Engage In Good Deeds

 

 

"This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. ⁹ But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. ¹⁰ Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, ¹¹ knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.¹² When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. ¹³ Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. ¹⁴ Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.¹⁵ All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with you all."

Titus 3:8-15 

Good Morning My Beloved,

Welcome to worship this Lord's Day!

We are so very grateful for our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, we are so thankful that you are all with us today.

I would like to encourage you to visit our Prayer Wall, as there have been a number of new prayer requests. Please add any prayers or concerns that you may have as well. We are all called to pray with and for one another, in keeping with the commands of our Lord.

I believe that our society today, is being controlled by how we feel rather than being controlled by what is good. It is fine to point to Jihadists and argue that they are driven by their emotions rather than reason, however, college students, politicians and even businesses make decisions on the basis of what they feel rather than what is necessarily right. Everyone gives seems to give approval to a fixed standard; however, few are willing to live by a fixed standard.

If we do not live by a fixed standard of what is good or bad,  then we are but animals acting on our independent urges and our individual feelings. We can then justify every evil because  there is no fixed standard. However, if there is no standard, why do even sociopaths attempt to justify their actions? In attempting to justify our immoral actions, we then appeal to an alternative moral standard to as to justify our choices.

Christ became flesh for one great purpose, that He might give His life as a sacrifice for sinful man. God’s purpose in presenting His Son demonstrates that there is indeed a fixed moral standard. The reality is, that people are born in sin, and we go astray from birth. Yet, God in His mercy has provided forgiveness through faith in Christ's sacrifice and resurrection of His Son. However, we must accept His offer.

Paul teaches in Romans 10:9-13, which says "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

We who believe in Christ the Lord do not do good works "for goodness sake" rather, in thankful response to the moral Law Giver’s gift of freedom in His Son.

Let us bow our heads in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

Father, thank You for Your Word for us, we are grateful for this wonderful epistle. We thank You for the

convicting of the Holy Spirit, Who gives us no rest until we faithfully and willingly submit and live according to the truth. Lord, we know that Your grace is with us to enable us to be what we need to be.

We pray that our lives will be marked by Your sacrificial love, so that others will know that You save sinners. Help us to stay committed to truth and unity, committed to all that You have commanded us. Lord, reveal to us every opportunity, for us to speak the truth, we pray that You would their hearts to receive it. May we live in such a way that brings only honor and glory to Your name.

In Christ's precious name

Amen

 

Today's Message: Engage In Good Deeds

 

As you and I learn to obey, we will experience harmony as well as fulfillment, and victory. I find it amazing that in this little book of Titus, in these three short chapters, God has laid out so many tremendous, practical truths for us. And, as we now come to the last message in this series, God’s heart is for harmony in the church. However, in order to keep harmony in the church, we must follow God’s instruction, as given to us in His Word.

Open your Bibles with me to Titus 3:8-15, before we begin, I would like to say, that we must never grow weary or become tired of reciting God’s redemptive plan for the lost. we are all sinners in need of the Savior! Therefore, we never stop speaking to others about God's plan for salvation and celebrating the transformation that only Christ can bring to a life. There have been a number of people who have received Christ, and I believe, that as we continue to faithfully emphasize the gift of salvation by grace through faith, in Christ, I am confident that we have only just begun to see the tip of the iceberg. I truly believe that.

I would like to encourage you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our minds, as we prepare our hearts for what the Holy Spirit has for us today. Titus 3:8-15. 

"This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned. When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them.  Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with you all."

 

In verse 8, the Apostle Paul writes, saying "This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men." That really belongs with verses 4 through 7. It s a descriptive phrase, that Paul has used five times in the pastoral epistles, I and II Timothy, and here in Titus. It is used to identify an axiomatic, a commonly-known expression. When an axiom is used, it is in other words saying this is a self-evident truth, it does not need proof, its already known, it is something that is self-evident.

 

Allow me to remind you that before you become angry and hostile against the culture in which you live, bear in mind, that apart from the grace of God that's you, that's you and I.  If we are to live the way God wants us to live in a fallen world, a pagan culture, we must always remember our mission.

 

Paul goes on to say in verse 8, "And concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds." By "concerning these things," Paul is instructing Titus to remind the church of their mission. Remind them of all the things I've been writing, certainly since chapter 2, verse 1, "As for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine." While it’s imperative that the gospel be presented at church, and we must never stop, I am so thankful for a church filled with people who take the Great Commission seriously on a personal level. As a footnote, when we share our individual stories about our salvation, our own appreciation for God’s work of grace and mercy in our lives will significantly increase. Yet another reason, I believe, its important to share it often, every opportunity we are given.

