Sound Doctrine

Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and get started. So if you would turn with me to Titus chapter 2 Titus Titus chapter 2 Titus chapter 2 We'll read the first 11 verses for now. But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine, that the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

The aged women, likewise, that they be 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, 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. Young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded, in all things showing thyself a pattern of good works, in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity. Sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters and to please them well in all things, not answering again. not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.

It starts out here, Paul speaks to Titus here, and he tells him to speak those things which become or that are suitable or proper for sound doctrine. Then we have the word that on verse two. He says, but speak thou the things which become a sound doctrine, that. So he begins into this sound doctrine. He starts to tell Titus what become a sound doctrine right here after that that. That's what that word that is. He goes through all these things here to show how we are to behave ourselves, if you will. You can read them all.

The aged men to be sober, grave temperate. The aged women, likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness. That they may teach young women to be sober, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home. Young men, likewise, exhort to be sober-minded. In all things, showing a self a pattern of good works. Sound speech that cannot be condemned, exhort servants to be obedient to their own masters.

We read all these things and they are sound doctrine. That's what Paul's telling Titus here. They're sound doctrine. And in verse 10 it says, we do these things. What's it say there? That we may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. There's a reason we do these things. So as we read these things, we see how we are to behave ourselves and keep in mind this is sound doctrine to exhort one another to behave this way. However, this is not the whole point. It is not all of what this passage is teaching us because we get to that last verse that we read in our text. It begins with a for or because.

Here now we're going to hear the why and the how we do this, why we are to behave ourselves this way. That is what I want to talk about today, the details of this four, the why and the how we do these things. This is giving us the why and the how we do these things, and we should walk this way. It's sound doctrine to do this and to teach this, to exhort one another to do these things.

And you'll read nothing about in this why about us accomplishing anything by us doing or behaving ourselves this way. We do not do these things to become more sanctified or more righteous. That's not what it says here. We do these things because, the for, we have that for there, because.

So we have, this is what I wanna bring to you this morning, the grace of God, salvation, This teaches us purpose of God and the result. Five points, but I won't be long this morning. First, the grace of God. It says, for the grace of God. And we heard it the last time I was here. The grace of God has always been there, always, from the beginning. It was there before sin ever existed. It was there and seen in no way would overtake God's grace. No way. Because grace superabounds. It says, Joe read this, and this really stuck with me when he read this passage that day when I spoke with my message.

He read 2 Timothy 1-9 where it says, who hath 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. Grace was given to his people before the world began in Christ. His grace will be shed upon us in time, but we already have the grace in Christ. And he'll give us that grace in time whenever he's pleased to give it to us. But his grace does not come upon him as some emotional reaction to things. It's been his purpose. He had grace toward his people before the world began.

All that was yet to be done was for him to manifest that grace. And I have to kind of combine this point with my next as they are inseparable because it says in verse 11, verse 11, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation. And this is interesting here when I read this.

Salvation is not a doctrine. It is not a feeling. It is not an emotion. Salvation is not a work that we perform. Salvation is a person. That word here means, for salvation, it means defender. A defender is a person, is it not? God's grace brought a defender to us. It says, the grace of God that bringeth salvation. And it adds, hath appeared to all men. God's grace was manifested to us in a person.

First Timothy 3.16 we read, and without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory. The grace of God was manifested to us in a person, and that person we know is Jesus Christ the Lord. This is why we do these things, why we behave ourselves, and why we are instructed in this doctrine.

Because of the grace of God that bringeth, or we can say that brought salvation to us. His grace brought us a defender. Defender of what? Defender against the wrath of God. Defender against sin. Defender against death. Defender against anything that could cause us to perish. Jesus Christ was made flesh. A person is my defender and that person is God made flesh. A real bonafide person who was made manifest to all men. He was made a man and he was manifest to all men. He now sits at the right hand of God.

Psalms 18.2 says this, the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust, my buckler, that's defender, and the horn of my salvation and my hightower. Jesus Christ is the grace of God and he is our salvation. It says grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, does it not?

