Seeking for the blessing of the
Lord this evening, I direct your prayerful attention to Titus
chapter 3 and reading from our text verse 8. This is a faithful saying, and
these things I will, that thou affirm constantly, that they
which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable
unto men. Titus 3 and verse 8. This is the fourth of the faithful
sayings that we have been considering. We had the first one, Lord's
Day, mourning on the sex. When we looked at that, which
was written to Timothy, there is two, the two epistles to Timothy,
And in them there is three of these sayings. The first one
we looked at was in the first epistle, chapter one, and verse
15. This is a faithful saying, and
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners, of whom I am chief. May we remember that,
especially as we come to this season of the year when we remember
the Lord's coming into this world, that this faithful saying, and
each of these sayings that are faithful sayings, the meaning
of faithful, it is true to the teaching of scripture, it faithfully
represents the will and purpose of God, And it comes across as
a backdrop where Paul contended with many false teachers who
spoke and taught things that were not faithful, not true to
the word of God or to the message that God would have sent to his
people. So this was the first one. A
true saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners and Paul was able to say that he was the
chief or foremost of those sinners that Christ came to save. We then looked at the fourth
chapter And we had in verses 8 and 9, the verses for bodily
exercise, profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto
all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that
which is to come. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation. And the main teaching there was
not just the idea that bodily exercise is going to the gym
or walking or running is just a little profit and godliness
is profitable and to all things, but rather a comparison between
bodily exercise in worship, that is the external attendance to
a chapel, a church, and all of the outward parts of religion,
that they have little profit. It is right that we do them,
but the important thing is that we ourselves are godly, that
we are true spiritual worshippers, and no amount of external worship
can ever replace God's work in the heart or a real fellowship
and communion with God himself. And so that was the second faithful
saying that is so vital, so true. Many, many are just satisfied
with an outward forms and ways, an outward parading of religion
with no real work of God in their heart, no real fellowship with
the Lord and love to the Lord at all. forgiveness of sins. The third one that we looked
at was in Paul's second epistle to Timothy and in the second
chapter and it was verses 11 to 13 where there was those things
that are joined together and we use as example what we're
very familiar with, the saying at a wedding, what God hath joined
together, let not man put asunder. And in this faithful saying,
there are those things that are joined together. Four of them
there were. For if we be dead with him, we
shall also live with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign
with him. If we deny him, he also will
deny us. If we believe not, yet he abideth
faithful, he cannot deny himself. So those were the three faithful
sayings that we already have looked at. And now this evening,
the last one in chapter three of Titus and verse eight. This is a faithful saying, and
these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they
which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable
unto men. Now there is a reason why Paul
is very diligent in setting these things specifically before Titus. There's a lot in this epistle
that addresses the need of good works by those who have professed
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first chapter of this
epistle, he says in verse 10 that there are many unruly and
vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision, that
is, the Jews, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole
houses, teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre's
sake." So Paul was contending with those that were teaching
religious things, teaching things that were really just taught
to get themselves money, which is what filthy Luke sets forth
to us. And then he says in verse 16,
they profess that they know God. That's in chapter one. They profess
that they know God, but in works they deny him being abominable
and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." And we
can see the reason why Paul is so careful to, on this occasion
with this letter, to set before Titus the vital necessity that
those that have believed in God that they be careful to maintain
good works. Now this is always an area where
one must be very careful. We know in Paul's writings to
the Romans especially and to the Galatians that and we could
add that to Ephesians, that we are saved not by our works, but
by the grace of God and that through faith, which is the gift
of God. And we must be very, very careful
that we put things in the right order. that we don't put good
works and say because we've got good works, that is in our own
eyes, that then God will save us and that we are right for
heaven. It is vital that we realise that
our own works, that those can never merit us heaven. But at
the same time, where there is the true grace of God, where
God's blessing and work is, then it will show itself in a godly
life and works that are done that answer to that. That those
that have never gone into a chapel or a place of worship or read
the Bible, when they see one that truly fears God, that they
won't see anything in their lives that will be a real stumbling
block to them to make them think, well, I don't want to have a
religion like theirs if it makes them to be like that. We are
