The Grace of God and the Second Coming

Transcript

GRM 523
4/06/1997
The Grace of God and the Second Coming
Titus 2:1114
Gil Rugh

I want to look into a passage of Scripture with you tonight that talks about the grace of God and the coming of the Lord in Titus chapter 2. Titus chapter 2. The end of Titus chapter 2 Paul is going to focus attention on the manifestation of God's grace and that provision of that grace for our daily lives and the anticipation that grace gives us in looking for the blessed hope, the return in glory of the one who is our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The book of Titus is a book that focuses on our behavior, on how we conduct ourselves. It has strong words to say about those who in chapter 1 verse 16 "profess to know God but by their deeds they deny Him." Paul says they are detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed. And he would have in view here particularly false teachers who were corrupting and leading believers astray.

As you come into chapter 2 he exhorts Titus to speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. So sound healthy teaching is to characterize Titus's ministry. The goal in this is the older men, the older women, verses 2 and 3, the younger women, the younger men all might conduct themselves in a way that is consistent with the Word of God and thus honors the Word of God. The end of verse 5. The goal is that the Word of God may not be dishonored. That is to be a driving passion of our lives as God's people. The honoring of His Word, which is not easy. It does not come "natural" so to speak in a sincursed fallen world.

He is concerned that even slaves, those who serve others, would conduct themselves in a way that honors the Word. The end of verse 10, "That they may adore the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect." There's one overriding concern and consideration for us as God's people. Does this honor our God? Is this behavior and conduct that exalts Him? That is a proper adornment for the beauty of His Word?

Then he comes into that section that begins with verse 11, "For the grace of God has appeared." So the reason we are to conduct ourselves in a way that honors the Word, that adorns the doctrine, is because God's grace has appeared. And God's grace has brought us salvation and provided for us for every area of our lives. It was so clearly presented by Carrisa and the young people. It's a grace that centers in Calvary and the work of redemption on the cross but it's a work that continues on in the lives of God's people day after day after day in preparing them for eternal glory.


"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men." Verses 11 to 14 are one long sentence and the subject of this sentence is the grace of God, God's unmerited favor and kindness bestowed upon us, His love touching us. God's grace, that which is not deserved or earned, not our right but something He has freely and kindly and lovingly given to us. That grace has appeared. The reference is back to the cross of Christ as the context makes clear. It brings salvation. He'll talk about verse 14 Christ gave Himself for us. "The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," the gospel of John tells us. Grace is focused in the fullest, most complete way in the work of Jesus Christ in providing redemption and salvation for fallen, sinful human beings.

Chapter 3 verse 4 talks about the kindness of God our Savior, His love for mankind. That love, that kindness, that grace appeared in Jesus Christ. It became tangible as He provided for us redemption.

Back up to 2 Timothy just before Titus. Second Timothy chapter 1. Paul writes to these young men, Titus and Timothy, entrusted with carrying on the ministry of God's grace and reminds them of the importance of this grace. In Second Timothy chapter 1 verse 9 Paul exhorts Timothy to join with him in suffering for the Gospel according to the power of God. Note verse 9, "Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works." We are going to talk about works and God's plan for works in the context of His grace. But God's grace brings us salvation and our works do not contribute to that salvation. It is complete by God's grace in Christ. So He has called us with a holy calling, "not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was manifested, granted to us, in Christ Jesus for all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus." So the grace of God has appeared. The appearing of Christ, His coming to earth, His being crucified on the cross, has manifested the grace of God and brought it to us as fallen sinful human beings.

Back in Titus 1:11. "The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation," Titus 2:11, "bringing salvation to all men." That does not mean all men will be saved. But it means that God has brought to mankind a salvation sufficient for all men. All men, all kinds of men, mankind in its completeness, male, female, rich, poor, all races, all nationalities. Whoever they are wherever they are the richness of God's grace in Christ is for them. His salvation has been provided for them if they will turn from their sin and believe in Him. Very crucial. The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men. "For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest anyone should boast." There is no reason for us to be confused on the issue of works and salvation. We are saved by grace, not by works and grace means that works are not involved in saving us.


