chosen may be born again - be given a new life in Jesus and declared innocent of their sins because they have been nailed to Christ and there is no condemnation for those who believe…
That is the trustworthy saying…
If you are not in Christ today, I would urge you to really think on that. Who do you believe Jesus is? Is He Lord? Is He savior? Has he risen from the dead? When your time is up here in life… what will you rest on? When you stand before God and you are called to give an account for everything you have done? Whose deeds are you going to trust in? Yours or Jesus’?
If you still think your deeds are good enough, and you can do it on your own you will find yourself in trouble.
But if you are trusting in Christ’s deeds…
BECAUSE OF this trustworthy saying of salvation found in Christ Jesus. We ought to pour out with good deeds.
The Lord’s Supper
If you are new this morning, we are going to practice our regular tradition of taking the Lord’s Supper.
We invite visitors and non-Christians to take part in every other part of our service - but this part of the service is a family meal. This is for baptized believers. If you have not been baptized as a believer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit - we would ask you to remain seated.
If you have not trusted in Jesus for salvation from yours sins - then we would ask you to remain seated for this portion of the service.
We want you to take part in Jesus first.
This meal is not magic, it does not save you. It does not earn you brownie points with God, it does not wipe away sin. It is spiritually good for the Christian who trusts in Jesus, and has been baptized as a symbol of their faith in Christ.
So we would advise you to place your faith in Jesus. Repent of your sins. Believe in Jesus first. Be baptized - and then come to the table to take of the Lord’s Supper.
Benediction
1 Tim 1:15-17
