TEXT: Titus 2:11-15
INTRO: When was the last time you stopped and simply thanked God for wonderful stories? Stories come in many fashions, shapes, and sizes. Some are in the present (Ex. Tiger Woods), some are from years past (Ex. childhood), some are perpetual (stood test of time).
ILLUS: The following story of errors actually appeared in a newspaper several years ago. First Day: FOR SALE—R.D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Phone 958-3030 after 7 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Kelly who lives with him cheap. Next day the ad was “corrected” to read: NOTICE—We regret having erred in R.D. Jones’ ad yesterday. It should have read: One sewing machine for sale. Cheap. Phone 958-3030 and ask for Mrs. Kelly who lives with him after 7 p.m. That correction was “corrected” the day after. It read: R.D. Jones has informed us that he has received several anonymous telephone calls because of the error we made in his classified ad yesterday. His ad stands corrected as follows: FOR SALE—R.D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Cheap. Phone 958-3030 after 7 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Kelly who loves with him. Finally, the day after, Mr. Jones “corrected” the ad himself with a second ad: NOTICE—I, R.D. Jones, have no sewing machine for sale. I SMASHED IT. Don’t call 958-3030 as the telephone has been taken out. I have not been carrying on with Mrs. Kelly. Until yesterday she was my housekeeper, but SHE QUIT!
PROP. SENT: The Bible teaches us that the story of God’s grace is amazing. Why? It is the saving grace of God that breaks the penalty of sin, power of sin, and eternally the presence of sin as we will abide with the Lord forever. The amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that brings salvation to our lives as sinners also brings transformation into our lives making us more like the Savior!
I. IT IS THE STORY OF A GREAT SAVIOR – (Line 1)
A. Great in His Graciousness – Grand Titus 2:11a
1. Titus was a man whose life had been changed by God’s grace – everyone is in need of “saving grace.”
2. Titus had heard of the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ through the preaching of the Apostle Paul.
3. We know that Titus took God’s call on his life very seriously because he was willing to leave behind everything – serving with the Apostle Paul in the gospel ministry.
4. BY FAR the greatest story in the history of this world is the story of God’s amazing grace – demonstrated personally and perfectly in the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. John 1:14, 16-17, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
5. There are many definitions of grace that have talked about for years.
a. GRACE – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense
b. God giving us what we do not deserve (No one deserves God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, Holy Spirit, heaven, etc.)!
c. The unmerited favor of God
6. These definitions are all wonderful for grace helps us to see that a right standing with God does not depend on who I am or what I’ve done, but on who God is and what God has done!
ILLUS: J. Vernon McGee tells the story of a certain man who wanted to join the local Baptist church. The deacons were unsure of his character and began asking him questions. Their last question was regarding his personal salvation. They asked, “How did you get saved?” His answer was, “God did His part, and I did my part.” They thought there was something wrong with his doctrine, so they questioned further, “What was God’s part, and what was your part?” He said, “God’s part was the saving, and my part was the sinning. I ran from Him as fast as my sinful heart and rebellious legs could take me. He ran after me till He ran me down.”
B. Great in His Goodness – Gift Titus 2:11
1. God’s grace is amazing because it extends to all people!
2. The people of Crete that Titus was called to minister to were not the classiest of people on the block.
3. To call someone a “Cretian” was a great insult in these days!
4. They were known to have the character of:
a. Liars
b. Cheaters
c. Gluttons and Drunkards
d. Unfaithful and untrustworthy
5. This is the story of God’s amazing grace!
6. It wasn’t the goodness of these folks that qualified them for God’s grace, it was totally 100% the goodness of God.
7. Perhaps some of you feel there is no way God could relate to you by His grace this morning.
a. You’ve been unfaithful sexually
b. You’ve lost your temper one too many times
c. There is an addiction that you can’t seem to find victory over.
d. You feel everyone else could be blessed by God – but you are so unworthy because of sin, guilt, shame.
ILLUS: Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. —Jerry Bridges
5. Salvation is not a matter of your goodness, but of God’s grace.
6. Titus 3:4-5, “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy HE saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
ILLUS: Salvation is a gift and you can't boast about a gift. You can only be thankful. —D. James Kennedy
II. IT IS THE STORY OF GREAT SINNERS – (Line 2)
A. Great in Our Guilt Titus 2:12a
1. Saving grace is also “strengthening grace.”
2. From the time you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior until the day He takes you home, you will face spiritual struggles.
3. One of the greatest spiritual struggles you are going to face is which place God is going to have in your life.
4. Another is by the constant pull of worldly pleasures, passions, pursuits.
a. You may have wonderful clothes – the world will not want you to enjoy them – but desire better.
b. You may have a cell phone that works just fine – the world will tell you that you must have one with phones, radios, high speed internet, etc.
c. You may have a wonderful family – the world will tell you that you deserve something much better – and try to lead you into a lifestyle of being unfaithful to the Lord and family.
4. It is natural state for those who do not love God to love the world, for this is their home.
5. It is not normal for the child of God to live a life dominated by sin and worldliness– they have another home they long for in which Jesus reigns.
6. Victory is won because of God’s strengthening grace!
7. What kind of difference would it make in this world if every pastor longed to live holy before God and led His congregation to live holy and righteous in the Lord, too!
a. Too many churches are seeking to be “happy” without being “holy.”
b. God desires that each of us look to Him first – as our relationship with the Lord is strengthened – the things of this world begin to lose their stronghold on our lives!
