MARCH 9, 2008 – “HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE?”
TEXT: TITUS 3:1-8
(Matthew 5:16) “In the
same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds
and praise your Father in heaven.”
I.
LIVE A LIFE THAT
REVEALS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST IN ALL WE SAY AND DO
(Titus 3:1-2) “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be
obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable
and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”
(Galatians 2:20) “I have been crucified with Christ and I no
longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
(C.C. Colton) “Men will wrangle for religion; write for it; fight for it; die for it; anything but live for it.”
(Ephesians 4:1-2) “As a prisoner
for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have
received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another
in love.”
(Titus 3:1) “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient…”
(I Timothy 2:1-2) “I urge, then, first of all, that requests,
prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all
those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness
and holiness.”
(Romans 13:1) “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is
no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist
have been established by God.”
(Matthew 5:16) “In the same way,
let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise
your Father in heaven.”
(I Peter 2:12) “Live such good
lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may
see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
(C.S Lewis) “I am often, I believe, praying for others when I should be
doing things for them. It’s so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and
see him.”
(Matthew 25:35-36) “For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I
was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I
was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
(Matthew 25:40) “The King will
reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
(Titus 3:2) “…to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility
toward all men.”
II. (v.3)
LIVE A LIFE THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM A LIFE WITHOUT CHRIST
(Titus 3:3) “At one time we too were foolish,
disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We
lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”
(II Corinthians 5:17) “Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!”
(II Timothy 3:16) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
(Romans 12:2) “Do not conform any
longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind.”
(Ephesians 4:22-24) “You were
taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which
is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of
your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness.”
(Ephesians 4:31-32) “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger,
brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you.”
(Ephesians 5:8-10) “For you were
once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for
the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and
find out what pleases the Lord.”
III. (vs.4-7) LIVE IN
THE AWARENESS OF GOD’S SAVING GRACE
In the gospel, we discover we are far worse off than we thought, and far more loved than we ever dreamed.”
(Romans 5:8) “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Titus 2:11) “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”
(John 3:16) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(Titus 3:5) “…he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because
of his mercy.”
(II Timothy 1:9) “…who has saved us and called us to a holy
life – not because of anything we have done but because of his
own purpose and grace.”
(D.L. Moody) “Law tells me how crooked I am; grace comes along and straightens me out.”
(Philippians 3:9) “…and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith
in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”
(Muhammad Ali) "One day we're all going to die, and God is going to judge us—[our] good deeds and bad deeds. If the bad outweighs the good, you go to hell. If the good outweighs the bad, you go to heaven."
(Ephesians 2:8-9) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Today’s Christian Women,
Nov.-Dec. 2006) “I was amazed at the simplicity of the gospel message. I cried as I realized I could come to Christ just as I was.
He didn't require perfection. Sitting there talking with Brian's mom, I prayed
to receive Jesus as my Savior. By God's
grace, I am now a woman of faith.”
(Titus 3:7) “…so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs
having the hope of eternal life.”
(Romans 6:4) “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that,
just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too
may live a new life.”
(Ephesians 5:25-27) “Husbands, love
your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make
her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to
present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any
other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
(John 16:8-12) “When
he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness
and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to
righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no
longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands
condemned.”
(Titus 3:6) “…whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”
“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt!
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!”
Julia Johnston
IV. (v.8) LIVE A LIFE DEVOTED TO DOING
WHAT IS GOOD
(Matthew 3:8) “Produce fruit in
keeping with repentance.”
(Ephesians 2:10) “For we are God’s
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.”
(James 2:18) “But someone will say,
‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith
without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
(Titus 2:7a) “In everything set
them an example by doing what is good.”
(Matthew 5:16) “In the same way,
let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise
your Father in heaven.”
(I Peter 2:12) “Live such good
lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may
see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”