to be as known and read of all men living testimony to God's
grace. We are to show forth the praises
of him hath called us out of nature's darkness and into God's
marvellous light." That doesn't mean to say that the works that
we do will never be spoken against, because many of the teachings
of the Word of God, that if we lived according to today's standards
in the world of political correctness, then we'd be counted as evildoers. And we are told in the Word of
God that they that will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer
persecution. Remember with the account of
Daniel and the lion's den that those that sought to accuse Daniel
said that they would find nothing at all to accuse him except concerning
his God and his worship. They couldn't find anything in
Daniel's life to say that he was acting dishonestly, disloyally
to the king in any way at all. The only thing that they could
touch was how he worshipped, and they knew that he worshipped
the true and living God, and that three times a day that he
opened his windows towards Jerusalem from Babylon, where he was in
captivity, and that he prayed toward where the temple was. The temple, a type of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and remembering Solomon's prayer and his dedication
that when carried away captive, if we pray toward this place,
really praying toward the Lord Jesus Christ, that God would
hear and answer those prayers. And these men, they knew that
Daniel constantly prayed to his God. And so they laid a trap
for him and deceived the king and made him to make a law that
if any prayed to any other but the king in 30 days, then he
should be cast into lion's den. And of course, Daniel could not
stop praying to his God. And so he continued doing so,
knowing that that writing was signed, and had to go into the
lion's den. And the Lord wonderfully sent
his angels, stopped the lion's mouths, and brought him out.
And those his accusers were cast in, and they were destroyed."
The important thing is that if we are to live as Titus was exhorted
to by Paul, then yes, there may be those that have that against
us because we walk according to the teachings of our God.
But they should never be able to have any just cause as those
that are walking in a very unruly or a way that even those with
no faith would say, well, that person is not a nice person. They're not a good citizen. And
so speak against us in that way. I want to look at this evening
at three points. Firstly, I want to really establish
that we are saved by grace and not works. I don't want to put
the works in the wrong order, so I want to establish that first. And then secondly, that true
faith leads to works that are answerable to it. True faith
does make a real effect. It has fruit that follows from
it. And then just to look at the
faithful saying that is here, really comprised, I believe,
in verse eight, commentators always put all the verses that
are before, but really the whole teaching of the epistle to Titus
is summed up in this verse eight. So to look at that in the third
place. But I do want to reaffirm first
of the ground of salvation and how then we are saved. When Paul writes to the Romans,
In the first chapter, there's that very well-known verse that
Martin Luther was so blessed under, because Martin Luther,
the great reformer, brought up under the Roman Catholic Church,
was used to the idea that you could, by works or by doing certain
religious acts, earn yourself to get to heaven. In fact the
teaching of the church said that you could actually earn indulgences
to allow you ability to sin and to not be punished for it. So
the doctrine actually leading to an ungodly life. But the point
that Martin Luther was so delivered from was when He saw in Romans
1 and verse 17, the just shall live by faith, not by works but
by faith. They are saved by faith in the
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The work that our Lord did on
Calvary is what we cannot do and could never do. The Lord
demands that Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission
of sin. Blood must be shed. Well, we
cannot shed our own blood without dying and perishing. So the Lord
Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, came, became a man, and
then laid down his life, really a sacrifice and an offering unto
God, shedding his blood to put away the sins of his people. those that had been loved with
an everlasting love, those that his father had given him, those
sins of those people that he then put away at Calvary on the
cross. And it is that reason why a people
is in heaven Because it is Christ that died, yea rather it is risen
again and sitteth at the right hand of the throne of God on
high. How do we know that Christ put
away our sins there? Because in this gospel day when
the word is preached, when Christ's work is preached, that we will
be brought to believe that word, believe that we are sinners,
believe that Christ came into the world to save sinners and
see our need of that salvation and that we will believe. In
the early church, when the word was preached, we read, as many
as were ordained unto eternal life believed. Some believed
the word spoken and some believed not. And the reason why some
believed was because the Holy Spirit gave them faith to believe
and to receive the word. And they were then shown to be
those whom Christ had died for. He says, I give unto them eternal
life, they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of mine hand. So the reason for being brought
to have our sins forgiven and to be brought to heaven is in
God, not in us. It is God's work. It is what
the Lord Jesus Christ has done. This is contrasted when Paul
continues to write to the Romans in chapter three and he says
concerning the law of God in verse 19, Now we know that what
things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God. Or in the margin it says, or
subject to the judgment of God. Therefore by the deeds of the