ILLUS: Could the United States be headed down a path similar to that of ancient Rome? Let’s look at the five reasons for Rome’s downfall, as set forth by Edward Gibbon in his classic work The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. They are: 1. The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home. 2. Increasing taxes and spending of public money for bread and circuses. 3. The mad craze for pleasure, with sports becoming more exciting and more brutal. 4. The building of gigantic armaments, when the real enemy is the decadence of the people. 5. The decay of religion, with faith fading into mere form. See: Revelation 3:1-5,
B. Great in Our God Titus 2:12b
1. To deliver us from sin and bring us into God’s kingdom we need saving grace.
2. To help us say no to sin and its continual pull we need that strengthening grace of God.
3. To help us look more like Jesus in this present age we need God’s sanctifying grace – the total process of becoming more and more like Christ!
4. Too many Christians think of victory in Jesus as something that will only happen once they reach heaven – but victory in Jesus is what everyone of us needs in the nasty and now!
5. Beth Moore had a book out not too long ago called, “When Godly People Do Ungodly Things.”
6. Remember, God doesn’t work overnight to make you more like Himself…He’s at work on you all the time…this is a process!
ILLUS: Grace seeks to help people reach their potential. Grace does not condemn those who have not arrived. Grace focuses on solutions – not just the problems. Grace is the lubricant that eases friction in any relationship. Grace celebrates success and keeps no record of wrongs. – Henry Blackaby, Gracisms
7. Through God’s sanctifying grace we are separated not only from sin…but unto a living, loving relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that begins to make us look less like the world and more like Him!
8. Embrace God’s call to total devotion to holiness and godliness!
9. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” John 17:17 - In Ephesians 5:25, we read, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that HE might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word.”
ILLUS: E. Stanley Jones, Methodist doctor and missionary to India, writes: The early Christians did not say in dismay: “Look what the world has come to,” but in delight, “Look what has come to the world.” They saw not merely the ruin, but the Resource for the reconstruction of that ruin. They saw not merely that sin did abound, but that grace did much more abound. On that assurance the pivot of history swung from blank despair, loss of moral nerve, and fatalism, to faith and confidence that at last sin had met its match. —Leadership, Vol. 19, no. 4.
III. IT IS THE STORY OF GREAT SATISFACTION – (Line 3)
A. Great in Guidance Titus 2:13
1. God’s saving, strengthening, sanctifying grace is also…Second Coming grace.
2. The “blessed hope” belongs to every child of God and focuses our attention on the truth that we will see the Lord Jesus Christ one day and we’ll be with Him forever.
3. That blessed hope gives us strength and confidence to live our lives with purpose and meaning – a better day is coming!
ILLUS: In his book Winning Life's Toughest Battles, psychologist Julius Segal told about the 25,000 American soldiers who were held in POW camps during World War II. Some died, some survived. There was no reason to believe that there was a difference in stamina between the two groups, but there was one major difference: Those who survived were the ones who held on to the hope that they would someday be released. They talked about the jobs they would have, the kind of person they would marry, the homes they would build. Many of them drew pictures on the wall to illustrate their dreams. Segal goes on to say that researcher have found that a hopeful attitude can lead to physiological changes that improve the immune system -- the body's ability to fight disease.
5. Knowing we have this hope in God does not lead us to just sit back in our pajamas and wait on the Lord like children wait for Santa on Christmas Eve!
6. This hope in Jesus leads motivates and encourages us to live our lives for His honor and glory now!
7. Aren’t you thankful today your hope is not built on:
a. A Political leader or party
b. Never encountering any problems
c. The hope of winning the lottery
d. Perfect religious system
8. The difference between the world’s hope and biblical hope is that worldly hope is unsure of what it hopes for (Hope I’ll find the right person, hope it doesn’t rain on my day off, hope I’ll make more money next year) – Biblical hope is sure of what it hopes for – because God has promised!
ILLUS: The Holman Bible Dictionary defines our blessed hope as...
"Trustful expectation, particularly with reference to the fulfillment of God's promises. Biblical hope is the anticipation of a favorable outcome under God's guidance. More specifically, hope is the confidence that what God has done for us in the past guarantees our participation in what God will do in the future. This contrasts to the world's definition of hope as “a feeling that what is wanted will happen.”
B. Great in Glory Titus 2:14
1. Think of the various forms of God’s grace we’ve mentioned – saving, strengthening, sanctifying, second coming…think now of serving grace.
2. When you truly begin to understand what God’s done for you, it will motivate you to serve the Lord with fresh passion!
3. While we were here in the muck of sin, headed straight for hell and death, God came and brought rescue and everlasting life!
4. Knowing how much God loves and cares for you leads you out of the lifestyle of living for self only…now you are living for the Savior!
ILLUS: Bo Barredo, a missionary who advocates an indigenous missionary strategy, shares the following about his family life: I belong to a relatively prosperous family of lawyers. My mother died of cancer at age 45. Our family buried her a few days before Christmas. My father was never the same again. He turned his back to the world, left his business and law practice and became a full-time missionary evangelist among our own people. To date, per written decision slips, God has used my father to bring to His feet more than 200,000 souls. Seeing our father’s great love for God and God’s beautiful love for him, three of my brothers and I and our wives, plus our youngest sister also became missionaries, pastors and evangelists. God gave us much grace. Where before as lawyers we represented the criminals before the judge, now as missionaries, we represent the Eternal Judge before the “criminals.” —A Mission Letter, from Advancing Native Missions, P.O. Box 5036, Charlottesville, Va 22905.
CONCLUSION: The story of God’s amazing grace brings salvation that leads to total transformation of our lives. The Lord Jesus paid the ultimate price by laying down His life for each of us…now He has freed us to live new lives in passion and purpose unto Him! 1 Corinthians 6:20, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God’s.”
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