Sermon
Living Waters of Grace 02.10.26
Publisher transcript
Transcript
-
This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Lewis
-
Harold, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland
-
County in Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Lewis as he
-
continues teaching through God's Word.
-
Ephesians 4 and 22 says that you put off concerning your former
-
conduct the old man, which. Grows corrupt.
-
According to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of
-
your mind and that you put on the new man which was.
-
Created. According to God in true
-
righteousness and holiness, and we do that in this present age.
-
And it's important that we do it in this present age because
-
there's so much darkness, there's so much evil, there's so
-
much wickedness, and they need to see.
-
God's light. Do you know what it's like to
-
walk out of a dark movie theater midday and the sun just blasts
-
you away? You might feel like a vampire,
-
like you're going to burst into flames and all that sunlight.
-
It's a huge contrast coming from being in the darkened room as
-
you step out directly under the sunlight.
-
In Pastor Lewis's message today, he shares with you that the
-
world needs to see the contrast between your life and a life of
-
sin. When you're around others, can
-
they tell the difference that Jesus has made in you?
-
Now here's Pastor Lewis in Titus chapter 2 with today's edition
Titus 2 chapter mention
-
of Living Waters of Grace. He was the Lamb.
-
He was the one who was the blem, who was the that was without
-
blemish and without spot or wrinkle.
-
He was the perfect sacrifice. And he presented himself that
-
way on Palm Sunday. And I just wonder, you know, in
-
my own life, have I allowed? Jesus.
-
To have a triumphal entry in my life.
-
Does he? Sit as King on the throne of my
-
heart. Do I acknowledge him as King?
-
Do I call him king? Do I submit to his kingship, to
-
his Lordship in my life? And one of the ways that we can
-
show that. Is through our good works that.
-
Timothy or Titus continues. To talk about.
-
Here in the book. Of Titus.
-
But not only did he come to establish those things, but the
-
Bible said in verse 12 that he's teaching us that denying
-
ungodliness and worldly. Lust.
-
We should live soberly, righteously.
-
And godly Jesus coming to give us salvation was not just so
-
that we can be saved and then sit down like we have now.
-
We don't have nothing else to do.
-
But it's for good works which is the.
-
Evidence to unbelievers that a change has happened in our
-
lives. The power of God.
-
Working in our hearts. Is through the good works that
-
we offer to others or that we show others, he said.
-
We should. Deny ungodliness we should deny.
-
Worldly lusts and. And and and and we should.
-
Live soberly, righteously, or upright.
-
And godly or? God like.
-
Back in Ephesians. Chapter 4 the Bible talks about.
Ephesians 4 chapter mention
-
Putting off the old man. So when Jesus comes into our
-
life, there's a change and we take off those things that were
-
old, those things that. Used to be.
-
Ephesians 4 and 22 says that you put off concerning your former
-
conduct the old man, which. Grows corrupt.
-
According to the. Deceitful lusts.
-
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on
-
the new man, which was created according to God in true
-
righteousness and holiness. And we do that in this present
-
age. And it's important that we do it
-
in this present age because there's so much darkness,
-
there's so much evil. There's so much.
-
Wickedness and they need to see God's light.
-
So it's more important. It's even more important now
-
that we live. A life that shows that there's.
-
A difference, A life. That shows that the power of God
-
is. Working in.
-
Our lives. The world needs.
-
To see that. And you know, we may not
-
understand, we may not know it, but a lot of the people in the
-
world want. To see that because the opposite
-
is so hopeless. Suicide attempts are.
-
Up. People are desperate.
-
And don't have an answer. They need to see our good works
-
so that they can see the God in us that they may have something
-
to trust in, something to believe in.
-
And we need to do it in this present age.
-
And then we go on the verse 13. Now he's going to talk about the
-
second coming, he says, looking for the blessed hope and
-
glorious appearance of our great God and.
-
Savior Jesus Christ. Now I want to also mention that
-
there's a couple times. Here where Jesus is equal.
-
Is is named as God in this in this verse, in this chapter.
