Titus chapter 3. I think we know
by now, after going through this book, that the theme of this
book is found in verse 8, that you be careful that they which
have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. Title of the message is, Be Careful
to Maintain Good Works. Our Lord said this. Ye are the
light of the world. This world sits in darkness. And the only light in this world
of darkness is the believer. It's the believer. You are the
light of the world. And people are watching you.
They listen to your witness when you witness to them about Christ.
And they watch your walk. And I'm telling you, they look
to see if it matches. They look to see if it matches.
Just look here in verse 1. Paul tells Titus, Put them in
mind to be subject to principalities and powers. They did not like
being subject to the Roman government. One rose up and asked the Lord,
do we pay taxes? He said, you give to Caesar that
which is Caesar's, and you give to God that which is God's. And
Peter was sent down to the ocean there and he got a fish and took
the money out of it and went and paid taxes. Put them in mind
to be subject to principalities and powers. to obey magistrates,
to be ready, ready to every good work. Remind them, this is what
he's saying, remind them, put them in memory or bring to remembrance
these things continually. What things? Well, the things
he wrote up earlier. You look back here in chapter
two, he says, Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine,
the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in
charity, in patience, the aged women." Then he goes on down
to the young men, young women, the servant. He said, remind
them continually, continually to be ready to do good works
and to be obedient to magistrates, to the authority that God has
set up. I don't care if the person that
may be executing that office may be a scoundrel. But it's
God's office. He set it up. He set it up. Remind
them whose they are. This is important. I thought
about this as I was writing this out. Remind them whose they are. Who you belong to. Now listen
to this. All of us have a last name. We all have a last name. And
that last name represents a father, a mother, brothers, sisters,
a family. It represents a family. And what
we do reflects on the whole family, doesn't it? It reflects on the
whole family. Believers have a heavenly Father,
brothers and sisters in Christ, a family, the family of God. And what we do reflects on the
whole family of God. It does. It reflects on them.
And remind them, he says, you're to be a subjection to all authority.
Why? Why do we need to be reminded
of that? Because we still have that old nature of rebellion
in us, don't we? You just get pulled over for
a ticket that you deserved, and you still get mad, don't you? I shouldn't tell this on me,
but this has been some time ago. This was yesterday. But it wasn't
that long ago, but it's been some time ago. I got pulled over
on 168 out there. And I thought, Rascal, I'm not
going that fast, but I broke the speed limit. I just stopped
right in a curve. And I made him mad. I made him
mad because he made me mad. We made each other mad. But guess
who paid the ticket? I did. I was dead wrong. I'm
telling you, I was dead wrong. Remind them, listen, remind them
to be in subjection. The hardest thing, the hardest
thing for you and I to do is to submit. I mean, we've got
that old nature in us. Wives, submit to your husband
in everything. He's the head of the house. He's
the head of the home. That's what God says. God holds
you responsible to be the head of the house. And saying she
wouldn't let me is not going to fly. It's not going to fly. Because God holds every one of
you men, me, to be head of the home. Is that not right? You
can't shirk responsibility. If God puts it on you, it's on
you. If he puts it on you. So he says here, be a subjection
to all authority. Look over at 1 Peter. What about
the ones that are, I mean, just absolute jerks? I don't know
any other way to put it. Just a jerk. That doesn't mean
you'd be one back. Just like I was. In 1 Peter chapter
2. Look in verse 18. Servants, be subject to your
masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also
to the froward, also to those who are taking advantage of their
position and power. They do take advantage of that
position of power. He says you'd be in subjection
to them also. But now listen, let me make this,
let me say this, because I do believe this. where there is
continual rebellion against authority. I do believe that person is lost. Now, we can get upset. Now, we
can get upset. We can get upset over something
we think that might not be right, but we can get over it. And we
seek the Lord for mercy for getting upset. We seek Him for forgiveness.
But a person who has a continual rebellious spirit, whether it
be a child or a kid at home or on the job, that person, I'm
telling you, is lost. Because grace reigns. Now, I'm telling you, grace reigns.
Sin shall not have dominion over you. It's not going to rule your
life. Grace is going to rule your life
and your conduct. But now, any authority that is
contrary to God's law, that's a different situation. Now, let
me read to you something here. I've already got it in Daniel.
