The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura

Sermon: The Handmaid of the Lord (Luke 1:26-38)

The Handmaid of the LordSunday, December 14th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 1:26–38
Prayer
O God Our Father, nothing is impossible with You. And so grant that new life may spring forth in our hearts even now, a life of faith formed by love, which alone is pleasing to You and profitable for our salvation. Grant Thy Holy Spirit to overshadow us, even as it overshadowed the virgin, so that Christ may be perfectly formed in us, to the glory of the undivided Trinity, One God Forever, Amen.
Introduction
From the earliest days of the Christian church, it has been necessary to believe and confess that the Lord Jesus was, “conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.” And this morning we come to a passage in Luke’s Gospel that is a foundational proof text for this article of faith.
Our belief in the virgin birth of Christ is a truth we confess in the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Definition of Chalcedon, and it is a truth that unites all of Christendom (Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox alike). However, it might not be obvious at first why this truth matters. Of course, it matters because the Word of God teaches it, and therefore we must believe it, but how does the virgin birth relate to who Jesus is and what He came to do? Why did God choose to enter our world in this way, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary?
Wel this morning, I want to begin to answer that question as we study this passage before us. And so let me give you the outline of our text, and then we’ll consider some of the implications of it.
Outline of the Text
Here in verses 26-38 we have a conversation between the angel Gabriel, and the virgin Mary. And this conversation unfolds in three parts:
In verses 26-29, the angel greets Mary, and Mary responds with silent wonder.
In verses 30-34, the angel prophesies that she will bear the Son of God, and Mary responds with faith seeking understanding.
And then in verses 35-38, the angel explains how God will work this miracle, and Mary responds with Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
And what Luke is doing in this section is setting up a contrast between Mary and Zacharias (who we learned about last week). He is giving us a contrast between an old man and a young woman, between a priest in the Temple and a girl from the countryside. An angel appears to both of them with good news of great joy, a miraculous son shall be born, but the responses of Mary and Zacharias differ. And so as we walk through this text together try to note those differences, because Luke is teaching us, his readers, how we should respond when the most certain word of God is preached to us. So with that in mind, let us walk through our text.
In verse 26 we have the setup.
26And in the sixth month [referring to the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.
Where is Nazareth? It is about 75 miles north of Jerusalem (about week’s journey walking), and about 15 miles west of the Sea of Galilee, which is where Jesus will later call his disciples.
Now we know from Nathanael’s comment in John 1:46, that Nazareth did not exactly have the greatest reputation. In modern day terms we would say it was “flyover county,” perhaps a place to pass thru but not a vacation destination. Nathanael says to Philip, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
And so already God is teaching us a lesson here that will recur again and again in Luke’s gospel, and that is: God loves to take foolish things and shame the wise. God loves to use weak things to humiliate the strong. It says in 1 Corinthians 1:28-29, God uses the base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
It is not good for us to be proud and mighty and to boast in our beauty or strength, for all flesh is as grass and our beauty as the flower, but the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, is forever, unfading in its glory.
And so mark this theme of Luke’s gospel: God’s kingdom turns the kingdoms of men, and Satan’s kingdom upside down. God’s kingdom brings justice and equity where corruption and oppression has been institutionalized. When Jesus shows up on the scene pronouncing “Woes” and “Blessings,” he separates by His words those who love the evil status quo from those who love the ways of God. And the question then becomes for everyone: Which kingdom do you belong to? Are you with Christ or against him? Are you seeking first the kingdom of heaven, or seeking first your own?
So Luke sets this truth before us up front by this act of God sending the angel to Nazareth of all places. Mary is living in that town from which nobody expects anything good to come, and it is from there that the only Good thing shall come. And so to those who may doubt the goodness of Jesus of Nazareth, we say to them with Phillip, “Come and see.”
So the angel Gabriel is sent to Nazareth, and in verse 27 it says he was sent…
Verse 27
27To a virgin espoused [betrothed] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Here Luke is connecting Mary and Joseph to the royal lineage of King David, and by doing so he is also connecting them to God’s promises to David which have yet to be fulfilled.
God says in 2 Samuel 7:16, And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.
And David himself wrote in Psalm 110, The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek.
And in Psalm 132:11 it says, The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
These promises the Jews had held onto for centuries waiting, Mary and Joseph among them. And Luke tells us they are of the house of David, which makes them candidates for begetting the promised messiah.
However, there is a natural barrier to that begetting, namely the wedding hasn’t happened yet. Mary is still a virgin. This is the setup for the angel’s message in verse 28.
Verse 28
28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Here the angel proclaims three things to Mary: She is 1) highly favored with God, 2) the Lord is with her, and 3) she is blessed among women.
However, at this stage in the conversation, Mary has no idea what or why this angel has suddenly appeared to her, a virgin girl living in Nazareth. Moreover, such a greeting has never been given to any other woman in Isarel’s history. This is unprecedented for someone like Mary, who knows the Hebrew Scriptures. And therefore, in verse 29 it says.
Verse 29
29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
Mary’s mind is racing, wondering, she is vexed at what she is seeing and hearing. Like Zacharias she is afraid, but unlike Zacharias she is ready to believe whatever the angel says. And so what does the angel say?
Verses 30-33
30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
So after quieting Mary’s fears, and assuring her of God’s favor, the angel describes who she will conceive in her womb, and what his divine mission shall be.
1. His name will be called Jesus, which means Salvation.
2. He shall be great, which is always an understatement when you ascribe it to God. It says in Psalm 145:3, For His greatness is unsearchable, His ways past finding out (Rom 11:33).
3. He shall be called the Son of the Highest. That is, divine in His sonship, from God in His eternal origin.
4. We have this Divine Son’s mission described. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. This fulfills many prophesies in Isaiah, to give you just one it says in Isaiah 11:1, And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. Meaning, what David lost because of his sins, and what Israel had squandered because of their idolatry, the throne that sat in ruins shall be raised up by Mary’s Son. Moreover, how long shall her Son reign?
5. The angel says in verse 33,And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.It was this same angel Gabriel who explained to Daniel 500 years earlier this coming of the Messiah (Daniel 9:21-27). It was also Daniel who saw in a vision this everlasting reign of Christ. It says in Daniel 7:13-14, I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
For Mary as a pious Jew, and as one related to Elizabeth and Zacharias the priest, she would have most certainly known this prophetic hope. She would have been constant in praying for God’s promises to be fulfilled. And therefore, unlike Zacharias who should have known better than to doubt the word of the angel, Mary believes and has only one question.
Verse 34
How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
We call this kind of question, “faith seeking understanding.” And this principle is the basis of all good Bible questions, and all good theological endeavors. If faith is not your starting point, you are destined to go astray, you are destined to entangle yourself in foolish questions, vain speculation, and empty controversies.
And so while Zacharias asked the epistemological question, “How shall I know?” Mary proceeds from faith in God as her first principle and then asks the ontological question, “How shall this be?” And there is a world of difference between these two intellectual states. It is the difference between faith that makes you strong, and doubt that makes you weak.
Zacharias doubts what his own eyes and ears are perceiving, and for such doubt he is silenced. But Mary hears and believes what she cannot see, and for such faith is lead to understand it.
It says in Isaiah 7:9, If you will not believe, Surely you shall not be established. Or as the Greek translation has it, If you do not believe, you will not understand.
And so Mary exemplifies this intellectual posture and attitude of trust that every Christian should imitate. Mary believes not only to understand, but in order to obey and cooperate. She believes the Word of God and then asks the question of application, How does this Word relate to me personally?
And because she asks this question from faith, and because it is a question worthy of her knowing, God gives her an answer.
Verses 35-37
35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37For with God nothing shall be impossible.
This is the miraculous means by which Mary shall conceive the Son of God. Not through marital intercourse, not through any sexual act at all. Not by the will of man, but by the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowing her.
This word for overshadowing (ἐπισκιάσει) is the same word that is used in the Greek version of Exodus 40 to describe the glory of God filling the tabernacle. It says in Exodus 40:34-35, Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud overshadowed/rested (ἐπεσκίαζεν) above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Mary has become the literal physical dwelling place for God, and the place in which God’s glory shall be hidden for 9 months. And in this respect her husband Joseph is akin to Moses, who for the glory dwelling within her, does not enter.
