Well, for our scripture reading and sermon text, let's now open to the New Testament. Once again, the letter of the Apostle Paul to Titus, Titus chapter 3, verses 1 through 8, Titus chapter 3, verses 1 through 8, which can be found on pages 998 and 999 of the Church Bible. You might say that we're scaling the heights. We're scaling the heights of some Himalayan-like mountains as we make our way through this section of the Epistle. These are mountains of grace. With grace, Again, being understood to put it most simply as unmerited favor. God giving us that which is good, that which is wonderful. God giving us the very opposite of what we deserve. Last Sunday, you may recall, The end of chapter 2 had us considering God's grace, its centrality in the Christian life from beginning to end, with its nature being the producing of a godly people. And it's more grace as we enter chapter 3. In fact, the passage before us contains in verses 4-7 what many believe is the apex of this little letter. And I would agree that it's an even higher mountain peak as Paul writes of God's grace in Jesus Christ in ways that are even more comprehensive and applies it in ways that are even more intense. And yet we're going to do our best to take in the whole passage with Paul's stirring words on divine grace being kept in their original context, which we'll discover is very key if we're to understand and live by such grace in the way Paul intends. So let's hear now the reading of God's most holy word. Again, Titus 3, verses 1-8. Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy and I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. Amen. Brothers and sisters in Christ, you may know the Greek myth of Narcissus. There's more than one version of the story, but basically, Narcissus is a young man who sees his reflection in the water. and is blown away by what a handsome dude that he thinks that he sees. The reflection disappears, but he lingers, staying there, wanting to find it again, wanting to make sure the water in which he has seen this image of himself remains undisturbed. And he won't leave. But, in fact, he ends up dying there. Killed by self-love. That's the moral of the story. Ever since, Narcissus has been the poster boy for the god of self and selfishness, of self-absorption and everything that goes with it. Which brings up a question. narcissists have in common with Shirley MacLaine and you and me? Well, it has been observed by many that we are living in a culture of narcissism. Of course, this is the way the human race has always been since the fall when Adam asserted self in the face and in the place of God. But it is quite pronounced in our generation with Shirley MacLaine, the actress and popular level New Age writer, authoring her book about looking to and turning to self in the late 1980s entitled, interestingly, Going Within. And yet, it's not just the way of broader society, but narcissism is something infecting the church as well, including me and you. The way Paul writes here in Titus 3.1-8, it's as if his goal which ultimately serves God's goal, is a radical reorientation away from self, back to God, and what He wills for us in the Christian life. God, by His grace, attacks. He makes war on our narcissism. Again and again, Paul calls upon Titus, and through him, the church on the island of Crete, to the activity of remembrance. and the heart habits and the mindset that go with it. That's pretty much the idea, even if that's not the precise word he uses. Titus is to remind this congregation of something, according to verse 1. In verse 3, he looks back to the past, to who and what. and his fellow Christians once were, not to mention Paul himself. In verse 4, he begins stirring them up to meditate upon all that God has done to intervene and turn them around. It's all about remembering grace. which is not automatic. We can so easily forget and live in such a way that there is a disconnect between the grace of God and Jesus Christ and how we actually operate. So, Covenant Presbyterian, here's where we're going. That apostolic doctrine, as it centers upon the Gospel, might shape life in a personal, powerful way, we are called to the art of remembering grace. The art of remembering grace. Let me walk us through four ways Paul is asking his original audience, and those like us by extension, to remember grace. First, remember grace as you relate to the outside world. Dear brothers and sisters, this is what Paul is getting at in verses 1 and 2. Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, he writes to Timothy. To be obedient to Titus, rather. To be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Like he does elsewhere, Paul calls upon Christians to submit to divinely ordained authority, in this case to rulers and authorities, referring to civil leaders. This in some ways parallels what he has to say in Romans chapter 13. Submission, you'll recall, is not a denial of the basic equality of human beings, including the ruler and the ones being ruled. It does not require that you never disagree with civil rulers or that you suppress the expression of your disagreement. It does not mean being like a doormat and accepting a government that is abusive or tyrannical. It does not negate that where the civil authorities are demanding disobedience to God, that you must choose God, obeying Him, even if it means disobeying the state. the apostles would have to disobey the powers that be to continue speaking publicly of Christ, as we read, for example, in Acts chapter 5. Otherwise, though, as good citizens, as those belonging to Christ and His Church, we are to abide by the law of the land, being respectful towards are leaders, recognizing that governors are in their position, at the end of the day, by the sovereign appointment of God. And so, the norm is not civil disobedience, but that Christians would live peaceably and quietly, seeking to serve the common good. Christians, whether then or now, are not to be troublemakers. And we certainly are not to be anti-authority, or to act like those who are inherently rebellious towards authority in general. Paul is looking out for all legitimate authority here. After all, if he lets Titus and the Cretan Christians subvert the civil authority, how can he insist on the authority of the Word of God and still be consistent? Furthermore, if he makes allowances for subverting civil authority, how can Paul then turn around and bring his own apostolic authority to bear, or support the ministerial authority of Titus and the true elders? of the congregation there when he commands them to pay no attention to the false teachers and what they say. But Paul's exhortation goes beyond just submission to civil rulers, doesn't it? He calls for obedience and readiness for every good work, and in such a way that obeying God and doing good works in His sight means speaking evil of no one. It means avoiding quarreling, being gentle, and showing perfect courtesy to all people, with all people being about as clear as one can get when it comes to pointing beyond just Christians to everyone. Christians, then and there, and here and now, are to be humble, to love all people, including those whose beliefs and lifestyle are different from ours, and perhaps even antagonistic towards ours. It sounds like a pretty tall order. It's not just the government whose policies I may not at all embrace, but it's non-Christian people in general, the ones I find so abrasive. that I have so much trouble getting along with, whether it's in the neighborhood or in the marketplace. It's those godless unbelievers whose worldview and lifestyle I so look down on. And there it is, the real challenge. which is to be gracious and not look down on others, even if their agenda and way of life and behavior is far beneath any true standard of righteousness. So, what to do? Well, Paul anticipates this difficulty. We just need to keep reading. First, he's saying, remember grace as you relate to the outside world. Second, remember grace as you reflect on your own past. He says, brothers, sisters, in verse 3, that we have to remember where we have come from. Check it out. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others, and hating one another. Paul makes this very personal. He uses the first person plural pronoun, we. This is not just a general statement about Christians and their so-called BC days, before they ever knew Christ. This is not just applicable to Titus and the Christians on Crete. But Paul includes himself. We ourselves were once foolish. In fact, He includes the likes of me and you. We need to read this, reading it rightly, as referring to ourselves. In other words, we are no better. We can't look down on anyone else, because we are no different. We are equalized, leveled by our common sin. Take away the grace of God, and we would be lumped in with everyone else. Foolish, Paul says. Disobedient. Sometimes we still are. And notice how he goes on to describe it. It's not sin merely in terms of thoughts, words and actions, but sin in terms of a Lord and Master, an evil power that had vanquished us. We were, he says, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our time in malice and envy. We needed to be rescued. just like those around us. Our unbelieving counterparts need to be rescued. We've either been rescued and are being rescued, or we haven't been as of yet. And it leaves no room for us as Christians to pat ourselves on the back as if we're somehow superior. Pride and self-righteousness have got to go. We have no business hanging on to or nurturing them if we are Christians. We need to humble ourselves and see fellow sinners as those in need, not as people that are inferior to us. Paul adds that we were once basically antisocial, hated by others and hating one another until divine love broke in. And if it has substantially cured us of our antisocial ways, then it should surface in how we relate to the unbelieving world. We should not approve of idolatry and of whatever immorality is out there that we come across. And yet we need to learn to be loving. and accepting to all, even those headed down such a wayward path, who hardly even know what they're up to. And in part, because of what we once were, and still would be, apart from, outside of Christ. But there's more. First, remember grace as you relate to the outside world. Second, remember grace as you reflect on your past. Third, remember grace as you consider how God has treated you. Brothers and sisters, we come to this mountainous high point of grace in verses 4-7, with the point in context being this. Like I do, you need to treat others graciously, not only because you are no better, but because of how Graciously God has treated you in Christ. It's all one sentence in Greek with a lot compressed into it. