When we come to the close of the book of Titus tonight, we're going to be looking at Titus chapter three verses eight through 15 Titus chapter three verses eight through 15. So turn with me there. And for the sake of giving context, because I think. Verse 8 specifically borrows a lot from what has happened before. I want us to read the entire chapter, so we'll begin at chapter 3, verse 1, and we'll read through to the end, through to verse 15. Hear now the word of the Lord. Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities. That's the people under Titus' charge. 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 loving kindness 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, but avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful, he is self-condemned. When I send Artemis or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis. For I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Xenus, the lawyer and Apollos on their way. See that they lack nothing and let our people learn to devote themselves to good works so as to help cases of urgent need and not be unfruitful. All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. So far, the reading from God's word, may he add its blessing to our hearts. Well, I think the question that many people try to address in many different ways is what exactly is it that makes the world go around? What what makes the world turn for for some people, of course, it'll be things like money or or power or or fame. Not so for Paul. As he closes the letter to Titus, what he does is he brings us back to the the central aspect of of his message. And so what I want us to do as we close the book of Titus for the time being anyways, is look first and foremost at the at the gospel directive that Paul issues in verses eight through 14. An issue of the centrality of his message comes from that. And then finally, we want to conclude and review based on verse 15. So first, the gospel directive and then the conclusion and review based on verse 15. And so when we come to verse eight, Paul begins with positive instruction. He is speaking of a saying. He's speaking of a saying which is contained in this letter, that the saying is trustworthy, he says. Now, what is this saying? It could be, like we saw in some of the letters of Timothy, where Paul is referring to these things in his books. You remember that whole discussion. I would refer far back to different parts of the book. And so, it's possible that in the book of Titus, Paul is referring to this trustworthy saying. It's all that he has written in this letter. But what I would suggest to us is that it's more likely that he is referring to that which has immediately preceded, beginning in verse 4 through to verse 7. 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. Paul is setting before the Cretan church, through Titus, the central nature of the gospel. It has two parts to it. It has the part of the regeneration, which deals with our salvation, and then it has the part of the renewal, which deals with our sanctification. We are both reborn and we are renewed. We can't have one without the other. If you are reborn, you will be renewed. If you are renewed, you have been reborn. These are two inseparable components of the gospel message for the Apostle Paul. And this is the faithful saying that he is referring back to. He is referring to this central manifestation, this central summary of the gospel message as he has just recorded it for us. And these two elements put together, they lead to good works, Paul says. These are things which are done in faith according to God's command and for His glory. We're not speaking of good works necessarily as things that we might see for social benefit. helping your neighbor, your older neighbor across the street or being faithful in how you train up your children. There can be believers and unbelievers who manifest those things. But when we're speaking of good works, we're speaking specifically of those things which are done by faith in Christ, according to his direction and for his glory. And so that is what Paul is setting before us. If the true gospel is understood, if there is regeneration and renewal, then there will be these true good works biblically defined. And Paul says to Titus that he is to teach these things to the Cretan church. But more so than saying that he ought to just teach them, what does he say in verse 8? A couple of words in. I want you to insist on these things. It is stronger than teaching. Certainly, it involves teaching. But he says to Titus, you must insist On this balance between renewal and regeneration, there is an essential quality to this instruction. It is complete in those two components. And Titus, you are to insist on these things before the Cretan believers. Now, when you insist on these things, it guards you against two things. It guards you against kind of an uneasy believism. You understand what I mean by that? That you can come to God and have muttered a prayer written in a bulletin for you, asking God to forgive you, or perhaps if you're in different denominational settings, you can have walked down the aisle to the front of the church and confessed your sin, and then that's your get-out-of-jail-free card. I've said the prayer. I know that it's right. I've been reborn. This teaching protects against that, because there is regeneration and there is renewal. If you are regenerate, you will be renewed. Now, the other extreme, of course, is that it protects us against empty works, people who work diligently to establish their faithfulness, like the Pharisees did. These works which are empty because they appear to be good, But these works are actually done in service of an idol, they're actually done in service of self, they're done in service of tradition or they're done in service of public pressure, one of those