The Kindness And Love Of God

Go with me again to Titus chapter 3. Titus chapter 3. We are here tonight because of one particular statement and thought. And that statement and thought is in verse four. It says, but after that, the kindness and love of God. The kindness and love of God. Now, I'm going to Let me just kind of be candid for a minute. I preach these truths in the scripture. I desire to, I strive to, I try to, I beg the Lord to cause me to. But I preach these truths in the scripture week in and week out, day in and day out. I study the doctrine and I declare the announcement. As Luke chapter 1 says, I try to set forth in order the declaration. The who, the what, the how, the why.

There's a lot of There's a lot that takes place in the mind of a sinner who is converted to see Christ. There's a lot that takes place in the mind. A lot of preaching is rationalizing things in the mind. But sometimes it's hard for me to get to the mind of the matter because I'm so overwhelmed by the heart of the matter.

And tonight is a true example of that. That's a real statement. That's a real statement. I don't know how good this outline is. But it's hard for me to get to the mind of the matter because I just am so overwhelmed by the heart of the matter. Verse 4 says, but after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared.

Isn't that wonderful? That is beautiful. That's what it is. That's beautiful. What an insight to God's heart toward his people. What an insight. John 15 verse 13 says, greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Just, just enter into the heart of that. John 3 16, for God so loved the world. Who's the world? Me. You. We are the world. For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son.

Romans 5 verse 8 says God commended his love toward us while we were yet sinners in that Christ died for us. Sometimes I truly enter into what the scripture has revealed to us concerning our God, who he is in his person and in his character. And I become so overwhelmed by it. I'm so thankful that I have that moment to really enter into it. I become overwhelmed with thankfulness and happiness because of who our God actually is. Who he actually is. I've told you this before, that this thought occurs to me often. This thought occurs to me often.

I am so indescribably thankful for the fact that our God is the highest one who is preeminently seated on the throne and not the adversary. I'm so glad for that. I am so glad for that. I'm so happy to know that the Lord our God will be the one who reigns and rules forever and the adversary will never be able to overthrow him from his throne. I am so glad to know that. How horrible would it be if it was not our God who had the reign over us? But ultimately, we were in the hands of the adversary. How awful would that be if there was a true war between them? There was a real, actual war between them. Now I do not like to speak of the adversary. I do not like to read of him. I do not like to bring our attention to him in any way, shape or form.

But tonight I want to show you a comparison that I believe will make you very happy and very thankful. I hope it will. This has made me so happy and I hope it will. I hope this will make you happy. This is how the message is going to go. I'm going to quote a scripture. and then we're gonna read a scripture. And then I'm gonna quote a scripture, and then we're gonna read a scripture. And we're gonna keep doing that until I stop. Okay? Before we do that, we're gonna establish this right here.

Verse four says, But after that, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. Who is God our Savior? We're starting with this first. Who is God our Savior? Here's the answer. Look at verse 6. which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. As we turn to these scriptures, to see Christ is to see God. God Almighty, Jesus Christ is God our Savior. He is God our Savior. All right, so here we go. Turn with me to John 8. All right, you're holding John 8. Now just listen to this scripture. I'm going to quote it. Listen to this scripture. concerning the character and the desire of the adversary.

This is 2 Timothy 2.26, and it says, that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. His character and his desire is to take men and women captive by setting a snare for them. All right, that's who he is, that's what he does.

Now look at John 8 verse 31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him. If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. That's a big difference. That's a big difference. That right there is a wonderful difference. One desires a snare. The other one desires to set men and women free. Now that's who God is. That's who the adversary is, who very much resembles this flesh. That's who the adversary is, but that's who God is. Truth, you'll know the truth and the truth will make you free. Turn over to Luke 4. Luke 4, now just listen to this scripture concerning the character and the desire of the adversary. All right, this is Acts chapter 10, verse 8, no,

38. Acts 10, verse 38, it says, John preached how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil."

Oppressed of the devil. Now that verse declares a contrast. It does declare a contrast. But listen to this, okay? The adversary is an oppressor. He is the oppressor. That's what he does. He oppresses, that is his character, that is the desire of his heart to oppress. What that means is to exercise harsh control over. To use one's power against. All right, now look right here at Luke 4 verse 18.

Our Lord said, the spirit of the Lord is upon me. Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Does that make anybody happy? That make anybody thankful?

You know, the thing that hits me is we're in control of none of this. We're in control of nothing. Nothing. Everything is more powerful than us. Everything is more knowledgeable than us. But this is how the Lord our God ordained it to be, said it to be. To hear that that is the character and the will and the desire of God our Savior. That's who he is. That's whose hand we're in. That makes me so thankful. Turn with me to John 10. Just listen to this scripture concerning the character and the desire of the adversary. This is first Peter five verse eight.

Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. That means destroy. His character and desire is to destroy men and women. That's his character, that's his desire. To kill men and women. To kill.

And that's what the first half of John 10 verse 10 says. But look at the second half of John 10 verse 10. Our Lord said, I am come that they might have life. And that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. The character and the will and the desire of the Lord Jesus Christ our God is not to take our life, not to take it from us, but to give it to us. to give us life by way of devouring and destroying his own. That's what he did in order to give us life. What a glorious contrast this is. Turn with me to John 16. And just listen to this scripture concerning the character and the desire of the adversary. This is Revelation 12 verse nine.

