This broadcaster has 1234 podcast archives available on-demand.
Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.
March 28, 2022 4:00 am
Scripture teaches that your hostile and rebellious toward God by nature today on Truth for Life or in the book of Titus, Alister, Greg is explaining why it's actually a good day when we understand this painful truth, and we discovered that we are sinners and enemies of God hears Alister and I need to turn with me to the New Testament and said Titus in the third chapter we going to read. I'm going to be the first 11 versus I invite you to follow along as I read Titus three verse one. Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities to be obedient to be ready for every good work to speak evil of no one to avoid quarreling to be gentle and to show perfect courtesy toward all people, for we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy heated by others and hating one another but when the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior. He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. So the being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The ceiling is trustworthy and I want you to insist on these things so that those who believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people but avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.
As for the person who stirs up division after warning them once and then twice have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful is self condemned. A man-made guard at his blessing to this reading from his word. We pray before we study make the book live to me oh Lord, show me your self within your word. Show me myself and surely my Savior and make the boatlift to me for Jesus sake.
Amen. I'm sure that many of you were on the receiving end of wonderful stories that came from the vacation Bible school this week either by way of your children or perhaps by your grandchildren or even by a friend's children and they doubtless will have had songs in June's in their mind, which were given to them very purposefully so that not only this week but in years to come. They may be able to recall the truths that they were learning this week. That certainly has been my privilege as a boy and I've had a song in my mind this week for some reason, which began come listen to my tale of Jonah and the whale way down in the middle of the ocean. How did he get there, whatever did he wear away down in the middle of the ocean preaching he should be admin of AUC. He disobeyed very foolish notion. But God forgave his sin, salvation entered in way down in the middle of the ocean. The reason that this song has been in my mind is because the emphasis of the verses which are before is now here in Titus three about what it means to be saved, that it is here in this verse. These verses that were introduced to Jesus who saves us to Jesus Christ our Savior. As he puts it, and Jonah in the belly of the fish declares in Jonah chapter 2, and in verse nine salvation belongs to the Lord. His predicament in the water having been thrown out of the boat was such that unless the Lord saved him. There was no possibility of salvation, and that he was not asking for salvation from the fish but he was saved in the fish. And so it is as he prays to God from the fish declares that God is the God who saves. Now that of course is the story line that runs through the entire Bible no matter where we turn in the Bible, we discover that God is the God who saves people and hearing Titus chapter 3 we have this made forcibly clear to us. As Paul continues from verse three and into verse four just in case we forgotten we send in verse three and last time that what we have here is a diagnosis of the human condition in all of its hostility and rebellion towards God that this is the way entirely, but this is the way in which the Bible explains our life's outside of a living personal relationship with God in Jesus, and as you note that in verse three it is not a pretty picture. What Paul is saying to these believers in Crete is that if they think about it before. They were pleased in Christ, their life's were foolish they were disobedient. They were led astray.
They were enslaved they were engaged in malice and envy. They hated people and they were hated by other people.
In other words the bore testimony to what Chesterton says on one occasion in his writings when he observes whatever else is in doubt. Men and women are know what God intended them to be and when you think about that you realize that it's true of all of us without exception, that we are not by our very nature. What God intended us to be when he made everything in perfection in the garden of Eden, and that were flawed. If you enjoy Agatha Christie you will be familiar with murder on the Orient express and you will also be familiar with the fact that that story is a twist to it that is unusual even in Agatha Christie's novels and has all the same characteristics there on a train.
They are, and none of the none of the suspects are able to get away that all trapped someone has been murdered.
The question is, who has done it. And in that particular story. If you recall, there is a moment when Paul rolled Lucs into the dining cab and he's a car and he sees all 12 individuals and then he says to himself it's all of them. It's all of them. He had been looking for an individual, when in actual fact, all of them were involved in the murder.
What the Bible says is that all of eyes have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are entirely in that predicament by nature and when we come to realize it. It may be a painful day but it's a good day again Chesterton when the Times of London. Many years ago and an editorial under the heading. What's wrong with the world today and they encourage people to write in with their answers. Chesterton's answer was the most pithy and was the briefest he wrote as follows dear Sirs, what's wrong with the world today. I you are sincerely GK Chesterton if the plaintiff humanity is as described in verse three we also noted that the predicament which we face as men and women cannot be fixed by education by example or by expedience.
