"Go and sin no more." -- Jesus
I would like to take a look at a very simple passage of scripture found in the second chapter of Titus.
“11For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is good deeds. Titus 2:11-14
God’s grace has been revealed. It is the grace of God that brings us salvation. Paul is writing and instructing Titus on the teaching that he needs to share with those he is leading. It is very practical teaching and Paul is very clear in the details. In chapter 2;1-10, Paul gives specific instructions to older men, older women, young men and young women.
Verses 11-15 are wrap-up verses. They represent the bottom line of this teaching. I want to seek to understand these verses with you today.
The fact is that we have all been called to be disciples. Discipleship once had a very clear meaning. It meant to be with Jesus. The first disciples abandoned everything and followed Christ while He was here on this earth. While they did not have instant maturity they were continually growing and becoming more Christ like in their lifestyles, attitudes and relationships. The heart or inner attitude of discipleship is forever the same.
“In the heart of a disciple there is a desire, and there is a decision or settled intent. Having come to some understanding of what it means, and thus having “counted up the costs,” the disciple of Christ desires above all else to be like Him.” Dallas Willard, The Great Omission
Leo Tolstoy wrote that “man’s life whole life is a continual contradiction of what he knows to be his duty. In every department of life he acts in defiant opposition to the dictates of his conscience and his common sense.”
The society we live in and sadly much of the Christian world would have us to understand that we are poor hopeless humans with no hope of every standing strong and true as a Christ follower and unashamed disciple of Jesus Christ. This sense of failure causes us to feel a sense of profound hopelessness and a sense of worthlessness. I am afraid that many of us have subscribed to the theory that there is no way we could ever stand up in our world and be a salty, light giving example, showing people the way of life.
I would remind you that Jesus description of un-salty salt describes how many of us feel about ourselves: “no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and trampled under foot” (Matthew 5:13)
Luke makes the point even more poignantly: “35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Luke 14:35
A. W. Tozer wrote many years ago his: “feeling that notable heresy has come into the being throughout evangelical circles—the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need him as Savior and that we have the right to postpone our obedience to him as Lord as long as we want to.” Tozer clearly states: “that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred scripture.”
This “heresy” has created the impression that it is quite reasonable to be a “vampire Christian.” In effect we say to Jesus, “I would like a little of your blood, please. But I don’t care to be your student or have your character. In fact, won’t you please excuse me while I get on with my life, and I’ll see you in heaven.” (Dallas Willard, The Great Omission)
Are you a passionate follower or disciple of Jesus Christ?
Are there desires and intentions in your life that you hold to be more important than being like Jesus?
Are you committed to spiritual formation in your life?
Are you making strides forward in your spiritual formation?
Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8 – 13-14:
7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”
13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
How then do we do this? There are no easy 1, 2, 3 answers but there are clues scattered throughout the word of God. Today I want to give you three of them and I am going to ask you to make them a real part of your walk with Christ.
These steps to spiritual growth are found in these verses in Titus.
1. Authentic Christ follower are to turn from god-less living and sinful pleasures
“11For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures.
I want to talk very seriously to some of you today. Some of you in this room are maybe thinking about becoming a Christ follower and if that’s you this is for you. Others have already made that decision and you are trying to figure out what that means, and if that’s you, this message is for you. Very simply put, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ then live like it.
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” I John 2:15-17
Thomas Constable has a succinct summary of John’s warning:
"The lust of the flesh is the desire to do something apart from the will of God. The lust of the eyes is the desire to have something apart from the will of God. The pride of life is the desire to be something apart from the will of God. The first desire appeals mainly to the body, the second to the soul, and the third to the spirit. Perhaps the most common manifestation of the lust of the flesh in modern western civilization is illicit sex (hedonism, idolizing pleasure). Perhaps the most common manifestation of the lust of the eyes is excessive buying (materialism, idolizing possessions). Perhaps the most common manifestation of the pride of life is trying to control (egoism, idolizing power)." (Titus Notes)
You and I are to live in this world and not be sucked into godless living. This should not be a fight or struggle. In the simplest of terms, it is loving God with all your heart, mind and strength. It is loving God more than anything in this world. It is loving Him more than bad habits, destructive behavior and even addictions that destroy our physical bodies.
Have you turned from godless living?
