Let's turn to Titus chapter 3. The believer is exhorted to maintain
good works in this life. And as we go through our lives
trying to adorn the doctrine of our Lord
Jesus Christ in everything that we do, we're going to encounter sinners. We're going to encounter
disobedient, malicious, envious, hateful sinners. And the scriptures tell us here
to remember to deal gently, to deal in meekness as much as possible
to be at peace with all men in this world. What do we need to
remember to be able to do that? Some things we need to remember.
We're going to only do that by God's grace. Here's what His
grace will bring us to remember. The first thing is to remember
what we were. Look at verse 3. For we ourselves,
Titus 3.3, for we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving
different lusts and pleasures. We were slaves to them. We were
living in. This was the whole tenor of our
life. We lived in malice and envy,
hateful and hating one another. Now what's going to bring a sinner
that's been called by God's grace? What's going to bring us down
from pride? Remember what we were. Look at
Romans 3. Romans chapter 3. What's going to bring us down
from thinking that there's something about us that's worth saving? That something about us that
gives us the right to be self-righteous? What's going to bring us down
from speaking evil of others as if we made ourselves better
than another? Look at verse 9. What then? Are we better than they? No,
in no wise. For we have before proved both
Jews and Gentiles." That takes in everybody on the face of the
earth. We are all under sin. They are all under sin. As it
is written, there is none righteous. Now get these nones right here
and get these nos right here. There is none righteous. No, not one. There is none that
understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. Now, if you ask men, if you ask
folks what they think about God, they're gonna sound like they
know something and they know their authority on it, on who
God is and how he saves. This is what God says about this
whole world. None that seeketh after God.
They're all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good,
no, not one. You mean there's not one that
does good? Not one. Not some, not one. Not one. Their throat is an open
grave. That's what a sepulcher is. With
their tongues they've used deceit. Poison of snakes are under their
lips. Their mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness. And most of this we're talking
about is, it is toward man. It is toward fellow man. But
first and foremost, it's toward God. It's toward God. I don't
believe that. That's cursing and bitterness.
That's what that is. I don't believe that's how I
am. That's how all men are. Why you wanna speak with such
cursing and bitterness against God? This is what God said. Their
feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in
their ways. And a way of peace have they
not known. There's no fear of God before
their eyes. Now we know that whatever the
law says, it says to them who are under the law that every
mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before
God. Look over at Ephesians chapter
2. Ephesians chapter 2. Galatians, Ephesians. Ephesians
chapter 2. Now, we're talking about believers
here. This is a believer. A true believer. Somebody who's
truly been saved by grace. This is the soul of every believer.
Wherein in time past, verse 2, you walked according to the course
of this world. according to the prince of the
power of the air. You are under the power of Satan
himself, under his power. The spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our
conversation, our conduct. in time past, in the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and we were by nature, how we were born into this world, children
of wrath, even as others." Now, is God saying that all men are
evil? Is He saying that all men without
exception are evil? You know, when it comes to our
thoughts, we think this, well, you know, we look around and
it doesn't appear that some aren't as bad as others. I mean, there's
some nice folks in this world. I mean, as we look at things,
there's some decent, hard-working, nice people in this world. But
the Savior said this in Mark 10, 18, He said, There is none
good but one, and that is God. Now that just takes me and you
clean out of it. there is none good but one, and that's God.
Why is that the case? Well, in Romans 3, Paul went
on to say in verse 23, for all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God. We've come short of what God
requires to have us to come into his presence. We've come short
of that. It doesn't matter how good a
man may be amongst men. It doesn't matter how good a
man may appear to be amongst his fellow worms. This is the
case. We've all sinned and come short
of the glory of God. Solomon said, there's not a just
man on earth that doeth good and sinneth not. Well, I don't
believe that. I don't think that's what I am,
somebody will say. John said this in 1 John 1 10,
if we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar. We say that
everything I just read that God said about me is not true. We
call God a liar. And all we did by that is prove
what God just said about us. We're liars. If we say that we
have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word's not in
us. Somebody will say, well, I've never committed murder.
