Wednesday, December 23, 2009

At Christmas "The Grace of God Has Appeared," Part 3 of 9

TEXT: "That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works" (Titus 2:10b-14).

IDEA: Christ’s coming brings salvation to all people.

PURPOSE: To help listeners understand what is meant by “salvation.”

Do you get many Christmas cards? Do you like them?

There are many different kinds. One kind tries to avoid any kind of religious tone, so it’s nondescript with something like “Season’s Greetings.”

Then there are the cards celebrating a winter wonderland, a nostalgia for the 19th century.

Then there are the cards focused on a photograph of the family with a letter enclosed.

None of these capture the meaning of Christmas. But one card captured it in a strange way: it featured the appearance of the angels to the shepherds who were awe-struck. But over at the side of the picture was a dog who was very excited, but looking off in a different direction. It was the artist’s way of saying that something was going on, but the dog didn’t know what it was.

What in the world was going on at that first Christmas?

The answer is found in Titus 2:11–“The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”

I. What do you think Paul means when he talks about “salvation”?

The past: God has saved us from a hopeless end to an endless hope.

Titus 1:2-3a–“. . . in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching.”

The present: He saves us from the power of sin into a freedom that is in Christ, Titus 2:14–“who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

The future: He will deliver us from the realm of death to the realm of life. Titus 2:14 tells us that He redeems us, that is, He buys us out of a slave situation into real freedom.

II. This salvation is one that comes to all kinds of people.

We tend to think that it comes only to nice people, but look at the kind of people to whom it came:

It’s clear in the letter to Titus that the Cretans were despised by moral people in the ancient world. But salvation had come to them.

Salvation came to all classes of people: slave and free, rich and poor.

Salvation came to both men and women.

God’s gracious gift of salvation comes to people of all kinds in all places in every situation without distinction or exception.

III. In the world in which people cry out, “What has the world come to?” Paul would respond: “Look who has come into the world!”