We learn from Matthew’s gospel that God also sends an angel to Joseph to inform him of this miraculous conception and virgin birth. It says in Matthew 1:18-20, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And then in verse 25 it says, And [Joseph] knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
So just as the first woman was created without intercourse, formed miraculously from Adam’s side, so now the Last Adam is conceived without intercourse, formed miraculously in the womb of the virgin.
Mary is The Woman whose seed shall crush the serpent’s head. Mary is a New Eve, a New Mother of all the living, for the Son of God who is eternal life has chosen her to be His mother.
And lest the wonder of such a gracious promise give Mary any occasion for doubt, the angel adds to these words a sign of confirmation, the sign of Elizabeth’s miraculous conception. And then he seals that sign to her saying, For with God nothing shall be impossible.
How then does Mary respond to this answer? Because there is still a lot of things she does not understand. She does not yet know how Joseph will respond, or how they will need to travel to Bethlehem in 9 months. She is not told up front about the circumstances that will surround the child’s birth, and how Herod will try to kill him, and so they will need to escape to Egypt to protect their child. And rather than asking all those follow-up questions now with the angel in front o her, questions that you and I might be tempted to ask, instead she contents herself with what God has seen fit to reveal, and she says in verse 38.
Verse 38
Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
These are most beautiful and lovely words. You can hear the meekness in her voice as she gives her consent. She declares that she is the handmaid of the Lord. In Greek this is δούλη, translated elsewhere as slave or bondservant.
So far from exalting herself as being worthy of such high favor, Mary regards herself as the lowly maidservant of the Lord. Later she will say to Elizabeth, My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His handmaiden; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.
Jesus is Mary’s Savior, even though she is the Savior’s mother. Notice that Mary does not cease toacknowledge the gratuitous nature of this gift. It is not because she is so awesome that all will call her blessed, it is because He who is mighty has done great things for me.
This is in part why we as Protestant don’t pray to Mary, she would not want us to. She would say “take you prayers directly to my Son, the one Mediator between God and man, for my Son is my savior just as He is yours.”
Mary exemplifies the attitude of Psalm 115:1 which says, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But unto thy name give glory, For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
Conclusion
I want to close by returning to the question we asked at the beginning: Why did God choose to enter our world this way, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary? Let me give you just three of the many reasons for God doing this:
1. It was to demonstrate Christ’s real humanity. If the Son of God had just descended from the sky looking like a healthy 30-year-old man with a halo on his head, it would be hard to believe that he was fully man, of the same nature as you and I. As Hebrews 4:15 says of Him, He can sympathize with our weaknesses, and was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
And so to make us know just how close God wants to get to us, He assumes our very nature starting at conception, and joins that nature to Himself in a Personal Union, eternal God with time-bound man, unchangeable divinity with a growing humanity. And all so that we might be joined to Him. He partakes of our nature that we might partake of His (Hebrews 2:14, 2 Peter 1:4).
2. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary to demonstrate his full divinity. Only God can beget God, no virgin could do this however holy, with a man or without one. And therefore, the only explanation for the existence of Jesus is that He is God from God, light from light, the only begotten Son of the eternal Father. And because the Father begets the Son in a spiritual conception, so also it was most fitting that Mary conceive that same Son without carnal intercourse, but by the Spirit’s power.
As Isaiah 7:14 foretold, A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel. God with us.
3. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary to teach us how the miracle of salvation is effected in us.
As miraculous as the virgin birth is, the justification of the ungodly is an even greater miracle than this!
For consider the virgin Mary, she possessed God in her very womb, and yet without faith, that virginal conception would be no profit to her. Mary still had to believe in the Son of God dwelling within her.
St. Augustine writes that, “Mary is more blessed in receiving the faith of Christ, than in conceiving the flesh of Christ…Her nearness as a Mother would have been of no profit to Mary, had she not borne Christ in her heart after a more blessed manner than in her flesh.”
So do you like Mary tremble and fear before the announcement of God’s high favor towards you? You are favored to hear the gospel of Christ. As Philippians 2:12 says, do you work out your own salvation with fear and trembling?
Do you like Mary, believe in order to understand? Do you believe in order to conceive the same Word and Christ that Mary conceived and nourished in her womb?
As Paul says in Ephesians 3:17, That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. And in Colossians 1:27 it says, To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
And finally, do you like Mary consent to the will of God? Does your heart say to Him, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
Salvation is God’s gracious giving of His very self to you. And so purify your heart for Him. Keep your soul chaste from idols and demons, lies and falsehood, so that as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:1, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
May God’s Holy Spirit overshadow you, and dwell within you forever, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: Blameless & Barren (Luke 1:1-25)

Blameless & BarrenSunday, December 7th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 1:1–25
Prayer
O Father, we thank You for the miracle of grace, that takes away the reproach of our sins. Teach us now to believe more firmly the testimony of Your Word, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
Well, if you have ever wondered what the longest book in the New Testament is, you just heard the first 25 verses of it. Yes, the Gospel of Luke is the longest book in the New Testament by word count (and the second longest is Luke’s sequel, the book of Acts). And so this morning we shall begin our journey through this gospel, although because of its length, we may take some breaks along the way, we shall see.
Now what is unique about Luke is that it gives us many stories and details that no other gospel records.
For example, Luke alone tells us about the angel Gabriel appearing to Zacharias. Luke alone tells us about the angel appearing to Mary, and how she responds with her now famous Magnificat (“My soul magnifies the Lord!”). Luke alone gives us the “Song of Simeon,” which we sing as our benediction during Advent. Luke alone gives us the one story about Jesus as a boy, which all the other gospels remain silent about. Luke alone also contains some of the most famous parables like the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
So there is a real sense in which Luke is the most detailed and comprehensive account of Jesus’ earthly life. An account that begins even before his birth, with the miraculous conception and naming of John, who according to the angel shall make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
So this morning on this Second Sunday of Advent, in this season of preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ, I want to consider the question: How does God prepare His people for His own Son’s arrival? How does God make ready those faithfully awaiting the Messiah, and what we can learn from this inspired history that Luke records for us?
There are three answers to this question we find here in Luke 1:1-25. And they are
1. By Sending His Most Certain Word
2. By Answering Our Former Prayers
3. By Reconciling Us to Himself and One Another
So let’s walk through this text together just focusing on those three answers. How does God prepare us for His only begotten Son’s arrival?
The first way is….
#1 – By Sending His Most Certain Word
God does through the Luke as the author of this gospel, and then also through many figures within the gospel story.
First observe how Luke describes the reason for him writing this gospel. He says in verse 1 that others have attempted this work (like Matthew and Mark), and yet there is still so much more to say about Jesus. And because Luke has access to reliable eyewitnesses, referring to the apostles (ministers of the word), He says in verses 3-4, It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
So notice that Luke’s intention is to give certainty/assurance to those who already believe and have been instructed (κατηχήθης, catechized).
This name Theophilus means “lover of God” or “friend of God” and he was most likely the patron who funded the writing and distribution of this work and the book of Acts.
Luke says in Acts 1:1, The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.
So who is Theophilus? He is the “most excellent friend of God” and patron of these two important treatises, Luke & Acts, which together make up almost a third of the whole New Testament. So whatever it cost Theophilus to fund Luke’s work, I think we can safely say it was money well spent!
By way of application, we could ask ourselves: In what ways are we being friends and lovers of God like Theophilus? In what ways can we support and assist those laboring to make the truth known in our day? The ordinary way is by our tithes and offerings, but there also many other ways that we can be using what God has given us to further His kingdom. It says in Proverbs 22:9, He that hath a generous eye shall be blessed. And so are you aspiring to be generous like Theophilus?
So God prepares people for Christ by inspiring individuals like Luke and Theophilus to get in writing what the apostles and other people saw from the beginning. Written records matter! And back then writing was not cheap.
