The Ministry of Grace

Leave my coat off. Alright. Alright. Amen. Take your Bibles if you would.

Turn to Titus chapter two. Titus chapter two this morning. Where would we be if not for the grace of God? Amen. I'm going to look at the the ministry of grace this morning as revealed to us by Paul and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to his son in the faith, Titus, to a young man that had taken on a great responsibility.

Titus two verse 11, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people. Zealous of good works. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Dear Lord, thank you. Today, for your word, thank you Lord for the encouragement we find therein. Thank you Lord for the grace of God. That has brought salvation to all who come to Christ in faith. The grace of God that teaches us leads us and empowers us to serve our savior and live for him And that has assured us of a place reserved in heaven.

We thank you Lord. We pray if there be one here today that is yet to accept the grace of God and your son, Jesus Christ, as the savior of their life. I pray that they would do that today before they leave this place. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen.

Overwhelmed. Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Dumb question, Dumb question. Have you ever felt overwhelmed particularly with certain responsibilities or obligations which you either did not fully understand or felt incredibly inadequate to fulfill? You ever looked at a very high stack of papers you had to process and wondered to yourself, how can I possibly get this done?

Ever been handed a project which just seemed impossible? Maybe a paper or a report or some task. Maybe just life in general and the responsibilities of daily to family and work can be overwhelming. In the book of Titus, Paul is giving instruction and encouragement to Titus. Titus was once an apprentice, an assistant to Paul and his evangelistic ministry and now, Titus likely at Paul's behest and definitely at the leading of the Lord had taken on a greater responsibility for the churches on the island of Crete.

Crete's an island off the coast of Greece. The gospel had reached the island probably at least indirectly, if not directly as result of Paul's ministry. Souls have been saved, churches had been started, small groups of believers throughout the island. It's pretty big island. And Timothy, I'm telling you, I mean, those, I'll probably say Timothy a few more times before we're done today.

Titus had taken on the responsibility to oversee those fledgling churches to get them on the right track. It was quite an overwhelming task. It was indeed a challenging ministry and Titus likely a bit overwhelmed. Maybe a little like Joshua. Looking over the Jordan River into Canaan as he prepared to lead the 2,000,000 people behind him.

In the Canaan. And his armies in the battle. He knew firsthand what he was up against. He had been one of the 12 spies that had spied out the land previously. He knew about the walled cities and the the armies with chariots and and the soldiers that were nearly twice their size.

It must have been a quite an overwhelming thought but Joshua moved forward because he knew it wasn't he that would conquer the Canaanites, it was who? It was God Who would deliver them into his hand? Rather than the other way around. Paul knew Titus' concerns. So, he wrote him to help alleviate some of Titus' fears and give him needed instruction and encouragement.

Sometimes, we all need a little instruction and encouragement especially from the Lord but even sometimes from one another, the Bible, the writer of Hebrews, wrote not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as some do. But exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. It's important for us to come together and encourage one another in our faith and service for the Lord. Help to to focus our eyes back on Jesus Christ And the grace of God as Paul is doing here for Titus. Paul instructed Titus on the appointment of leaders in the churches particularly bishops or pastors and gave a list of qualifications they needed to meet in chapter one.

He warned him to be on guard for false teachers and troublemakers who would likely seek places of leadership in the church to manipulate people and to lead them away from the Lord and not to him. He instructed Titus concerning the responsibilities and needs of a different groups within the church particularly the old and the young men and women and Timothy himself. He then addressed the need for all believers to live upstanding holy lives. In the remainder of the letter that he wrote. In verses 11 through 14, he revealed both the basis and the power.

For living. Upstanding. Obedient, holy lives before the Lord. As God desired that of Titus and of his congregation, so he desires it of us today. He deserves that of us Whom he has redeemed by his blood.

But he doesn't leave us floundering alone trying to do it. But by his grace, he has afforded us these things that we're going to look at from the passage this morning. Let's read Titus two verse 11 again. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.

Looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and of our savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. We're going to look at this morning at the three fold ministry of grace in these verses. The basis for holy living in the Christian life. The first ministry of grace is redemption. Apart from the grace of God, there would be no what?

There would be no redemption. There would be no salvation. No deliverance from sin and hell. If not for the amazing grace of God. Grace, the unmerited, unearned favor of God.

Sometimes, we throw around Bible words and we don't have any clue what they mean. So, sometimes it behooves us to take a moment to define them. Grace is the unmerited or unearned favor of God. In this case, the unmerited favor and the goodness of God on which basis he brings salvation from sin and hell to all who receive Christ by faith. Grace is the unmerited, unearned, gift of God.

That brings salvation, deliverance from Sentinel to all who put their faith in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have what? Everlasting. Everlasting life. Amen.

Amen. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, trust him from your heart to be your Lord and savior, to save your soul from sin and hell, he will do it. According to the grace of God, not according to your merit, your good works, or not because you're better than somebody else because we're all on the same boat. Praise God. Jesus Christ can deliver us from the boat that leads to hell and put us on the track that leads to heaven.

Only by his grace. Romans six twenty three, for the wages of sin is death. That's where that's where all human beings are headed apart from the grace of God. They have earned their wages and that wages will lead to a place called the Lake Of Fire described in Revelation chapter 20. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen. The wages of sin is death. What we have earned is death and hell but what God wants to give you today is what? Eternal life. Salvation from that punishment in sin and hell.

Deliverance from it. He wants to rescue you. And if you've trusted Christ as savior, he has. Rescued you. How?

By his grace. The Christ who gave himself for us in order to redeem or purchase us back from sin and the saving grace of God that appeared unto all men are effectively one and the same. God's gift comes to us via his son, Jesus Christ, who by his grace, his graciousness, his love, and his mercy for us came and died for us while we were yet what? While you we were yet sinners. Romans six twenty three on the screen here for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and only through him.

But God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, what? Christ died for us. And he died for you. What is that? That is the grace of God.

Manifest, revealed to us. Not just in the words of scripture but in the person of Jesus Christ. Writer of Hebrews said, in times past, God, God revealed to us his will by the prophets but now in these last days, he is revealed in his son who? Jesus Christ. Right.

He is God's gift of grace to us. He is the only way of salvation from sin. If you'll turn to Ephesians chapter two, hold your place and put a mark there in Titus. We'll be back. But Ephesians chapter two this morning, and beginning in verse one We're going to read down through verse nine.

So, if you have a Bible, you can grab one. Ephesians chapter two verse one. And you hath he quickened. The word quickened mean made alive, okay? You have the quickened, made alive, who were dead in trespasses, and in sins.

Wherein in times past, you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince and power of the air, the spirit then out worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom also, we all had our conversation or our life lifestyle, our living. In times past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and where by nature, the children of wrath, even as others. The desires of the flesh are not good. Desires of flesh of which Paul speaks their desires to rebel against God.

That is the way of the world. I put on the sign out here. I don't know if you saw coming in this morning. Are you following Jesus or the world? Who are you following today?

Jesus or the world? Praise the Lord. We have the opportunity by God's grace. That's right. To follow Jesus.

Otherwise, we would be stuck following the world. Verse four, but God, that's that's one of the most wonderful phrases in scripture but God but God who is rich in mercy. For his great love were with he loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together, raised us up together with Christ. By grace, you're saved and have raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

That in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. You notice the numerous times we see the word grace. In the latter verses that we read there. For by grace are you saved?

Through faith. Not the works of man but the work of who? God. Jesus Christ on the cross. Not what man has earned but what God freely offers.

To us, who will receive How are we saved? Saved from sin and hell? Well, only by the grace of God. Not by works, not by religion, not by getting dunked in water, not by doing sacraments not by getting your name on a church roll or putting money in the offering plate. We're saved as a gift of God's grace to us alone and what he did for us on the cross of Calvary But the grace of God doesn't only bring us salvation.