things. But by insisting on regeneration, you understand why you're able. to do these good works, you're you're able to have a balanced understanding, your convictions are weighed in the balance of God's word. And so you see clearly that you cannot have regeneration without renewal and you cannot have renewal without regeneration. And it keeps us balanced, understanding both that we do our works because of God's work in us and that also we do them for his glory. So, but Paul, nevertheless, insists, tells Titus that he has to insist on these things. And then we see something that is emphasized in the last part of Paul's letter. You insist on these things so that the people may be careful to devote themselves to good works, right belief. comes through regeneration. Right practice comes through renewal. Both of them are central as to what Paul is talking about. When you are reborn, you will necessarily also turn to good works. In the language of theology, we talk about justification and adoption and sanctification. Well, those are all part of the order of salvation, as we would call it. And part of being reconciled to God is to be saved. We walk through that process in the sense of our sanctification, but we don't do it apart from understanding our justification. And those two things work together in this letter. If you are reborn, if you are renewed, it will lead to good works. And so what we see here is this emphasis on the action of the person, that the action of the person is very important. Because it points out to us, it's the only indication for us, in a sense, of where this person is at. So, for example, if you look at verse 16 of chapter 1 of Titus, it's speaking of the false teachers. And he says there about them, they profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They make a profession. They say that they are reborn, but their works deny the truth of what they are professing. So that's one way that the works bear testimony to what may be going on in their hearts in chapter two and verse 10. It says something of the opposite when it's speaking to the slaves, how they are to live. And he tells them to live a certain way, showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. The actions, positively and negatively, reflect on the condition of our hearts. Now, this is not something that is new. I'm not introducing a new concept to anybody here, I trust. Martin Luther, the great reformer, had talked about good works as the walking stick of the Christian. It's not that the birth of the Christian, it's the walking stick of the Christian, the good works of the Christian support him. They are a fruit that flows from his life. And the question we have to ask ourselves is, do we agree with that? Do we think that to be true? Do we think good works to be an important fruit that flows from our renewal, that flows from our regeneration? We can ask ourselves if we would rather grope around in the darkness, because what does Paul say? He says that these things are excellent, in verse 8, and that they are profitable to people. Now, we in our sinful condition, we do reject these things from time to time, don't we? But the truth is still there. If we want to live for the glory and honor of God, it is fruitful, certainly because it is an evidence of the Holy Spirit's presence in our life. But it's also fruitful in the immediate. If you do not commit adultery, your marriage will be better. If you do not steal, you will spend less time in prison. These things are true, but they only are true in the sense as they are a small reflection of things that point to the greater reality. If I have no other gods before the Lord, if I worship no idols, If I worship the only true God, then I will be with him into eternity. I will be saved from eternal destruction. We believe what the Bible says, that our good works are excellent and that they are profitable for people, for people right now, but people but also for people into the future. And so when we come to this whole idea of good works, sometimes we can approach the whole idea of needing to serve God and living in obedience to his commandments as something that is a burden. Sometimes we think, well, these these commandments that God has put in place, the way he wants me to live, that's God's idea of taking all the joy out of my life. But Titus says that's not the case. What is the case is that these things are excellent. They are profitable for us as the people of God. So what we have as a positive instruction in verse eight that we have as a negative instruction in verse nine, he tells us what we are to set before the people. But then he also says to Titus, these are the things that you are supposed to avoid. There's a simple two pronged message for Titus, renewal and regeneration. And contrary to these are these other practices that are creeping in in verse nine, foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions. and quarrels about the law, and they are shown to be exactly the opposite of the gospel message. They are shown to be unprofitable and worthless for the people who engage in them. Now, these things are to be avoided, but the exact content of what is to be avoided is not clear in the passage, is it? It doesn't necessarily tell us what the controversies are. It doesn't really tell us what the genealogies are that they're referring to. It's not speaking to us about the the quarrels that they're having about the law. But what we can extrapolate from that is that these are all areas that tended to deal with kind of a Judaistic understanding of how we live according to the law. And what I mean by that is that it could be the rabbinic teachings that comes along with some of the Jewish Christians in the early church, where they were seeking to blend together the free offer of the gospel and put it together with a requirement for works