God and Savior | Biblical Elders Part 7 | Titus 3

Notes

Opener

A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death. “But I don’t ask for justice,? the mother explained. “I plead for mercy!” “But your son does not deserve mercy,” Napoleon replied. “Sir,” the woman cried, “it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for.” “Well, then,” the emperor said, “I will have mercy.” And he spared the woman’s son. (Luis Palau, “Experiencing God’s Forgiveness, Multnomah Press, 1984).

Main Text

Titus 3:1–15 (NASB95) 1 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, 2 to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. 3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. 9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, 11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned. 12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. 14 Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. 15 All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.

Point 1 | We have a Great God and Savior

I can’t stress how important it is that you understand that Jesus is God. I want to show you that from the text of Titus today. Before I do I want to say clearly Christians believe in ONE God. But this ONE God is three persons. He is complex. And God’s diversity is as important as God’s unity or singleness. So we have Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They do not make up God as if each one was a piece of God. Each one is FULLY God. Yet the Father is not the Son nor the Spirit. The Son is not the Father nor the Spirit. The Spirit is not the Father nor the Son. I want you to see this on display in the book of Titus (as it is throughout the New Testament):

· “God” the Father is called “God our Savior” in Titus 1:3

· Jesus is called “our Savior” in verse 4: “Grace and Peace from God the Father and Chris Jesus our Savior.”

· God, the Father (it seems), is called “God our Savior” again in Titus 2:9.

· In Titus 2:13 Jesus is called “our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”

· Then in Titus 3:4 the Father is called “God our Savior” again. But the “kindness” and “love” that “appeared” is clearly Christ whom God has saved us through calling Jesus again “our Savior” in Titus 3:6.

So if you are keeping score the Father is called “God our Savior” once in each chapter. 3 times. The Son is called “our Great God and Savior” once and called our “Savior” 3 times, once in each chapter. The Trinity is at the heart of our soteriology (the study of salvation).

1. The Father sends the Son out of His great love for fallen mankind.

2. The Son Accomplishes redemption on the cross out His great love for mankind.

3. And the Holy Spirit (as we see in the passage) applies redemption out His great love for mankind.

Friends we have a great God and Savior.

John Newton, who I spoke of last week, the former slave camptain who wrote Amazing Grace said (in old age): “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great saviour.”[1]

The Messiah had to be God. The long horrible story of mankind is a story of foolishness, disobedience, deception, enslavement to lust and pleasure, malice, envy, and hatred of one another. Not only was mankind not qualified to save ourselves, we were sinners, but we didn’t want to. Who was going to die for an evil man?

But our shoulders couldn’t bear the sin that separated us from God. The Bible says just as the heavens are higher than the earth so our God’s ways higher than ours. Jesus said:

John 8:23–24 (NASB95) 23 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

We needed a heavenly solution because we had sinned against a heavenly God. The Pharisees actually had it right when they said, “Who can forgive sins except God alone?” He is the ultimate Judge of all things. The one in whom every thought, deed, and action will be weighed before.

I can’t get a speeding ticket in Minnesota and go to North Dakota and ask them to remove it can I? Why not? It is not their jurisdiction. Friends if you have sinned against heaven will you find a solution on earth? But how have I sinned against heaven you may ask? You have sinned against heaven because:

You were made for God. In the image of God man was made. You were made to reflect his glory and yet instead man desired to be “like god” and determine right and wrong for himself. Man became what the Bible calls a “lover of self” and instead of exalting the glory of God by obeying and cherishing His commandments he did what was right in his own eyes. He didn’t just sin he findamentaly betrayed the Creator who created Him. God in the Bible compares sinful man to spiritual adulterers.

Jeremiah 3:20 (NASB95) 20 “Surely, as a woman treacherously departs from her lover, So you have dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord.

Isaiah 1:21 (NASB95) 21 How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers.

Ezekiel 16:30 (ESV) 30 “How sick is your heart, declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute,

You and I friends have sinned against heaven.

You have sinned against heaven in another way. You have broken the laws of the Great Law Giver. Jesus makes it abundantly clear that all have done this when he says:

Matthew 5:21–22 (NASB95) 21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

In other words you will be guilty before the HEAVENLY court!

Friends and here is the good news! If you can’t see your sins for what they are… sins against God. David after sinning against Bathsheba and murdering one of his mighty men, a foreigner named, Uriah, more righteous than he could say to God, “Against you, and you alone have I sinned.”

But if you can see that you are a great sinner, and as a great sinner in a horrible situation to where there is not earthly solution. THEN you are half way there. But only half way, you need a great Savior.