law shall no flesh be justified, that is, counted free from condemnation
or guilt in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
And then that is summed up again at the 28th verse, therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law. And he makes it very clear when
he writes to the Ephesians and in Ephesians chapter 2 he says you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins or made alive and he gives the
reason for this for by grace ye are ye saved through faith
and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God And then he
says this in verse nine, not of works, lest any man should
boast. For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them. And there is the message that
Paul has to Titus. We are saved not by our works,
we are saved by Christ's work and by faith in his work. And
the Lord has graciously saved us and blessed us with faith
in him. And when that's established that
it's not our works, when we are very, very clear that as far
as paying for our sin, our works, we cannot, then it's to be established
the fruit of faith, which is works. But we mustn't put the
works that is the fruit as the cause of faith. Those that are
truly saved will never think of appearing before God and using
as the reason why they should get to heaven a list of all of
what they consider their good works here below. They won't want to speak of anything
of their good works because they know that sin is staining everything. The Word of God tells us that
our righteousnesses, that is our good works, are as filthy
rags. There is no man that doeth good
and sinneth not. So how can we take our good work,
in which we are sinning in it, and put that as an atonement
for sin? It cannot be so. And we must
be very clear on this. It won't be faithful to the souls
of men to tell them that something that they do will merit them
heaven. It must be by faith and trust
in Christ alone. And it's receiving that as a
free gift, unmerited gift, a gift graciously given. And so this
is the ground of our salvation. The sole ground is that Christ
has died for our sins and that he has put away our sins by the
shedding of his own blood and he is risen again from the dead
to show that those sins are then put away. So once that is then established
and set forth before us, then it is that we can then look at
that which flows from that and really the teaching that is in
our text. And I want to then look at this
second point, that true faith leads to works that are answerable
to it. And to this, I want to turn to
the epistle to James. James, he speaks very clearly in the
matter of works that show forth true faith. And it is in James
chapter 2 that we have these truths that are
set forth. He speaks of faith as being in a
very practical way. He says in verse 14, What doth
it profit my brethren? Though a man say he hath faith
and have not works, can faith save him? If a brother or sister
be naked and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto
them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding
ye give them not those things which are needful to the body,
what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, thou hast
faith, and I have works, show me thy faith without thy works,
and I will show thee my faith by my works. And he gives an example in verse
21 of Abraham. Verse 20, he says, wilt thou
know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead. And this example then from Abraham,
he says, was not Abraham our father justified by works when
he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how
faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled,
which saith, Abraham, believe God, and it was imputed unto
him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."
Now, what he's referring to is when God said to him to take
his son Isaac. Remember, Isaac was the son of
promise. It was through Isaac that the
seed of the woman would come, the Lord Jesus Christ would come. Nothing would had to happen to
Isaac. He was a very precious son, because
through his descendants, our Lord Jesus Christ would come.
But Abraham was tested by God. God told him to go and offer
his son up for a burnt offering on a mountain that he would tell
him of. And he went on three days journey
up to that mountain. Now, Abraham could have stayed
at home and said, Lord, I believe that thy promise is through Isaac,
that even if he was to die, even if he was to be sacrificed, he
would rise from the dead again and that promise would be fulfilled.
I believe it is so. And he stayed at home. But he didn't. He went, and he
went up to the mountain. And as they were going up, then
Isaac said to Abraham, my father, the fire and the wood, but where
is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham answered, and it
was a wonderful answer by faith, my son, God will provide himself
a lamb for a burnt offering. And then when they went up to
the top, and Abraham bound Isaac and put him on the altar, and
as he took the knife to slay him, then the angel of God spoke
to him from heaven, stopped him from doing it, showed him a ram,
caught in the thicket, and he offered that up in the stead
of his son. We're told in Hebrews that he,
as it were, received Isaac in a type from the dead. But his
faith believed that even if he had died, God would have raised
him up from the dead. And of course, our Lord Jesus
Christ was to die and to be raised again from the dead. So it's
one thing to just say, that we believe something is another
thing to put it into practice, the beautiful, simple illustration
that Mr. Ramsbottom, the former editor
of the Gospel Standard, put in his little book, Bible Doctrines
Simply Explained. And he spoke of a tightrope walker
who asked his friend once, he said, Do you believe, he said,
that if I put a tightrope right across Niagara Falls, that I
could wheel somebody across that rope in a wheelbarrow? And his friend said, yes. He said, I believe you could.
