[Matt's Messages] "He Saved Us"

“He Saved Us”
Resurrection Sunday
Titus 3:3-7 :: April 21, 2019

You’ve probably noticed that we’re going to do things a little differently today.

We are going to have a baptism this morning, John Walter is getting baptized.

But there is no water in the baptistry. John will not be dunked today.

Instead, we’re going to have a pouring. Instead of baptism by immersion, we’re going to be doing baptism by affusion. Affusion, or pouring.

Normally, when we do a baptism at Lanse Free Church, we fully immerse the one being baptized (the baptee?) into the water because the Greek word baptizo literally means “to dip under,” and all of the baptisms in the Bible were by immersion, including Jesus’ baptism.

Baptism by immersion best symbolizes our inclusion in Jesus’ death and RESURRECTION, what we’ve been celebrating all morning. As Romans 6 says, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

But.

But what if you can’t be immersed? You’re physically unable.

What do we do then?

Well, I’ve been reading a little bit in church history about the history of baptism in the first few centuries after the Bible was completed.

Scholar Tim Dowley writes in his Introduction to the History of Christianity that in the early church, “Baptism was normally by immersion either in the river or in the bath-house of a large house [they didn’t have church buildings with heated baptistries]. The person was normally immersed three times [that’s interesting isn’t it?] in response to three questions about belief in the three persons of the Trinity. From the early second century, baptism by pouring of water was allowed in cases of emergency or sickness” (pg. 30).

These baptisms by affusion were called klinai baptisms from the Greek word for “bed.” And we get our word “clinical” from klinai, meaning a hospital bed.

When you couldn’t get into the river because of some physical ailment, the early church decided to do baptism by pouring.

There’s a book written in the second century called the Didache which isn’t part of the Bible but was an early guide for pastors and disciplers in discipleship and church leadership.

Listen to a little of what chapter 7 of the Didache says about baptism:

“7:1 But concerning baptism, thus baptize ye: having first recited all these precepts, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in running water [meaning in a river];

7:2 but if thou hast not running water, baptize in some other water, and if thou canst not baptize in cold, in warm water; [How about that, John? It says we should use cold water. That’s what Keith wanted to do. He wanted to put some icecubes in one of these pitchers! But they are actually very warm and toasting. Verse 3]

7:3 but if thou hast neither, pour water three times on the head, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

So that’s the early tradition that we’re going to follow this morning.

But before we do that, here’s a question for you.

Is pouring also a biblical picture of the gospel of our resurrected Lord?

I believe it is, and I want to show you a key passage in the Bible.

Titus chapter 3, verses 3 through 7.

Believe it or not, verses 4 through 7 are one long sentence in the original Greek!

Paul loves long sentences, and is this is a glorious one.

Paul is writing to Titus to help him to apply the gospel to the disciples on the island of Crete.

And here towards the end of the letter, Paul reminds Titus of what the gospel is.

And we always need those reminders, don’t we?

It’s so easy to forget.

That’s why we meet on Sundays. Not just on Resurrection Sunday but every Sunday to rehearse the gospel, to remind ourselves of the gospel and of its implications for all of life. So Paul reminds Titus.

Isn’t this a beautiful statement of the gospel?

A beautiful summary of the good news of Jesus Christ.

And those words in the middle?

“He Saved Us!”

What could be better news than that?

Of course, the good news must begin with the bad news.

We sure need saving.

Listen to verse 3, and see how Paul puts himself in there (and so should we).

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

That’s bad news.

I don’t like to think of myself that way.

But it’s true.

Left to my own self, verse 3 is a description of what I was deep down inside.

And it’s true of everybody no matter how “nice” they are on the outside.

By the way, John is a very nice person.

I’ve always liked him ever since I’ve known him.

I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like him, and I can’t imagine why they would.

But being a nice guy will not save you.

And we all need saved.

Verse 3 is not pretty, but it’s true.

Just open the newspaper, turn on Facebook, watch the evening news, and look into the mirror, and you will find verse 3.

Foolish, disobedient, enslaved by passions and pleasures, malice and envy, hate and hating. That’s our world, and deep down that is us.

We need saving.

But here’s the good news: God sent a Savior!

Look at that b-u-t in verse 4.

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us,”

What is Paul talking about?

He’s talking about when Jesus came to Earth.

“When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared...”

That’s when Jesus showed up. That’s Christmas!

That’s the Incarnation, the arrival of the Son of God, God the Son, “God our Savior.”

The Father sent the Son on a rescue mission.

And it was successful!

“He saved us,” that is, His people. His church. His chosen ones. His disciples.

“...when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us.”

That’s the best news there ever was.

And that’s what John has experienced.

John has experienced salvation.

Jesus has saved John.

That’s why he’s getting baptized.

Not that baptism will save him. That’s already happened.

But John is getting baptized to say to the world that he has been saved.

And we as a church are baptizing him to say to the world that we, too, believe that he has been saved.

John was sprinkled as an infant. And like Keith and Dottie from New Year’s baptisms, by being baptized today, John intends no disrespect to his parents or their religious leaders for their loving him and wanting him to be baptized when he was little.

But he’s come to believe that baptism is for disciples who believe the gospel to go public with their faith and for the church to confirm and nourish the disciple’s faith.

So he’s going public in baptism today to say that Jesus has saved him.

Have you done the same?

Have you been saved?

And following that, have you been baptized?

Look at what Paul says next.

He saved us...now catch this. This is important.

#1. NOT BECAUSE OF US.

V.5 “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done...”

Not!

Listen to this. This is very important.

This is not what most people think.

Most people in the world think that you get saved by doing good works.

You get saved by doing more good than bad.

You get saved by earning God’s favor.

You get saved by doing righteous things.

And that’s just not true.

That’s not the way salvation works.

Put every good work you want to into that sentence.

He saved us, not because we went to church.
He saved us, not because we gave money.
He saved us, not because we got baptized!
He saved us, not because we cared for the poor.
He saved us, not because of righteous things that we have done.

John has done a lot of righteous things.

In fact, John has been pretty religious at various times in his life.

I’ll let him tell his own story.

But I can say this, John is not saved because of righteous things that he has done.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t do righteous things.

Paul is big on doing righteous things. The whole book of Titus is about how to do righteous things and how we should do righteous things.

But we are not saved because of righteous things we have done.

He saved us not because of us...

#2. BUT IN SPITE OF US.

Look at verse 5.

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”

We did not deserve it, but He did it anyway.

We deserved condemnation, but He gives us salvation.

Not because of something in us but because of something in Him.

Verse 4 called it “kindness and love.”
Verse 5 calls it “mercy.”
Verse 7 calls it, “grace.”

That’s why Jesus saves us!

Isn’t that awesome?

That’s such good news. Because we could never earn our own way.

We could never be justified by works. We could never do enough righteous things.

The first year that John was here a part of our church, we were studying the book of Galatians together. In that book, Paul taught that justification was by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone.

And I think John’s eyes were opened to the gospel of grace.

Or as Ephesians 2 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Jesus saves us in spite of ourselves.

Do you believe that?

You’ve got to believe that to be saved.

Number three.

He saved us.

#3. BY WASHING US.

Did you see that at the end of verse 5?

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously...”

Here’s where we get our pouring, right?

Is this passage about baptism?

No. Not directly. It doesn’t say anything about water baptism.

But I do think that water baptism is a picture of Titus 3:5.

The washing here is a spiritual washing.

It’s the washing away of our sins by the work of the Holy Spirit when we come to faith.

Notice that it’s “the washing of rebirth and renewal.”

The new birth and a new life.

A new way of living.

A changed life from the inside out.

And this is the work of the Holy Spirit.

When you and I come to faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and gives us new birth and new life.

It’s a spiritual resurrection inside of us.

And it washes us clean.

When I’m teaching my baptism class, we always read this verse, and then I ask the students, like John.

“Why do we baptize with water and not mud? Or Pepsi or Kool-Aid?”

And they always say, “Because it’s a symbol of washing. It’s a symbol of cleansing. It’s a symbol of purification.”

So, John, Keith wanted us to use Gatorade, like what they pour on the coach after a football game, but I said, “No, it’s gotta be water.”

Not because this water back here is magic.

It’s not. It doesn’t do anything.

But it stands for the Holy Spirit Who sure does do something.

He washes.
He gives new birth.
He gives new life.
He changes our lives when He is poured out on us generously.

An abundant overflow.