-
The first time was back in verse 10 when he said.
-
That we should be that they. Adorned the.
-
Doctrine of God our Savior. In all things, that was a
-
reference. To the deity of God.
-
To the deity of Jesus Christ. And then here we see it again,
-
looking. For the Blessed.
-
Hope and glorious appearing of our great God and.
-
Savior Jesus Christ. So when people try to tell.
-
You that. What?
-
The Bible never says that. That that Jesus is God.
-
The Bible never says that. Well, this is one place you can
-
bring them. He said it twice, they said it
-
twice. There's one place you can bring
-
them. So he's talking about that
-
second coming that that time when we are looking forward to
-
him coming back and that's our hope.
-
As believers, that's our hope. As Christians, it's our.
-
Hope as those who live for the. Lord that we're going to see him
-
again, that we're going to see him, we're going to, we're going
-
to, we're going to be able to love his appearing.
-
Paul talked. About the fact that when he sees
-
him, he knows he's going to receive a crown of righteousness
-
and not only him, but everyone who would love his appearing
-
will receive a crown of righteousness.
-
So this coming this this second coming is is something that we.
-
All look forward. To And that's our hope.
-
That's our hope. For the appearing of the future
-
return of our. Great God.
-
And savior, you know what, If it happens in the next 5 minutes,
-
I'll be happy. I'd be OK with it.
-
That we never have to go to our cars again and drive anywhere.
-
Else if it. Happens before I even get to my
-
car. I'll be OK with it.
-
I just want to see him. I just want to be with him.
-
I want this to be over. But then again, He has a plan
-
and a purpose for keeping us here, and that plan and purpose
-
has to. Do with the good works that He's
-
calling us to do and to be. So while we're here, abode and
-
abide. And occupy.
-
So then in verse 14 he goes back to talking about what?
-
He does. The first time that he come, he
-
comes back to talking. About his sacrifice.
-
So he says here in verse 14, Who gave himself for us?
-
That's who we're. Looking for We're looking for
-
the one who gave himself for us. So that's why we can't be
-
looking for no other king. We can't be.
-
Looking for no other God, because it was only one who gave
-
himself for us, and that's Jesus Christ.
-
There's no other. There's no other to look for.
-
The one who gave himself. For us, he sacrificed.
-
Himself for us, that He might redeem us, and were redeemed
-
that purchase that He. That he purchased.
-
Us and and if we. Look at just.
-
You know, you know out of. School you always had glossary
-
right where you had these. Words that you can look up to
-
find the meaning of them. Well, the word redeem really
-
refers to the payment of ransom the.
-
Purchase of our. Freedom from sin and its
-
consequences through. The blood of Jesus Christ, you
-
see, we were. Redeemed.
-
But we weren't redeemed with corruptible things like gold and
-
silver. We were redeemed with
-
incorruptible the. Blood of Jesus Christ the.
-
Lamb. Without spot or.
-
Wrinkle We were redeemed with the.
-
Blood, the precious. Blood and that same blood that.
-
Flowed over 2. 1000 years ago. Is still.
-
Efficacious enough today. To save those.
-
Who will believe on him? It can still cleanse from every
-
sin. So he said.
-
He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from.
-
Every lawless deed. And purify for himself his own.
-
Special people zealous for good works.
-
That. Is what's?
-
Hard for me to get my head around because I know what I
-
did, I know how I lived, I know the sins that I've committed and
-
he is saying. That we.
-
Are redeemed from every lawless act, everything that I've ever
-
done that I'm not proud of now. It's washed.
-
It's. Cleanse.
-
I'm redeemed from that. He doesn't hold that against me
-
anymore. That right?
-
Just to have that in my mind every morning when I get up, if
-
I can have that. At the.
-
Forefront of my mind every morning that I get up, how would
-
that impact my life? I am redeemed.
-
And I just want to say that if there's anyone here that is not
-
redeemed. Today.
-
Today you can be. Forgiven and cleansed of every
-
sin you ever committed. I don't care how.
-
Bad it was. I don't care how long you've
-
been doing it. He's here to.