In Daniel chapter 6, let me read some verses here to you. Now,
all the presidents of the kingdom, the governors and the princes,
the counselors and the captains, have consulted together to establish
a royal statute and to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask
a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee,
O King, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O King,
establish the decree. Sign the writing that it be not
changed according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which
alters not. Wherefore, King Darius signed
the writing and the decree." Now, when Daniel knew that the
writing was signed, he knew it. He didn't do this ignorantly.
He knew this was written. But God's law and the worship
of God supersedes everything. It absolutely supersedes everything.
Now, when Daniel knew that the writings writing was signed,
he went to his house, and his window was being opened. He didn't
try to hide. He didn't try to hide it out
of fear. His window was being opened in
his chamber toward Jerusalem. He kneeled upon his knees three
times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did
aforetime. You can go on down and read that.
And so we're in verse 13. Then answered they and said before
the king that Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity
of Judah, regards not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou has
signed but makes his petition three times a day to his God. Now, when it comes to the worship
of God, that supersedes everything. But now, the laws of this land,
the common laws that's for the good of our good, we obey them. We obey them. And then he says
here on verse 2, to speak evil of no man. I mean, when I, you
know, I'm speaking to myself. I'm speaking to myself. You all
can listen in. This hits me square in the eyes. Speak evil of no
man. Be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all
men. Don't destroy a person's character
or name because you don't like them. I thought of this today
when I was reading this. Don't destroy their character,
their name, because they just might be a child of God. You
don't know. A year, five years, ten years
down the road, that person may come to believe the gospel. But
we don't need to do it anyway. And he says here, don't destroy
a man's character. Speak evil of no man. No man. Learn to discipline our
tongues. You know, the scripture says,
Dover and James, that the tongue is set on fire of hell. But listen,
grace can put it out. Grace and only grace can put
that fire out. The scripture says grace poured
from his lips. Let it pour from ours. How many
times did Henry tell us in the Bible class? If you don't have
anything good to say about anybody, just don't say it at all. That's
easy to say. That's difficult to do. Love
your enemies. Love your enemies. Someone said
one time, he said, elections are not deep doctrine. It's just
so, but love your enemies. That's deep doctrine. That's
deep. Do good to those who spitefully
use you. That's deep. That's deep. Pray
for those who despitefully use you. Pray for them. I assure
you this. At some point in our lives, my
life, I despised somebody before. I guarantee it happened. You
can't go through high school and not do that. You can't get
through high school and not do that. At teenage years, oh man,
you can't do that. Learn to discipline your tongue.
No brawler. Don't be a contentious person.
That's unbecoming as a believer. You know, we looked at it last
week. He says to adorn the doctrine of God. Contention does not adorn
the doctrine of God. It does not adorn the gospel.
How are we to act? And Paul says gentle, meekness,
which is kindness. We are to act the way we would
have the Lord act toward us. And then he gives us here some
reasons for acting gentle and kind and doing good. First, in
verse 3, he reminds us of what we were. Don't ever forget what
you were. Don't ever forget that. For we,
and Paul includes himself, he didn't say for you. You cretins
are, you know, what was it he said here that one of themselves,
even a prophet of their own, said that cretins are always
liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. He didn't say and that's that's
exactly what you are. No, he said we. Here's how you
tell graces at work. Paul said at one time that he
kept the law. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees.
He said, as far as the law is concerned, I was what? Blameless. But now he puts himself in the
same category of the people he's preaching to, and he says we.
We ourselves also were, by the grace of God, we're not this
way now. We don't live this way. This is not our life. This is
not the tenor of our life. Even though we still have an old nature,
this is not the tenor of our life. But remember this. Remember
this. We were sometimes foolish. The
next time you look into the face of someone that is foolish, you
know what they're doing is foolish? Just remember, you're looking
into a mirror. You're looking into a mirror. That was me one
time. Boy, it looks just like me. Looks
just like me. Foolish. Disobedient. Sneaking around, doing things
you ought not to do. Deceived. He actually thought
you were good. Paul did. Paul thought he was
a fine man. Fine man. Thought he was. Serving
diverse lusts. Now you can just write away that
word serving slaves to diverse lusts. You were slaves to it.
