While You Wait

What motivates you? We're always asking that question. For example I recently watched a film which premise was to ask the question – what motivates an Isle of Man TT riders to put themselves in such danger, to risk everything with the very real possibility of your race ending in death? Or, to stick with bikes, why does a Tour de France rider willingly suffer such physical pain? Why would any one want to do that?

Last week we saw Paul give Titus instructions on how various groups should live. The big idea being that; 'whatever your age or stage, make sure your life's a great advert for the gospel'

You might have left last week with a face not unlike that of a Tour de France rider grimacing as he pushes up the side of a mountain because all of us; older men, younger men, older women, younger women were given in v1-10 of chapter 2 this seemingly impossible commission to live lives that make the Gospel attractive; lives of service rather than glory, of purity and submission.

Perhaps you left saying; 'I wish I lived like that but it seems impossible. How can I, what could give me the will, the ability to consistently live this life which adorns rather than compromises the Gospel? Well this week Paul answers that question by pointing us to Jesus and saying;

Grace and the hope of glory train us to live lives which adorn the Gospel

In our passage tonight v11-15 Paul talks about two appearings; the appearing of Christ two thousand years ago and his coming appearance when he returns in glory. He urges Titus to point people to those two appearings arguing that they will teach us to live lives which make adorn the Gospel. So those two appearings will form our two points:

1. Jesus has appeared in grace (v11, 12)

2. Jesus will appear in glory (v13,14)

If you're not there already please turn to p845, Titus 2.11.

1. Jesus has appeared in grace (v11, 12)

Read with me v11 and 12:

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

Paul says that the number one reason why we can live lives which make the Gospel attractive, the type of life he's just been describing in v1-10 is because Jesus has already come in grace. It is this grace which; teaches us to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- controlled, upright and godly lives.

How does this happen? How does looking back at Jesus first appearing; coming to earth two thousand years ago teach us to live holy and attractive lives which make the Gospel attractive as opposed to slandering it? I think there are three ways in which Jesus' first appearing trains us to live differently:

a) Jesus' life is the perfect example

The first chapter of John's Gospel describes Jesus coming 'full of grace and truth'. Jesus is the embodiment of grace and truth, his life is the perfect example of obedience, of holiness, of service and of love. So if we want to see a working example of someone living the type of life Paul has just been urging us to live in the first ten verses of this chapter we need only look at Jesus. If we want to know what it looks like to be temperate, self-controlled or worthy of respect then look at Jesus. Even Jesus' enemies could not find fault with him. If we want to know what true submission, what love really means then we look at the cross, we look at Jesus saying not my will, but your will, choosing to serve us by dying in our place.

b) Jesus' death offers all men salvation

Verse 11 says that Jesus' first appearing is; 'the grace of God that brings salvation'. Jesus in his death achieved salvation for us. The barrier between us and God has been ripped in two. Now, guilty sinners like you and me can come before a holy God. Salvation is available to all men because we don't come to God asking for acceptance based on our performance, our ethnicity or our morality but on the basis of God's grace shown to us in Jesus.

This radically changes the way we look at passages like Titus 2.1-10. These verses are no longer need be a list of requirements, a set of rules which we are trying to follow in a desperate attempt to get God to accept us. God has already accepted us if we trust in Christ.

When we understand this, when we know it deeply, the standards set by Paul; to be temperate, disciplined, priestess-like or subject to our husbands are no longer a weight around our necks. Instead, they become to us a beautiful picture of what a life turned upside down by grace might look like.

c) Jesus' resurrection begins our transformation

Thirdly, Jesus has appeared in grace but we no longer see him visibly, as a man on earth. Why? Because Jesus rose again and no he sits at the right hand of God the Father. How does this help us live holy and attractive lives? Jesus' resurrection is the promise, the deposit set down that guarantees that one day we too will be raised. It's a picture of the new life which we have been given and it's the entry point for the Holy Spirit to come in to each of the hearts of those who follow Jesus and begin to transform them from the inside out. It's the beginning of our transformation into the bride of Christ. Jesus' resurrection says our destiny is to become like Jesus.

Imagine you were one of the lucky ones who were allocated a ticket for the Olympics next year. Not just any tickets but front-row tickets for the men's 100m finals. You can scarcely believe it so you regularly go to the back of the drawer, or the safe and you carefully peel open the envelope so that you can see just one more time those most precious tickets.

That's what it's like looking back at Jesus' coming in grace; it's the precious hope that a life which makes the Gospel attractive is ours to live with God's help. Looking at Jesus' first appearing:

(i)     Shows us perfectly what a life of self-control, of love or service looks like.

(ii)   Assures us that we have been saved, we have been accepted so we can live holy lives out of thankfulness rather                  than guilt.

(iii)  Promises that God by his HS is transforming into his likeness.