Romans chapter 11. You can either turn to it or just jot it down. Romans chapter 11 verse 6, "If it is by grace it is no longer on the basis of works otherwise grace is no longer grace." Understand that. As soon as you bring the least of works into grace, you have shattered grace. It is no longer grace. I was listening to a tape last week. The man who claims to have been a believer in Jesus Christ said he came to a point in his life after attending an evangelical seminary, after pastoring an evangelical church, he came finally to understand that salvation is by faith but not by faith alone. It is salvation by faith plus works. But then salvation is no longer by grace. What he really revealed is he has never come to understand salvation in the biblical context. It is by grace. "The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation." That means I have to let go of all my best efforts, all my works, and accept by faith the free gift of eternal life. Very hard for us to do. Sin at its heart is proud and arrogant and we believe we must contribute. We are offended to be told we have nothing but filthy rags for righteousness. We can do nothing but violate God's grace when we try to mix it with our works.

Come back to Titus chapter 2. "The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men." "That has appeared." That has happened in the past. It is accomplished. It is a finished work. Now we simply respond to that.

This grace that has appeared teaches us, instructs us. Verse 12. The grace has appeared "instructing us." This grace comes bringing salvation and instructing us how to live in light of that salvation. "Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age." This word "instructing." We have an English word "pedagogue" that comes from this Greek word. "Pedagogue," a Greek word we carry it over into English. It means to instruct or train a child, to bring up a child. And that's the picture. God's grace is instructing us. We are in a training process that is never ended in this life of learning from God's grace, of growing in God's grace and being developed to maturity in that grace.

What is that grace instructing us? You see there is a constant tension that goes on. We saw that salvation is by God's grace through faith. It's not of works. That means your salvation is not brought about. You do not enter into salvation by anything you do. It's by God's grace. But when you are born again, born into God's family, you enter into that saving grace through faith. Your life is transformed from the inside.

Last Sunday we had a couple of people visiting from out of State and the one person has been part of the ministry through tapes for years and has visited here on occasion. This person brought a friend from work who had trusted Christ four months ago. A man perhaps 40, I don't know, years of age, Roman Catholic background. Listened to tapes and heard the testimony of this friend and stood in Sound Words sharing what a change had come over his life, how everything's different. And how thrilled he is with the study of the Word and to be growing and that the difference is from the inside. And that's what we're talking about. Now that we've been born into God's family, we partake of God's nature. Our behavior and conduct changes. So


God's grace is instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires. I must reject those. I must not allow them a place in my life. They are contrary to the beauty of God's holiness and the character that He desires now to develop in my life. So there is to be no tolerance, no acceptance, no provision for ungodliness and worldly desires. They must be denied. You know, and it doesn't mean they're annihilated. They are no longer there. They are. I must deny them. I refuse them. I reject them. My life is changed. Before that, that was its course. Ungodliness and worldly desires characterized my life. 1 John chapter 2 verses 15 to 17 tell us not to love the world or the things that are in world “for all that is in the world is the lust of the eyes, and the lust of flesh and the boastful pride of life.” It's the sum total of this world and this world's system. “The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life.” We are to deny ungodliness and worldly desires.

And the positive side, we are to live sensibly, righteously, godly in this present age. Sensibly, you know that's a favorite word of Paul and Titus. This is the fifth time he's used this word "sensibly" in this letter. He used it in chapter 1 verse 8, talking about elders. He used it in chapter 2 verse 2 in regard to older men. He used it in chapter 2 verse 5 in regard to what the older women are to teach the younger women. He used it in chapter 2 verse 6 where I take it Titus is to urge the younger men to be sensible. Now he's using it again. Sensible, a word that has the idea of selfcontrolled. Selfcontrolled in the good, not self in the wrong sense. But a life that is under control, controlled by the Spirit in that sense of selfcontrol. Not the self in the fallen me but as a person now redeemed by God's grace by God's provision in His grace of His power, I am living my life under control, sensibly. Indicates that God has provided in His grace for us to discipline ourselves and thus live lives not controlled by the flesh, not controlled by ungodliness but to conform to His Word. That's a provision of His grace. It's not a strength I have in myself. It's a provision of His grace. And I'm learning, I'm being instructed and growing in that grace so having a life that is more controlled by the Spirit and conformed to the Word.

I live sensibly. Righteously, a life that is upright. A life that is right before God, characterized by truth, justice, righteous. Righteous and justice coming from the same basic Greek word. That's the characteristic of my life, righteousness. It's out of step with the world but it is what God has done now in my life.

