Christ and All His Benefits (Death)

Introduction: I have never been a retreat speaker before (Gracious)

Advance verse retreat: I understand the concept but it is hard to explain the weekend without using the word “retreat.” It’s like playing a game of Taboo.

In first time together I want to pitch and idea that is very very basic..

If you don’t toe the line you can’t run in the race.

So many of us have desires to advance in our lives, but we seem to be spinning our wheels and make no progress.

Advancement in our...

marriages or parenting. or in our walk with God. We want to control our emotions and not be given over to anger, or continual sadness. Or maybe we are constantly living defeated and trapped in despair and throw a daily pity party for ourselves that we invite everyone else to and we are miserable to be around.

Maybe we want to change from our incessant tendency to shift the blame for everything wrong in our lives from the desires that are inside of us to those things that are external to us.

We want to advance in or physical heath and be on a consitant diet and exercise regimen that will allows us to feel more comfortable in our one skin.

There are so many areas in our lives that we want “advancement” in.

In this very first session, we are going to address the undeniable reality that must be center stage of your life in order to make any advancement, any progress in any and every one of those areas.

So needless to say, what we talk about tonight is the most important message of the weekend. Last time there was a men’s retreat, I noticed that Pastor Jim spoke on the topic of, “Finishing Well.” He spoke of having conviction and vision and longings. If you have those things you will finish well. Sounds good, I wish I would have been here for it.

This year, at least here tonight in this session, I am not going to be concerned at all with you “finishing well” I am most primarily concerned with whether or not you are in the race.

We can try all we want to get better at something and me might actually become better husbands, citizens, workers, bosses, but that isn’t the end goal of your life.

Mark 8:36 ESV

36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

NOTHING. EMPTY SET. ZERO. NADA - you forfeited your soul in the process Jesus says. You just lost it immaterial part of you and it was thrown down into hell and it will drag your flesh down into hell along with it to be tormented because misery loves company.

So you may try to be harder and try to advance and you might make progress in this life and then you will be tormented in flames for eternity…so that doesn’t seem worth it. That’s a firm “no thank you” in my estimation. I’d rather pass on that.

Another senario might be played out this way with those of you that are here. You are trying to be better (BLANK BLANK BLANKS) but you seem to fail over and over and over again and feel like you are trapped in a pit of despair and want to give up. I can’t get rid of this sin. I am easily entangled.

We can go about the right things, in the wrong way and we make no advancement in our behaving or in our feeling. Yes we might know what we ought to do, but we don’t feel like doing it and we have not “power” to do it…so we end up not doing whatever “it” is.

So our minds are sanctified or “advanced” but our emotions are like an anchor that are holding us back from making any progress and our behaviors are left unaffected.

We have a tendency to try very hard, but in the wrong ways. This is what Paul warned the Colossians of in chapter 2

Colossians 2:8 ESV

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

So we subscribe to mens health to get in shape, or listen to a self-help type podcast to be a better husband or parent or boss or worker…but...

Colossians 2:23 ESV

23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

We come up short. What are we to do? What is the solution?

I bring you back to what I said before but add something to it...

“You can’t run the race, unless you toe the line. And you won’t toe the line, unless you love to run.”

People typically don’t enter races unless they enjoy, at least a little bit, the endorphins they feel while they are running.”

ILLUSTRATION:

My kids are really into Nature shows these days (PBS - Nature) (Planet Earth - Joel)

My kids love the “Big Cats” - they are fascinated especially with the Cheetah.

Tyreek Hill (Chiefs) - fastest guy (number 10) - touchdown last week

Have you seen these things run? It is amazing (60-70 miles an hour / 140 pounds / 22 foot stride). When they go it is all systems go…full speed ahead.

They look so free! Their body parts are flying all around but they are in absolute control. The gaze is fixed straight ahead on their meal.

Watch this video and then I will make a few comments.

“Treating her cubs to a master class to do that which they were created to do.”

Tonight I want to treat you to a masterclass, so that you can do that which you were created by God to do.

“There she goes, top gear, she has seen what she wants…there is no escape she is going to get it.”

Once I finish the masterclass, I am hoping that after seeing “it” you will know that you “want it” and that you go all out for it and hit top gear in every facet of your life so that you can run the race with perseverance that has been marked out before you.