-
Redeem us today, that He might redeem us from every lawless
-
deed, and purified for himself His own special.
-
People. Zealous.
-
That means devoted or diligent. For good work.
-
And then in verse 15 he says, speak these things.
-
Exhort. That means encourage.
-
The people with these? Things comfort.
-
The people with. These things I know it comforts
-
me to hear. These things comfort me.
-
It blesses me to know that I'm redeeming to.
-
Hear this over. Again, all of it.
-
Whether? It be the.
-
First coming his first announcement of him coming to
-
the world announced by the angels to the.
-
To the. Shepherds who were in the field
-
as they announced the coming. Of the Lord Jesus Christ, the
-
Savior, who would take. Away the sin of the.
-
World, that was. Announced and even on the
-
triumphant entry when he came in and was.
-
Established or they or they? Called him king.
-
He came in as king, as a Messiah.
-
All these things, they give me comfort.
-
They give me comfort. And he says, speak these things,
-
exhort and rebuke. That means they point out the
-
sin, point out the heresy, point out the things that needs to be
-
changed, that we need to give and we need to confess to.
-
The Lord Jesus. Christ, that we need to repent
-
of and do it in all authority, and let no one.
-
Despise you? Let no one despise you.
-
And then he goes on and he starts over here in Chapter 3
-
and he says remind them. So he said this is something
-
that you need to do over and over again.
-
Bring this up over and over again.
-
Remind them to be. Subject to rulers and
-
authorities to obey, to be ready for every.
-
There's that word. Again, every good work, every
-
good work. So he's saying that we have to
-
submit to the rulers and authorities.
-
Of the other civil leaders, the. Government leaders, the.
-
Local leaders, the state leaders, the federal leaders,
-
the local law. Enforcers enforcement that we
-
need to submit to the authority. Submit to the authority.
-
You know we're not there to. Always try to.
-
Protest something that they're that they're doing, but to
-
submit to the. Authority as.
-
Long as it doesn't go against the word.
-
Of God. Because anything that is
-
suggested to us, commanded to us, mentioned to us, that goes
-
against the word. Of God, God is.
-
Our ultimate authority, he is our ultimate authority.
-
In fact, even even Peter himself, he said.
-
We ought to obey God rather. Than man, not that he was asking
-
for protests. He wasn't asking for people to
-
go against the grain or to go against the system.
-
But when God speaks, when God says we need to do this, then
-
that's what we need to do, then that's what we need to do.
-
And if that goes against. This age.
-
If it goes against the worldliness of this age.
-
So be it. But we are.
-
Under the authority. Of our Lord and Savior.
-
Jesus Christ. So he says, remind them to be.
-
Subject to rulers. And authorities and and in fact,
-
to be. That way to.
-
To be someone who? Who?
-
Who? Doesn't always cause us think
-
when it's something that doesn't have anything conflict in
-
conflict with the word. Of God, but to follow the rules,
-
to follow the laws, to obey the. Ordinances, again, these things
-
bring positive influence for the people of God, and it brings.
-
Glory to God. And it says then be ready to do.
-
Every good work, so we should be good.
-
Community people, we should be good citizens.
-
We should be. Good citizens doing good works
-
in our neighborhood, in our communities as well as in our
-
churches, and he says. Speak evil.
-
Of no one. But be peaceable.
-
And gentle, showing all humility to all men.
-
So to be so, he says, Speak. Evil of no one.
-
We should not be out speaking evil against anyone, and I know
-
that sometimes that can be hard to do when you know somebody
-
speaking evil against you. That can be hard to do.
-
That can be hard because sometimes in just telling people
-
the truth. They said.
-
It comes across that you're speaking evil, but he says speak
-
evil of no one. The Bible tells us that our
-
words should always be. About grace and season with
-
salt. We should let no corrupt thing
-
come forth out of our mouth. So we really shouldn't be those
-
who backbite or those who who talk about people, those who
-
gossip. We shouldn't be those who say
-
things to damage somebody's reputation.
