Be Ready for Good Works
Notes
Transcript
When I think about this book that we’re walking through as a church...
…the book of Titus
…And I think about how seemingly short it is compared to other books, I find myself...
…feeling like there HAS to be more to it.
So far - in 3 weeks, we’ve walked through 2 chapters…and TODAY - we break into chapter 3.
AND YET - I need to remind myself that what Paul wrote to Titus in Crete was:
perfectly timed
perfectly suited for the situation at hand
And in that - i can rest.
With that said - we come to chapter 3 today - and it wasn’t an EASY passage to study
As I read through it - and I continued to APPLY the text to MY OWN heart...
I felt the BLOWS - one after another
The Christian life - as I have come to find out - is largely - about HOW WE RESPOND to the WORLD
And our text today - REALLY hit me
As I EXAMINED myself - in light of it’s TRUTH
LAST WEEK - we saw Paul lay out a FRAMEWORK of Discipleship for the church...
And the REASON for this was so that the Gospel would be GUARDED…
AND so that the WORD of God would NOT be reviled by the world...
Paul knew that GOOD WORKS are an IMMENSELY important aspect of the message of Jesus to the world!!
To the point where Jesus said this...
36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;
38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Jesus here says - Listen - if ALL i do is PROCLAIM truth…and i DON’T LIVE THIS OUT...
Then - Don’t BELIEVE ME!
BUT if I DO THESE THINGS - even if you don’t believe what i say - BELIEVE MY WORKS!!
..that you may know and UNDERSTAND that I am - who I SAY I AM!!
Our works play a HUGE part in how the Message of Jesus Christ will be RECEIVED in this world!
And Paul KNOWS this!!
And so today we come to this...
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.
3 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.
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
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,
6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
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.
9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.
10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,
11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
· As I dove into this passage here this week, I was confronted with the truth of it.
· And it didn’t go down easy.
· The theme that Paul is pushing to Titus and the people in the church at Crete was this:
Be ready for every good work
See – Paul’s concern is that the people in the church WON’T be ready to show good works…
· Paul KNOWS that Christians in general (but especially newer Christians) will have a propensity to see the world thru a FLESHLY lens…
· And as we’ve mentioned, the culture in Crete was saturated (KNOWN FOR) immorality.
SLIDE: Every Good Work: Requires A Godly Heart Posture
Every Good Work
Every Good Work
· Paul wants to help ADJUST the HEART POSTURE of the church in Crete.
· He knows that WITHOUT THIS ADJUSTMENT – good works will NOT be done, and the message of Christ will be HINDERED…
And so – as we walk thru this text today – I think you’ll see how easy it is to apply this to ourselves…
· It was certainly easy to apply it to myself
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.
· “Remind them” Paul says – I know I NEEDED this reminder.
· Paul here ties:
Being submissive to rulers and authorities, being obedient TO – BEING READY for every good work.
He continues….
“Speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and show perfect courtesy toward ALL people.”
NOW remember – Paul has already made it clear that his goal in elevating GOOD WORKS in the people is to PREVENT the Word of God from being REVILED…
· And it’s clear here that Paul is working to adjust the POSTURE of our HEARTS as we live in OPPRESSIVE environments…Hostile environments
· SO THAT – we’re ready for every good work.
· And in thinking through this – I thought – WHERE in Scripture do we see this play out.
· Where in Scripture do we see:
The PRESENCE of this Heart Posture that leads to a GOOD WORK…
The ABSENCE of this Heart Posture which leads to a BAD WORK…
First up – An example of a PROPER heart posture – which leads to a good work
· I think a good example of this is found in Acts 16
· It discusses a situation where the apostle Paul And Silas were making their way through Philippi…preaching the Gospel
· They end up coming upon a slave girl who had a spirit of divination
· And this girls begins to follow them around – shouting and annoying Paul and Silas
· So Paul ends up calling the spirit out of her and it leaves her.
