Simple, straightforward here at the end, in the conclusion of Paul's letter here to Titus and to the churches on Crete.
And I want to tell you that I have grown to really enjoy reading through these concluding remarks in some of these New Testament letters.
I actually find them to be quite helpful.
If you're like me and you enjoy after watching a movie or a documentary or something like that,
or if you're a sports fan, perhaps you like watching the behind-the-scenes features that come up different times on movies or events and things like that.
You kind of get to peer behind what they want you to see to see the reality of what is true behind the scenes.
I enjoy things like that.
And these conclusions in these letters help us to do that somewhat.
The body of each letter, including Titus, is really packed with theological significance and with practical instruction.
But it's often in the closing comments of an epistle that when the author is particularly concerned with personal notes and travel arrangements and things like that,
giving names of people that are around him,
it's in those moments that we really begin to glean from the example of these faithful Christians.
We can really be edified if we were to just slow down at this point in these letters to consider who these people are and what they were doing,
and we can actually experience a great amount of encouragement there.
There's a sense in which these letters allow us, these portions of the letters allow us to kind of peer behind the instruction.
It's almost as if you go to a Bible conference with your favorite preachers.
Perhaps you sit in the audience and you hear all of the preaching and the instruction that comes through,
and then perhaps you have a backstage pass to where after hearing the instruction of these men,
you step behind the scenes and you get to witness their interaction with the other people on their team or with other Christians in their way.
And you begin to see the true nature of their passion.
Is there a reality in their character and of their personality to what they have just demonstrated or displayed on the platform or as they have preached?
It would be an interesting thing to see.
And as we come to these letters, that's what we begin to see.
And that is such the case here at the end of Titus.
With the exception of verse 14, there's no direct instruction to the church here.
These are just personal notes.
And for the most part, what we learn from these verses comes through observing the example of the people that are involved.
Their gospel conviction, their love for Christ, their passion for serving the church are all revealed in how they live their lives.
And that's what we actually find coming to the surface here.
How they actually live their lives, at least in just a small taste of it.
Which should prompt us to a particular kind of self-evaluation.
We might ask ourselves, does the way that I live my life generally communicate love for Christ?
That is grounded in the transforming work of the gospel of grace.
That's what we find to be true of these men.
That's what we find to be true of their testimony.
We might ask a question like this, to whom or to what am I most devoted?
Because when we come to this text and we ask that same question of these men,
of Artemis and Tychicus and Titus and Zenos and Apollos and Paul,
and we could go on and on through Paul's various lists,
and we were to ask that question, to whom or to what are these men devoted,
as far as we can tell in the scriptures where they're mentioned.
And we would have no other conclusion than to say they are wholly devoted to God and his work,
to the lordship of Christ, to the spread of the gospel.
And then we ask ourselves the same question.
If we were to be included in a letter that someone was writing,
what would be made clear about the way that we live,
that shows to whom or to what it is that we are most devoted?
Would it actually indicate to people clearly that the thing we're devoted most to is the glory of God,
to the work of the gospel, to the lordship of Christ?
Were there other things that seem to distract us along the way?
Through our observation of this particular text,
I think we can discover at least three distinct ways that these men were devoted to God.
And all of them, as we get to the very last phrase, are ultimately rooted in the gospel of grace.
So let me give you the three devotions that they have.
Number one, we see devotion to the work of God.
Devotion to the work of God.
Verse 12,
Now the fact that this is a personal letter from Paul isn't lost on us here, is it?
It's very simple.
He's giving some just administrative notes here, his traveling plans,
some administrative adjustments to the positioning of some of the team members on his ministry team.
And what I love about this is it begins to give us a real sense of the early ministry dynamic of the early church.
And all the moving pieces that were at work here.
All of these moving pieces that are geared toward establishing new churches,
in taking the gospel of grace to places where it has not yet gone.
But then at the same time, endeavoring to strengthen the churches that have been established.
And what a monumental task this is.
Here is Paul particularly.
The other apostles would have certainly been involved with this as well.