All of this together begins to shift our passions, our desires our affection away from ungodliness, away from the passions of this world and on to God. When we remember this Paul says it will changes us. This grace that comes from God bringing salvation to all men moves us because it isn't just some neat theory; it's not Paul's musings on the meaning of life. No, it's the Son of God come down to earth to live the perfect life, to hang on a cross of wood willingly for us, suffering the punishment that we deserved and it's that same Jesus rising from the grave saying come follow me, be my people, enjoy this life that I have won for you.

So we should remember Christ's first appearing. We should read the Gospels often; we should look at the cross and what it has achieved with great joy. So this summer remember that Jesus has come in grace; read of it in God's word, meditate on the cross (eg Cross of Christ), sing about it and encourage one another to live in response to it together here on Sundays and at Summer Series.

2. Jesus will appear in glory (v13, 14)

Paul has pointed us back to Christ's first appearing, to the cross now in v13-15 he points us forward to Christ's second appearing, to his return in glory. That's our second point; 'Jesus will appear in glory'. Read with me v12 and 13:

12 It teaches us to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope— the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,

It's as if Paul is trying to bookend the Christian's life; look back and see the Christ on the cross, look forward and see Christ coming in glory. We're to live lives driven by the grace of the cross which teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions while we wait for his second 'glorious appearing'.

This is the second appearing is very different to the first though; no longer the suffering servant Christ will be fully revealed in glory the risen, victorious king before whom every knee will bow.

But like the first, this second appearing also motivates us to live lives which adorn the Gospel. How? Well look at how Paul connects this second glorious appearing with what Christ has already achieved, read on into v14;

13 … the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

For Paul the first appearing of Jesus in grace and his second, coming appearance in glory are intimately linked. They're two sides of the same coin if you like. What Paul is saying is this is real. Jesus did really come in grace to bring salvation to all me. Jesus really did give himself to us so that we could be redeemed – bought back at a price. He really has entered our hearts by his Spirit and begun to purify us, begun to transform us into a people who are his very own, a people who are internally driven towards holiness, eager to do what is good. This is reality.

So Paul's call on us to live lives which make the Gospel attractive isn't some distant, wishful hope. Nor is it an impossible dream designed to guilt us in to living more moral lives. No Paul says living these lives is our joy while we wait for Jesus to return, to come back for his people and finish the work he has started; purifying for himself a people of his own, who are eager to do what is good. This is God's mission; to purchase a people for his own who will know, love, enjoy and worship him. It's going to happen.

Think back to those Olympic tickets you were hiding at the back of your drawer, after being reassured that they are real and that they are still there, what do you do next? You begin to imagine what it will be like to be there, in the Olympic stadium, billions of people watching and you're just metres away from the action you can almost touch it. And you take practical action; you book the hotel, the train tickets, tell your friends where you are going, charge the video camera.

So look back to the cross be reassured that because Jesus came in grace you can be certain of your salvation and know that you have been accepted by God and that he has now begun work on you –transforming you into the likeness of Jesus. Then look forward to Christ's return in glory confident that Christ has really redeemed you, rescued you from wickedness and is in the process of purifying you to be part of a people he has won for himself. Savour these things Paul says to Titus, don't give up teaching them but v15;

15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

This is the basis for Christian living Paul says to Titus teach these things again and again don't give up as many have done on insisting that Christ really did live, die and rise again and that he is really going to return, to finish the work that he has started and take us home. Take practical actions based on this hope; fight sin, train yourself to live disciplined, self-controlled lives that make the Gospel attractive – it is possible and it will be worth it.

Some applications for us:

a) Make sure you are hearing these things

Jesus has come in grace. He really died and he really rose again which means that salvation is available to all men, freely. But he is also really coming back to judge the earth, saving those who are eagerly waiting for him. For those who do not know him, that will be a fearful day –each of us needs to reckon with that for ourselves. What will you say to King Jesus when he returns in his glory?

b) Make sure you are hearing these things taught

Titus is a short book written to a man overseeing several church plants, the Apostle Paul insists that these things be taught. That means that they are incredibly important.

So make sure that the books and blogs that you read teach clearly about these things and if in the future you to move to another church where these things are not taught; where Jesus' coming in grace to save us by his death on the cross and his return in glory are not mentioned often, not sang about, not gloried in – then get out and go somewhere where Jesus is being preached.

c) Make sure you are dwelling on these things

Be like the person dreaming of going to the Olympic finals, dwell on these things. Look back with joyful excitement not to tickets which get you into one day of sporting grandeur but to the cross which grants you life forever with your Saviour. Dream of, hope in the day which is certainly coming when Christ will return in his glory to finish the work of re-making us in his image, of purifying us a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good and build your life around this.

What motivates us to live lives that adorn the Gospel? Jesus' past coming in grace turns our lives upside down and his coming return in glory gives us real and certain hope that;

…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Let's pray.

Jesus we thank you that this is real. Thank you that you came in grace to make salvation possible for all men. Thank you that you are coming back to finish the work you have started, to make us like you, holy and pure able to give you the glory which you are due. Jesus please use these truths to change us to teach us to say no to ungodliness and yes to lives which draw others to Jesus.