Sermon Tone Analysis

Friend from 30+ years ago who was in a downward spiral of drug addiction, homelessness.

Heard and responded to the gospel.

But just couldn’t overcome those voices in his head that told him he could never get it right.

No hope, no redemption.

Took a lot of years after hitting rock bottom to accept the basic message of God’s grace.

This can also be a great challenge facing followers of Jesus today.

We have a limited view of God’s grace.

The grace of God has been captured and domesticated for weekly use.

Grace has been reduced to mean simply, “forgiveness for everyone.”

We have turned it to our uses, instead of his.

Many people say, “God loves me just the way I am.”

We are comfortable with that statement;

we are less comfortable with, “God loves me so much he won’t let me stay just the way I am.”

Last week, we learned from Titus 2:11–14 that first his grace saves, then it teaches.

Richard Foster, a man who has spent his adult life encouraging Christians to grow in the grace of God, points out that the message of grace is something more than merely a means for gaining forgiveness.

Foster says that, in most pulpits,

“There is a disconnect between the good news of Jesus’ sacrifice and our calling to become the light of the world.”

Hearing the same message, week after week, along with the same remedy, they remain in the same place.

“Having been saved by grace, these people have been paralyzed by it.”

If we remain camped at the notion that God’s grace is merely another way to describe forgiveness, we will never discover that there is grace for everyday living, relationships, and ministry to others.

In the New Testament alone, there are connections between

grace and truth, power, spiritual gifts, thanksgiving, generosity

It’s obvious: If our view of grace is limited to receiving forgiveness, Jesus cannot be our model for how to receive grace, live in grace, and depend upon grace.

How does grace apply to everyday life in a manner that we are conscious of the supply and know how to use it?

In church circles, grace has variously been defined as “not getting what we deserve,” or “God’s unmerited favor,” or the acronym “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”

All of these ideas about grace are true,

All true, but they tell only part of the truth.

These partial truths can actually harm our spiritual formation.

“I’m just a sinner saved by grace,” we say.

“There’s nothing good inside of me.

I’ll always be a sinner, because that’s what I always do.”

Some people have sung the same song for 40 years.

When they agreed with the sin diagnosis, they apparently thought it described a permanent condition.

The concept becomes that our destiny is constant failure and that Christ’s ministry is nothing but unending forgiveness.

Many believers have experienced the new birth and are convinced their cosmic state is forever a babe.

This is because we have overtalked about what sin takes away and undertalked about what the Spirit has put in us.

Dr. Dallas Willard refers to this as

“Miserable Sinner Theology” 

Simply put, if we are told often enough that we are miserable sinners who are unable to overcome our shortcomings in God’s eyes, sooner or later we will begin to see ourselves in that light, even though we have turned to Christ!

For such people, “following” Jesus does not include the possibility of being formed into his likeness.

It’s not just a problem with our understanding of grace, it’s also our understanding of Jesus:

his message, his sacrifice, his kingdom, and his mission for us.

It’s serious business, so the Father has provided a serious remedy.

The remedy is new birth, new life.

The image of spiritual birth also contains the hope of spiritual growth.

Are we forever trapped within the cancer of sin? No! Grace not only wipes away sin, grace teaches us how to avoid sin.

V. 4-5 reinforce the fundamental truth:

New birth and new life indicate that there WILL be growth.

We aren’t supposed to stay immobile in a spiritual bassinet, but to take the power of God’s grace and grow up in it.

V. 7 also reinforces this.

Righteousness leads to confidence (hope).

This is so important that Paul INSISTS that Titus be sure to teach about the life-changing power of grace.

The result is doing good.

(that’s not paralysis!)

What message have you bought in to?

Worthless sinner, never able to overcome?

Valued, blessed redeemed child of God - given countless opportunities in this life and the next?