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, Paul says, He saved us. not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, who He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." We're only going to be able to hit the high points here. This is, Paul adds at the beginning of verse 8, a trustworthy saying with some believing that Paul is adapting an already existing hymn. The personal emphasis continues as well, whereas Titus 2, verses 11-14 speaks of the grace of God objectively as having appeared. Here in Titus 3, verses 4-7, the first person plural pronouns are all over the place. God is God our Savior, says verse 4. He saved us, says verse 5. The Holy Spirit has been poured out upon us, says verse 6. Justifying grace has come so that we might become heirs, says verse 7. In fact, we are actually really being led to make it as personal as the first person singular. So I ask, can you say it? Not only that God saves sinners, and that He has saved us, but that He has saved me. Can you say that? It needs to become that intensely personal as you yourself trust in Him. It's also very broad in scope, what Paul says here. From salvation in the past tense, he saved us, we read in verse 5, to salvation in the future tense, or at least where it's pointing there, as Paul says in verse 7 that we are made heirs of eternal life. It is strongly Trinitarian, with the Father referred to as God our Savior in verse 5. whose goodness and loving-kindness has appeared, also in verse 5, which can only point to the incarnation of the Son, with Jesus Christ our Savior being mentioned again a little later in verse 6, and with the work of the Holy Spirit in verses 5 and 6 being prominently featured here as well. And then the cause of salvation, the cause of it all, is honed in on. It comes, Paul makes abundantly clear in verse 5, not because of works done by us in righteousness. It stems from the triune God and His character. He is its cause. It's because of His goodness and loving-kindness, as we've already heard, reflecting God's covenant commitment. His goodness seen in His steadfast love that endures forever. It's also, we read in verse 5, according to His mercy. Mercy for those hopelessly, hopelessly miserable. And it's, we read further on in verse 7, by His grace. Grace for the guilty, the undeserving. Paul, you see, is forced to resort to lots of different vocabulary terms to showcase how it all flows from God as a result of something mysterious in his good heart. Something arising from his disposition. When the dust clears, though, it's two things that God graciously does that I believe we need to pay extra special attention to here. Rebirth and justification. First, rebirth. See again verses 5 and 6. God saved us according to his own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. Paul speaks of the Spirit's work in connecting us, uniting us to Christ in a vital way. And in the process, washing us, cleansing us of sin. Also, granting regeneration or new life. And granting renewal, being made new creatures. And it's that word regeneration that I'd like to have us, again, pay a little bit of extra attention to. It could more literally be translated, rebirth. In Greek, it's palangenesis. It's a combination of two words. It's palen, which means again, plus genesis, which as you might guess means beginning, or genesis. The only other time this word is used in the New Testament is by Jesus in His teaching, found in Matthew 19, verse 28, where He teaches about His sitting on the throne as the Son of Man in the New World, with the phrase, New World, translating, palingenesius. What's going on? Well, this word is taken from those Greek philosophers we've been encountering with Paul in Athens, the Stoics, who believe in the world being purged, undergoing cosmic rebirth from time to time, repeatedly. The Christian teaching is that this will only happen once. At the end of time, when Christ returns and completes His new creation, when the Son of Man sits on His throne and unleashes His invincible royal power in all of its fullness, and there will be a great purging. All things will be made new. Every evil will be destroyed. Every tear wiped away. Tolkien has one of his main characters say in the Lord of the Rings, everything sad will become untrue. And yet we find something of this same word and concept here in Titus 3, verse 5. With Paul more or less saying this. When