Ready for Good Works

Intro: Sermon for the toes.

Titus 3:1–2 ESV

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.

Ready Reminder v 1

Getting out of the House with 4

Reminder - continually remind - Prior knowledge.

Submission - The Cretins had a reputation for being rebellious. Be subject to, put under.

Rulers and authorities - Those who constitute and enforce government -

Romans 13:1 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

1 Peter 2:13–14 ESV

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

We only disobey the government if and when doing so would bring us into dirct disobedience with God’s command Acts 5:29 “29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” Our disobedience to government at that point is not active rebellion but passive dissent with full acceptance of the consequences of disobedience. Submission to the authroities even in receiveing the consequences is evidence of our submission to God

Nero

One of the main things that Paul has been stressing here is that your behavior matters for how other people see and believe the gospel. The watching workd will either see the message of the gospel confirmed or disproved through the way you live you life now.

This is not unconditional allegience,. It is recognizing that we trust God to care for us in the midst of submitting and obeying all human authorities in every area that would not mean disobedience to to God.

The Letters to Timothy and Titus VI. Standing Orders for Believers (3:1–11)

assuming Paul’s martyrdom, “Paul himself would demonstrate by his death that when the state stands in opposition to God, it becomes time to obey God and not human authorities.”

Paul is not blindly ordering Titus to enforce lockstep adherence to civil rule no matter what. He is confirming that, under conditions like those in Crete at that time, Christians should be exemplary subjects, even in a pagan social order. The special grace they have received in Christ should enhance, not curtail, their cooperation with the common grace of human government to the extent this is possible

Obedient No just submissive. actively obedient., and seeking what is good.

and Ready

Ready fr every Good work

To God, & Afformentioned rulers and authorities

The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes Chapter 2

ILLUSTRATION 2:14

Good works spring from union with Christ. We believe that the more we know and feel ourselves to be one with Jesus, the more holy we will be. Why is a Christian’s character like Christ’s character? Only for this reason—that a Christian is joined and united to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why does that branch bring forth grapes? Simply because it has been grafted into the vine, and therefore it partakes of the nature of the stem. So the only way we can bring forth fruit to God is by being grafted into Christ and united with him. Christians who think they walk in holiness without keeping up perpetual fellowship with Christ have made a great mistake. If we want to be holy, we must live close to Jesus. Good works spring only from there. Here we draw the most powerful reasons against anything like trusting in works, for as works are only the gift of God, how utterly impossible does it become for an unrighteous, unconverted, ungodly person to produce any such good works on their own? And if they are God’s gifts, how little merit can there be in them.

Eagerness - Notice those two words. Ready and every…

Ready, poised, excited,

Every - There is no good work that is off the table.

Ready Reality v2

Titus 3:2 ESV

2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

Avoid speaking evil - slander blasphemyTo speak against someone or something maliciously. Slander revile or defame - bring the estimation of another down This is true both in person or behind someone’s back.

Avoid quarrelling - Peaceable - Not contentious or quarrelsome. without battle - disinclined to fight,

“We exercise sweet reasonableness out of a life of wisdom that refuses to hold a grudge and that also gives others the benefit of the doubt David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2013), Tt 3:1–2.

Considerate - Deferring to others. conciliatory,

If everyone in the room knows your strong opinion on a topic when it comes up, that is a problem.

Retooling of some personality types

Gentleness Willing to relinguish my rights, maybe even my right to insert my opinion for the sake of gentleness and peace.

- “not insisting on every right of letter of law or custom, yielding, gentle, kind, courteous, tolerant”

Ephesians–Philemon Comment

The gentle person does not wink at sin or celebrate it but is clear-eyed about sin and righteousness yet nevertheless avoids a judgmental or pharisaical attitude.

Courtesy (perfect) or true humility humility -

All People - All gentleness to all men. Speak evil of No one - Do you see how total this is? No limit to this complete courtousy and humility and gentleness and not hint of argumentativeness, slander or speaking evil.

Not overly impressed by ones self importance. Views the needs and interests of others above their own.

Why?

Because of the gospel. Because of other people seeing us and how we act and making a determination as to whether the gospel is true or not.

If I was thinking of going to a new returaunt and I started asking around to see if it was any good and I heard people saying...