Rebuilt
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Welcome
Welcome
Welcome to Tylertown Church
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BECAUSE YOU GIVE
PRAYER
Introduction:
Introduction:
Welcome to week 2 of our Guardrail series. Today we will be wrapping up our series as Paul wraps his up in Titus 3.
As I was reading this passage, it reminded me of our recent season as a family purchasing a new family car.
The past 3 months, we have been car shopping, and we haven’t had to purchase just 1 family car, but 2 because a deer decided that he didn’t like the car that we picked out. How many people here actually like the car buying process? Yeah, me neither. So throughout this process, autotrader and facebook marketplace were our best friends. I would start and end the day combing through thousands of cars by the pages. The worst part about it is that I won’t buy a vehicle unless it’s the diamond in the rough either.
Well through this process, I realized that most of the time, when I found a good deal. It was cheap because the engine was blown, or they would take a picture of the only good side on the vehicle but the rest would be totaled. Then every now and then, you find a vehicle that looks like it is in perfect condition, leather interior, third row seats, cooks you breakfast on the way to work, the total package. Then you start getting really excited about the deal you are finding, then you do a little bit more research, and then you see “Rebuilt Title”. Meaning that at one point, this car has been wrecked and the insurance company deemed it a “total loss”. But someone came along, slapped some paint on it, maybe a new part here and there, but they are trying to sell you a damaged product.
Here it is: In Christ, your past doesn't define you, your Savior takes that privilege. Today we will take a look at Titus chapter 3 in a message that I have titled, “Rebuilt”
Read
Read
1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 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. 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. 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.
Preach
Preach
If we are going to look and live different when we are REBUILT in Christ’s name, we have to know the 3 truths that Paul writes Titus:
1. People of Peace vv.1-2
1. People of Peace vv.1-2
1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
Have you ever met someone who just loves to argue for no apparent reason or someone who wakes up in the morning and just chooses violence? Like their sole mission in life is to inform every single person around them that they are not happy.
Right after high school, I had a buddy who became my first roommate. I had grand ideas as to what it would be like and it all went great, until I realized he was not a morning person. If I woke this man up from his slumber, he was going to choose violence that morning, and for the rest of the day.
Don’t be that guy.
Paul lays out the path of peace for us in the first two verses of chapter 3. These verses list some prerequisites that we must live out if we are going to have any sort of influence at all with those who don’t know God.
A. Respect Authorities: If we love God, he tells us that we should submit to our authorities. Look, I am going to tread lightly in this area because I know it is a hot button issue speaking about our current political climate. I am not going to stand up here and advocate for a certain political party or say the president this, or congress that. But what I will say is that we are called to follow our governing bodies and respect them, anything short of sinning.
For example:
Daniel who served Nebuchadnezzar and 3 other pagan kings. He clung to His God who blessed him abundantly.
Joseph who served faithfully despite being in captivity, was promoted through the ranks and ultimately was put over food rations during famine times.
14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
So What: Let’s be people who pray for and serve our local officials. God’s word is clear and His powers are evident, He is ultimately the one who is really in control. My prayer is that the church would be a people of peace by praying and serving our city and country these days.
B. Ready for Good Works: Being people of peace looks like being ready for good works, which is a concept that Paul speaks to a couple different times in Titus 3. What would it look like if God’s people were eager for good works?
How many people have ever been on a mission trip? Do you remember how excited you were to work? To knock down a wall or maybe lead a VBS. Whatever it was, you can usually pinpoint something on that trip that you were eager for. That is the exact passion that Paul writes about in this passage. Wake up hungry to serve God!
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
C. Encouraging: This one should be a gimme, but the reality of those who choose peace, we are called to choose love and not anger. A lot of times in our life, we find ourselves being torn down a whole lot more that we find ourselves being encouraged. That is why it is so important and imperative that as God’s children, we are to remind people that they have a purpose in God and that they are loved.
Don’t be a jerk, nobody likes a jerk.
D. Peace Makers: Paul also encourages Titus to help the people understand that part of their role as Christ followers is to be peacemakers.
E. Gentle: Being gentle also comes with the territory of loving Christ. If the Holy spirit lives within us, then we have been given the gentleness of the Spirit.
F. Courteous to all People: Being nice should be a given, but here we are. For heaven’s sake, love people. It is the greatest commandment in the New Testament!
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
2. Freedom from our Past (vv. 3-7)
2. Freedom from our Past (vv. 3-7)
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. 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.
This has to be my favorite part of the Gospel and one that Paul also feels strongly about. One of the defining parts of being rebuilt in the image of Christ and His likeness is being set free/breaking free from our past identities. Unfortunately, some Christians tend to get a little haughty as they mature in their faith. Instead of extending the same bit of grace that was extended to them, they offer judgment and “bless your hearts”
Paul corrects very strongly against this sort of mindset in Titus 3:3-7, writing to remind the people of Crete that they were not too far from the sin that they so loved to judge.
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I am not sure if any of you are like me at all, but there have been times in my own life where I have struggled with being totally free from what has held me down in the past.
But the reality is this, if I believe in the Christ of the cross and still struggle to be free from the sin of my past, then I have severely missed the grace of God.
Sin forgiveness is not within the power of MY PERSON, it is within the power of the MY GOD.
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,
Don’t miss where Christ’s love appeared to us, we didn’t go searching for it, it found us!
Share my testimony.
Before > Christ > After
3. People of Devotion v. 8
3. People of Devotion v. 8
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.
In order to truly live a rebuilt life in Christ, we have to choose to be a people that devote ourselves to believe in the living and breathing word of God, and seek to do good works.
One life totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit. - Author: Oswald Chambers
Devotion is so much more than a one time prayer to accept Jesus as Savior. Devotion taking stock of one’s life and throwing all things out that don’t bring Glory to God.
Paul challenges Titus to help people devote themselves to the work of ministry, to the work of life change, to the work of prayer, to the work of giving.
God is devoted to seeing His children saved and delivered from attacks of the enemy. God’s devotion is never in question, it is our own devotion.
What has your devotion today?
Response
Response
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.