Is there some sinful pleasure as Paul describes it, that you love more than God?
Can we just stop for a moment today and ask God to give you the desire to leave it behind and move toward loving Him more than the sin that drags you down? Paul writes that to turn from godless living and sinful pleasure we will need to embrace three things:
“We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,”
2. Three ingredients for godly living:
a. Wisdom
The bible is very clear about our need for wisdom.
“His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?” Job 9:4
“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 “5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless. . .” Proverbs 2:5-7 “ 4 he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. 6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 7 Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment 8 If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you.” Proverbs 4:4-8 “4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:4-6
wis•dom (w z d m) The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.
Wisdom is the ability to take an honest look at oneself and destructive behavior and see how foolish we are acting. Becoming wise will cause us to move toward God and to follow Him as authentic disciples of Christ.
This will cause us to appear very unique in a world that is spinning out of control.
b. Righteousness
Righteousness is not something we possess on our own but it is a way to live. Honestly today, what do you want to be known for in your life? Do you want to be known as a person who wallowed in the shallows of sinful behavior their whole life or would you like to be known for as a person who loved God more than anything in this world?
“You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” Psalm 45:7
“I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,” Proverbs 8:20
“The LORD detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness.” Proverbs 15:9
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
Righteousness is simply loving God more than we love the world. It is longing for God’s word to live in our hearts and lives.
It is treating others as we would want to be treated.
It is caring for the poor.
It is demonstrating God’s love in a world that doesn’t understand love very much.
Dal Mucci
Do you desire to live a life of righteousness? Let’s pray about it.
c. Devotion to God
This ingredient speaks for itself. Devotion to God is just what it says. It means that you and I don’t allow anything to come between us and God.
Many years ago, I sat for a day under the teaching of Peter Marshall Jr. I will never forget the words he spoke and context in which he shared them. It was a United Methodist church in Sunbury Pennsylvania. It was a beautiful and historic old Methodist church. About 40 of us sat in a side room and listened as he shared his heart. In essence this is what he said.
If there is anything or anyone that controls you aside from God then that person or thing is sitting on the throne of your heart. If anything or anyone is sitting on the throne of your heart other than God then that is idolatry and needs to be repented of.
That night Marshall invited a much larger crowd to come forward and pray, (something I am quite sure hadn’t happened in nearly a hundred years) and very nearly everyone in the room got up and bowed their faces and hearts before God.
All God wants from us is everything. He wants to be Lord of our lives. He wants to be Lord of our decisions, our relationships, our vocations, and He wants to us to live out His word in each of them.
I’m going to be very honest with you today. There is no substitute for living a surrendered life to God. I know that there is a lot of modern teaching that would leave the believer to wallow in sinfulness and shame all of their lives but I pick up my Bible and I read it and every where I turn God is calling us to be holy or to be a reflection of Himself.
I am not talking about a legalistic, man-made list of rules but just simply taking up the word of God and loving it, folding it into our lives and letting it shape us instead of the culture around us. The way you live matters.
Who are you emulating? Who are you trying to be like today?
Can we just pause and let God speak to us for a moment?
God is there anything or any area of my life that is not surrendered to you? I have embraced something of this world over living a life of devotion to you?
3. We are to live with our eyes and hearts fixed on the future.
15You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them, correcting them when necessary. You have the authority to do this, so don’t let anyone disregard what you say.” Titus 2:15
Howard Hughes: Worth 2.5 billion dollars at his death, he was the richest man in the United States. He owned a private fleet of jets, hotels and casinos. When asked to claim his body, his nearest relative, a distant cousin, exclaimed, “Is this Mr. Hughes?” He had spent the last 15 years of his life a drug addict, too weak in the end to even administer the shots to himself. His 6’4” frame had shrunk to 6’1” and he weighed only 90 lbs.
Not a single acquaintance or relative mourned his death. The only honor he received was a moment of silence in his Las Vegas casinos. Time magazine put it this way: “Howard Hughes’ death was commemorated in Las Vegas by a minute of silence. Casinos fell silent. Housewives stood uncomfortable clutching their paper cups full of coins at the slot machines, the blackjack games paused, and at the crap tables the stickmen cradled the dice in the crook of their wooden wands. Then a pit boss looked at his watch, leaned forward and whispered, “O.K., roll the dice. He’s had his minute.”