But also changes us day by day into the image of Jesus Christ, our savior. In other words, God continues to shower upon us his love and power once again unearned to help us in our endeavor to serve him. And indeed, we need it. Salvation is not just about an escape from hell in the lake of fire. Salvation is also about a change that God wants to make in us where?

Here, when? Now. And it is by his grace that that is accomplished. It is not by our might. It is not by our endeavor to follow the rules.

Though following the rules is good. Don't get me wrong. But it is by God's grace that we are changed. That he changes not only our actions but he changes our what? He changes our heart.

Jesus said to his disciples, unless your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Well, the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus day, they were the rule keepers. They kept the rules the best they could. They couldn't keep them perfectly because they were what? They were sinners just like us.

And those in Jesus' day, many people looked up to those Pharisees. Well, boy, they're really good people. Jesus said, they were like whited sepulchres. On the outside, they were painted pretty but inside, they were full of what? Dead man's bones.

Decay and corruption. The problem was not the outside. The problem was the inside. A list of rules can't change the inside. Only the grace of God.

Through Jesus Christ, our savior. Has the power to do that. Jesus told his disciples, without me, you can do nothing. Nothing pleasing to do. Pleasing to God in heaven.

He told Peter, James, and John in the garden. When he had asked them to pray and found them sleeping, he said to them, the spirit is willing. I know you want to do the right thing. But the flesh is what? The flesh is weak.

I know that you want to do the right thing. But your flesh is not helping you. The flesh is incapable. We need the grace of God and the power of his holy spirit. Amen.

The Holy Spirit hadn't yet come. On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came, Peter was a changed man. No, the flesh was still the same. The difference was the what? The difference was the Holy Spirit in his life.

The grace of God It made a difference. The Holy Spirit doesn't just save us. The Holy Spirit teaches us. Back to Titus chapter two, in verse 12, it says, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Now, teaching, you see the word teaching and there's there's about four different words in Greek that that are translated teaching, okay?

One of them means to instruct. In another words, to to give forth information, okay? And that one's used quite often to teach. In other words, to to give forth information, to proclaim information. You want to teach others?

Well, you you know, you teach em about science or you teach em about math. You you give them the facts and you instruct them. There's another word teach that is speaking of teaching people the gospel, okay? Discipling them in the gospel. This word teach means to train.

Like one would train a child, okay? It isn't just the imparting of information. It is more than that. Grace doesn't just give us information. It, the grace of God empowers us guides us changes us.

When it says here, teaching us, it means changing us. Transforming us. Reforming us, training us in the way of the Lord. It is by God's grace that he is transforming us into a different person than you were before you were saved. Granting us the power and wisdom we need to become like who?

To become like him. To become like Jesus Christ. God's grace to his children is not only expressed in the person of his son but it's also expressed here in his word and it's also expressed in the person of the Holy Spirit who lives inside your heart. If you are a child of God. These two combine as the spirit of God wields the word of God in your life and mine to transform our mind and our will.

To be more like our fathers in heaven. And be not conformed to this world but be what? Transformed. By the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is a good and acceptable and perfect will of God. How do you transform your mind?

You don't. God does. And God transforms our mind and our heart as we spend time in his word and does the holy spirit takes it and wields it in our heart. He transforms us. Not by our minor determination.

But by his grace and power. He is changing you and he is changing me. Conforming us into the image of his son. Jesus Christ. How does that happen?

It only happens by God's what? By God's grace. You can't do it without him. How many people? How many people are going to to churches and other places of worship and and reading books and going to school and and doing all of these these things thinking that if they just learned this list of rules and they just try a little harder, they'll be able to to change who they are and make themselves pleasing to God.

But as Jesus says to his disciples, without me, you can't do what? You can't do nothing. It doesn't work that way. For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It's a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.

He's not only talking about salvation from sin and hell but the salvation that brings a transformation in your life. As by God's grace, he trains us. He conforms us. Makes us more like his son, Jesus Christ. Teaching us, he says here, that denying ungodly and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.

