Okay, now we're looking at Titus
chapter 3. I'm entitling the message from
the words found in verse 8. Titus chapter 3, verse 8. And the title of the message
is, This is a faithful saying. This is a faithful, faithful
saying. That means this is a true saying. The Apostle Paul uses this phrase
often in 1st and 2nd Timothy and in the book of Titus. This is a faithful saying. Now hold your place right there
and let's turn back to 1st Timothy chapter 1. 1st Timothy chapter
1 we read this earlier this verse 15 1st Timothy 1 15. This is
a faithful saying and worthy of all Acceptation that Jesus
Christ Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of
whom I am cheap This is a true and faithful saying now stay
right here in 1st Timothy and turn over here to chapter 4 Look
at chapter 4, here's another time he uses this. In 1 Timothy
chapter 4, look at verse 6. If thou put the brethren in remembrance
of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ,
nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto
thou hast attained, but refused profane and old wise fables,
and exercised thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise
profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things,
having the promise of life that now is, and of that which is
to come. This is a faithful sign, and
worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labor and
suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the
Savior of all men. That is, there's just one Savior,
but especially the Savior of those who believe the gospel
of the Lord Jesus. Now find 2 Timothy chapter 2. This is a faithful sign, worthy
of all acceptation. 2 Timothy chapter 2, notice verse
10. Therefore, he says, I endure
all things for the elect's sake, that they may obtain the salvation
which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful
sign. For if we be dead with him, We
shall also live with Him. We are crucified with Christ.
If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He
will deny us. If we believe not, yet He abideth
faithful. He cannot deny himself. This is a faithful saying. And then over here in Titus chapter
3 verse 8 we read the same word. This is a faithful saying. But
we can take that statement and apply it to all the word of God. All scripture. All scripture. is a faithful saying, is it not? True saying. The whole record
of Holy Scripture is faithful and true, can be relied upon,
can be fully trusted and completely believed. This is God's Word. Believe it. Remember from John
chapter 20, These words are written, our Lord said, these things are
written that you might believe that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God and that believing you might have life in His name. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God. Let us make much, much of the
Word of God. Turn back just a couple pages,
find 2 Timothy chapter 3. Let us always make much of the
written Word of God because it tells us about the living Word,
the Lord Jesus. In 2 Timothy chapter 3, look
at verse 15. That from a child thou hast known
the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given
by inspiration of God and is profitable. for doctrine, for
teaching, for reproof, rebuke, or correction, for instruction
in righteousness, in Christ our righteousness, that the man of
God, the believer, may be perfect, mature, throughly furnished unto
all good things, good works, good works. So let us always
make much Much of the Scripture. Now we try with emphasis, when
we meet together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we
begin our service with the Word, reading the Word, we read the
Word again, we sing a song, and then we preach verse by verse
and line by line. We make much of the Word, don't
we? That's a good thing. This is a faithful saying, worthy
of your acceptation, believing. You see, it's through the Word
of God that faith is given. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the Word of Truth. It is through the Word and by
the Word that God gives the new birth. When it's blessed in the
power of God the Holy Spirit, of His own will beget he us with
the Word of Truth. It is through the preaching of
the Word that sinners are brought to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn back again to 2 Timothy
chapter 4. 2nd Timothy chapter 4, verse
1. I charge thee therefore, 2nd Timothy 4, verse 1, before God
and the Lord Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead
at the appearing of his kingdom. Be sure you entertain, folks. Be sure you entertain the children. Make sure that everybody's having
a big time and a fun time. The emphasis here in this ministry
and all of God's servants is preaching the Word, preaching
Christ and Him crucified. Preach the Word, be instant,
in season, out of season. When is it fashionable to preach
the Word? All the time, all the time. Reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all long-suffering and doctrine, for the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lust shall
they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they
shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned
unto those fables we read about, old wise fables. Well, I don't
know what the word of God teaches, but my grandma used to say, well,
hold it right there, which is more important? which is really
the absolute truth. Now, we love grandma, and I'm
thankful if you had a believing grandma, but it's not grandma's
word, it's God's word that sets the sinners free, that sets the
sinner free. It is through the word that we
have a right understanding of who God is and what the gospel
is all about. It's through this book. We'd
be totally in the dark and totally in ignorance that God had not
given His Word. We read this in Psalm 119. Through
thy precepts, through the precepts of thy Word, we get understanding
through the Word. Line upon line, word upon word,
here a verse, there a verse. It's through the Word that we
get understanding, therefore, we hate. We hate every false
way. It's through His precept that
we get understanding of who He is. It is through the Word of
God that we are reminded of these three things that we see here
in Titus chapter 3. It's through the Word of God
and the revelation of the Word of God that we see these three
things that's revealed here in Titus chapter 3 beginning at
verse 3. We're reminded of what we are
by nature. We are reminded of what God has
done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we're also reminded
what believers and what true faith desires in their heart,
that is to honor the Lord Jesus Christ, to esteem Him highly
in all things. Now let's go back and look at
those three things. First of all, in Titus chapter 3 verse 1, he
said, put them in mind. to be subject to principalities
and power. Talking about civil authority.
To obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. Now, we see
this in our society all the time. People who rebel against established
authority, they get in trouble immediately, don't they? If someone,
if you're speeding, or if you're doing something illegal in your
vehicle, and a state patrolman pulls you over, you better be
totally in compliance or trouble. I mean, trouble begins right
then, right then. Submit, as you would, to God. He's God's authority. I remember
one time I was in Louisville preaching in a Bible conference.
This is 15 years ago. And I was on my way to the service,
I think a Friday or Saturday morning, and I was going down
through Louisville and there's signs a little bit on the interstate,
a little bit confusing. Sometimes the speed limit is
55, sometimes it's 65. Well, I was doing 65 and then
55. And sure enough, one of Louisville's
finest pulled me over. And he came up next to the guardrail
on that side of the car, and he said, you were speeding. I
said, well, I guess I was. And I said, I tell you what,
and I had my Bible right on my front seat. I said, I held this
up, and I said, you're God's authority, write me up. Write
me up, you're God's authority. And he said, you know, you're
right. He said, I've read that scripture. And he quoted it,
Romans 13.1. He said, you're right. You're right, and you're
in trouble. I said, okay, I'm guilty. Write
me up. Bow. Don't argue. Don't try to run
off. You'd run off and you're in trouble.
I mean, you... Stop. Put your hands on the wheel.
Surrender. Put them in mind to be obedient, subject. And then it says here, put them
in mind to speak evil of no man. He's talking to believers now,
to speak evil of no man. Don't be a brawler, don't be
a fighter, but be gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves, we ourselves,
now here's where he gets reminding us what we are by nature. We
ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, Deceived,
serving divers lust, pleasures, living in malice, envy, hateful,
hating one another. What a terrible, gruesome list. He's talking about you. Talking
about me. What we are by nature. Notice the Apostle Paul includes
himself. He doesn't say, and you guys,
and you guys. He said, we ourselves. We are
sales. We are sales. Or at one time. This time, this is our humiliating
true confession. You remember back over here,
he said, who was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, one who caused
injury and even death? He hauled believers who confessed
the name of Christ to prison, and when the sentence was given
to execute them unto death, he said, Amen. When they were stoning
Stephen to death, he said, let me hold your coat while you can
throw the rocks. We ourselves were sometimes foolish
and disobedient. Keeping this in mind will humble
us before God in men to always have in our mind what we are
by nature. And left to ourselves, we'd still
be right there, hating God and hating one another. Now nine
gruesome things he mentions of which we're all guilty. Guilty. Foolish. Foolish. Foolish. We read in the Psalms,
not once but twice, the fool has said in his heart there is
no God or the fool has said no to God. The Proverbs says this, Proverbs
12, the way of a fool is right in his own eyes. And that's true,
isn't it? Always try to justify ourselves.
