Godly Living In An Ungodly World

 

 

 

"For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, ⁵ He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy 

Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Titus 3:3-7 

 

 

Good Morning My Beloved,

Welcome to worship this Lord's Day!

We would like to welcome our beloved new brothers and sisters in Christ, joining us for the first time, we are so thankful that you are all with us today. We continue to lift all of you up in prayer, and ask that you would also pray for us.  

 

For many years, in fact, nearly two hundred and fifty years, we have experienced as a nation, a strong, Christian, biblical influence. However, it has become obvious, in recent years, that is rapidly declining. Today, there exists a kind of practical atheism, and at best a situational morality. 

Oh, there are people who still attend church, they still claim to believe in God, however, for the most part, whatever vestiges of Christian religion that still remain, whatever remnants that still pervade our culture are at best, weak and compromising, if not apostate and cultic.

 

I believe that our nation today, is affirming through its leaders, through its congresses, its legislative bodies, its courts and judges, through its laws and ordinances, a very anti-Christian agenda. In fact, the Christianity and biblical morality, the divine standards by which we once judged right and wrong behavior, that was once part of the very fabric of our nation, is being swept away. All remnants of biblical morality and standards are constantly being attacked. Sexual freedom and immorality now reign as god.

The result is the breakdown of the family, materialism, abortions, violence, crime and murder have reached epidemic proportions, drugs, evilness and lawlessness have flooded our nation, having torn apart the moral fiber of our laws, we can figure our what is right, to the point we no longer control our children, even in the early years of their lives. We now have a society has become out of control, we longer have any standards by which to control them. We do not have enough police to arrest them, courts to process them or even jails to hold them.  We now have a generation of people who have taken the agenda and are running wild with it.

 

For those of us, who are in the moral minority, we are repulsed by the verdicts that are being rendered in court systems, that are exonerating people of criminal intent, creating heroes and martyrs out of criminals, we have become a society where anybody can do absolutely anything, without fear of reparation or recourse. It is one thing to have sin, it's something quite different to redefine it as acceptable behavior and celebrating it. Yet, that is where we are as a nation. However, allow me to just say, the worst is yet to come.

Let us bow our heads.

Heavenly Father,

Father, thank You for this Word for us, thank You for making us a people who want to be Your people, who want to honor and glorify You. Lord, we want to be obedient to You, to exalt You. Help us to live our lives, not only in the church, but in the world, so that the world will know that we are transformed, we are different, because You are a loving and saving God.  Grant us the courage and boldness to tell them know that You are also a just God, Who demands payment for sin. And, that if they have not accepted Christ's sacrifice as payment for their sin, they will themselves suffer the penalty of their sin.

Lord, we pray that the world who watches us, will see a transformed people and will believe in Your transforming power, that we will be useful in bringing many more to the same salvation that we have received.

We pray this in Christ's name

Amen

Today's Message: Godly Living In An Ungodly World

 

Open your Bibles with me to the third chapter of Titus, I believe we come into one of the most challenging, yet also most relevant sections of this brief epistle as we continue in our study of this last chapter.

 

"For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit ,whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." 

 

Before we castigate the various groups that appear intent on destroying society as we know it, consider where we were before Christ found us. Christians who adopt the attitude and actions of this fallen world demonstrate that they haven’t moved very far from where they began. Christians who destroy others with their tongues are acting as if they were never redeemed. 

 

The Christian’s positive conduct toward fallen people and a corrupt society is given in verse 3. "For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another."

The Apostle Paul reminds us, not to be too critical of our neighbor, remember what you were before God saved you. Reflection upon our former condition should makes it easier for us to be kind toward others. That those who would point a critical finger should instead learn to hold out a helping hand. I believe that the illustration here by Paul, is as humbling as it is accurate. 

This picture of our former selves, who we once were, was just as hopeless and that we could be reclaimed, so while it may seem hopeless for others, that they too may be reclaimed. We must remember that it is Christ, not us, Who has made all the difference. From the very moment that we received Christ, our lives began to follow a different path, a new way of living. Because of Christ, we enjoy new life. And, as new creations in Christ we are on the path that now leads to heaven. We must remember, however, that we were a people, once bound for hell and destined for wrath. Let's be honest, the description may speak of those identified as belonging to the world, but as Christians, we find it to be disturbing, because we should not be characterized in this way.

In verse 4, Paul provides the reason for the transition, that was mentioned in verse 3. "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared."