There is no rule for how much water you use in an affusion baptism, and if John were laid up and very ill, we wouldn’t use very much.

But he’s really big and strong, he just can’t be laid back into the water, so we’re going to use an ample amount here. And don’t worry. We have covered up all of the nearby electrical cords. And these mats are very absorbent. When the dishwasher broke in the lightning strike a couple of years ago, these mats soaked up most of the water that came pouring out of it. This is very safe.

But we’re going to use a good amount of water here to symbolize the abundant overflow of the Holy Spirit who has washed John with rebirth and renewal.

But where does all of that come from?

How does it come to us?

Look again at verse 6.

Look for the Trinity there.

“He [the Father] poured out [the Spirit] on us generously through [the Son] Jesus Christ our Savior.”

#4. THROUGH JESUS.

This salvation comes to us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

The One Who died on the Cross, when love ran red.

The One Who came back from the dead and is risen just like He said.

Look what He has done. He has made us (v.7) “heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

And that’s not just the wishful kind of hope, like “I hope there is Texas Sheetcake for my birthday in two weeks.” Maybe, maybe not. I hope so.

But this is biblical hope. This is knowing with your heart that something good is coming for certain.

And we know that is.

That’s our own resurrection.

That’s new bodies in the new heavens and the new earth.

That’s eternal life with Jesus forever and ever and ever. Amen.

That’s what we have to look forward to because of Jesus.

Because He Saved Us.

Read More

Matt's Messages "Devoted to Doing Good"

“Devoted to Doing Good”
August 10, 2008
Titus 3:1-15

Titus had been left by Paul on Crete to identify true elders and to combat false teaching and to provide gospel-applying instruction to the believers on Crete so that their lives matched their doctrine.

Last week, we looked at the first 7 verses of chapter 3 which highlight the glorious gospel of grace–that “He Saved Us.” And that led us to a table of kindness, love, mercy, grace, and hope.

Today, I want to read the entire third chapter and especially focus on verses 1 and 2, and verses 8 through 15. These are, again, the practical outworkings of the gospel. They are “applying the gospel” to all of life.

And there is a particular phrase that appears three times in the English translations in this chapter that I think sums up the burden of this passage. “Doing What Is Good.” Or King James, “Good Works.” Listen for that phrase, as I read it. Especially with the phrase, “Devote themselves” in front of it.

Paul wants Titus to teach the church in such a way that the believers learn to devote themselves to doing what is good. So our title for today is “Devoted to Doing Good.”

I have four points that I want to make this morning, each of them explaining more fully what Paul means when he calls the believers to be “Devoted to Doing Good.”

We should be devoted to doing good... #1. IN SOCIETY.

I get this from verses 1 and 2. He starts with following our leaders. Look at verse 1.

“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good...”

Paul instructs Titus to remind the church to be submissive to government, obedient and ready to do the right thing.

That word “good” here is the Greek word: AGATHOS. And it has the flavor of doing the right thing. The good thing in any given situation.

Notice that Titus had to remind the believers of this. They don’t necessarily do it automatically. They have to be reminded. “This is how a Christian acts.”

Submissive. Obedient. Devoted to Doing Good.

It doesn’t sound so hard until the sign says to go 55 and you feel like going 70. Right?

We all think that we’re fine upstanding citizens until we realize that we are confronted with big AND SMALL ways of being unsubmissive to authority.

Some of us may be tempted to cheat on our taxes. Others of us might be tempted to park where we are not allowed.

Titus was supposed to teach the people that Christians are subject to authority and obedient and ready to good whatever is good.

Do you need reminded of that this morning? I needed that.

We need to be devoted to doing good in society, with our leaders and with all of our neighbors. Look at verse 2.

“...to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”
There’s not a lot of wiggle room in that verse is there?!

This is what Christ-followers do.

They don’t slander anyone. They don’t tell falsehoods, or half-truths about someone else and damage their reputation with anyone.

They are peaceable and considerate. Christ-followers love peace and unity and don’t go stirring up trouble where it doesn’t need to be! And they think of other people ahead of themselves.

Christ-followers show true humility (some translations have “courtesy” here) toward everyone.

They don’t think of themselves as better than others and they treat people like don’t!

Do you need constant reminding of these principles, too? I do.

But, but, but...what if someone slanders you?

“To slander no one.” Not even those who drag your name through the mud.

What if they aren’t courteous? “To show true humility toward all men.”

This is how a Real Christian operates in society.

And it looks very different from the way the world works, doesn’t it?

What if all of the people who claimed to be Christians lived out just verses 1 and 2 of Titus 3?

What would happen to our witness?
What would happen to our society?

It would be changed. Because of changed people.

We should be devoted to doing good in society. That means to other people.

Is there a situation right now that you’re involved in where you have been running against verses 1 and 2? It’s time to ‘fess up and devote yourself to doing good.

Why?

#2. BECAUSE OF THE GOSPEL.

We should devote ourselves to doing good because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. V.3

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures [We lived like the world!]. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

We talked about this at great length last week. Isn’t it glorious?

Now, see what Paul does next with that gospel. V.8

“This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”

See what Paul is doing?

He says that verses 3 through 7 are a trustworthy saying. The gospel is true. It can be trusted.

And Paul says that Titus needs to stress the gospel with the church–why?

“...so that those who have trusted in God [that is, those who have believed the gospel] may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.”

“...those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.”

Again, this is applying the gospel.

Christians don’t devote themselves to doing what is good because they are good people in and of themselves.

If someone asks us how we’re doing, we says, “Better than I deserve.”

If someone says, “You’re a good person,” we know better! Right?!

Christians don’t devote themselves to doing what is good because they are good people in and of themselves.

Christians devote themselves to doing good because of the gospel!

We do devote ourselves to doing good, but not because we’re good or because our good works somehow balance out our bad works or add up to our salvation–no because we have been saved to serve. Blessed to be a blessing. Rescued to reach out.

Because Jesus died for me, I can now devote myself (notice that strong word–DEVOTE myself) to doing what is good.

And everyone benefits.

V.8 says, “These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”

Now, we can’t see it in our English versions, but there is a different word for “good” in verse 8 than there was in verse 1. This is the word “KALOS” and it has the flavor, not just of doing the right thing, but doing the morally beautiful thing.

It involves not just “not doing bad” (negatively), but positively doing good. Doing something, taking action that is morally praiseworthy and beautiful.

And here, I think it emphasizes that we do good works that help other people. It’s profitable for everyone. It’s good for others.

We could make a long list of things that would fit that category:

Feeding the hungry
Showing hospitality
Giving directions to someone who is lost
Sacrificing for a family
Guarding someone’s reputation
Speaking positive-gossip about someone in the community
Volunteering in a ministry at church or in some other area of society
Raising funds for a good cause

The list could go on and on and on.

And it all comes from the gospel!

Christians are devoted to doing good, not because they are good. But because they are believe the good news!

Good Works Come from the Good News!

Titus, “I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.”

Now, of course, the big application question is, are we devoted to doing good?

I know that I like to think of myself as being devoted to doing good.

But am I?

Or am I just sitting on my rear end, thankful for the gospel, but not letting it move me one inch?

How about you? Are you devoted to doing good?

It will probably cost you something, if you are.

For almost a year now, I’ve volunteered with Meals on Wheels (you can see a little ad in the bulletin that they’re still looking for more volunteers).

I like doing it, but Thursdays roll around and I always have something important that I’m working on that takes a backseat to going over to home, and picking up one of my children, and then running out to Kylertown and running all over the countryside delivering meals to wonderful older folks, many of whom have yappy little dogs that delight in chasing me and making me wonder if I’ll still have heel when I leave!

And I’ve been coming up on a year and having to decide if I’m going to re-up my commitment or let it slide.

I hear Paul saying to me, “those who have trusted in God [must] be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.”

What about you? Are you devoted to doing good?

These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

And we do them because of the gospel!

#3. IN SPITE OF THE FALSE TEACHERS.

Remember them from chapter 1? They’re still there and causing trouble. V.9

“But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.”

It seems like this must have been what the false teaching was focusing on at Crete at that time: controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law.

Paul tells Titus not to get caught up in it. “Avoid!” “Unprofitable, useless.”

Of course, he’s not saying to not engage in controversy at all. The elders actually had to be equipped to refute this false teaching, remember that from chapter 1?

But somehow Titus and the other leaders were to steer clear of getting embroiled in it so that it took up their minds and their ministries.