We need to go back down the road of last time, so if the diagnosis is there in verse three. What is the cure that brings us to verse four, beginning with the word parts if that was true of us. He says, but when the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior. When salvation appeared in the person of Christ. In other words, what what Paul is reminding these folks about is simply this, that it is Jesus who saves them. They don't save themselves. Salvation is of the Lord Jesus saves you, you don't save yourself now that is bad news for those who are doing more than reasonable job of trying to save themselves and it is good news for those who come to the end of trying to save themselves and have decided that life is entirely hopeless that all of our education is not fixed is that every good example we been unable to follow to the lesser that all of our experiences of looking into the reality of ourselves open for some crime that would justify us. It just hasn't worked. So here's the good news. Notice that it is God's goodness and his loving kindness when the goodness and lovingkindness of God.
This is not something that emerges in the New Testament is a something was run through the entire Bible is God's goodness and his lovingkindness that provides clothing for Adam and Eve in their nakedness when they are banished from the garden of Eden. It is his justice which makes it impossible for them to reenter by pleasing angels.
They are with flaming swords.
They have turned their back on God.
There is no way for them simply to drift back into paradise. And yet with his justice served by battering them from the garden, his lovingkindness and his goodness is revealed in 19 provides covering for their nakedness is God's goodness and his lovingkindness that grants to his people. I deliver when they are enslaved in Egypt. It was his goodness and his lovingkindness which provides homeland for his people when they are pilgrims in wanderers and exiles. It is God's goodness and lovingkindness that provides a big fish for Jonah when in his rebellion against God.
He finds himself in a tangled story state in the ocean and now's as Paul as if in a dramatic flourish and now he says here in person. The goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior appeared hearts by two verse 11 of chapter 2 for the grace of God has appeared, bringing notice salvation for all people. It is an epiphany as the word in Greek, there is been an epiphany, and God has calmed down into our world in the person of Jesus that God is step down into the tangled mass of humanity and he's done so, not simply to provide us with an example. Although there is one.
Nor is it simply to cochairs so that we might Make our way through life, but he is done so in order that he might see events in order they might save us.
And that's the emphasis here you see it again and again when the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior appeared. He seemed us and all the way through into verse six, with whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, our Savior now. How is he accomplish this salvation will you will notice he tells us how it hasn't happened. First of all, in the negative. He seemed as verse five know it because of works done by eyes in righteousness, not as a result of our ability to make ourselves commendable to God. The fact is, the Bible makes it clear that our good deeds can get is a place in heaven any more than a spider's web could stop a tank not by good deeds done in righteousness. We say this again and again.
But it's important for us to notice the story of the Bible is not the story of a good guard who will reward nice people for doing the best. Some of you are here this morning feeling God knows you. I never feel that way is hard to fathom God is not. If we, God, what we deserve. It would not be pleasant. It is not on account of righteous things we've done that when Paul writes this is not writing something that is remote to him. Remember that the Paul was writing this as a story of his own in relationship to these things and if you would follow me for a moment I want to point it out to you and you can track back with me to Philippians and to chapter 3 Philippians chapter 3 and here Paul is warning the people in Philippi about folks who are suggesting to them that they have to engage in all of these external things in order to have confidence before God in order to be accepted by God as a Paul says if that were the case then there was nobody there would be nobody with a greater sense of confidence that God would accept him than me. And then he rehearses his background as someone who was circumcised on the eighth day which is according to the law of Israel that he was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews in relationship to the law.
He was a Pharisee. He was meticulous as to zeal, a persecutor of the church as to righteousness under the law, blameless. I see many saying my background in terms of our religious association and attempts at moral perfection is as good as anything that could ever be found. Verse seven but whatever. Again, I had I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I counted everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and counting them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, and here we go. Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith and he turned back a little more to ask and to chapter 9 let's just look at the transformation that Grace brings about in the life of Paul. He was Saul of Tarsus and in verse one fax nine Luke tells us that he was continuing to breathe out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord and on his way to Damascus. He was seeking to do that, when suddenly he was arrested by a light that flashed from heaven and hear the voice Luke tells us in Psalm Saul, why are you persecuting me and he says who are you, Lord of the Lord said, I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting so easy.
