The Power of Grace

Titus 2:11-15 

Last week, Paul gave Titus some instructions for leading different groups of Christians on Crete. He called Titus to teach what is in accord with sound doctrine, which would enable them to stand against the prevailing culture. Remember that living a holy life, which is really counter-cultural, is not what makes God love us. It’s not what saves us. It, however, does provide us the opportunity to present Jesus Christ in the best possible light. We who are Christians already love and trust Him. That’s the context in which we surrender to Him.  But why should we expect a world that doesn’t know Him to turn over their entire lives to Him? This is why we have a duty to share Him accurately.

Paul doesn’t want any of this accuracy left to chance, so he continues with a power-packed sentence. He wants to make it clear to his audience which God he is talking about, and, as has been his form in his letter to Titus, he proclaims a God who is in direct contrast to the cultural norm. One notable contrast is with Zeus, who was said to have started out human, but because of his beneficence, he was accorded the status of a god. This contrasts with our God, when about it in the opposite direction. Instead of being a man and becoming a god, our God, who was God from before there was time, became a man – in the Person of Jesus Christ. Instead of having to give people gifts to be accorded the status of a god, the path Zeus trod, our God became man to give the perfect Gift to us:

The grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people (Titus 2:11). Without God’s grace, salvation would be impossible. This is God’s unmerited favor; we don’t deserve it, but because of God’s extravagant love, He gives it, and that grace brings salvation, not just to a certain group of people, but to all people. God does not withhold His grace from anyone who accepts it, because God’s grace has appeared in the form of a Person: Jesus Christ. God brought us salvation, paid for by the gift of Jesus on the cross. This grace is not just for a select few people; it is freely available for everyone. This is the power of grace – not only is it given when we don’t deserve it, but it is freely available for everyone.

This grace both saves us and teaches us. One aspect of our salvation is that as we accept Jesus’ gift to us, we begin to live it out. God’s grace teaches us to turn away from godless living and sinful pleasures. God’s grace teaches us that the things that the world is passionate about are not important in the scope of eternity. In eternity, it won’t matter if Ohio State beat Michigan. It won’t even matter if Ohio State has a football team. It won’t matter if you were a millionaire. The things of this world won’t matter. What will matter is being in the presence of God.

So God calls us to live with an eternal perspective. I’m not saying that this world doesn’t matter, because God created it in such a way that it matters a great deal. The choices we make now have eternal consequences.

I have said this before and I will continue to say it: we have the choice to control our attitudes and our actions. This is why Paul instructs Titus (and us) to turn away from godless living and sinful pleasures. What do you think of when you hear the phrase “godless living?” I usually think of a party lifestyle, drugs, alcohol, and everything that old timers used to call debauchery. That is only a small portion of godless living. ¹⁰Godless living is doing anything without God’s blessing. Anything. There are certain things that are obviously outside the sphere of godly living; sinful behaviors are sinful behaviors. But what happens when God has a plan and we, by making our own plans, work against God’s plan?

When I was in preschool, I remember this little boy who would grab all the toys he wanted and then he would sit on them like a hen sitting on a nest full of eggs. Even as a three year old, I thought this was dumb; he couldn’t even play with those toys because he was so worried that someone else might get one of them. The church has gotten a lot like that little boy; we sit on our toys and don’t even enjoy them because we’re so worried that someone will encroach on our territory.

God has not called us to be stingy. Godliness is generosity. God has not called us to cater to ourselves – God has not called us to simply sit back and take care of me and mine, us and ours. He calls us to reach out to our community, to people who desperately need his saving grace.

But God doesn’t call us just to say “no” to ungodly living. God calls us to live life in a certain way: self-controlled, upright, godly lives. God calls us to total devotion to Him, devotion that extends to every aspect of our lives, looking forward with hope to Jesus’ return.

