"Grace is Teaching, Are You Listening?" (Part 2)
Text: Titus 2:11-12
Title: Grace is teaching. Are you listening? (Part 2)
Introduction:
Helen Keller's teacher Anne Sullivan gave the key of truth to Helen and helped to set her free.
"The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me.
Sullivan who fought to gain control of Helen - finger spelled into Helen's hand.
"Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten—a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that “w-a-t-e-r” meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!" - Helen Keller
"The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us....in this present world."
That grace teaches us ....
· (negatively) to discard (put off)
· and (positively) to display (put on).
We only considered the negative last week of discarding.
You should discard ungodliness (irreverance)
We considered last week - irreverent speech, entertainment, friends, dress, and attitudes.
You should discard worldly lusts.
money lust, immmoral lust, addictive lust, power and popularity lust.
Grace is teaching us this morning to positively display Christ to a Christless world. How do you do that?
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
I. You should display Christ with a right mind.
We should live soberly, (in this present world)
def. soberly: with sound mind.
note: Someone that is not sober is not thinking correctly. Their thinking is clouded by something....controlling substance, a controlling passion, a controlling fear....
app. If you are living soberly, then you are pleasing God with the way in which you think.
A. Use Christ given wisdom.
exp. Jesus never makes a mistake in judgment.
John 8:16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true:
ill. There are some funny insurance commercials in the States (squirrel jumping out of a bush onto a man's face - squirrel crashing car by purposely running into the road... the saying "Life comes at you quickly.
exp. Life comes at us quickly at times and we have to make decisions.
app. If we have the mind of Christ, we can make the correct desicions.
1. We can have the mind of Christ if we are humble enough to receive it.
1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
exp. We don't tell him what to think - He tells us what to think.
question: Have you ever noticed that human nature thinks it knows everything better than anyone else?
ill. We've enjoyed watching Major Tim Peake - the British Astronaut who is currently living on the space station. When he became an astronaut, he didn't write the instruction manual. And if he had a procedural question, he didn't come up with his own answer. Someone who has had much more experience than himself would give him the wisdom that he needed - IF HE WAS HUMBLE ENOUGH TO RECEIVE IT. If not, he wouldn't last too long as an astronaut.
app. Are you humble enough to depend upon the mind of God - rather than trying to convince Him that you know what is better?
2. We can have the mind of Christ if we ask for it.
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
note: If you think you don't need this as a believer, God will quickly show you that you are wrong. Sadly, we can continue getting it wrong or we can finally admit that God knows better than us.
app. You can check how much you feel like you know it all vs. how much you depend upon God by a simple test - When is the last time you cried out to God for wisdom? USE CHRIST GIVEN WISDOM.
B. Use Bible given wisdom.
exp. God's Word must go through your brain to get to your feet.
ill. When I started driving over here - we didn't know the road signs because we hadn't studied for the exam. But, after studying I said to Katie, "The road signs are speaking to me." They were imparting wisdom to me.
app. God has given us a book that helps us to read the Divine signs of life. Are you seeing life through the revelation of God's Word?
1. Let your mind seek guidance in God's Word.
Psalm 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
ill. Do you like torches? Have you ever had to walk very far in the dark. In the states I have at times had occassion to walk out into the woods in the dark. I don't like the dark and I find great comfort in having a light to illumine the way.
app. You can have comfort of mind today to know the way forward and to avoid pitfalls - it is a book that is sadly often neglected.
2. Let your mind seek victory in God's Word.
Psalm 119:9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
ill. Nelson as a one year old has learned that mum and dad will often have him wait until home to open his chocolate - but if he goes to Mr. Mark - it is opened immediately. He isn't going to take defeat when he has learned victory. (He's a good student of life.)
app. Are you a good student of life in God's Word? Have you learned that there is victory in the Bible for whatever sin you are battling against? Don't accept defeat when their is victory! Victory begins in your mind!
3. Let your mind seek understanding in God's Word.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
question: How do you know Jesus is God? How do you know that his death paid the penalty for your sin? How do you know God created? How do you know that prophecy speaks clearly of Jesus? How do you know grace teaches us to think correctly?
ill. One of the saddest verses written by a minister of the Gospel is....
