Titus 3:8 Be devoted to Good

Church of Christ Dapto The Letter to Titus Lesson 9—Be devoted to Good Titus 3:8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.          The Word is to be trusted Titus 3:8 This is a trustworthy saying. Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. We should put our trust in the message these words convey because it will not change, nor can it be changed, by any power on earth. The message has been stated by One who has proved that His Words are of eternal effect and are Truth. The message is trustworthy because it will bring good and eternal benefit to those who trust it. Know the message and bet your life on it. Stress the Word Titus 3:8 And I want you to stress these things, Remind your hearers by repeating the message and its Truth. Stress the details as you teach them. Explain the statements of Truth in detail, just as we did in our last lesson. The Words are to be stressed so that the hearers will remember and apply the words to their lives and know of the eternal benefits to be gained by trusting them. With the aim Titus 3:8 so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. Trust in God This message is only for those who have trusted in God, because it is impossible to do good works in God’s eyes if you do not obey Him. Those who have trusted in God by believing in the Gospel of Christ Jesus are reminded as the details of the verses are stressed to them that the Words are meant by God to have an effect. They are not just a statement of Truth, they are a statement of Truth which leads to life. You show whether you have trusted in God by your response to this verse. Will you work out how you can be careful to devote yourself to good and apply it in your life? Will you just hear the words and ignore any changes you may have to make to apply them? Are you one of the “believers” mentioned in the following verses? How can you claim to trust God if you do not use His Words as the foundation and guide of your life? Be careful Take care to apply the lessons you have been taught. Take pains to understand them and put them into practice. Do not become careless or complacent in your own righteousness and knowledge of the Word. Remember that the Word always has an application in your life. Be zealous in applying what you have been taught at whatever risk or apparent cost. If you do not, then you are showing you do not believe that the Words are trustworthy, in other words you are careless and not one of those who trust God. Devote yourself Be focussed on the application of the study. Do not be distracted from your desire to apply the Word of God to your life. Make the aim of living out the Word of God in Christ the central purpose of your life. Dedicate yourself to obeying the commands of God. Titus 2:14 (He) gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Do what is good Set yourself to apply God’s Word in your actions. Make a permanent decision that you will not be distracted from or forget about tomorrow. Dedicate yourself to doing what He wants, which is always Good. Evaluate what you are doing now. Is it all good or are there some things which do not glorify God? Doing what is Good means living like Christ in your attitude to your own needs, and your response to those around you. Doing good is not the same as the definition the world uses. There are many do-gooders who are not applying this verse since they are not doing good to God’s standard. Philippians 2:3-7 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 1 Corinthians 10:33 For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Good works Good works are still work! Even though good works are of value and produce benefit in you and, God willing, the one with whom you work, they are still works which require commitment and personal sacrifice. Good works are not easy, or simple that is why you need to devote yourself to them. Before your works can be good works You were created to do good works Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. The purpose of good works Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Colossians 1:10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, Equipped for good works 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The effect of good works 1 Timothy 5:25 In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. 1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Prepare yourself for good works 2 Timothy 2:21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 2 Timothy 2:22-24 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Good works are not for your benefit or glory Profit from Good Works Titus 3:8 These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. The life we are called to live and the standards by which we live are better than anything else we can be offered. Excellent means unsurpassed, above all, better than any alternative. Obeying and applying this message is profitable for you, and for everyone you know. Profitable means an eternally good result achieved by the obedience you display. There is much to be gained and added to life by your obedience and good works. There is something in existence that was not there before you devoted yourself to doing what is good. If you want real profit, do not read the financial pages in the newspaper, where only you profit by having more money, rather obey this message and find that you have added something to your life which is far more permanent and valuable than any sum of money.          What are you to learn? You can be different for God, for God can make you different. Christian, God is able to enable you to close the gap between what you believe and how you behave.1 You were saved by Christ so that you can do good works. God has set down a list for you to perform and now you must do them in Christ. A life devoted to good works through Christ is profitable to God, to you, and to all around you. You need to decide if you trust God or not and then make a decision to show that trust in your good works. Your first step is to cleanse yourself of all the things that hinder your works being good in God’s eyes. Carefully plan to earnestly look for good works to do and accept God’s guidance to them. Good works will not be hard to find because God has prepared them for you to do. When you are doing good works remember that they are set down by God for His glory, not your own. Actively seeking out, and doing good works in His Name, is the indication that you are truly trusting in God. No good works means no trust in God.          Next Lesson: Avoid the divisive Titus 3:10-11 Focus Verse: Titus 3:10         