Given the contents of this gospel, Luke must have had to interview Mary, Elizabeth, Zacharias, and others. How else would he know what they saw, said, and thought within themselves? So Luke has his work cut out for him (he will need to travel and schedule meetings with these people), and then gather up all this eyewitness testimony in his library so he can them put into an orderly account.
And so notice that while “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim 3:16), the Holy Spirit uses many earthly means to write the Scriptures. He does not merely dictate to Luke the words to write, He uses Luke’s human efforts, education, and acquired skills of writing and composition to author this masterful and coherent narrative.
And so while human beings are involved in the process of writing Scripture, the result of Luke’s work is still the very Word of God, authored ultimately by the Holy Spirit with Luke as God’s instrument. In a similar way, whenever you preach the gospel to others, whenever you tell someone the truth about Jesus, you are functioning as God’s prophet, you are God’s instrument to bring people into the kingdom.
It says in Revelation 19:10, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And it is by testifying of Jesus that God fulfills the promise Joel 2:28, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.
So this is one of the ways God prepares people for Christ. By using fallible and mortal creatures to bear witness to the infallible and immortal truth of what God has accomplished in Jesus.
God does this by sending His most sure and certain Word, through human messengers.
Second observe, that God also uses angelic messengers to prepare His people. And in verses 5-20 we have the angel Gabriel bringing good news to Zacharias the priest. And the message of Gabriel illustrates this second way in which God prepares us, and that is….
#2 – By Answering Our Former Prayers
It says in verses 5-7,5There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
Here we are introduced to the parents of John the Baptist. The name Zacharias means, “God has remembered.” And the name Elizabeth, means “My God is abundant,” or “My God has sworn an oath.”
And so in the very names of this godly older couple are contained a message of hope and expectation that God will remember His Word. My God has sworn and made promises and He shall keep them. And yet despite Zacharias and Elizabeth being righteous before God and blameless, they are also barren.
This should call to mind for us the first promise of the gospel in Genesis 3:15 where God says to the Serpent, And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel. And so from Genesis onward there is this expectation that through the bearing of godly seed, salvation shall come, the Serpent shall be defeated and the curse undone.
And then starting in Genesis this pattern of barrenness that precedes a miraculous conception becomes a theme of the Old Testament. We might think of Abram and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Manoah and his wife (who gives birth to Samson), and perhaps most similar to our scene here in Luke 1 is the scene in 1 Samuel 1, where Hannah miraculously conceives and gives birth to the priest Samuel.
So according to God’s Word, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth (Psalm 127:3-4)
And in Exodus 23 and Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 7 God tells Israel that if they keep covenant with Him, none shall be barren, they will be fruitful, multiply, and prosper.
And so the fact that Zacharias and Elizabeth are now old and still without this blessing, made them “a reproach among men,” as Elizabeth says in verse 25. There was a kind of social shame and suspicion that maybe they had done something wrong to deserve this barrenness.
We might think of the disciples in John 9:2-3 who ask Jesus, “Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
And so like the man born blind, Luke tells us that for Zacharias and Elizabeth, it was not for any personal individual sins that they lacked children. Instead, it was the consequence of living in a sin-cursed world, amongst a covenant breaking people. They are collateral damage of decades of Israel’s apostasy and in a most personal and painful way, unable to have children.
So the Bible has a category for people (like Job, or like Joshua) who are personally righteous and blameless, but who suffer various pains and evils of God’s curse. This could be 1) Because of original sin in Adam such that we all die, or 2) Because of national sins of idolatry and the corporate stain of bloodguilt, or 3) Simply because God is going to glorify Himself and strengthen our faith through the suffering He permits.
Whatever the case, Zacharias and Elizabeth are innocent and faithful covenant keepers, but who are members and part of a corporately/nationally guilty people. They represent the righteous remnant who dwell among an unrighteous people.
Luke frontloads this reality by telling us when this angelic appearance took place, it was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea. In other words, if Herod is the king, something has gone tragically wrong for the nation. If a blameless priest and a blameless daughter of Aaron are without the blessing of children, the nation must be under the curse of God’s covenant.
So this is an important distinction we need to remember as Christians. Some of our misfortunes and trials are direct consequences of our own sin and folly (we can draw a direct line between the two). But there are other times when we cannot. And so we need to remember this biblical category of the righteous individual who suffers the consequences of their nation’s corporate sins.
Christ is of course the perfect example of someone who is perfectly righteous and innocent, and yet who suffers the consequences of other people’s sins (even the whole world). As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
So we don’t always know the why for our lack of blessings, sometimes it’s us directly, sometimes it’s the result of Adam’s sin and living in a fallen world, sometimes it’s the consequence of corporate sins of our nation or family, but in either case, we always ought to be praying for and seeking after God’s blessing, trusting what the names of Zacharias and Elizabeth signify, God shall remember and My God has sworn, and He will make us abundant according to His promise.
And so with this burden of barrenness weighing heavy on this blameless couple, God visits them in a momentous way: By an angel with a most certain word, and by answering the prayers Zacharias had prayed from long ago.
It says in verses 11-13 that while everyone was praying outside,And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
John’s name means “The Lord is Gracious.” And by this angelic announcement we have the answer to the constant cries of the Psalms and Prophets who say to God, Be gracious unto me, O Lord. Have mercy upon your servant. Do not forget thy covenant which You have sworn of old. In answer to that hope and longing, God gives a son named, “The Lord is gracious.”
However, observe that Zacharias does not respond with joy and thanksgiving. This otherwise blameless priest suddenly has a crisis of faith.
Perhaps his heart had grown weary from hoping against hope. It says in Proverbs 13:12, Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
Perhaps Zacharias was so sick with sorrow that even an angel appearing to Him does not rouse him to believe. What a state of despair to be in that even an angel from heaven does not awaken your faith.
In verse 18 he says to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” It’s as if Zacharias has forgotten his own history, his own priestly lineage, he has forgotten that his God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who has done this thing before! Zacharias has forgotten God’s Word, forgotten his own prayers, and so God answers him with a sign that matches his unbelief.
It says in verses 19-21,And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
The angel’s answer to Zacharias is (I think very humorously), “I am Gabriel (my name means Man of God or God my strength), I stand in God’s presence. I visited Daniel 400 years ago. And God sent me to tell you these things. Are you so dumb as to not believe me? Oh yes, you are, and so silent you shall be for 9 months, until God’s word is fulfilled.”
Summary: So how does God prepare His people for Christ? First, He sends His most certain word, through human messengers, through angelic messengers, and Second, He is so gracious that He answers the prayers of someone who is experiencing a crisis of faith. And this should be a great comfort to us.
Maybe it was ten years ago that you prayed with great faith and fervency for the conversion of a family member, or for healing, or for a spouse, or to conceive children.But because nothing seemed to happen, heaven appeared silent, you stopped praying, you lost heart. And so the question I ask you today is: Would you believe it if God answered that prayer from ten years ago, today? Would you believe that your former prayers of faith are still heard by the eternal God, even if you are presently struggling with doubt in the now?
It says in Isaiah 49:14-16, But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.”[And God says in response] “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.
Although a mother may forget her own child, God shall never forget you. And it is this truth that God uses to stir up and renew our faith and our hope, to renew our prayers and zeal to ask for great things that only He can give. How many of need to repent for our unbelief? Even as we are praying Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
It says in Numbers 23:19, God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
God never forgets His promises or His people, and He loves to prepare us for new blessings by answering even our former prayers.
Third and finally, we see from Gabriel’s message to Zacharias that John’s ministry will be to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And if we look at Gabriel’s prophecy about John, we see that God also prepares us….
#3 – By Reconciling Us To Himself & One Another
Gabriel says in verses 13-17, And thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
First notice that God thinks you need time to prepare yourself, to prepare your heart, so that when Christ comes (whether for salvation or judgment!), you are ready to receive Him with joy and faith.
It says in Isaiah 59:2-4, But your sins have built barriers between and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: They trust in vanity, and speak lies; They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
And so because your sins and lies imprison you, they shut your eyes to God’s goodness, He sends messengers on ahead of Christ, to call you to repentance. To give you a heads up that judgment day is coming, and you need to get right with the Lord and those you have sinned against before you die.
