Breaking the Plane

So, I believe the reason the University of Georgia’s championship win over the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide means so much to me is was a daydream of mine played out in real life.

I was an asthmatic young boy who loved to play football with my friends in my granddad’s ball field.

Back in the day, asthma was just asthma - there wasn’t much that could be done for it.

And since football coaches tend to frown on time outs so someone can catch their breath after ever play - well, that kind of kept me off the field.

But it didn’t stop me from playing with the guys on Sundays.

I was rarely the quarterback, spirals weren’t my gig.

But defense was where I was at home.

Sacking the quarterback.

Defending a down under pass - making the occasional interception.

That was cool.

So in my little boy dreams, I saw myself suited up and doing the Pic-6 in a championship football game.

So when Kellee Ringo intercepted the pass from the Heisman Award Winning quarterback of the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide.

And when he took off and ran 79 yards with an armed escort at his side.

When he crossed the plain of the goal line and that crowd - and everyone else - exploded.

That little boy fantasy became real.

Kellee Ringo will never be the same.

He’s got a webpage devoted to his stats with rotating banner pictures of him in action.

I know his mom and dad have to be proud.

I know I am.

Football changed that young boy’s dream into a young man’s reality.

Football changed that you man’s life.

What if....

There is something that you can devote your life to that will change your life forever.

This is the last message in our Timothy / Titus study.

I don’t know about you, but I like my books and movies to have a happy ending.

I like to walk away feeling good - like I didn’t waste my time reading it, you know?

Titus doesn’t disappoint us.

In fact, as far as I’m concerned, Titus ends by giving us the perfect reason why we’d want to Be The Church in the first place.

Our text today is Titus 3:1-8.

Please open your Bibles to Titus 3 and I’d ask you folks watching on on live stream or by recording later to do the same thing.

Pull out a Bible - if you are here and don’t have one, we have some in our pew racks - grab one of those.

And, if you don’t own a Bible of your very own, please take one of ours as a gift from us.

We’d be tickled pink if you did.

Hear the Word of the Lord.

Titus 3:1–8 ESV

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 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. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 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, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 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.

This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.

We truly could spend a couple of weeks on verses 1 - 3 but let’s just say this about that.

We know the situation in Rome - the Emperor was revered as a god so there was that.

And Paul reminds Timothy - just like we hear in Romans 13 - “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities...”

But here’s the main thing I want us to pick up from this.

He tells them “to be obedient,” and then he says, “to be ready for every good work...”

So here’s the question - what if the “rulers and authorities” ask you - or better yet - require you - to do something that is NOT a good work?

What if the rulers and authorities demand you do something ungodly?

Do we submit then?

No.

In fact, we have an obligation to resist.

The rest of the verses still apply, Titus 3:2 “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”

But do that while we resist - do that while we stand for God.

Peter shows us how this is done in Acts 5.

When he and the apostles were told by the “rulers and authorities” to Acts 5:28

Acts 5:28 ESV

saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

Peter replied to the “rulers and authorities,” “We must obey God rather than men.”

They did not submit.

They did not scream, holler and pitch fits.

They did not rail about their rights.

After Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men,” he, in front of people who had just told him not to, he recited the truth about Jesus.

I fully expect us to find ourselves there one day.

We’ve been told what the Lord says - so when the time comes, brothers and sisters, let’s help each other to do it.

We’re going to need all of the help we can get.

So remember the Lord’s words and be strong.

Looking around myself, I suspect Satan thinks he’s got this game wrapped up.

But one day the Heisman winning quarterback is going to throw the ball down field.

And you are going to be there.

It will be your day to intercept that ball.

It will be your day to carry the ball down the field.

It will be your day to break the plane of the goal line.

This should give us a little jolt - a little feeling of satisfaction.

Our time is coming and we’ll be ready, because

We’ve seen the goodness and kindness of God.

Titus 3:4 “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,”

Those words mean exactly what they say.

God the Father is good and God the Father is kind.

