Fueled by Sacrifice
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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.
Get your hopes up (2:13)
Get your hopes up (2:13)
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
What causes our hopes to falter?
Paul helps us here out here. 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, The idea in this waiting is an eager expectation not of what we really hope is coming, but in the one whom we know is coming and going to appear in glory in whom we have put all of our hope into.
What hap[pens when people see that we are investing all of our hope into the world that is to come instead of into this present world. Longing for that day because He is the one in whom we have put all of our chips, all of our investment, all of our time and energy and sweat and our whole lives?
When life is so hard, and the culture so crazy, I think we often get frustrated because we want heaven on earth. and we have worked hard to create heaven on earth.
When the discouragements come, we should say, I long for that day that God makes everything right. When this deep seated longing in my heart will truly and finally and fully and irreversably be made the way that I knew it should be all along.
That is hope. it is not hope that says I wish it were true. Hope says. I know it is true, I am certain of that day and I am waiting for that day. and I orient every day leading up to that day around the unmovable fact that that day is coming.
It is a day that I will rejouice that things are as they are supposed to be, but they are as they are supposed to be because our great God and Savior Jesus is there. That is what makes everything perfect.
Remember Christ’s sacrifice (2:14a)
Remember Christ’s sacrifice (2:14a)
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.
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness What happens when we live in light of just how much we have been redeemed from. What happens when we live in light of the one who gave himself for us?
We live lives of true and genuine gratefulness. This world is really short on true gratefulness. It is strange to them. And it shows them that we have a God to be thankful to.
We are often short on gratefulness because we have not rehearsed the reality of the gospel
To be redeemed. - Baught back from lawlwssness - purchased again
Ever been at a thrft store and bought back something that you dropped off.
Live like you belong (2:14b)
Live like you belong (2:14b)
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.
and to purify for himself a people for his own possession What happens when we live pure lives, free from innuendo, free from the crassness and language and likeness. It makes people uncomfortable. Why? Because it communicates something of God’s standard, God’s righteousness. The hope is that this will get them thinking about how they measure up to God’s standard.
The human heart was created with a longing for belonging. That’s why it rhymes.
Not just you are welcome here. You belong here.
This is all through the Old Testament - Jer 24:6-7 Jer 31:33-34 1 Peter 2:9-12 Ex 19:5
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
6 I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7 I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
Deut 7:6 “6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” Deut 14:2 “2 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” Deut 26:18 “18 And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments,”
Bottom line - Sacrifice and Belonging have a purifying effect.
Rejoice in your calling (2:15)
Rejoice in your calling (2:15)
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.
Rejoice in what you have been called to do.
who are zealous for good works.
This communicates something about God doesn’t it?
What happens when we do what God calls us to do and we are actually happy about it?
What does it communicate when we actlually want to do the things that God wants us to do? Not sure that people are going to believe what they see, but do you know what hopefully happens? They hopefully realize that God is in the business of changing hearts, not just actions. And that it would lead us to an opportunbity to pull \back the curtain a little bit for people. Do yu know why I do this?
Zeal plus actions
Delight plus action
action with no delight
delight with no action
Action with delight
That is a heart transaction
Again, what is the motivation for all this. What has taught us to deny or renounce ungodliness and trained us to do all these things? The Grace of God shown to us in Jesus Christ, And the grace of God, The blessed hope of what is waiting for us, the fact that Jesus has died to redeem us from our former life and has chosen to make us his for all eternity to that we belong forever to him should make us be excited to do good works that bring him glory. We should rejoice in doing good works.
We aren’t scared of them because we are afraid we will rely on them for our salvation, we rejoice to do them because of our salvation.
15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
This becomes the exhortation to Titus - This is the case and don’t let anyone ignore you on this. You have authority to declare these things
The Grace of God is the things that fuels pur obedience and change.
We can actually live upright and godly lives in this present age
The sacrifice and redemption of Jesus not only saves us into eternity and blessed hope. It saves us now, we are God’s posession now. We have been bought back from a pointless life of sin now.
Declare these things. Exhort people. Rebuke them. Your authority comes from the very makeup of the gospel. Do not let them ignore it. The plea of every preacher that is worth their salt. God do not let them ignore this truth that I am preaching. And God do not let me ignore it either.
Get you hopes up
Remember Christ’s Sacrifice
Live like you belong
Rejoice in your calling