It says, the great dragon was cast out. That old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceived the whole world. And he has, he has with his false religion. He's deceived the whole world. If it were not for the grace of God, the whole world would be deceived. There's not, there wouldn't be one person standing on earth that knew the truth. He is the deceiver. His character and his desire is to deceive the whole world.

But look right here at John 16 verse 13. Our Lord said, how be it when he, the spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. He'll show it all to you.

First Corinthians 2.16 says, We have the mind of Christ. We've been given the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1.8 and 9 say, He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. having made known unto us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself." It pleased Him to make every bit of that known to us. Acts 26 verse 26 says, Our Lord did none of these things in a corner. He didn't hide this in a corner.

In John 15, 15, our Lord said, all things that I have heard of my father, I've made known unto you. I've told it to you. Turn with me to first Corinthians one. Now, just listen to this scripture concerning the character and the desire of the adversary. This is Acts 13, verse 10.

Paul said, Oh, oh, full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness. Wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? He said, you're a child of the devil because of your subtlety, because of your mischief. He said, you're an enemy of all righteousness and a perverter of the right ways of the Lord.

That's the adversary. All right. Now look at first Corinthians one verse 30. It says, but of God are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Not only is God our Savior for righteousness, He is righteousness. He is the right way of the Lord. The next scripture is right here in 1 Corinthians 1.

So just listen to this, all right? Listen to this scripture concerning the character and the desire of the adversary. This is John 13, verse 2. Hold on, I didn't turn to that. John 13, verse 2 says, And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him.

He is the betrayer. That's who he is. He is the betrayer. That's what he does. He betrays. Now look right here at 1 Corinthians 1 verse 9. It says, God is faithful. This is amazing. I'm telling you, this is amazing. There is a God over the whole universe, the whole world, all of time and eternity and stars and planets and. Everything that is. And he can be anything he wants to be. And thank God he's nothing like me and you. Thank God. You know, I'm describing the adversary, but I'm telling you, I'm describing flesh. That's what I'm describing. Betrayer. Betrayer.

Who is the absolute highest almighty who can do whatever he wants with anybody he wants, whenever he wants? He is faithful. This man is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. Verse 9 says, God is faithful by whom you were called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. So faithful. That's who God our Savior is. He is the faithful God.

He said, I think all the time about, this thought goes through my mind, that the trivial things that I bring to Him and I pray to Him about and I have need of, I think He doesn't have time for those things. He doesn't have time for any of those things.

He literally said, when you're going through everything you're going through, I will sit right beside you and hold your hand. I'll wait it out. Long as it takes, I'll hold your hand. He said, when you pass through the fire, I'll be with you. The waters shall not overflow you because I'm going to carry you. I'm going to carry you all the way to the end. This is God. This is God. Turn to Titus chapter one. Titus 1, and just listen to this scripture concerning the character and the desire of the adversary. John 8, 44, our Lord said, you are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. That's all he can do. Lie. That's all he can do.

All right, now look at Titus 1 verse 1. It says, Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before the world began. but hath in due times manifested his word through preaching which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior. The one whose word we are holding to cannot lie. Cannot lie. He will not lie to us because he cannot lie to us. That makes me happy. I don't like being lied to. And I grieve over how much I lie. But he cannot and he will not. Turn with me to James 1.

Just listen to this scripture concerning the character and the desire of the adversary. This is Matthew 4, 1 to 3. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward and hungered, and when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

He is a tempter. He is the tempter. That is his character. That is his desire to tempt men and women. It's what he does. He tempts men and women. All right, now look at James 1 verse 13. It says. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempted he any man. He does not do it. He will not do it. That's his character. That right there is who he is. One more, go to 1 John 3. 1 John 3. Now, I'm not gonna quote the scripture concerning the character and desire of the adversary because it's right here, all right? It's right here in this chapter, we'll read it. 1 John 3, look at verse eight.

He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. He is a sinner. He is a sinner and he is the author of sin. But look at this verse concerning God our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 John 3 verse 5 says, And you know that He was manifested to take away our sin, and in Him is no sin. No sin. Is it not amazing to see who God our Savior actually is? Who He actually is.

That is who saved us. That's who saved us. And let me close the message by reading for us how He saved us. All right, I'll close with this. Go back to Titus 3, our text in Titus 3. This is how He saved us. That's who saved us. And this is how He saved us.

Verse 3, Titus 3, verse 3, it says, For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers' lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." That sounds like we were under the captivity of the adversary. Sounds like that because we were. Verse 4 says, But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. By his kindness and his love, only according to the grace of his kindness and love. That means only because he is who he is. Only because of that, not according to anything in us, not according to anything by us, only according to His mercy, He saved us.

He washed us in His blood and renewed us in His Spirit abundantly through His death. that being completely justified by his free and finished work, we would be made heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ according to the hope of eternal life.

This is who we're going to live with. This is who we're going to live with. What a God, what a savior, what a man. The mind of the matter is wonderful, and hopefully this did describe that. Because we could spend a lot of time, and we have and we will, we'll spend a lot of time going through verse five. I'd love to spend a lot of time going through verses one and two, saying that's Christ, that's Christ, that's Christ, thank God for Christ. I started out to title this message, Christ, us and salvation. I was going to go through verses 1 to 7 and I just got totally hung up on verse 4.

So I love the mind of the matter. I do, but. Sometimes the heart of the matter is just to me, it's more that can be contained. It's more that can it. I cannot believe this is who our God is. This is what our God was pleased to do. And this is who he was pleased to do it for. I just cannot believe. That makes me so happy and so thankful. Amen.

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The Kindness And Love Of God

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