We were foolish and then he says disobedient. Disobedient, rebels
against God and his gospel. Again, Proverbs 14, there is
a way that seems right on the man, but the end of that way
is death. Death. Disobedient to the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he mentions the word
deceived. Deceived. Our own heart, the scripture
describes our nature. Our heart is our nature, our
wicked nature. The heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Who can know
it? Those Pharisees thought they
were so self-righteous and so self-serving, and when the Lord
pulled the mask off them, you remember what He said? Those
things you highly esteem is nothing but an abomination in my sight.
They were deceived. This man who's writing this,
Saul of Tarsus, he one time was also very deceived. He thought
the thing that he did recommended him to God, or at least removed
God's wrath. until God taught him the gospel.
We were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and serving Lust, serving
the flesh, slave to sin. There is lust of the flesh. Turn
over here to 1 John, 1 John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2, verse 15. 1 John 2, 15. Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is
in the world, the lust of the flesh, The lust of the eyes and
the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away in
the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of
God, what is doing the will of God? Believing the gospel, abideth
forever, serving divers lust, lust of the flesh. Living, he
says, in malice, envy, malice and jealousy, Hating! Hating! What does a natural man
gravitate unto? Loving darkness and hating the
light. Hating God. The carnal mind is
enmity against God. Living in malice, jealousy, hateful,
and hating. What a gruesome list. True, isn't
it? This is the faithful sign. This
is what we are by nature. This is what we are by nature.
Now sin may take different shapes and sizes in different people. All of us are not as sinful as
we could be and it's only because of God's restraining grace or
maybe you just lack the opportunity to be and act out as sinful as
you really are in the sight of God. But sin, now listen, sin
is not so much seen in what we do, and it is manifested there,
but in what we are before God. Have you ever seen yourself as
what you really are in the sight of God? S-I-N. Now, find 1 John again, chapter
1. 1 John again, chapter 1, and
look at this verse very carefully. Very careful. If we say we have
no sin, if we say we have no sin nature, no sin principle
in us by birth, by nature, by practice and by choice, look
at verse 8, 1 John chapter 1 verse 8. If we say we have no S-I-N. You see that? It doesn't say
sin, does it? Sin. He's talking about what
we are before God. If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth's not in us. If we confess our
sins, now we have sin because of sin. You see that? If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Why? Based upon
the blood atonement of Christ, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses
us from all sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar and the truth
not in us. We are sinners. But this is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that the Lord
Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Sinners, sinners, sinners. Now,
back to Titus chapter 3. The second thing is this. We
see in verse 4 down to verse 7, what the Lord has made us
by His grace. Remember Paul's testimony, I
am what I am by the grace of God? This is what the Lord has
done for us by His grace. It's the Lord who has made us
to differ from another. Paul often makes a contrast between
our past state by nature and our present state by deliverance
by the Lord's mighty grace, and he contrasts those two things.
Verse 3 and 4 is a contrast, isn't it? We ourselves also were
sometimes foolish, but after that the kindness and love and
pity of our God, our God and Savior toward us appeared not
because we were deserving, not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. by the washing of regeneration,
by the renewing of God, the Holy Spirit, which he shed on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Now, Paul often makes his contrast. Let me show you a couple of places.
Turn back to 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapter six. 1 Corinthians chapter six. Look at verse nine. 1 Corinthians
chapter six, and then we'll look at another one in Ephesians chapter
two. First Corinthians 6 verse 9, Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Flesh and blood are not
going to inherit the kingdom of God. Those who are in the
flesh cannot please God. Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, there's
that word again, there's a warning about being deceived. Fornicators,
idolaters, idolaters, adulterers, infeminate abusers of themselves
with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkard, revelers, brawlers,
nor extortioner shall inherit the kingdom of God." That is,
you stand upon the ground of your flesh and justify yourself,
you'll be condemned. But look at this, "...and such
were some of you." That's all of us. But you're washed. But you are sanctified. But you
are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by
the Spirit of our God. You see that contrast there?
