Becoming a Useful and Beneficial Church
Notes
Transcript
About 12 years ago, when we first got to the church- I took over the job of mowing the lawn. We have about 5 acres of grass to mow and back then all the church had was a regular riding lawn mower. It was an OK mower for a normal home with a about an acre or less of grass to mow. But, it took over eight hours to mow the church property with that regular riding lawn mower. So, one of the first things that I lobbied for was a new z-turn mower. Back when I was in undergrad I worked a summer for a lawn mowing company and so I was very familiar with z-turn mowers. We found one and got pricing and brought it before the church and we decided to go ahead and purchase the new mower. One of the men of the church, in fact he was the person who mowed the grass before I got there- he came with me to pick up the new mower. And we brought it back to the church and the first thing we did was cut the grass. And I asked him- do you want to try out the new mower? I don’t think he was familiar with a z-turn. It is a very different machine than a normal lawn-mower. You have handles instead of a wheel- it drives like a skid-steer. So, he said, “Why don’t you cut with the z-turn and I’ll cut with the old riding lawn mower and we will see how much grass we can get done.” I took that as kind of a challenge- so I took off on that new lawn mower and I cut as fast and I possibly could. We mowed until dark- I ended up cutting the big triangle out by the corner of the property and he cut on of the smaller rectangles in back of the property. When all was said and done I had cut about 4x’s as much grass as he had cut. And I’ll never forget the look on his face when he saw how much grass I was able to cut in such a short amount of time. His eyes widened and he said, “Wow, that is a good mower!”
What did he mean? He meant that the mower was useful or beneficial- it cut beautifully and it saved so much time- in fact in cut down mowing time from 8 hours to just under 3 hours. That z-turn mower was a very effective, useful, beneficial tool for mowing the grass. So it was very proper for this man to express his appreciation for such a tool. People love when something is good and effective and useful and beneficial, don’t they?
My question for us this morning is how do we become that kind of church? How do we become the most useful, the most beneficial, the most effective church for our community? What does our community need the most right now?
Some might say- our community needs an antidote for the virus- that is what they need most right now.
Some might say- our community needs another stimulus package or they need to be able to go back to work.
Some might say- our community needs less restrictive government- that is their biggest need. That would be the most useful, the most beneficial, the most effective thing for them.
Well, our church is not equipped to meet those needs- and they are important needs- I am not trying to suggest otherwise. But, there is something more beneficial that our community needs and it is something that our local church is capable of providing.
What is it? How do we become a useful and beneficial church?
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.
What our community needs, what is excellent and profitable for all people- is for this church to be filled with people who are careful to devote themselves to good works! Why? Because- Paul states- these things (good works) are excellent and profitable for people.
Our problem is we have a very fuzzy idea of what that means. When I say we need to be a church full of people devoted to good works, what good works are you thinking about? We don’t have a solid understanding about what it means to be devoted to good works, let alone how that is excellent and profitable for our community.
Remember, the letter to Titus is the Biblical manual for how to revitalize a local church.
5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—
The first thing you need in order to have a healthy church is a pastor(s) soundly disciplined in godliness (Ch 1)
The second thing you need in order to have a healthy church is life on life teaching of sound doctrine (Ch 2:1-8)
The third thing you need in order to have a healthy church is the entire local body of believers devoted to good works and determined to display them to the lost (Ch 2:9-3:15)
Now, beginning in 2:11 Paul instructs Titus how to build up a local church with people who are zealous for good works.
If we want to be a useful and beneficial church we must become a church filled with people who are zealous for good works.
How do we become zealous or enthusiastic for good works?
Paul gives us four ways to help us become zealous for good works.
If we are to become a people zealous for good works...
I. We must be people saved by grace (v. 11)
I. We must be people saved by grace (v. 11)
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
The grace of God- that is the unmerited kindness of God- it is the beneficial disposition of God- His favor His care His help His goodwill toward us. And God gives this kindness to us not because of anything we have done. We don’t deserve the kindness of God, we have not earned it and God is not getting anything in return for it. It is God’s unmerited kindness. God loves us and He is gracious to us- He treats us with favor and care regardless of the cost to Himself or the possibility of repayment.
And this word- grace- is perhaps the most important word in this paragraph. Everything else that Paul is about to say is not possible without this word. Grace is foundational to becoming a useful and a beneficial church. Grace is foundation to becoming zealous of good works. And if we don’t understand that and if grace is not foundational to everything that we do- we will end up living our lives in error.
