Washed
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro
I love to paint and this is one of my earlier paintings.
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Titus 3 “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
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.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 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, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.”
Transition:
Main Exposition
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Main Point: We were once slaves to the world but Christ Jesus saved us by His gracious mercy so that through the power of the Holy Spirit we may have eternal life that glorifies Him.
Transitional sentence
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Everyone was born into spiritual slavery to sin.
This is very important, if your not on team Jesus your on team Satan. And are in slavery! There is no in between.
We have to come to terms with the sobering fact that our friends who are not on team Jesus are on a downward trajectory of rebellion against God that leads to the gates of hell.
Titus 3:3 “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.”
Slaves to the world are disobedient to God’s word and are in active disobedience to God and His word.
Sin separates us from God. It is a state of being but also an action. Sin is rebellion against God and His perfect ways. And unbelievers are living in open rebellion against their creator, the Lord.
Lets go back to the beginning. In the garden Adam and Eve took the fruit and brought sin into the world. We are all children of Adam and because he sinned he passed down sin to each and every one of us. Every single one of us is corrupted by sin and born into disobedience.
Adam took something that was beautiful, a perfect creation and wrecked it (Stain Hands)
Adam rebelled against God and nothing you can do can take away the stain of sin. No matter how hard you scrub it will never come off.
We all at one point in our lives lived in disobedience or open rebellion against God. There is no hope, there is no joy and there is nothing to look forward to when you are living in sin and disobedience against God.
Maybe if I am a good person the stain of sin will be removed, or if I go to church? (Scrub Hands)
No matter how hard I try, no matter how good I think I am, I cannot earn my salvation or be righteous
No matter how hard you scrub it will never ever come off
But guess what,
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Jesus through His loving kindness saves His children and washes their sin white as snow.
Titus 3:4–5 “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 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,”
Jesus is so so good. By The Lords loving kindness he sent Jesus the sacrificial lamb to be beaten tortured and slain so that by Hs blood poured out on the cross, all who believe are no longer slaves in to sin but are called sons and daughters of a loving father.
For those who believe and trust in Jesus he SAVES, washes and restores. (Clean Hands)
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Isaiah 1:18 ““Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
You can not get the stain of sin off by yourself. It is not by your own works you are saved.
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English Standard Version Chapter 3
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy
He saved us not because of how good you are or how good you could ever be You can never follow the rules enough. You need the blood of Christ to wash you clean through the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit.
Some of us here are trying to save ourselves and get into heavens gates by being very very good. Some of us struggle with legalism, trying to be so good that man if I just follow all the rules then maybe God will love me, maybe i need more rules and more rules to act like a safety to prevent from breaking Gods rules. But your missing it. You cannot earn your salvation in away way.
Friend you and I desperately need the loving kindness of Jesus for the Holy Spirit to wash you clean and regenerate your soul. And Christ does this by Justification.
Justification is the first stage of salvation and it only happens once in a person's life.
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Justification is an important theological doctrine describing God’s declaration that sinners are made/declared righteous—not because they have achieved righteousness themselves, but through divine grace.
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English Standard Version Chapter 3
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
Because of the blood of Jesus, God has declared you Justified. You become a child of God. You enter the family of faith.
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English Standard Version Chapter 3
so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life
God accomplishes Justification by forgiving believers of their sins and attributing to them the righteousness of Christ.
This acceptance rests entirely on God’s grace as embodied in Jesus Christ and received through faith, not on personal virtue or accomplishment but solely by the blood of Christ.
This is important for every believer to know because it helps us understand our walk with the Lord. It helps us understand the significance of the cross and the gravity of your salvation.
We are justified so that we can be sanctified and glorified and receive eternal, everlasting life with Jesus.
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Sanctification is the process of becoming more obedient to Christ. You are called to live a life of obedience to the Lord and His commands.
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Titus 3:8
English Standard Version Chapter 3
8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people
When we are adopted into the family of faith we are called to be obedient to our dad out of the love we have for Him.
Men and women of God need to be carful to devote themselves to good works because we want to bear good fruit. We want to show the Father we love and trust Him.
We do good works out of the Love we have for Jesus. We trust Him, we trust that His ways are better and beneficial to us.
And through sanctification the Holy Spirit actually renews our minds and regenerates our souls. The Holy Spirit changes our desires and wants to be more like Christ but also we need to make a conscious effort to love Jesus.
I only got married once but I actively do things for my wife to show her I love her. Not to earn being married but out of the overflow of my heart and it is the same way with our relationship with Jesus.
We love Jesus so much we want to keep His commandments and btw his commandments will actually bless our lives.
So here is my action steps
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Application: Repent and Believe Jesus is King
You don’t have to be a slave to sin, bubbling around in darkness. Lost for eternity.
You can repent of your sin and have your sin be washed away through the power of the Holy Spirit and the work of Christ.
If you have not done so yet, repent and believe Jesus is King.
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Romans 10:9 “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
I want to see you in the kingdom of heaven. I want to see you walk hand in hand with Jesus.
We cannot earn our salvation in anyway, but we must confess the truth that Jesus is Lord.
2. Once you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord your next step is baptism.
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Acts 2:38 “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Baptism is the visual representation that you are on team Jesus. Baptism does not save. Baptism is a visual representation of your faith in Jesus. If your unwilling to be baptised, it is concerning because your disobeying the Lord because believers are commanded to be baptized.
3. Live in obedience to Christ and be washed by the Hoy Spirit.
John 14:15 ““If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
If you love Jesus seek to live out your love for Him by reading, dwelling and apply God’s word in your life.
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Conclusion
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Outline
Main Point: We were once slaves to the world but Christ Jesus saved us by His gracious mercy so that through the power of the Holy Spirit we may have eternal life that glorifies Him.
Everyone was born into spiritual slavery to sin
Jesus through His loving kindness saves His children and washes their sin white as snow
Christ has Justified us and continues to Sanctify us
You are called to live a life of obedience to the Lord and His commands
Repent and Believe Jesus is King
Small Group Questions
What was everyone born into? What is sin and why are people in spiritual slavery?
Take a moment to read Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23. What are ways people are slaves to sin? What affect does the stain of sin have on someone?
Isiah 59:2 says, “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.” Why does sin separate you from God?
Can a person wash the stain of sin away by doing good works? Why or why not? How does the paint illustration help us understand this concept?
Take a moment to read Romans 10:5-13. What is the hope for all believers?
Why should some repent and believe that Jesus is king?
What is Justification and how does someone receive Justification?
What is Sanctification and is it different than Justification? Why are these terms important and how do they bring clarity to our faith?
Tonight one of our action steps is the be baptized if we are saved. Why are believers called to be baptized if it does not save? What is the spiritual symbolism?
How does someone live a life of obedience to the Lord and His commands?
11. What does Titus 3 encourage believers to be submissive and obedient to?
12. How does the concept of justification relate to a believer's standing before God?
13. What are some practical ways you can demonstrate good works in your life as a believer?
14. How is the Holy Spirit involved in the process of sanctification according to Titus 3?
15. How can the truth of being washed clean by Jesus affect your daily decisions and actions?
