Saved By Grace Alone (Titus 3:4–7)

Because last time I checked, this is a glorious day that our

Lord, our our Savior has made. Good morning.

All right. Amen.

Amen. Amen.

Well, hey, hey, everybody. I am Will and I have the

privilege of being on the preaching team here.

Man, we've been going through Titus quite a bit and, and

trudging through it and we've officially graduated to Titus 3

and we even spent a couple weeks just going through verses one

through three. If you can't tell that is,

that's kind of been the, the tone here.

But we are getting close to the finish line.

Amen, Amen. But last time I was up here, we,

you know, we, we all talked. We, you know, we had a, we had

some family discussion. And I also, we're all reminded

that Cole asked us to read, listen and meditate on the

entire book of Titus at least once a week as we go through the

the series. I'm going to say it one more

time. Our head pastor asked us once a

week to read, listen, and meditate on the entire book of

Titus at least once a week. Now I just have the utmost

confidence that us as a church, we listen to our head pastor and

we we take his instructions with with joy.

Amen. Now, now let's try this again.

Amen. OK, OK, OK, I'm just going to

leave it at that. And the last time I I sat there

for a little bit. I'm just going to leave it at

that this week because we're talking about a lot of grace and

mercy this week. So before we dive to that, I

kind of want to give you guys a little a little story about the

hard headed middle school will OK.

So back in middle school, I had a science teacher that was known

for being challenging. I think that's the best way to

put that. And in every class we would, we

would go through the textbook literally line by line, stop at

every period, every comma. And then she would get the

overhead projector out. Now some of y'all don't know

what overhead projector is make me feel already old, but I got

AI got a reference for you. So for for some of the teens,

you can't touch this like this ain't a touch screen.

There is no there is nothing else.

You see that little, that little, it's a little paper

that's that's on top of in the sleek see through.

And the way you go to the next screen or the next slide, they

would just take that off and put the next one on.

I know, I know this is, this is what we sat through.

So I know like now today's like, you know, the lights go off in

the class. Some of y'all are either

thinking, hey, we're either about to watch a movie or we're

about to just, you know, watch a screen and, and I can even click

it from my laptop or my, my tablet or my desk.

Nah, that ain't what we had to do.

The the lights was off the the overhead projector was on and

you still got to be locked in, especially in this science

class. So should we get that out and it

was time to take notes. I absolutely hated taking notes.

It was the bane of my existence. I'm also a left-handed person

and we always had to write in pen.

So as a lefty, writing in pen and my, let's just say my

penmanship in middle school, even as an adult, but especially

in middle school wasn't the best.

And I would always just get the ink residue on my hand.

It was just absolutely trash. My right-handed people, you

can't relate because the world was made for you.

So you know that that was my cross I had to bear, you know.

So again, I, I hated taking notes, especially her notes,

because it was, it was always pages on pages on pages of notes

and they were and, and this is a testament to her.

They were literally handwritten with with marker notes that she

had wrote down. But she would also like talk

through them line by line. And she had the most monotone

voice I feel ever created. The notes are always over vocab

theories, text highlights. So because I was lazy, I

wouldn't emphasize because I will as lazy.

I short handed the notes if I took them and most of the time I

didn't take notes at all. Now, mind you, she also offered

to students who are slow note takers or slow riders or sloppy

riders to come. They can come during her lunch

break, they can come before or after school, stay a little bit

after class, come a little bit before class again.

She was actually a really good teacher and she wrote all the

notes down, but she would offer them to do that so you would

have time to get all the material, all the answers you

would need, all the notes, all of the notes.

But again, will, prideful, lazy, didn't care.

But I'm not going to do that. I could care less until that

first Test came. I probably stared at that paper

for about 10-15 minutes before I even wrote down an answer.

And the the the thing with it, I had no clue what these questions

was asking, let alone what even the answer could be.

So needs to say I bombed it. Terrible.

And Shirley Shirley's my mom, by the way, Shirley was going to be

livid that I bombed this test. It's one school is one of the

things that my Mama never played about, especially growing up in

in Cleveland, OH. She firmly believed education

was my way out of some situations.

So she had even more emphasis on it.

So I knew she was going to be living in the fear that was in

my body that I had to then go home, have her sign the test.

Because, you know, back then we had to have our parents sign the

test. You know, you can just log in

online and just steal your parents password so that they

actually had to have the signature on the paper.

