The Evidence of Grace
Titus 2:11-14
May 13, 2018
Last week we sort of wrapped up the SOLAS.
But what we’re going to do now is sort of
Put an APPENDIX on the end of the study.
As we have said the SOLAS all deal with the concept of justification.
They all relate to how a sinner is brought to salvation.
• By Grace Alone
• Through Faith Alone
• In Christ Alone
• As Revealed in Scripture Alone
• To the Glory of God Alone
Those all relate to how a person is brought to salvation.
However, we know that salvation is not the end point of the Christian, it is the jumping off point.
We are justified that we may live for the glory of God.
This is why even in the history of the church it was work of the Reformers
That gave way to a group of believer known as the PURITANS.
The Puritans were the second wave of Reformers
Who took the gospel which had been rediscovered in the Reformation
And whole-heartedly applied it to Christian life.
Men like John Knox and Samuel Rutherford, and Matthew Henry,
And John Owen and Isaac Watts
And these men lived just as their label suggested. They were Puritans.
And I make that point because I want you to understand that
The rediscovery of grace did not produce a more sinful church,
But rather a more holy one.
The fear of Rome and the fear of Legalistic religion for all time
Has been that if you ever expose people to pure grace
Then you will lose your strongest motivator for holy living; which is fear.
What they failed to realize is that without the exposure to pure grace
Then you never tap in to the strongest motivator for holy living;
Which is love.
A fitting analogy of this can be found in Luke’s gospel
In a story where we will study in the near future.
TURN TO: Luke 7:36-49
Without working on that text too much, there are a few things that are obvious.
We have a woman there who is doing the unthinkable for Jesus.
(37-38) paints a really remarkable picture of love and gratitude.
“And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.”
I don’t know a lot about the scene, but
• I do know that Jesus wore sandals and walked dirt roads…
• I know what my legs and feet look like after a day of baseball during the
season I can only imagine the condition of Jesus’ feet.
And yet this woman washed and dried and kissed them repeatedly.
She apparently made such a scene that it shocked the Pharisees who were watching.
But of course Jesus gave that all-important revelation about this woman.
(47) “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
THE POINT?
Grace produces genuine love and devotion.
That is actually the very foundation of Christian obedience.
The SOLAS really only relate to the doctrines surrounding justification,
But the Christian life does not stop there.
We are well aware that another doctrine arises
And it is the doctrine of SANCTIFICATION.
Namely that we are to now live holy lives.
And as we said the legalistic crowd has always feared that an exposure to pure grace would only cause people to no longer care about holy living.
This was in fact the battle Paul fought in Romans 6.
After revealing that where sin increased grace abounded all the more, Paul could already hear the antagonists firing at him from all sides.
• “Paul, now people are just going to live sinful and claim grace…”
• “Paul, if there are no consequences they’re just gonna indulge the flesh…”
To which Paul responded:
Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
And of course the point Paul makes is: NO THEY WON’T
People who have truly experienced grace
And been united with Christ have in fact died to self
And no longer desire those sinful things.
THEY WON’T return to sin using grace as a license
BECAUSE it is grace that has caused them to no longer want sin.
Now to be certain there are some who use grace as a license to sin.
For example Jude says:
Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Jude warned of people who do actually use grace as a license to sin.
But people who use grace in this way
Are only people who know about grace,
Not people who have experienced it.
True grace never leaves people in their sin
Because it is the gracious work of God to pull them out of it.
Some seem to think that
The grace of God is nothing more than God turning a blind eye to the evil things we do. That is not the grace of God.
The grace of God is when God reaches down
And rescues sinners from the sin which will destroy them.
He does not merely rescue us from the PENALTY of sin,
But also from the POWER sin
And the POSSESSION that sin has over our lives.
God’s grace is a total deliverance.
What that means then is that God’s grace comes with EVIDENCE.
And this is what we want to spend some time on
Now before we put a period at the end of our study.
Having examined the tenants of the gospel;
• Namely the process and purpose of justification.
I think it’s only fitting that we now look at what the gospel produces
Which is in fact a holy life.
And this is what Paul will spell out so clearly for Titus in his letter.
We’re not going to preach through the entire letter at this time,
But it is important to understand some basics here
So that the text we are looking at takes on its intended priority.
• The letter to Titus is known as a “Pastoral Epistle”.
• It is one of 3 pastoral epistles that Paul wrote (the other 2 are 1 & 2 Timothy).
• It is Paul’s instruction to a young minister regarding how he should set up and instruct the church.
