By His Grace Titus 2:11-14

Text: Titus 2:11-14                                                      2/12/2012

Thesis: By His grace, His people are saved, trained, sustained and made zealous for good works.

Turn with me to Titus. It’s a small New Testament letter toward the back of your bible. If you find a book that starts with a T you are close because all the T books are together in the New Testament and in alphabetical order: 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus.

In the middle of God’s letter to Titus we find a tough verse, Titus 2:9, “Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.”

What should we think about that? Christian slaves are told to live in such a way that makes God our Savior look good to their masters. In everything show that God is as glorious as he truly is; bring the splendor and glory of God out and put it on display…for your master. Don’t argue, don’t steal, but live out the faith. How could a slave possibly do that? Why should a slave even consider doing that?

Here’s our answer and our text for today, Titus 2:11-14

How could a slave glorify God to his master? How can you glorify God in front of your coworkers? How can you possibly glorify God in the difficult situations with your family or with your church family?

 

I. God’s grace has come

• Grace abounds through Jesus Christ (John 1:17)

Verse 11 tells us that we are able to do amazing God-glorifying blind-eye-opening things because the grace of God has appeared. Look over to Titus 3:3. There we see a picture of just how bad we all were. “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.”

Now think about it. What is the fountain of grace? Where are the goodness and loving kindness of God displayed and distributed? The fountain of grace is the person and work of Jesus. The goodness and loving kindness of God are experienced only through Jesus.

It is biblical to say grace has appeared and Jesus Christ has appeared. Listen to 2 Timothy 1:9-10 “[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Before time God planned to give you grace in Jesus Christ. But that grace didn’t show up until Jesus came in the flesh. God’s plan to save you and pour out his grace on you is realized in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Your experience of grace is the product of the cross. Grace abounds because of the cross. But how does all that grace secured back then get to you right now? God’s plan of salvation and your actual salvation come together through the gospel. When the gospel is proclaimed with the Spirit’s power and when the gospel is believed in the Spirit’s power grace upon grace covers all our sin and equips us to fulfill God’s will.

Jesus, grace, and the gospel are inseparable. So, as we look at what grace does I want you to understand that we could also say, “Jesus saves us, Jesus trains us, Jesus sustains us, Jesus redeems us, and Jesus sanctifies us.” So when I say Jesus you think grace and when I say grace you think Jesus. Don’t think about what the law demands think about what Christ has done.

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

• God’s grace saves us (11)

Titus 2:11, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.” Let me ask you a simple but very important question: Are you a person? Are you human? I don’t care what you have done or haven’t done. Are you a person and as a person are you a part of that group called people? Then I have good news for you: In Jesus there is salvation for you.

According to His good plan, the grace of God saves you from the wrath of God. Keep it straight in your head and heart. Obedience to your master, peace in your home, and faithfulness in your work do not save you from the wrath of God. You are saved, rescued from the punishment you deserve only because grace has appeared. Jesus has come and lived righteously for you. Jesus has come and died an atoning death for you. Jesus has come and rose again from the grave for you. He is seated right now in the presence of God for you. The grace of God has appeared and because Jesus has come and completed his saving work there is salvation for all people. Right now, repent of your sins, place your faith in Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. The grace of God has appeared making you righteous and holy like Jesus (1 Cor 5:21). Now go live like him.

But how do we live like him? How do we become more and more like the Jesus who saves us?

• God’s grace trains us (12)

The grace of God that gives us life is the grace of God that trains us to live life. Look at verses 11&12.

For some reasons we’ve bought into the idea that we are brought into God’s family by grace but we have to grow up as a child of God by our own strength. Now that you are a Christian by God’s help go out there and live like a Christian without his help. Now you can pray about it but you’re pretty much on your own. NOT TRUE!

If you’ve seen the Star Wars movies you have been introduced to the idea of a Padawan. A young initiate is brought under the rigorous training of a Jedi master so that he can learn and become a Jedi master himself. The Greek word for training is paideuw. Every Christian is a Padawan not of some Jedi master but of grace. It is grace that trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and live self-controlled, upright, godly lives in this present age.

Let me ask, “Why do you do what you do? Why do you sin? Why do you give in to your passions?” Most of the time you and I do ungodly or sinful things because of these three reasons: 1) God has become small in our eyes, 2) we feel guilty because of our sin and that guilt saps us of the strength to do what is right, or 3) we just want to feel better and maybe if we do that sinful thing we’ll feel happy. If you are like me you sin because God doesn’t matter, you feel guilty, or you are desperate to feel better.

Now think about grace. It is grace that restores us to God. Because of grace I have God as my Father, friend, and guide. The closer I get to God the more I see that God matters for everything. Think about fear. If God is not angry with me and if God is for me then whom shall I fear? Take my birthday away, take your love away, take anything away, but you can’t take God away. Because of grace I am infinitely loved by the God of the universe. Grace shows me that God is here and He matters above all.