righteousness. Something along the lines that we would see in Galatians chapter one and two, where they're seeking to change the gospel by including a necessity for circumcision. And that the believer needs to be circumcised. And so these New Testament Christians, these early Christians, perhaps are taking time to trace their generation back to the Benjamites or whatever tribe of the Israelites they might be associated with. Or perhaps they're dealing with the minutia of the laws some of the rabbis at that time would be able to be engaged in. And what they in essence do is they lose sight of that which has primary importance in Paul's mind, this whole idea of regeneration and renewal. So, quarrels about the law, these insignificant debates that we make central. It's not unique for the first and second century of the church, is it? It's something that we can do. I mean, we can do it in all sorts of different ways. Take, for example, the Sabbath. On the Sabbath, we can talk about that we are to live a certain way on the Sabbath, and then that quickly can turn into, well, can I go to the park on the Sabbath? Or can I throw a ball on the Sabbath? How far can I throw the ball on the Sabbath? And how many steps can I take? Right. That is what Paul is talking about. He's saying, do not quarrel about the law. Understand it. Ask the right questions when you're approaching the law of God. Brothers and sisters, instead of quarreling about the law, what should be the question that we ask in all of our life? Sabbath or the other nine commandments to how can I enjoy God? and glorify Him in this moment. How do I do that in this moment? Not what can I get away with, but how do I glorify Him? How do I enjoy Him forever? When you come and you understand, I've been reborn. Nothing of myself. When you come and you recognize, I've been renewed. God has given me the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. Does it matter all these small disputes? We're seeking to glorify God. We're seeking to enjoy him forever. And Titus is to insist on this right teaching. And in the final essence, in the final sense of this instruction that Paul gives to Titus as he is insisting on correct teaching, he also leaves a warning behind for those who would seek to distract the church. Paul is not shy about warnings. Read Galatians 2 and how he confronted Peter when Peter needed correction. Peter was in need of correction. And Paul was the one who loved the Lord and loved Peter enough to bring it to him. And he says this here in the letter to Titus as well. He speaks of those who are seeking to tear apart the church by introducing these false doctrines which are leading to division. And sometimes when we think of the whole idea of discipline within the church, we think of it as something of a cruel hearted and an impatient procedure. But here we see that is actually quite different. Paul, when he speaks of the discipline that ought to be brought into the church, he speaks as a man who is patient. He says, warn them once. And then warned them twice after receiving these two warnings, if they are not willing to yield themselves to the correction from God's word, there's only one hope for them, which is to cut them off, that they would return. And so after two warnings, there's excommunication in Paul's. book. So Paul is, in a sense, patient, but he's not necessarily gentle with the ones he considers to be a heretic. He is tenacious. Is he tenacious to bring the man down who's causing division? No, he's tenacious to protect God's church. That's his goal. He is tenacious to to ensure. That the things that he is calling Titus to insist on are not negated by the division in the church. And then so in verses 12 and 13, after he has pointed out the self-condemnation of these people, he gives some directions about travel plans for his companions, indicating that he wants Titus to come to him. And then he returns again to, in essence, where he started. These two pastors, Paul and Titus, back in around 80, 60, they sign off together with the same concern that the church leaders today have. Are my people being fruitful? Fruit for their people, the bearing of fruit. It is of the essence in the Christian faith, is it not? Because the Christian faith is not a philosophy. It's not a group of thoughts and ideas. We don't come together to digest a bunch of terms, a bunch of concepts, see how we can paste them all together in a neat framework so we can have a solid philosophy. That's not what the Christian faith is about. The Christian faith is about regeneration and it is about renewal, the joining together, the transformation by God of a sinner through regeneration to renewal of life, that he or she would bear fruit, that they would be fruitful in their service of God. And then the letter ends in verse 15, that is where we start talking about the conclusion and review that we want to cover. All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. And so Paul ends his letter on an inclusive note, doesn't he? Paul and his companions send their greetings to the brothers and sisters of Crete. You may not even know all of them personally. And it gives a bit of a bigger feel to the letter, doesn't it? It's not just written to Titus. It's not just written to Titus, it's written to a larger audience. Also, when it says grace be with you all, it is a plural you. It is a letter that is addressed certainly to Titus, but to a broader audience also in the church. Paul is speaking of something that is true, not just for Crete, he's speaking of that which is true also for Augusta, Georgia, in 2014. And so the identity of the church is not grounded in time or in geography, but it is grounded in the one who regenerates. It is grounded in the one who renews that comes to us through God, the son and the Holy Spirit and the father working together for those