But here we see Paul in particular with such a vast concern for the work of God
that he's got this team of men and he's sending some of them to Egypt,
it would appear like in this particular text.
And he's wanting Titus to come back because he needs to send him to Dalmatia,
we would find at the end of 2 Timothy.
And now he's trying to determine, do I send Tychicus or Artemis to Ephesus,
or do I send one of them to Crete, or what do I do?
And we see all these moving pieces, all with one particular goal.
That the work of God would succeed and that it would flourish.
That the gospel would go forth.
And that the churches that have been established wouldn't suffer in the meantime.
That they would continue to grow in grace.
Reveals an incredible commitment to gospel ministry.
That's really what we see here.
An incredible commitment to gospel ministry.
It's almost like a strategic plan for war.
As Paul no doubt alluded to in a few different occasions,
that this life is very much like a war.
It's like a spiritual war.
We are good soldiers, he tells Timothy,
that are fighting for the cause of Christ.
And here he is as a general and an apostle.
And he is putting the plan together.
And he's sending the people in the grace of God.
Paul, we find, will soon send either Artemis or Tychicus to take Titus' place.
And then Titus was to make it a priority to rendezvous with Paul in Nicopolis.
Now, if we look at some of the other letters,
if you care about this kind of side information,
as we look at the other letters,
we find that it would have been ultimately Artemis that goes to Crete,
because Tychicus ends up in Ephesus to take Timothy's place.
Once Titus ends up in Nicopolis to meet up with Paul,
Paul sends him on to Dalmatia,
where we find at the end of 2 Timothy as well.
So you can kind of see the picture of it there and how they're all moving around.
Now, here's something I want you to know.
Note, though Titus had a very specific task in Crete,
he was never meant to stay there indefinitely.
That was never the point.
Nor was he ever instructed by Paul
to see that his specific task was brought to completion
before relinquishing his responsibility to someone else,
perhaps Artemis at this case.
Do you see that unfolding here?
He's never meant to be there permanently.
He was on a temporary assignment with a specific task,
but he is not instructed in this letter at any point
to bring the task to completion
before relinquishing his responsibility to someone else,
which tells us a couple of things.
Number one, it tells us that this letter indeed was not meant,
though it was personal,
it was not meant to be a private letter.
The instructions here were not only for Titus.
The instructions here were for the church
and all of the structures that Paul's talking about,
all the theology here,
all of the practical things.
It's not just for Titus to kind of store away in his own mind.
This was meant for the church to continue on in
whether Titus was there or not.
That's important for us to understand.
The next thing that I think is so significant for us to observe here
is to see that these men were devoted to the work of the ministry,
not their particular role in it at any given moment.
Do you understand what I mean?
Clearly, what they're concerned about is the overall work of God,
no matter what that meant for them,
in whatever way that meant for them to be best used
or in whatever place it meant for them to be most useful to the Lord.
What they cared about is the big picture.
What they cared about was the work of the ministry,
not their particular role that they had become,
perhaps fascinated with or territorial over.
Their flexibility, it shows that their concern
was not to build their own kingdom.
It wasn't to gain their own following.
They were building the kingdom of God
as God gave them grace to do so.
And this is an attitude that is absolutely necessary
for each of us to possess.
The fact is that the work of the ministry,
gospel ministry and the work of the church
is never truly brought to completion
until the Lord Jesus returns.
This task that Titus has been given
is not one that ever ends.
The task that we have been given
is not one that ever ends.
And the ministry that's outlined here
would continue long after Titus was dead and gone.
And it will continue for Lakeside Bible Church
long after Jared is dead and gone.
And long after you are dead and gone.
And Lord willing, the Lord raises up other people,
perhaps even our children,
to take the same task that's outlined for us
in the scriptures
and to move forward out of a concern for God's work.
What a mess these churches would have been in
had Titus decided that he was indispensable to them.
Had he refused to step aside
and make way for Artemis or Tychicus
to come in and to carry on the work there.
Whenever our devotion is to the work itself,
we will happily and humbly serve
in whatever way is most useful
to the work of the church.
Do you see that?
