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March 30, 2022 4:00 am
Most of us have attempted to prove our health by altering our diet or adding an exercise routine.
Some people look at Christianity the same way as a lifestyle change. But today unTruth for Life will find out how salvation offers much more than improvement.
It's a complete transformation of everything about us. Alistair Beggs teaching from chapter 3 the book of Titus. What is our only hope in life before a God who is both our lawgiver and orange.
I how may we ever stand before God and all of his unfettered holiness. That's the fundamental question that is the real question of life and it is addressed for is in the Bible and in this section here now verse three we said our gifts to as a diagnosis of the human condition we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures. Where else are you ever going to have this describe for you. Where are you going to your office someday and summons. As you know the reason you are the way you are is because you're actually foolish, disobedient, and your astray slave slave to yourself and your passions into your own desires not always going to say that to.
So Paul says you have to remember as you seem to live your life as a Christian in Crete that you well. Once this way, you were once lost to her once foolish once disobedient and you were full of all kind of malice and so on.
I make perfect sense because we immediately jumped our defense from the garden of Eden. Is there she made me to it was his idea. So we have a defense mechanism that is actually as a result of the five that were in rebellion against God and we are sinners, so we want to defend ourselves, even against the way in which the Bible points out to as when our true condition really is. Well if that is the case, how can it be overcome because were always on very good terms with ourselves ardently. While there's only one way to know that we are sinners and that is were going to make it clear to us and if we don't have it made clear to as the mantis have some kind of understanding of who God is not a God of our own making by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. How will not become apparent with these creative handiwork is seen in the universe is creative power is seen in the reality of our conscience and a sense of awkwardness. Why do we even care about anything, and his word reveals to us all of his character and his son the Lord Jesus Christ is the one in whom, according to verse 11 of chapter 2 the grace of God's salvation has actually appeared. This is the epiphany that he has stepped down into the mass of our world so that he might do for us what we can do for ourselves. First of all, were confronted by our need for most of us are such a search of utile view of God. Such a small view of that there is no fear of God and the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. So if God is for us a cosmic principle or if God is for us somehow or another lap wrapped up in his creation. So essentially, pantheists. If God is power within ourselves, to which were supposed to look, then we may disregard any and all of this any day of the week without having really many implications until, but if God is the Creator of the ends of the earth, before whom we will one day stand. If he is the one who gave his law which he expects to be obeyed and if he is the one who is the judge on the strength of his law, then we had a problem in the reason we have a problem is because this is the description of the human condition, foolish, disobedient, led astray. So what are we to what it is when we see Christ that our awareness of our predicament, which demands the justice of God.
For the wages of sin is death is when we see Christ as a substitute for that same when I realize what I am and who I am before God.
And then I see that Christ has come to deal with all of the amazing thing about in relationship to the prodigal son.
One of the prodigal sons, the one the window and was a bad boy away. The only bad boy in the back garden.
Both particles remember even when he had spent all, there arose a famine in the land and he began to be in want and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country who send him into his fields to feed pigs, anything would have filled his belly with a horse that the swine did eat but no one gave a minute and when he came to his senses. He said I will arise and I will go to my father why would he go to his father what to can back up the road, not the awareness of his predicament, but the prospect of nursing because he knew that his father would forgive. He could've stayed in the pigsty aware of his condition for the rest of his life. That wouldn't be enough to change know what changed was when the father said what you mean live in the bottom of the garden necessary.
Let's have a party let's put this back together again is need was made obvious mercy was made clear in the missing piece in that story is actually in the one who tells the story, namely Jesus for all the wonder of what happens in the lostness of the sheep in the lostness of the coin in the lostness of the sons is pointing to the fact that Christ is the one who came seeking to save that which was lost. Songwriter puts it like this in my need Jesus found me placed his strong arms around me, lifted me up and brought me into the shelter of his fold our need of salvation. Secondly, what about the nature of this salvation will Paul is been describing as me in a number of ways.
He's use the picture from the slave market.
In chapter 2 we have redemption, he says from our lawlessness.
Chapter 2 verse 14 and now as he comes into chapter 3 he saved as you will notice verse five, he tells us how it hasn't happened not because of works done by us in righteousness. We do not save ourselves.