It’s like a pyramid- at the top of the pyramid is good works- it is the point the goal it is why God’s saved us- it’s what makes us a good an profitable church. But, at the bottom of the pyramid, the foundation must be the grace of God. Nothing else will do. Every area of our lives must be saturated with the grace of God. Every part of our hearts must be overwhelmed with the grace of God. We must thoroughly soaked in it. And a lot of people go wrong here. They try to become a people of good works through merit, through law keeping, through religion. And that is doomed to fail and the end result is actually worse that bad- the end result of that damns people to hell.
The kind of people and thus the kind of church that God wants us to be is one that has as its foundation the grace of God. And it all starts with salvation. That’s what v. 11 says- the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
I want you to think about the idea that the grace of God has appeared. In what way has God’s grace appeared or become visible- so that rather than an abstract concept it has become a real and tangible reality? How has the grace of God become undeniably visible? The answer is Jesus! God in-fleshed Himself. Jesus put on humanity and became like us. God who is invisible spirit clothed Himself in a human body and appeared so that we could marvel in His grace.
I love the word “appeared.” This word means to make one’s presence known or to become visible. In another sense of this word it means to provide illumination or to give light. The Bible is a beautiful book. And one of the things that makes it beautiful is how it uses precise words. This same word “appeared” is used in the book of Luke, but there in the book of Luke it takes on the flavor of giving light to something- and yet the two usages of this word blend beautifully together. Let me show you:
This is the account of Zechariah. Remember he lost his ability to talk for nine months while his wife Elizabeth was pregnant with their son John the Baptist. Then at the birth Zechariah said that the boys name was to be John, and his speech was restored. After that Zechariah becomes filled with the Holy Spirit and he prophesies. These verse are part of that prophecy.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Illustration: Restaurant with Dr. Hudson- asked a man who came up and talked with us- “Are you a child of God?” Why? I was baptized into the church when I was a child.
Satan has blinded so many people with this deception- we are saved unto good works not by good works. We are saved by grace alone- grace has to be the foundation, and it is grace that transforms us and makes it possible to become zealous of good works.
If we are to become a useful beneficial church we must be saved by grace. Secondly, if we are to become a people zealous for good works then:
II. We must be people trained by grace (v. 12)
II. We must be people trained by grace (v. 12)
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
It is very important to remember that once again grace is the foundation for this verse. What is it that teaches us? Again, it is the grace of God that has appeared- 1st it brings salvation to all people, and second it teaches us some very important things.
The idea of “teach” is to educate (rear) v. — to instruct and shape (a child) through teaching and discipline in the knowledge, skill, morals, social behavior, and other necessary facets of becoming a well-rounded and productive citizen.
So if we are to become a people enthusiastic for good works, then the grace of God must teach us or train us or provide the necessary instruction in our lives to shape and discipline our lives. In what way does God’s grace do this?
First of all we must be trained by grace to deny some things- As we become saturated with the spiritual wisdom and understanding of all that God’s grace has done for us it trains us to deny ungodliness:
Ungodliness- ἀσέβεια: impiety or unrighteousness by virtue of not giving proper respect for God. It is having zero reverential awe for God, and because you don’t stand in awe of God that attitude of impiety pollutes all aspects of a persons life. It is living in a godless manner.
Why is it that most people in this world use Jesus’ name as a swear word? Most people know that one of the 10 commandments is do not take the name of the Lord you God in vain. And yet they use God’s name in the most irreverent ways imaginable. It’s because the law is ineffective at producing a people who are zealous for good works. Law can never do that!
19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
But grace is able to train us to deny a godless lifestyle. For most people that don’t know Jesus His name is a curse word, but for those who know Jesus how is it that we can sing:
His Name is Wonderful,
His Name is Wonderful,
His Name is Wonderful,
Jesus my Lord.
He is the mighty King,
Master of everything,
His Name is Wonderful,
Jesus my Lord.
He's the Great Shepherd,
The Rock of all Ages,
Almighty God is He,
Bow down before Him,
Love and adore Him,
His Name is Wonderful,
Jesus my Lord.
Law didn’t teach me that- grace trained me, you don’t have to force me by law, because God’s grace has taught me to deny godlessness. It just becomes a part of my inner most being- I love my Savior’s name because I have been taught by His grace.