Titus 1:5 “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,”
• Paul’s admonition was for Titus to set up that church.
• He was to appoint elders to rule the church, and Paul gave Titus very strict instructions as to how to pick those men.
That is the basis of chapter 1.
When we get to chapter 2
• We find that Paul branches out regarding his expectations for people by addressing various groups of people within the church and how they should live.
For example:
(READ 2:1-2)
• There we find Paul’s admonition concerning old men and the key there being that they should be RESOLUTE.
• Men who know the faith, who live the faith, who stand in the faith, and who endure in the faith.
(READ 2:3)
• There we find Paul’s admonition to older women, and the key for them is that they should be REVERENT.
• They are not to get carried away in any fleshly vice rather that be drinking, gossip, or any other thing.
(READ 2:4-5)
• We find Paul’s admonition to younger women, and there we see that they should be DEVOTED TO THEIR FAMILIES.
• As wives and mothers they are expected to forsake the world and devote themselves to their husband and their children.
(READ 2:6)
• And Paul’s admonition to them is simply to be SENSIBLE, not impulsive or rash or quick tempered or arrogant.
(READ 2:7-8)
• We see Paul’s admonition to Titus and the key word there is that he is to be an EXAMPLE.
• At all times the church at Crete should be able to look at him as an example of what Christian living looks like.
(READ 2:9-10)
• That is Paul’s admonition to slaves and the key word is SUBMISSIVE.
• They are to humble themselves before their masters and do the work without grumbling.
Now, we can all agree that those comprise some very difficult commands.
They are not necessarily expectations that are easy to live up to.
The flesh wars against all of those,
And in most cases the world promotes just the opposite attitudes.
What Paul asks believers to do there is very difficult.
And yet Paul says these are the types of things we do
If we want to honor God and adorn His doctrine.
If you skip down to chapter 3 you find Paul giving a list of things that the believers in Crete should REMEMBER.
(3:1) says they should be GOOD CITIZENS
(3:2) says they should be GOOD NEIGHBORS
And the implication is that they are to be submissive to rulers
And good to neighbors WHO DON’T DESERVE IT.
And Paul’s reasoning is because we are also recipients of mercy.
(3:3-7)
And finally Paul tells Titus to remind this church in Crete what they should AVOID, and that is that they should avoid STRIFE
(READ 3:8-11)
If you take all that together what you find in Titus
Is a book filled with every difficult expectations for the Christian.
He/She is called to resist the flesh, resist the world, show mercy, love and goodness to all people and to do so without a contentious spirit.
We’ve only barely skimmed the top of what those commands imply but I think you still get the point that they are NOT EASY COMMANDS.
What they corporately reveal is THE EXPECTATION FOR THE CHURCH
And they are such an important expectation that Paul says in 2:15
Titus 2:15 “These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”
I mean these things aren’t optional.
These are the expectations for the believers in Crete.
But right in the middle of those expectations
We find the chief motive for that lifestyle.
What is it that motivates a believer to live in such a manner?
• Is it fear of judgment?
• Is it fear of God’s rejection?
• Is it fear of discipline?
• Is it desire to earn God’s favor?
What motivates such sacrificial living?
THE ANSWER: GRACE
Grace supplies both the means and the motivation for holy living.
And that is what Paul reveals in the passage we look at tonight.
For all of those who think grace is just some “get out of hell free” card
That allows believers to just do whatever they want without fear
They obviously do not understand grace at all.
Here Paul lays out the facts about grace.
And if you’ve received that grace which we talked about in the SOLAS
Then let me tell you the PURPOSE and AIM of that grace in your life.
There are 3 points we want to see tonight about grace.
#1 WHAT GRACE BROUGHT
Titus 2:11
“For” is the word that transitions this passage as the motivation for the commands we read above it.
It’s as if the church heard Paul’s list of expectations
And immediately said, “Why should we?”
And in verse 11 Paul brings the answer.
“For the grace of God has appeared,”
Stop there for a moment.
That certainly is no little thing.
“appeared” is EPIPHAINO
And it refers to something being BROUGHT TO LIGHT,
Especially in a way that was NOT PREVIOUSLY UNDERSTOOD.
It is not that God’s grace was not always present,
It is that God’s grace was not very well understood.
However when Jesus arrived and the gospel was proclaimed
Grace was brought to light.
2 Timothy 1:9-10 “[God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”
God’s purpose and God’s grace where both revealed
When they appeared with Jesus.