I have been praying for the last few weeks that this first session will dangle out in front of you the beauty and the benefits of Knowing Christ in His death, burial and resurrection and that once you see it, you will savor it and that nothing will hold you back or stand in your way of making all sorts of advancement in your quest to be conformed to the image of Christ.

You ready for the Masterclass to begin?

Let’s pray

The the only way we make real, beyond the grave advancement, is if our whole beings are changed. We need a new creation to occur and that is what God is offering us in the Gospel.

Last November (topics and themes) (Kicked a whole bunch of thoughts around and it was wide open to my discretion. I had no idea (I’ve never done this) - until I sought the Lord on my short car ride home where, I didn’t audible hear God say this but within my heart and mind it was as if He did… “Preach Christ and all His benefits.” What? and 2nd time “Please Preach Christ and all His benefits.” Well that is broad, what do you mean? His death, burial and resurrection. So, this is our template for our three session together:

We can make advancement in our lives because a DEATH has taken place.

After the body of Jesus hung limp on the cross, and His death occurred they BURIED the body. Many of us in this room have been “crucified with Christ” but the old man is still seeming to be alive and well and kicking and screaming for his persuasive will to be followed. We must BURY HIM, because that is what you do with dead things. Finally, in great triumph, Jesus was RESURRECTED from the grave to the glory of the Father.

We too, like Jesus can walk in newness of life. We can make advancement in our walk with Him and that will effect EVERY hat we wear as men.

Sound good? Ok…so that is where we are going throughout the weekend and I want to take you to our anchor text this weekend.

Tonight, let’s talk about DEATH and GRACE

Titus 2:11–14 ESV

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 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.

We are going to try and plumb just some of the depths these 4 verses throughout the weekend and by the end of it, it won’t be like an abandoned God mine, there will be more and more precious treasure that is left untouched for you to come back and mine for the rest of your life. But we will do some initial work on this passage to make it more mineable for you in the future as you enter back in. This is a passage that I run to ALL the TIME and I hope you do too. Tonight let’s just look at the book ends of the passage. Let’s look at verse 11 and verse 14.

Titus 2:11 ESV

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

Titus 2:14 ESV

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.

This is going to be the essential truth that must be in place in your life if you are going to make any advancement.

GRACE

God’s grace appeared (11a)

Titus 2:11 (ESV)

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

This is amazing. What we see here is some sort of reverse personification. Personification is when you attribute a personal nature or human characteristics to something that is nonhuman. It is when you try to take something that is abstract and representation in human form.

“The wind was howling the other day.”

“The last piece of pie was calling my name.”

You take something abstract, sprinkle a little human characteristic on it and walla, that which is abstract becomes more known.

Well here what you see hear is the reverse of that. Paul is going to grab this very known person, Jesus Christ and liken Him to the somewhat abstract concept of GRACE.

This should floor us. Jesus is the EMBODIMENT OF GOD’s GRACE.

When you look at Jesus what you are really seeing is Grace in Action.

Jesus, the Mediator is also the merciful gracious Lord. The word Paul uses is the word...

χάρις

Grace is an unmerited kindness shown. A favorable attitude expressed towards someone or something.

God’s kindness and favorable attitude are expressed to us when you put your eyes on the person and work of Jesus Christ!

Grace is the free work of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, even though we don’t deserve it.

God is teeming and overflowing with Grace and He isn’t hoarding it up for Himself…He wants to lavish you with it so He sent Jesus in the fullness of time to do for you what you could never in a million years or even in one millisecond do for yourself…that is live uprightly before God. You and I can’t do that…we need grace and thankfully Paul tells us that “Grace” has

Titus 2:11 (ESV)

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

Grace has “appeared.” It “epiphanied.”

The word points to a specific point in time when Jesus took on flesh and dwelt among us as John tells us.

John 1:14 (ESV) 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is full of GRACE. Jesus is the embodiment of God’s Grace. Grace in human form.

The grace of God isn’t recieved by you as a payment at the end of a perfectly kept law or by following the sacrificial offering of a dove or a goat…all that was pointing to a perfect offering that would be offered for one time as the author of Hebrews tells us and that offering would

Hebrews 10:14 (ESV) 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

The grace of God did not evolve in history; it came at just the right time when Jesus was born and it continued to mature over the course of His life and found its fullest expression when He took our place on a cross that we deserved to die on.

Grace is the free work of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, even though we don’t deserve it.