Both because of who he is and what he has done. That's why we do anything, isn't it? What does Paul say as it concerns the gospel? He says this in 1 Corinthians 2, 2. For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. So we should also be determined to know a person, Jesus Christ. Isaiah 9, 6 says, for unto us a child is born, and to us a son given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Jesus Christ is God. He is the almighty sovereign God who does as he pleases and that God who was made flesh, he was made flesh for a specific purpose.

He was not made to make anything possible. God does not and he did not and he does not try to do anything. God does not try to do anything. He has done all that he is pleased to do. He accomplishes everything he intends to accomplish because that is who he is.

God. This God being manifest in the flesh done something. Jesus Christ and him crucified, remember. It says a person was crucified. I know you all know this. This person being God manifest in the flesh, him being made a curse and sin for his people, he did not make salvation possible, he secured salvation for his people one time, one time.

Because he was crucified in our stead. Death has no more dominion over us because he died in our stead. When he died, we died with him. When he arose, we arose with him, so we now live in him. Is that not enough reason for us to behave ourselves this way? Being instructed by the Apostle Paul is also being instructed by God himself, is it not? Because God breathed these words. There's no better reason we could have than to know God sent us a defender, and he defended us all the way to salvation. He is our salvation, and it was all manifested to the world. What does all of this teach us? So next, number three, this teaches us.

Titus 2.12 says, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. That's what Jesus Christ taught us in who he is and what he done. 2 Corinthians 8-9 says, For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. He certainly denied ungodliness, but yet he was made sin. He gave up all to be made a curse for us.

This is enough to teach us to behave ourselves this way. Why are we to be exhorted to behave ourselves this way? Because we do not always behave ourselves this way. So we have to be exhorted and rebuked, if necessarily, to do this. But it goes on to say, we do this not looking to our behavior, not looking to our works, Yes, we are to behave ourselves this way, but we're not looking at our walk. Because if we do, we will fall.

We do this, as it says here in verse 13, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. We do all these things looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. a person, and I'll keep saying that. Salvation is a person. Nothing new.

We've heard that before, and it's true, so we must keep saying it. You hear a lot of people arguing about doctrine, about what they believe. I've done it before. I'm not saying I won't ever do it again. Arguing about doctrine. They think they have a stronghold on their salvation because they believe a certain way. but they have neither sound doctrine nor salvation because they cling to a doctrine rather than the God of the doctrine. The person, Jesus Christ the Lord. I'm not immune to this as I see it.

I do this at times, God forgive me. Remind me who my salvation is. Keep my eyes fixed on the God of my salvation. Keep me fixed on Him, looking for His return, as we just read. For Him to be manifest to us once again and forever. Take us with Him. He's promised it, and He will do it. It was the whole purpose of God to do this, so next, the purpose of God.

Titus 2.14, it says, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity. And that might there is not a might of if, it's just a might of what would happen when he did this. It does not say that we might work righteousness. It says he did this. He was crucified for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity. God's purpose from all eternity was to save a people for his name, to glorify himself because he did all that was needed to save a people. We had nothing to do with it. We just benefit from it.

We just inherit him. because of his grace and salvation that was manifest to us in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord. Because we're told that we inherit eternal life, are we not? And that life is in Christ Jesus the Lord, the Son of God, so we inherit Christ. He also inherits his people as well. It says we are in his inheritance that we're told in scripture.

So what is the result of what he has done? So number five, the result. Verse 14, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. He purified unto himself a peculiar people who are zealous of good works. His people, by His grace, are zealous to do those things that He's instructed us to do.

They are. But it says here, a peculiar people. And that word means being beyond usual, special. I've heard some say that, and no one's ever said it to me, but I've heard people say that someone has said to them, well, you all just think you're special. There's no need to disagree with him. It was the purpose of God to do this. In doing all of this, he purified unto himself a peculiar, a special people. He did this. It was his purpose and he accomplished it.