What do you mean my feet are swift to shed blood? I've never
committed murder. The Lord Jesus Christ was here
and he said this. You've heard it said in old time,
thou shalt not kill. That's what the law said, thou
shalt not kill. Whoever shall kill shall be in
danger of the judgment. The Lord Jesus Christ said, but
I say unto you, this is God in human flesh telling us what the
law says, what it means, the spirit of the law, what it said.
He said, I say unto you, if you're angry with your brother without
a cause, you're in danger of the judgment. What's the call? I mean, anger without a cause.
So we feel like we got good cause to be angry. The only cause there
is to be angry with somebody is if they blaspheme the name
of this God and this Savior right here. That's the only just cause
we have, if they speak and blaspheme against this God right here.
You heard it said old time, thou shall not commit adultery. You
might say, I've never committed adultery. I know somebody that
has, and they're evil, and they're wicked. I've never committed
adultery. The Lord said, whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after
her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. You
see, the law reaches to the heart. This is what the Lord, this is
the problem. Look at Mark 7. The Lord said, this is the problem. Mark 7, 21. You see, at the very core, the
very seed of sin from which we were conceived and from which
we grew, it was sinful. I think it was this morning,
Melinda was showing me. I mean, I guess I knew that everything
grows from a seed. I knew that a banana tree had
to grow from a seed, but I never have seen a banana seed. You
ever split a banana in two and look at it? You see the seeds
in it. I've never seen a little bitty
seed, a little bitty Madonna seed. Well, we all came from
that, and that's what the heart is. And when we talk about the
heart, we're talking about the very core from which you were conceived. It's the heart that's the problem. Mark 7, verse 21, far from within,
out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts. That's as far
as you've got to go right there, and we've come short of the glory
of God. Evil thoughts. adulteries, fornications, murders,
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil
eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from
within in the defile of man. All those things are the evil
thoughts we're talking about. Before they ever turn into the
actual act of doing it, the thoughts, the thoughts, There's a, the heart of the sons
of men is full of evil. Madness is in their heart while
they live and after that they go to the dead. That's the scriptures. Now, look back at our text here.
Now let's go back over here to Titus and I want you to look
at chapter 2. Now believing fathers, you sitting
here who are believing fathers, we're given this word of instruction
from God, Titus 2.2. that the aged men be sober vigilance,
what the word is, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in love and in
patience. Now, as you try to serve God
as the head of your house and you try to leave your house,
where are you going to, when you're opposed and when you are
treated deceitfully and you're treated with envy and hatred. Where are you going to get this
grace to be sound and loving and patient? Mothers and young
women, young believers, look, this is the word of instruction
to you, the aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh
holiness or holy women. Not false accusers. That means
just on the phone and say, well, I heard so-and-so about so-and-so.
We don't know that. We don't know that. False accusers. Not given too much wine. Teachers
of good things. And here's what they're teaching
the young women. Mothers teach the young women this, and young
women, here's what you're being taught. That they may teach the
young women to be sober, wise, to love their husbands, to love
their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home. good, obedient to their own husbands,
that the word of God be not blasphemed." Now, as you're trying to do that,
what's going to keep you when you're opposed, when you mothers
are opposed, what's going to keep you from becoming a brawler
with your tongue and give them a tongue lashing? What's going
to keep you from speaking evil and having this bitterness in
your heart? What about the young believer?
What's going to keep you from all the peer pressure that you're
going to get and all the pressure you're going to get to conform
to this world and run after and be like what this world says
you ought to pursue. Where are you going to get grace? I'm talking to believers now.
Where are we going to get the grace when people treat us evil and speak foolishly and
have those different lusts and desires. They want us to go run
with me and do this. Go with me and do this. Remember
what you were. Look at verse 3. We ourselves
also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving
different lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful
and hating one another. Now remember these things. Remember
this. Don't forget these things. This is what you were. This is
what we were. But now remember something else.