It is popular these days to focus on this life and this world. I hear phrases like “live your best life now” that miss out on biblical truth. When the “best life” is centered on externals like health and wealth, it just might not be the best life that God has to offer. Jesus calls anyone who will follow him to a life of self-denial. Our best life is never a life centered on ourselves. It is a life surrendered totally to God, awaiting Jesus’ return.

What does Jesus’ return have to do with anything? Is it just bumper-sticker theology: Jesus is coming back… look busy! I remember being sent to clean my bedroom and I would generally start cleaning, but then I’d find a toy I was interested in or a book I wanted to read or something, but then I’d hear my mom on the way to my room, and I’d get busy. But until I knew that she was coming, I would hurry to get something done. This isn’t the kind of life God has called us to!

Jesus gave himself, not for us to sit around uselessly. Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:14). Jesus didn’t come without a purpose: his purpose was to save us. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45). He ransomed us. He bought us. He cleaned us. He makes us pure.

He does this because he loves us. In Exodus 19:5-6, we see God speaking, giving Moses His instructions for people Israel. His final words: “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.

Peter recognizes that God has opened that priesthood to all who would follow Jesus. In 1 Peter 2:9-10 he writes: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

We are that royal priesthood. What is a priest’s main role? A priest mediates between humans and God. Jesus, as our High Priest, has filled that role for us, so we no longer need to go to another person to go to God for us – just as an aside, this is why I always pray in Jesus’ Name; because Jesus is the One who mediates between me and God, the only One by whom I am allowed in God’s presence. If I am asked to pray without Jesus’ name, I can’t do it. It’s only because of Jesus that I can approach God boldly, and without Him, I can’t do it. So that’s why I can only pray in Jesus’ Name.

But to a world that does not know Jesus or God, we have been commissioned as mediators. Therefore the picture we carry of Jesus is important. How we, as Christians, live our lives, how we interact with others, our willingness to share Jesus in our words and our actions – this is the picture we carry of Jesus. If your life was the only Bible someone had, what conclusions would they come to about God?

If you are a Christian, you are publicly saying that you are one of God’s people. If, then, you don’t live like one of God’s people, you are declaring treason against God. Why do we think we can do that? Is it that we’re American? Since we have so much freedom, we think we can just make our own rules to follow? We are not our own! 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a tells us You are not your own; you were bought at a price. The price was Jesus’ life!

Not only are we not our own, but God calls us to be eager to do what is good. Our attitude is extremely important. Do we obey grudgingly? Or do we eagerly look for good to do? I think I know the answer.

We have struggled with ways to communicate with one another, especially to communicate the need for servants in various areas, most specifically the food pantry and the nursery. Somewhere, someone got the idea to pass around a clipboard with open slots on it. Sounds good – that way people get the information and they can just put their name down. But there are two unfortunate side-effects. First is that the clipboard is a horrible disrupter of worship. You’re in the midst of pouring out your heart to God when you get this tap-tap-tap on your shoulder as someone passes you a clipboard. If you’re anything like me, you’re already way too distracted and it’s hard enough to concentrate, especially to concentrate on a God you can’t physically see, and when you’re finally in the zone, worshiping God with your whole spirit and body, what a downer to be pulled away from Him just to pass a clipboard down the row.

The other problem is that we’re not eager to do what is good. Why is it we have felt like we had to pass a clipboard to staff our nursery and minister to our smallest ones or to serve the hungry? It is precisely because we’re not eager to do what is good. We are much more eager to do what we want to do. If we were eager to do what is good, we would never have an issue with finding volunteers to do ministry. Our issue would be how to tactfully tell people that we had too many servants – maybe they could serve next time.

Instead we expect ministry to be done to us or for us. That’s never what God calls his people to.

Finally, Paul reminds Titus that he has a responsibility to teach these things and to encourage the Christians in Crete to obey. Next week we will get a little more into authority. But in the meantime, remember that God has called us to be His priests. We get to bring God to the world. If they choose to despise God, that’s up to them, but do not let them despise you for being a jerk.