It is Jesus who saves us. How does he save us according to his own mercy. Mercy is an attribute of God is by nature merciful.
He's merciful because he is merciful, but his mercy as an attribute is revealed in actions and is revealed here. Finally, in saving the in the person of Jesus.
He has appeared the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior is a Peter. It is according to his own mercy is a free act of God. It is a gift of his grace.
Faith is not a meritorious work. If God rewarded us for having faith by giving us salvation, then we would actually be earning our faith wouldn't know that's not happening at all because grace is free nursing's free salvation is free. We don't bring anything to it at all except the outstretched hands that say help me save me, get me out of here now, the way in which he drives this home is by means of two words one of which we've noted on this remind you of it and one to which we come in verse six or in verse five, I should say the word, that is, regeneration regeneration and we noted that what is being described here is a radical and complete transformation of the soul. Okay, a radical and complete transformation of the soul of man. TC Hammond defines regeneration as quotes an act of God, whereby our soul undergoes a spiritual resurrection into a new sphere of life spiritual resurrection into use your life. In other words, it it's a spiritual birth is a spiritual birth and when a child is born here. She is either born or not born, no question about it. I went in at a certain time and she wasn't born, and then they came out and said it says is a time she was born.
How do I know she was born she started crying she started sucking. She then started crawling and she loves resting okay.
How do you know you're born again you cry before you were a person you see is Jesus Christ name is a swear word you missed the part you invoke the deity, not in a way that would do anything other than invoke his Roth find yourself saying I don't want to do that anymore. What Jesus Christ is my all in all father prayer we cry we feed our friends. That is why you read the Bible of the Senate in the year in the Bible, we used to go to church every so often and am saving to buy when they read the Bible. I am reading the Bible. You might see the person it was a mystery to me is like is like I am a hunger what happened to God made you knew personally transform you changing from the inside out your regenerated born and you probably haven't cry and worship crawling through worship, crawling through fellowship, doing all kinds of crawling and you rest legally little ones rest in the security of the arms just there.
What is your only hope in life and death that you rest and what in righteous things you've done no Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what you are. I am finding out the greatness of your loving heart.
My only hope is in you, Jesus, you know there is a dreadful possibility is the saddest things pastorally that I've dealt with in all the years I've been a pastor. You know what it is going to have a child that is stillborn, stillborn child, says Packer.
Not every churned up soul becomes a live birth.
Spiritually, not every churned up soul becomes a live birth. Spiritually, in other words, we may be agitated. As a result of the preaching we may resolve to turn over a new leaf's. We may want to make additions to our lives to fix certain things we may want to make alterations that apparently are in line with the Bible, and yet we may actually not be renewed by the spirit of God at all, so John covers imperfectly in his gospel, he makes it clear that there are no spiritual activities without regeneration. That's why Jesus says to Nicodemus, listen unless a man is born you born again, we generated unless a man is born anew. He cannot see the kingdom of God, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Yet that so there there there is no spiritual activity apart from regeneration and when Paul writes his first letter. He then turns around the other when he says, and I want you to know that there is no regeneration unless there is spiritual identity is no regeneration unless there is spiritual identity spiritual activity crying feeding crawling, resting, gives evidence of the fact of what God has gone God made you new person or is your Christian experience. One of addition or one of superficial alteration is perfectly possible, but is not what is being described here. What is being described here is something that God's not something that we do have the final word is the word justification and that is in verse seven. You will notice so that being justified by his grace. Now he changes things around to be justified means to be declared righteous. When when the when the judge justifies somebody he is pronouncing in justifying the opposite of the sentence of condemnation. The opposite of the sentence of condemnation.
That's why in Romans by the time you get to chapter 8, where Paul has said all of us are in a sinful mess. The righteousness of God is been revealed made possible through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God living with peace with God means dealing with our own sinful proclivities. But even when we are most fiercely aware of the good that we that we don't do and should do and the bad that we don't want to do and end up doing. He says let's just remember that there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, why is there no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. Because justification is in our union with Christ Jesus. It is not a legal fiction when the Bible tells us that Jesus The law in its perfection that he dealt with all of its precepts perfectly and that in his death, he bore the punishment that sin deserves so that all who are placed into Christ are then the beneficiaries of all that he has done. You can read it for yourself in Romans chapter 4. Later on, and he argues in the same way from Adam as in Adam. Everyone is in this predicament soul. All who are in Christ are now made you and if you want Taveras to summarize, we go to our favorite verse two Corinthians 5 and verse 21, that he who had no sin became sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God element is finished by saying a word about the benefits of this. The benefit that is made clear here in Titus is that we have become heirs according to the hope of eternal life will come back to let me just give you to others.