There's a positive and a negative there. The negative is first. What is God's grace do? It teaches us, empowers us to deny the desires of the what? The flesh.

See, the desires of the flesh are against us. Paul said, walk in the spirit and you'll not fulfill the desires of the what? Or the lust of the flesh. You're not going to change your flesh but God will change your heart and he will give you victory over the flesh by his what? By his grace.

And enable you to deny the things that are contrary to the Lord. Now, not every desire you have is contrary to the Lord. But there are many desires that we do have that are contrary to the Lord. Those come from our sin nature, from our flesh, from the old man. In the Garden of Eden, God made man and woman in his own what?

Image. But they disobeyed. They rebelled. And they became sinners and their flesh, their desires, pulled them away from their God rather than to their God. Jesus Christ came to restore in us the image of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ came in order to make us whole again. To give us victory over those evil desires. And to one day rid us from them altogether but for now, we have the struggle but greater is he that's in me, you, than he that is in the world. Amen. God is greater because you have earned it?

No. Because he has given it. Out of love. And mercy. He will enable you to deny ungodliness, wickedness, and corrupt desires.

Matthew sixteen twenty four, Jesus said on his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. That must have seemed a incredibly difficult, if not impossible task to his disciples and apart from the grace and power of God, it is. But you child of God, by God's grace, you can. You can deny the sinful desires of the flesh. You can accept God's will in your life and you can follow him.

And you must. It is God's grace that has offered that to us. To deny these things and to live in a way that pleases to him. There we have the positive. To live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.

This world is against us. This world is not our friend. It is not only the flesh that draws us away from God. It is the world that does the same. But greater is he that's in us than he that's in the world and we can live for the Lord.

Soberly means in a self controlled, moral fashion. Now, the world's going to make it harder and harder and harder to for you to do that. And it's a very difficult world particularly for the young people today. Who are growing up in this mess. But greater is he that's in us than than in the world and God by his grace can change their life and he will if they will accept him and he wants to change ours.

We can live soberly, righteously, justly, with integrity before others. Now, lying and cheating and stealing is the way of the world. It's not the way of who? It's not the way of God and it's not the way of Christ and you can live differently by God's what? By God's grace.

He will help you. Doesn't mean you won't struggle. He says, ask and it shall be what? Given. You need help?

God says, ask me. So, if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of who? God and he will do what? He'll give it. God says, I know you struggle.

I'm a god of what? I'm God of grace. Ask. I will help you. To live soberly, righteously, godly, piously, demonstrating the love of God, the love of God toward others.

Not easy but you know, it's not all that hard either to love other people. If the love of God lives where? Lives in here. In first John, John wrote that that God's laws are not grievous to us. What does that mean?

That means this, if you know God and the grace of God has changed your life and the holy spirit of God lives inside your heart. You desire to please him. When God says, don't do this, it's not so burdensome to you because you want to please him because you want to do what's right because you love him. And so, the world out there that doesn't know Christ, they look at the lives of many Christians especially ones that are really living for the Lord and they think, how can you live that way? You know, look at all you're missing.

I'm not missing anything. I'm not missing anything. Neither are you child of God. Praise God for his grace. That is changing us into his image.

Empowering us in this wicked age to still live to the praise and glory of God who has saved us. That others would see our good works and glorify our father which is in heaven. Ephesians two ten, I read Ephesians two eight and nine, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Here's verse 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto what? You're not saved by good works but when the grace of God changes your life, it will do what?

It will produce good works. To the praise of you? No. To the praise of the grace of God and his power. To help us overcome the flesh and the world and the devil.

Number three, grace not only saves us and delivers us from sin and hell. Grace not only is the the basis through which God empowers us and changes our life but grace also does one more thing in closing this morning. Verse 13, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our savior Jesus Christ. It rewards us. We have a reward awaiting us.

Right. Grace gives us hope. A sure hope of the reward that waits us. Lord, that's really not ours. But a reward that awaits us that Jesus Christ earned for us.