 

Paul writes in Philemon 1:6, "and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake."   

 

If you find that your walk with Christ seems to have lost its luster, may I suggest, it may well be that you are not actively sharing your faith. Every time you tell someone about God’s grace, you will be reminded of God’s work in your own life. If you keep it to yourself, and never talk about it, the luster of your salvation can begin to tarnish.

 

Similarly, if we as a church become inward-focused, we will eventually lose the joy of our salvation and begin to pick each other apart. One of the reasons that the church exists, is for the benefit of its non-members. First and foremost, we exist to extol the excellence of the Almighty God Whom we serve and secondly, we exist to evangelize the lost. When we lose our external focus, the internal friction will wear us down. Every ministry must stress the absolute importance of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, and each and every event must maintain that evangelistic focus.

 

Paul ends verse 8, by writing "so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men." To "be careful" simply means "to consider carefully." Those of us who are the recipients of God's grace are to be givers of good. Worship should lead to works. Salvation expresses itself in acts of service. That necessity of going after good things, which is the basic message of Titus. The expression good works occurs fourteen times in the letters to Timothy and Titus. I believe that if it important enough for God to repeat fourteen times in His Word, then it's certainly important enough for us to follow.

 

In Titus 2:10, Paul says "but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect." And, in verse 14, he says "who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." In other words, Christ’s death was to make us enthusiastic in doing good works in His name. As believers, we are expected to do good works.

 

In Titus 3:1, Paul says, "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed." In doing good for others, the Lord meets our own needs. In verse 14, "Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful." I encourage you to find one, if not more, ways for God to use you in doing that which is good in others lives. He will bless you for it. I believe that one of the best exercises for the heart is to bend down several times a day to extend a helping hand up to someone else. 

 

In I Peter 2:12, Peter tells us "Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation."

 

And, when teaching those with financial means in I Timothy 6:18-19, the Apostle Paul challenged Christians not to be rich in dollars but to be rich in deeds. "Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed."

 

If we desire harmony in the church, we must stress salvation, and pursue doing good. That brings us to verse 9, "But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless." Titus is to go after good things and keep away from useless things. This is in the imperative tense, which means that it’s  not a suggestion, it's a command. In other words, we are to walk away from these kinds of controversies. To be very clear, Paul is not saying that we shouldn’t discuss or defend the truth. To the contrary, he is warning us against foolish controversies.  

 

In I Timothy 6:20-21, Paul tells Timothy, "O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith." 

 

And, in II Timothy 2:14, Paul says " Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers." In the same chapter, in verse 23, he says "But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels." In the early church, there were those who manufactured myths centered on genealogies about angels. The false teachers insisted that angels needed to be worshiped, so they spent a lot of time graphing out their supposed backgrounds. The Apostle Paul tells us, that engaging in such  conversations is foolish, unprofitable and useless. 

 

I believe, that even today, we must be very careful about this type of emphasis. Many claim to have discovered "secret codes," or "hidden meanings," in the Bible that can predict the future, a system called numerology based on the numbers in Scripture, it is easy for believers to be lead astray. 

 

In verses 10-11, "Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned." There are some people, who have fallen off the cliff, they are in mid-air, about ready to plunge into the fires of Hell. Therefore, we must void arguing and quarreling about things that take our focus away from what really matters. Hell is real and real people really go there. It's not necessary, that we engage in conversations such as these. We must deal decisively with divisive people. Paul recognizes the ruptures that can come when divisive people are allowed to do and say what they want.In John 13:35, Jesus said that our defining characteristic to a watching world is the fact that we are to "love one another." Perhaps you have a rebellious relative that is fracturing your family, that is pitting people against one another. People like this are very dangerous in the church, their decision to be determined to do whatever they want, to be obstinate and cause dissension, must be dealt with.

 

Jesus, in Matthew 18:15-17, models for us "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." They are to be warned twice if necessary, with the hope that he will come back. If not, Paul says, "Have nothing to do with him." 

 

Paul writes in verse 12, "When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there."  The phrase "make every effort," is a command with a sense of urgency. We could read it this way, "Do your best." In order for that to happen, he is planning to send one of two men to take over the duties of Titus on Crete. Titus was likely under stress from the mess in Crete, and so Paul wants him to come and get refreshed. Paul is really following the example of Jesus, when the disciples were involved in ministry, and they returned tired.