Peace, freedom, in whole peace, freedom and hope. Romans five therefore being justified by grace we have peace with God.
That is the great need. One of the article access alienated from God on two fronts, one by our rebellion against him and to on account of his Roth revealed against sin.
How then can God be just and let sinners into his heaven, how can he be loving and yet punish the answer is in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ mayor see there was great grace was free and pardon their was multiplied to me peace, freedom, freedom to give you your homework Mark chapter 5. Read the story of the demoniac, the man who was screaming and enslaved. When you read that story again in Mark chapter 5 will be reminded of the details of it that he tore all his clothes off. He was isolated from the community, he cried out in the night. But here's the message of the gospel in this the reason that the demoniac was clothed was because Jesus was unclothed. The reason the demoniac found an answer to this cry was because Jesus cried out from the cross. If you like the story in Mark five is the story of the weight of sin borne by Christ in order that the naked, the enslaved, the helpless baby set free. They crucified him naked alienated from his friends alienated from God, crying out for the forgiveness of those who were his persecutors to see that this is the gospel that Christ dies in our place that he bears the weight of our sin that all that is represented in the deadness and darkness of our own foolish enslavement's has been born in himself. Peace, freedom, hope, hope heirs according to the whole of eternal life. That doesn't mean the possibility of it means the certainty why would it be certain because the justifying sentence of judgment.
The judgment of the last day has been brought into the present tense and it is a final verdict and it is not going to be overturned. Do you know that peace have you found that freedom. Do you know that whole have you cried to God to feed on his work.
You crawling after you resting in because you see there is a whole extends beyond our walks in the park, but there is also a higher throne and at that throne. When we stand there as we will we will have something to say either. I trusted in your son, father and what he did for me when I realize the magnitude of my predicament and the wonder of his love broke my heart and I said I need a Savior and I want you to be my sick are you going to tell him yeah I had that stuff I never fell for a moment that it is to do a mental I really can't make it much clearer than this. Jesus mercifully seeks the lost.
He saves all who trust in him listing the Truth for Life with Alistair Begg.
Alister will be back momentarily to close with prayer. Our program often ends with Alister, praying, and you're always invited to play along to make the prayers your own. Alister actually wrote a book about prayer called pray big in the book, he examines the prayers prayed by the apostle Paul so that we can learn from him how he prayed the things he asked God for in this book Alister draws from Paul's model to give us a pattern for how we can enhance our own prayer lives today. The book pray big is available as an audiobook and you can download for free comes with a free digital study guide, you'll find both the audiobook and the study guide online@truthforlife.org/pray big. And if you've not yet requested the book we been talking about recently titled know the truth you want to get a copy of that today is will you may have heard me mention this is a practical guidebook that explains Christian beliefs. It's a terrific resource to have in your library as a reference for biblical truth. You will see the book know the truth online. When you give a donation to support Truth for Life@truthforlife.org/donate and if you'd rather mail your donation along with your request for the book right to truthfully fit PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139. Now here's Alister, some of us are here this morning because we been here months and months of morning. Send we as yet are outside of Christ.
Despite the fight that we've managed to marshal this information fairly well over time. We realize that Calvin was right when he said all that Christ has done for us is of no value to us, so long as we remain outside of Christ.
If you're searching for a way to call out to him from where you're seated than you might use these words and make them your own Lord Jesus Christ.
I admit that I'm weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed through you are more loved and accepted than I ever dared to hold. I thank you for paying my debt bearing my punishment offering me forgiveness and I turn for my sin and receive you as my Savior. Further, here are prayers that are Christ come unto you, for Jesus sake on about the peen.
If our good works don't help us earn our salvation why bother doing find out you join us tomorrow. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living