Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

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Each year the month of May is marked by many graduation celebrations!

Last week Dana and I enjoyed being a part of our son Brandon’s graduation – it was fabulous to give Brandon and Hannah many hugs, laugh together, and eat way too much good food with our families.

It wa my kind of weekend.

Graduations are major milestones on the roadway of life.

One We have several high school and college graduates connected to our church family – next week we’ll bring the up and love on them a bit! It’s my prayer and desire that we would be a church committed to our disciple-making mission—that kids that get connected here might come to put their faith in Jesus – and become dedicated followers of Jesus who worship, grow, love, and share even after they leave for further study or a vocation.

We all get to be a part of that process.

I’ve met students who don’t think they are ready to graduate high school – they get emotional thinking about leaving and think about all they will miss – and this reminded me of a great inspirational quote about high school that I could help with some of those fears.

· “High school is like toilet paper, you only miss it when it’s gone.”

I don’t know if that’s true or appropriate but it’s kind of funny.

Graduating high school or college marks the culmination of many hours of study.

We hope that these students have learned a few things over the last twelve years of education and will continue to be life long learners in the days ahead.

I know they have learned a great deal, they have answered a lot of questions on quizzes and exams, and yet even after all of my years of education there are questions that linger in my mind that all of us must ponder as we strive to be life-long learners.

Things to Ponder

Great questions – deep thoughts for us to ponder on a Sunday morning.

I’m not sure we have the answers to these questions, perhaps people smarter than I could fill me in, and perhaps there are good things for us to ponder today but they are certainly not the not the best things for us to ponder.

There are more important and more far-reaching questions for us to ponder, questions like “Where did we come from?” (evolution or creation), “What is our purpose in life?” (glorify God), “Who is Jesus Christ?” (the eternal son of God and Savior of the world), “Where will I spend eternity when I die?” (heaven or hell).

Thankfully the answers to these questions are revealed in God’s Word.

Over the last month we’ve been asking an important question about our lives as a church - “What are the essential building blocks of an effective Church?”- that’s a good question to ponder!

Need

Take your Bible and turn to the book of want to thank Pastor Jake for preaching from Hebrews last week while I was away.

Today we return to our series in Titus as we uncover the “essential building blocks of an effective church.”

What are the essential building blocks of an effective church—what are the priorities that will enable us to effectively fulfill our disciple-making mission—we’ve been discovering those priorities (essential building blocks) that serve as the foundation for our lives as a disciple-making church.

Preview

Let’s take a minute to review.

The book is a letter written from the apostle Paul to one of his ministry partners named Titus.

Paul had left Titus on the island of Crete to set things in order so that the churches in each city would be strengthened and effectively impact their communities with the truth of Jesus Christ.

We have uncovered the first four essential building blocks in & 2.

Building Block #1: Gospel-centered Ministry ~ The Good News changes lives

Building Block #2: Godly Leadership ~ Appoint Godly elders to lead the church

Building Block #3: Sound Doctrine ~ Protect truth by rebuking false teaching

Building Block #3: Sound Doctrine ~ Protect truth by rebuking false teaching Building Block #4: Sound Living ~ Belief impacts our Behavior

Building Block #4: Sound Living ~ Belief impacts our Behavior (adorns gospel)

Preview

Today we return to where we find the fifth essential building block of an effective church!

Titus Chapter 2. (Read )

BUILDING BLOCK #5: God’s Grace

The fifth essential building block of an effective church is Grace.

Grace – more specifically “The Grace of God.”

In Paul followed up his call for “Sound Living” () by turning the spotlight on “The Grace of God.”

The grace of God must now take center stage.

God’s grace is at the forefront of this passage!

We can’t miss the connection between “Sound Living” (2:1-10) and “Grace” (2:11-15).

The word “For” links these two sections together – “sound living” is motivated or driven by the grace of God.

We can’t separate the call for “Sound Living” from Sound doctrine or the grace of God.

Edmond Hiebert · “he could not think of Christian truth and conduct apart from God’s grace”

Brian Bell · This section is like a shot of espresso...highly compressed but incredibly rich.

And I can’t think of a better foundation for us as a church to build our lives upon.

All too often God’s grace gets distorted by two contrasting poles—Legalism and License.

On this end of the spectrum God’s grace is distorted by teaching that a legalistic approach to the Christian life—that one has to earn God’s favor or follow a strict set of man-made rules in order to please God.

On the other side of the spectrum God’s grace is distorted by teaching a lawless approach to the Christian life—that since God is gracious and will always forgive that we are free to use His grace as a license to sin which is in complete opposition to God’s Word ().