Her owners see this, get angry and drag Paul and Silas before the rulers.
So the rulers throw them – UNJUSTLY into Prison…
· How do they respond?
· Their response will show you their HEART POSTURE…
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,
26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.
27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”
29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.
30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Now – keep this story in your mind…
· Back to our text today…
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.
ASK yourself – how would you have responded if you were placed in that same situation as Paul and Silas?
· In that situation – could Paul and Silas had complained about their rights being UNJUSTLY infringed upon?
· Could they have QUARRELED all night with the guard??
· Could they have spent the night plotting their escape?
Yes – but they didn’t. They sang and prayed OUT LOUD to God. They WORSHIPPED out loud.
· Could they have become BITTER toward God?
Yes – but they didn’t. They exalted God. They MADE God LOOK great!
· When the earthquake FREED them…could they have escaped, believing God SUPPLIED their MIRACLE escape?
Yes – but they didn’t. They STAYED – counting that guard’s ETERNITY as MORE IMPORTANT than their freedom.
· And SO THIS HEART POSTURE – lead to the good work of Paul and Silas NOT fleeing when the opportunity came, but STAYING for the sake of the guard!
· That guard would have been killed if they had escaped!
· And so ALL of this – leads to the guard’s SALVATION! His and his family…
It all SPRUNG forth from a proper Heart Posture…
· Think that was just a FLUKE on Paul’s part?
· In ACTS 27 – we read of another example of this from Paul…
· And he had begun the long journey from Caesarea to Rome to be tried by Caesar.
· It seemed at this point that Paul’s life as a missionary was over.
Back in ACTS 21 the prophet Agabus had warned Paul that he would be taken prisoner in Jerusalem by the Jews and handed over to the Gentiles…
· NOW – Paul KNEW this prophecy was true…
· YET LISTEN to his response…
13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
· Take notice of the MOUNTAIN that Paul was willing to plant his flag on.
· The mountain Paul was willing to DIE ON…
· What mountain? – The NAME of Jesus Christ – THAT mountain.
· Those who warned Paul WEPT because he would be taken captive…and they tried to CONVINCE him not to go to Jerusalem…
· Paul says – I’m NOT ONLY READY to be imprisoned…but ready to DIE for His name!
· NOW – it’s THIS heart posture that will lead to a GOOD WORK…
· What is it?
Well – if we continue walking through the story – Paul is [UNJUSTLY] taken into custody…
· He’s held captive for more than 2 years…
· Before requesting an appeal to Nero…
· And so he needs to be sent to Rome….as a prisoner…
Prisoners have NO authority…
· They TAKE orders…
· And the Roman Centurions in their charge would be sure to keep an eye on their prisoners…BECAUSE their own lives would be at stake…
If a Roman Centurion – working directly for Caesar, were to LOSE a prisoner – that centurion would certainly be put to death!
· WELL – on the way to Rome – this happens…
3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for.
· This Roman Centurion – TRUSTED Paul enough to KNOW that Paul would come back after receiving care.
· What does that tell you about Paul?
· In that short time together – Paul spent time building up trust with that Centurion…
NO – not so he could eventually escape…
But to hopefully entreat him to the gospel of Christ!
That Centurion knew that Paul would LIVE out our text today…
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.
· Paul did this – in the face of – OPPRESSION…
· Paul was – READY for EVERY GOOD WORK!
NOW – how about an example of – the ABSENCE of this heart posture – and then the result of that.
· We know the story…
· The band of soldiers come looking for Jesus…wanting to take him captive…
10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
· This was VERY BOLD of Peter wasn’t it?
· How many of you would AGREE THOUGH – that this was a MISPLACED boldness?
· Peter was GUARDING the wrong thing!
· He was trying to GUARD Jesus’ PHYSICAL WELL-BEING!
· But what does Jesus say?
· Shall I NOT SUFFER in this world? – Put your sword away!
· As I look at our text today – I can’t help but feel the weight of this!!