And they sure weren’t supposed to adopt these teachings and arguments!

And when someone came around with them, they were to be treated strongly.
Look at verse 10. “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”

Remember, doctrine matters. It affects life.

And if someone is teaching something heretical and trying to divide the church over it, they need to be confronted, taken through a process of confronting, and then disciplined. Church discipline, rightly practiced, is love for the offending party, love for the church, and love for the Truth.

And Titus and the elders at Crete needed to practice it.

If not, the church would get infected.

So, surgery was needed on the Body of Christ.

This is not popular these days. Everybody just wants to get along and be nicey-nicey, except for some people who just want to fight.

But Titus wasn’t allowed to do either of those. He was supposed to avoid the fighting and put the divisive and the heretical out of the church.

So that they could devote themselves to doing what is good.

In spite of the false teachers.

Because there is good work to be done.

#4. TO LIVE FRUITFUL LIVES.

Paul has some last minute instructions that were specifically for Titus in the last four verses. But they all emphasize the same main idea. V.12

“As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there.”

Apparently, Titus was going to be relieved at some point and was supposed to join Paul in Nicopolis the for the winter. V.13

“Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need.”

Now, the most surprising thing about this verse is that really is such a thing as Christian lawyers, did you know that was possible? [Just kidding!]

Apparently, Zenas and Apollos were carrying this letter to Titus and Titus was supposed to look after their needs and support them and send them on fully supplied.

He was to care about them and take care of them. And then see how Paul follows that. Verse 14. He says again:

“Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities [like Zenas and Apollos?] and not live unproductive lives.”

The King James has “unfruitful.” I think that’s great.

We need to learn to devote ourselves to doing what is good, so that we are fruitful!

So that our lives are productive. So that they produce good things.

So that there is fruit.

We are, as Christians, saved to bear fruit.

People should look at our lives and say, “What has gotten into that person!” They are so good! So good to be around. So productive. So fruitful. So much a blessing for others.

A year ago, I asked this question of our church. What would the community say if our church disappeared?

Would they notice?

Would they bemoan the fact that the Ark Park got taken down and shipped off?

Would they feel it at all that our little Jesus-worshiping, disciplemaking community was gone?

Would they weep?

Would they say, “Oh, that church has been a total blessing to our community. I’m so sorry to see it go.”

Would they feel like some of the fruitfulness had been sucked out of our community?

We’ve seen how communities feel when jobs leave with companies.

What would happen if our church left this community?

Would they feel it?

Not just that our gospel witness had disappeared (as all important as that is), but if our gospel-produced good works disappeared, what effect would that have?

I’m not sure. I’d love to see our church be an integral part of our community–a city set on a hill. A light on a stand.

A worshiping, disciple-making community that let’s its light so shine before men that they see it and glorify our Father who is in Heaven.

I pray for fruitfulness for our church.

In Society.
Because of the Gospel. Not to earn our way but because He’s given His all for us in His mercy and grace.
In Spite of the False Teachers. Avoiding them where possible and confronting them and discipling them when they get in our midst.
Devoting Ourselves to Doing Good.
To Live Lives that are Fruitful.

What is the application of this message for you this morning?

What do you need to change, to do differently, to start?

Does it have something to do with submission to our government and its leaders?

Something to do with your neighbors?

Some new initiative that you need to undertake to be devoted to doing good, to being fruitful?

Or maybe it’s renewing your commitment to doing something good.

Whatever it is, can do it because of the gospel. You can devote yourself to doing good because of the grace of Jesus Christ.

If you have not yet come to believe in Jesus Christ, I invite you to do it today.

You can turn from your sins and put your trust in what He did for you.

Not righteous things you have done, but the mercy and grace shown to you at the Cross.

His Good News is sufficient to save you and then to equip you to devote yourself to doing what is right and what is morally beautiful, what is good.

Read More

Matt's Messages "He Saved Us"

“He Saved Us”
August 3, 2008
Titus 3:1-7

Paul has been instructing Titus in what to teach the new church on the island of Crete. He had left Titus behind to identify true elders to combat false teaching and to provide gospel-applying instruction to the believers on Crete so that their lives matched their doctrine.

The title for our series this last month has been “Applying the Gospel” and could very well describe chapter 3, as well. There is really no good way to break up chapter 3, but I want to take 2 weeks to study it anyway, so this week, we’ll look at verses 1 through 7 and then next week, we’ll look at verses 1 through 15 and take the whole chapter together to see the bigger picture.

What I want us to focus on this morning is the gospel itself.

The theme of the whole letter is applying the gospel, and that’s what Paul is doing here in chapter 3, but verses 3 through 7 in English are one long sentence in the original Greek that basically IS the gospel, and I think God wants us to meditate deeply on it this morning before we celebrate it together at His Table.

The key phrase that the whole passage hangs on is “He Saved Us.”

I hope that we never get tired of talking about the gospel.

I hope that we never grow weary of rehearsing what happened to us when we were rescued from our sins.

I hope that we never get complacent about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I hope that we are regularly and freshly moved by the truth encapsulated in this little phrase, “He saved us.”

They say that familiarity breeds contempt.

But it didn’t for the apostle Paul. He couldn’t get familiar enough with the gospel.

He repeats it over and over again in his letters.

The gospel is the engine that drives Paul, and it should be for us, as well.

The whole book of Titus is about applying the gospel, and that’s what Paul is doing in verses 1&2.

“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

He’s applying the gospel. These are applications, and we’re going to look at these verses more closely next week.

But you can see just in your first glance, that Paul is continuing to instruct Titus in how to instruct the Cretan believers to live out the implications of the gospel.

They are to live as Christ-followers. To be Christian citizens. To be obey Jesus. To be ready to do what is good. To live as Christian neighbors. To show Christian humility.

Why? Because they have been changed by the gospel. V.3

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

We used to look like the world. And now we are to look differently!

We used to look like the world. And now everything has changed.

We used to be just like the world, and we needed SAVING!

Look at this description of you and me before coming to Christ:

“...foolish [making bad choices], disobedient [transgressing God’s laws], deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures [we gave in and gave in and gave in]. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

That’s what folks are like, down deep, before they come to know Jesus.

That’s what I was like, and it’s what you were like, too.

We used to be just like the world, and we needed SAVING!

But!

Verse 4.

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us...”

He saved us!

We got rescued.

He saved us.

I have 6 brief points this morning, they’re mostly just taken right here from the next few verses.

#1. WHEN THE KINDNESS AND LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOR APPEARED.

That’s taken right from verse 4 and it tell us when this salvation came. V.4

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us...”

When was that?

It was Jesus came.

Notice that word “appeared?” It’s the same word that we saw back in chapter 2, verse 11 last week.

It’s the word that we get our word “epiphany” from.

An appearance, a manifestation, a coming into view.

The kindness and love of God our Savior came into view.

God’s love showed up–in person!

We needed saving. We were lost. We were dead in our trespasses and sins.

And then Jesus showed up! That’s what happened! Jesus showed up!

And He lived a perfect life and then died on the Cross, one of the cruelest deaths devised by men!

Why?

Because of what was in His heart.

What does verse 4 say about His coming? Why did Jesus come?

Why did He go to the Cross?

What are we celebrating at this Table?

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us...”

Kindness and LOVE. The Greek word is “philanthropia” meaning a love of humanity.

“God so loved the world...” ...That God our Savior Appeared!

Don’t forget that. Don’t miss that.

As we go to this Table this morning, we remember that this is a Table of love. A table of kindness.

God loves us, friends. God loves you. Jesus loves you.

Do you need to hear that this morning? We need to hear it every day, don’t we?

He saved us when the kindness and love of God Our Savior appeared.

#2. HE SAVED US NOT BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUS THINGS WE HAD DONE.

That’s what verse 5 says.

“[H]e saved us, not because of righteous things we had done...”

That’s the opposite of all of the other religions in the world.

They are all about man trying to reach up to God.

They are all about self-improvement projects.

Earning our blessings.

But that’s NOT Christianity.

Christianity is not based upon our good works.
Christianity is not based upon our righteous deeds.

And any teaching that bases salvation upon our good works is not Christianity!

It’s a false gospel.

The apostles stress this again and again and again.

It’s not what we do.
It’s not what we have done.
It’s not be works of law.
It’s not by righteous things we have done.

Now, we’ll do righteous things! We better. We’ve been changed by the gospel.