Now here's another one that we're very familiar with. Find Ephesians
chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. Verse 1,
we were by nature, Ephesians 2 verse 1, dead in sin. Now how dead? Graveyard dead. Graveyard dead. Dead and rotten,
dead and stinking. That is spiritually so. We might
have life physically, but it's just dying. But we were dead
spiritually and dead in trespasses against God and in our sin. wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, that spirit
that now worketh in children of disobedience, among whom also
we all had our conversation in time past, in the lust of our
flesh," there's that lust again, "...fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath,
even as others." Now had not God intervened, we'd be right
there today. But God, you see verse four?
Oh, this is a big word, B-U-T. It's a little word, but carries
great meaning. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love were with he loved us, even when we were
dead in our sin. We had nothing to recommend us,
did we? Nothing to recommend ourselves unto God. and hath
quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you saved, raised
us up together, made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ,
that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ, for by grace
are you saved, through faith. And that's not of yourself, it's
a gift of God, certainly not of works, lest any man should
boast. Now, what did we read over here
in Titus? Now back over there, Titus chapter
3, but after the kindness and love of God our Savior toward
man appeared not, give the negative right away, not by works of righteousness
which we have done. Now how many works of righteousness
have we done? How many works of righteousness
have we done? Zero. Zero. We have not done any works of
righteousness. Man in his best state is altogether
vanity. All of our righteousnesses, and
that's in the plural, in Isaiah 64, all of our righteousnesses,
stack them up. Stack them up as high as you
can stack them up. Your supposed righteousness. And he says, away
with it. It's nothing but filthy, stinking,
rotten rags. Do away with it. You see, it's
His mercy that saves us, not by works of righteousness which
we have done. Now, we are saved by works of
righteousness which He has done. That's our message. This whole
religious world is bent on preaching works of righteousness which
we have done. that whereby we may be recommended
unto God, or whereby we may remove His wrath by what we have done.
You trust what you have done, and you're a goner. You'll be
forever condemned. The rich man, or rather the Pharisee
prayed, Lord, I thank You I'm not like this, I'm not like this,
I've not done that, I've not done that, and certainly I'm
not like that old guy. What did the Lord say of him?
He went home condemned. rather than the other. What did
the other say? The old publican, the old sinner. He cried, God be merciful to
me. I'm a sinner. I don't have any righteousness.
I'm a sinner. And the Lord said that man went
down to his house justified. So one bragged on himself that
he was righteous and God said he was condemned. The other condemned
himself and God justified him. Isn't that amazing? That's grace. That's grace. You see, what we
are by nature does not disqualify us from salvation. Rather, it's
a recommendation. Did you realize that? What would
recommend you for salvation? My sin. What I am before God. We read in Scripture, we read
that the Lord didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners
unto repentance. The Lord Jesus told Zacchaeus
that he's come to seek and to save that which is lost. And
then we read in Romans 5 that the Lord Jesus Christ, in due
time when we were without strength, in due time the Lord Jesus Christ
died for the ungodly. That God committed His love toward
us in the while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. Now listen
to this statement. Brother Mahan's made this for
years and years and years. And one day I heard what he was
saying. He said, your sin will never keep you from Christ. Your
sin will never keep you from Christ. It's your righteousness. That's your problem. You it's
your righteousness your supposed goodness that'll keep you from
Christ if God ever strips you and Put you in the dust and shows
you what you really are you beg for mercy you beg for mercy You
don't have to have somebody browbeat you and beat up on you and sing
25 verses of just I am and come down front make a decision Oh,
no. No when God strips you and puts you in the dust you'll become
a mercy beggar and The Lord have mercy on me, the sinner. The
sinner. You see, it's not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but, but, according to His mercy,
according to His mercy. Now watch this. According to
His mercy, He saved us. He saved us according to His
mercy. Here we see the Lord's divine
intervention for us. We see the manifestation of God's