Now, this takes a second to get a hold of because we keep listening to Fox News and CNN and we read all of the complaints on Facebook, Twitter and all the grams.

The world is coming unglued.

Disney has gone from being the bulwark for the family to being an enemy of the family.

There are wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and famine.

Our president announced in the last few weeks that there would be food shortages because of the decisions our government has made and is making.

People we love get sick and die.

Car accidents and Covid have claimed lives.

How is an all powerful, all mighty God good and kind in the midst of that?

The only way to know the answer, is to turn off the voices and listen.

Titus 3:5 “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,”

Many of you - most of you have heard this before - but have you stopped to consider it.

Yes, if we are a Christ follower - He saved us.

But do you know that’s an answer to an ancient prayer?

Today is Palm Sunday.

We read the story a few minutes ago.

That’s the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.

A crowd gathered to welcome him.

They laid palm branches in front of him - as they had for other kings of Israel that entered the city.

And they cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David. Hosanna in the highest.”

“Hosanna.”

A Greek rendering of a Hebrew word that means, “Save us, we ask.”

That day they had no idea.

CNN and Fox News were reporting on the number of crucifixions the Romans were doing every day.

They reported the amount of tax collected.

And that Roman soldiers had captured “Hebrew Supremacists” before they could cause trouble.

The people were crying to be saved from all of that - just like we are praying now.

But Jesus was saving them - that’s what he was doing as He came into the city.

“Not because of the works done by us in righteousness.”

Not for all of the church services they had attended.

All of the tithes and sacrifices they had given at the temple.

Not for all of the widows and orphans they had helped.

Nothing they did.

Nothing that we did - we know it’s never good enough.

We would have to be perfect and even the heathen say, “Nobody is perfect.”

He saved us “according to his own mercy.”

Because He looked at us just like you’ve looked at your child or your niece or your nephew and your heart melted.

That’s a Facebook mama saying.

A Facebook mama posts a picture of their baby - even if their baby is 19 - and they say, “My heart.”

Even if that baby is colicky and screams all night - still “my heart.”

That’s how the Father sees us.

We sang this earlier.

“What riches of kindness He lavished on us.

“His blood was the payment, His life was the cost.

“We stood ‘neath a debt we could never afford

“Our sins they are many, His mercy is more.”

I want us to take just a moment to savor that.

There is a person who looks at you.

And in spite of any negative self-talk, in spite of your mistakes and your deliberate sins.

He looks at you and adores you.

And there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

I know there is someone - maybe just one of us hearing this today - but there is someone who needs to know.

God is so for you.

And that devastating whatever it is that has been trashing your mind.

It’s only a big deal to God in that He knows how much it hurts you.

But it doesn’t stop Him from loving you - can’t.

“Our sins they are many, His mercy is more.”

Now, here’s where I’ve been wanting to get to - listen Titus 3:5 “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,”

Now, sounds like religious mumbo-jumbo but let me help us.

“By the washing of regeneration-”

Paul is deliberately reminding us of someone being baptised.

Baptism is a picture.

It reminds us of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

It reminds us that our sins are washed away and we are made new.

Now let me ask you this - and think with me here.

Have you ever seen someone get baptized and they weren’t happy when they came out of the water?

Everyone I have ever baptized comes up smiling.

That’s what Paul wants you to see with your mind’s eye.

In our church, the family all smiles as they stand above the baptistry and watch.

The person coming down the steps.

And being lowered into the water.

And coming up all smiles.

Do you see it?

Why does Paul want you to see that?

It’s the word regeneration.

Listen - regeneration means “to experience a complete change of one’s way of life - listen - to what it should be.”

That has to elicit a smile.

I went from what I was - listen Christian - you went from what you were - to what you were supposed to be.

“Well, it certainly doesn’t feel like it.”

Don’t care about your feelings.

Your feelings aren’t truth.

Your feelings could be too much pepperoni pizza.

What is the truth?