And so John’s ministry is to be the “Turning Point” for Israel. It is a ministry of repentance and reconciliation, between God and between men. Repentance has a vertical dimension that reconciles us to God, and it has a horizontal dimension that reconciles us to one another. True repentance includes both of these dimensions.
Now there are three turnings that Gabriel prophesies shall result from John’s ministry.
1. In verse 16 it says, many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
This is the first and foundational repentance for judgment day. Turn your attention to the LORD God. Worship God. Fear God. Obey God. Do everything for the glory of God. Without this turning to God you will die in your sins.
2. In verse 17 it says, he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.
This is the healing of generational strife between fathers and their children. However disobedient the children may have been, however prodigal and foolish a son or daughter may be, the sign of a repentant father is that his heart yearns with compassion for his children. His heart reflects the heart of God the Father, as it says in Psalm 103:13-14, As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
And so fathers, what is your heart’s disposition towards your children? It is easy to love an obedient son, a respectful daughter, but what about when they are disobedient and disrespectful? Do you still love them the way God loves you?
Is your discipline of them just and equitable and intended for their good, or is it just venting your anger, or avenging your own wounded pride?
God knows our frame as imperfect fathers, and so He gives us clear instructions like, Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged (Col 3:21).
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6:4).
And in 1 Thessalonian 2:11-12, Paul says You know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
The sign of a man who is at peace with God, is that he is tender-hearted towards his children, and seeking to be at peace with them insofar as it is possible. So fathers, is your heart turned towards your children?
3. Also, in verse 17 it says that John will turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.
This refers to the turning away from folly and the pursuit of earthly gain at the expense of heavenly treasure.
We are given a few examples of such turning a few chapters later when John begins preaching.
It says in Luke 3:10-14, So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
So these are the fruits worthy of repentance. For soldiers and tax collectors it did not mean quitting their jobs, it meant doing what is just and fair without taking advantage of other people. And for those not in positions of authority it meant looking out for those in need.
As Paul says in Galatians 6:10, As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Conclusion
This is how you make ready for Christ’s coming.
1. When God sends His Word, choose to believe it. This Gospel contains eyewitness testimonies to real historical events, that God orchestrated and authored for your salvation. Do you believe this?
2. Renew your prayers. Repent of your unbelief. Don’t be like Zacharias who was struck dumb for doubting the word from the angel, a word that was intended to bring him joy. Don’t miss out on the joy God wants to give you by praying fervently and hoping in His Word.
3. If there are people you are out of fellowship with, who you have wronged or sinned against. Seek out their forgiveness. Jesus says in Matthew 5:23-24, Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
What does God want more than your tithes and offerings and sacrifices? Reconciliation between estranged brothers. This is how you prepare yourself for God. And so may we, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: Foolish Questions, Heretics, and Winter Plans (Titus 3:8-15)

Foolish Questions, Heretics, and Winter PlansSunday, November 30th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WATitus 3:8–15
Prayer
O Father, we thank You for this precious letter, that you inspired the Apostle Paul to write to Titus, and which You have preserved for the church’s benefit, so that we hearing it today, 2,000 years later, might learn from the church in Crete, that we might discern what Your unchangeable will is for your holy people. So please bless now the preaching, the hearing, and the keeping of this Word of faith, for we ask this all in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
This morning, we come to the happy conclusion of Paul’s letter to Titus. And whenever you get to the end of a book in the Bible, it is often worthwhile to go back and reflect on how that book began and why it was written in the first place.
Recall that Paul is writing a personal letter to his spiritual son Titus, and this letter is all about how to govern and care for the church.
And because this question of church government and discipline is important for the whole church to know about, Paul intends this letter to be read publicly within the many cities and congregations on the Island of Crete.
And so while this letter is addressed to Titus as a spiritual ruler, we see in the final verse of this letter (Titus 3:15), Paul proclaims “Grace be with you all (plural),” referring to all the saints in Crete.
So just in case the Christians in Crete are uncertain about Titus’ authority, preaching, and doctrine, they have this letter from the Apostle’s pen to confirm his ministry among them.
Recall also the reason why Titus was left in Crete in the first place. Paul says in Titus 1:5, For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.
So now that we have studied this letter in its entirety, we can more fully appreciate everything that was wanting and lacking in Crete.
1. First and foremost, they were lacking a qualified eldership, and so chapter 1 was spent detailing Presbyterian government and what a bishop/pastor must be.
2. Second, was this problem of false teachers, of whom Paul says in Titus 1:11, their mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.
3. And then after addressing this lack of leadership in the church, he spends the rest of the letter addressing what is wanting amongst the saints. And so in chapters 2-3 he addresses every class of people within the church: older men, older women, younger women, younger men, servants, and then all Christians in their relation to the civil government and the outside world.
And this brings us to Paul’s concluding words and salutations here in verses 8-15, which contains specific instructions for Titus more personally but also has principles that the whole church ought to know and embrace.
So while this section is directed primarily at the pastors and elders in the church, it’s still important for all the saints to know these things and to be aware of them.
Outline of the Text
In verses 8-9, Paul contrasts what is good and profitable with what is unprofitable and vain, and therefore to be avoided.
In verses 10-11, He tells Titus how to deal with heretics who persist in what is unprofitable and vain.
In verses 12-15, He directs Titus to fulfill some of his presbytery duties to assist other ministers.
So we have here: 1) What to avoid, 2) How to deal with heretics, and 3) How to help other ministers.
Verses 8-9 – What should Titus avoid?
8This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 9But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
So looking at verse 8, what is this faithful saying that Titus is to affirm constantly? It is nothing less than the doctrine of God’s grace that leads to good works which is what he just explained in the verses prior, and which has been then theme of this whole letter, the marriage between wholesome doctrine and wholesome living, God’s grace that leads to gracious action.
So unlike the Cretans who are “always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons,” Christians are to be submissive to the civil government, hardworking and peaceful citizens, and they are To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men (Titus 3:2).
So Christian conduct should look radically different from the unbelieving world around them. There should be an obvious difference between the light and the dark. However, lest we get too high on our horse as children of the light, Paul also wants us to constantly remember our former state, our former sins and ignorance, and the grace of God shown to us in spite of that ignorance and sin and the eternal damnation we all justly deserve.
And so the faithful saying that Titus must affirm constantly is that salvation is Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; [so] That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying…(Titus 3:5-8).
So that’s the content of what Titus and every Christian needs to keep front and center. Last week we said that this is the truth that makes us gentle and meek, patient and kind. And then in sharp contrast to this truth, which is most good and most profitable, there are all kings of falsity, diversions, and distractions that we must learn to avoid.
Here in verse 9 Paul lists 4 things for Titus (and every pastor and parishioner) to avoid:
1. Avoid foolish questions.
So yes, this means that not all questions are good questions. Some questions are bad. In 2 Timothy 2:23 Paul says likewise, But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
How do you determine if a question is good or foolish, wise or unlearned?
Well first ask yourself, “Will knowing the answer to this question increase my faith in God, my love for God and my neighbor, and my ability to be a blessing to others?”
If the question and answer does not have any relevance to the duties God has assigned to you, then there’s a pretty good chance it is either a foolish question, or just a question for another time, or for someone else to ask and answer because it is relevant to them. Knowledge is not equally profitable to every mind, a child often needs a very different answer than a grown adult.
And so we must be on guard that our quest for knowledge or new understanding, is not a distraction from the actual duties and clear commands we already know and understand.
A husband can spend his entire life learning to obey and do better at Ephesians 5:25, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.
And yet many husbands overlook what is most plain and clear and relevant to their own duties before God, and become fixated on doctrinal minutiae and debates, when what would really please God is turning off the TV, putting down the phone or the book, and holding their wife’s hand for a change, looking her in the eyes, and asking how is your soul?
There is a proper order to acquiring real knowledge. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, with obeying the clear commands of God, and only after that do we proceed to other matters.
As David says in Psalm 131, Lord, My heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
So we must be careful to avoid foolish questions, or searching out things too high for us.
2. The second thing Paul says to avoid is genealogies.
Again notice, this is a fixation upon what is less relevant in Scripture at the expense of what is most important. The Jews were known for memorizing lists of names from Abel to Zerubbabel, and yet they neglected and lacked knowledge of why those names mattered.
