What Does God Think Of You?

What Does God Think of You?

Text: Titus 3:1-8

Introduction: Do you ever wonder what people think about you? Do you really even care? Whether we will admit it or not, most of us do care what others think of us to some extent. Allow me to pose another question: Has anyone ever told you what they think about you? Unfortunately, some people just feel it is their lot in life to share what they think about others quite openly whether the things they have to say may be hurtful or not.

Today, I want to look at this matter from a spiritual perspective. If you were to ask Satan what he thinks about you, he would probably say, "You are a failure!" If you asked society what they think of you, they might say, "You are a fool!" If you asked self, that is, your own heart, self might say, "You are a fake!" Have you ever heard these things? Many have and some even on a daily basis!

But, does it really matter what Satan, society and self think about you and me? No! All that really matters, in the end, is what God thinks about us. Have you ever wondered just what God thinks about you? Is it possible to know what God thinks about us? Do we really want to know what He thinks about us? This passage before us gives us a clear revelation of God’s thoughts about us.

Paul is writing to Titus, a young Pastor on the island of Crete. In chapter two, he wrote about how believers should behave in the church. In this chapter, he talks about how believers should behave in society. Paul calls on Titus to "put them in mind" or "remind them" about certain things. He wants believers to remember who they are in Jesus; what they have in Jesus; what God has done in them through Jesus; and what God expects of them as believers in Jesus.

In these verses, Paul answers the question: What Does God Think Of Me? In this passage designed for instruction, we can also discover a word of encouragement. Some of you may become discouraged as you wonder how God sees you. Well, if you are saved, you are about to find out. If you are not, then you are going to learn how God would see you if you came to Jesus. Let’s look into these verses together as we address the question: What Does God Think Of Me?

I. God Thinks You Are Precious

- vv. 3-6 - "For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, captives of various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another. But when the goodness and love for man appeared from God our Savior, He saved us--not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior"

A. Satan says, "God doesn’t care about you at all." God says something completely different. In these verses, we learn that God loves us more than we can possibly understand.

B. Verse 3 describes what the believer was before meeting Jesus.

1. Foolish – Ignorant of everything to do with God.

2. Disobedient – Rebellious toward God’s authority.

3. Deceived – Being led deeper and deeper into sin by Satan.

4. Captives of various passions and pleasures – A slave to our fleshly appetites and passions.

5. Living in malice and envy – Given over to a lifestyle of evil - never satisfied.

6. Hateful – Mean-spirited and hard to get along with.

7. Detesting one another – No love for our fellow man.

*God could have written us off and just allowed us all to go to Hell, but He loved us and did something about it!

C. In spite of what we were and are, God chose to display His love for us.

1. Verse 6 says this display came through Jesus Christ.

2. God’s love for fallen man was evidenced by the sending forth of Jesus into the world to die for our sins.

3. The cross is God crying out: "I love you! You are special to Me!"

D. So, what did this dosplay of God’s love do for us?

1. Verse 4 begins with the word: "but."

2. God knew what we were; He knew all about our sins and our excess baggage, yet He still chose to save us by His grace.

3. Verse 5 describes all that His love and grace did for us.

a. He saved us from the penalty of our sins (saved).

b. He washed us from the defilement of our sins (washing).

c. He renewed us by His Spirit.