The Simple Gospel: Christ

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.

Introduction

I'm not a very good DIY handyman.

Sink Clogs: When my sink gets clogged up, I can usually get it clear. I will just pour in some drain cleaner or get the hair out using a little hair snake.

Shower Clogs: Different story. Drain cleaner usually helps, but deep clogs require a plumber’s snake. I’ve bought cheap snakes, but have been mostly unsuccessful.

At some point, the job is no longer a Chrys Jones project, and I have to call the plumber.

The Spiritual Parallel: As humans, we often treat salvation like a DIY project.

We know the mess (like we saw last week!).

We try to fix it ourselves.

Unfortunately, we always make more of a mess before we realize that we can’t fix it.

FCF (Fallen Condition Focus): We can’t save ourselves from sin, and we need to fix our eyes on Jesus.

Main Point: Jesus is the only hope of salvation for sinful people everywhere.

1. Jesus came to save sinners (v. 11, 14).

God’s grace has a presence.

"The grace of God appeared!" Like a star that shows up bright in the night sky, God’s grace showed up!

This should cause our ears to perk up for several reasons:

A reminder of God’s kindness: Grace is the unearned favor of God given to us through Christ.

A reminder of God’s faithfulness: God promised to send a Savior to crush the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15) and bring His people back to Him (Jer 33:17–18).

A reminder of Christ’s coming (Incarnation): The grace of God appeared in the person and work of Christ—His whole life, death, and resurrection.

A reminder of God’s action: God is not passively sitting back and watching the world spin. He is actively and intimately involved in the world. He is active in our salvation!

God’s grace has a purpose.

The grace of God appeared to do a decisive and powerful act: bring salvation for all people.

God’s grace isn’t a theory or a mere theological idea that’s good to know and agree with. It’s God’s power to save sinners—not by their works, but by the Will of God!

What Paul says about grace: “It brings salvation.” In another place, Paul says we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). God’s grace is displayed in all that God has done for us through Christ!

We aren’t saved by a theory; we are saved by God! Every sinner needs a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus Christ. "Jesus" means, “The Lord saves.”

What is salvation? It is being made right with God.

Our sins are forgiven, and our slate is wiped clean. We are counted righteous in God’s sight.

Our sin is paid for, and a substitute has stood in our place to free us from the power and penalty of sin, which is death.

"All people" doesn’t mean that every person is automatically saved. Rather, it means God doesn’t discriminate with His grace. All types of people from all walks of life can be saved!

Jew, Gentile, male, female, old, young, slave, free, rich, or poor can receive the grace of God!

God’s grace comes through a Person (v. 14).

Verse 13 speaks of Jesus as our “great God and Savior.” God’s grace appeared in the Person and work of Christ.

When Jesus showed up in Bethlehem, grace appeared! What a glorious day it was when the Savior came. Jesus, God in the flesh, showed up and changed history—and our eternity!

John 1:17: "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

Verse 14 shows that He “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness.”

Last week we saw our lawlessness and sinfulness. We saw our hopeless condition without Christ.

This week we see the One who saves us from it!

Redeem: To liberate or set free through payment—especially with regard to slaves.

We were purchased by the blood of Jesus to become ONE with the Father.

We were once slaves to sin, but sin no longer has power over us. We are now slaves to Christ!

Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we are now truly and completely saved and made right with God.

Think correctly about grace.

When you think of grace, don’t just treat it like a theological concept or religious idea. Grace is the tangible, actual work of God in time and space to save sinners.

It’s the gift of God, through Christ, on our behalf.

It’s the love of God poured out on sinful humans to save us.

It’s the forgiveness of sins purchased by Jesus on the cross and sealed in His resurrection.

2. Jesus transforms our lives in the present age (v. 12).

Illustration: Learning about George Washington... Facts about his life don't really affect ours today. People treat Jesus like this. Knowing mere facts about Jesus won’t change us. Faith in Him will transform us.

Jesus changes our relationship with the world.

We are being trained by grace to become more Christlike.

We are being trained to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions.

Jesus doesn’t save us and leave us as we were!

Jesus’ work in our lives has implications for today.

We’ve already seen that we are unrighteous and don’t do good apart from Christ (Rom 3).