Jesus points out this same problem in Matthew 23:23, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
And so because Christ has come as the fulfillment, culmination, and end of the genealogies in Scripture, and because Christ is himself the Last Adam, and the head of a new humanity, debates about “who begat who,” and tracing your own bloodline to this tribe or that one is now irrelevant as far as the kingdom is concerned.
And so while there is a place for honoring and remembering our earthly fathers and mothers, baptism gives us a new identity and a new community in Christ, and that takes precedence and priority over everything else that we may ever discover about ourselves. It does not matter at all whether you have Abraham’s blood running through your veins, what matters is whether you have Abraham’s faith living in your heart.
As Paul says in Galatians 3:26-29, For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
So while carnal men and carnal women entangle themselves with things of the flesh, genealogies, blood and soil, the Christian is to avoid such fixations that distract from faith, that distract from Christ, and which only stir up identity politics, bitterness, and war. If the result of such “study” and “research” is you boasting in the flesh, or vilifying some people group, then it is by definition not of the Spirit. And such things Titus and everyone else should avoid.
3. & 4. The third and fourth thing to avoid are contentions, and strivings about the law.
This especially refers to squabbles over what you can eat and drink, touch or not touch, and which of the Jewish ceremonies were still binding on believers.
We learn from the church council in Acts 15 that this question was already debated and settled, and therefore it would be unprofitable and vain to rehash that same debate over and over again, rather than just obeying the decision that was determined.
Again, remember that the devil loves to distract you from obeying, by calling into question the Word of God. How did the serpent seduce Eve? By sowing doubt in her heart, “Did God really say?”
There is a time and a place to argue, debate, and defend the truth, but only if and when God has called you and equipped you to do that. Titus was a minister, and yet Paul says, avoid these kinds of strivings and contentions about the law, because they are a waste of time and will not profit anyone.
Moreover, the kinds of people who want to argue these things are warped in their mind. And the most loving thing to do for them is not argue, not engage them.
We need wisdom to know how to apply Proverbs 26:4-5, Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own conceit.
Debates with fools can easily consume hours of people’s time and attention and that without profit. Especially when what they should be doing is their God-given vocation, exercising dominion, raising their children, and serving others.
So if pastors and elders are to avoid these four things: foolish questions, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law, then how much more the rest of the congregation? If it is not profitable for Titus, it is definitely not profitable for you or me.
This bring us to our second question which is, How should Titus deal with the people who don’t listen, and who persist in what is unprofitable and vain.
Verses 10-11 – How should Titus deal with heretics?
10A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; 11Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
So notice that Paul is aiming at a kind of pastoral efficiency for Titus and the elders in Crete. He is insistent that they do not waste time debating with heretics, but rather warn them twice, and after that reject them.
Now here we might ask, what exactly is a heretic in this context?
This word for heretic could also be translated as a divisive man, or a schismatic, they are someone who causes division and usually is trying to gain followers for his own novel views.
Paul gives a similar warning about such people in Romans 16:17-18 he says there, Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
So a heretic is someone who seeks to divide the church and gain for themselves a following. They are often fixated on some secondary or tertiary doctrine, or have invented some new doctrine contrary to the faith once received (often it’s some weird view of marriage, sex, or eschatology), but of course they do it all in the name of “true Christianity,” or being “more biblical” than the apostles were. Beware of such people.
On the outside, these men are often likeable and persuasive, Paul says it is with good words and fair speeches that they deceive the hearts of the simple. They use Bible verses just like the Devil did. They are smooth talkers, confidence men.
And so the way you find out if someone is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or just a sheep who has been led astray by a wolf, is by confronting those errors and admonishing that person.
If they are obstinate and not teachable, you give them a second warning. And if they still refuse after that, Paul says mark and avoid them. This might be a public censure from the elders or presbytery, or it might be excommunication, but usually these people end up separating themselves from the body by their own choice, they avoid accountability, and then wander (like a wolf) around the fringes of the church.
So this is the biblical process for church discipline when someone is being divisive. We do not instantly kick them out, but after two warnings, they must be rejected.
Paul adds in verse 11 three common qualities of such divisive people. 1) They are subverted/perverted, meaning they have ruined themselves, they have abandoned the straight and narrow path of Christ. 2) They sinneth, not just any sin, but willfully and knowingly so because they’ve been admonished twice but have refused to repent. And then 3) he says such heretics are self-condemned. By dividing themselves from the “one holy catholic and apostolic church,” they witness to their own destruction. And it says in the WCF, they are now outside the church where “there is no ordinary possibility of salvation” (WCF 25.2)
Now one of the things I really appreciate about you as a congregation, is that you often ask us, me or one of the other elders about whether so and so is a sound teacher or not. And in these days of internet pastors, podcasts, platform builders, and the buffet of heresies that are just one click away (you thought pornography was bad, their soul destroying heretics all over YouTube) you need to be very careful who you follow and listen to.
As a general rule, if a person is not accountable to a real church with a real elder session that actually exercises real church discipline, that is at the very least a red flag.
Secondarily, if that person has a financial motive to generate traffic to their channel, there are now all kinds of perverse incentives to stir up controversy, to be provocative and edgy, just to game the algorithm. Again, that doesn’t automatically make someone a heretic, but it is something to factor in as to what someone’s real motives might be.
And then third, if that person does not meet those 16 qualifications to be a teacher in the church, in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, living above reproach, meek and gentle with all, then there’s a good chance something is off, and they may not be worth subjecting your soul to their instruction.
Summary: Titus and all of us are to avoid foolish questions that are vain and unprofitable. We are also to avoid divisive people (people who murmur and complain like Korah and his company did against Moses, and then were destroyed). Don’t become a divisive person, and don’t follow those who are contentious, or soon you will be divisive and contentious too.
As it says in Proverbs 22:24-25, Make no friendship with an angry man; And with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, And get a snare to thy soul.
This brings us to our third and final section of this chapter, and the end of this letter.
Verses 12-15 – How should Titus help other ministers?
12When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter. 13Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them. 14And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. 15All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Here we have an assortment of presbytery duties that are assigned to Titus.
In verse 12 we see that Paul is planning to send Artemas or Tychicus (he’s not sure yet which one) to replace Titus on Crete, so that Titus can then join Paul in Nicopolis for the winter.
This means that Titus’s days are numbered in Crete, and this would be another reason to not waste time on heretics and foolish questions. He has a bunch of elders he has to examine and ordain, false teachers to kick out, and whole lot of work to get done before winter.
In verse 13, Titus is told to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey, meaning pay for their expenses, give them lodging while they visit, replenish any needs they have so they can keep on going as ministers of the gospel.
This is something we try to do as a church when we have guest preachers visit us, or traveling evangelists like Keith Darrell. We want to show them hospitality, assist as we are able, and then send them on their way to keep preaching the truth.
In verse 14, Paul says that the church needs to have a kind of budget for these ministers, especially in a day without phones or email or knowledge of when exactly someone might arrive. In the ancient world there was no Air BnB, no cars or airplanes, and so traveling a was very dangerous and risky venture, especially by ship to an Island like Crete (as Acts 27 records for us).
And so Paul wants the church to maintain good works for necessary uses. Other translations have, And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need.
So are we prepared and budgeted for what God might send our way? Have we made plans and created margin for assisting those doing gospel work?
It says in Proverbs 10:4-5, A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. So what kind of son or daughter are you? Are you devoted to good works so that you have something to share with others?
We are likewise encouraged to be generous in Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 which says, Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
And then finally in verse 15, Paul gives salutations and the blessing of grace to all those that love us in the faith. And then he seals that blessing with the holy kiss of Amen. Let it be so.
Conclusion
And so as we close this sermon and this series in Titus, I want to ask you some questions that God has confronted us with throughout this small but punchy letter.
1. Does your life adorn your doctrine? Does the way you live harmonize with the truth you profess? Does your conduct make people want to believe the things you believe, Or does it turn them off to Christ and the church by how you present the truth?
