Our Blessed Hope: Training and Waiting

Introduction

Most of us grew up in the 20th century during a time known as “The Cold War”. This was a so-called 'war'... of ideologies. Freedom, Representative Republics (democracy), faith in God, and free-market capitalism vs. Despotic, Autocratic leadership (authoritarianism), atheistic (belief that God does not exist), and socialist-communist economic system.

The main players were the United States and the USSR, led by Soviet Russia.

One Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev...died in 1982. “Then Vice President George Bush represented the U.S. at his funeral. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope...a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest. 

There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all...hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus, who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.”

(Gary Thomas, in Christianity Today, October 3, 1994, p. 26.)

Hope. Perhaps no more powerful concept in the human heart than the word hope. From it springs all the blessings of this life.

But where do you and I find hope?

Migliore

Professor of systematic theology...Dr. Daniel Migliore...in his book “Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology”...Migliore points to the 20th century’s perspective of failed hope through “liberal belief in progress...or Marxist Utopianism...or (the more fundamentalist) neo-apocalyptic hope of rapture amid a coming world-wide holocaust” as insufficient for Christians who find their hope in Christ.

Shirley Guthrie...systematic theology professor at Columbia Theological Seminary...asserts “Christian hope in the God who will come to straighten things out at the conclusion of history means...the end of all optimism about what either...non-Christians or Christians...can accomplish with their liberal or conservative strategies to improve the world.”

For us...as Christians...our hope is not a left-or-right... liberal-or-conservative... progressive-or-traditional...thing; our hope is in Jesus the Christ...the living word of God. This hope is founded in scripture...the written word of God...as a means of God’s revelation to us.

If there were a list of words to describe the Bible...you may have your own word for it...but no doubt one of the words to describe it would be a book of hope. Not hope in humanity or our efforts...but hope in God.

End of the Christian Year

November marks the end of the church year. Like ancient (and modern) Judaism...over the last 2,000 year of Christianity...a liturgical cycle for the calendar year was developed. (show and discuss image)

The seasons of the Liturgical Year orient the Church and our life of discipleship as we follow Christ through our own seasons of life.  Each season and celebration offers us perspective, truth and encouragement on our particular faith journey.  

November is when we turn our attention to the promises and truths of Jesus' return...of God’s final consumation of human history and a permanent and final end to sin and death.

That is the Christian hope.

Titus

There is a term found in Christianity called our “blessed hope.” That term comes to from Paul’s letter to Titus that we heard read this morning. The letter to Titus is a short 3-chapter book and I encourage you all to read it in its entirety. It was written to Titus to address some false teachers, leadership in the church, and sound (or healhty) Christian teaching and godly living.

Our passage today emphasizes the hope we have in Christ. In the ESV...vv.11-14 are a beautiful run-on stentence. It reads:

Titus 2:11–14 ESV

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

The word “appeared” in v.11 is the Greek word epiphany...what does v.11 say appeared?

“For the grace of God...has appeared...”

This refers to Jesus’ first coming... when God the Son... came down from heaven and took on flesh. The very thing that we focus our attention on during the season of Christmas. It is known as the incarnation... literally the enfleshment of God in flesh and blood historical Jesus of Nazareth.

And why did God’s grace appear according to our reading?

I count no less than EIGHT reasons specifically mentioned that God’s grace in Christ came to us.

to bring salvation for all people

to train us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions

to live self-controlled...upright and godly lives here and now

to teach us to wait for “our blessed hope, “the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”

(sidebar: some say the New Testament does not teach that Jesus is God...but it is explicitly stated as true here in this passage… “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”!!!!!)

God’s grace in Christ came

to redeem us from all lawlessness (which means we all have lawlessness in us)

to purify us (purify for himself a people)

to make us His own possession

to have a people zealous for good works

Closing

The grace of God is a powerful thing. It is has the power to transform ungrateful sinners into people excited to do good works for God’s glory.

The blessed hope is the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Christians for 2,000 years have been looking for Jesus' second coming...and it will happen! Don’t be like end times scoffers spoken of in 2 Peter 3:4

2 Peter 3:4 ESV

They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

He’s coming! But not so we can escape our weariness with sin and death...not so we can escape a coming apocalypse of God’s judgment of the Earth. The main reason for our hope, blessed hope, is that God’s grace paved the way for it...meaning we live changed lives here and now...and we can face our own weariness and challenges with hope and not despair.

Why?

Because God’s grace trains us...empowers us...and sustains us...calls us to good works as long as the Lord’s appearing tarries.

Grace doesn’t just save us...it trains us.

Our hope in Christ’s return motivates us to godly living... no matter our circumstances or how tired we are.

Redemption has a communal component. Saved by grace...the end? NO. Saved by grace for good works in this world amid despair, devastation, and disaster. PDA Out of Chaos...hope!

Hope is only as good as what is hoped in. We hope in the ONE...ONLY...TRUE GOD...Father...son...Holy Spirit one God now and forever!

Here’s our charge:

Titus 2:15 NLT

You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them. You have the authority to correct them when necessary, so don’t let anyone disregard what you say.

Thanks be to God...AMEN