Godly. The ungodly have no place for God in their lives. That's one of the characteristics of them. They are the ungodly. But we live godly lives. Lives that what? Are conformed to God's character, that are focused on Him, that are centered in His will. You know, I'm greatly encouraged to be told that God's grace which has appeared bringing me salvation is also teaching me and training me as God's child to deny the lust of the flesh and the ungodliness of this. To live my life controlled by the Spirit and the power He provides.

Uprightly. According to truth, in a manner that conforms to the character of my God. Godly lives. When do we live those? In this present age. This contrasts with the thought of the age to come. You know, we mentioned this on other occasions. We alluded to it this morning. There's always a tendency on the part of us as believers if we want to serve God, if we want to honor Him, to want to withdraw from the world. You know, I'd just like to put up the barriers. You wish you could close out the filth and vileness around us. You know it’s something we identify with these people who retreat, the monastery kind of life. People who want to withdraw into communes, cut themselves off. But it's just not God's plan. The provision of His grace is for us to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the now age, in this present age, today. The darkness and vileness of this world. It is possible for us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly.


And we learn that in the context of His grace. And that grace is developed in us who have received His salvation by grace as we are taught the things that are consistent with healthy teaching. Verse 1, "Speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine." It's in that context that the childtraining process is going on as God works that His grace is at work in my life. And I am learning of that grace. As I learn His Word, I learn the discipline of His grace and I become more and more conformed to His character in this present age.

Look at chapter 4 of 2 Timothy. Just a page back. 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 10, Paul exhorts Timothy to come to him at the close of Paul's life here. Tragic statement verse 10, "For Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me." And Demas one of the fellow workers of Paul, the pressures of the world got to him. The allurements of the world got to him. He abandoned Paul, having loved this present world. We are to live disciplined and godly lives in this present age. And there's no indication it will be easy but there is clear testimony from God that His grace is sufficient. I want it to be easy. God doesn't say He'd make it easy, but He says He'll provide the grace. His grace teaches and instructs me to live a godly life in this present age.

Back in Titus chapter 2. God's grace has appeared bringing salvation to all men and instructing us who have entered into that salvation how we are to live in this present age. Withdraw, close the world out, protect yourself by having nothing to do with the world. Start a commune. No. You manifest the beauty of God's work in your life and the marvelous power of His grace in the midst of a darken and fallen world. And we do it with our attention fixed on what His grace ultimately will bring to us.

Look at verse 13. We are "looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus." We've seen in numerous other passages in our study of Scripture God's provision for us as we live godly lives in this present age is we do that with our attention what? Fixed on a future hope. Now I think that the church of Jesus Christ is in danger of losing its focus, in a serious way, on the blessed hope. We have people focused on this world, cleaning up this world, making changes in the corruption of this world, changing the political setting of this situation. No, we are looking for the blessed hope. And we're intimidated. Oh, they're so heavenly minded they're no earthly good. I've never met such a person. Have you ever met a person who was so heavenly minded they were no earthy good? There is no such person because if you were truly heavenly minded and had your mind set on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, as we'll see in Colossians 3. Then your life does the most good on this earth because that is the life that honors God, that spreads forth the light of His marvelous grace at work in your life. The problem is we have to few people who are heavenly minded and have their hope fixed on the blessed hope.

Looking for the blessed hope. There is an eagerness about that. Looking for it. Eagerly expecting it. You know, it's like if there's a big check coming in the mail, every day you're there to meet the mailman. Other days you forget. Your husband comes home from work and says, "Did you get the mail?" Oh, I forgot. But if you think there's a $100,000 check coming in the mail, you don't forget.

There's an eagerness. You're looking for the mail. And you say, "Where is he today? He was here five minutes earlier yesterday." Why? There's an eagerness. That's the picture here. We are looking for the blessed hope. People who spend any time with us ought to say, "You know, that's a person who's consumed, they're looking for Jesus Christ to be coming back."

"Looking for the blessed hope." It is the blessed hope. It's the hope that will bring us the fullness of God's blessing. I mean we've entered into the blessings of God's salvation but I'm looking for the blessed hope. The hope when the fullness of God's blessings will be realized, and I will experience the glory of the presence of my Lord.

“The blessed hope.” And that “blessed hope” is the appearing of the glory. Grammatically they're identified here. Looking for the blessed hope. You could translate it "even for the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus." That's what we're talking about. When Jesus Christ will descend in the clouds and call us to meet Him in the air. "When we shall see Him face to face for we shall be like for we shall see Him as He is," 1 John 3 says. That's the blessed hope. We enter into the fullness of the blessings that God has prepared in the glory of His presence to those who love Him.

"Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." Remarkable. Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ clear declaration of the deity of Jesus Christ. Clear declaration of the fact He is the Savior. Clear emphasis on the glory that will be there. You know you and I cannot grasp with these finite, limited minds what is really entailed in this event. Do you really have any conception of what it means when John writes, "we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is." We are talking about the great glory of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. How do I get diverted by the trinkets and the trivia of this life? How does it come to look to me to be attractive? Only because I take my eyes off “the blessed hope.” I mean I'm talking about that hope that will bring me the blessings of the glorious God. I mean that is awesome. I ought to see you and I when we are caught up the glory of His presence when we are going to be overwhelmed. It is going to be so far beyond anything we ever dreamed it would be. Then I think the foolishness and triteness of the glory of this world will become all the more event. Why did I devote my time to that? Why was I concerned about that? Why did that seem valuable? When here I have the fullness of blessing in the presence of our great God and Savior. That's personal. Our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.

He is the One who gave Himself for us. That picks up where he started this sentence on His grace. "The grace of God has appeared, bringing us salvation." Brought us this salvation by giving Himself. That's why He is our great God and Savior. And how we can praise Him for it. The angels have to acknowledge Him as the great God, but they do not acknowledge Him as the Savior, not their Savior. But we know Him as our God and our Savior, Christ Jesus, "who gave Himself for us." Christ's death was a sacrifice offered on our behalf. That's the message of God's grace. He gave Himself for us.

You know, it's remarkable when you think we have just said the great God and Savior gave Himself for us. What a statement that the great God, our great God, is our Savior because He gave Himself for us. What a sacrifice! What a payment for sin! Is it any wonder when you enter into the grace of this salvation that you learn to hate ungodliness and worldly lusts? I really appreciate that the great God gave Himself for us.

Why? "That He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession zealous for good works." That might He redeem us from every lawless deed. To redeemwe've talked about this word as we've studied Colossians and studied related words with reconciliation, redemption, propitiation. To redeem means to set free by paying a ransom, paying the required price, to be used of a slave in the slave market. If someone came and paid the price necessary to set the slave free. Well, the price to set me free from sin, it's power and its penalty was death. And Jesus Christ gave Himself to redeem us, to pay in full the penalty required to set me free. That is why any doctrine that churches teach that our works, our efforts, contribute to our salvation, strikes at the very heart of the work of God in redemption. That trivializes the work of the cross. That my redemption had to be accomplished through the death of my great God and Savior, not by my trivial corrupted polluted works even with a religious veneer.

"He gave Himself that He might redeem us [set us free] from every lawless deed." “Every lawless deed.”`1 John 3:4 says sin is lawless. Sets us free from everything that is contrary to the will and purposes of God. Everything contrary to the character of God. That would be included here. "From every lawless deed." Now does that mean now I lead a perfect life? I wish it were so. The provision is sufficient for it to be so. But it's still growing in grace. The tragedy is it's not true of me yet. But I ought to understand that God's grace was given. I was redeemed at the cross at the death of Christ so that I might be set free from every lawless deed. How do people have the audacity to imply that they live in sin but they belong to the Savior? That they've been redeemed but they're freely indulging in sin? What a lie, a lie from the pit of hell. His redemption was to set us free from every lawless deed. When we are redeemed we know something of the grief of sin. We do sin but I can never enjoy it like I maybe did before my redemption. It's a grief because it strikes at what God has done for me in Christ. It's a violation of His character, the beauty of the work that He has done in me.

"To redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for himself." You see, you have the negative and then the positive. "To redeem us from every lawless deed . . . to purify for himself a people for His own possession." A people for His own possession. A people that belonged to Him. A special possession, a special treasure. What an honored position we have as the redeemed of God, that He has purified for Himself a people for His own possession. You note these are a people purified. We are not saved by good works but the beauty of God's character is manifest in the works that we do as a result of our salvation because of His purifying work. He has purified us for Himself to be His own possession. That doesn't cause us to have good selfesteem, that causes us to be humbled, doesn't it? When you stop and think does that cause you to want to exalt yourself or does that not cause you to think how marvelous, how overwhelming that we vile, wretched sinners have been purified to be the own possession of Almighty God?