He was a well-renowned tightrope walker. And his friend said,
yeah, I believe you could do it. But his friend wouldn't get
into the wheelbarrow. It's one thing to say that he
believed, but it's another thing to really, really trust it and
to put his life in the hand of his friend. And so the necessity
of works, the necessity of answerable, many people will say, yes, we
believe in God, but they never read the Bible, they're never
with God's people, they never come to a place of worship, They
never pray. They never walk the path of a
Christian. They're never separated from
the world and its company. They're at home with that. And
they don't want the company of God's people. That is not a true
faith. God says, come out from among
them and be ye separate. Touch not the unclean thing,
and I will receive you. And ye shall be my sons and my
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. And so, true faith, it leads
to works that are answerable to that. It will answer to a
full trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. It will answer to being
As the Apostle Paul said, I am crucified to the world and the
world unto me. It will be unsuitable to being
chosen out of the world and to what the Lord has said. He says
of his people, I have given them thy word, and the world hath
hated them. He says to those that believe,
if ye continue in my word, Then, i.e., my disciples indeed, ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Another effect of that true faith
is to be baptised by believers' baptism, and to continue in the
observance of the Lord's Supper, and in the regular assembly together
of the people of God, joining ourselves to them and walking
with them to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord
Jesus Christ. But what Titus is speaking here
is not only those essentials of salvation, those things, those
works that answer to an inward saving faith, that show really
that there is a real change and that we are godly people. We do serve the Lord and we do
walk in His ways. We are spiritually minded and
that is life and peace. We're not calmly minded, worldly
minded, but the Lord has chosen us out of the world and prepared
us for a new heavens and a new earth we're in as well as righteousness
and we are to walk here below as a pilgrim seeking a heavenly
country. That is so and that is to be
known and read of all men that that is the case. But what the
Apostle is setting forth to Titus here is in more open and ways
that are understood by those that would not notice maybe spiritual
blessings or a change in that way, though they should notice
it. But he really wants to set before Titus that those that
fear God should not do anything in their lives that would cause
a just cause of offense. We read in Ecclesiastes that
dead flies in the ointment, they're like a little bit of folly in
the life of a man that was reputed to honor and to wisdom. And this is why in the words
of our text, It doesn't just exhort to good works, but it
says be careful to maintain good works. It's all right to start
in a way, it's very hard to continue it, and to consistently continue
it so that we don't blot it, as it were, with one very terrible work, if you like. And so you might ask, well, what
are the good works? What are those that are set before
us? And we only need to look at this
epistle to find out. But perhaps we say in a general
way, God's dear people, they should be the best if we're children,
best child that there is, if we're parents, the best parent
that there is, if we're a teacher, the best teacher that there is,
or an employee or employer, that we wouldn't be in reputation
as being a tyrant, as a soon angry man, as someone that is
obnoxious, and someone that is just generally viewed by mankind
as really a horrible child or a horrible parent or wouldn't
want to work for that employer and never employ that person.