The truth is, when you trusted Jesus to save you, your life experienced a complete change from what you were to what you are supposed to be.

Let that sink in.

You are already what you are supposed to be.

To sound a little Pentecostal, what you need to do is claim that because it is yours.

Paul piles on by adding the “renewal of the Holy Spirit.”

Renewal is the exclamation point.

Renewal - “to cause something to become new or different, with the implication of being superior.”

And who caused it?

Certainly not you.

The Holy Spirit did - and again - if you belong to Jesus, if you have trusted Jesus as your savior, the Holy Spirit is going to make you new.

You can’t stop Him.

Now think with me - even if you don’t believe what I’m saying.

Listen, even if you’ve actively opposed the notion that you can be changed against your will.

If you are His, you have been changed.

And if you are honest and if you will reflect on your life, you’ll see it.

And if you don’t see any change, you might question if you have a relationship with Jesus.

If you are His, you’ve changed.

You’ve heard this - why should I react to this message any differently than I have in the past.

Let me tell you - Titus 3:8 “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.”

Paul loves to say that a “saying is trustworthy.”

It’s his way of saying - listen - like I do.

This is trustworthy - listen - remember this.

But he goes a step farther - “I want you to insist on these things.”

Insist - this is non-negotiable - got to do it - not one can say otherwise.

I want you to insist on - what?

The Gospel - that we are called as a church to Proclaim and Protect.

Insist on everything you and I have talked about today.

Pure - unadulterated - unchanged - just as it is.

To this result.

Titus 3:8 “...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.”

Ok, so I’m supposed to do good works -

No, see, you are forgetting something.

Remember us reading this before?

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Let’s go back to Kellee Ringo for a moment.

When Kellee intercepted that pass from the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, did he just walk on the field that day and play ball?

You can look at that young man and tell that he’s spent years on the field.

He’s spent years running and pounding his body into shape.

He’s spent years in the gym picking up pieces of iron and dropping them on the floor.

He’s spend years sweating almost more sweat than Gatorade can replace.

Do you think for a skinny minute that Kellee Ringo just happened to be at the right place at the right time to catch an errant pass by the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback of the University of Alabama?

You’d have to be crazy to think that.

He’s trained all of his life.

He was covering the field exactly as he was trained to cover it.

He was in the exact position he was in because he had been trained to be in that position.

An on that day, at that moment, all of his years of training paid off as the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback released a ball that didn’t go where he expected it to go.

And Kellee Ringo caught it and ran it 79 years to break the plane of the goal line exactly as he had been trained to do.

Here’s the point - We are God’s workmanship.

He regenerated us.

He completely changed us from what we were into - listen - what we should be.

Not what we can be - not what we ought to be - but exactly what we should be.

He renewed us - He is making us into something new and different - something superior to all of the folks who don’t follow Christ.

He has created us - that what Paul says in Ephesians - He has created us in Christ Jesus for good works - listen.

That God created before hand - that God has had in mind for you forever.

He already knew what ball was going to be thrown at us.

Now listen to me, quit thinking about good works strictly in terms of cutting someone’s grass or cooking a casserole for someone who is hurting.

Think of good works in terms of the glory of God.

That one day God, who had been planning this for ever and ever, and who had been training you since the day you were born.

That one day the Lord is going to have someone throw an errant pass in your direction.

And because you have been faithful to train.

And you’ve been faithful to follow Jesus.

Because you have been faithful - you’ll catch that pass and you’ll run it back 79 years to seal the deal.

Yeah, that’s kind of dramatic - but I believe that’s what the Lord has in store for each one of us.

We will never know this side of heaven the eternal impact of any good thing we do.

And it really doesn’t matter.

Because of Jesus - you have been made into what you are supposed to be.

You are new - and superior to anything you could have been without Jesus.

You are being trained to do things Paul says are excellent and profitable for people.

Because you have been called to salvation by the mercy of a good and kind Lord.

We are better people and we will always be better people because of what Jesus has done.