I didn't earn this reward. He earned it for me and yet it is mine. Eternal life in heaven. The return of Jesus Christ for his own. His appearing.

It's coming. It's real. It will happen. I know it will. Because I've earned it.

No. Because he's promised by his grace. That it is mine in Christ Jesus. Looking for, awaiting with anticipation, the blessed hope and glorious appearing manifestation of Christ in the flesh once again Second coming of Jesus Christ who is our great God and savior. Someone says, yeah, Jesus Christ, well, he he was, you know, the son of God but he he's not God.

Well, Paul disagrees. Awaiting the coming of the great God and our savior Jesus Christ. It's not two different people. If you look in the Greek, it's descriptions of the same person. Jesus Christ, who is our what?

Our great God and our praise the Lord, our our savior. By the grace of God. It is by God's grace we have hope for eternity and can look forward to that which everyone else dreads. You don't have to dread. Because eternity is only going to get better.

Because it is on the basis of God's grace and not our works or personal merit that we have been assured that he has a place reserved in heaven for us. First Peter one three through five. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living, a lively, or living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Who are kept by the power of what? By the power of God.

You that are kept by the power of God. Through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. The last sentence up there is from Ephesians two ten. They got left but how are you being kept by your power? By God's power and there is a place reserved in heaven for us who have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb.

Amen. Jesus Christ, the Lord and savior. Only by the grace of God. And by his grace, we can be assured that he will keep us and that place in heaven is reserved for us. We have a living hope As Jesus Christ who said in John fourteen one through three, let not your heart be troubled, you believe God, believe also in me and my father's house are many mansions.

If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again receive you unto myself that where I am thee, there you may be also. The grace of God is the basis on which we have hope. Not our good works but his grace and his mercy. Anticipation that one day we'll see And one day, we will receive our inheritance.

Inheritance we didn't earn. That that was earned for us. Following verse 14 sums up Paul's argument for living a holy life as commanded above to each group addressed. He says in verse 14, who gave himself, that's Jesus, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, purifying himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. God sent his son.

He died on the cross for our sins to redeem us, to buy us back, that he might make us the the precious treasure that he created us to be. That we would be delivered from the just desserts of our sin that we might be transformed by his power in this present day to his glory and that one day, we would enjoy the blessings of heaven with him. Amen. Forever. As his peculiar treasure.

This is the basis for living a holy life. This is the basis of our salvation and this is the basis of our hope in Jesus Christ. By God's grace, you have been redeemed. From the task master of sin and death to serve the risen savior. Titus did not have to do all this by himself.

He couldn't have done it but by the grace of God as Paul encourages him. He encourages you. It is by God's grace you will overcome as well. Don't be overwhelmed. Remember God's grace.

Look to him for help. Study and meditate on his word and let his spirit do in you which only he can and transform you. You cannot earn it but you can live it. That is if you have received it by faith. Have you?

Have you received it by faith? Do you know Christ as your savior? Have you accepted his gift of eternal life? Are you still trying to get there on your own good works? You'll never make it.

You'll never change. No, not in here. Only Christ can save your soul. Only Christ can change your life and only Christ by his grace. Right.

Can reserve a place in heaven for you. As many as received him, to them gave you power to become the sons of God. Even to them that believe and trust in his name. If you haven't done that, I, Christ invites you today. Would you come as we sing this hymn of invitation?

Let's pray first. Dear God, thank you Lord for your love and grace that you have bestowed toward us. Lord, thank you for the revelation of it in your word. Thank you Lord for your son, Jesus Christ. Who has given us this opportunity through faith in him.

To have that we we would otherwise have no hope. But now we have more than hope. We have promises. The promise of God. Lord, we pray if there's one here that's yet to receive Christ as Lord and savior.

If they're unsure today, I pray Lord that you'd bring them down this aisle where we can share with them. The love of Christ, the grace of God, and how they can be saved and know it. In Jesus name, we do pray.