And so we have in the passage here several ways that set before
us and of course it does apply to firstly in the way of godliness. In chapter one, Titus chapter
one, he speaks of the qualifications of a bishop and he says, and
this is either an elder and a minister or pastor, If any be blameless,
the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused
of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless
as the steward of God, not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to
wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre, but a lover of
hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate,
holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught. And so I have a picture there. We could think of the opposite
of this, that instead of the good works that are set before
us here, to have someone that is self-willed or very soon angry,
one that every now and again they get drunk or ended up punching
their children or their wife as a striker, or grabbing every
bit of money that they can get and making best use of the state
and falsifying documents as well to get the money in that way, one that just won't be hospitable
at all. You know, you can see the opposite,
and it gives a picture of a person that is here. So when our text
says, be careful to maintain good works, you can have a picture
here that Paul is giving to Titus, so he does know what is very
clear. And then in chapter two, where
we read, we have different classes of men, the aged men. What are
their works? There to be sober, grave, temperate,
sound in faith, in charity, that is love, in patience. Then the aged women, in behavior,
as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine,
teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women
to be sober, to love their husbands and love their children, to be
discreet chase keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands. And we have a picture of what
the Apostle means when he says of good works in this way, careful
to maintain good works. Then he speaks in verse 9 regarding
servants. Exhort servants to be obedient
unto their own masters, to please them well in all things, not
answering again, not purloining or lying, but showing all good
fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour
in all things. In all of our employments, all
of our lives, we don't just have a religion that is just for the
Lord's day or say, well, that is for one part of our life and
it doesn't affect another. If we truly have the faith of
God, it will affect everything that we do. We want to be Christ-like. We want to walk as he walks and
not give anyone a just reason of reproach. And then in chapter
three, the opening verses there, put them in mind to be subject
to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready
to every good work. We have in Romans 13, the powers
that be are ordained of God, and the exhortations through
the words, through Peter's writings as well, that God has given to
us those that are over us. And I believe this is so important
at this present time. We have those that make our laws,
our governments, and that are charged with dealing at this
present time with this pandemic and with Brexit. And there may
be many things that we don't agree with how they're doing
with things. And so when it says, that is
maintained good works, you need to be very careful. There are
those that would say, well, those in our governments, they're making
laws that are not right laws, not good laws. We don't agree
with what they're telling us to do and what we should do. But do we have to agree with
every law that is made before we obey it and before we Do the
bidding of those that God has appointed, are we above them? Has God said all the directions
for those in authority over us that, well, you don't have to
do it if you don't agree with what they're doing? No, that
is not how it's said. Yes, if it comes across like
the apostles were told not to preach anymore in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, then they could say we ought to obey God
rather than man. But where it is not a direct
opposition to the faith of God's elect, then we should obey them. It's the most solemn thing. If
those who have no faith and those who understand nothing of the
things of God can look upon those who profess faith and they say,
well, they're despising our governments, they're despising our councils,
they're despising health professionals and the way that they speak and
the way that they act, they have them in contempt, it is a terrible
witness to actually be speaking and acting in that way. And so this is where Titus is
exhorting and saying to, Paul is saying to Titus that he is
to affirm constantly. It's not just something that
is to be said every now and again, but it's something constantly
affirmed. Why? Because they need to maintain
good works. It needs to be kept up. And the
danger is that they start off and then something comes along,
some different situation like we are in now, We forget this
precept, we forget what the Lord has said, or think that it doesn't
cover it. Well it does. And so this is
what is set before us here. We have in verse 14 of this chapter,
and let us also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses,
that they be not unfruitful, and really I believe these good
works, they comprise everything. Wherever there might be a way
of helping a neighbour, wherever there be of earning an honest
living and an upright walk, that is what is set before us here,
rather than even setting forth specific things. If those who
have no faith could look upon our lives and justly say, that
is a terrible witness, or that is not a nice way to live, or
to speak, or to act, and that actually not stand up according
to the Word of God, then, well, when we're convinced of it, and
there are many times we are, many times in my life that, sadly
I have, and people have said to me, you know, how is what
you've just said consistent with your faith? What are you doing? And when I've realised I've had
to turn around and confess and say I'm wrong, I've acted wrong,
I've said wrong, that is, I shouldn't do that. And we can so easily
slip up. We are fallen sinners, so unchristlike,
except by his grace and except that we should conform ourselves
to him and to his holy word. and see to walk according to
it. I commit to you that the whole
of this Epistle of Titus, you cannot but read it, and his whole
emphasis, the amount of times that he brings in this word works,
and he's so needful that it be so, and really summed up the
reason why, because there are those that were professing that
they knew God. but their works weren't answering
to it. They're doing great damage to
the service of the true faith of God. May that not be us. May we truly show forth God's
praises and be like a Daniel in this present world. May the
Lord add his blessing. Amen.