That’s applying the gospel, and that’s what this book is all about.

But let’s be clear: we are saved NOT because of righteous things we had done.

No! He saved us #3. BECAUSE OF HIS MERCY.

He didn’t save us because of something inside of us.

He saved us because of something inside of Him!

When we go to this Table this morning, we remember that this is a Table of MERCY.

It’s not a Table that tells us how good we are. We aren’t.

It’s a Table that tells us that we have not been good and not been good enough.

But that God had mercy on us.

Isn’t that wonderful?!?

God had mercy on us.

Verse 7 calls this kind of salvation, “having been justified by his grace...”

Justification is being declared righteous.

To make up a word it is “Righteousification.”

It is declaring us righteous, not on the basis of righteous things we have done, our righteousness, but on the basis of His righteousness.

His mercy and grace giving us the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Justification by grace.

It’s the only way to live!

It bring Him the most glory, and it’s just what we needed!

Many people are trying to justify themselves in their own power, and they’ll all fail miserably. Paul tried to, and he was really good at it!

But eventually he came to call it all rubbish, in the King James: “dung.”

The only way to live is to be justified by HIS grace.

That’s why He saved us: because of His mercy.

As we come to the Table this morning, we are reminded of how unworthy we are to receive blessing from God and how thankful we are to live under His mercy.

Amen?

And it’s more than simply justification that saves us. It is also the inner work of the Holy Spirit.

#4. HE SAVED US THROUGH THE WASHING OF REBIRTH AND RENEWAL BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

This is what it says in at the end of verse 5.

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior...”

This takes us back to our sermon series from the beginning of the year on the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 6 says that the Holy Spirit was poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.

What Jesus did on the Cross purchased the benefits of having the Holy Spirit in our lives.

My kids have been learning a Child’s Catechism recently, and one of the most recent questions is “What happens when I trust in Jesus?”

And the answer, “My sins are forgiven and Jesus sends His Holy Spirit into my life.”

V.6 says He does it “generously.” The King James says, “abundantly.”

And this is what He does at our salvation (v.5), “The washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

Three words: Washing, Rebirth, Renewal.

My sins are washed away.
My soul is given a new birth (a regeneration).
My heart is given a new lease on life.

That all happens when I come to faith in Jesus Christ.

By the Holy Spirit of God.

As we go to this Table this morning, we are going to a Spirit-Table.

Did you notice the Trinitarian nature of this passage? It’s there.

God the Father having mercy. God the Son show up and dying for us and sending God the Spirit to wash us, regenerate us, and renew us.

He Saved Us Through the Washing of Rebirth and Renewal by the Holy Spirit.

To what end? #5. SO THAT WE MIGHT BECOME HEIRS HAVING THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE.

Do you see where this goes?

It goes from the misery and perversion of verse 3 to the joy and hope and glory of verse 7.

We go from “foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved, malicious, envious, hated and hating” to “heirs having the hope of eternal life!”

This is biblical hope here.

It’s not wishful thinking, “Oh, I hope I get a Texas Sheet Cake this week.” Good luck.

No, this is faith in a sure thing–something promised me by God and not based on my righteousness, but on His mercy.

I’m an heir!

An heir!

We are heirs. Everything promised to Jesus is our inheritance.

He took our sin, we get His inheritance.

That’s why He saved us. He saved us to give us everything worth anything!

That’s the gospel, friends. That’s the good news about Jesus.

Do you believe it?

It’s all true for you and for me if we believe it.

We are heirs having the sure hope of eternal life if we turn from doing it our way and trusting in Him and what He did for us in His kindness, love, and mercy.

He saved us: When the Kindness and Love of God Our Savior Appeared.

He saved us: Not Because of Righteous Things We Had Done.

He saved us: Because of His Mercy.

He saved us: Through the Washing of Rebirth and Renewal by the Holy Spirit.

He saved us: So That We Might Become Heirs Having the Hope of Eternal Life.

And #6. HE SAVED US: AND, IN SO DOING, HE CHANGED OUR LIVES FOREVER.

We live differently now.

The gospel changes us.

We don’t live like verse 3 any more. We live like verses 1 and 2.

Not because we’re so good in and of ourselves. We aren’t.

But because “He Saved Us.”

Because “He Saved Us.”

And it’s the greatest thing in all of the world.

As we come now to the Lord’s Table, we gather around a Table of Love and Kindness.

We gather around a Table, not of Our Righteousness, but of His Mercy and His Grace.

We gather around a Spirit Table. A Table of washing, rebirth, renewal.

We gather around a Table of Hope. The sure and certain hope of eternal life.

We gather around a Table of Salvation.

He Saved Us.

Read More

Matt's Messages "Grace Has Appeared"

“Grace Has Appeared”
July 27, 2008
Titus 2:11-15

Titus had his work cut out for him.

The Apostle Paul had left Titus behind on the island of Crete to finish some things that Paul had gotten started but hadn’t gotten done.

This fledgling little church still didn’t have elders to lead it and didn’t yet understand how the gospel applies to every day life.

So Titus had his work cut out for him.

In chapter 1, Paul told him what to look for in potential elders to lead the church and why true elders were so necessary, because of the proliferation of false teachers.

In chapter 2, Paul told Titus what he was supposed to teach to various groups of believers within the church. And what he was supposed to teach was the application of the gospel. V.1 said, “You must teach what accords [or goes] with sound doctrine.”

Our behavior must match our teaching.
The gospel must be applied.

And then, we saw last week that, he applied that gospel to various groups: older men, older women, younger women, young men, Titus himself and church leaders, and slaves, much like our employees today.

Now, in our passage for today, Paul hasn’t really moved on to another topic.

No, instead, he’s actually grounding what he said in the first 10 verses with the deep theological foundations that undergird it.

Verse 11 begins with the word “For.” Verses 11 through 14 are actually explaining further how we get verses 1 through 10 and then verse 15 rounds off the instructions on what and how Titus is supposed to teach.

I think that these verses are the very heart the book.

Let’s begin at the end.

Verse 15 shows us how important these instructions really are. V.15 again.

“These, then, are the things you should teach [everything in verses 1 through 14]. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.”

Wow. Those are strong words, aren’t they?

What Paul has told Titus should be taught–the application of the gospel.

And for those who are doing it, they are to be encouraged.

And for those who are not, they are to be rebuked. Remember chapter 1, that True Elders both encourage and rebuke? Titus was supposed to, as well.

And he wasn’t allowed to back down from this. “..with all authority [it says.] Do not let anyone despise you.” Not that he could help how they felt, but he wouldn’t let them get away with scorning this teaching.

This stuff is really important.

What’s important?

To understand that “Grace Has Appeared.” That’s our title for this morning, “Grace Has Appeared.” I get that from verse 11.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”

“Grace has appeared.”

John Newton alluded to this verse in Amazing Grace.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

“Grace Has Appeared.”

What is Paul talking about?

He’s talking about when Jesus Christ came to us.

God the Son became a man and lived on Earth.

His name was Jesus, and He was the Christ, the Messiah.

And Jesus lived a perfect life and died on the Cross to make grace appear to all men.

“Grace Has Appeared.”

It has shown up. It has come on the scene.

Grace is here.

What is grace?

We use that word a lot, but we don’t always know the meaning of it.

Grace is unmerited favor.
It is unearned blessing.

My favorite definition of grace is that it is not getting what we do deserve and getting what we don’t deserve.

Grace is not getting what we do deserve and getting what we don’t deserve.

It’s the greatest concept in the world!

And the Bible says “Grace has appeared.”

Grace is here.

Why? What is it here for? Why has grace appeared?

Paul tells Titus basically 2 things:

Grace Has Appeared To Redeem Us and To Refine Us.

#1. TO REDEEM US.

Look at what he says again in verse 11.

“For the grace of God that brings [what?] salvation has appeared to all men.”

Grace saves us!

Verse 14 says it even more clearly.

In talking about Jesus’ life and death (v.14), “[Jesus] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness...”

There’s that word, “redeem.”

Jesus Christ died on the Cross to redeem us by His grace.

To redeem something means to pay back a price for something.

To buy someone out of slavery is to redeem them.

Jesus Christ paid the penalty that we had accrued for our sin.

He died for our redemption–to buy us back from sin.

Verse 14 says, “He gave himself / for us / to redeem us.”

He gave Himself. He willingly went to the Cross.

He knew what He was doing. He was giving Himself for us.

For us.