Whatever it was. I think everyone has a particular
sin that just whistles. And when it whistles,
they just bow down to it before salvation. before God saves you. You serve diverse lusts and pleasures. Pleasures! Dare I say, Mark Madness? Pleasures! Let me tell you something. I'm going to tell you something
about myself again. Given to pleasures. I used to
be so crazy about pro football. Dallas Cowboys. I slipped out
of work when I was 20, 21, 22, somewhere in there. I slept,
like I said, work evening shift. I slept out of work and turned
the radio on in the car and said, who's winning? And I slept back in.
I slept back out. Pleasures. I remember when I
was 18, 19 years old, the place I worked, I called in work twice.
Sick. Sick of working. I was going
to play basketball. But I went, I called in sick.
I wasn't sick. I was given to pleasure. I want
to go play. I wanted to play. Give it to
it. I say this country is giving to it. This country is absolutely
giving to pleasure. He says, now remember, this was
you. You were like this. Living in malice, envy, hateful,
hating one another. You know, Paul, He's not talking
about this is the way some of us were. He said this is the
way every one of us were. He just described human nature
is what he did. He described human nature. All were this way. And the only
reason we are not this way now is due to the grace of God at
work in us now. That's the only reason. But after
that, After you prove what you were. After that, the kindness
and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. When did the kindness
and love of God our Savior appear? When did that appear? Adam, where art thou? I heard your voice walking in
the garden in the cool of the day. There was not lightning
and thunder like there was at Mount Sinai. It was just a calm,
cool, beautiful day. And Adam was hiding. He and Eve
were hiding behind a bush, thinking they could hide from God. And God gave the promise, even
though He was talking to Satan, He gave the promise of the seed
of the woman. And from that point, you can
go chapter by chapter, book by book, throughout the Old Testament,
and the kindness and love of God, our Savior, appeared in
the Passover land, in the tabernacle, in the high priest, the priesthood,
the blood, and just go on and on. All the promises, Isaiah
53, substitution. Go on and on throughout that
whole Old Testament, the love of God our Savior appeared. When you read the Old Testament,
do you see Christ? Well, every time you see Him,
you see the love of God our Savior appear. When you see Him. When did the love of God
our Savior appear? In 1 Timothy 3.16. Great is the
mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. The Word, it says in John chapter
1, the Word which was God, with God, was made flesh. It appeared. When Jesus Christ,
when the second person of the Trinity was made flesh, the love
of God, the kindness and love of God, our Savior, appeared. What did the angel say there?
Peace and goodwill toward men. When did it appear? There in
the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ was being made sin for
us. There we see the kindness and
love of God our Savior appearing on our behalf. When did it appear? When the Lord Jesus Christ hung
on that cross, mutilated, mutilated. There it hangs, the kindness
and love of God. There it is. Can you see it?
It has appeared. Look over in Hebrews chapter
9. Hebrews chapter 9. Look in verse 24 For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
truth, but into heaven itself, now to appear," right now, the
love and kindness of God has appeared for us in glory, "'but
into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.'" When did the kindness and love
of God our Savior appear? When He crossed your path with
the gospel. And as Paul said in Galatians
1, He revealed His Son in me. God's kindness and God's love
to you in Christ appeared in the gospel when He saved you. And then God's love and kindness
will appear once again. I want you to look in verse 27 of Hebrew chapter 9. And as it
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,
so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto
them that look for him shall he appear. Someday, someday. We are going to physically see
the Lord Jesus Christ. He's going to appear. He's going
to appear the second time without sin unto salvation. He's going to appear. Oh, but
after that, the kindness and love of God our Savior before
man appeared. Have you seen it? Have you seen
Him? And it was not by works of righteousness
which we have done," that's not why it appeared. That's not why
His love, His kindness, His salvation, that's not why God sent it to
us. That's not why it appeared to
you and to me and all whom God saves. It's not because I was
kind and gentle. Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy. He saved us. According to His sovereign mercy,
He has called us and saved us by His grace in the Lord Jesus
Christ. According to His mercy, He saved
us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
No part of salvation had or has anything to do with my being
or doing righteousness. Never has, never will. It has
everything to do with this. God showed mercy to me. God was gracious to me. That's why. It says in Romans 9, 16, it's
not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy. There you go. That's why God
saved me. That's why he saved you. Then
it says here, by washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
This washing of regeneration, what is it? It's the new birth. That's what it is. It's being
born of God. Born of God. And the renewing
of the Holy Ghost is the newness of life. It's that new creation.