Recall that Titus 2:10 told us to, adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
2. Do you know and are you aware of, what your particular sins and temptations are, and have you declared war on them? Remember how Paul addressed every man, every woman, old and young, servants and pastors, to acquire virtues and avoid vices that are common to our sex, age, and stage in life.
3. Are you being careful to maintain good works? Are you bearing fruit so that if an urgent need arises, you are ready and prepared to meet it?
Recall that Titus 2:14 says, that Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
All of us have many areas in which to grow, in our doctrine, in our zeal, in becoming more gentle and meek to all.
And what Paul wants you to remember and affirm constantly, wherever you are at in this journey, is that this is a journey of grace.
As it says in Psalm 32:10, Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
The gospel is not that “we are so good and look at how awesome we are,” it is that God is so good, God is so kind, and look at how awesome God is.
Our testimony to the world is that we ourselves were once very lost, we ourselves were not long ago miserable creatures, hating God and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.
God’s mercy is the only grounds of our boasting. And so may you say with the Apostle, and may you say with Jeremiah, let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord (Jer 9:24).
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: A Complete Salvation (Titus 3:1-8)

A Complete SalvationSunday, November 23rd, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WATitus 3:1–8
Prayer
Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and lovingkindesses, for they have been ever of old. Lead us now in thy truth, and teach us, for You are the God of our strength, and for You we have waited all the day. We ask now for Your Holy Spirit, through Christ Jesus our Lord, One God forever, Amen.
Introduction
In Matthew 5:5, the Lord Jesus proclaims to the world, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. And in Psalm 25:9-10 it says, The meek will he guide in judgment: And the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Last week we said that here in Titus 3, the Apostle is teaching us how to become meek and gentle even as Jesus was meek and gentle.
What is gentleness? Gentleness is that virtue of moderation that seasons us, tempers us, makes us courteous and kind. Gentleness transforms the inner spirit and attitude from which all our words and actions come forth.
And thus, it says in Proverbs 15:4, A gentle tongue is a tree of life.
And in Proverbs 15:1, A soft answer turneth away wrath.
So gentleness is like a filter that purifies the streams of our heart. Without it, we end up polluting ourselves and defiling the people around us.
And then connected with gentleness is this special virtue of meekness, which has as its goal and object the moderation of anger. Meekness curbs our natural desire for vengeance and keeps it within the bounds of God’s law. Meekness causes us to slow down and listen before making a snap judgment.
As we just heard from Psalm 25:9, Who is it that God guides in judgment and teaches his way? The meek.
Likewise in Proverbs 19:11 it says, The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression.
Without meekness we can easily become tyrants, bullies, passive aggressive or just active-aggressive. Without meekness we punish people from unjust anger rather than sincere love.
And if you are uncertain about which spirit you are of, James 3:14-17 gives us a picture of this difference between a meek person and a self-willed person. He says,But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Do you see the difference that meekness makes?
And so against the pettiness of our own flesh and the world outside, Paul says here in Titus 3:2 that Christians are, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. And so the question before us is this morning is: How do you acquire these virtues of gentleness and meekness, when you live in Crete (or America), with liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons as your neighbors and rulers? How can you not be angry all the time when people are promoting such evils in the public square, promoting abortion and the murder of the innocent, lauding sexual perversion and the corruption of children, and blaspheming our thrice Holy God who holds their life in His hands? Is this really the time for meekness and gentleness? Are such virtues even worth having in our day?
Well Paul has already anticipated our objections (our whattabouts and what ifs). Paul knows firsthand the evil and obstinance of the unbelieving world, of corrupt government officials, of false friends and deceivers inside the church and outside it. He has fought with beasts at Ephesus. He’s been stoned and imprisoned multiple times. He has been unjustly arrested and falsely accused as a “disturber of the peace.”And yet Paul has somehow not become jaded. He has not become insensitive or unfeeling; he has not lost his love or compassion for others.
Instead, he is able to say in 2 Timothy 2:10 with chains on his wrists, I endure all things for the sake of the elect that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Paul did not know who the elect were, but he knew the means by which God calls the elect to Himself, namely though the preaching of the Word. And so this he does.
He says likewise to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:23-24, 31, the Holy Spirit testifies [to me] in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God…Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
O to be like Paul, to be unmoved by trials and difficulty, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing. O to be like Paul, and to have counted all things as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ. Don’t you want that for yourself? Because God wants it for you. God wants you to be conformed to the pattern of Jesus so that your gentleness and meekness and joy can go undefeated.
So if you desire that (as you should), Paul explains how you can become that kind of person here in verses 3-8. And here he gives us four reminders that if you take to heart, will make you gentle and meek towards all.
Now the first reminder we considered last week is to remember your own weakness/fragility. Remember your life before you met Jesus. And if you’ve always known Jesus then just imagine what life would be like without Him. Paul says in verse 3, For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
And therefore, however evil and perverse that other person may be, or the world outside may be, that is the world of which you yourself were once a part. That is the world which you would still be living like, but for the grace of God. Moreover, that is the world that God so loved, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
So how do you conquer your anger issues? How do you overcome your bitterness towards your parents, your sibling, your spouse, your co-worker, or whoever? The Bible says, the first step is to acknowledge who you were without Jesus, who you are now with Jesus, and who you would be today apart from Jesus. Because if you can start to really see that other person you don’t like the way God sees them and God sees you, as a great sinner in need of greater mercy, then there is a place for meekness and gentleness to grow.
Now that’s just the first step towards meekness and probably the hardest one, “to know thyself truly and know thy sins really.” But we don’t stop there, because God does not stop there or leave us in our sins. What does He do?
This brings us to the outline of our text wherein Paul reminds us of the total salvation that God has wrought for us in Christ. And there are three glorious aspects to this salvation which He extols for us here in this text.
Outline of the Text
In verses 4-5a, Paul reminds us of the reason why God saved us.
In verses 5b-6, he reminds us of the instruments God uses to save us.
In verses 7-8, Paul reminds us of the evidence or results of God’s saving work.
Why does God save us, How does God save us, and What results from that salvation. These truths we need to be reminded of.
Verses 4-5a – Why did God save you?
4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.
First observe the source of your salvation, it is nothing less than the kindness and love of God. And because God is unchangeable (He says in Malachi 3:6, I am the Lord, I change not), therefore God’s essential love for you does not wax or wane, increase or decrease depending on the day of the week, or the hour.
Just as the clouds do not actually change or affects the sun’s heat or stop the sun’s shining from itself, just so your sins cannot stop God from loving you. What sin does is blind your eyes, obscures your vision, sin deceives you into thinking that God is something other than a God of pure love. This was the devil’s deception in the garden, and he never stops telling this lie: “God is not actually good.”
But against such demonic lies it says in 1 John 4:8, God is love. And in Numbers 23:19 lest we imagine God to be just like us it says, God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
And so to scatter those clouds of sin and deception that were obscuring our vision of Who God truly is, the Son of God came down from heaven to be the light of the world. As it says in John 1:4-5, In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
This is what Paul means when he says,the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared. What God always is, was, and shall be, appeared in a new and more powerful way by the incarnation of that God in the man Christ Jesus, in his life, his death, in his triumph over the grave. And so now wherever and whenever this gospel is preached and believed, there is a new appearance/epiphany of truth, of God’s love and kindness being made known.
This is the gospel of God, and it is the immoveable ground that made Paul unmoved in adversity. By believing this truth we cast our anchor in the most secure harbor: in Christ, in the love of God, in heaven where our hope and treasure remain.
And then lest we forget this holy ground and source of our salvation, Paul then refutes a common error. An error we too often mutter to ourselves, although we are usually too pious to ever say it out loud. And that error is to think something like, “Yah know, I’m a Christian, and I’m not really that bad, or at least I’m not as bad as him, or her. And God, He’s pretty blessed to have me as one of His people. I guess I kind of actually deserve this grace.”
Isn’t it amazing how quickly we can forget the absolute gratuitous nature of grace, that we did nothing to deserve it, quite the contrary, we did everything to not deserve it. What are the wages of sin? Death. Did you sin? Yes. What did God give you? Eternal life, forgiveness, the promise of resurrection glory. Does that follow given your sins? No, not unless grace has intervened.