Of course it has nothing to do with what we did or what we do. We do not make ourselves peculiar, special. Christ did when he died on that tree. So we are special to God because he made us so. I'm thankful for that. I don't want to be high-minded about that, as if I had anything to do with it, but I am thankful to God for that. And it is true, we are a special people. We are special made so by Jesus Christ and him dying on that tree.

Is that not worthy of us doing these things, behaving ourselves as we are taught here? I believe it's every reason for us to do this. It even says what he did made us zealous to do these things. Zealous of good works, we're zealous of them, but we are not perfect in doing them. But we do do these things. God's people do want to do that, which honors and glorifies him. And he tells us what we are to do.

Titus is encouraged by Paul to teach these things. What we read that Paul wrote is what God says, because scripture tells us that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, that is, God breathed. So it is profitable, and one of those prophets mentioned is what? Doctrine, doctrine. We are encouraged to do these things, every single one of us. Where do we hear these things? In the gospel. All of this is revealed to us in the gospel.

Turn back to Titus one there. Let's just read how Paul starts this letter out, verses one through four. Titus 1, 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. To Titus, mine own son, after the common faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

The gospel. The gospel is where we hear all of this. We hear all that foreword we hear in the gospel. And if we don't hear it, then we're not hearing the gospel and we should stop listening to it. But it's good to do these things. And all of this goes together. Everything we're told to behave, the way we're told to behave ourselves, and this foreword goes together. You can't separate them. They go together. Turn over with me a minute to Philippians 3. Philippians 3. Again, you all know this, but this is Paul at one time. Philippians 3, and I'm going to begin in verse 4. I'm just going to read three verses.

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of Hebrews, as touching the law of Pharisee.

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. And the thing that I want to point out here is Paul, it says Paul wasted the church at one time. For what reason did he do this? Because he wanted to get rid of the name of Christ from off of the earth.

There are those who do this today. They persecute the church. They do this by teaching things that say, we will do something for God. They will say, they give their heart to Jesus and accepted Him in their heart. They will teach that they do works to sanctify themselves.

I mean, Paul even listened to something, a little snippet on YouTube, a Lutheran pastor, a woman Lutheran pastor. And she said of the Syrophoenician woman that came to Christ, remember that? And Christ said, we're not to give the food but to the house of Israel, but not give them unto dogs. You know what she said? God messed up, ain't that what she said, Paul? God messed up, or Christ messed up is what she said. Really?

She's starting out at the wrong place anyway, standing behind a desk usurping authority over the man. They get to passages like I'm reading today and they will teach that we do these things because we are clean and now we can do for ourselves. They don't know the garment spotted by the flesh. They leave out the why and the how is what they do. They do not know the who. Nothing will be done but by the grace of God which brought salvation. We are told he purified some and made them special people.

We just read it. His work causes them to be zealous of good works. To do these things, to behave ourselves in such a way honors him because he tells us to do these things. We know what the scripture says. He works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. If He does not work that in us, we will not do them, even after we are saved. So if we do any good works, if we do any of these works mentioned here in this text, it is because, the for, because He worked it in us. It is sound doctrine to teach these things. For us to do these things, we only do these things because of who, the who. That who is our defender and our savior. He purified unto himself a special people, zealous of good works. We do not add to that. We just bow down to that and we thank God for it. because without him we can do nothing.

Praise be to God for what he has done. Cause me to walk in your ways. Cause me to honor you in doing these things. I pray that I can behave myself in this way as he tells us here. It's because of his grace and his salvation who he is, Jesus Christ our Lord. What does Paul end with in this passage? 2.15 he said, these things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority.

Let no man despise thee. We teach these things because God said so. And his word is all the authority we need. I don't care what we believe, they believe, or whatever. It's what God says. What's that saying that somebody says sometimes? God said it and I believe it, so that settles it? No. God said it, so that settles it, whether I believe it or not. We teach others and ourselves to behave ourselves this way, but we also teach the who. who has done what is needed to cause us to be able to do these things to save our souls. He did this to save our souls for eternity. Amen.

Sound Doctrine

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