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
app. What is God's Word to you? A paper weight or a friend? How much time do you spend in God's Word each day? Why would you let such a treasure gather dust on the shelf? Use Bible given wisdom. Christ given wisdom.
C. Use Spirit given wisdom.
exp. You may think this morning - but I am not a theologian. I know nothing about the Bible or so many people know more than me. But, you are forgetting that if you are saved - you have someone inside you who will open up God's Word to you.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;
ill. Like Helen Keller's teacher, God's gracious Spirit will not allow you to be misled if you will get into God'sWord.
app. Friends, you don't need a better teacher - because if you are saved you have the best teacher of all.
1Jo 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
app. Grace teaches us first to think soberly to display Christ with a right mind. The mind of Christ, God's Word and the Spirit of God.
II. You should display Christ with a right body.
(We should live) ...righteously, (in this present world)
def. righteously: as is right, justly, uprightly
app. If you are living righteously then you are pleasing God with what you do. It won't come easily - you will fail if you don't make this your purpose!
A. Purpose to protect your body.
ill. Daniel - Da 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
exp. All Biblical authority was far away from Daniel. He is just a teenager who has been captured by a foreign king. Nobody but Daniel and God knew what Daniel was doing. BUT DANIEL WASN'T SEEKING TO PLEASE ME WITH HIS BODY HE WAS SEEKING TO PLEASE GOD.
app. You won't make an unsupervised decision like that without a purpose in your heart to protect your body and live righteously!
B. Purpose to serve the Lord with your body.
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
exp. How can you live righteously if you have not made a conscious decision that YOU WILL SERVE THE LORD.
ill. Most young people in my youth group either went to serve God full time or went full time into the world. Those who went into God's service purposed to serve the Lord with their body.
app. Have you made that decision that you will SERVE GOD? Have you ever surrendered yourself to God?
C. Purpose to sacrifice your body to the Lord.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
exp. I believe that salvation and surrender are two different things. Just because God has saved you does not mean that He is going to force His desire for your service upon you.
ill. In the Ot, there was a year of jubilee when slaves could go free. But, if that slave loved his master and wanted to remain in his service, he had his ear bored through with an all as a symbol that he had chosed to be in servitude - bond slave.
app. Are you a bond slave to Jesus - he doesn't just want your body - he wants your holy body. "It is your reasonable service" and yet it is your choice!
trans: You should display Christ with a right mind, a right body....
III. You should display Christ with a right heart.
(We should live) ...and godly, (in this present world)
def. godly: piously
app. If you are living godly, then you are pleasing God with how you feel.
note: The heart is where the emotions, affections, attitudes, and motives are found.
(Thinking right and doing right are good - but God does not just want our mind and body - he wants our heart.)
A. Get a clean heart.
ill. Have you ever heard someone say, "They have such a good heart." "He is a kind hearted man." etc. Well that is fine - but you and I have no ability to look on the heart.
1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
exp. Don't say this morning - but I have a good heart. NOT IF JESUS HASN'T CLEANED IT.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 73:1 « A Psalm of Asaph. » Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
app. Would God say this morning, "You have a good heart because I have cleansed your heart?" Get it clean!
B. Get a clean heart, Fill it up with God.
Joshua 22:5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
1 Samuel 12:20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
1 Samuel 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
question: Is God pleased this morning with half hearted devotion towards Him? Grace is saying, "Give God your whole heart!" "Godly in this present world."
C. Get a clean heart, fill it up with God and Pour it out to others.
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
exp. You can not display Christ to others with a defiled heart. It is impossible!
ill. Do you want a cup of milk from a filthy pitcher? Why? Because you are defiling the milk.
app. Stop defiling Christ. You can't share Christ with an impure heart? It must be clean. It must be consecrated. So that it can communicate Christ!
conclusion:
Anne Sullivan got through to Helen and it changed Helen's life and set her free!
Grace is teaching this morning, are you listening?
Grace is teaching....that in this present world.....
1) You must display Christ through a right mind. (Soberly)
2.) You must display Christ through a right body. (Righteously)
3.) You must display Christ through a right heart. (Godly)
If you want to stay in bondage - ignore saving grace, despise it's teaching, fight against it.
But, how much better if you let GRACE SET YOU FREE!
The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
Teaching us that denying
undgodliness
and worldly lust,
We should live
soberly
righteously
and godly
in this present world!