It says in Romans 11:6, And if election is by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.
And so lest we ever forget the graciousness of grace, Paul says in verse 5, [salvation is], Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.
So to connect this back to becoming meek and gentle with others. How does this help us? If it was according to God’s mercy that He saved you, and not because of any inherent goodness or loveliness or actions on your part, then the only thing that separates you from an unbeliever is the mercy of God. And therefore, it would actually be unjust for you to not be merciful to them, when God has been abundantly merciful to you. Bceause to whom much has been given, much is required, and look at all that God has graciously given you?
Jesus says in Matthew 5:45, God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust alike. And so, be merciful, just as your Father in Heaven is merciful, then you will called a child of God.
Summary: This is the second step in becoming meek and gentle. First you remember your own sins, and second you remember the mercy God showed to you in spite of your sins.
This brings us then to verses 5b-6 where he answers the question…
Verses 5b-6 – How Does God Save Us? Or, What instruments does He use to bring our salvation about?
5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Observe the three instruments of God’s mercy:
1. The washing of regeneration
2. The renewing of the Holy Spirit
3. That Spirit is given through Jesus Christ our Savior
What is this washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost? This refers to baptism and all the spiritual realities God gives us in baptism.
Here Paul is describing the fulfillment of what was promised in Ezekiel 36:25-26 where God says, Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
What does God do for us and to us in baptism? He washes away our sins, He removes our iniquities, He gives us a new name, a new nature, so that we are as re-born, re-generated into spiritual children of God.
Recall what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:3, 5)
So when the Apostle Paul was converted, what did Ananias tell him? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).
And at Pentecost, what did the Apostle Peter proclaim to the Jews, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).
So baptism is not merely an external ritual of washing with water, it is also the interior washing away of your sins. And when your sins are washed away, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart, God makes His home within you, and as it says in 1 Corinthians 6:19, God makes your body to be a temple of the Holy Ghost. If you are baptized, what are you now? You are a sanctuary for God’s presence.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:11, But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
So consider then how unfitting it would be, to have God dwelling within you, the whole Trinity of persons sealed upon your forehead, and then as God’s holy sanctuary, to then go out and sin against someone else.
And so if you would become meek and gentle as Christ is, Paul says, first remember your fragility, second remember God’s mercy, and then third remember your baptism. Remember your regeneration and rebirth in the Spirit.
In Romans 6:2-4 it says says, How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
So if you still struggle with anger and impatience and other works of the flesh, then return to the truth of your baptism. Have you forgotten that your identity is Jesus, and that Jesus and sin are mortally opposed to one another? How long will you go on quenching the Holy Spirit, ignoring his inner promptings to stop compromising, to stop flirting with sin and to surrender to Jesus completely?
It says in Galatians 5, that gentleness and meekness are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, whereas the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
So what spirit are you of? The world, the flesh and the devil, or the Holy Spirit which was given you in baptism?
Finally, in verses 7-8, Paul tells us what results from our baptism.
Verses 7-8 – What are the results of our baptism?
7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Observe there are three results/effects of Christ baptizing us in the Holy Spirit.
1. First, we are made just by His grace.
2. Second, we are made heirs of eternal life.
3. Third, we are made careful to maintain good works.
You can see also the pattern here of faith, hope, and love.
By faith we are justified and enabled to live a life of justice, rendering to God the worship and honor due to him, and to our neighbor the debt of love.
And then what grows from that gift of faith is hope: That we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. As it says in 1 Peter 1:4, He hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
And then because our hope is secure in heaven, love compels us to be careful to maintain good works. Because by them we do what is good and profitable for everyone.
This is the divine logic of why we, speak evil of no man, are no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Conclusion
So as we close I want you to think about that person (or persons) you struggle to be patient with. Who do you need supernatural strength to love, with meekness and gentleness? And then go through these four reminders:
1. Remember the old you, and all your sins.
2. Remember God’s mercy to you in spite of your sins.
3. Remember your baptism, and all that it signifies.
4. Remember the promise and future hope that awaits you, eternal life.
God says these things I will that you remember and affirm constantly. And so may we, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: Saving Our Former Selves (Titus 3:1-8)

Saving Our Former SelvesSunday, November 16th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WATitus 3:1–8
Prayer
Lord God Almighty, our heart and our flesh cries out for You the living God. And so flood our souls now with a fresh awareness of Your mercy. Grant that in hearing Your Word preached we may taste and know the sweetness of salvation, the salvation You have wrought for us in Christ, for the glory of the Trinity, One God Forever, Amen.
Introduction
We’ve made it to chapter 3 in Paul’s letter to Titus and we are on the home stretch now towards finishing this little book together. Now, do you remember what the major theme of this book has been? Early on we said that Titus is all about the marriage between sound doctrine and sound living, between right belief and right action.
While many people try to divide and divorce truth from reality, faith from practice, a Christian must not separate what God has joined together. Yes, we can distinguish the truth in our heads from the actions of our hands, but what God wants for you is a life that is united in one single purpose.
As it says in Psalm 86:11, Unite my heart to fear Thy name.
And in 1 Timothy 1:5 it says, Now the end/goal/purpose of the commandment is charity [love] out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.
So unless you are loving God with singleness of heart, and loving one another for God’s sake, you have not yet internalized the faith that you profess. Paul says in Galatians 5:6 that, “the only faith that counts for anything, is the faith that works by love.”
And so for the first two chapters of this book, Paul has been showing us HOW faith works by love in all the different arenas of our life.
In chapter 1 we saw how faith works by love in the Church and its government. We had multiple sermons on Presbyterianism and the qualifications to be a presbyter/bishop.
And then in chapter 2 we saw how faith works by love in the Home, in our household relationships. We had sermons for old men, old women, young women, young men, and servants.
And now here in Titus chapter 3, Paul teaches us how faith works by love in the Wider World outside, especially in our relationship with the civil government, and unbelievers who we may not like.
And so I have titled this sermon, “Saving Our Former Selves,” because as we will see in these verses before us, the way we live in this world toward unbelievers can either be a stumbling block to them ever coming to Christ, or our lives can be the means by which God brings them into the fold. So with that in mind let me give you the outline of our text.
Outline of the Text
This morning our focus will just be on verses 1-3, and then next week we will take up verses 4-8.
In verse 1, God tells us how to live under civil government.
In verse 2, we are told how to live with people who are evil.
In verse 3, we are given the reason why for our living graciously towards all.
Verse 1 – How do you live under civil government?
1Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
First observe that Paul charges Titus to “put them in mind.” That is,remind the church in Crete of everything I am about to say. They’ve been told this before and they need to hear it again.
Why? Because we are forgetful creatures. We are those people who can walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, eat miracle food from heaven, drink miracle water from a rock, and then five minutes later say we want to go back to Egypt, “O how slavery would be so much better than this.”
Of such sinful nostalgia Ecclesiastes 7:10 warns us saying, Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.
And so God warns us of both 1) forgetting His gracious actions and commandments, and 2) also ofcommitting the “grass is greener” fallacy.
Sure, maybe some things were better back then (leaks and onions and Egyptian vegetables), but many things were probably worse (making bricks without straw seven days a week).
Our memories are highly selective and often unreliable. Jeremiah 17:9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? And Psalm 19:12 says, Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.
And so really the only safe path to take given our fallen and finite state, is to remember God, to keep His word constantly before our eyes, and then to be faithful to that Word in the here and now (the present!).
The Babylonian King Belshazzar was rebuked by Daniel for his pride and forgetfulness. And so after Daniel re-tells to him the story of his father Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion, he says to Belshazzar, the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways you have not glorified! And it was that very night, that Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans was slain (Daniel 5:30).
It says likewise in Psalm 9:17, The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.
And so we must not forget the God who is the very life of our soul. We must not forget the way He has told us to live, in the church, in our marriages, in our parenting, and in the world.
And so Paul says here in verse 1,put them in mind, remind the church, and then he repeats himself again in verse 8 saying, these things I want you to affirm constantly.
So what is Paul doing in this this section of Titus? He’s putting everything in “bold letters.” This is important to remember.