But the fear that was in my body that she had to sign the test

and I couldn't hide it. I just had to accept the fact

that I'm not going to be able to sit down for a while.

So so I go home. I tell her what happened in the

first words out of her mouth and I'm I'm a censor for for for our

family in here. How the bleep did you fail a

bleeping open note test? Because the crazy part about the

test was the teacher. I came out and said, hey

everyone, feel free to use your notes while taking this test.

Well I my answer to my mom. Well I didn't.

I didn't really take notes. So you didn't take notes and

because you had a good teacher who valued the importance of

taking notes and everyone really retaining information, she

allowed you to use your notes for the test.

But because you were being lazy and self focus, you failed.

So stand, if you are able, for the reading of God's Word.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior

appeared, He saved us not because of words done by us in

the righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing

of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured

out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being

justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the

hope of eternal life. Dear Heavenly Father, man, we

need you today. I need you today.

We ask for wisdom as we go through your text.

We ask for guidance. Father, hold our hands man,

convict those who need to be convicted.

Lord, comfort those who need comfort.

Draw near to those who have been drawn apart from your Father and

Father, just hold those who are feeling alone.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen. You may be seated so before

diving in to the to the text, let's let's first have a

reminder on the 1st 3 verses that that Cole kind of spoke on.

So verse one and two, Paul tells Titus to remind the people how

God caused them to act, to be submissive to the rulers and

authorities, to be obedient, ready for every good work.

Speak evil of no one speak evil of no one Speak evil of no one.

I'm going to say speak evil and you guys would say what?

Speak evil of OK avoid quarreling, be gentle and show

perfect courtesy towards all people.

So I'm going to say perfect courtesy towards look y'all

locked in today. I appreciate this.

I know you're not used to this call and response stuff, but I

appreciate the locked in this. All right.

These acts, behaviors call us to actions and these actions aren't

just outward acts. So I know we see those things

and we think, well, I can do that.

This is easy, especially if you're Iowa nice, right?

But these acts are also a heart posture.

Matthew 5 Jesus teaches on the Beatitudes, and he emphasized

this. For example, Matthew 521 through

22. You have heard that it was said

of those of old you shall not murder.

Whoever murders will be liable to judgment.

But I say to you that everyone who was angry with her brother

will be liable to judgment. Whoever insults his brother will

be liable to to counsel, and whoever says you fool will be

liable to the hell of fire. It's a heart posture, he

continues. Again, Matthew 54347.

You have heard that it was said you shall love your neighbor and

hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your

enemies. Pray for those who persecute

you, so that you may be sons of the Father who is in heaven.

For he makes his Son rise on the evil and on the good, and sends

the rain on the just and the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

Don't even the tax Tax collectors do do the same.

Don't even the the least of these do that?

And if you only greet your brothers, what more you doing

than others? Don't even the Gentiles do the

same? Again, it is.

It is not just an outwardly act, it's a heart posture.

Then verse 3, Paul tells us who we once were.

Again, he tells us who we once were, verse 3.

It tells us we were once foolish, disobedient, LED

astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing

our days and malice and envy, hated and hating one another.

Cole really emphasized this last week.

This is when he when Cole hit on Romans 310 and 12 through 12.

None is righteous, no, not one. No one understands, No one seeks

for God. All have turned aside.

Together they have become worthless.

No one does good, not even 1 but God, but God.

Everyone say but God no come on come on I don't think y'all

understand what I just said no, not one is righteous, no not one

is righteous. We all deserve to be condemned

but God everyone say but God Amen.

But when the goodness in verse in verse 4, but when the

goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, but

God, but God our God who is holy, perfect, omniscient,

omnipresent, all powerful, merciful, gracious and just when

he appeared. One commentator says the reality

is that we never understand the wonderful kindness and love of

God until we face the reality of what we are like without him.

We are hated and hating. We must read verse 3 and we must

read verse 4 together. We must Plumb the depths of our

own hearts before we can grasp the heights of God.

But God in verse 5 He saved us not because of works done by us

in righteousness, but according to His own mercy by the washing

and regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, not of our own

works, not of our own works. Well why in bot nab our works

Well Roman 310 again tells us no, not one is righteous.

Verse 3 literally just spoke on how we lived our lives, the

nature we were born into, meaning that all of our works,

all of our Iowa niceness is tainted.

Regardless of the outward execution.