love for us. He loved us. Herein is love,
not that we love God. He loved us and sent His Son
to be the sacrifice for our sin. You see, we were not seeking
Him. Not at first. He came to seek us and save us. The Lord of Glory appeared to
put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Now once in the end
of the age, He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
Himself. In the fullness of time, God
sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, that He might
redeem them who were under the law. He appeared to put away
sin, but according to His mercy, He saved us." Now, when He had
by Himself purged our sin, He sat down on the right hand of
God. All mercy that we receive is because of the saving sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's His mercy. It's by His mercy
that we're not consumed. It's by His mercy that we have
salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. Look at verse 7. That being justified
by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life. Saving mercy and justifying grace. Not because we're deserving,
but because He is merciful. According to His mercy, He saved
us according to His grace. He justified us. Now let me show
you another scripture that I quote often. Find 2 Timothy chapter
1 verse 9. Not according to our works but
according to His grace. 2 Timothy 1.9. This is one of my favorite scriptures.
Verse 8 says, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, nor me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God who saved us. It's the power of God that saves
us. The mercy of God that saves us.
His grace that justifies us. And called, who saved us and
called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose. God saves sinners on purpose,
not by accident. Purpose and grace, purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. You mean He saved us before the
world began? Absolutely. In Christ, He's always
loved us and chosen us in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are eternally
justified in Christ Jesus, and in time, He makes us to know
it, that He justified us by His grace. Look back to the text
again. Someone might ask, what is the
difference between His mercy and His grace? We see both there,
don't we? According to His mercy, He saved us. And then it says
verse 7, being justified by His grace. His mercy and His grace. His grace is freely, His grace
is defined as God's free giving, freely giving all spiritual blessings
to me according to His divine and sovereign favor. God giving
me all spiritual blessing freely by His grace according to His
sovereign favor. Now there is no grace apart from
sovereign grace. Grace is sovereign grace. He'll
be gracious to whom he will. For by grace are you saved. So
his grace is giving freely all spiritual blessings to his people
according to his divine and sovereign favor. His mercy is not giving
me what I do deserve. His mercy is not giving me what
I do deserve. Now what do I deserve? The wages
of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. His mercy is not giving me what
I do deserve according to His strict and holy justice. Ooh, I want mercy, don't you?
Don't give me what I deserve. Give me mercy. I need mercy. Mercy. Mercy. His grace. His
divine favor. His mercy. Not giving me what
I do deserve. Now, the Lord our God does not
come to men, sinners, to help them save themselves, but rather
the Lord Jesus Christ came to save them by Himself, with the
sacrifice of Himself. Call His name Jesus, He shall
save His people from their sin. According to His mercy, He saved
us. Now watch this, by. by the washing
of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He
shed on us abundantly or richly through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, He's done a great work for
us, right? But He also must do a work of
grace in us, and that's what He's talking about here. by the
washing of regeneration. That's a good description of
the new birth. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creature. A new creature. Not only is salvation
a miracle of the Lord's grace and mercy for us, but it's also
a miracle of grace and mercy revealed in us and to us. Giving us a new spiritual nature. Giving us a new heart in Christ
Jesus. The Lord called this being born
from above. Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the Kingdom of God. Except a man be born again, he
cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. This washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Spirit. It's the work of the Holy Spirit
in us by which we are sanctified. By which you hath he quickened
who were dead. He raises us from the dead. And
gives us life in Christ. The washing of regeneration.
And that doesn't have a thing to do with water baptism. Not
a thing to do with water baptism. Now water baptism is important,
but not for salvation, is it? What's important for salvation?