What happened to us all, was that he encountered Christ and he realized that he was offending against Christ and that this Christ. This Messiah had actually come to seek him out that he needed grace. He was now finding Grace or Marcy and then he was going to become the preacher of that same Marcy Lee could not preach Marcy until he knew Marcy and so when he says, but when the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior appeared referencing the incarnation of Christ, he surely could not miss the fact of the appearance of Jesus. If you like his own personal epiphany on the Damascus road when Jesus Christ appears to have an suddenly everything is changed in the persecutor becomes a preacher. He discovers that Jesus is Lord. He discovers the mercy that is provided in Jesus. He discovers the fight that he is now part of the very people that he was persecuting and so look at verse 20 and immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying he is the son of God, did you see verse one of chapter 9.
Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord went to the high priest for letters and so on. So they might go to Damascus and address them here. I'm in heaven. In verse 20, and immediately proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues in the synagogues that Jesus is the son of God. How did this come about, how does it ever come about by nature. We don't go out and declare that Jesus is the Messiah. We may not actually believe that he is the Messiah, we may have lived all of our life saying I actually was a good man and a great man.
By the idea of them being incarnate God. I could never swallow that that might've been the kind of thing you once said what if you been converted. If you been changed if you've been saved, then you have an entirely different view of Jesus. Now your view of Jesus is that he actually is the Messiah of God and salute dowsers. Look at verse 22 or 21 and all the all who heard him were amazed and said in Jerusalem, isn't this the guy who made havoc of those who called upon this name. Is this the fellow that was here to kill Christians hearing things correctly.
He's actually declaring and notice it says in verse 22 was Saul increased all the more in strength and he confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. What happened to the goodness and lovingkindness of God had appear to have when he wrote to the Corinthians, and is on the front of our bulletin this morning.
He summarized it in one versed in the if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation the old is gone, the new has come. I was once totally convinced that my righteous deeds would be acceptable to the God that I worshiped until I met Jesus. When I met Jesus and realize that I was persecuting Jesus that all of my rebellion against God and all of my insults in relationship to them were against him that I was confronted by this when I laid hold of him as a savior and as a friend and I was changed I used to be a prosecutor now I'm a preacher. You see, Jesus is the one who turns is upside down. He's the one who turned as inside-out changes us from the inside. And this, you will notice according to his own. Marcy according to his own mercy, not because he found his desirable know because we were particularly attractive to them because we weren't, but because of his own mercy. The hymn writer says chosen not for good in me and waking up from Ross to flee when Paul writes to the church of Rome he said would you show contempt for the kindness of God our Savior for his mercy to see until I realize my offense against God that I am in the wrong with them in the story of his mercy means little to me when I realize that the punishment that is junior to the sin has been born in Christ that if I were to get my just desserts for who and what ion than I deserve to die for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our little we are to save ourselves.
Thankfully, God has provided through his son Jesus, the perfect solution for our predicament listing to Alastair big this is Truth for Life, telling people about Jesus in his power to save is what we're all about Alistair's teaching reaches people in thousands of locations through radio, we are free app on YouTube just a few of the ways people connect with us and it's all because of your prayers and your giving when you make a donation today we want to invite you request the book titled know the truth. This is a book we been talking about for the past several days. It's a comprehensive guide that gives both new believers and those who been studying the Bible for a long time.
A more thorough understanding of biblical truth. The book helps explain what Christians believe and why we believe it. You can request your copy when you donate today to give click the book image you see in the mobile app or visit us online at truthforlife.org/donate and when you go online you'll find in addition to Alistair's audio and video teaching library. There's an extensive library of written articles. Articles that cover a wide variety of topics from merely the spirit dealing with depression whole lot more. Today, you'll find an article that explores lessons we can learn from Jesus temptation in the wilderness. Just click the blog or visit Truth for Life.org/articles about the P what is your deepest morning long for perfect love for abiding peace or security tomorrow will hear the answer to all belongings found in the human heart Bible teaching of Alastair big is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living