 

In Mark 6:32, "They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves." Paul partnered with people. Even though Paul was an apostle, he worked in tandem with believers from all classes. When writing to the Philippians in 1:5, he said, " in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now." Faithful followers can help us grow. Allow me to boldly say, people are far more important than programs.

 

Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." While Paul wanted to further train Titus, however, he also craved his companionship. God uses both notables and nobodies. Of the two men mentioned in Titus 3:12, one of them is well-known, and one a bit of a mystery man. It seems as though Paul had not yet made up his mind about who he wanted to send to Crete to replace Titus but Tychicus was an obvious choice. Tychicus delivered letters to the Ephesians, Colossians and to Philemon. One of his jobs was to tell people how Paul was holding up. In turn, he would give Paul information about the churches. Tychicus looked for ways to come alongside those who were discouraged and took opportunity to encourage and affirm believers. I believe that we need more encouragers in the church today.

 

In fact, Hebrews 3:13 says it this way, "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." I can think of no higher commendation than what Paul said about his character in Colossians 4:7. "As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information." I would like you to notice, that the Apostle Paul was not afraid to be affectionate in the way he referred to people. Tychicus was loved deeply by Paul. In fact, there was nothing negative ever stated in Scripture about him.

 

It is important to also note, that the Apostle Paul did not pull rank on people because of his position. We would do well in remembering, that all followers of Christ are our fellow servants.

 

In verse 13, Paul says "Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them." Here again, we know a lot about one of these men and not very much about the other. We know that Zenas was a lawyer, so he was either an expert in the Old Testament law or had been trained in Roman jurisprudence. We know from Acts 18, that Apollos was a Jewish believer who was well trained and had a tremendous knowledge of Scripture. When he spoke, he did so with great fervor, he taught accurately, and he was bold. However, one of the best things about him, was that he was open to learning more. I'd like you to notice, that Paul says to help them, so that nothing is lacking for them. In other words, we’re not to wait to give but to do so generously and speedily, so that missionaries can be sent on their way.  

 

III John 5-8, says "Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers;and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth."

 

Then in verse 14, Paul urges believers to do good works, this is the sixth time in Titus alone. "Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful." It’s almost as if he cannot conclude the letter, without one more final appeal for believers to do good works. 

 

I wonder why he had to tell them this so many times in such a short book. My guess is because by nature we do not automatically do good things since we’re often consumed by our own issues. We need constant reminders because when we do good works, we stand out on a Cretan culture. Also, I'd like you to notice we must "learn to engage" ourselves in doing "good deeds." We need exhortation, exposure and examples, sometimes we even have to experiment in order to find out exactly what good deeds God wants us to do. 

 

I was so thrilled, that we were to take part in sending Bibles to countries who otherwise would not have access to them. I trust the Lord will get them into the hands of those who need them most. That’s a good deed that keeps on giving.

 

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." In other words, when we do what is good, our own daily needs will be met. 

 

In verse 15, Paul closes with "All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all."

 

 Ephesians 4:28, "He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." The Apostle Paul longed to be connected with his fellow Christians. He wanted Titus and those in Crete to know that everyone with him was with them. He wanted to make sure that those who loved him in the faith were given a special greeting. 

 

The highly influential preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon once wrote: "The strong are not always vigorous; the wise not always ready; the brave not always courageous; the joyous not happy. There may be here and there men of iron but surely they worry about rust on occasion." 

Paul closes this letter, as he does in all of his letters, with the gift of grace: "Grace be with you all." Paul, like many of us, can’t get over the fact that God, in His grace, saved him from his sin. Like Paul, we should never become tired  in speaking about God's grace. We should want everyone's lives to be impacted by God’s unmerited favor.

 

In Closing..

 

We have been created to be in community and to work together as a team.

May I suggest supporting a child, or come alongside those who helpless and are reaching out. Make sure the needs of the sick, the poor and the widows are taken care of. The body of Christ, is filled with silent sufferers. When possible, we should meet a need anonymously. I believe, the greater our belief, the deeper our convictions, the stronger the evidence will be that we have been saved for good works! 

 

The principle that must always be held before the church is that every member of the assembly is responsible to labor within the congregation to build up and care for the needs of others. This will prove profitable and useful, not only for the one doing the building up, but for every member of the assembly.

Superficial Christians will seek out leaders who will speak in such a way to ensure their comfort rather than stating the hard truths that may be viewed as unpleasant. As a man of God, I am responsible to speak of the truth, specifically in pointing out in detail any deviation from God's Word.

 

As believers, we are to seek God's glory, as well as pleasing God and what is good for the body of Christ. 

May it be so..

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen

 

 

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