11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 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. Titus 2:11-14
The Power of Salvation
The Product of Salvation
The Promise of Salvation
The Price of Salvation
The Power of Salvation is the grace of Jesus offered to all
Only one thing brings us salvation: Grace-it is the power of salvation. No other thing or combination of things brings salvation-, not a 3-phase life, not 5 works of righteousness, or an 8-fold path, or a 12-step program. Grace and grace alone brings salvation.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
-has appeared to ALL men.
It’s all of grace,
From Spurgeon’s famous sermon series: All of Grace:
What an abyss is the grace of God! Who can measure its breadth? Who can fathom its depth? Like all the rest of the divine attributes, it is infinite. God is full of love, for "God is love." God is full of goodness; the very name "God" is short for "good." Unbounded goodness and love enter into the very essence of the Godhead. It is because "his mercy endureth for ever" that men are not destroyed; because "his compassions fail not" that sinners are brought to Him and forgiven. Remember this; or you may fall into error by fixing your minds so much upon the faith which is the channel of salvation as to forget the grace which is the fountain and source even of faith itself. Faith is the work of God's grace in us. No man can say that Jesus is the Christ but by the Holy Ghost. "No man cometh unto me," saith Jesus, "except the Father which hath sent me draw him." So that faith, which is coming to Christ, is the result of divine drawing. Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation; and faith, essential as it is, is only an important part of the machinery which grace employs. We are saved "through faith," but salvation is "by grace." Sound forth those words as with the archangel's trumpet: "By grace are ye saved." What glad tidings for the undeserving!
evident to all.
Eternity in their hearts- Don Richardson wrote an entire book about how God has revealed His plan and purpose to cultures throughout the world-from His preparation of Ephesus for the presentation of the Gospel by Paul to His revelation to remote tribes in preparation for the arrival of modern missionaries. One of my favorite stories (not from Richardson’s book) is that of Bruce E. Olson-Bruchko. As a young man he felt called to bring the love of Jesus to some place other than his native USA. He studied Greek and Hebrew on his own, preparing himself. He was rejected by missionary agencies because his health and education were not sufficient by their measures, but he went where he felt God had called him anyway-to a remote tribe, the Moltilone Bari indigenous tribes of Colombia and Venezuela. . . . The tribe was cannibalistic, and any stranger who entered their realm was doomed to death. Olson could not find anyone who would guide him to the tribe because everyone in the region was deathly afraid. So he went on his own. On the way to the area of the Moltilone, he became ill. He developed a fever and collapsed on the trail. According to Moltilone tradition, of one is found helpless the tribe had an obligation to care for him, so rather than killing Olson, they brought him into the tribe and nursed him back to health. He was there several years, learning their language and traditions. He developed a friendship with Bobishora, a teenager who had taken Olson as his project. Oleson was invited to join Bobishora on a rite of passage, and later was included in a funeral ritual in which the Moltilone explained to him their ancient prophecy that one day a white man would come and show them the way of truth from a banana leaf. He asked to see the plant-the banana plant of the prophecy. When they cut the plant, it spread open, reminding him of a book. He pointed to himself and said “I am the white man.” He took out his Bible and said “This is the banana leaf which contains the truth”. Bobishora gave his heart to Jesus.
Later there was a traditional gathering of the tribe. As they gathered in their tree-top dwellings they would begin singing a song which told the traditional history of their people. This time Bobishora began singing, and he added a new verse-the story of Jesus and how Oleson had come to fulfill the prophecy. The entire village came to faith in Jesus, and, over time, set down their spears and dedicated their lives to God’s service. They, in turn, began to evangelize other tribes in the surrounding area. God had prepared their hearts.
The Power of Salvation is grace, and it is offered to all.
The Product of Salvation is the Righteousness of Jesus imputed to those who believe
Salvation results in-TEACHES-good works. Good works can’t bring us salvation, but salvation brings us good works. We often get things backwards. We think we need to get things somehow straight before coming to God. He wants us to come to Him so He can set us straight!
How to deal with temptation-to run away from evil, God gives us the power to do so by giving us the Holy Spirit.
To develop our character, God gives us the fruit of the Spirit to grow love within us.
It is grace, the grace given to us by God, which gives us the strength to do what He has called us to do and be who He has called us to be.
Devin-his transformation and testimony. A dear friend, Devin Sareen, loves to tell his story. He was raised in a strict Hindu family in Delhi. He was a good student and was very successful at a young age, working in the medical field. He worked for Christians who simply and quietly showed the love of Jesus day-to-day. When Devin left that job, his boss asked if he minded if he prayed for him. As is the case for deeply religious people of many faiths, he was happy to have someone pray for him. The man said “Lord, I ask that you will lead Devin to the truth”. It was a simple prayer, and with it came the exhortation to read through the Gospel. As Devin was reading he prayed to his god for guidance, and the God of the Bible answered, as He revealed Himself to Devin through the Word. He began to pray for the Lord to reveal Himself, and had a simple faith. He prayed for healing, God healed. One time he even prayed that God would stop the rain long enough for him to get to his car, and the rain stopped. He now happily shares his story with anyone who will take the time to listen, and God continues to use him as a vessel to bring others to follow Jesus. Devin came to faith in Jesus after praying earnestly to his Hindu god. It is God’s grace that brings us salvation.
The Promise of Salvation is the Return of Jesus to judge all Eschatology-the blessed hope-the 2nd Coming of Jesus-Paul looks forward and sees Jesus is preparing us so when He comes we’ll be good partners in His plans for eternity. The Bible teaches Jesus is coming again, and that He will judge us at that time. This motivates us as well, a disincentive to wrong behavior-for those who don’t take the carrot, He provides an eschatological stick.
Chuck Smith’s illustration-The founding pastor of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa shared a great illustration of the ethical influence of the Second Coming of Jesus. He said, “what if you are smoking a cigarette, take a big toke, and then the Rapture takes place. You’re in heaven, and you exhale?” The point is not that cigarette smoking is the great evil. The sense that Jesus could come and take us at any time should motivate us to keep our hearts and all of our behaviors clean.
The Price of Salvation is Jesus’ death for all
The purpose for Jesus coming in the first place was to “redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that belong to Him, eager to do what is good”. His purpose from 1st coming to last, from beginning to end, is to make us holy, to redeem us from that nature within us which drives us down toward hell, and buries us under the mud of our imperfections and disobedience. He wants to bring us the resurrection power of a life lived in Christ and for Him.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17
"By Grace I'm Saved, Grace Free and Boundless"
by Christian L. Scheidt, 1709-1761
. . . By grace God's Son, our only Savior,
Came down to earth to bear our sin.
Was it because of thine own merit
That Jesus died thy soul to win?
Nay, it was grace, and grace alone,
That brought Him from His heavenly throne.
. . . . By grace to timid hearts that tremble,
In tribulation's furnace tried,--
By grace, despite all fear and trouble,
The Father's heart is open wide.
Where could I help and strength secure
If grace were not my anchor sure?