The blood of Christ justifies us from all our sin. But baptism,
water baptism, is important in obedience to the Lord's command.
But baptism, water baptism, is for believers, not to be saved,
but because they have been, by His grace. By the washing of
regeneration. This is a new birth. This is
God raising us from the dead. Giving us a new heart, a new
nature. to love Him, to believe Him, you hath He quickened who
were dead, which He shed on us abundantly through, through,
not the law, not our good works, not our obedience, through the
Lord Jesus Christ who is our Savior. He's God our Savior. Every blessing we enjoy. is because
of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, which He shed on us. And the word actually means He
poured out upon us. He has poured out upon us all
spiritual blessings. Remember in Luke 22, the Lord
said, this cup in the New Testament in my blood which is shed, poured
out for many, which he shed on us richly through Jesus Christ
our Savior. There would be no regenerating
work of the Holy Spirit to do. Unless the Lord Jesus Christ
justified them by His grace, justified them by His blood,
that being justified, verse 7, being justified by His grace,
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is
in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should be made what we were not
by nature. What we were not by nature. that
we should be made heirs. God made Him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Christ. That being justified by His grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The hope of eternal life. We
have a good hope through grace. The Lord Jesus Christ, He is
our hope. Christ in you is the hope of
glory. Heirs of His kingdom of grace. We have an inheritance, incorruptible,
undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who
are kept by the power of God through faith. I've heard that
before somewhere. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3 and
4, we studied that this morning. We've been made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life. Christ is our hope. Now, look
at verse 8. This, in closing, this is a faithful
saying. Everything he just said, it's
a true saying, it's a faithful saying. It can be relied upon,
it can be believed, it can be trusted. This is a faithful saying. God justifies the ungodly. He saves sinners by His grace,
which He has shed on us abundantly through the redeeming blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a faithful saying. I will, read on verse 8, that
they affirm constantly I will that thou affirm constantly rather. He's writing to the preacher
Titus. You affirm constantly that they which have believed
in God might be careful, be careful to maintain good works. Good works. These things are
good and profitable. Good and profitable. Avoid foolish
questions, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law.
They are unprofitable and vain. Our believers When he talks about
verse 8, here's what believers desire in their heart to do,
to honor Him. To honor Him in all things. Faith
and conduct cannot be separated. I will that they which have believed
in God be careful to maintain good works. Good works. There is no greater motive to
serve Him than the motive of love and gratitude unto Him. Look right across the page at
Titus 3 verse 14. Let us also learn to maintain
good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.
Believers desire and are very careful to maintain good works
motivated by love and gratitude unto him. For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which he hath before
ordained, that we should walk in them. Now let us be careful
to maintain good works, not to earn salvation. Now we've just
been over that, right? Not to earn salvation. That's
by his grace. Nor to maintain our salvation. We didn't obtain salvation by
works, nor do we maintain salvation by works. We are kept by the
power of God. Not to maintain it, not to earn
it. We're kept by His grace, His power, but rather to honor
the Lord Jesus Christ by good works, which are not the cause
of salvation, but the fruit of salvation. The fruit of the Spirit
is what? Love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, meekness, temperance, faith. These things do not cause
salvation. They're not the ground of salvation.
They're the fruit of it. Be careful to maintain good works.
These things are good and profitable. Now watch this. These things
are good and profitable unto men. That says good and profitable
unto God. They're good and profitable to
men. Good and profitable. All that
is in the gospel is good and profitable because it's from
God. All that's in the gospel is good and profitable because
it is from God. Every good and perfect gift is
from above. It is possible, that is to your
advantage, to believe the gospel. It is always your advantage to
believe God. He that believeth on the Son
hath life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. All that is in the gospel is
good and profitable to sinners, to sinners. It's always our advantage
to believe God. Oh, may God give us grace in
our heart to trust Him, to look to Him, to rely upon Him, to
believe Him, to love Him in our heart.