Sermon Nuggets Mon Oct 24
Verses Titus 2:11-15
Saying Grace
The first may be a memorized prayer, "God is great. God is good. And we thank him for this food."
Then there is a time in most children’s lives when they will look around the table and begin to thank God for the hamburger, the buns, the salt, the pop, the catsup, the potato chips. The prayer ends up being among the longest at the table as all the food is listed. Usually someone tries to coax the youngster by interjecting, "Amen. Say Amen!”
Most families will have funny stories about table grace prayers. One Mother told her small girls to stay their blessings without her. She watched them as they both squeezed their eyes tightly shut over folded hands. As her 4-year-old finished, her 3-year-old sister kept on praying.
Another minute or two passed before she lifted her head, looked at her plate, and in an indignant voice said, “Hey! My peas are still here!”
Another family told of the kids squabbling and fighting, and finally to stop all the spats the Dad said the next words I want to hear are in prayer. Silence loomed. Finally his 10 year old prayed, "Dear Lord, help Mom to pass the salt please."
Some young people may develop a kind of a cynical doubting, "What does it matter if I don't say grace? This is a ritual. Does it really serve a purpose? God knows that I'm grateful,"
In Junior high years often the whole scene of bowing heads and closing eyes and saying religious words suddenly seemed childish and needless, and for the most part embarrassing if there are friends around, especially those who are not churched.
But some realize how good it is to cultivate this healthy habit. ‘Asking the blessing’ is a sweet and much needed refreshing pause during hectic days.
Grace means something more however. It is a great word indicating the goodness of God. At Thanksgiving time we are focused to think of the bounty of food we have in America and then reflect on the needs of the world and those who are dying without food. We see that it is not because of our doing that we live in the land of plenty; it is by God's grace. Then we are not only thankful, we are also desirous to share of our abundance.
Grace is looking at God who is the giver of good things. Are we thankful for what God has provided through farmers, and groceries, through jobs, or food shelf? Do we offer grace for the air we breathe, the houses we live in, the beds we sleep in, the clothes we wear? These are all part of undeserved favor of God
I would like us to think again this week on the greatness of God's grace as reminded in Titus of even greater gifts from God.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Oct 25
Verse Titus 2:11
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
Judi and I received a gift awhile ago from someone that was unexpected and undeserved. We called the person to let her know how grateful we were. Our comments were a mixture of “you shouldn't have”, “we really appreciate it”, “I was far more than we imagined”. To us she was wonderful.
Paul begins to show us the great wonder of God who brought for us the tremendous gift of salvation. We have been looking at the book of Ephesians for our sermon series on Sundays and the key verses include 2:8,9 "It is by grace that you have been saved through faith it is not of yourselves it is a gift of God lest anyone should boast." We have received a tremendous gift that is also undeserved. Salvation includes the greatness of heavens, escape from the judgment of hell. Salvation means something when we understand our freedom from the bondage of sin and of Satan. We have the indwelling Spirit of God within our lives. We are never left alone. We have been made into new creatures bound for glorious things. We are loved by the creator who sought us by his grace. What a wonder of God to graciously give us what we do not deserve.
The phrase "salvation that has appeared to all men," simply means that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and appeared to mankind. Jesus appeared in Bethlehem. He suffered and died at Calvary. Because Jesus arose and ascended and He intercedes on our behalf we can have salvation.
The unmerited favor of God was demonstrated in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ set aside his glory and removed His splendor to take on human form and became for us the sin offering.
He walked among us for 33 years. He humbled himself and became obedient even to go to the cross.
Every news program I watch I am further convinced that this world needs hope like never before. When I perform funeral services I think about what I know of the person’s life an wonder if he/she had that hope of salvation trusting in the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Is your hope in the grace of God that has appeared to all men, and will appear again to bring us to Him?
Grace demonstrates the wonder of God that he would even desire to save us when he doesn't have to. He could have rejected us on the garbage heap of sinful souls, but His abounding love is manifested in our salvation. His gift is awesome when we think that He makes us holy from evil and makes us His showpieces unto righteousness.
When you say “grace” today, thank Him not just for the food you are eating but for saving your soul. If you are not sure, commit your life to Him trusting in the works of Jesus to make you whole and forgiven forever. Receive His free gift!
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Oct 26
Verses- Titus 2:12 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 Savior, Jesus Christ,
Grace is Demonstrated in Sanctification
God’s grace saves us. But then Paul reminds us it is by God grace we are taught to say "No" to meaningless things like ungodliness and to worldliness.