-
It's basically what he is. Saying here speak evil of no one
-
but be. Peaceable God is.
-
Calling us. To be peaceable.
-
In, in, in the. 5th chapter of of of of.
-
Of Matthew. The Bible said that blessed.
-
Are the peacemakers? For they are the.
-
Children of God, the peacemakers, the peacemakers,
-
we're the children of God, the children of God Jesus Christ was
-
a peacemaker. He came as a peacemaker, and
-
then we know that peace is one of the one of the nine fruit of
-
the. Spirit.
-
James 3 and 18, says Now the fruit of righteousness is sown
-
in peace. By.
-
Those who make. Peace.
-
And then Hebrews 12 and 14. Says that we are to pursue peace
-
with all people, with all people, with everybody, those
-
who like. Us, those who don't like us.
-
Those who hate. Us, those who don't hate us.
-
Those who talk about. Us, those who don't talk about.
-
We are to pursue peace with all people, all people without.
-
Without which no one. Will see the Lord.
-
So we need that peace and holiness.
-
Peace and holiness is what we are to pursue obedience.
-
And then he goes on down to verse the bottom of it and he
-
talks about being gentle. We're showing moderation to all
-
people and showing all humility to all men.
-
And then in verse three, he just wants us to remember that part
-
of the reason why we do these things is because he wants us to
-
remember who we. Used to be.
-
You see, you know when we get. Saved, we are.
-
Supposed to change. But we are supposed to also.
-
Remember. That the people who are out.
-
There, acting the way we. Used to act.
-
They need. Jesus Christ.
-
Too. They need salvation.
-
They need a heart change as well as well.
-
So we pray for the Lord to touch their hearts.
-
The way someone prayed to touch ours.
-
So he says, remember what you. Used to be right, he said.
-
For we ourselves. Were once foolish, disobedient.
-
Deceived we were. Serving various lusts and
-
pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one
-
another. You know, when I went through
-
all these, I said at one time in my life I was every one of
-
these, every one of these. And sometimes I can even be this
-
way now. And some of these things, every
-
one of them, there's times. That we serve our laws there's.
-
Times that we live in malice or we have envy, There's times that
-
we can be hateful, I said. Wow.
-
Lord. Have mercy, have mercy.
-
And then he goes on and he says the thing that we all.
-
Love to hear. And everyone of us who believe
-
in Jesus Christ. God bless you has had this
-
experience. He said, But when the kindness
-
and love of God. Our Savior.
-
Toward man appeared when the kindness and love of God.
-
Our Savior. Toward man appeared the moment
-
that someone shared the. Gospel with you.
-
And you were? Able to see how desperately.
-
You needed exactly. What they were sharing.
-
The moment you were able. To say yes.
-
I am a Sinner and I need the Savior you're talking about
-
because I can't save myself. The moment you saw that and we
-
realized, Oh my God, this is a loving God.
-
When I think about everything I've done against him,
-
everything I've done that was in disobedience to Him, and yet he
-
is showing me this kindness and this.
-
Love he's. Going to redeem me and take away
-
all my sins and cleanse me from all my sins.
-
That's the good news. The love and kindness, love and
-
kindness that he showed. To us.
-
What an awesome thing. And I have a note here that I
-
said here that we don't realize how kind and loving God is
-
until. We first realize.
-
How much we need his kindness and his love.
-
That's when we realize just how. Kind and how loving he is.
-
And then he goes on and he says here about how that happens.
-
He said now that kindness didn't come because of anything you
-
did. It wasn't by your works of
-
righteousness that you've done. It wasn't by any of that.
-
But it was. By his mercy.
-
His Grace it was. According to his mercy.
-
That he saved. Us his mercy, there's nothing
-
that. We ever did.
-
No matter how good it may. Appear that.
-
Earned the mercy and the love that.
-
Jesus Christ gave us. I don't care what we've done.
-
The Bible says that our righteousness.
-
Is what Filthy rags the best of what we try to do is, but filthy
-
rags? It's like filthy rags.
-
And then he talks about the regeneration, he said the.