Remember this. Remember who made you to differ?
Who made you to differ? I have a fellow that I grew up
with and we grew up on the same street. We grew up on the road
to the same school bus, went to the same school. He had decent, hardworking parents,
just like I did. We both had access to the scriptures. And he was in and out of trouble,
just like I was in and out of trouble. Both of us. Both of
us. No born of Adam, just two of,
born of Adam, just exactly the same. Not a bit of difference
between us. Not any difference between us. And he was in and
out of trouble. And this is what struck me about
this. Sunday morning at 4 o'clock,
4 a.m. on Sunday morning, I was studying
to finish up my messages to bring you a message from the gospel.
And at 4 a.m. that morning, he was killing
a man. And at 9 p.m. that night, when I laid down
with Will and talked to him before we went to sleep, deputy sheriffs
in our town were killing him. and not a bit of difference between
the two of us. Nothing. Who makes the difference? Who
makes the difference between one sinner and another sinner?
Remember who made you to differ. Look at verse four. But after
that, but after that, After all that time that came out of your
wicked heart came foolishness to God and to men, disobedience
to God and to all authority, after being deceived in our dead
and wicked hearts, after being slaves to all these different
lusts and pleasures, after living in malice and envy, hateful and
hating one another, after that, not wrath appeared, not anger,
not hatred appeared, but after that the kindness and love of
God our Savior toward man appeared." Well surely it's because, did
we straighten up our act? Did we turn over a new leaf? Did we decide that we'd lived
in rebellion long enough and, well, it's time now for me to
start walking straight in there, and so we went out and did a
bunch of random acts of kindness for folks, or was it because
we decided, well, I'm going to join a church, or, you know,
was it something like that? Verse 5, not by works of righteousness
which we have done. It wasn't because of any of that.
We were God-haters, is what God said. We were hating God and
hating one another. That's what God says of us. It
wasn't by any merit in us, not by works of righteousness which
we have done, not the most benevolent, nicest deed that we did. That's
not why the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man
appeared to us. What was it then? Verse five.
But according to his mercy, he saved us. His mercy. You see, the kindness and love
of God appeared to you who believe. It appeared to you in your heart
personally. You saw the kindness and love
of God in your heart personally. Not because of anything in us,
not because of anything you did, but according to His mercy. According to His mercy. When
did He show you this mercy? Look back over at chapter 1,
look at verse 2. in hope of eternal life, which
God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." You
mean before God made anything, He determined to show mercy to
you who He's called by His grace? That's right. And you mean then
after I was born, this is what I was? This is how I was born
in this world? A God-hating rebel against God? And it wasn't by any works that
I did. No, it was by His mercy which He showed to you before
the world ever began, before He ever made anything. You know
what that tells us? God knew who He was going to
save from the very beginning. He knew who He was going to save
from the beginning. How did it come to you? How did it appear
to you? Look at verse 3. But hath in due times manifested
His Word through preaching. Through preaching. which He committed
unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior." You say,
well, I never have heard this before. Well, you're hearing
it now. You're hearing it now. Why are
you sitting where you're sitting right now? Why are you in the
seat you're in right now hearing the words you're hearing right
now? God has crossed your path with the gospel. God has worked
everything in your life to bring you right where you are, right
here, right now, to sit you down and put us right here in this
room together so we can hear his gospel together. That's what
he's done. He doesn't do things by accident.
This is God who made the world to show mercy to somebody. You
think he made the world and just hoped he'd get to show them mercy?
He's doing everything according to His purpose. Now look for
the young men here that believe. Look at this in chapter 2 there.