Ungodliness means that we have an attitude of heart and an activity in life-style that clearly demonstrates we are not serious about God. The Greek word used here is the exact opposite from the word godly, or to take God seriously. The problem, God says, with our society and with our lives, is that we do not take Him seriously and we exhibit this in the activities we find so attractive. Do you realize that if it wasn't by the gift of God to us to live in us we would not have the option of saying no to many of our lusts and desires? We find ourselves controlled by thoughts and actions we wish we did not have. We would automatically be drawn by our old sinful nature to live our lives in the flesh and not by the Spirit. We might have religion for God places the need for Himself in our hearts, but it would be without the reality of God living in our lives.
Not only does God's wonderful grace teach us to say no to ungodliness but it also teaches us to say No to worldly passions Worldly passion is tied with this present age and what we call secularism. It has to do with an attitude of the heart, mind and life-style that show we are interested in the now and here than the hereafter. Or to put it another way we are more interested in the materialistic world and the pleasures now than the spiritual world and the pleasures yet to come.
Joni Eareckson Tada wrote an article “This World is not My Home.”
She was wheeling in a mall and felt like stranger. There was a fashion show going on in the center courtyard, she was hit with the thought, "Does anyone else here realize that there is more to life than the new winter designs?"
She was troubled with the impressions and the discussions she overheard that the world that most people are deeply engrossed are with video games, movie complexes, and latest clothing styles She called it conspicuous consumption. It's not that we cannot enjoy these things, it is that meaning of life and the priority we give them does not satisfy the heart. When we are dead and gone none of this means a thing. But people are missing out on the treasures of heaven.
Faith is double sided. It not only verifies heaven as real, giving hard and fast reality to that which we do not yet see, but it also makes us look differently at visible things on earth. Like the hymn writer says, "the things of this earth grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace." Most are more interested in worldly things than Christ. Faith makes invisible things real and visible things unreal, earthly dissatisfaction becomes the road to heavenly satisfaction. One place supplants the other as home. And it hurts that so many lack faith to see it.
Not only does grace of God teach us to say no to meaningless things it teaches us to say yes to spiritually meaningful things. That's why grace then teaches us to live self-controlled, upright godly lives in this present age, It provides for us an awareness that because God has invaded this planet it changes our attitude toward it. We can be self-controlled and not manipulated by the demands of the world. By the indwelling of the Spirit in our lives we can have the power of God within and live upright and godly lives. But when it comes right down to it we are foreigners in a strange land.
Hebrew 11:13-16 says it right "People who say such things show they are looking for a country of their own. They had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. That is the hope.
The glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, we look ahead to his glory and revelation of his second coming. We have been excited about what God has done, we can be excited about what God is going to do. God has promised that there is a great day coming when Jesus will appear again in his glory and redeem us from this world. This appearing is the second coming.
Pastor Dale
Verses- Titus 2:13 while we wait for the blessed hope-- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, 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.
Grace is demonstrated in Good Works
It is grace that centered on the work of Jesus Christ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness. We wonder at the love of God who sought to redeem us, but grace shows us the works of God of how he accomplishes that. Jesus has visibly, spectacularly, miraculously appeared at a precise time and place in history. for the purpose of saving and is even now saving us by training us to renounce godliness and worldly passion and to live sober, upright and godly lives in this world.
Grace always refers to god's loving kindness. What amazes Paul is that God was at work at the beginning of the world. As one views the prophecies of the bible things are not happen chance. We review that wonderful story at Christmas. When we review again the prophetic fulfillments of the cross at Easter we see how these Old Testament stories are more than interesting history lessons of the Jewish people. They become the revelation of almighty God carrying out the plan of our redemption whether we realize it or not. There was no other way for us to be forgiven than to have a righteous one pay for our debt. There is none that is righteous than God. So God came as man to take on Satan in sinlessness, but then die unjustly that unjust people may life. The work of God's grace doesn't stop there with the manifestation of Jesus Christ as our Savior, but as Lord over all.
When God as grace first appears it was to give himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity, when he again appears glorified, it will be to receive us as a purified people of his very own.
A preacher a Oxford once remarked that it is the modern temper to cry in despair, "Look what this world has come to", while the early Christian shouts "Look what has come to the world!" God has revealed his loving purpose to save all men by his work of the coming first and second, the death burial, resurrection, ascension and return.
But we live in this in between stage of the saved, but not yet glorified. We live in this time between redemption of soul to reigning in glory with him, after Satan is completely defeated. Notice the title “great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” is affirming clearly in the Bible the divinity of Jesus as well as his humanity.
Now the work of Jesus is to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. But we can say, “Please Be Patient God isn't Finished with Me Yet.” He died to make us good.
Philip Yancey in CT describe a friend named Larry who had he most colorful background of anyone he knows. He has history of sexual liaisons with people of both genders. A recovering drug addict, he attends a 12 step recovery groups almost daily, has recently celebrated his 10th Anniversary of sobriety and has become a substance abuse counselor.