On one end the legalists resist God’s grace by trying to earn His favor and on the other end the license camp abuses God’s grace by thinking they can live however they want as Christians.

Both are extreme distortions of the gospel of grace.

Titus teaches us that while salvation is by grace bringing freedom, God’s grace is a vital element in our Christian living.

It’s my prayer we’ll leave with a deeper understanding of God’s grace and it’s vital role in our lives as followers of Jesus.

In we are confronted with “The Power of God’s Grace” and “The Proclamation of God’s Grace.”

Let’s walk through this together.

I) The Power of Grace (2:11-13)

We begin with “The Power of Grace.”

“The Power of Grace” God’s grace has the power to change our lives.

We see it’s transforming power on full display in .

A) We are saved by the grace of God (2:11)

First, We are saved by the grace of God.

We are saved by the grace of God.

We see the connection between God’s grace and God’s salvation in – “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (2:11).

We must begin with a simple definition of God’s grace.

God’s grace refers to His “unmerited favor” – undeserved “kindness” show to us – grace is “God’s gratuitous favor.”

Grace in its expressing is the giving of a gift that is undeserved and unearned – we don’t deserve God’s favor and kindness and we can’t ever earn God’s favor and kindness, and it’s the grace of God that is the ultimate ground for our salvation.

God’s grace (favor and expression of kindness) is behind His offer of salvation to sinners through Jesus.

Titus highlights the “appearing” of God’s grace that brings salvation to all men – the term “appeared” is the Greek word “EPIPHANO” – this highlights the “epiphany” of God’s grace in the course of history.

The literal “epiphany” (appearance) of God’s grace refers to Jesus’ first advent (arrival).

The grace of God appeared like the rising of the sun when Jesus came to earth—for He is “full of grace and truth—and “His first coming was an epiphany of saving grace” (John Stott)

· Commentary Critical & Explanatory of the Whole Bible—God’s gratuitous favor in the scheme of redemption[1]

· John Stott—“His coming was an epiphany of saving grace.”

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“The grace of God has appeared (like sunrise at dawn) in the first coming of Jesus “bringing salvation to all people” (NET).

Out of the depths of His grace, the Father sent the Son to bring salvation to sinful humanity.

God’s grace “appearing” the arrival of Jesus who would bring salvation—deliverance from the penalty and power of sin & death—the gracious divine rescue that is good news for everyone!

God’s gracious salvation in Jesus’ is good news for every man, women, and child in every nation.

God’s unmerited favor brings the gift of salvation for all sinners—deliverance from the power & penalty of sin and death available through Jesus—for everyone and anyone can be saved by faith (trusting in Jesus).

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God’s grace that brings salvation has appeared and is available through Jesus.

Salvation, God’s rescuing sinners from the penalty and the power of sin and death, the restoring of all things wrecked by fall, is the sovereign work of a gracious God.

Titus reveals the “appearing” of God’s grace in Jesus in whom there is salvation for sinners.

And in we get a deeper understanding of God’s salvation graciously offered to us in Jesus!

Titus also highlights the Father’s salvation plan through Jesus.

Have you ever wondered “what” God wanted to accomplish through His gracious plan of salvation?

I suspect the most popular responses (answers) would be “to give us eternal life,” or “to offer the forgiveness of our sins” and while that’s certainly true His purpose is even greater and more beautiful.

shines the spotlight on the two-fold purpose of Jesus’ work as Savior.

The mention of Jesus as our “God (deity in the flesh – C.S. Lewis) & Savior” leads to the unveiling of God’s salvation purposes through Jesus.

Salvation (deliverance from sin & death) was brought to us through Jesus’ sacrifice.

Jesus “gave himself for us” – this refers to His offering up of Himself – He willingly laid down His own life and died in our place on the cross in order to save us from the power & penalty of sin.

We see the two-fold purpose of Jesus’ selfless sacrifice for us on the cross.

1) Redemption (2:14a)

First, Jesus died on the cross for our Redemption.

Jesus laid down His life to redeem us (2:14a).

Jesus gave himself up for us “to redeem us from all of the wickedness.”

Jesus’ willingly laid down His life (died on the cross) to “redeem” sinners from wickedness.

The term “redeem” (lytroo) means “to release or set free – depicting the freeing or liberation of a slave.

The image of “redemption” harkens back to the Exodus – when Yahweh freed the nation of Israel from the bondage of slavery in Egypt – that first Exodus foreshadowed a greater Exodus by which God offers freedom from the slavery of sin through Jesus’ death.

Remember Mark’s gospel declares that Jesus did not come to be served but to give His life as a ransom for many ().