Look at verse 6. This is God's word to you who
believe, that are called, you young men. Young men likewise,
be sober minded. In all things, showing thyself
a pattern of good works, a pattern of good works, an example to
follow of good works. In doctrine, showing uncorruptness,
no corruption in your doctrine. Gravity, sincerity. This thing's serious. The word
of God's not something to joke about. The gospel's not something
to joke about. The scripture's not something
to joke about. This is serious. sound speech that cannot be condemned,
because it's true that he that is of the contrary part, he that
doesn't believe, may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of
you. Now, what's going to make you
obey God rather than this ungodly world? What's going to make you
to to have strength and by his grace to do this, what is he
going to make you remember? When you encounter folks who
aren't like that, when you encounter folks who care less about your
gospel and your God, what are you going to do when you encounter
folks like that? You've got to remember that you were sometimes
foolish and disobedient. Deceived, serving all different
kinds of lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful
and hating one another. And remember who made you to
differ. But after that, the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared.
Not by works of righteousness we've done, but according to
His mercy He saved us. Now let me ask you another question.
Was it enough that he merely sent the gospel to you? Was it
enough that the Lord, you who believe now, was it enough that
God merely sent the gospel to you? You had to have something
else happen too. The gospel is going out right
now and everybody in this room is hearing it. Everybody in this
room does not believe it. Everybody in this room right
now is not alive. There are some in this room that are spiritually
dead. How am I going to get from being spiritually dead to spiritually
alive? where I can have ears to hear
and a heart to believe. And this word get down in my
heart and make me be a new creature. How's that going to happen? Look
here. Together with the gospel came
the Holy Spirit, verse 5. He says He did it by the washing
of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Look over
at, see it? Washing of regeneration and renewing
of the Holy Ghost. Look over at John 3. I want you
to see this, John 3. Sinners are born again, have
to be born again. That's what the Lord said. It
had to be renewed. We have to be made new creatures,
be born of God. And the Word of God and the Holy
Spirit are used together. The Word of God and the Holy
Spirit. The Word of God won't be enough
to give you life. You've got to have the Holy Spirit
to make that Word effectual in our heart. Look at John 3.5.
This was a religious man who came to talk to the Lord and
he was talking and he didn't understand this. And the Lord
said, verse 5, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man
be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. The Lord uses water here as a symbol referring to the
Word of God. It doesn't have anything to do
with baptism. You've got to be born, we're talking about being
born, being born again, being born anew. You've got to be born
of the Word, of the Gospel, and of the Spirit. The Word is always
the instrument God uses when He regenerates His people. We
have to know who God is. We have to learn how He saves
sinners. You have to be taught that in
you dwells no good thing, that you're dead. And you think, well,
why tell me that? Why? Because the Lord said, can
these dead bones live? And the preacher said, you know,
Lord. And he said, prophesy, preach
to the dead bones. And as he preached to them, the
Spirit of God entered into them. And bone joined to bone. And
sinew came upon them. And muscle came upon them. And
they turned into a body. That's the picture here of a
man being made new, being born from the dead, brought up from
the dead. You got to be taught this. We got to hear this. That's
why we don't, I'm not going to make you come to hear this gospel. I'm going to make that girl and
that boy come and hear it because I have the authority to make
them come and hear it. Would you? Well, I don't think
you ought to make a child do that. Would you make them go
to the doctor if they were sick? If they didn't want to go to
the doctor, I don't want to go to the doctor, mama. No, you're going to the
doctor, you're sick. We can make them, I mean, they
can't once their plate's broken and they're gone. But as long
as they're eating off our plate, come in here, because you've
got to hear this word. Now look, I want to just show
you this. Look over at John 6. Let me give you some scriptures
here to tell you what I'm saying. You've got to be born of the
Word and the Spirit. In Psalm 119.50, it says this,
this is my comfort in my affliction. Thy Word hath quickened me. That's what we're talking about,
being quickened, being born again. Let me give you a word in 1 Corinthians
4.15. 1 Corinthians 4.15, Paul said,
you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet you have not many
fathers. In other words, you may have
people that teach you about Christ later on, but Paul said, In Christ
Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel. Paul didn't do anything.