Along the way Larry became a Christian. He says he was converted by hearing two hymns, "Just as I am" and "Amazing Grace". As he heard the words of those hymns it sunk in for the first time that God really did want him to come just as he was. God's grace was that amazing. In his own way Larry has been trying to follow God ever since. But also in his own way he has not experienced the victorious Christian life. He overeats, chain smokes, and sex continues to be a problem and since he never manages to get up in time for church.
Now the question Larry has is if he is dead to sin how come it has such ongoing victory in his defeated life. How can he act as if he is dead to sin, because essentially he is. In the sanctifying work of God Sin has lost its controlling power over you. In Romans Paul teaches that we are no longer slaves to sin. He is no longer our master. There is a way out from defeat. We have changed masters.
The question of the legalist is ‘how far can I go so as to be righteous and more righteous?’ The question of a love relationship is
‘how can I please the one I love?’. Would a groom on his wedding night say to his bride, Honey, now that we're married I want to work out a few details, "How far can I go with other women? Can I kiss them? Sleep with them, I know a few affairs might hurt you, but just think of all your opportunity you have to forgive me. That will really show what a great woman you are." It is obviously he does not understand the first thing about love.
Similarly if we approach God with a ‘What can I get away with?’ It proves we do not grasp God’s grace gift.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Oct 28
Verses Titus 2:15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
Grace is demonstrated in God's Word
This entire gospel is the Word of God that is to be taught. The fact that we can have this Word spread is by God's grace and our commitment and obedience to his call. The fact that we have the Scriptures is by God's grace; the fact we have churches that teach the word of God is by God's grace. The fact that your parents, or SS teachers, or tv or radio preachers, or tract writers were used of the Holy Spirit is to your praise to God of His grace who saw to it that not only are we presented with the good news the gospel, but we can grow in our wisdom and understanding and put godly things to practice in our lives by His power.
The purpose of the Word of God is to shape us into a thing of beauty. This is to be taught, to be passed on in our homes and in our churches until Jesus comes again. It is to train, to instruct and to educate people not in intellectual understand but in the practical sense to be godly to be hopeful in the world that is to come.
Paul tells Titus to communicate what has been taught this far as authoritatively from God. That include the need for older men to be worthy of respect, the older women to be models and trainers for younger women, who need not neglect the place God has given them in the home and the awareness of young men to be faithful in love and in self control. Those who are slaves are to be a witness of their new found faith by their life and an example in all things that the word of God would be attractive to those who watch.
Paul gives Titus three verbs, teach, encourage and rebuke in authority. He can do that only if what he is teaching and encouraging and rebuking is in line with the authoritative word of God.
It is the Word of God that will not return void. Jean Giono tells the story of Elzeard Bouffier, a shepherd he met in 1913 in the French Alps. At that time because of careless deforestation, the mountains around Provence, France, were barren. Former villages were deserted because their springs and brooks had run dry. the wind blew furiously, without foliage and made that mountainside almost inhabitable.
While mountain climbing, Giono came to a shepherd's hut where he was invited to spend the night. After dinner Giono watched the shepherd meticulously sort through a pile of acorns, discarding those that were cracked, or undersized. When the shepherd had counted out 100 acorns, he stopped for the night and went to bed.
He learned that the 55 years old shepherd had been planting tree on the wild hillside for over three years. He had planted 100,000 trees, 20,000 of which had sprouted. Of those, he expected half to be eaten by rodents or die due to the elements, and other half to live.
After WW I Giono returned to the mountainside and discovered incredible rehabilitation; there was a veritable forest, accompanied by a chain of reaction in nature. Water flowed in the once empty brooks. The ecology sheltered the trees now abounded to healthy Willows, bushes, meadow gardens and flowers.
Giono returned again after WW II 20 miles from the lines, the shepherd had continued his work, ignoring the war just as he had before. The reformation of the land continued. Whole regions glowed with health and prosperity. Giono writes, "On the site of the ruins I had seen in 1913 now stand neat farms.The old streams, fed by the rains and snows that the forest conserve, are flowing again. Little by little, the villages have been rebuilt. People from the plains, were land is costly have settled, bringing youth, and adventure."
The planting of the Word of God in barren land and in barren people are like the parable of the sower and the seed.
"Titus, continue to teach." Continue to plant; continue to sow;
Continue to encourage those who need it by my Word. Continue to rebuke, continue to let the Word of God be what people are fed for in the process it will make a difference in some people’s lives like the barren mountainside the love of Jesus will produce life. It is a marvelous grace of our loving Lord.
When you are doing the work of God people will try to stop you. Discouragement will abound, but don't let people despise you. Keep doing what God's will is by His strength and His power and even if you do not see the fruit, He will produce it in His time.
Pastor Dale
