Walking with Jesus in Good Works Tit. 2:11-14
INTRO.: When we lived in San Antonio, a large complex of buildings was constructed on Military Dr. These buildings were built by the state of Texas to house offices of the Department of Human Resources. However, the offices remained vacant for years. The reason given had something to do with the fulfillment or failure to fulfill construction contracts. It was sad and disgusting to see millions of tax dollars wasted.
These buildings, built for a purpose were not used for that purpose. I don’t know what use was eventually made of these offices. No doubt architects and designers spent thousands of hours and millions of dollars designing these structures for a purpose they never fulfilled.
Many Christians seem to think God brought them into the Kingdom with no purpose at all in mind. The Bible tells us the Church is the house of God and is built as a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Yet, many Christians act as if God will never move in. We don’t make room for Him or act in His behalf.
If we live in Christ, we must seek to fulfill His purpose. It is stated in Eph. 2:10 and Titus 2:14
I. We are His creation. He made us and He redeemed us:
A. There are lots of “self-made” men in this world.
1. Peter was no doubt a self-made fisherman.
2. Paul a tent maker,
3. Matthew, a tax collector,
4. Judas, an accountant, all self-made.
5. In a sense, we are all responsible for what we have become without Christ.
B. But, these self-made men are dead in sin.
1. No matter how excellent they are, they are sinners by their own choices.
2. Their innocence has perished. Luke 5:8
3. The conscience is dead for lack of exercise.
4. The will to live godly is destroyed. At first we sin because we want to, later, because we have to.
C. They are spiritually dead because only God can make them live.
1. Life comes through His grace, aside from our merit.
2. Grace made Peter a fisher of men, Paul a missionary, Matthew an evangelist. Even Judas had his chance.
3. He makes our conscience, will, & spirit alive by the power of His grace and the blood of Christ.
D. Sinners have violated God’s law and His love.
1. One can make restitution for breaking a law, but not for breaking a heart.
2. ILLUS.: if a reckless driver kills a child, he is arrested and pays a penalty under law. That does nothing to restore the child or relieve his grieving mother. The only thing that can prevail between them is her free act of forgiveness. (Wm. Barclay on Eph. 2:10)
3. Moreover, God is perfect and nothing less can glorify Him. He expects this from us and created us for it.
4. Because of both of the foregoing, it is impossible for us to earn eternal life. It must come by grace.
5. .ILLUS.: A lady was on a street corner with a dog and a stranger asked, “Does your dog bite?” She said, “No,” but when he tried to pet the dog he was bitten. He said, “I thought you said your dog didn’t bite.” She answered, “That’s not my dog.”
6. The whole story has not yet been told. God has redeemed us by His grace, but there is more.
II. God’s purpose is to purify for Himself a people eager to do what is good: He has a purpose for us.
A. We are created anew when God moves to save us:
1. We become new born babes, begotten of His seed, the Word.
2. We are new creatures. II Cor. 5:17
3. This is God’s prerogative. We can only surrender in faith and allow Him to give us the free gift of life.
4. But, something is amiss if the gift doesn’t lead to good works.
B. This is no mystery, but common human experience:
1. If someone truly loves us, we can’t earn that love and we needn’t earn it.
2. Yet, we must do all we can to be worthy of that love and to return it.
3. This is exactly our relationship to God. In response to His unmerited love, we give ourselves to serve Him.
C. In other words, good works result from gratitude.
1. If we worship faithfully, it is because we’re grateful He is our God and cares for us.
2. We are faithful in giving because we are grateful for His gifts.
3. We witness to others out of gratitude for our own salvation and a desire to share it.
4. We work in the Church out of gratitude for being part of His family.
5. We work with youth because we’re grateful for the chance to influence young lives for Jesus or grateful for what someone did for us when we were young.
6. His love for us motivates us to live for Him.
D. This is all a part of God’s master plan:
1. Not just something preachers dream up to get more work out of us.
2. Walking with Jesus means walking in good works.
CONC.: ILLUS.: “Sitting by the Fire” Trying to earn salvation would be like paying for an expensive gift someone gave us. It’s already paid for. But, still we will do all we can to be worthy of the gift and take care of it.
Sitting by the Fire
An old man sat by an open fire and dreamed the years away,
While, outside in the battle of life, many perished in the toils of day.
He never did any good, nor did he ever do any wrong.
He just sat by the open fire and dreamed the whole day long.
Now he’s left a vacant chair and they say he’s gone up higher,
but, if he still does what he used to do, he’s still sitting by the fire. - author unknown.