He's meaning, I preached the gospel to you. The Word. I preached
the Word to you and the Spirit of God rebirthed you. It's by
the Word and the gospel. Of His own will begat He us with
the word of truth. He begat us with the word of
truth. You're going to hear the truth.
You're going to have to hear the truth. We've got to hear
the truth of God. We've got to hear the truth of
how He said. Now, look here in John 6. John
6, verse 63. This is what the Lord said. John 6, 63. It's the Spirit that quickeneth. The flesh profits nothing. It's
the Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit of God does
this. There's that which is born of
the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit of God
is Spirit. The washing and renewing of the Holy Ghost through the
Word. The Lord said it's the Spirit that quickeneth. The flesh
profiteth nothing. Now look at the next word. The
words that I speak unto you. They're Spirit in their life.
This Holy Spirit together with the Word. Let me Let me give
you this. Turn over to John 15 while you're
turning there. Let me give this to you. Remember
what Paul said to the Thessalonians? He said this, Our gospel came
not unto you in word only. but also in power and in the
Holy Ghost. It did come in word. Paul didn't
just go in there and start singing and raising his hands and dancing
around and shouting and just hoping he could just hoop and
holler everybody into the new life and be born again. He went
in there and preached the gospel to them. But he said it didn't
come to you in word only. It came to you in word, but it
also came to you in the Holy Ghost, the power. Now, when we're
born again, We're made new. We're made by the Spirit and
the Word of God. And we enter into the kingdom
of God and family of God, a new creature in Christ Jesus. We
enter in. We believe Him. He gives us faith.
He grants us repentance to turn from all our former confidence
and our former gods and our former pleasures and lusts and turn
to Him and say, I want to leave it all for Him. I want to be
His. And when he does that, look at
what the Lord said, John 15, 3. He said, now you're clean
through the word which I've spoken unto you. Now you're clean. You're
clean. How so? Look back at our text,
Titus 3, 5. Not by works of righteousness
which we've done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, God the Holy
Spirit. You see, this mercy came from
God the Father. Now this new birth is going to
come through God the Holy Spirit, through this gospel that we're
declaring. That's how it's going to come. All right, now look
up here at this word of instruction in chapter 2 and verse 9. Everybody that works a job, here's
our instruction right here. Titus 2.9. Exhort servants to
be obedient unto their own masters and to please them well in all
things. You mean even when I got a boss
that's not a believer? You mean even when I got a boss
who's He makes unreasonable demands and he's rough the way he bosses
around and stuff. Obey him, please him well in
all things. Not answering again, not talking
back, not purloining, that means you know, hanging around extra
10 minutes in the break room and procrastinating and not purloining,
but showing all good fidelity, faithfulness, fidelity, that
they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Christ said, I have, I must be
about my father's business. And he never stopped. He went
about his father's business. God the Father sent him, and
he had a work to do. And from the time he got here,
he was going about his father's business. And he never purloined. He showed all good fidelity in
all things. His word was, not as I will,
but as thou will. Now, how are we going to do that?
How are we gonna have grace if we have somebody who's disobedient,
they're envious, they're hateful of boss like that? Well, look
down, let me show you this next thing. This is for all of us
that are believers here. 1st chapter 3 verse 1. Put them
in mind to be subject to principalities and powers. to obey magistrates,
to be ready to every good work. That means from the president,
to the governor, to the mayor, to the city councilman, down
to the police officers, down to the school teacher, to everybody
that has authority over you. The newer you are in life, the
more people you've got that have authority over you. That's right,
almost everybody. What do I do? How do I, what
if they, what if they, Speak evil to men. What if they are
disobedient to me? I'm talking to believers now.