Now I know this room well enough to know
that you've been around churches a long time.
And you know what it's like
to be involved with people
who will not serve the Lord
unless they do it on their terms
and they do it in their way.
They're not concerned about the work of the church
so much as they're concerned
about what they want to do
and how they want to be involved
and all the things that are most concerning to them.
And we find a wonderful example
just in the fact of how flexible
these men were in moving around
and doing the things that were best
for them to do at any given moment.
Something that we should all
take into account of our own lives.
That's not to deny gifting
or that there are particular ways
that the Lord uses us best in the church.
Of course, we need to understand that.
But the attitude here is of humble, happy service
no matter what that means.
Which brings us to the point of usefulness.
What does it actually mean to be useful?
Who is actually useful
and suited for the work of God?
Because when we come to this text,
we find that clearly all of these men
had committed their entire lives vocationally
to gospel ministry.
They had perhaps given up their own work or jobs.
We would imagine that they are probably
single men at this point
that were foregoing the blessings of marriage
and of a family in order to dedicate their lives
solely and entirely to the work of God.
We find that.
We don't find that very often these days.
But we do find that to be true
in the New Testament on a number of occasions.
But does that mean that this kind of devotion
that we find as an example here
is only applicable to people like that?
Like to the people that just decide,
you know what?
I want to give my whole life to vocational ministry
even if it means that I'm not ever going to be married
or anything like that.
I'm just going to go to the mission field
or I'm going to do the thing
or I'm going to give up all the other things
that I care about in order to do this.
Does that mean that this particular type of example
is only applicable to those types of people?
And we would have to say, of course not.
God may or he may not call you
into some kind of vocational ministry
or as a missionary to serve around the world
or as a church planter to go to another part
of even the United States.
But devotion to what he is doing in
and through the church
belongs to every person who is part of his church.
Do you see that?
The example here is not about being Titus
and traveling the globe
to have a specific type of ministry
to specific types of churches.
The goal in the example here
is just to be devoted to the work
in whatever way that means for you
where God has put you
and where he has placed you in your life.
Neither is it true that usefulness
is based on a particular set of skills
or personality.
And we find that because there's at least
half of the men mentioned here
that we don't know anything about.
Two of them we know well.
We know Apollos well.
We know he was a skilled speaker.
We know that he needed to be trained
by Aquila and Priscilla
to understand the gospel better.
But we also know that there was a faction
of people in Corinth
that wanted to follow him
instead of following Paul.
So that clearly he was a gifted speaker
and he had a personality
that was attractive to certain people.
We know that.
We can find Tychicus in a number of places
in the New Testament
always serving faithfully alongside the Apostle Paul.
Artemis and Zenos we know nothing about.
We have no clue who they are.
And I think if not for anything else
it's just a hint of the fact
that you don't have to be somebody
to do something and to be useful to the work.
You just have to care about it.
If you love the Lord
and you desire to serve him
he will use you.
Therefore be devoted to his work.
Give yourself to it.
Give yourself to the work
of the ministry as these men did.
Well then we have to ask
what does it actually look like
to be devoted to God's work?
We see that that was the devotion here.
We see what they were willing to do.
Their care and their concern
for the work even over themselves.
We find that okay
maybe we can glean from this
that I don't have to be
anybody particularly special
to be useful
but how can I actually be useful?
In a practical sense.
And we get a little glimpse of it here
in verse 13.
Look at it with me again.
He tells Titus specifically
do your best to speed Zenos the lawyer
and Apollos on their way.
See that they lack nothing.
Zenos and Apollos probably
were the carriers of this letter.
If we trust church tradition
and ancient church tradition
Apollos ended up in Egypt
and spent quite a bit of time
ministering there.
Perhaps that's his assignment here.
That Apollos and Zenos are on their way
and they're stopping on behalf of Paul
in Crete
in order to deliver this correspondence
to Titus
so that he knows what to do
and so the ministry is flourishing.
They didn't have text messaging
and emails then.
They had to hand carry letters
at that particular point.
