The Saving Grace has come

Introduction

In South Africa, we hear the common word in our corridors constantly these days - # StateCapture. The papers say ANC is captured, and the country is captured! What is Capture? The sovereignty of a State surrendered to another or person for some gain of the role players.

We point at them and laugh at them. I think you are captured too. To those who know Jesus, they have a new government taken place – their power and will have been surrendered to the Lord, by faith, and He now rules those He captured.

This is what the Lord Jesus Christ teaches here, through Paul; he writes a letter to Titus whom he left on the Island of Crete to complete some needed work in the church. He writes to advise this young man, Titus, to emphasize some fundamental teaching in the church – instructions about faith and conduct – shine like the stars you are and not walk a walk that contradict who or what you ought to be – shine. For instance Paul would have said in:

·  In Gal. 5:25 “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit”. 

· in 2 Cor. 3:18 “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit”. 

Let’s ponder this together.

Theme: Saving Grace Has Come - The reason for living, in the present age, as those captured by Jesus Christ  

The reason is addressed in the following points:

I. Our position  

We followed the literary flow of the text – it is very necessary to dig into these practical directives that are given in the text before we get to the bases of it. We started with older men and women.

Firstly, He addresses older men.  2 things he says to them: You must be sound in faith and You must have a sound character

Secondly, he addresses older women.

· Watch your behaviour

· Do not forget your ministry  - teach the younger women them the gospel, And then he goes the addresses for younger men as well. Set an environment where you are role models for your daughter.

Thirdly, younger men

- Self-controlled – restrain, able to say no to the urge to make you fall into sin. You men don’t apply discernment – they apply adrenalin.

-  Young men are led by egos – girls, money, influenced to drugs, theft

- Pear pressure – I stole a car from home at night (to go to school function)

- A model of doing good works – for other people, sacrifice. We used to think an older men could not stand while you sit in the bus.  

Fourthly, younger women

- Love husband and children

- Submissive to their husband – the saying “die vrou sit op die man se kop”

- Self-controlled

- Purity 

- Working at home

Fifthly, servants

- Theft

- Disrespect

- Pilfering things of little value – 1 rand, sugar, soap, left overs of whatever was done.

In other words - in the verses 1-10 : it was about sanctification.

Can I tell you something?

1. You are not going to do any of these if you are not in Christ (this is what the reasons for this emphasis)! You need to have the Lord of this instruction. Sanctification is impossible for anyone who is not in Christ. That is why Paul would not have directed this to the nonbelieving group – he says you who are already in.

2. You are never going to be able to do this in your power – even if you are in Christ. When you are doing it, let Christ to be doing it, not you – but Him in you.

3. It would be futile to do it in order to be a good Christian – listen to verse 11!

Paul is teaching this so that they may be good Christians, he says – “for the grace of God has appeared”. Meaning – this is why I said what I said, it’s because of the following: past

He said something similar in Tit. 1:16 “they profess God but they deny him with their works” and in Tit. 3:3-4; “For we ourselves……. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared”.

He says …..

Our position

It is in Christ. It is in the hand of the saviour Jesus Christ. You have been captured by the saving power of the grace of God.

This portion (11-14) opens with “γαρ” (gar) a Greek translated as “for” which is a primary particle; properly assigning a reason. Every time you come across conjunction “for” in your reading, you should always pause and think about what is said prior the word because the writer is concluding or giving a reason. In this case he conveys a reason, bases or the cause for the issue that begun in 2:1-10 – a fervent instruction on the Christian conduct.

The reason he gives is because of “the grace that appeared” -

appear, to give light

This appearance is:

1. The birth  

· He is  born of the Spirit of God – he is without sin – he is not the product of man

· He is a suffering servant – just for the sinning world (Isa. 53)

· He is announced to be the Jesus – Yehoshua – the Lord saves

· He will save his people from sin – the Lord God saw the need and acted – just as he did in the nakedness of Adam. The promise is exclusive – not all, but those who believe. I came so you might have faith – did they/we all have faith?

· He is the gift  - God’s love – God gave (John 3)  -

· He is killed - on a rugged cursed cross in your place                           - o this is grace appearing

But I do not think he I referring to this when he says “for the grace appeared” – it only a true fact of God’s grace – it remains outside of an individual. 

2. The preaching

· The preaching is the extension of God’s grace – it proclaims this grace – and invite one to Him.

· It is the telling of the good news of Jesus Christ.

· You need to hear the good news to come to faith.

But he cannot be meaning this – hearing the good news is not enough to warrant the expected changed life in heart, body and soul. To warrant watching faith! Women, young and old, young men to watch their conduct. 

You will always be a just a church goer and hear the word preached every Sunday and nothing more - you will never be saved until you receive Jesus Christ.

You can even preach it – unless you believe in Jesus – you will be a very nice morally or religiously bound, changed man – you will never be saved.

The Pharisees did this too – they studied the world, but what?

3. Personal saving faith

· The personal acceptance of the saving work of God in and through Christ

· The personal acceptance of and living in the grace

· The personal rendering of self to the saving Lord

· John 6:47 “he who believes has life eternal” – to receive Jesus Christ as the glorious appearance of the grace of God to you and for you personally.

· Placing your whole heart and mind – on this Gift of God as your only saviour by faith.

These man could not walk in the newness of life if they were never changed. I believe that because of the expectation – it makes sense to believe that he means the “the appearance in a saving way”.

But no – it appeared to your hearts and lives at some point in the past.

God created, man fell into sin, promise of saviour, incarnation, cross, resurrection = at some point you received the life changing experience of the Lord in your life – when breathed life, put flesh on your dry bones and made you respond to him. This is what he is talking about. Not just the knowledge of the gospel, rather the experience of it in your heart that showed you the need to come to the feet of Jesus Christ in worship. 

So Paul looks upon recovery from sin as being a wonderful proof of divine grace. He does not talk about a kind of grace that would leave men in sin, and yet save them from its punishment. No, his salvation is salvation from sin. He does not talk about a free grace which winks at iniquity, and makes nothing of transgression, but of a greater grace by far, which denounces the iniquity and condemns the transgression, and then delivers the victim of it from the habit which has brought him into bondage. He declares that the grace of God has shone upon the world in the work of Jesus, in order that the darkness of its sin and ignorance may disappear, and the brightness of holiness, and righteousness, and peace, may rule the day.

Our position is further described in the text, if you look at it, as being in this present world, or age. We are living in the age which lies between the two blazing beacons of the divine appearings, and we are called to hasten one to the other. The sacramental host of God’s elect is marching on from the one appearing to the other with hasty feet. We have everything to hope for in the last appearing, as we have everything to trust to in the first appearing, and we have now to wait with patient hope throughout that weary interval which intervenes

In closing

If it is so, my brethren, you are not of the world even as Jesus is not of the world. If this is so, that before you blazes the supernatural splendour of the second advent, and behind you burns the everlasting light of the Redeemer’s first appearing, what manner of people ought you to be? If, indeed, you are but journeying through this present world, suffer not your hearts to be defiled with its sins, learn not the manner of speech of these pagans through whose country you are passing.

There ought to be a holy light about you, O believer in Jesus, for there is the appearing of grace behind you, and the appearing of glory before you. Two manifestations of God shine upon you. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”