Titus 3:4–6 (NASB95) 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Amen!

Point 2 | The Mercied are Merciful

If you are a great sinner that has a great Savior then that should produce in you something else. What is that? Compassion toward other sinners. Listen to Paul here:

Titus 3:3 (NASB95) 3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount says:

Matthew 5:7 (NASB95) 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

That is not just a mechanical system of expectation. Thou God certainly expects those who have been forgiven much to forgive much! Those who have been shown endless mercy to show mercy without end! It is just the right thing to do! But it more than that. It is the fruit of a transformed heart. Jesus says the one who has been forgiven much will love much. The merciful are those who have tasted God’s mercy. They have been transformed.

As Victor Huge put it: “Amnesty is as good for those who give it as for those who receive it. It has the admirable quality of bestowing mercy on both sides.”

When we have pity on the sinner:

1. We put on humility remembering “we also once were foolish ourselves”

2. We put on Christ walking in His kindness and love

Psalm 51:1 (NASB95) 1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

After being restored he says:

Psalm 51:13 (NASB95) 13 ThenI will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

May that be the pationate plea of our hearts for people to know our Great God and Savior. For them to know Jesus! The one who pulled us out of the pit of our sins. The one who did the impossible. He washed away our sins by giving His life for us! What a great God! What a great Savior! Do you know Him friends!

If we don’t want others to be saved, if we don’t want others to be set free, if we don’t want others to be forgiven… we have to ask ourselves do we have it ourselves!

Point 3 | Regenerated for Good Deeds

Titus 3:5–6 (NASB95) 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Some have tried to pull the necessity of water baptism out of this passage. And water baptism is extremely important in your obedience as a disciple but this passage is saying nothing of the sorts. “The washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit”. Sorry! Earthly means won’t work here. John the BAPTIZER. Mr Baptist as I like to call him understood this:

Mark 1:8 (NASB95)

8 “I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Friends you “must be born again” but water will not save you, that is the removal of dirt from the body. Earthly solutions won’t save you. You need the work Jesus accomplished on the cross applied to you. You need a washing and a renewing that only THE HOLY SPIRIT can do. Man’s ahands can’t save you. But God can do what man can’t. He can make you new! He can wash in the inside of the cup if you will! He can take out that heart of stone and put in you that heart of flesh!

Keith Green said, Rushing wind blow through this temple Blowing out the dust within Come and breathe your breath upon me I've been born again

But you were born again for a purpose. I want you to see how prevalent this has been in the book of Titus.

Here in chapter three alone it has said:

· “Be ready for every good deed” in verse 1.

· He says to those “who have believed God” will be careful to “engage in good deeds.”

· In verse 14 after instructing them to help two ministers of the Gospel he says, “Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds” and “to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.”

But I want to remind you what it said in the first and second chapter as well:

· In chapter one we were told the false teachers were “detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

· Titus himself was to be an example of good deeds in Titus 2:6.

· And by the redemptive blood of Jesus the people of God were to be “Zealous for good deeds” in Titus 2:14

· And of course Elders in chapter 1 were to be a model of Godly living, and so were Older men and women in chapter 2. Young women and men were to labor in love. Slaves were called upon to adorn the doctrine of God our savior with their faithful labor.

Now you can really screw this whole thing up by thinking good deeds are a means to salvation. So Paul is adiment that:

Titus 3:5 (NASB95) 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy,

On the other hand we must be zealous for good deeds, we must not be unfruitful, we must meet pressing needs.

Perhaps even most importantly what I love about this passage is verse 2:

Titus 3:2 (NASB95) 2 to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

Good deeds. Consideration. Serving a lost and dying world is one of the absolutely BEST ways we can reach out to a lost and dying world. Don’t get me wrong. That need you heard about at work, or that neighbor who is struggling, or that random stranger who is need is not your problem. But neither was your sin God’s problem! Yet He got off His thrown did He not? That is what the cross does to our hearts. We can show “every consideration for all men” because God has not withheld anything from us has he!

So lets serve! Lets be a people that is known for good deeds! I could say here is an opportunity, and here is an opportunity and certainly there are plenty of them I could think of right on the spot… but I would much rather you let your imagination go wild. What kind of damage can we do the kingdom of darkness through sheer kindness. Through a true servants heart. Through a people who engaged in good deeds!

The Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many! He came to make servants after His own likeness that would love a lost and dying world just like he loved us while we were yet sinners!

Amen?

[1]Stott, J. (2018). The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott. (M. Meynell, Ed.). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.