Grace also takes away our guilt. Grace removes the stain of that sinful thing I said to you or you said to me. Grace removes the punishment for that ungodly thing I did and that sinful thing you did. Because of grace there are fresh starts. Because I am restored to God and loved by God I can continue on. I can face the one I sinned again; the one I wronged and I don’t have to live out of guilt. I have grace training me.

And when grace restores me to God grace restores me to joy. Grace removes my fear and guilt which produces a pretty happy Padawan. But grace also brings me to God and in his presence is the fullness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures forever more. I don’t have to look for my joy in the things of this world be it the approval of man, physical pleasure, or possessions. I have God.

When we walk in this grace we learn what it means to say no to godless, guilt-ridden, pleasure-robbing things. I want you to learn what it is to live out of the fact that in Jesus you are cleansed, restored, and have access to the abundant joy of Christ himself. God’s grace saves us. God’s grace trains us. And

• God’s grace sustains us (13)

Verse 13 talks about waiting. You and I, saved and trained by grace, are waiting for the mother-load of grace. When Jesus Christ appears we will become like him. We will no longer be plagued with weakness. We will no longer struggle with sin. And when Jesus appears he will take us to be with him in the Father’s presence. The greatest thing that will ever happen to us this side of salvation is to become like Jesus and this will happen when he appears.

So as I look at myself and you my hope must be grounded grace secured at the cross and brought to its fullness at the 2^nd coming of Jesus. When you look at your spouse or your children does your joy depend on getting something from them? Are you miserable because you aren’t getting what you want? Or, is your hope based on the fact that Jesus is coming again and when he does every disagreement, every hurt, every sin, and every sorrow will become a thing of the past?

Some of you are unhappy because you are demanding what you cannot have. Look away from your body and the physical pain you now feel. Look away from your family and the difficulties therein. Look away from your unhappy finances and look to Christ. There in him and in his appearing you will find grace to save you and grace to sustain you. The fact of his coming then will truly strengthen you for the requirements of right now.

What has this Jesus who is to come already done? Verse 14 says that he has redeemed and purified you.

• God’s grace redeems us (14a)

Jesus gave himself for us in order to purify us and redeem us from all lawlessness. Think about it. Jesus is so committed to washing you and training you and sustaining you that he gave his entire life’s savings. No, Jesus was going to go on the vacation of a life-time and he traded that in for you. No, Jesus had super bowl tickets and he gave them up for you. All of that falls short. There is nothing on earth that compares to the price Jesus paid for your redemption. Jesus gave his life in order to wash you clean from the stain of every sin. Jesus laid down his life in order to redeem you from slavery to sin. Jesus gave himself. You have been bought with a price. And what was that price? The life of the very Son of God.

You are dearly loved. Your redemption covers everything. You have been purified from every ungodly thing and every attempt at worldly passion. You are redeemed but not because you feel like it. You are redeemed because of Jesus. You are pure but not because you do nothing wrong. You are pure because he did everything right. You are chosen, holy and loved in him. God’s grace, not your works has redeemed you.

I alluded to 1 Corinthians 6:20, “you were bought with a price.” That verse goes on to say, “therefore glorify God in your body.” God’s grace saves us and sets us apart for God’s use. Each of us is set apart for God’s special purpose.

• God’s grace sanctifies us (14b)

Verse 14 says that Jesus gave himself “to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Jesus doesn’t save you to put you on the shelf like dolls in a cabinet that never get played with. Jesus doesn’t train you for a war that you will never fight. The grace that saves, trains, and sustains is the grace that propels you into a life of fruitful, godly living.

That means Jesus didn’t die to redeem a people who are half-hearted about doing church stuff. Jesus gave himself to redeem a people who are zealous for good works. To be zealous is to be committed and that zeal even gets enthusiastic. Sometimes your zeal looks like the athlete who just won the super bowl; you’re full of emotion. Then at other times your zeal looks like the athlete who comes to practice every day and works to be better and make the team better; no great emotion there just the zeal of commitment. Still other times your zeal looks like the athlete who puts the time in the weight room during the off season while everyone else is slacking off and skipping out.

The key to having zeal in your life is having grace in your life. So how do we increase our awareness of grace and thereby increase our zeal? Think often about God’s grace in making you, his enemy, his child. Think about the grace that saves. And think about how different you are today than when you first believed. Ask others to help you see clearly how God’s grace has trained you to deny ungodliness and live a joyful godly life. Think about the fact that no ruler, no country, no person, and no thing has the final say. We’re waiting on our blessed hope the return of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace saves us. Grace trains us. Grace sustains us. We’re his and he has given us a mission. This God who has done so much will not give us a snake or a stone when we ask for food. This gracious God has good works for us. His grace will train us and sustain us through it all.

As I close today I want to do 2 things. First, I want to celebrate the various ways we have seen God’s grace poured out on this faith family over the last year. Then second, I want to point you to some good works that are coming up in this faith family so you can be zealously involved in the mission to glorify God by making disciples.