Titus 2:11 (ESV)

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

This grace brings salvation that God offers to everyone, though not every person responds to his goodness. You need to respond to this. You need to receive it. I believe that you need to receive it at a point in your history but you need to receive it daily as well.

If we confess our sins (present tense, He if faithful and just to forgive our sins (past tense). (1 John 1:9)

If we say we have no sin we make Him to be a liar, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin, but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Salvation is offered to all but it is only effective for those who respond to its life giving reality. It is effective for those that go about what we will talk about in the two message times tomorrow.

So, God’s grace has APPEARED and God’s grace has been...

God’s grace applied (14a)

Titus 2:14 (ESV)

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.

In what way was it applied to us? Well He gave Himself to “redeem us from all lawlessness.”

Jesus gave Himself willingly in obedience to His Father’s plan. That plan included a horrific death. A death that we deserved to die. You and I deserved eternal conscience punishment that is an eternal separation from all that we were created to joyfully experience.

Dantes Inferno - “Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here.”

This is where we were supposed to end up, but the grace of God showed up and took our already purchased ticket stub to enter an eternity in hell and He tore it up as the body of Jesus was ripped and torn on our behalf and then He places a “redemption” ticket in our hands, turns us around and shows us a promised land where there is fullness of joy with pleasure flowing a the right and of the Father. And our redemption ticket can be traded in at the pearly gates of admission because our debt was paid in full by Jesus.

He gave Himself for us to “redeem” us from all “lawlessness.”

To redeem is to “released at a price. or to “buy back.” We have been purchased by the blood of Jesus out of our slavery to sin. We were released from the debt our lawlessness had rightfully earned, but not only that…God didn’t just stop halfway when He redeemed us…once His grace is applied to us…we can accept it.

God’s grace accepted. (14b)

Titus 2:14 (ESV)

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.

What does the grace of God do to a people once it has appeared and been applied to their account? Well we accept it and it makes us ALL NEW CREATURES that are able to make “advancement in all aspects of life!”

Look at this…He gave himself to redeem us from lawlessness AND TO PURIFY FOR HIMSELF…a people for His own possession who do good works!

Not who “do good works” but even more than that…who are “zealous for good works.” The application of the tangible grace of God changes us at the causal core…all of a sudden we don’t just feel an obligation to change things about our roles as men, but we actually become zealous to do so.

We want to join God in the purifying process for His glory. We no longer belong to ourselves, we belong to Him. We are a people of His own possession. And since we no longer belong to ourselves, we get zealous about doing that which we were purified for and purchased to do.

ILLUSTRATION: Have you ever gotten a new tool and just been pumped to see how it works? (Pneumatic pin nailer / Brad Nailer). I couldn’t wait to use this thing. I was nailing everything together. It was amazing. But I didn’t use it as a hammer. Or as a tape measure…that is not what it was created and purchased for…in the same way, the grace of God has appeared and been applied to us and when we accept it we are to functionally live our lives as a people who are zealous to do the good works that God has redeemed us for!

Amen. This is all available to us because of GRACE.

We needed grace initially and we need grace continually and thankfully Grace is always available.

Some of you might need to receive this grace for the first time you can do so tonight by simply crying out to God and asking Him to apply that grace to your account. Some of you might need to receive this grace in a new and fresh way. It actually needs to be recieved fresh every moment. We need to preach the Gospel to ourselves all the time. His grace is available so...

Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

This is available to us because of the Benefit of Christ’s DEATH.

Songs:

Discussion Questions:

What made you decide to come to the Men’s Advance/Retreat this year?

What are you hoping to experience this weekend?

It was said, “Some of you might need to receive this grace for the first time you can do so tonight by simply crying out to God and asking Him to apply that grace to your account. Some of you might need to receive this grace in a new and fresh way. It actually needs to be recieved fresh every moment. We need to preach the Gospel to ourselves all the time. His grace is available so… “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Which scenario do you find yourself in right now?

It was God’s kindness that led us to repentance. If there are people in your life that are driving you crazy, what kindness and grace can you extend to them

Some of you, most of you, all of you need to give yourself a little grace. Like Clark Griswold you “set standards that no family activity can live up to…Parties, weddings, anniversaries, funerals, holidays, vacations, graduations...” What area of life would benefit from a fresh dose of God’s grace?

Closer Song

Christ Be All