Secondly the grace of God trains us to deny:
Worldly lusts / passions- intense cravings
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Positively grace trains us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
Soberly- self-controlled, sensible, sober-minded. Living in a wise manner as keeping self-control over one’s passions and desires. Sometimes, our flesh is so strong it almost takes over our senses- its like we are drunk on sinful desires and we loose control over ourselves and we are intoxicated with our lusts- but grace teaches me to walk in step with the Spirit and to keep my thinking sober or serious or controlled.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
Grace trains us to live righteously- morally upright, living with a quality of character, thought and behavior- correctly or justly.
Godly- opposite of godless- piously- showing the fitting and proper respect or reverence to God. Nothing else but the grace of God can make us live this way!
Illustration: kids and rules- they don’t like to obey them, I have to enforce the rules or they would be useless. We regulate how much screen time our kids get to have. They love watching movies and playing games just like any other kid. One day, my kids will leave the nest and they will be out on their own- out from under the rules/laws of mom and dad. And then they are going to have to govern themselves. If all I ever taught my kids was law, how effective is that going to be at causing them to deny worldly passions and instead live godly? This is one of the reasons why we loose many of our young people from the church. But, if I can help them understand grace like God opened my eyes and cased me to understand all that Jesus my Savior has done for me in shedding his blood for my sins, and God through Jesus giving me all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. If their hearts can become jolted and impacted and over awed by the grace of Jesus, then they won’t need the rules anymore, because they will natural want to live not for themselves but for the one who died for them and rose again.
Friends Paul has given Titus a laundry list of the kind of people who should become. He has already told us exactly what being zealous for good works looks like. Remember?
CH 1- Pastors (long laundry list)- blameless!
CH 2- Older men- level headed, worthy of respect, sensible, sound in faith, love, and endurance.
Older women- reverent in their behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine, teach what is good
Younger women- taught by older women to love their husbands and their children, to be self controlled, pure, homemakers, kind, submissive to their husbands
Younger men- taught by older men to be self controlled in everything.
All to have integrity and dignity and to become a model of good works.
None of that happens if we are simply people who follow rules! And we will never become a useful and beneficial church- we will never become enthusiastic for good works until we become people trained by grace. We must become so over-awed by the grace of God that it transforms us at every level. Then we will become beneficial to our community!
What is the one thing that our community needs most? They need to understand the grace of God! They need grace. And when we become people trained by grace and the grace of Jesus is put on display in our lives in front of our community- we become like lights in the darkness.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
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.
If we are to become a useful beneficial church we must be saved by grace, we must be trained by grace.
Thirdly, if we are to become a people zealous for good works then:
III. We must be people who are steadfast by grace (v. 13)
III. We must be people who are steadfast by grace (v. 13)
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Once we become saved by grace, and then because we are being trained by grace we start to put on display the grace of God in our lives through good works- we have to maintain those good works. The end of v. 12 says we have to maintain those good works in the present age. How do we become steadfast in good works, how do we preserver in good works?
God’s grace trains us to be steadfast in good works by always look forward to our blessed hope! And who is our blessed hope? It’s Jesus- it is the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
By the way this is one of the most clearly stated verses on the deity of Jesus. The grammar links our “Great God” to our “Savior” they are one person- Jesus Christ. So the deity of Christ is expressly stated in this verse. Jesus Christ is our Savior and he is our great God!
And we must be constantly with eager expectation looking for him to come again- it is our blessed hope! What is? The appearing of the glory of Jesus Christ! Did you know that Jesus wants to show you his glory one day? When Jesus first came to earth as a babe he came as a suffering servant and he veiled his glory. But, the next time Jesus comes to this earth He is going to put on full display His glory and He wants you to see it! What will that day be like?
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
This is how we bear up under difficult burdens. This is how we become steadfast people. This is how even in this present age with all of the sorrow and pain and trials and hardships we continue to be people enthusiastic for good works. Because grace trains us to keep on waiting for the our blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Paul closes this paragraph with the “so what” part of this passage.
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
14 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.
15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
If we want to be a useful and beneficial church we must become a church filled with people who are zealous for good works.
How do we become zealous or enthusiastic for good works?
We must be people saved by grace (v. 11)
We must be people trained by grace (v. 12)
We must be people who are steadfast by grace (v. 13)
What does our community need the most right now? It needs the grace of God- so if we want to be a church that is useful and beneficial we must become a church full of people who are enthusiastic for good works-(how?) because we have been so saturated with the grace of our great God and Savior Jesus that His grace shines brightly through us to a lost world and many people put their faith in the gospel and experience for themselves the wonderful wonderful grace of Jesus.