About Jesus we read:
John 1:14-17 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”
• That is why Simeon could hold that 8 day old baby in the temple and declare that he could depart in peace for his eyes had seen God’s salvation.
Throughout His life Jesus became the very epitome of God’s grace.
• Doing good,
• Healing those who did not deserve it,
• Offering forgiveness to the vilest of sinners,
• Ultimately atoning for sinful men through His own death on the cross.
It was grace, grace, grace, grace; and it appeared
In a way that mankind never understood it before.
And the wonderful truth here is that God chose to reveal it.
God chose to show it to us.
• He certainly was under no requirement to ever be gracious.
• He certainly was under no mandate that forced Him to send His son into the world.
But it was in fact grace that caused God to let grace appear at all.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
God simply chose to reveal His grace.
And it is what grace brought that was truly amazing.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men”
Certainly you’ve studied enough now to know that
Paul is NOT here referring to UNIVERSALISM.
• He is not indicating that the appearance of Jesus ended with every single human now being saved.
• If you read the verse that way then you totally distort a large portion of the rest of the New Testament.
The point of course is that God’s grace
Brought the opportunity for salvation to all men.
Now I know, at this point you can throw up your hand and say, “Wait a minute, I thought we believed in election and limited atonement and things like that?”
We absolutely do, but don’t allow the reality of election
To distort the opportunity of salvation.
Any man who chooses to believe in Christ will absolutely be saved.
Salvation in that sense is possible for any and every human being.
As we said, every time we offer the gospel
It is a real and binding and absolutely valid offer.
Jesus has arrived and any man who wants salvation can be saved.
The doctrine of election merely reminds us that when the offer was made every single human, of his own free will, absolutely and categorically denies that offer.
The only people who take advantage of it are the elect whom God, by grace,
Regenerates their soul and grants them faith
And effectually draws them to Christ for that salvation.
But never has there ever been a sinner who wanted salvation to whom God said, “No, you’re not elect.”
God’s grace sent salvation into the world in the form of Jesus Christ.
And it is far more than just a salvation from hell.
• It is also a salvation from sin.
• It is a deliverance from our old master.
Which is also Paul’s point in Romans 6.
Romans 6:15-23 “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It was freedom and salvation from sin.
That is what Grace Brought
#2 WHAT GRACE TAUGHT
Titus 3:12
Grace literally instructs us.
“instructing” is the word PAIDEUO
It is where we get our word “pedagogy” which refers to instruction.
In Galatians 3 Paul speaks of the law as a PAIDAGOGOS which is translated “tutor”
Grace is far more than just a sentiment of God to let sinners off the hook.
• Grace is a teacher
• Grace is a tutor
• Grace is an instructor
And here is what Grace taught:
“instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires”
“ungodliness” is ASEBEIA
Which refers to a lack of reverence and devotion to God.
As you know in our natural state were are totally depraved.
And Scripture speaks to this sinful condition repeatedly.
Genesis 6:5 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Or of course we could read that conglomeration of passages in Romans 3 again which reminds us that “there is none who does good; there is not even one.”
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
And you understand of course that this was the heart of man.
• We had no reverence for God.
• We had no fear of God.
• We had no devotion to God.
• All we wanted was all that the world offered.
The entire world shared the same bumper sticker and it said,
“Where are we going, and what’s with the handbasket?”
It was literally “To hell in a handbasket”
But it was God’s grace that appeared in the form of Jesus Christ
To for the first time awaken us from our sinful slumber
And to instruct us to “deny ungodliness and worldly desires.”
It was grace that opened our eyes to the atrocity of blaspheming God.
It was grace that revealed to us our dangerous condition.
Romans 1:18-21 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
It was grace that appeared and showed us the error of our ways.
• Grace told us to stop offending God.
• Grace told us to seek out His forgiveness through Christ.
• Grace told us that reconciliation was possible.
Grace became our teacher and told us to flee from what was killing us.
And then Grace taught us “to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,”
“sensibly” is a compound word
And it has to do with a person who has a “saved mind”
They are in control of their own mind.
• He doesn’t allow temptation or influence to cloud his judgment.
• He tests what he hears and discerns what he sees.
“righteously” of course speaks of his dealings with fellow man.
• He’s not a cheat or a liar or immoral or a murderer.
• He walks in love which does no wrong to a brother.
• He doesn’t engage in the sinful patterns that inevitably harm others.
“godly” refers to a person’s devotion and nearness and desire for God.
• They commune with God
• They draw near to God
• They love God
And grace taught us all of these things.