And so they stop in in Crete
before they head on
to their other place
and then Titus is given
this instruction.
Do your best here.
It translates the word
for diligence
meaning that Titus
was to diligently
speed the men along
on their journey.
And how was he to do that?
By seeing to it
that they had everything
that they needed.
by making sure
that they were refreshed
in the Lord.
To make sure
they had a place to stay.
That they had some meals
for a few days
to strengthen them.
That all of their resources
were replenished
to get them the rest of the way
to help them.
Titus' job here
was to coordinate the efforts
to meet these basic needs.
An early example
of what it means
to love and serve missionaries.
This is as clear
as I think it gets
in the New Testament for us.
There's such a wonderful
picture of it
as we see
and some of us
have had these conversations
before.
It's always kind of heartbreaking
when you find missionaries
who come
and they load up
the station wagon
so to speak
and they gotta travel
the globe
for three or four years
just to try to get
to where they're going.
And I think part
of the problem with that
is that we don't necessarily
have the mindset
that Paul is trying
to pass on to Titus here
where he says
when they come
refresh them
make sure they have
everything
diligently
do what you can
intentionally
go after coordinating
all the efforts
that you can
to actually help
these men
get where God
is sending them
for the good of the gospel.
They're devoted
to the work
you're devoted
to the work
let's work together
to get them there
and to get the gospel
where the gospel
needs to go.
What a wonderful picture
that is here.
Maybe
it's God's desire
just for you
to be a coordinator
a facilitator
of these types
of things
just meeting
the basic needs
of others
for the good
of the ministry.
Our devotion
to the work
of God
is directly
linked
to our diligence
in assisting
whatever work
is being done.
That's really
the point.
Just be diligent
to see what's happening
and get involved.
Get involved.
It's opening
your home
and hospitality
so that others
can grow
in the Lord
and in fellowship.
You may not be
a teacher
but you can offer
your home
to gather people
around so that
someone else
can do the teaching
work
and the discipling
work.
Devotion
is regularly
giving
so that ministry
can flourish
not only in our church
but in ministries
around the world.
Devotion
is volunteering
to help
with a fellowship
or an outreach event
or a Sunday
ministry opportunity.
Devotion
to the work
of God
is caring
enough
about the ministry
of the gospel
to actively
look for ways
to engage
with it.
And that's
the point
that I want
to get across
to you
as we apply
this to our
own church
and to our
own lives.
Do you have
a concern
for the work?
It's to have
what God
is doing
in the world
and around
the world
at the forefront
of your mind
and desiring
to be a part
of that work
in whatever way
God has made
available to you
to be a part
of it.
Do you care
about the work?
Like the big
picture work?
Like just the fact
that God
has us here
for the purpose
of his own glory
and for the
expansion
of his kingdom
and for the
sharing of his gospel.
Do you ever
think about that?
Is it ever
at the forefront
of your mind?
When you sit
down and you
make your budget
every month
and you begin
to think about
what we're going
to give
or what can
we give?
Is there ever
a thought that
begins with
there is this
dynamic of
God's work
and we need
to be committed
to that?
That's our
devotion.
We need to be
committed to that.
Or is it an
afterthought
that you get to
if you can?
What about
when it comes
time to actually
help someone
or be beneficial
in some way
to a program
or to a ministry?
Is it that
we're going
to devote
ourselves
to this thing
because we're
Christians
and that's
what we care
to do?
We care about
the work.
Or is it
if I can get
to it
I'll get
to it
and that
will be
great
and if I
can't
no big
deal.
This is
an attitude
shift here.
Don't lose
sight of the
purpose
for your
salvation.
Don't lose
sight of the
purpose
for why God
has planted
you in the
place that
he's planted
you.
For why God
has planted
this church
in the place
that he has
planted it.
For why God
has given us
whatever resources
he's given us
and he's given
us the people
that he's given
us.
To be devoted
to the work.
We find that
clearly here.
They're devoted
to the work.
Secondly,
they're devoted
to the glory
of God.
They're devoted
to the glory
of God.
Verse 14.
