I’ve seen teens grow up and leave God. It's actually a very common thing today.
Titus 2:11-12 explain that grace teaches us how to live. We need more grace-filled Christians. I see in verse 12 two main actions that must occur for us to live a grace-filled life.
1. A PURPOSEFUL DENYING
A. Deny a Wicked Lifestyle
Proverbs 4:14-15, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”
Revelation 3:15-16, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
Explanation: The wickedness of the world cannot mix with a godly life.
What if you took something delicious and mixed it with something vile? This is exactly what happens in Ezekiel 4:12-15 (read).
Illustration: Cow Poop brownies
Application: Does your life make God sick?
B. Deny Worldly Lusts
I John 2:15-16, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
II Timothy 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts...”
Romans 13:14, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof.”
Explanation: Worldly lusts will diminish our spiritual capacity for God.
Illustration: Spurgeon aptly stated this of sin: "If I had a brother who had been murdered, what would you think of me if I ...daily consorted with the assassin who drove the dagger into my brother's heart; surely I too must be an accomplice in the crime. Sin murdered Christ; will you be a friend to it? Sin pierced the heart of the Incarnate God; can you love it?"
Application: will you hurt the heart of God by lusting after the world?
2. A POWERFUL DUTY
A. Live Soberly
Explanation: To live soberly is to live with a serious mindset. Why should we do this?
I Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Live soberly because the devil is seeking to destroy your life.
Titus 2:6, “Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.”
Live soberly because we are to encourage others to live soberly as well.
Illustration: we are to gird up the loins of our mind, as a man would gird up his robe so he would not be hindered (I Pet. 1:13).
Application: Are you living for God with a sober mind?
B. Live Righteously
Explanation: We must live right in the eyes of God. This is to live with a holy character. God commands us to be holy.
I Peter 1:16, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
Illustration: the ermine
In the forests of northern Europe and Asia lives a little animal called the ermine. He is mostly known among us by his snow-white fur, a thing which there is nothing more beautiful on the fur markets of the world. In some countries the state robes of judges are lined with it, the white being emblematic of purity and honor. The ermine has a peculiar pride in his white fur coat. At all hazards he protects it against anything that would spoil it.
It is said that the fur hunters take cruel advantage of the ermine's care to keep his coat clean. They do not set a snare to catch him at some unwary moment, but instead find his home, a cleft in the rock or the hollow of a decaying tree, and daub the entrance and interior with filth. Then their dogs start the chase. Frightened, the ermine flees toward his home, his only place of refuge. He finds it daubed with uncleanness, and he will not spoil his pure white coat. Rather than go into the unclean place he faces the yelping dogs and preserves the purity of his fur at the price of his life. It is better that he be stained by blood than spoiled by uncleanness.?The ermine is right—purity is dearer than life.
Application: Are you running right into the trap hole of worldly filth?
C. Live Godly
Explanation: The word “godly” means “to be pious, devout.” Would God want us to be devout? Yes! To be devout means to be committed. We must live a committed life.
Mark 12:30, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”
Philippians 3:13-14, “…this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Illustration: a runner is committed to run the race for the prize
Application: Are you a committed Christian, or are you a halfhearted Christian?
CONCLUSION
The Christian life can summed up in denying and doing. We are not just to deny worldliness and wickedness, we are to deny ourselves!
Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” If you’re not willing to deny your flesh, you cannot be a real disciple of Christ, and you will do nothing for God.
It’s not enough just to deny. What are you doing for Christ? Living a godly life will lead to action in your life.
Will you take your life seriously? Will you live a holy and separated life? Will you be committed to your Savior? By the grace of God, I don’t want to to fall by the wayside, I want to live a life of grace! How about you?