It's still tainted by our heart posture when it's done apart

from God and under our own strength.

And we continue reading but in verse 5, but according to his

own mercy but but God according to his own God's mercy.

Let's define mercy. Mercy is, is is a, is a word

that I if you've been coming to church, you've heard it a ton.

Even if you if you Googled or you heard something on Instagram

or social media, God's mercy is is spoken of, but it's really

defined what, what mercy is this word that is used a ton is the

act of withholding deserved punishment.

The act of withholding deserved punishment, meaning he didn't

give us what our works deserve, which is death, what our actions

deserve, which is death, what our heart posture deserves,

which is death, what our thoughts deserve, which is death

because of his mercy. But God, everyone say, but God,

I see this is This is why I feel like I don't maybe, maybe maybe

it's just me that that understands what I just said and

what the word is saying about mercy.

Do you all not understand we deserve death?

But God because of his mercy, we are no longer condemned.

So everyone say but God, Amen. But God, the Holy Spirit, he

regenerated us and made us new, washed us clean.

A sign up to this. The Holy Spirit is not in it.

The Holy Spirit is not in it. Scripture tells us and refers to

him as he just want to throw that out.

Verse 6, whom he, the Holy Spirit poured out on us richly

through Jesus Christ our Savior. Yes, our God is merciful.

Yes, He's merciful, but He is also just, and His wrath and His

just judgment had to be poured out.

It had to be quenched. But God, because he loved you,

because he predestined you as He is, He poured it out on His own

perfect Son who was a willing sacrifice for you to save you.

He forsakened his Son. To save you because he did that

because Jesus took that on the Holy Spirit renewed you but God

everyone say but God verse 7 so that being justified by his

grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal

life. Tim Chester defines as a as a as

a quote up there. He defines justice as a as a

legal term, being justified as a as a legal term as well, meaning

declared right. It goes on to say a trial is

taking place. The charges that we are foolish,

disobedient, deceived, enslaved, malicious, envious, hated and

hating. There's more than enough

evidence against this. The verdict must surely be

guilty but God but God grace, but God grace.

It's a free gift that we cannot earn through our good works.

It is a free gift given to us by merciful God.

Nothing we did, can do, or will ever do come close to earning

God's grace. Remember, it is a free gift

because of God's grace. We are justified to God because

of God's grace. We are justified to God, no

longer condemned, but now heirs seen as sons and daughters with

everlasting hope. But God, we were dead in our

sins, condemned to hell. But God, let me let me expound

on that. We were dead in our sins, and

hating and being hated and malice and deceiving and being

deceived. But we have been born again by

the Holy Spirit through the works of Jesus our Savior, so

that we are now justified and seen as righteous by the Father,

and we have eternal life. But God, that is what but God

means in, in, in other words, for God so love the world that

he gave his only begotten Son. So who should ever believe in

him? Shall not perish, but I have

everlasting life. That is the Gospel.

Amen, Amen. Amen, Amen.

Now let's put all this into context and and what Paul is is

telling Titus and verses one through 7.

So again, verse one and two, Paul is telling telling Titus,

remind them Titus, make sure that they take note that we must

be submissive to rulers and authorities, obedient, ready for

every good work. Speak no evil of no one.

Avoid quarreling, be gentle and show perfect, courteous towards

all people. And then in verse 3, Paul is

saying, remind them, Titus, make sure that they take note that we

were once foolish, disobedient, LED astray, slaves to various

passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy,

hated and hating one another. And then from verse 4 to 7, Paul

is saying, remind them, Titus, make sure they take note that

our righteousness comes from God's grace alone through faith

alone that he also gives us in Christ alone.

Amen. Amen.

So Paul is saying, remind them, Titus, we are confronted and

we'll be confronted by the world's culture as as Cole has

been telling us here at Frontier Church that we are going to be

confronted by that. It is going to feel

uncomfortable. We are not going to like it.

It is going to hurt. It is going to make us angry.

It is going to make us sad. It is going to make us want to

respond in a lot of different ways.

But we are called to respond with gentleness because it is

only because of God's mercy we were not punished and condemned

to hell. And only because of God's grace

we are seen as righteous before the Lord.

This could be all sund up in our in our big idea today.

Remember God's mercy and grace. Remember God's mercy and grace.

Please take note of it. Speaking of notes, my mom did

give me mercy from physical punishment but still unleash the

verbal spanking that is seared in my brain and heart.