In our place. Instead of us. What we deserved. That’s why it’s grace.

Because grace is not giving us what we deserve (giving it to Him instead!)

And grace is giving to us what we don’t deserve–everything He deserved! That’s what we get.

He gave Himself for us to redeem us – to buy us back from the sin we were enslaved to.

That’s the gospel, friends, it’s the good news that in Jesus Christ grace has appeared to redeem us from all wickedness. And we’re going to sing about it for all eternity!

We just did in a couple of those songs!

Let me ask you now:

Friend, have you been redeemed?

Have you been bought back?

Have you trusted in Jesus Christ and what He did for you at the Cross?

It’s not about what you do.
It’s not about how good you are.
It’s not about having more on the good side than on the bad side.

So many people think that salvation comes by being good.

But it doesn’t. It comes by GRACE.

The GRACE of God has appeared to REEDEM Us.

And there is no other way than that.

Have you trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior/Rescuer and Lord/Master?

He gave Himself for you. Put your trust in Him.

But catch this.

That’s not all that grace does.

That’s often where we stop when we, Christians, talk about grace, but that’s not where the gospel stops.

And it’s not where Paul stops here, is it?

Grace doesn’t just save. It also sanctifies.

Grace Has Appeared #2. TO REFINE US.

It’s the point of this whole passage. Go back to verse 11.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. [v.12] It [GRACE] teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Grace not only redeems us. It also refines us.

Verse 12 says that this grace found in Jesus Christ “teaches us” or “trains us” or “disciplines us” to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions.

Do you see how powerful grace is?

It’s not just a forgiving power.
It’s an enabling power, a teaching power, a training power.

Grace enables us to say ‘No” to ungodliness and worldly passions.

Let that sink in for a second.

We can say, ‘No.”

If we belong to Jesus, if we have experienced His redeeming grace, then we can say “No.”

I know that it doesn’t feel like it.

One of my biggest temptations is gluttony. I have what I call “an extra plate addiction.”

And it’s just too hard to say, “No.”

No, it isn’t.

I can say, “No.”

Not because of how good I am, but because of how good God has been to me.

Grace Has Appeared to teach me to say No.

You can say, “No,” too.

You can say, “No,” to lust.
You can say, “No,” to pornography. You don’t have to click over there.

Men, you don’t have to click over there.

You can say, “No,” to gossip. You don’t have to share that morsel of information.

Ladies, you don’t have to share that.
You can say, “No,” to angry outbursts.

You don’t have to yell at your kids or your spouse or your roommate.

If you belong to Christ, you can say, “No.”

Sometimes we emphasize that there is grace for us when we sin.

And there is, friends! If you are trapped in any of those patterns I just mentioned or any others, Jesus’ blood is sufficient to forgive!

But His grace doesn’t stop there. It goes another crucial step. It also empowers us to say, “No.”

No to ungodliness.
No to worldly passions.

I have a friend who was sleeping with his girlfriend. And I told him that God wanted him to stop.

And he said, “Yeah, I know, but it’s hard to.”

Yes, it’s hard to. But it is possible because grace has appeared!

Look at the second half of verse 12.

“[Grace] teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”

That’s the whole point of chapter 2!

Older Men being respectable.
Older Women being reverent.
Younger Women loving their families.
Young Men being self-controlled.
Church Leaders setting an example.
Slaves being trustworthy employees.

How?

Not because they have it in them to start with. No.

But because the grace of God has appeared.

It has come to save us and to sanctify us–to make us holy.

And it does, every time.

I’m concerned about some people who claim to be Christ-followers but whose lives show no sign of this kind of thing.

In the Bible, grace is effectual. It works.

It not only forgives us through the death and resurrection of Christ, but it transforms us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Look at how verse 14 says it.

“[Jesus] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify [refine] for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Jesus didn’t just save us to leave us how we are.

He didn’t just die to forgive us.

He died to change us.

To make us His very own.

Oh! That is a precious thought. That we belong to Him.

That we are His precious treasure!

If the universe were on fire, we’re what He would run in to rescue. In fact, He did!

And not just any precious treasure, but one that looks like Him. V.14

“Eager to do what is good.”

King James: “Zealous of good works.”

That’s not what we were. But it is what we are becoming!

Here’s the key question.

Are we being changed by grace?

Verse 12 says that grace teaches. Are we learning?

Verse 14 says that grace purifies. Are we being refined?

What area of your life is God working on?

And are you letting Him?

I don’t know what it is for you.

My guess is that it relates in some way to self-control.

For me, right now, I’m trying to learn (by grace) to exercise self-control in the use of my things.

I tend to run things down and break things and not take good care of my things.

Last week, I ran my mower into a hole and broke the guard on the mower-deck.

Boy was I angry! I had finished the sermon in ample time to get the lawn mowed before Supper, and I was so proud of myself! (That might be something else to work on!)

And so I just pulled the cord and got to mowing. But I didn’t take care. I wasn’t careful. I didn’t appreciate what a great machine I have–my dad gave it to me. It has a 33" deck on it and is self-propelled.

But I’m just whipping it around and not caring what I land it on.

It’s supposed to be run on grace. But I run it over rocks and over stumps and roots sometimes, and I know that I shouldn’t, but I’ve never really had a problem.

And I know that there’s a hole around there, but I’ve never broken the thing, and it’s too much work to be careful!

And, boy, did I regret it when I did it!

Grace has come.

Grace has come to pay the penalty for my out-of-control behavior. Jesus died for my carelessness.

Yes, Jesus died for my carelessness.

But that’s not all. He didn’t just forgive me and then not care any more.

Grace has come to teach me self-control.

I can say, “No” to carelessness and say Yes to upright and godly self-control.

I can be refined.

I don’t know what it is for you.

Maybe it’s patience.

A month or so ago, I talked about patience in a sermon, and a lot of you responded back to me that this is an area that you struggle with.

Are you learning from grace?

Are you being refined?

Or are you just living like you used to?

Jesus died to redeems us from all wickedness AND to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Are we eager to do what is good?

I’m afraid that often we aren’t.

We aren’t eager. We aren’t zealous.

We are content to be saved and then sit there.

But this is about getting up off our pews and into the game–eager to do what is good.

Are we being transformed?

That’s one of the biggest reasons why we’re still here, you know?

Right now, we’re here to be redeemed and refined. But that’s while we wait.

Did you notice that grace has appeared, but it’s also coming again? V.12

“[Grace] teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age [now], while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ[!]”

This redeeming and this refining are for now while we wait for His returning!

Jesus is coming back and coming back soon!

Paul calls it, “the blessed hope.”

It’s that thing that we’re trusting in for the future that makes it all worthwhile. It’s “blessed.” It’s full of blessing. It’s awesome and wonderful and delightful.

Jesus is coming back and coming back soon!

He calls it, “The glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ!”

He appearance the first time was humble.

But when He comes again, it will be glorious!

He will be seen to be as GREAT as He is.
And as GOD as He is!

This text points us to the divinity of Christ! He is God!

And He is Savior!

He gave Himself for us to redeems us.

Grace Has Appeared to Redeem Us and to Refine Us Until He Returns For Us.

Praise His name!

Read More

Matt's Messages "Applying the Gospel"

“Applying the Gospel”
Applying the Gospel: The Message of Titus
July 20, 2008
Titus 2:1-10

The title for our series is also the title of today’s message: “Applying the Gospel.”

The apostle Paul had left behind his friend and ministry partner Titus on the island of Crete to straighten out that which was left unfinished. He was “left behind to do what was left.”

And it appears that most of what hadn’t been done yet for the new and fledgling church on Crete was the establishing of leaders and the training of believers in the implications and applications of the gospel.

Last week, we learned about the qualifications for True Elders who would lead the church in faithfulness and about why True Elders are needed: the presence of false teachers who desire to lead the church astray.

Crete was known as an untrustworthy place to live, and Titus was charged with finding trustworthy elders to lead the church and instructing the new disciples in living their lives differently, changed by the gospel–applying the gospel.

And in our text for this morning, Paul gets specific. He names six different groups of people whom Titus is called to teach the application of the gospel: Older Men, Older Women, Younger Women, Young Men, Titus Himself, and Slaves.

Verse 1 is the key verse.

Titus, listen up! There false teachers everywhere you look. Crete is overrun with liars, evil brutes, and lazy gluttons.

But not you. That can’t be you. And it can’t be the church on Crete. Instead (v.1):

“You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.”