What about that? What if we have a ruler in the White House that
doesn't know God and doesn't serve God? Look at verse 2. Speak evil of no man. Be no brawlers,
but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. Remember what? Remember that we ourselves were
sometimes foolish and disobedient and deceived and serving all
kind of lusts and pleasures and living in malice and envy and
hateful and hating one another. But after that, kindness and
love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of
righteousness which we've done, But according to His mercy He
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
And remember this too, this mercy came by Jesus Christ. Remember
how all of this came by God giving His only begotten Son. He gave His only begotten Son
who came to this place where we are. Look at verse 6. which
God shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Do you know how much we owe to
the Lord Jesus Christ? Look over at 2 Timothy 1, just
two pages back, 2 Timothy 1, about two pages. I want you to look at this now.
What do we owe to the Lord Jesus Christ? The gospel that I'm preaching
to you It's the gospel of Christ and Him crucified. All of this
came through the blood of Christ. It came because Christ came to
where His people were. Those that God gave to Christ
Those he determined to show mercy before the world began. He gave
them to his son then. And his son came forth and his
son walked this earth, went about his father's business. He obeyed
his mother and father in all things. He was made under the
law of God. And he walked righteously without
a sinful thought. He was conceived of the Holy
Ghost. So he came from his mother's womb speaking truth, the only
man that ever did. You ever think about that? I
bet he didn't cry when he was born. crying so. Every baby cries when they're
born. That's sin. You come out of a warm place out to a cold
world and you cry. I bet the Savior didn't cry.
And when Mary was walking around with him and raising him and
teaching him, and she sat down with her lady friends, and they
were talking, and everybody said, well, my son's a good boy. When
Mary said, my son's a good boy, she meant, no, he really is a
good boy. You just don't realize. I'm not
prejudiced. I'm not partial here. He is a
good boy. And he walked, he went about
his father's business, doing everything. Even when he was,
as far as Joseph, who was raising him, he was, that wasn't his
biological father, but he's there under him and he obeyed him.
In the carpenter shop, sweating and working with his father and
obeying his father. He obeyed his mother. Everything
that he went about doing, he had to. Because he's righteous,
he's holy. There's no thought of not obeying
his parents. at all. And he had to because
he's made under the law to work out a righteousness that his
people could never do. He's obeying his father and his
heavenly father and obeying and walking and obeying civil rulers,
obeying the law of the land, everything for 33 and a half
years. And and entered into his public
ministry, he told John, it behooves us that you baptize me. He told
John, you baptize me to fulfill all righteousness. And he was
baptized, just like he calls his children to follow him in
water baptism. He was baptized. And the Lord,
God the Father, led him just as he leads his children now.
He's given Christ the reigns though. He's given Him all dominion
in heaven and earth to lead His children and guide His children
through the Spirit of God through this Word. But He did that all
in full obedience and then after He did that and fulfilled everything
that was written in the law and the prophets, all the types and
shadows of him, he fulfilled all of those. And then everything
that was written in the moral law, everything that was written
that declared the righteousness of God, he is the embodiment
of God's righteousness. The personification of God's
righteousness is the Lord Jesus Christ. And after he proved himself
spotless and perfect in thought, word and deed, not any sin in
him whatsoever, He finished the work given him by the Father
in order for God to show mercy to somebody. He had to go to
the cross and he had to be made to sin that his people are. He
had to be made what his people are. In order for God to still
be just and show them mercy, somebody's got to pay the justice
that they owe to God's holy law. And so his son went to the cross. That's what was happening there.
It was far more, everything that men were doing, they were just
doing because they were doing what God had purposed before
to be done. And God just took the restraining hand off of them
and let them do what they were doing. God put him on that cross. He put himself on that cross.
