Grace Changes Everything
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Introduction - Start Recording
Introduction - Start Recording
Well good morning and welcome to those who are just now joining us online.
Go ahead and open your Bible or device to Titus 2.
First of all, I want to thank those of you who have been praying for me. I woke up yesterday in serious pain in my neck and shoulder area. I asked for prayers because I didn’t think you’d want to watch me wince every time I turned my head this morning. Thank you for being a church that prays for your pastor. Keep it up, please.
Secondly, I wanted to give you an update on where we are going sermon series wise. We have two weeks left in Titus, unless the Lord leads me to linger on something, and then we are going to dive into a short three week series on Stewardship and how we use our time, talent, and treasure. I hope you will join us for all of that either in person or online.
I also wanted to update you on our Covid-19 response. According to the health department our numbers are increasing. I understand there are various opinions on this whole situation. As you know, we have some people in our church family who have particular health challenges. What I am asking each of you is to please be careful in your interactions with one another. I want to remind you that if you feel sick, please stay home and watch service online. We have enough space currently to maintain our social distancing protocols. I will be meeting with the deacons this afternoon to discuss our continued response to this virus. Please pray for wisdom as these decisions are being made. We will keep you updated.
Pray for Covid, President, Sick in our family, and the sermon.
Pray for Covid, President, Sick in our family, and the sermon.
These verses, 11-15 give us a theological basis for the instructions in verses 1-10. It’s as if Paul, in writing this letter to Titus, was saying in verses 1-10, okay, do these things, teach these things, and now in verses 11-15, it’s as if to say, because of this… or here’s why… or here is the theological background for why and how this stuff happens. Paul does this elsewhere in his writings. In the book of Romans, chapters 1-11 is some of the richest theological material we have and then, beginning in chapter 12 he gets into the practical application based on the previous theological understanding. Here he’s kind of doing it in the reverse of that. Let’s read together.
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.
15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
The doctrine of salvation is precious. It is precious to the church because it gives us the understanding of how men are saved, how we can be reconciled to God, how we can know God personally, and how we can be rescued from the wrath of God.
It is also a very core doctrine of Christianity that has been taught wrongly in various times and places by false teachers. In our modern day there are three main trends of belief when it comes to the doctrine of salvation that are prevalent in our culture. You may have encountered these yourself at some point.
Three current trends of belief regarding the doctrine of salvation
Universalism - related to it is pluralism (false teaching)
teaches many or unlimited ways to God (wagon wheel)
Popular among liberal teachers like Rob Bell
Not compatible with Biblical Christianity
Inclusivism
affirms that Jesus is the only Savior
wrongly teaches that you can be saved though you have never trusted Jesus personally for salvation
believes that general revelation is enough for salvation
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
So, you can see that it wasn’t enough for them to just know there was a creator because of creation. They didn’t trust him and didn’t know Jesus. The didn’t have saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. General revelation is not enough for salvation. You need specific or special revelation where by God, through the preaching of the gospel opens your heart to understand the gospel, believe the gospel, trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and repent of your sin.
Unfortunately, there are some modern teachers out there who walk this line as well.
No Jesus = No Christian
You don’t get salvation without the gospel. That’s why we must be all the more urgent in our evangelism and mission work.
Exclusivism
Majority of the church throughout most of its history
orthodox, evangelical position
Jesus is the exclusive, only way to salvation
Only through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection can men be saved from the penalty for their sin
By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone
Scripture is very clear on this:
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
In John 3 we learn about the spiritual birth.
In Romans 3 we learn that justification is by faith.
In 2 Corinthians 5 we learn about reconciliation with God.
In Galatians 3 we learn about the deliverance from the curse of the law.
The doctrine of salvation is key to our understanding of what Titus was supposed to teach the older men, the older women, the younger women, and the younger men. It was key to how slaves were to serve their masters and how we are to serve God because
I. The grace of God trains us for godly lives.
I. The grace of God trains us for godly lives.
What God demands from us as his children is only possible because of Jesus and his work for us and in us.
A. Jesus has come. Grace has come.
A. Jesus has come. Grace has come.
B. God’s grace must change us.
B. God’s grace must change us.
Self-control [“sensible”] expresses the self-restraint we need to practice toward the good and legitimate things of life, as well as the outright denial of things clearly sinful. Upright or righteous conduct refers to just and right actions toward other people, doing to them what we would have them do to us (Matt 7:12). Godliness is having a regard for God’s glory and God’s will in every aspect of our lives, doing everything out of reverence and love for Him. (Discipline of Grace, 88)
C. The grace of Jesus trains us to look for His return.
C. The grace of Jesus trains us to look for His return.
II. Grace teaches us that Jesus is Lord
II. Grace teaches us that Jesus is Lord
The Doctrine of Salvation in 3 Tenses
Past- Justification
Present - Sanctification
Future - Glorification
Jesus -
Paid for us
Purifies us
Possess us
Prepares us
III. Grace authorizes us for ministry.
III. Grace authorizes us for ministry.
“The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.” - John Calvin
Encourage
Rebuke
Let no one disregard
Doctrine - Right belief - Orthodoxy
Duty - Right living - Orthopraxy
Discernment
Dedication
Martin Luther explained how this passage caused him to live his life:
“I live as though Christ died yesterday, rose again today, and is coming again tomorrow.”30