Notice that Paul does not say that he must teach sound doctrine. He does need to teach sound doctrine, and Paul will be telling him in next week’s passage and in chapter 3 what sound doctrine he needs to teach–the gospel, the good news of grace in Jesus Christ.

But that’s not what he says here in verse 1. He says that Titus needs to teach “what is in accord” with sound doctrine.

Or the KJV, “the things which become sound doctrine,” and that doesn’t mean the things that didn’t used to be and then became sound doctrine. It means the things that “become,” that go with, that accentuate, that affirm, that correlate, that accord with sound doctrine.

He means what we call “applications” or “implications”–the practical outworkings that go with the doctrine.

Titus needed to teach the believers, not just what was sound (or healthy) doctrine (or teachings), but he needed to teach them how to apply those truths to their lives so that their lives and their teaching were congruent, coordinated, compatible.

Their lives needed to match the gospel.

Let me put it this way: the church on Crete needed to be taught in specific, practical ways, that their lives needed to demonstrate that the gospel was true.

Their lives needed to match the gospel.

“You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.”

Applying the Gospel.

#1. TO OLDER MEN. Look at verse 2.

“Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.”

The first group that Paul lists are the older men perhaps because he’s already been talking about older men when he talked about elders in chapter 1.

Older men, are you listening?

You’re probably wondering who is an older man according to the Bible.

Well, I’ll let you figure that out, but this is what all men as they grow older should be aspiring to.

The King James Version says, “aged men,” but I don’t think you have to be elderly to aspire to these things.

There are four marks of a godly older man that Paul gives Titus in chapter 2. They are not everything that a godly older man should be, but they are each important.

1. “Temperate” which means clear minded and sober in judgment. A good, wise head on his shoulders.

2. “Worthy of Respect” which means dignified, the KJV has “grave” which means having some “gravitas” or being noble. Not that you can’t be humorous, but there is some decorum to your life, you are serious about the right things. You are not a fool and others can look up to you.

3. “Self-Controlled” which is Paul’s favorite word in this book. We’ll see it again and again and again. Being out of control is still a real temptation for older men–not just for younger ones.

4. And “Sound in Faith, Love, and Endurance.” An older man who is trusting, loving, and hoping, persevering in hope.

Older men, does this verse describe you (us?)?

Is this what you aspire to?

There is nothing said here about amassing wealth, or being feared in the corporate world, or having stuff that others want, or being free to golf all day long, or anything else that the world says should characterize an older man.

Instead, respectability and wisdom are what’s truly important. Being an example, someone that others can look up to. I see men like this all around this auditorium.

But if these verses don’t describe you, what needs to change? And how are you going to do it? We need to take this seriously. Our lives must match the gospel.

Older people are often overlooked in our society. But they are very important for the gospel in our culture, especially those who have believed the gospel for many years.

Because people are watching and need to see if gospel is true because of how it has changed people’s lives.

Older men, are your lives changed by the gospel? Or are you no different than the other men of our community?

#2. APPLYING THE GOSPEL TO OLDER WOMEN. V.3

“Likewise [like the older men, Titus], teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.”

You can see how we could easily have a sermon (or series of sermons) on each of these groups, each verse.

Here the older women are to be taught these four sets of behaviors:

#1. Reverent in the Way They Live. I call that “living a worshipful life.” This is the only place where this Greek word is used in the entire New Testament, but in the other places it’s used to describe priestesses–holy women. Gospel women are full of worship.

#2. Not Slanderers. This is not passing on negative gossip about people or talking people down. As I understand it, this is a major temptation for older women. And they don’t even know that they’re doing it, it’s so ingrained in the their nature and prized in the world. Can you keep your lips closed about someone?

#3. Not Addicted to Much Wine. Not given over to addictive substances. Not out of control (this one goes with self-control).

#4. Teaching What Is Good. Notice that older women have a job to do! They are called to be teachers. Not necessarily class-room teachers, but life-teachers. Mentors. Ones called to come alongside the younger women and teach them what is true.

Older ladies (and all of you ladies are older than someone!), does verse 3 describe you?

I’m glad that our church is full of women like this–older women that younger women can look up to and learn from.

The Lanse Ladies are awesome!

Of course, there’s always room for improvement. I think that that last one could be really expanded at our church. Where the older ladies take responsibility for teaching the younger ones.

That’s whose supposed to do it. Notice in verse 4 that Titus isn’t supposed to teach the younger ladies–not directly anyhow. He was probably a younger man, anyway, and that could have created some problems.

But Paul wisely tells him to teach the older women how to behave and what to teach and then they are to turn around and teach the younger women. V.4

“Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”

Ladies, do you have at least one younger lady in your life that you are doing this for?

I’m doing what Titus was supposed to do. I’m teaching you ladies right now that you are supposed to be investing in the next generation.

#3. APPLYING THE GOSPEL TO YOUNGER WOMEN.

And older ladies, this is your job! V.4 again.

“Then they can train the younger women to [#1] love their husbands and children, [#2] to be self-controlled and [#3] pure, [#4] to be busy at home, [#5] to be kind, and [#6] to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”

Notice the emphasis on relationships and reputations.

Younger women are to be trained in their relationships so that their reputations match their gospel.

#1. Love Their Husbands and Children. This is something that doesn’t necessarily happen naturally! It’s not talking about having affection for husband and children, though that’s wonderful. It’s talking about truly loving them–even when they are unlovable–and sometimes we husbands can be very unlovable!

#2. Be Self-Controlled. There it is again! Young ladies can be impulsive. Older ladies have to try to train them to not be.

#3. Be Pure. Young ladies, this would include what you take into your minds–what movies you watch, what internet sites you go to, what magazines you read, what songs you listen to on the radio. A lot of that of that stuff today is polluted, and you are called to be pure!

#4. Be Busy at Home. This doesn’t rule out work outside of the home, but it does reflect the biblical call upon a wife and mother to be home-centered. To make the house a home–full of love and care. To rule over the home and make it an effective and joy-filled place for husband and children.

#5. Be Kind. Younger ladies are not always kind.

#6. Be Subject To Their Husbands. Not to be subjected by their husbands, but to gladly submit to their Christ-like headship in the home.

These things don’t come naturally, but they are all implications and applications of the sound doctrine. So we need to teach them to the younger Christian ladies to makes sure that the gospel cannot be badmouthed.

Did you see the purpose statement at the end of verse 5?

Why is it important to teach these things to younger ladies? V.5

“...so that no one will malign the word of God.”

Our lives either confirm or deny the gospel that we proclaim.

Which will it be?

Younger ladies, do you have some older Christian women in your life that you are keying off of? That you are learning from how to be a godly gospel girl?

If not, seek one out today. An older ladies, seek them out, too.

This would be a perfect time for me to mention that we need some older ladies to participate in the Youth Girls Class on Wednesday nights this Fall. Some ladies that would come and invest in the next generation. If you are willing and interested, talk to me, Pastor Titus, after the service today...“so that no one will malign the word of God.”

#4. APPLYING THE GOSPEL TO YOUNG MEN.

In v.6, Paul turns from younger women to young men. He had 6 things for ladies to work on, and just one for the guys. V.6

“Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.”

I don’t think he only mentioned one thing because the guys have all the rest mastered. I think he picked out the one that guys struggle with the most and said, “Work on this!”

“Encourage the young men to be self-controlled.”

To get a grip on yourself.

To control the temper.
To control the tongue.
To control the sexual appetite.
To control the ambition.
To control the greed.

To gain mastery over one’s own self–that’s the major project for young men.

Guys, how are we doing on this one?

Are you in control or out of it?

I said last week, and we’re going to see it again next week:

The gospel empowers us to be self-controlled.

You can have victory. You are not determined by your genes or your past behavior or by those around you.

You can get a grip on your self.

Jesus Christ died to not only pay for your sins but to give you the power to say “No” to those temptations when they come back around again.

#5. APPLYING THE GOSPEL TO CHURCH LEADERS.

Here it’s to Titus himself and by implication to those of us who lead in the local church. V.7

“In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”

#1.To be an example by doing what is good.

Church leaders have to set the tone.

We are not thermometers of spiritual health in the church. We are supposed to be thermostats.

If people are watching the believers, how much more are they watching the leaders?

#2. To teach with integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech.

Notice that the most important thing for church leaders (beyond living out the gospel) is teaching the gospel well.