· We all can look out at our CULTURE today…at our CIRCUMSTANCES today…
· And we may feel like we have MUCH to – FIGHT AGAINST!
MANY things to DRAW our sword against!!
· And when I say “WE” – know that I SEE myself as the first in line.
· MANY times I have found myself – BEING BOLD in ALL THE WRONG PLACES!!
· Within the past year, I can tell you that I have found myself being VERY BOLD against…
Covid
Masks
Black Lives Matter
Many things…
Now don’t MISHEAR me – there are many things mishandled/WRONG in these areas…
BUT – I realized that this passage was asking me to EXAMINE where I’m BOLD in my life…
And where I’m NOT.
· I had to ask myself – Am I bold when it comes to – Covid…but NOT bold when it comes to speaking for Christ?
Paul tell us today –
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.
· I don’t know about you, but I CANNOT help but think that our current society is the perfect battle ground for us to TEST ourselves to see how we’re doing with this command…
· MAN – I look back and I see myself quarreling too many times with people over things that don’t matter… this is a GREAT test for us
· And I think this next verse from Paul might help us get a better picture of this heart posture he’s after…
14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.
15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.
16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
· Paul is saying in this context – Heaven isn’t about eating meat or not eating meat, drinking that or not drinking that…
· THEREFORE – don’t make THAT thing the MAIN thing….
· Even though I know that nothing is UNCLEAN to eat… if I grieve a brother by eating that THING – I should NOT EAT IT…
· WHY?
Because Heaven isn’t about eating or NOT eating…
· So don’t cause another to stumble!!
· If I was to MAKE that food the MAIN THING and quarrel and fight – I’m no longer walking in love.
There ARE THINGS that ARE MAIN THINGS – but not everything is a MAIN THING
· All in all – I want to be known as a man who is BOLD for Christ…and His truth.
· I don’t want to be known as a man who is BOLD (ONLY) in speaking out for:
o Our human freedoms
Are they BAD things?
NO - they’re just not the MAIN thing!
They were NEVER the main thing for Paul!
Paul said - Not only am I prepared to be IMPRISONED (FOR JESUS) - I’m ready to die FOR Him....!
Paul had a heart POSTURE - NOT willing to Fight for his right to a FAIR trial…but willing to Speak for Christ and if that meant he was unjustly imprisoned, then so be it!
Paul had a heart posture - NOT prone to GUARD his own man-made rights…but WILLING to forgo them all for the sake of OTHERS and the Name of Jesus!
This is HARD!!
Can we just pray now? That we would be EMBOLDENED to live THIS OUT...
To SEEK this HEART POSTURE...
[Pray]
And so we pray - BECAUSE we know it’s NOT EASY...
It’s HARD to BE COURTEOUS to ALL PEOPLE...
It’s HARD To NOT quarrel about politics…or viruses....or whatever...
It’s HARD to NOT rebel...
BUT PAUL’s going to give us some ammo to FIGHT WITH HERE...
Yes - every good work requires a Godly heart posture...
And It’s SO HARD...
And Paul KNOWS this...
That’s why he says what he says next in our text...
3 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.
Paul had just called the church in Crete to REMEMBER to BE READY for EVERY GOOD WORK!!
To not Quarrel about irrelevant things...
To NOT rebel against rulers and authorities...
To be COURTEOUS to all people!
And BEFORE you stand up and shout - YEAH BUT you don’t know what they’re ASKING ME TO DO MIKE!!
Paul says -
read v3
What does Paul appeal to?
He appeals to WHO WE ONCE WERE…BEFORE JESUS!!
before FAITH in Jesus!!
before our UNION with Jesus!!
Paul says - HAVE YOU Forgotten?
You were the SAME WAY!! Read v3
And so Paul’s saying - WE should be DIFFERENT NOW!!
We shouldn’t be quarreling about things that AREN’T the MAIN thing!
