WHAT GRACE BROUGHT US
TITUS 2:11-15
By Dewayne Bolton
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world: Looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our savior Jesus Christ : Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a pecular people, zealous of good works.”
This is Paul’s third pastoral letter. Like the first two he wrote to Timothy it is written to strengthen, encourage, and exhort Titus in his role as pastor of the church in Crete. In this letter Paul exhorts young Titus to; rebuke false teachers, speak sound doctrine, and maintain good works. In the verses mentioned above Paul uses a term we are familiar with. A term we all are the recipients of, though not deserving. The word I am talking about is found in verse 11 and it is grace.
Notice Paul said THE GRACE OF GOD HATH APPEARED TO ALL MEN. That means no one is exempt. Every man, woman, boy, or girl is the recipient of God’s grace. No one has to choose whither he/she will be the receiptants of God’s grace they are automatically. This includes the most despicable person you can think of. An example of this is the child molester. We look on them with contempt and scorn; God looks on them through the eyes of grace and love. Now this doesn’t mean God condones what they do, but He loves them just the same, and God’s grace has appeared to them. If that wasn’t so they would have been struck down the moment the deed was done.
Grace has been defined as the unmerited favor of God. Also, it has been defined as God’s riches at Christ’ expense. Grace is not getting what we deserve it is getting what we don’t deserve. Grace is extended to all men by the hand of love and is the free gift of God, therefore we ought to thank God for it. We cannot earn it, we don’t deserve it, but thank God we all benefit from it. In this message I want to center our thoughts on WHAT GRACE BROUGHT US. There are four things I want to share with you that grace brought us.
FIRST GRACE BROUGHT US EDUCATION (v. 12)
Notice the verse says, “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that.” To teach is to educate. The Holy Spirit is the teacher or educator. In John 14:26 Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” Titus tells us He will teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.
The Holy Spirit begins teaching us about the fact of sin. That is that sin is real and is an intrusion into the stream of human life. Sin was not part of God’s original plan for man, but through the guise of Satan, sin entered. Paul tells us by one man’s disobedience all are sinners. (Romans 5:19) But the grace of God didn’t stop with teaching mankind about the fact of sin but it taught him about the cure for sin. There is only one cure for sin and that is the blood of the sinless Son of God. There is deliverance from the curse and power of sin because the grace of God teaches us about this too.
The Holy Spirit continues to teach us about the things of God after we are saved. There are two main things the Holy Spirit does in His teaching mankind, one is to teach them about sin; its reality, its fruit, its final result, and He teaches the Christian about the Christian life, (as referenced in the first paragraph).
SECOND: GRACE BROUGHT US EMANCIPATION
“THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY” (v14a) To emancipate is to set free. In John 8:38 Jesus said, “HE THAT THE SON MAKES FREE IS FREE INDEED.” The song writer said,
Once I was bound by sin’s galling fetters; chained like a slave,
I struggled in vain,
But I received a glorious freedom
When Jesus broke my fetters in twain.
Another song I heard a long time ago talked about being is sin’s dark dungeon, but Jesus paid me a visit loosed my chains and set me free.
Mankind was created to be free; he wasn’t created to be bound by sin or anything. Because man was created to be free he seeks freedom in all sorts of ways trying all kinds of things only to find that they become more bound with every effort to free himself. Until man realizes he cannot free himself there is no hope for Him. That’s why God sent the Holy Spirit to teach us about freedom and lead us to the great emancipator. Freedom is found only in surrender as long as a person struggles, he is bound.
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THIRD: GRACE BROUGHT US ERADICATION
So grace not only brought us education and emancipation it also brought us ERADICATION. Notice v 14b where Titus says, and purify for Himself, His own special people, zealous for good works. To eradicate is to remove and destroy. It is to go to the root of the matter and remove the root of sin from whence sin springs. To purify is to make free from any foreign elements to remove all impurities. Look again at verse 14 and notice especially the word AND. And is a conjunction that connects two parts. It means, also, besides, and in addition to. It denotes that after being forgiven of sin there is another work to be done. Let me try to explain and hopefully make it a little clearer. In salvation we are forgiven the deeds of sin we committed; in sanctification the heart is purged. It removes the ill temper that causes one to fly off the handle and say things they should not say, and once they did say, wish they had not said. It removes fault finding and a grumbling spirit. This is complete salvation.
LAST: GRACE BROUGHT US EXPECTATION
“LOOKING FOR THE BLESSED HOPE AND GLORIOUS APPEARING OF OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. (v13)
Expectation gives us the thought of looking forward to, or anticipation of something. We have much to look forward to;
First the resurrection I Thessalonians 4; 16-18 tells us: “FOR THE LORD HIMSELF SHALL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN WITH A SHOUT, AND WITH THE VOICE OF AN ARCHANGEL, AND WITH THE TRUMPET OF GOD. AND THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST.
THEN WE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR. AND THUS WE SHALL ALWAYS BE WITH THE LORD. THEREFORE COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS.”
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These verses not only give us the hope of meeting the Lord in the air, but of being reunited with our loved ones that have died and gone on before. Notice Paul says when the voice of the archangel sounds and the trumpet of God sounds, the dead in Christ will rise first (16b). Then he says, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. We all talk about that glad reunion day in heaven, well according to these verses we won’t have to wait till we get settled in Heaven to be reunited for it will take place in the air. Jerry Goff used to sing a song that said in part, I’LL SEE YOU IN THE RAPTURE SOME GLAD DAY. This verse tells us the glad reunion we all look for will take place when the rapture takes place. That is when the Lord comes back for His own. When will the rapture take place? No one knows, but personally I’m expecting the trumpet to sound any day, how about you?
Then one more thing we are all expecting and that is Heaven. The place Paul described as a city eye hath not seen, nor ears heard, neither hath it entered into the hearts of man the things God has prepared for them that love Him. John said He saw it coming down, Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you and then I will come again and take you to be with ME forever. This is the city that has no night, no sickness, no sorrow, no separation, no death, and no tears; for God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. The city where there will be no need of the sun for Jesus is the light.
Now we are told it has streets of pure gold, gates of pearl, and the river of life, where we’ll be able to sit down with Jesus under a big oak tree and listen as He explains all the things we went through while on this earth. Now put that together and let your imagination run wild. Paul said we cannot even imagine what heaven is like. Well that’s all good to think about, and I have let my imagination run wild, but in conclusion, the thing that will make Heaven, Heaven is not the streets of gold, gates of pearl, the many splendid mansions, but Jesus will be there, and that’s the main reason I want to go. I want to see Jesus most of all. How about you?