Let our people
learn to devote
themselves to
good works
so as to
help cases
of urgent need
and not be
unfruitful.
people.
Now this
verse contains
the most
explicit
instruction
that we
find in
this final
passage and
it's right
in line
with what
Paul has
been emphasizing
over and
over again
in this
letter.
Namely,
that Christians
are to manifest
their faith
in visible and
practical ways.
I can't remember
exactly how we
worded the theme
at the very
beginning.
You can go back
and listen to
those if you
care to know
it specifically.
But generally
it is this,
that our faith
moves our
behavior and
it produces
certain conduct
and a huge
part of that
conduct is this
dynamic of
good works.
That Paul is
concerned that
Christians,
Jesus is
concerned that
Christians manifest
their faith in
visible ways.
Our character
is to reflect
godliness and
we are to
intentionally
concern ourselves
with doing
good for
others.
Over and over
this is mentioned
in the letter.
But we have to
ask ourselves,
what is the
ultimate goal
of these good
works?
Why are we
doing them?
Are they an
end in
themselves or
are they a
means to a
greater end?
And the answer
is undoubtedly
the latter.
They are a
means to a
greater end.
The purpose
of our
godliness and
good works
God's
is the
glory of
God.
It's the
glory of
God.
It is to
make him
and his
gospel known
in the
world.
This is what
we talked
about briefly
in our
member meeting
last Sunday
night.
Remember we
looked at
Adam in
creation.
God puts
Adam and
he makes
Adam in
his own
image in
order that
Adam would
be God's
representative
on earth.
And that
image is
marred because
of sin but
God doesn't
do away with
the human
race altogether.
What do we
find him doing
next?
He chooses
Abraham and
then he builds
up a people,
a nation in
the seat of
Abraham and
he calls them
and delivers
them out of
bondage in
Egypt.
Why?
So that he
might have
his glory made
known on
earth through
the people of
Israel.
And then what
do we see him
doing in the
New Testament?
Same thing.
Ekklesia,
church,
called out
ones.
He calls them
out from the
world in
order that he
may be known
in and to
the world.
That's the
purpose of the
church.
That's the
purpose of why
God has saved
us and why
he has put us
here.
It is for his
glory, that is
to make him
known.
And Paul tells
us clearly in
this letter,
part of how we
glorify God and
make him known
is through our
godly character
and our efforts
in goodness
at good works.
according to
chapter 2,
this is the
visible effect
of the gospel.
Just look at
chapter 2 and
verse 14 again.
Jesus gave
himself for us
to redeem us
from all
lawlessness,
to purify for
himself a
people for
his own
possession,
called out
ones we
belong to
him.
Why?
That we
might be
zealous
for good
works.
That's the
purpose.
Are you
fulfilling?
fulfilling your
purpose.
Last Sunday
night we
looked at
1 Peter
chapter 2.
You are a
chosen people,
a chosen race,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people for
God's own
possession.
Why?
That you
may proclaim
the excellencies
of him who
called you out
of darkness
into his
marvelous light.
What does that
mean?
It means to
glorify him,
to make him
known,
to be his
representatives
on earth.
And the
point of this
verse is
abundantly clear
when you
begin to
break it
down into
parts.
That we
glorify God
ultimately
through our
works,
our goodness,
our righteousness.
Let me break
it down just
in three quick
things for you
not to get
too nerdy
about it,
but I think
it may be
helpful.
There is an
action that
is followed
by a manner
in which
that action
is to be
carried out,
and then
there is a
purpose statement
for the
action.
So for those
of you that
have heard me
talk about
arcing,
some of us
were talking
about it
this morning,
if you want
to go home
and you want
to arc
this text,
those are
your three
propositions.
There is
an action,
there is
a manner,
and then
there is
a purpose,
an action,
and a purpose
here.
The action
is that we
are to devote
ourselves to
good works.
Look at it
in the verse,
verse 14.
Let our
people learn
to devote
themselves to
good works.
It's very clear,
isn't it?
That's the action
that we are to
take.
We are to
learn.
That means
we are to
grow by
doing these
things.