He went there in willing obedience to honor his father. And he went
there because the law said, this is the sum and substance of the
law, love God and love your neighbor with all your heart and soul
and all your whole being. How much so? In order to declare
God just and the justifier, to declare that God himself is the
one who's done everything to save his people, he went to the
cross to die under the wrath of Almighty God to declare God
just and justifier of his people. He did that for God. And loving
his children as himself, he did that for his children, for those
given him of the Father, so that God could show them mercy and
declare to them, you've been justified. That's what he did. So this gospel that I'm preaching
to you, this is the very whole point of this gospel. The man
that preached that to you, he preached the gospel to you. The
man that told you what Christ did when he came, he didn't attempt
to do something. He didn't die for this whole
world. He didn't die for all men. He didn't die for everybody
without exception and hope now that you will make his blood
have some true accomplishment by you letting him save you. That's a lie. Christ did what
He came to do. He came to put away the sin of
His people by the sacrifice of Himself. He came to obtain eternal
redemption for His people. He come to justify those that
God gave Him by burying their sins in His own body on the tree.
And He cried out from the cross and said, Father, it is finished. He did it. And God declared The
clerk declared to us that he did it in that he raised him
from the dead and raised him to his own right hand. He walked
this earth and said, reach in here and touch my hand. It's
flesh and blood. The Spirit doesn't have a flesh
and blood flesh like I have and he touched his hand. And they
watched a man, a man in glorified human flesh, they watched a man
ascend up into the heavens. The gospel makes logical sense
more than anything in this world. But you ain't going to believe
the gospel by logic. It just ain't coming by logic. It ain't
coming through the intellect. It's got to get further than
the brain. It's got to get into a new heart made by God. That's
where it's got to be. And we believe him. Not because
we understand everything, because we say, there's a new life there. I can't not believe him. I just
believe him. Well, look, all this abundant
grace came through Jesus Christ our Savior. Look, the gospel
is of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Look at verse 8, 2 Timothy 1
verse 8. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord. That's what this gospel is, the
testimony of our Lord. Nor of me, his prisoner, but
be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God. Paul was in prison, beat, had
all kind of things done to him. Why? Why would somebody, could
you imagine somebody doing that in our day? Somebody that preached
Jesus Christ? Not the way men preach Jesus
Christ in our day. No, I can't. Do they take the
offense out of the cross? But Paul set forth the truth
clearly and he was opposed for it. But look, that gospel came
through Jesus Christ whom crucified. That's what it is. That's what
the gospel message is. Then, look, God the Father shed
all this love and kindness and mercy on us through Christ. Look
at verse 9. who had saved us and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. That's what God the Father did.
All the mercy and grace was given in Christ Jesus before the world
began. Look, the work was accomplished by Jesus Christ, verse 10, but
is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ,
who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light.
He did that. I'm telling you, listen. I want
you to look around. Look around. Everybody in here
tonight, look around. Just look at the person next to you. Look
in here. You're looking at some people in here. Some of you sitting
here right now. I don't know how else there's
a way to say this, but there's people sitting in this room right now
that are spiritually dead. Spiritually without, you're spiritually
dead and you're dying physically. But you're looking at some people
in this room who right now have eternal life. It's not something
they're going to get down the road. They got it. You're looking
at some folks in this room who have eternal life. Have it now. Don't you want eternal
life? Don't you want to know this God? What kind of God is there like
unto this God? There's none like this God. This
God is sovereign over heaven and earth. This God is a God
who saves effectually, whose love is saving love. It's not
this pitiful little thing that wants to. This God is God. And all of this grace came through
Jesus Christ. when we were regenerated and
renewed of Christ by the Spirit of God. You know how that came?
That came from Christ's fullness. John said, and of His fullness
have all we received grace for grace. That's how it came. And
then when we're walking, what I've been telling you all this,
how are we going to do these things, maintain these good works
that the Lord told us to? How are we going to do that?
Look at Ephesians 2. I've got to show you this. Ephesians 2.
How are we going to do all that? He's telling us this abundant
grace has all come to us by Jesus Christ. So how are we going to
maintain these good works and do these things? It's going to
be because Christ Jesus threw His hand upon His people in the
heart of His people by His grace. That's how it's going to be.