What has made the Christian life possible, was an event in history when the grace, mercy and love of God was manifested. The appearance of Christ is the fullest expression of God's grace and love for mankind. Christ’s appearance in human history was the divine response to our fallen perdicament and sinful behavior.

Man's inhumanity toward man is starkly contrasted by God's loving kindness. It is that kindness, that moves us to repentance. God, our Living Savior, carried out a plan for redemption of epic proportions when He became flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ. It was the kindness and love of God, our Savior, that came to man's rescue. Apart from Christ, man's situation is hopeless. However, God's love toward man poured itself out in Christ's appearance and redemptive work on the cross.

In verse 5, Paul gives us a summary of what Christ did for us, when he writes "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit." Beloved, this astounding act by Christ, washed away not some of our sin, but all of our sin. In becoming a Christian, the believer acknowledges Christ as Lord and recognizes Christ's saving work. We gain eternal life with all its treasures. It is the Holy Spirit who applies Salvation to us. We have this precious renewal by the Holy Spirit, and He continues to renew our hearts.  Allow me to point out, that none of this occurs because we done anything to deserved it; there is nothing that we have done to earn it; it is all God's gift by His grace.

I need you to understand that salvation is not by works of righteousness, meaning by human effort in order to gain salvation. It is only because the mercy of God that we can be saved and continually renewed by the Holy Spirit. In spite of how highly some of us may perceive ourselves to be, we are unworthy of such grace! We need to get that. God in His grace, withholds the punishment that we deserve and gives us mercy, which is the compassion and kindness that we do not deserve.

In Acts 16:25-31, "But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved!" If you want to be saved and you acknowledge that Jesus Christ died for your sins, that He rose again on the third day. You must accept His death and resurrection as payment for your sin. If you are already a believer, I would encourage you to thank God every day for His mercy and His marvelous gift of salvation.

The apostle Paul referred to both God's grace and mercy in Salvation. However, he also says it is God's mercy that delivers us from a lifestyle which he described as "foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." When people believe on Jesus Christ, they are justified by His grace. We are justified by His grace, this speaks of forgiveness. But we also receive the "washing of regeneration" and "renewing of the Holy Spirit." These are to bring about a change in our behavior. Meaning we are not to be the same person that we were before Christ. In other words, we are not to continue in the sin, that once condemned us to eternal death. God's forgiveness is not a license to continue in our sin, we are to turn away from it, living a godly life. That's the point. Many today, tend to justify our sin, our evil by calling it good.

Paul confirms this in verse 6, when he says "whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior." Once you have tasted God’s grace at the cross, you are to become a changed person. There is simply no way that you can receive God’s gift of eternal life,  have your sins forgiven by the blood of Christ, and go on living as you once did. If you find yourself doing that, you have not been truly redeemed. To be clear, that does not mean that you will never sin, however, you will be immediately be convicted by the Holy Spirit, therefore will repent of your sin. In other words, you will no longer enjoy sinning, it will disturb your well being. While the Holy Spirit is available to us, all of us may not be available to the Holy Spirit. If we willingly continue to sin, we can quench His power in our lives. The more Jesus is allowed to have us, the more will experience of Him.

Then, Paul writes in verse 7, "so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Justification is by grace. Justification is by grace. In other words, justification is salvation looked at from a legal perspective, its the judges declaration that the sentence has been terminated. However, I am compelled to tell you, this is not by reason of innocence but because the sentence has been satisfied, our debt has been paid by another, Jesus Christ, therefore, it is a matter of grace. It is by God's grace.

In Closing..

The goal of God's redemptive work, is that we would have eternal life. Through the justifying blood of Jesus Christ, we now have the privileged position of being God's heir. Our inheritance, however, is yet to be received, therefore it remains a hope. Nevertheless, eternal life is a certainty though it is yet to be fully obtained. Hope is God's promise, our assurance of eternal life.

Beloved, because of God's grace and mercy, because of the regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit we have been divinely enabled to boldly live the kind of life God has prescribed for us. A godly life Through Christ, God has intervened, terminating our sentence, in order to bring about a change in our lives. The historical events of Christ's ministry, His life, death and resurrection and the out pouring of the Holy Spirit, has provided us each of us an opportunity to be all God requires to obtain eternal life. However, to experience the reality of this opportunity, this new life, we must step forward into the new future by faith.  

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

 

If you have yet received Christ as your Savior, if you have not repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ, I would like to encourage you to do so today. It may well be the last opportunity that you will have. It is the best decision you will ever make, I can promise you will not regret it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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