And THEN Paul points to what brought us OUT of the pit of verse 3...
And in DOING SO - He reveals for us - our AMMUNITION we should fight with...
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
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,
6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
AND NOTICE - what brought us out was not:
a well-versed argument
a prolonged protest
what was it?
Here Paul points DIRECTLY to what FREED us out of OUR - quarreling, foolish, disobedient WAYS....
It was - The goodness and loving kindness of God’s mercy THRU Jesus Christ!
And so we see that the GODLY HEART POSTURE we need to live this out...
SLIDE: Godly Heart Posture: Is Rooted in God’s Mercy Found in Christ
Godly Heart Posture
Godly Heart Posture
Paul makes it a point to say - it DIDN’T HAPPEN due to us CLEANING OURSELVES UP!
It wasn’t due to us embracing - self-improvement
It was God’s strength…God’s timing…His love toward us...
And listen - THAT LOVE - THAT GOODNESS - THAT MERCY - is MEANT to be DISPLAYED - IN US
Paul tells us this
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.
Was it profitable for the jailer - that Paul and Silas DIDN’T seize an opportunity for PHYSICAL freedom...
but instead CONSIDERED the spiritual freedom of the jailer!??
YES - it was ETERNALLY profitable for the jailer!
THINK ABOUT IT - the miracle of the earthquake and the CELLS BEING OPENED and the CHAINS FALLING OFF…wasn’t for - the ESCAPE of Paul and Silas...
IT was for the SALVATION of the jailer...
BUT...
That Salvation REQUIRED - Paul and Silas BEING READY for THAT GOOD WORK!
Would [I] have been ready....or would I have complained all night...
Would I have spent that night - DEFENDING my rights?
And in doing so - grown to DISLIKE that jailer…?
So that when those cells blew open - I would have ran for it?
AGAIN - this is a tough sermon - if we’re going to take this message seriously.
We live in a world that is PRIMED for us to -
Rebel
Speak evil toward leadership
Quarrel
to NOT be courteous
And Paul was no stranger to this...
And so to close out - Paul gives one last exhortation...
9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.
10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,
11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
Paul here is calling for UNITY…Unity of Spirit…in the church
Remember what we talked about last week...
Paul wants us to all be TUNED to - ONE standard! - Jesus Christ
Can we REFLECT Christ to the world?
SUMMARY
We’re called to be READY for every good work…and in hearing this - we saw Paul speak to what will help us DO THAT...
SLIDE:
Every Good Work: Requires a Godly Heart Posture
And what will help us DO THIS - is for us to attain the proper HEART POSTURE
This world so EASILY distracts us…moment by moment we must be on guard...
One second we’re SINGING praises to the MAIN THING - (Jesus Christ)..
The next minute we’ve made SOMETHING ELSE the main thing and now we’re quarreling about that!
And in doing so - we’re NOT READY for the Good Work ahead of us...
We need to PURSUE a Godly Heart Posture...
How do we get there?
It starts here...
SLIDE:
Godly Heart Posture: Rooted in God’s Mercy Found in Christ
The heart that is READY for the next Good Work up ahead...
is the Heart that is SATURATED in God’s Mercy...
It’s the heart that understands that IT IS WHERE IT IS - SOLELY because of God’s mercy!!
It’s the HEART that can sing - My sins they are MANY - His mercy is MORE!
So YES - these people are coming at me with all of this SOCIAL justice stuff...
And I REALLY wanna QUARREL about this...
BUT - no - God help me not to - That is NOT THE MAIN THING!
Help me BE COURTEOUS...
Help me CONSIDER THEM MORE important than myself...
Heaven isn’t ABOUT doing THAT or NOT doing that...
These people seem SO LOST - BUT - yes - i know - I WAS ONCE there TOO...
Help me show MERCY - the same mercy I’ve been shown by God...
So that they might see CHRIST in me...
HELP me LORD be READY for EVERY GOOD WORK!
Let’s pray