Grace taught us that
• There is nothing but danger in destruction found in following the pattern of this world.
• Walking estranged from God and contrary to His laws would only bring suffering and pain.
• Our greatest good is to walk in unhindered fellowship with God.
And certainly since that is what grace teaches
Then that is what grace expects.
And so you understand why Paul follows that long passage of difficult commands with this revelation about grace.
• When he tells older men to be resolute
• When he tells older women to be respectable
• When he tells younger women to be devoted
• When he tells younger men to be sensible
• When he tells Titus to be an example
• When he tells slaves to be submissive
He knows those are hard commands to swallow,
But that is precisely what grace teaches.
• Run from the pattern of the world
• Run from the desires of the flesh
• Run from a disrespectful attitude toward God and pursue the things that please Him.
• Pursue a sensible mind that discerns what is true and clings to it.
• Pursue a righteous lifestyle that walks uprightly in the world
• Pursue godliness and close intimate fellowship with Him
This is not just what grace brought, it is what grace taught
#3 WHAT GRACE BEGOT
Titus 3:13-14
That is another way of saying “what grace produces”
And that is a longing for glory
Glory is the desire of the Christian in this life
Because it is in glory that our body of sin
Is totally and permanently done away with.
1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”
John there speaks of the glory that is to come
When our salvation is complete and our body of sin is done away with.
And because this is the hope of believers John goes on to say:
1 John 3:3 “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
Which is to say that people who have a genuine hope for glory
Don’t just wait until glory to try and achieve it.
Even though we will never acquire sinless perfection in this life,
That doesn’t stop every true believer from seeking it out.
Sinless perfection is our HOPE, sinless perfection is our PROMISE,
And that makes sinless perfection our daily PURSUIT now.
In fact John would continue by referencing those who don’t pursue it.
1 John 3:4-8 “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
John wasn’t saying that if you ever sin at all then you aren’t saved.
That’s not true, nor the point.
John is speaking of the desire and pattern of life.
• No true believer is ok with sin
• No true believer disregards holiness
• No true believer desires sin
Grace in us produced a longing for sinless perfection.
That’s what Paul says here to Titus.
That Grace in us is “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,”
• Because of grace we now long for Christ.
• Because of grace we now long for sin to be destroyed.
• Because of grace we now long for His kingdom where righteousness dwells.
Those who still find their pleasures
In the allurements and entrapments and carnalities of this world
Are only revealing that their lives are not a product of grace.
Grace causes us to desire the righteous kingdom.
In fact longing for that kingdom is a key descriptor of the redeemed.
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2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
And just to make sure you understand what His appearing entails
Paul reminds you of exactly what His mission was:
(14) “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
• Do you really think that Christ will return to let lawlessness survive?
• Do you really think Christ will return to leave things filthy?
• Do you really think Christ will return to tolerate evil?
Of course not!
• Christ is a redeemer from lawlessness.
• Christ is purifier from sinfulness.
• Christ is an enforcer of good deeds.
And because of the work of grace in our lives,
We long for His return to complete that mission.
That is what grace produces in us.
• Grace brought us salvation from our sin.
• Grace taught us to quit loving sin and offending God and to seek righteousness and godliness.
• Grace begot in us a desire for Christ and His return and a kingdom where righteousness dwells.
THAT IS WHAT GRACE DID.
So how could anyone in this world say, “I’ve received the grace of God that I might go and now enjoy my sin”?
And you know the answer: THEY CAN’T!
• Genuine grace does not produce licentiousness in a person.
• Genuine grace does not produce apathy in a person.
• Genuine grace does not produce worldliness in a person.
GRACE PROVIDES SANCTIFICATION
GRACE TEACHES SANCTIFICATION
GRACE PRODUCES SANCTIFICATION
GRACE EXPECTS SANCTIFICATION
And we’re going to talk more about this in the coming weeks,
But namely I just want you to begin to CONTEMPLATE
THE EFFECT OF THOSE SOLAS IN YOUR LIFE.
Those SOLAS represent what God and God alone accomplished
In order to bring about your justification.
But it doesn’t stop with the SOLAS.
From there we move to sanctification
Where now, thanks to redemption,
I join the work of God to also work with Him
For my holiness and purity.
Regeneration was indeed a monergistic effort (God alone)
But after regeneration it becomes a synergistic effort (God and me)
Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
And this is what we’re going to begin to look at.
God started the work of making me like Christ,
And now thanks to grace I join that work.