-
He said it's through the. Washing of regeneration and
-
renewing. Of the Holy Spirit this.
-
Regeneration that he's talking about.
-
Here is a. Is an awesome thing because in
-
in regeneration we're talking about a supernatural act that
-
comes when. Jesus Christ through the Holy.
-
Spirit comes into our life and washes us clean of all of our
-
sins. It cleanses us of.
-
All of our. Sins, and it changes us on the
-
inside. That's a supernatural.
-
Act It's through the work of the Holy Spirit that that's.
-
Done. The work of the Holy Spirit.
-
That washing of regeneration, that washing away your sins,
-
It's not baptism. Some people think that it's
-
baptism, that these things happen.
-
No, it's not through baptism. It's a supernatural work.
-
Of the Holy Spirit that. Comes in and cleanses me
-
Cleanses. You washes you.
-
Clean from your iniquities and your lawlessness and your sins,
-
and not only does he wash away those sins, but he also washes
-
away the consequences of it. The consequences of those things
-
are also. Washed away they're.
-
Gone. They're gone and therefore.
-
We are justified by His grace. Now then, that's happened
-
through the Holy. Spirit that has.
-
Poured out on us abundantly through Jesus.
-
Christ our Savior. And then in verse 7 it talks.
-
About the fact. That having been.
-
Justified by His grace, we should.
-
Become heirs according to the. Hope.
-
Of eternal life, and with this hope of eternal life as we.
-
Live our lives we realize that the way that we.
-
Show the evidence. Of the hope.
-
That we have. The way that we show the.
-
Evidence of the change that has happened on the inside of us.
-
Is through the good works that people see.
-
In our lives, they see the change in our lives and how.
-
We are different. Than what we.
-
Used to be. And how God is working in us.
-
For. Peace and love and righteousness
-
and to do good things in a Bible study and a brother made a
-
statement that was profound. It was a great statement, he
-
said. It seems now that when we say.
-
That we are saved by faith. It seems that that.
-
People get the idea that we are divorced.
-
From good works and I thought about it and I thought about
-
that and that's exactly true. For some reason, we still think.
-
That to say that we have good works.
-
Is a bad thing, but we're not saying that we have.
-
Good works which? Results in our salvation.
-
We don't earn our salvation. With the good works, we have
-
good works because God loved us. And showed kindness and has
-
given us salvation. And as a result.
-
Of our. Salvation it produces in US.
-
Good works. And we should.
-
Have those things. This has been Living Waters of
-
Grace, a ministry of Pastor Lewis Harrell of Calvary Chapel,
-
Westmoreland. Today's message has been on the
-
book of Titus. This book is a master class in
-
how Christians should live in modern culture.
-
Titus was ministering to the people of Crete, an island off
-
the coast of Greece, but he was facing many challenges.
-
The Cretans who came to know Jesus seemed to assimilate Jesus
-
into their existing culture instead of allowing themselves
-
to be transformed by the Holy Spirit inside of them.
-
Others were fully devoting themselves to Jesus but shutting
-
themselves off from the world around them.
-
The Apostle Paul encourages Titus to help his audience find
-
a middle ground where they can live in this world while still
-
following a different way of life in Jesus.
-
If you would like to learn more about what it means to
-
faithfully follow the teachings of Christ in a world full of
-
darkness, we'd love to get connected with you in person.
-
If you are in Greensburg, PA, we'd love to invite you to join
-
us at Calvary Chapel Westmoreland.
-
We need every Sunday at 10:30 AM at 400 E Pittsburgh St.
-
Ste. 6B. Also, if you visit us at
-
calvarychapelonline.com, you'll find links to our mobile app,
-
our giving page, and our contact form where you can leave a
-
prayer request if you have one. Before we go off the air for
-
today, we ask you to invite someone to tune in next time
-
right here on Grace FM 91.7 or streaming online at Grace Radio
-
dot FM. Word of mouth is the best way to
-
spread the good news of the Gospel with those who are hungry
-
to hear. Until next time, this has been
-
another edition of Living Waters of Grace.