And seriously. That doesn’t mean that we church leaders can’t have fun. But it does mean that we take that which is serious, seriously!

Or are we going to give the enemies of the gospel ammunition?

The enemies of the gospel are growing in number and force.

Atheism is on the rise again.
Radical Islam aims to conquer the entire world.
And every other false teaching wants a piece of the pie.

Church leaders must live out the gospel and soundly and seriously teach the gospel (v.8) “so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”

Not that they won’t say anything bad, but there won’t be anything to it.

This one applies doubly to me, and I hear the importance of walking the walk and practicing what I preach. I know that’s it’s important and I’m sorry for the ways that I have fallen short of this and desire to do better.

#6. APPLYING THE GOSPEL TO EMPLOYEES.

For Titus, it was slaves. But don’t think black-skinned men and women in the deep South before the Civil War.

This kind of slavery was a very different institution, not necessarily built on the back of man-stealing.

In many ways it was more like our employee-employer relationship. And that’s where I think the application is for us. V.9

“Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”

Titus was supposed to teach these folks to be model employees.

To be subject to their masters (their bosses).

To try to please them. To try to make your boss happy.

To not talk back to them. To treat employers with respect.

To not steal from them. Neither money nor time.

To show that they can be fully trusted. That servants impacted by the gospel are changed–and are trustworthy.

Christ-followers should be the best employees!

Employers should be excited to find out that their employees are believers in Christ.

Does that always happen? Do we always live up to verses 9-10?

How was your last week at work? Did you give them your all? Even if you don’t think they deserve it?

Is it important how we do our work?

You bet it is! Look at what’s at stake? The end of verse 10.

We need to be this kind of gospel people...”so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”

What is the teaching about God our Savior?

It’s the gospel!

It’s the good news of Jesus Christ’s life and death and resurrection, paying the full penalty for my sins and rising from the dead to give me new life and new power to live a changed life!

But I’ve got to live that life so that the teaching is attractive!

Is this gospel true?

We know it is by the lives that are changed.

If you are currently investigating the gospel, then I invite you to look at the lives of the people in this room.

None of us are perfect. In fact, each of us is a wretched sinner.

But many of us have been rescued from that sin.

Not just from the penalty of that sin, but increasingly from its power.

Older men, older women, younger women, young men, leaders, and workers.

And our lives tell the story that this gospel is true.

It’s attractive. It matches.

Our lives match our teaching. We are living in accord with sound doctrine.

Applying the gospel.

And we invite you to join us.

Read More

Matt's Messages "True Elders and False Teachers"

“True Elders and False Teachers”
Applying the Gospel: The Message of Titus
July 13, 2008
Titus 1:5-16

Last week, we briefly looked at the greeting section of this letter, this epistle. The letter is written from the Apostle Paul and to a man named Titus, who was a close ministry partner of Paul’s in his church-planting and church-establishing ministry.

Today, I’d like to give a title to our whole study of Titus and that is this: “Applying the Gospel: The Message of Titus.”

We’re going to see, in a second, that Paul had left Titus on a island called Crete that is in the Mediterranean. And the reason he had left him behind on Crete was to straighten out some things out that had not yet been finished in establishing the church on the island.

There was work still left to be done. Items still left to be checked off on the to-do list of establishing the church at Crete.

And Titus was the man. He was Paul’s apostolic representative left behind to straighten things out so that what was left got done. “Left behind to do what’s left.”

And it seems that most of what hadn’t gotten done yet was the training of the believers in the application of the gospel. Paul’s going to tell Titus to teach “what is in accord with sound doctrine.” And to stress the good news about Jesus Christ and how it affects people’s lives.

The picture I get when I read this letter is that Paul had reached some people for Christ, the church had begun, there were new believers and they had the basics, but they hadn’t yet gotten organized and they hadn’t yet been taught how what they now believed worked out in real life situations.

So that’s what Titus is left at Crete to do.

And the first thing on Paul’s left-to-do list for Titus is to recognize and install elders in the local church. What we’re going to call today “True Elders” [Following John Stott in his helpful little book on The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus (The Bible Speaks Today).]

That’s in verses 5 through 9. And then in verses 10 through 16, we’re going to see why these True Elders are needed. It’s because of False Teachers. “True Elders and False Teachers.” Let’s read it together and then see how this applies to us today.

[scripture reading, prayer]

The first thing that Titus was called to do was to find some godly men and get them into church leadership. V.5

“The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”

Paul hadn’t gotten a group of elders together before he had to leave Crete. Titus was called to find godly men to be elders, train godly men to be elders, and install godly men as elders.

The elders in the New Testament are those men who are called upon to lead the local church. They are like, in our church, our “combined Leadership Board.” V.7 says that they are “entrusted with God’s work.” That is, they lead the charge for the church. And their work is very important–it’s God’s work. 1 Timothy 5 says that they “direct the affairs of the church.”

They are not more important than any other member of the local church in and of themselves, but their role or function is crucial, and it’s very important to find the right kind of men to do the job.

I’m thankful for the godly men who serve on our combined leadership board here. This last Tuesday night, one of them said that I’ve had a pretty ideal situation here in the first 10 years. And he’s absolutely right.

We don’t need a Titus here to hunt for godly men to lead the church. They are right here in front of us.

But I also said a couple of weeks ago that we need “younger elders” as we train the next generation of church leadership. And that’s true, too.

Remember that I said that I’m on the lookout for you? Younger men? That I want to meet with you and help you to be what you should be. I see a large part of my job description as equipping men to be elders.

I believe that every man should aspire to be the kind of man that Titus was looking for.

Not that every man ends up functioning as a elder in a local church, with the “office” of elder, but that every man’s desire is to be this kind of a man.

Not just a “man’s man,” but a “God’s man.”

And ladies, this is what you should be looking for in a godly husband and praying for in the young men in your life, if you are a mom or a grandma or a aunt. This applies to you, too. We should all be hoping and praying for these things in the lives of the men of our families and church.

It’s interesting to me that one of the extraordinary things about the qualifications for being an elder is that they are not that extraordinary!

They are mainly character qualifications. Who we are at heart. How we conduct ourselves. Not how gifted we are or what credentials we have.

But who we are.

Are we True Elders?

I can remember when God first put it into my heart to be this kind of a man. It was about 17 years ago in my first semester at Moody Bible Institute. It was the first time that these verses had jumped out at me. I remember being shaken with the question, “What kind of man does God want me to be?” And in response, I wrote these verses and the similar ones in 1 Timothy 3 on the side of a box and put them on a shelf in my room right at eye-level above my bed. So that whenever I laid in my bed and my eyes drifted around the room, they would eventually land upon these verses.

A constant reminder of God’s will for my life. And slowly, I began to want what God wants for me.

Let’s see in verses 6-9 what an True Elder must be.

#1. A TRUE ELDER MUST BE FAITHFUL AT HOME. V.6

“An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.”

Now the catch-all phrase to describe a true elder is “blameless.” But that doesn’t mean “perfect” or “flawless.” Who could be an elder if that’s what it meant? Only Jesus!

The word “blameless” means “unaccused.” It means having a good reputation. It means that those who know you know that you are a, True Elder, a faithful man, a godly man.

That there is nothing in your life that calls into question your leadership.

It doesn’t mean that people won’t still talk about you. It just means that you haven’t given them something to talk about!

And here, it’s in regard to your family.

A True Elder Is Faithful at Home.

First, with his wife, if he has one. The NIV translates it “the husband of but one wife.”

I would translate the Greek here: “A One-Woman Man.”

I don’t think it’s talking here about marital status. It’s talking about fidelity to your wife. It’s talking about purity of mind and heart. And a single-focused-ness.

It’s a character word. If you are married, then you are married to that one woman. She is your focus. She is your wife and no one else is! She’s your main squeeze. You don’t pursue intimate relationships with other women either physically or emotionally! You don’t entertain lustful thoughts about other women. You are a one-woman man.

If you aren’t married yet, then you aren’t “a ladies’ man.” Believe it or not, this was one area that God had to really get a hold of me in. I’ve told some of you before that same first semester at Moody, I earned the label, “The Chick Magnet.” And I was proud of it back then. But I was completely un-focused in my search for a soul-mate. My heart was scattered over two countries and several young ladies. And I was leading them all on a wild goose chase. It was irresponsible and unhealthy for everyone involved.

And God had to clean me up and make me a one-woman man. And I’m glad that one woman is here today!