There is an
action.
Learn to
devote ourselves
to good works.
The manner
in which we
are to carry
out that
action is
in the next
phrase,
by helping
cases of
urgent need.
So pause
a specific
vision here
for this,
that we do
these good
works by
helping cases
of urgent
need.
And then the
third statement
is the
purpose
statement.
So that
we would
not be
unfruitful.
So that
we might
be fruitful,
not useless
in making
God known,
but useful.
In other
words,
the path
to glorifying
God in
this verse
is to
intentionally
concern
yourself
with the
good of
others.
The path
to making
God known
in your
life is to
intentionally
devote
yourself
to meeting
people's
needs.
And Titus
was to be
the example
here.
What he
was going
to do
in coordinating
these efforts
for Zenos
and Apollos
was to be
an example
to the
people.
That as
they watched
him,
who was
already there
temporarily,
who was
already there
having to
mooch off
of others,
so to speak,
right?
He's not
meant to be
there.
That means
he's having
to be there
at the benefit
of someone
else's
hospitality.
And yet,
despite that,
he still
is the one
who is
responsible
for coordinating
all the
things so
that Zenos
and Apollos
can get
on on
their way
and can
be fruitful
in their
work as
well.
And that
was to
be an
example
to the
people.
So that
as they
looked at
Titus,
they would
see,
no matter
what's
going on
in my
life,
no matter
what,
I need
to be
looking for
intentional
ways that I
can meet
the needs
of other
people,
because it
is by
meeting the
needs of
other
people,
that I
make God
known to
them,
because that's
what God
does.
He is a
good God,
and he's a
loving God,
and he's a
gracious God,
and he gives,
and there is
perhaps no
greater way
that we
display the
character of
God in our
lives than
when we take
on this
perspective of
his goodness
and of his
graciousness to
others.
We glorify him
in this.
We make him
known in this.
The lookout
for number
one mentality
of our
world,
sadly,
has invaded
the church
in many
cases,
and it
does seem
that fewer
and fewer
people are
concerned for
this kind
of good
work.
The problem
is we're so
often more
concerned with
meeting our
own needs
than we are
at helping
someone else,
and perhaps
the problem
is that we've
lost sight of
Christ's purpose
in redemption.
That is to
make us a
people who
are zealous
for good
works.
We're
zealous about
a lot of
things,
there's no
doubt about
it.
I'm not
always sure
that fruitfulness
in meeting
needs is one
of them,
but if we
devote ourselves
to the glory
of God,
making him
known in the
world,
works of
mercy will
be the
inevitable
result.
it must
be,
because this
is the
work that
God does
in us,
and when
we concern
ourselves to
this end,
this is what
would happen.
And so we
ask ourselves,
first, are we
devoted to the
work in a
general sense,
in a big
sense, are we
looking for
ways to
concern
ourselves with
gospel ministry?
And then
more specifically,
are we actually
devoted to
God's glory?
How much do
we think about
making God
known in
our character
and in
our works?
We talk a
lot about it.
We do.
That's good.
But as you
know, talk
is cheap.
Let's prove
it.
Let's do
the works.
Not to gain
something for
ourselves, but
because we've
been given so
much in the
grace of God,
concern ourselves
with his
glory.
Thirdly and
finally, we
see they were
devoted to the
people of God.
They're devoted
to the work of
God, the glory
of God, the
people of God.
It's a simple
observation in
verse 15.
All who are
with me send
greetings to you.
Greet those
who love us in
the faith.
It's simple,
isn't it?
But I don't
want to make
too much of
it, but I
also don't
want to finish
without at
least acknowledging
the fact that
there is a
mutual love that
is regularly
displayed in
these letters.
This is more
than an exchange
of pleasantries.
It's the love
that is rooted
in our common
faith in
Christ.
Throughout the
New Testament,
we repeatedly
see this imagery
that God uses
to speak of the
church as a
people called
by God,
brought together
by God,
adopted into the
family of God.
and it is
from this
salvation that
we share with
one another
that comes a
unique love
and devotion
that transcends
time and it
transcends
culture and it
transcends
personality.
