Look What the Lord Has Done!
Titus 3:1-7 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. 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. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 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, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Intro: I’ve heard people say, “I would become a Christian if it weren’t for Christians.” There have been times when I’ve seen the logic in that statement all too clearly. Sometimes Christians can be the meanest, most arrogant, and most selfish people around! How do I know that? Because I’ve been mean, arrogant, and selfish at times since I became a follower of Jesus. Shocking, I know. But how do Christians get this way? How can we follow a loving, forgiving Savior, but treat others as if they have no worth? How can we keep jumping back in the mud when God has made us clean?
-Well, it is not my aim to get into all the ways we can get off track with the Lord. But it is my aim to help us take steps to get back on track and honor Him with our lives! It is possible to live a life that God approves of! But it is only possible b/c of what He has done. With God’s help we can live in such a way that God will get the attention! People should be able to look at our lives and say, “Look what the Lord has done!” Paul gives Titus some reminders for the people of God in Crete to help them resist the influence of their culture and live for the Lord. Let’s take a look!
1. Remember How to Live
Titus 3:1-2 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
-Live in a way that honors God and helps people see Who He is! (1-2)
2. Remember how you used to live! (3)
Titus 3:3 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.
1. Foolish. A foolish person lacks understanding, or literally, one who is senseless or “not having a mind.” A lost person is described in Ephesians 4:18: “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” No matter how smart someone is, if they are not alive spiritually, they are considered foolish. Proverbs 10:23: “A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.”
2. Disobedient. A person apart from Christ is by nature rebellious, willfully disregarding authority. This word refers to one who refuses to be persuaded, or one who persists in doing what he wants to do, no matter what God says. Proverbs 14:19 tells us that “fools mock at sin.” To paraphrase Jonathon Edwards, every unbeliever is hanging by a thread over the fires of hell. And the only thing that keeps them from falling into the flames is the hand of God. Disobedience is like saying to God, “I dare you to let go.”
3. Deceived. This Greek word describes a wandering. We are all prone to wander. 1 Peter 2:25 says that before we were saved, we were “like sheep going astray…” Jeremiah 17:9 was written with all of us in mind: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Often our biggest problem is not with other people; our biggest problem is with our own heart. Satan, the ultimate deceiver, works at keeping people in the dark as stated in 2 Corinthians 4:4: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
4. Enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. Jesus taught in John 8:34 that those who sin become “slaves to sin.” The nature of sin is that it will make you its slave. Like the country of Crete (where Titus ministered), our culture is filled with “all kinds” of passions and pleasures, and these sins will enslave as 2 Peter 2:19 teaches: “…for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” The phrase, “all kinds” refers to a manifold diversity of longings and unhealthy pleasures. “Pleasure” is from the root word that is translated “hedonism,” which is the belief that indulgence is the chief end of life. We hear this all the time, don’t we? People say things like, “I just want to be happy” or “I deserve to have fun” or “I just gotta be me!” Those who want freedom to do whatever they want will eventually end up in bondage to that which they are pursuing.
5. We lived in malice. This word basically means “badness in quality.” Malice is wishing evil or harm on someone else. A malicious man is one who desires to destroy or causes distress and rejoices in doing so.
6. Envy. Envy is not just wanting what another person has, but also resenting that person for having it. An envious person is never satisfied with what he or she has and will crave continually for more. Proverbs 14:30 paints a vivid picture of envy: “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” D.L. Moody once told the fable of an eagle that was envious of another that could fly better than he could. One day the eagle saw a hunter with a bow and arrow and said to him, “I wish you would shoot that eagle up there.” The man agreed but said he needed some feathers for his arrow. The jealous eagle pulled out a feather and gave it to the man but it wasn’t enough. So he pulled out one after another, until he had lost so many that he couldn’t fly. The archer took advantage of the situation, and killed the helpless bird. If you’re envious of others, the one you will hurt the most by your actions will be yourself.
7. Being hated and hating one another. The word “hate” means loathsome and detestable. When one lives in slavery to passions and pleasures, others (even those sinning alongside him) will eventually come to hate him. The feeling is mutual and hating becomes a way of life and often can’t even be explained.
-But let’s move on to remember what the Lord has done! We need to remember where we’ve been so we know that there is hope for those around us who are currently living a “B.C.” life.
3. Remember the Power of the Gospel! (4-7)
Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 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, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
THE LION AND THE DOG
D.L. Moody one time saw a man beat his dog at a zoo one time because he was mad at him. He had made a bet and boasted about him being so obedient and when he tried to get the dog to do something he wanted, it wouldn’t do it and he lost his bet. He got so mad at that dog and just beat him and beat him and beat him mercilessly.
Finally, after he was wounded and bleeding and whimpering, he threw him in the lion's cage so that the lion would eat him. And that poor whimpering, beaten, pitiful dog, standing shaking on his legs was in the presence of that great lion. And that lion came over to that dog and sniffed him and then he begin to lick that little dog and the dog laid down and the lion laid down there just keeping him warm and licking his wounds. And the man, after a little while felt sorry for the dog and told the man to let him have his dog back. And the person in charge of the lion cage who had seen him beat that dog said, "Fine, you can have your dog back. But you're going to have to go in there and get him yourself!"
And that's the way it is with me and you – we were beaten, bruised, and battered by our sins and by sin in general, and now Jesus has taken us in and has healed our wounds and protects us from the enemy that once enslaved us!
A. Saved because of His mercy (not b/c we’re good, but b/c He is!)
B. Saved through new birth (You must be born again! John 3)
C. Renewed by the Holy Spirit (New life comes by God’s Spirit- breath of God; but this renewal can only come after we are born again in our spirits)
D. Made right with God by His grace (Justified- declared legally innocent)
E. Made beneficiaries who are living with hope (Eternal life begins now if you’ll accept it! The hope we have is the hope of Christ’s return, so that whether we live or die, we’ll be with Him forever! )
-Part of recognizing the power of the gospel is being willing and motivated to share it with others. And recognize that we cannot do that without the help of the Holy Spirit. Power to be witnesses of who He is and what He can do! Not power to be perfect, but power to overcome who we used to be, power to overcome the enemy of our souls, and power to boldly share the gift we have been given – a solid relationship with the God who created us all!
Almost 200 years ago, a guy named George Wilson was sentenced to die by hanging after he killed a guard while robbing a federal payroll. President Andrew Jackson, feeling gracious and merciful, decided to pardon him. Unbelievably, Wilson refused to accept the pardon. The case became so legally confusing that the Supreme Court had to give a ruling. Chief Justice John Marshall delivered this verdict: “A pardon is a parchment whose only value must be determined by the receiver of the pardon. It has no value apart from that which the receiver gives it. George Wilson has refused to accept the pardon. We cannot conceive why he would do so, but he has. Therefore, George Wilson must die.”
We have been given a pardon for all that we’ve done in the past. We’ve been given power to deal with the future. And we have the promise of where we’ll spend eternity. We are sinners, but there is a Savior. And He calls all people everywhere to turn away from sin and turn to God.
It is possible to live a life that God approves of! But it is only possible b/c of what He has done. With God’s help we can live in such a way that God will get the attention! People should be able to look at our lives and say, “Look what the Lord has done!”
