31st August 2008 AM

HOW TO MEND A RELATIONSHIP THAT HAS GONE WRONG Pastor Alastair Bain

Titus 2:11-14

God’s people problem.

This is one of the key passages about the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. It tells us about what it is he came to do and how he is going to accomplish his mission.

The passage describes the society as Paul found it on Crete in the first century. And it is no different to what we face in the C21 in WA (Titus 1:12)

Four characteristics are mentioned in v 12,14 ungodliness, worldly passions, present age and wickedness. This is how God sees the human condition on one side of a chasm and he wants to bring people across the chasm and restore the relationship with them.

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 word is the exact opposite to godly, used so frequently in the epistles. To take God seriously. The problem with our society, and our lives according to God is that we do not take him seriously and we exhibit this in the activities we find so attractive.

Worldly passions is tied in with the expression, the present age. Secularism. It has to do with an attitude of heart, a mindset and lifestyle that show we are more interested in the age in which we live than in the age to come; more attracted to a life rooted in the material things of this world than in the world to come.

Anchored in the present age. Secularism is a system of social ethics based upon a doctrine that ethical standards and conduct should be determined exclusively with reference to the present life and social well-being, without reference to religion. In other words, what really matters is life now, your investments, your health, your family, your holiday, without any reference to eternity, God.

Antagonistic to God. Secularism is an attitude of the mind that produces an ethic for individuals and society as a whole that carefully rules out God, eternity, absolute standards and has nothing whatsoever to do with Christian ethics. Nothing new under the sun except at different times we have managed to disguise it but these days we don’t bother to do that. A night watching TV confirms that we have become active in our ungodliness, deeply attracted to secularism, anchored in this present age. We are no longer willing to go with God’s principles and do things his way.

We have a problem, and God has a problem. People in rebellion. Our sin separates us from God. This great gulf fixed between God in his holiness and people in their sin. And God wants to bring a people out of this for himself. That is the genius of the church: It is God moving into that situation and bringing out of it people who are going to stand out as clearly different.

The ministry of the church is not just to get people where they are and bring them across the bridge God has built but to keep the people moving so that they get where he wants them to be - God’s very own people. What a responsibility for the church. Because we are so swamped with ungodliness and attitudes which are utterly wicked, rooted in worldly passions in this present age, we don’t even realise just how much our lives are governed by them. That is God’s people problem. What is God going to do about it?

God’s perfect project. He is building a bridge to get them from where they are to where he wants them to be and he does this with two great towers. Golden Gate, San Francisco. The two towers v11, 13 identified by the word appearing. Epiphany. Like sunrise or a sudden appearance. When Caesar would appear. Rally Australia. Sky show.

God has planned two majestic, dramatic appearances and they are the towers of this bridge he is building. The first is an epiphany of grace. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared. God’s unmerited favour which comes from his unsolicited choice. Teenagers saying thankyou for $2 given when little kids.

Wonderful grace that gives what I don’t deserve, gives me what Christ has earned and let’s me go free.

The epiphany of grace, this unmerited favour was seen when Jesus took on human form, laid aside his glory and took on our humanity and dramatically appeared on earth. For 33 yrs he was dramatically present among us, demonstrating God in human form. Then he dramatically and majestically laid down his life. On 3^rd day he rose again, showed himself openly, showed what God was prepared to give us for no reason other than he chose to be gracious to us.

Incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection – the first tower, epiphany of grace

Two epiphanies, 1 historical, 1 eschatological. He has planned another dramatic, majestic appearance (epiphany). One day he will again burst into our world. The second coming. The Bible teaches that just as Jesus once came, he will return in great glory and it will be a great and glorious – and terrible day of the Lord.

Joel 2:31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

Acts 2:19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below. Blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord.

Which is it. Both. The day of the Lord will be the most glorious thing that ever happened. For others it will be the most dreadful thing they could ever imagine. Why? Blessing for some, indescribable judgement for others.

If you have discovered the meaning of grace and the wonder of what God has given you in Christ, then you are making progress across the bridge. In this society characterised by ungodliness and worldly passions, rooted in this present age, spewing out wickedness, you are trusting God for your salvation, trusting God to rescue you from certain death. And you are moving towards the second tower. He is going to come again. Is 45:23

Suspended on these two towers are two cables. v14…gave himself to redeem us…

To purify for himself a people who are his very own. Redemption and Sanctification.

To redeem v14 two important words: He gave himself on behalf of us. He gave himself instead of us. When we talk about the cost of redemption, we are reminded of the cross. The second aspect of redemption comes from the slave markets. Unchained the slave is led off to a new experience.

In this case we are not just released, he wants to purify us and make us his very own, a very special possession. (Ex 19:5)

Explain the difference between justification and sanctification. Being swept off the rocks while fishing, to be rescued by a helicopter when drowning is a picture of justification. Climbing up a cliff and hearing a voice calling, You climb and I’ll pull is a picture of sanctification

1 Cor 6:19 You are not your own you were bought at a price, therefore honour God with your body.

Titus this is what I want you to teach. Tell then about the towers, the appearings

Tell them about the cables, redemption and sanctification.

Back to the slave. The ransom has been paid, now clean him up. The ministry of the church. We don’t have to clean up our act to come to God but once we do come to him we need to be prepared to have him clean us up. Sanctification.

Titus 2:12 The grace of God teaches us to say no.

If grace has brought me out of all that, I can’t go back into all that. Why go back into the isolation of the other side when a new life is beckoning. Saying NO is the beginning of the purification process

We also have to learn to say YES, to living a self-controlled, upright, Godly life.

We have got to say yes to a different attitude towards ourselves, God, other people.

This is the edification process and it is the job of the church to see people enter into it.

Grace edifies. Encourage people to say NO. Rebuke people when they don’t say NO. Do it with authority, the authority of one who is making progress across a strong bridge which is absolutely safe and will take you where you need to be.

Why should we be excited by the prospect of his coming again? Because life is hard now? No, but because we are excited about grace. Excited by what happened when Christ first appeared that we long for his coming and bringing to completion all that he started. And the thing which really excites us is that the last time he came it was a crucifixion, the next time he comes it will be a coronation.

That expectation of a dramatic, glorious appearing will govern the way we behave. And it should generate enthusiasm for living –eager to do what is good.

What is your ambition? What would you really like to be?

I’d like to be good. I’d really like to be good.

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