"A people zealous for good deeds." Zealous for good deeds. There's where the good works come in. We who've experienced God's grace in salvation. We who have been redeemed from every lawless deed. We who have been purified by God to be His own special people. We are the ones zealous for good deeds. We want to turn it around and say, "Oh, be zealous for good deeds so that I can have God's salvation." No. No. You must bow before Him, recognizing you have nothing. You can contribute nothing. Your best is worse than worthless. It is polluted and defiled. Isaiah said all our righteousnesses are as polluted rags in the sight of God. But God, by faith I accept your gift of grace. It's God's grace that we believe, that we enter in to that salvation. We are redeemed, set free. We are purified. Then we are zealous.

And let me tell you, by this standard many professors are not possessors. They are at best neutral in their thinking. You say, I'm not doing anything wrong. That's not the mark of a believer. One who's experienced God's redemption and God's purifying work is what? Zealous for good deeds. What are good deeds? It's the work of God.

Back up to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10. I quoted you earlier verses 8 and 9, "For by grace you've been saved through faith, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Verse 10, "For we are His workmanship." He gets all the glory. He gets all the credit. "Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." It's part of the sovereign electing work of God that the people that He brings to His salvation will manifest His character in their behavior. God has foreordained that we walk in good deeds. He has purified that people for Himself that they might not only do good deeds but be zealous for good deeds.

Look in Colossians. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. A passage we've already considered in Colossians chapter 1. Verse 10 is where we're going. Paul is praying for them. The Colossians in verse 9 that they may be filled with the knowledge of His will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Why? "So that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord." What does it mean to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord? “To please Him in all respects,” “bearing fruit in every good work,” “increasing in the knowledge of God.” That's the power of the grace of God in salvation. That's the power of the ongoing grace of God in the lives of those who have been redeemed. They are truly different. I fear the church has been filled with people who have been given a false concept and idea of salvation and we are satisfied just to have warm bodies. God is not satisfied and those that He redeems are different. As we are instructed by His grace, the pedagogy of grace, if you will, that is in this we are instructed in grace. We are to be growing more and more zealous.

You know, the process we have reversed. We see new believers and they are burning with passion in their zeal for the Lord. We think, "Give them time. They'll cool off." Ought to be the opposite, shouldn't it? As we're growing in grace, our passion ought to be growing. You know, as I look at the life of the apostle Paul who penned the letter under the inspiration of the Spirit to Titus, I don't see a cooling of the passion. The younger people ought not to look at us the older people in this congregation saying, "Well, you know, they've cooled off. I'm sure they were really zealous in their day." May not have the same physical energy but there ought to be an increased passion and zeal for our God and our service for Him. It ought to become more the consuming passion of our life as we're growing more in His grace, more like Him. It ought to radiate from us in all that we do.

Marvelous grace. A message that was proclaimed in song tonight that this grace is to characterize every part of our life and all that we do. So true. Cause in the context the Lord is coming. We don't live for this life. We don't live with this world's values, this world's goals, this world's treasures. I want to be consumed with the grace of my God and His work in my life. The hope I have of blessing in the fullness of His glory, all by His grace. We are saved by grace. And the work of sanctification is ongoing by His grace. Praise God. He is the sufficiency. We are privileged to serve Him and honor Him in this present age. I don't have to be corrupted by it no matter how vile it gets, no matter how filthy it is. The grace of God in the power of that grace provided for every one of His children is sufficient that we might live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age as a people zealous of good deeds. May that be the testimony of this church and every person in it. Let's pray together.

Thank you, God, for who You are, a God of all grace. That grace has been brought to us in Christ Jesus. How we rejoice in glory that the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men. And grace upon grace we by grace have entered into that salvation through faith in Christ. We give you all the praise because it's all Your work. And Lord, that grace is continued and continues to the day to instruct and teach us and train us as Your children to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live lives that are honoring to You. Living lives with our hope fixed upon the blessed hope, the coming of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, the One who redeemed us by giving Himself to pay the penalty for our sin, that we might be a people purified as Your own special possession zealous of good works. Lord, may this church be characterized by Your grace in all that it does. May we be characterized by a zeal in our service for You that makes the most difficult work, the most tiring labor a joy. As we are weary in the flesh, may we find great peace and satisfaction in being tired in your service, in having no strength of our own but finding Your strength abundantly sufficient. And may the testimony of our lives be that our God is a God of all grace, a God of abundant grace, a God of everproviding grace. And we give You glory in Christ's name, amen.