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6. The Curriculum of Grace (Titus 2:11-15)

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7/24/2011

I. Announcements

II. Introduction and Recap

a. Last week we looked at Paul’s practical instructions for the home- older men, older women, etc.

b. Paul is very practical.

c. Whereas Paul normally moves from doctrine to behavior, here he moves from behavior to doctrine.

d. Paul’s normal MO is to start with doctrine and toss out a gigantic “therefore” and move on to practical application and implications. Not here.

e. The grace of God is his subject and grammatically it is the main theme in this passage.

f. The outline:

i. Grace brings salvation for all people (Titus 2:11).

ii. Grace trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions (Titus 2:12).

iii. Grace trains us to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:12).

iv. Grace trains us to eagerly wait for Jesus to come back (Titus 2:13-14).

v. Grace needs to be taught (Titus 2:15).

III. Grace brings salvation for all people (Titus 2:11).

a. “for”

i. “gar” another transition Paul makes.

ii. He gives the theological, or logical reason for this kind of behavior.

b. “The grace of God…”

i. The first word we must look at is this marvelous word grace. Certainly, if you are a Christian, this is a wonderful word for you. It is a delight to think about and meditate upon.

ii. The word is “charis.”

c. What does grace mean?

i. What is the hardest thing to believe about God?

d. Beware of the performance treadmill.

i. We have a profound tendency to feel good about ourselves or bad about ourselves based on our own performance and merits. It can be exhausting and depressing.

ii. We falsely believe “we were saved by grace, but we are living by the sweat of our own performance.” Bridges

iii. But grace cannot be earned by merit and it can’t be taken away by de-merit

iv. It’s been said that Jonathan Edwards was to Theology what Isaac Newton was to Physics. He was a genius of the first rate. Alive when our nation was founded. He has been a source of revival for many. I commend him to you.

v. Dad Forgives Daughter for Taking Coins illustration

vi. Football illustration…

e. “has appeared”

i. The word means epiphany. The word means a visible appearance.

ii. He uses this word twice. There are two epiphanies.

f. “bringing salvation for all people”

i. in what sense has salvation been brought to all people?

ii. The atonement must be limited in some sense.

g. There is another characteristic of grace that we see in verse 12. It has a training characteristic.

IV. Grace trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions (Titus 2:12).

a. “training us…”

i. Grace has a specific curriculum—to restrain certain behaviors and to promote others.

ii. What does it teach us and HOW does it teach us?

iii. The gospel of grace leads to godliness.

b. Grace trains us to renounce…

i. Renouncing ungodliness (Titus 2:12).

ii. Renouncing worldly passions (Titus 2:12).

c. Application:

i. We need to identify ungodliness and worldly passions.

ii. We need to renounce it.

V. Grace trains us to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:12).

a. The goal of God’s curriculum is for us to live a new kind of life.

i. If the Christian life ended at repentance, then we would just live lives of avoidance.

ii. We are not to be people who just avoid certain things and abstaining, but never actually DO anything.

iii. Is. 1:16-17, “…cease to do evil…learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

b. Grace trains us to be self-controlled.

i. Self-control over bodily desires and impulses.

c. Grace trains us to live upright lives.

i. A general description for being above reproach, having integrity, being just.

d. Grace trains us to live godly lives.

i. This is Paul’s general term for authentic Christianity.

ii. It is also the antithesis of the old life.

iii. In Paul’s mind, the gospel leads to godliness. That’s the main point of this letter.

iv. The message of God’s grace leads to godliness, and anything less is a fake.

e. Application

i. In other words… Grace teaches us to be disciples.

ii. All of our sanctification and growth is by grace.

iii. Our main problem is unbelief.

VI. Grace trains us to eagerly wait for Jesus to come back (Titus 2:13-14).

a. “waiting for our blessed hope.”

b “He gave himself for us.”

c. “to redeemed us.”

d. “to purified us.”

e. A people of his own possession.

f. Zealous for good works.

VII. Grace needs to be taught (Titus 2:15).

a. “declare these things”

b. “exhort”

c. “rebuke”

d. “Exhort and Rebuke with all authority.”

e. “Let no one disregard you”

VIII. Summary

a. Our biggest problem as Christians, the main reason we lack joy and happiness and assurance is because we have not believed this glorious truth…that the grace of God has appeared!

b. But we need to live in light of it…

c. Imagine if you heard this from God…

c. We need to live in the grace and love of Jesus!

e. Live in light of God’s grace and you will be trained not to play in the mud.

Related Topics: Grace

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