Because if I was that same man, I couldn’t lead you here. I wouldn’t be True Elder. Because my thoughts and my actions were unhealthily unfocused and double-minded.

What about you, men? Could you be described as a one-woman man? Or are you distracted by that lady at work? Do you have a female friend that you are closer to than your wife? Who is the queen of your thought life? What’s your reputation with women?

A True Elder is faithful at Home, a one-woman man.

And a True Elder is faithful with his children, too. Especially faithful to teach and train them.

The NIV translates verse 6 as, “a man whose children believe...” but I think that the King James is a better translation here. It says, “having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.”

The word could mean that all elders’ children must believe the gospel, but that seems to be out of the hands of a father to me especially if the children are not old enough yet to understand the gospel or out of the house and out of our sphere of responsibility.

I think this is asking the question of whether or not the man’s children, in the home, obey him and are faithful to him–and are not out of control. [Following the thinking and scholarship of D.A.Carson.]

It’s a question of teaching and training. Does this man do that? Does he discipline his children in love?

You can tell a lot from a man’s family.

#2. A TRUE ELDER MUST BE FAITHFUL IN HIS LIFE AND MINISTRY. Verses 7 and 8.

“Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless [there’s that word again. Not perfect but clearly godly and an example to others. V.7]–not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.”

Verse 7 talks about temptations that all men deal with.

We are all tempted to be overbearing (prideful), quick-tempered (angry), given over to our pleasures and desires (like strong drink or other addictive past-times), using our strength to overpower others (violent), and our love of money.

If verse 6 talked about controlling our children, verse 7 talks about controlling ourselves.

Verse 8 uses the word “self-controlled.” Paul uses that word several times in this short letter. We’re going to see it again and again.

The gospel empowers us to be self-controlled.

Men, do you need work in this area? I know that I do.

I know that some of you don’t like hearing about the continuing saga of my battle with gluttony, but I think it’s important for me to publicly share what I’m struggling with and commit to being a True Elder.

I have gained back 13 of the 25 pounds that I lost last year. And it’s directly related to my self-control.

I want to be blameless, someone for you to follow. And I know that I need repentance and forward movement on this or I won’t be a True Elder.

Men (and women, too), what area of your life do you need to wrestle under control?

We’re going to come back to that several times in next month. Ask God to show you what changes need made so that you’re faithful in this area.

Faithful in life. And faithful in ministry. V.8

“Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.”

True Elders are hospitable. They use their resources in ministry–whether those resources are a home or whatever. If it is a home, they open their home and love people with their home.

And they love what is good. They love righteousness and seeing righteousness done.

Now, one of the hard things about being a True Elder is that you have a hard time figuring out if you are one on your own.

I mean, what humble godly guy is going to say, “I think I’m hospitable, loving what is good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. Choose me to be your elder!”

Not many!

It is possible to have confidence that God has worked these things in your life [It’s definitely possible to know if you WANT to be a man like this], but most of the time, we need someone to recognize these qualities in us and point them out to others.

That’s one of the reasons why I’m glad that our church is congregational in form of government. Together, we get to recognize who are the True Elders among us and affirm them in leading us.

#3. TRUE ELDERS MUST BE FAITHFUL TO THE GOSPEL TRUTH. V.9

“He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”

This is, arguably, the most important thing that elders do in their function as church leaders in new covenant churches.

They teach the truth of the gospel and defend the truth of the gospel.

The gospel has been given to us as a sacred trust. Here is it called “a trustworthy message.”

And elders (and all church leaders, too, but especially elders) must be faithful to it.

“He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught...”

We are not allowed to change it!

I told you a last week about the new EFCA Statement of Faith.

If our leaders had been trying to change the truth, then I and we should have had no part of it!

But they weren’t. They were restating in new and (I believe) stronger words the unchanging truth of the gospel.

Here’s why that’s important (v.9 again): “...so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”

The truth of the gospel is encouraging to those who believe it and needs defending against those who don’t.

In verses 10 through 16, we find out why these True Elders are so needed.

The first reason is that #1. THERE ARE LOTS OF FALSE TEACHERS OUT THERE. V.10

“For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group.”

Notice that very important word: “FOR.”

Why are True Elders needed? Because there are false teachers.

Paul says that these teachers are “mere talkers” that is they don’t really believe what they’re saying. And “deceivers,” that is, they’re trying to get you to believe what they say.

And he singles out the “circumcision group.” Remember those guys from our study of Philippians during Family Bible Week? Paul called them the dirty dogs!

What were they teaching?

That it’s Jesus plus what I do that achieves my standing with God.

Yes, Jesus, sure. But Jesus plus my performance. Jesus plus something I do (like get circumcised or take on the yoke of obedience to the Law). Jesus plus something I do (my works)–gets me a ticket to heaven.

But Paul says that’s no gospel at all! How many good works are going to be required?

Can you keep the Law in every detail?

Can you add to what Christ has already done?

No! He says (v.11), “They must be silenced.”

He’s not talking about killing them. He’s talking about defending the gospel against them so that their false gospel is shown to be what it is!

There are lots of false teachers out there today.

Just turn on the T.V.

Just read your newspaper.

Paul believes that the way to silence false teaching is to raise up True Elders.

Why is this important? Because doctrine matters!

#2. FALSE TEACHING RUINS FAMILIES. V.11

“They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households [which was the family, plus the family business really] by teaching things they ought not to teach–and that for the sake of dishonest gain.” Watch the money.

Notice how much doctrine matters.

If you come to believe the wrong things, it will affect your life.

And if you come to believe the wrong things enough, it will ruin your life and your family.

We have got to maintain our grasp on biblical truth or our lives will come crashing down around us.

And the church needs protected. That’s one of the chief reasons why we need True Elders.

That’s one of the reasons why I am here. I want to serve you in this regard, helping you to see what is true and what is false in the teaching out there.

If you have a question about some person you see on television or hear on the radio or a book you’re reading or someone else is reading, I’d be glad to help you to identify truth or error. Because it matters. It really matters.

Right now there is a widely popular book out called “The Shack.” And I guess everyone is reading it. It’s supposedly Christian and has helped many people in their faith. I don’t doubt their sincere intentions, but I’m concerned about it.

I haven’t read it yet, I can’t read everything (try as I might), but from what I’ve read about it, it’s a harmful book for the people of God. Beware it.

The same is true of what comes from the church of Oprah. In the last year, she has pushed a book that claims to be compatible with Christianity called “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle. Beware that book.

I could go on. False Teachers are out there and believing false teaching ruins families.

Understand! False teaching doesn’t always sound false. Sometimes it comes with a beautiful face and a big smile. But the inside of it is ugly and will harm you.

These false teachers had figured out a way to profit from it. They were prophets for profit. Which is a temptation of Christian leadership that the New Testament often addresses. V.11 calls it “dishonest gain” or (KJV) “filthy lucre.”

Which was “business as usual” on the island of Crete. V.12

“Even one of their own prophets has said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.”

The folks that lived in Crete had a reputation! And it wasn’t a good one. That’s why it was important to find Cretans that didn’t act like Cretans to be True Elders for the church.

Titus was to rebuke those who were trying to infiltrate the new church with false teaching so that they didn’t get caught up in ruinous doctrine.

That doctrine, it seems, included Jewish myths and probably dietary and ceremonial rituals imposed on believers (v.14) “the commands of those who reject the truth.” V.15

“To the pure [pure at heart], all things are pure [including ceremonially pure], but to those who are corrupted [at heart] and do not believe, nothing is pure [you’ve got to follow these rules and they won’t save!]. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”

Those are strong words.

And they highlight the third and last reason why True Elders are needed.

#3. BECAUSE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THE LORD.

These folks CLAIM to know God, but their actions deny Him.

Do you know folks like that?

Unfortunately, I think that the West Branch area is full of people like that.

They claim to know God, they have a religious affiliation, but they aren’t living as faith-followers of Christ, having believed the gospel of GRACE and know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

People Need to Know the Lord!

It’s the only way for them to NOT have their minds and consciences corrupted!

If you don’t know the Lord yet, then I urge you to come to Him.

Turn from the false teaching that this world offers.

It’s Cretan! It’s just words and deceptive and empty and dangerous.

And turn to Jesus Christ.

He died on the Cross as the perfect sacrifice for your sins.

And everything He did is everything you need! You don’t have to add to it to get to heaven.

Turn and trust in the Savior. He’s a wonderful savior!

You need to know Him.

Read More