The church
really is a
unique thing,
isn't it?
it's the
spiritual binding
of our hearts
by the work
of God's
spirit that
should produce
in us a
devotion to
one another.
Let me see
that here.
I could go
through many
verses that
command this
kind of love.
I know that
you know them
and I won't
go through
them all now.
But I would
just say that
Christians do
need to have
a peculiar
devotion to
each other.
we display
this in
genuine
friendship,
concern,
care.
We display
this in
encouragement,
looking for
people to
build up.
We display
this love
in overlooking
faults.
Isn't that
what Peter
said?
Was it
Peter?
That keep
on loving
each other
because love
covers a
multitude of
sins.
Do you know
what he means
by that?
He means
that when we
love people
we have a
tendency to
ignore the
ways that
they sin
against us.
There's a
uniqueness to
this.
That doesn't
come natural
to us,
does it,
Marty?
Marty gets
mad at me
about stuff
all the
time.
But there
is a
uniqueness to
this.
Instead of
nitpicking
everybody and
constantly being
offended,
there is a
dynamic to
love that
is not
offended
constantly at
every little
thing that
people say
and every
little
disagreement
that we
have.
There's a
uniqueness to
this.
It's part of
our devotion
to one
another.
It reveals
itself in
forgiveness when
we do need to
confront those
hurts and
those offenses.
It reveals
itself in
hospitality,
opening our
homes.
It reveals
itself in
assistance,
in taking
resources that
God has blessed
us with in
order to be a
blessing to
someone else.
And underlying
it is the
realization that
we belong to
one another
because we
belong to
God.
That's the
point.
we belong
to one
another because
we belong
to God.
By God's
grace we
have one
another.
And we
need to do
everything we
can to show
the same
kind of
devotion that
was modeled
and commanded
by the
Lord Jesus.
Let's conclude
with the last
phrase in
verse 15.
Paul finishes
the same way
that he began
with grace.
grace be with
you all.
Grace be with
you all.
Now if you
were to go
through and
you cared to
do this,
not that any
of you would,
but if you
cared to do
this and you
wanted to just
examine all of
Paul's benedictions
in his letters,
you'll find that he
always speaks of
grace and that in
Greek, if you care
to know this,
the grace is
always
articular,
meaning that
though in Greek
there's not a
definite article,
in English it
would make most
sense to put a
definite article
with it.
So we wouldn't
just say
necessarily grace
in an abstract
sense be with
you, but we're
saying the grace,
a specific kind
of grace be with
you.
And most often
in Paul's
benedictions he
attaches a second
phrase to it,
the grace of
our Lord Jesus
be with you all.
It's typically,
that's the sense
of what he means
here.
And the point
is that what
he's wishing
upon and praying
for, for these
people in Crete
is not grace in
an abstract sense,
but he's
specifically
referring to
the grace of
God that is
revealed in the
person and work
of Jesus Christ,
which he's
covered so many
times in this
letter.
What does he
mean by grace
be with you?
He means grace
be with you.
I hope that
God's grace will
be so real to
you that you'll
become a believer,
that you will
turn from your
sin and you'll
follow after
Christ, and
that in following
after Christ you
will experience the
not only
regenerative but
the renewing
effect of the
Holy Spirit that
transforms your
life, that you
will receive the
blessing of God
that comes through
knowing and
following our
Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.
Everything in
this letter,
including its
conclusion, is
rooted in the
gospel of grace.
We are saved by
God's grace in
Christ.
We are transformed
by God's grace.
We are blessed
by God's grace.
We are enabled
to do these works
that we're talking
about in the
grace of God.
We are devoted
by grace.
And the overflow
of this grace of
God in our lives
will produce a
devotion to his
work, a
devotion to his
glory, and a
devotion to his
people.
It will lead us
to gospel fidelity.
it will lead us
to godly behavior.
And it will
cause us to
desire church
structures and
practices that will
support both of
those things.
That's the power of
God's grace.
And that's the
purpose of the
letter to Titus.
NINGNING