the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ, He unites us to His glorious future. Christ's glorious future with all its beauty and joy. And something of that glorious future makes it into our present, so that we are united to our risen, exalted Lord. So that we experience and know something of that wonder-working power that will transform everything. So that we begin undergoing transformation here and now. Salvation is more so much more, a whole lot more, than getting something like a get-out-of-jail-for-free card. You cannot go backwards if you are united to Christ, but can only go forwards as, among other things, you and I, we are all enabled and empowered to love others with the love of Christ, gracing them with the grace we have been shown. So much for rebirth. How about second, justification. Notice how Paul speaks of it in verse 7, saying that we have been richly given the Holy Spirit poured out upon us, so that being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. He is not saying that we are reborn in order that. we might be justified. He is saying that we are already justified, that this blessing also comes to us as we are united to Christ. New birth and justification come together. And you see, it means that we are united to His past as well as His future. His perfect record of righteousness becomes ours by grace. And it's a good thing. Because even if we were to just fast forward to the cosmic rebirth that will come at the return of Christ, when we will not only know the beginnings of that power of that day in our hearts and lives, but will actually be perfected, guess what? It would all be for nothing if Our own past were not swallowed up by Christ's past. Because sin would still be in our past. On our record. Not atoned for. Not blotted out. Not paid for. A glaring lack of righteousness would be in our past. leaving us unjustified if we are without the righteousness of Christ credited to us. We would not have a title to heavenly glory. But we do, because He has exchanged places with us, trading in His past for ours. As He got our guilty record, that we might receive His pure and spotless record of obedience, of flawless righteousness. And on those grounds, we are justified. And if so, we have been treated so much better than we deserve. And if so, we again must extend that same treatment God has given to us to others, including our unbelieving peers. Maybe the old you and me would just return evil for evil. But the new you and me in Christ, also now justified, we must learn to return evil with good. Because that's what God has done to us. Returning our evil with His good. First, remember grace as you relate to the outside world. Second, remember grace as you reflect on your own past. Third, remember grace as you consider how God has treated you. Fourth, finally, remember grace as you seek what is best for everyone. Brothers and sisters, Paul says in verse 8 that he wants Titus to insist on these things, on all of the above, he says, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. There it is again. This mention of good works. Grace-produced good works. We are not saved by them. Our own good works, that is, but we are saved for and unto them. They're not a prerequisite for salvation, but they are, in a sense, a post-requisite for salvation. Furnishing evidence that we really do know Christ. And yet one striking thing that Paul says here is this, that walking in a manner that pleases God, in which we are careful to devote ourselves to good works, is excellent and profitable for people. Meaning, not just the people we love and serve, including our unbelieving neighbors, but we ourselves. We are made and we have been remade for this, wired for this, such that, though we were once guilty, we are now under grace in Jesus Christ and called to live lives by His Spirit of gratitude, such that this is what will give us the most joy as we seek His glory and pleasure. And so, beloved, we come full circle. We're like Narcissus delivered. As Martin Luther put it, we are created and redeemed to live life outside of ourselves. oriented away from ourselves towards God and neighbor. We walk by faith in Christ. Loving Him. Seeking to please Him. And we walk before our neighbor in love. Serving our neighbor. Busying ourselves in all manner of good works. You see, it's not about us. It never was. Amen. Let's pray. Our Father in Heaven, we give You praise and thanksgiving for Your Word, for the way it sets us free to stop looking at self, teaching us that there is no hope to be found there, no life to be had there. It may hurt to be bent back into shape, but we ask you to keep up this good work you are carrying on to completion in us by your Spirit. That we might fix our eyes on Christ and on all He has done. and on all that you have become for us and given to us and promised us in Him, that enlivened and empowered we might serve our neighbor in humble love as those who are no better, as those who can only point to your grace as the difference maker. Be magnified in and through us, we pray, O God. In Jesus' name, amen.