things in the people that they have called. This faith transcends distance and culture. And so that's why Paul sends this heartfelt greeting. He sends it to a broad audience, not just to a small group of people. And so then Paul and this letter, the letter of Paul to Titus ends with five little words. Grace be with you all. Grace be with you all. It's a it's a very common ending for Paul's letter. He has a similar ending to this in all of his letters, except for two, except for Romans and First Corinthians. But in all his other letters at the end of his letter, it says something like this. Grace be with you all. He seeks to impress on his people this whole idea of grace. Whose grace is he talking about? Paul's grace. No, he's speaking of God's grace. And so as he concludes this letter, he says, may God be gracious to you as you seek to apply that which is written. Grace be with you all. It is his desire that the grace from God would rest on them. And in this particular case, for the ordering of the church. So let's think of what we've seen in Titus in chapter one. As we as we look at the ordering of the church, that's we remember that was Paul's purpose for writing this letter, right? That that Titus would put things in order. The things that were left behind ought to be put in order. And Paul tells Titus how he's supposed to do that. And he starts with the church and their elders. And when he speaks of the elders, he gives a list of qualifications. He says that these men who are to serve to organize and structure the church there to be above reproach, one woman men there to have orderly homes, there to be humble, patient, sober, gentle, hospitable, there to love good, there to be self-controlled, upright, holy, disciplined, faithful to the word. And then, to contrast that, he looks at the false teacher. And what does he say about the false teacher? Well, Paul, when he speaks of the false teacher, says that we are to rebuke them. That we are to honour God and protect the church. And Lord willing, doing that, we'll restore the sinner. And when we come to this, and we finish the letter, and we look at the list of qualifications, and we say, I'm not those things. I'm not those things consistently. Paul says, this is a great work that cannot be done with human hands. The grace of God be with you. And then when we come to chapter two, the people of the church are called to behave in certain ways. We're not to just live any old way, but we're to live to honor God, not in lawlessness. And so he calls older men to be sober minded and dignified, to be self-controlled and sound in faith. And he calls older women of the church to You put aside their wine and not to be slanderers. He calls the younger women of the church to be taught by the older women to love their husbands and love their children, to be directed towards the home, to be kind and to be submissive and to the younger men. He he says that they are to be self-controlled and To Titus as a pastor, he writes that he is to be an example of life, faithful and in teaching and that the slaves as hard to imagine as as it is for us, that they are to be obedient to their masters, even when they're not looking that they would seek to promote the well-being of their masters so that they would adorn the doctrine of God. And when you finish chapter two and you say to yourself, I'm not those things, I'm not doing those things consistently. Then Paul says to us, this is a great work that cannot be done with human hands. The grace of God be with you. And when you come to the third chapter where we speak of Christians in the public realm, how we're to live in submission to the civil magistrate, that we're to live exemplary lives in humility, remembering where we were delivered from the folly and the disobedience and the enslavement of our own hearts in years gone by and that through Christ we are regenerate and renewed by the Holy Spirit. When we come and we see where we're from, We say to ourselves, I'm still those things, the things that we are to be delivered from. We see that we are still those things. And then at the conclusion of Paul's letter, what does he say? This is a great work. It cannot be done with human hands. The grace of God be with you. That's how Paul ends all his letters. It is as if Paul wraps up all his words. In the grace of God, the three chapters preceding the grace of God be with you. We need God's grace in all these different areas. So from Titus chapter one, verse five, after Paul gets the pleasantries out of the way where he says, I want you to put all the churches in order, all that remains in Crete, put it in order. The grace of God is needed for that. And the chapter that follows gives specific instructions and the grace of God is needed for that. God gives the work and he also gives the ability and he also gives the fruit. So the book of Titus, the letter of Paul to Titus, it is instruction for the Cretan church. But more than that, it's instruction for the church in Augusta as well, that we would live by the grace of God, by the grace of God, working out our salvation in fear and trembling. That means that we understand our justification, that it was purchased for us by Christ. That means that we understand that we are now adopted into his family, that we are called by his name, that we have all the rights and privileges of the sons of God. It means that we understand what it means to be sanctified, that we live by the strength of God for the glory of God. These things all come to us as part of God's grace and they come to us in the church. They come to us in our private lives and they come to us in the public realm. We should not lose sight of what Paul is saying, the regeneration and the renewal of the believer every day, every week, every month, every year. The grace of God be with you as you live it out. Let's pray together.