Rightfully so for failing an open note test.

Needs to say I made sure after that I wrote down every note.

I even wrote down if she took a breath while reciting some of

those notes going forward in class.

The biggest thing because like my mom's mercy, especially when

it comes to physical punishment was, was rare and definitely

wasn't repeated. So I didn't want to run that

back, let's say. But I will say this anxiety I,

I, I used to have about taking tests in that class and the fear

and the, the stress, I assure you and them tests going

forward, all of that instantly left my body when I was able to

pull out my notes. I also realized somehow by like,

you know, like hearing it and seeing it on the board and

hearing her talk and writing things down.

Some of the questions I even knew without using my notes

somehow they kind of like ingrained in me.

So like I know Frontier, it's like, bro, what is that story

and the text have to do with each other, let alone what does

that mean for us here at Frontier?

We need to take note and remember God's grace and mercy.

So when, not if, so, when, we are tested by the world's broken

culture, we can respond with gentleness because it is only by

His grace and mercy we are no longer a part of that culture.

We will be tested, we will be challenged, but by taking note

and remembering the gospel, we will respond with gentleness.

Why? Because we will be reminded that

we have contributed nothing to our salvation, and we are called

to action by the One who is. And once you remember that

you've contributed to nothing of the regeneration of who you are,

to nothing of the new you, you tend to have more grace for

others who are right where you were.

But you must remind yourself and you must take note.

I got some application for you guys and then I and then I'm out

of here. I know some of y'all thought I

was going to be up here for a lot longer given my track

history, but you know, I'm I'm trying to turn over a new leaf.

No, I'm not. This is just kind of where the

spirit led me. This is y'all ain't got nothing

to do with that. No offense, no offense, but no,

no, no, I got some application for you, though, Number one,

read your Bible before I even dive into I got bullet points

for that too. But before I even dive into

that, I want to give a big shout out to Joseph.

He's the he's the one that that helped me put this on the

PowerPoint. So y'all can actually read it

and it makes sense. But the reason I want to give

him a shout out. I, I guess I, I guess I when I'm

up here, I'm, I'm pretty consistent.

So shout out to God there. Literally, I go, it's like, hey,

I got some application and he goes, Yep #1 read your Bible.

I was like, how did you know? He's like, I just knew you were

going to say that. So, so shout out to Joe.

So I appreciate you listening and staying locked in, but no

duh, read your Bible. But why?

So you can know His word. It will help you discern what is

God's culture, what is biblical, what is God's culture, and what

is biblical versus what the world culture is and what your

preference might be. New slash.

Your preference does not determine what God and what holy

culture and what the biblical culture is.

Your preference is just that, your preference.

So read the Bible. Read it for yourself.

Do not rely on solely rely on social media, a podcast, and

even don't just rely on coming to church on Sunday.

Your relationship with God is that your relationship with God.

Act like you have one. Spend time with him.

Read your Bible 2. When a test occurs this week,

I'm sure it will pray before responding.

There is true power in prayer and it doesn't have to be long.

It doesn't have to be this grandiose poem.

Shout out to our beautiful liturgist.

It ain't got to be that because honestly, I can't even write

half of that. So shout out to you all for

that. But it doesn't have to be that.

Just saying, even in your head or whispering to yourself, Jesus

or Jesus help me is good enough. That's a big shout out to the

Holy Spirit who does that work from there anyway.

And then lastly, when you fail and you don't do it perfectly,

because it will happen, because we will, I will pull out your

notes and remind yourself of the gospel.

Because also in Romans, Paul tells us in Romans 81.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are

in Christ Jesus. The debt has been paid.

God exists outside of time. So when he chose you, when Jesus

chose to die for you, they knew your entire existence already

from the your lowest of low points to your highest of high

points. And he said you are mine.

There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

There's only one perfect man that walked this earth and thank

God he died for us and paid our cost.

Amen. Let's pray.

Dear heavenly Father man, thank you.

Thank you for your word, thank you for your provision, Thank

you for your mercy and grace. And Father, help us remember

your mercy. Help us remember your grace.

Help us remember the gospel. Continue to ingrain it in our

hearts, our minds, and that our walk shows that we love you.

How we interact with your image bearers.

Show that we love you as we interact with all the creation

that you created. Help it.

Help us. Show that we love you.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Let's stand in worship.