It's all come to us by Jesus Christ and He's risen now. He's
got the authority and the power and He's working all things in
the hearts of His people through this Word. Through this word,
and look, Ephesians 2.10, for we are his workmanship. We're
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. That's how we're created,
that's how we're made. In Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained, prepared that we should walk
in them. That's how we're gonna do it.
Where we're gonna, all this abundant grace came through Jesus Christ. Now let's go back and we'll close
with this. Look back at Titus 3. Now, we're
going to try to maintain good works as we go through this life.
We're going to have to remember what we were. When we encounter
somebody that deals with us with God and foolishness and deals
with us foolishly, remember, that's me. That's me. When they're
disobedient to you, deceive you, remember, that's me. That's where God found me. When
they're running after lusts and pleasures and malicious and envious
and hateful and hating you, remember, that's me. If God took his hand
off of a man, off of a believer, for a moment, we'd run right
back to that, right back to it. And the old man is still there,
still there. And remember who made you to
differ. After that, the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared.
God the Father, by his mercy, by the Spirit of God. All this
abundant grace came by Jesus Christ. Everything came by God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit through the
blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't have
anything to brag about. We don't have anything to boast
about. We don't have anything to puff ourselves up, poke our
chest out, and say, well, I did something to make myself to differ.
No, you didn't, and I didn't either. We didn't. We didn't. God made the difference. God
made the difference. And here's the third thing to
remember. Remember what you now are. Remember what you now are. Verse seven, you're justified
by His grace. justified by His grace. From
all of our sin, past, present, and future, by His abundant mercy,
we are justified by His grace. What does that mean? It means
that there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the
spirit. None. You mean when I die, when I close
my eyes and I meet God, I'm not going to have to be afraid? I'm
not going to have to be worried that there's going to be something
that God's going to bring up. The all-knowing God's going to
bring up something that I've done that He's going to say,
there's still this that you've got to contend with. No. Nothing. The books are clean. The books are clean. Christ Jesus
has blotted out my sin by His own blood. It's clean. It's done. And look, there's more than that.
More than that. We've been made heirs of God
according to the hope of eternal life. Heirs of God. From eternity past by adoption,
He made us His children, His sons, made us heirs, and now
we're the sons of God, John said. Joint heirs with Christ by the
Spirit of God. Now, right now. When you pass by 7 Burt Street
and see my little old a split-level house. Don't let that fool you. I own a lot. I own this whole
joint. It's mine. I'm a joint heir with
Christ, the Son of God. Whatever He owns is mine. And the same with you, Eric,
Michelle, Linda, the same. Joint heirs with Christ. I don't have enough. You've got His never-ending fullness. You've got everything. You've
got everything. And we've got the hope of eternal
life. Christ in you, the hope of eternal
life. You believe Him? You believe God? Verse 8, this
is a faithful saying. Everything we've been reading
about here, this is the faithful saying. There is nothing else
this faithful. This is a faithful saying, and
these things I will that thou affirm constantly. This is what
I try to tell you constantly. We got nothing to boast in. We
were sinners, that's all. And God's done everything by
his mercy and grace. Affirm this constantly, that
so that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain
good works. These things are good and profitable
unto men. You see, that's what, law don't
make a man try to maintain good works, grace does. Law doesn't
make a man attain good works. My friend been in and out of
jail all his life. Done nothing for him. He broke
every chain. He broke every kind of bar, every
kind of shackle. Men put on him. Didn't stop him. Didn't stop him. From a rebel
to a regenerated child of God. From a rebel to a justified child
of God. Made righteous in Christ. From
a rebel to an heir. From a rebel, one day, to a glorified,
eternally alive child of God. And every bit of it, everything
we are, all that we have, and everything we shall be, is all
attributed to the love, kindness, and grace, and mercy of God our
Savior. Everything. Think He saved us
to just leave us alone? Think He saved us just to make
us think that I think he saved us to show us
he's provided everything and will provide everything for us.
I think that's why he saved us. So we don't have to be afraid
of folks. Amen.