The work of Christ transforms us and gives us new hearts that are now able to see, desire, and obey God.

Not only do we put off sin, but we put on:

Self-control: Sensible and moderate behavior; avoiding extremes and foolishness.

Uprightness: A just, righteous life that seeks what is right.

Godliness: Devotion to living in light of the work and teaching of the Lord.

One common gripe against Christianity is that we read from an ancient book that was written in a different time. But in Christ, the Spirit takes God’s Word and makes it relevant now.

Is Jesus’ work changing your life today?

Is Christ changing you by His grace today?

Have you found yourself renouncing the world and worldly things that used to not bother you?

Have you noticed that worldly passions don’t have as much power and sway over you?

Are you growing in self-control? Does the Spirit of Christ help you manage your emotions in a way that you once couldn’t?

Is your life becoming more upright? Do you pursue righteousness and holiness as a result of walking with God?

Are you becoming more devoted to God and His ways?

Go Deeper:

Has the grace of God shown up in your present life in ways that you could’ve never imagined?

The work of Christ in our lives empowers us in ways we could never imagine.

Sometimes Jesus gets us through a trial that we would’ve never been able to make it through on our own.

The work of Christ in us helps us love others in ways that seem crazy to the world.

The love of Christ at work in us gives us desires for good works that we would have never desired on our own.

The presence of Christ in our lives brings us joy and peace in times of absolute chaos and turmoil.

The work of Christ in your life will change your entire life. There is no comparison between the old and the new!

3. Jesus will return gloriously to make all things new (v. 13).

Illustration: Coming home from work when the kids were young—they would be waiting for me at the door. As Christians, we are waiting for Jesus to come back. This is our great hope!

We are actively waiting.

Waiting is an ongoing present action. It’s an eager expectation for something to come.

Waiting for Christ should characterize our lives.

In our trials, the waiting can seem much longer. We have to keep waiting on Him!

We are actually waiting for a blessed hope.

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a firm confidence and conviction in what Christ is doing!

Our hope is rooted in the promises of God—specifically that Christ will reign for eternity.

Our hope is a blessed hope! There is great good in the One we are hoping for.

We are waiting for our King to return.

Paul explicitly points to Jesus in his description of our blessed hope. There is no mistaking who he is talking about!

Notice that Paul refers to Jesus as both our God and our Savior.

This is sound doctrine! This is good theology! Jesus is truly God and truly man!

Just as God’s grace appeared to bring salvation, so again we are waiting on an appearance.

We are waiting to see glory!

Moses wanted to see the glory of God, but all he got to see was the back of God (Exod 33:22–23).

In Christ, we will get to see the Son of God in glory. We will see God face-to-face!

Listen to how John describes our glorious future! This is what we get to look forward to one day: Revelation 21:1–6

Revelation 21:1–6 ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

Keep your eyes on Jesus and wait for Him.

In an age of distraction, it’s hard to wait with focus on Christ. We need to cultivate a deeper love for Him every day.

The child of a soldier eagerly waits for his father to get home because he loves him! We need a deeper love for Christ!

Practically, spend time deepening your love for the Lord:

Just start reading: For some of us, this starts with just picking up the Bible and hearing God’s voice.

Go deeper in your reading: For others, it means reading fewer verses and going deeper with God.

Meditate and pray: For some, it means less time reading study notes and more time meditating and praying.

Share with others: For others, it means sharing what God has shown you in His Word so you can enjoy Christ in the presence of others.

Fast from distractions: For some, it might mean taking a fast from TV, movies, social media, or even your smartphone to increase your longing for Christ.

Whatever the Spirit leads: The Spirit may put something else on your heart. Whatever you do, do everything you can to grow in love and longing for Christ!

Conclusion

Jesus is the greatest hope in the universe!

It’s important for us to understand that Jesus is our only hope.

Sometimes we say "only hope" because we have exhausted all our other options. It shouldn’t be this way with Jesus—He is not the last resort when we’ve tried everything else. He is the best option, far better than anything else.

We need to know, and let the world know, that there is no greater hope than Jesus Christ.

This is the greatest place we can ever be, because once we place our faith in Him, our lives are changed forever!