It's that new creature. We were dead, but we are now
alive in Christ. And I tell you this, that newness of life, happens
continually. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Turn over there. This is going
on continually. Even when we don't even realize
it. Look at verse 15. For all things
are for your sakes. that the abundant grace might
through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish,
it is decaying, it is dying, yet the inward man is what? Renewed."
That's that newness of life that's going on every day under the
operation, the power of God the Holy Spirit in you. The inward
man is renewed day by day. Day by day. Isn't that something? This body's not renewed day by
day. I mean, it's decaying. It's dying. You're looking at
a dying body. But that new man, he's not growing
old. There's not a wrinkle on his
brow. He's renewed day by day. He's new every day. He never
ages. When we finally leave this life,
And this is all over. There's a new heaven, a new earth.
You and I will have a new body and we will not age one second. New. Always new. Always new. Which he shed on us. Now this
here, this mercy by which he has saved us, he shed on us abundantly. This life that we have in Christ, He has shed on us abundantly
through, not apart from, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Richly.
It says here, which He shed on us abundantly. That word means
richly. Abundant grace. We're saying abundant grace is
much more bound. God's children are not barely
saved. I'm not barely alive. There may be somebody that gets
in a car wreck and they call the family in and they say, you
know, he's just barely hanging on. I ain't barely hanging on. In Christ, I have abundant life.
Listen to this Scripture. John 10.10, the thief cometh
not but for to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I am come that
they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly
in its fullness. I tell you what, you take your
best day ever in your life, your best day that you just had all
the energy and I mean, you just, And that's nothing compared to
the life we're going to enjoy when this is over. This is all
over. New heaven, new earth, new body.
Someone said to me, going out the door the other day, these
kids were running around, and they said, well, wouldn't you
like to have the energy those kids have? I said, not in this
body. I said, that'd be a train wreck. If I had that energy in
this body, it would be a mess. I said, but now give me their
energy in their body. All right. No, I don't want their energy
in this body. But one day we'll have that energy
and we'll have that new body. That abundant life. That they
might have it. That they might have life. The
life of God. And it might have it fully, in
its fullness. And that being justified by His
grace. This is how you're justified.
By His grace, by His blood, by faith. It's all in there. None of it ever has anything
to do with us doing anything. It has everything to do with
God doing it. We should be made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life. All is owing to the grace of
God, from justification I mean justification in eternity past,
and that's how we have to speak. To final glory is all of grace. All of grace. Now, this is a
faithful saying. You know Paul says this four
times in the scriptures. I'm not going to go through these
now, but he says this four times. 1 Timothy 1.15, 1 Timothy 4.8
and 9, 2 Timothy 2.11 and 13, and Titus 3.8. This is a faithful saying, this
is a true saying, now give attention to it, this way of saying it. And these things thou will, that
thou affirm constantly, constantly keep this in the people's minds,
constantly keep remembering, I mean, keep the people remembering
these things, that they which have believed in God, that you
be careful to maintain good works. I'm telling you this, a believer
is the only one who can do a good work. Go back to Titus. Go back to Titus. Look at chapter
1, verse 15. Unto the pure, all things are
pure. But unto them that are defiled
and unbelieving is nothing pure. But even their abiding conscience
is defiled. They profess they know God, but in works they deny
Him, being abominable and disobedient. And unto every good work, reprobate,
reprobate. The only person that can truly
do a good work is that person that's born of God, that has
that new man in him that does not sin, loves God, and desires
to do right. That's the only person that can
truly, honestly do a good work. Not for salvation, but because
God has saved him. in graces that work in him. But
you constantly remind the people, Titus, constantly remind the
people that they which have believed in God, be careful. Be careful. Give attention to this. They
maintain good works. These things are good and profitable
unto men. So, I say, I say, let's be careful. It works. We represent God our
Father and His family.