For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Titus 2:11-14
Last night I completed a study in the book of Titus. As Wayne Barber shared in the video Titus is easily broken down by its three chapters. This is a short and to the point letter of instruction and encouragement to Titus from Paul. The church in Crete was in a mess… and it didn’t take long for it to get in a mess.
This letter was written around 62 AD. Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead around 30 AD. So either the church in Crete was never right side up or we better be warned because it only took thirty years for it to get flipped upside down. This is why we must constantly examine ourselves (Psalm 26:2), our church (2 Corinthians 13:5), and the doctrine being preached (1 Thessalonians 5:21) to see if we have strayed from God’s Word and His purpose.
Right doctrine leads to good deeds and good deeds meet pressing needs and that bears fruit, beloved. Are we bearing fruit? Good fruit that is, we all bear fruit, the question always should be, what kind are we bearing?
Last week I had the opportunity to go over the points of doctrine in the book of Titus. Titus is a mainly practical book, but the doctrine that is laid out in its three chapters is pertinent to the health of every church. It would be on this doctrine that Titus would stand as he worked to flip an upside down church back right side up.
The points of doctrine are found in Titus 1:1-3, 2:11-14, and 3:3-8. I encourage you to take the time to read it and not just know it, but internalize it and live it… because if you are not and can not, beloved you know not the grace of God. We will live out the doctrine we truly believe and Paul makes it clear to Titus that those who truly are of sound doctrine will have evidence of sound deeds. Those deeds are described throughout the rest of the book of Titus and Titus 2:11-14 teaches us why and how this is true.
“For the grace of God has appeared…“
In our modern day American society we throw our heads back and sing loudly the beautiful words, “amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me…” and boldly proclaim that we are under grace and not the law, I fear that many have made grace a “feel good” and in doing so we have done the worst and turned it into licentiousness (Jude 1:4). Grace is not a feeling.
In John 1:14 we learn that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw His glory, full of grace and truth. The grace of God appeared when Jesus Christ entered this world as the one and only God-Man. Then after His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension for those who have believed, the grace of God which appeared to us was received by us (Romans 5:17). This grace empowers us and enables us to walk and live as children of God.
For the grace of God has appeared…
- instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in this present age.
What age is that? This one. This. One. The age you are in. The age between the cross and His coming again. What is godly and ungodly is not determined for us by man, it is instructed to us by the grace of God. There is nothing that our society can try to convince us is right or wrong that can sway those who are children of God. It doesn’t matter what is determined okay by the standards of man, we are held by the standard of God. Those who belong to Christ have received the grace of God and this grace comes along side of us instructing us how to live.
That word instructing in the Greek is paideuó and it means discipline, educate, train, to more severely chastise, to cause one to learn, under development with strict training, so they mature and realize their full potential (development). This requires necessary discipline (training), which includes administering chastisement (punishment). In other words the grace of God has not appeared to make suggestions and recommendations to us that we can choose to obey, ignore, or twist to meet our own desires. The grace of God means business. If we are indeed God’s child, then He expects us to act like it.
My husband and I have three girls and these three girls are instructed and taught by us. They were and are expected to obey our instructions and teachings regardless of where they are and who they are with and if at anytime we come to learn that they are not doing so, well its time for a reminder with necessary discipline and punishment. The Scriptures make it very clear that God disciplines His kids (Hebrews 12:4-11).
- looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ
When I wandered away from the Lord and was lost for years in the world of the prodigals there would be a many nights and a many times when out of no where this thought would come to, “What if He came tonight?” What if He came tonight and this was how and where He found me? The thought of it terrified me! Now I ask you, where did that come from? It came from the grace of God.
Think about it. When you were a kid, was your behavior and choices affected by the realization that your parents could walk in at any minute? At work, does your attitude and efficiency adjust when the boss is on site? At home does the house look different when company is being expected? Yes! Of course it does! Our Lord tarries and the grace of God is there with us instructing us to stay awake and focused and looking, because if He came today and found you where you are and how you are, would you be ashamed? Oh precious one, don’t get caught ashamed (1 John 2:28).
- who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
If you belong to Christ, truly belong to Him, then you should be zealous for good deeds because that is what He redeemed you to do. The word zealous is zélótén and it means one who is eagerly devoted to a person or a thing, with the genitive of the object: with the genitive of the thing, most eagerly desirous of, zealous for, a thing, to acquire a thing. Jesus came to bring good news, to set the captive free, to make the blind see. He met pressing needs… even from the cross (John 19:26-27). Therefore if we are His costly, treasured, specially chosen then we too should do likewise… even from our own crosses if need be.
Good deeds are not something we are “called to do” they are what we cannot help but do! The grace of God and the love of Christ compels us…
For the grace of God has appeared…
Therefore…
be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable,gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:1-7
Our deeds do not save us, but by our deeds we testify that we are saved. Our deeds represent what doctrine we actually believe. If you want to know what someone really believes, look at their deeds.
Look at your own beloved… are you an example of good deeds? Your life is supposed to attract people to a very precious message that you carry.
Does it?