Now there are three reminders here in verse 1 that Paul says need to be constantly affirmed, and they are:
1) Be subject to principalities and powers,
2) Obey magistrates,
3) Be ready to every good work
So unlike the Jews, who had a history of stirring up rebellions against the government, Rome (or whoever was over them), and unlike the Cretans, who themselves had a history of insurrections, seditions, and murders under the Roman yoke, Christians are to be good subjects of whatever civil powers they find themselves under. This means obeying their lawful commands, and only ever refusing to submit when they command us to sin.
Practically, this means first acknowledging what Romans 13:1 declares to be true, that there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Meaning, God is sovereign over every square inch of this earth, there is no power outside of Him, and all powers in heaven and earth are subject to Him. And this includes evil rulers, pagan emperors, and reprobate Pharaohs.
As Jesus said to Pilate’s face in John 19:11, You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.
This was true in the New Testament and Old Testament alike, as Daniel declares in Daniel 2:21 saying,God changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings.
And so obeying and submitting to our civil powers, begins with acknowledging the Sovereign who rules over them, and to whom they (and we) must give an account. And because the government’s authority is derivative, delegated, and limited by God’s law, Christians can live in subjection and obedience to them, knowing that our obedience is ultimately to Christ.
And so when people try to deny the authority of the civil government, what they end up denying in practice is the sovereignty of the God who placed them there.
Who was it that allowed Babylon to rise and to fall? God.
Who was it who allowed Egypt to oppress and enslave the Israelites? God.
Who is it who holds the past, present, and future of our nation in His hands? It is God.
It says in Proverbs 21:1, The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever he will.
This truth should be of great comfort to us, regardless of who is presently in office. If God could turn the most powerful man on earth into a beast (as he did with Nebuchadnezzar), if God could convert pagan idolaters and turn them into guardians of His people (as Daniel’s visions relay), then of course God can change the hearts of our leaders. God can make them to serve Him in holiness and fear as Psalm 2 commands.
Summary: The biblical view of civil government is not that it is a necessary evil, but rather that it is a necessary good to restrain evil. This is why in Romans 13:2, Paul goes on to say, Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
So while there are no perfect or sinless earthly authorities or governments, there are also no perfect and sinless fathers, husbands, or masters. And yet what does God still command in His Word?
That children submit to and obey their imperfect and sinful parents.
That wives submit to and obey their imperfect and sinful husbands.
That servant submit to and obey their imperfect and sinful masters.
And that Christians submit to and obey the imperfect and sinful civil government.
Whatever complaints we may have about our national, state, and local leaders, similar complaints and more could be lobbed at Caesar, Rome, and the Cretan mayor. It was under Rome after all that the only sinless and perfect man to ever walk the earth was unjustly executed (He was crucified under Pontius Pilate). And yet still God tells His people immediately after that, to still obey and submit to those civil authorities.
Now we need to remember in all of this the goal of our submission.
It is as 1 Timothy 2:2 says, So that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
In other words, we want peaceful conditions for gospel work. We want time and space for the leaven of the truth to work through the loaf of society.
It says in 1 Peter 2:13-17, Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
So does your attitude and conduct towards the unbelieving civil government reflect this conviction? That God is ruler over them, that God can change them in an instant, and that the powers that be are only there because God has permitted them to be there. Moreover, when they are evil it is for our chastisement and discipline.
Calvin says that, “a wicked prince is the Lord’s scourge to punish the sins of the people, let us remember, that it happens through our fault that this excellent blessing of God [referring to civil government] is turned into a curse.” A wicked people deserves wicked rulers, and we are not a God-fearing land anymore.
So do you pray for your government more than you complain about them? Because God is not mocked, a land will reap what it sows. And so the church must intercede and pray for men like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be elevated to high station.
We ourselves should desire to become excellent in our work, doing good works, so that Proverbs 22:29 comes to pass which says, Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings.
Men like Daniel and Joseph were excellent at their work, godly, wise, and virtuous, and because of this God elevated them to high station and influence.
So in verse 1 Paul says, Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. And then in verse 2, he describes what our words and actions should be towards the civil magistrate, and everyone else.
Verse 2 – How do you live amongst people you may not like?
[Put them in mind] To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Here we have two prohibitions followed by two exhortations, and they are all universal, meaning they apply to all people at all times in all places.
That means this includes what you say in your text messages, emails, group chats, and on social media. Wherever you communicate with others, these four rules apply.
The two prohibitions are:
1) Speak evil of no man, that is, don’t slander, don’t gossip, don’t lie, don’t intend to harm anyone with your words to them, or about them.
2) Be no brawlers, that is, don’t be quarrelsome and argumentative. Don’t be combative with people who think differently than you. Don’t be that contrarian who always has to have the last word and does not know when to keep silent.
Against such people it says Proverbs 29:11, A fool uttereth all his mind: But a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
And in Proverbs 18:6-7 it says, A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calleth for blows. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul.
So unlike the fool who fights and runs his mouth, what should a wise Christian be?
Here we have the two positive exhortations:
1) Be gentle, that is, be moderate and mild in all your words and conduct.
2) Show all meekness unto all men.
What is meekness? Meekness is that virtue that moderates/curbs anger so that you can judge justly what is due to another. Anger is that passion that can obscure our reason, and so we need meekness in order to be just and fair.
This is why in Galatians 6:1, Paul says Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
So observe again there are no exceptions to who we must be gentle with and meek towards. Exactly how that gentleness and meekness should be manifest will differ depending on the circumstances (who the person is, what their crimes are, etc.), but as always Jesus is our example, and Jesus says in Matthew 11:29, I am meek and lowly in heart, and then that same gentle Jesus later pronounced woes on the Pharisees and overturned the tables of the moneychangers, and all while remaining meek and lowly.
So zeal is not contrary to gentleness. Strength is not opposed to meekness. The scribes and Pharisees deserved more chastisement than they got from Christ. Jesus was being merciful in his justice, denouncing them only insofar as was good for them and to those around them.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:5, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth,
And Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:24-26, the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
So note the goal and purpose of our meekness, it is so that people will stop opposing themselves and the God we love. It says in Proverbs 15:1, A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. And so we want to maintain meekness and gentleness because we are representing a God who is meek and gentle.
Now all of us could stand to grow in this area. We all have someone (or many people) in our lives who we find it hard to be gentle and meek towards.
Maybe it’s your spouse, or your children, maybe it’s a coworker or a friend. Maybe it’s your in-laws or a relative that you just struggle to get on with.
Whatever the case, how do you become more gentle and meek towards those people.
Paul gives us the answer, starting in verse 3, and continuing through verse 8. So as we conclude we will just consider the first part of Paul’s answer, which could be summarized as, remember your own weakness.
Verse 3 – Why are we gentle and meek towards others?
3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
Look at the person you used to be. Look at the person you still are today (even with God’s grace, look at how much sin still remains in you!).And now imagine for moment, your life apart from Christ. Imagine who you would be, where you would be, what your life would be like if you never met Jesus.
Many of us would be dead, divorced, homeless, strung-out drugs, alienated from our families and friends, drowning in misery with no way out.
Some of us would be extremely wealthy, rich and powerful, and enjoying the spoils of worldly success. Some of us would think we had “made it,” gained the world, only to lose our soul.
Paul says we also, we ourselves (speaking from his experience), used to be estranged from God, breathing out threats and murder, deceiving ourselves, numbing our minds and bodies, trying to get rid of that hollowness we feel, the anger, the shame and the stain on our soul.
Who would you be apart from Jesus? A child of the devil, believing and spreading his lies.
That thought of you are apart from Jesus, should both terrify you and make you far more compassionate and patient with others.
This is what will make you more gentle and mild: Having a sober estimation of yourself, your former life, and God’s gentleness and mildness towards you (then and now). If we forget that, we are the man in Jesus’ parable who was forgiven an insurmountable and unpayable debt, only to turn around and demand that everyone give us our due.
Conclusion
In Luke 7 Jesus is dining with Simon the Pharisee, and a woman comes in and starts to wash his feet with her tears. Simon in his mind looks down on this woman, this capital S “Sinner.” And Jesus says to Simon: “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Do you know how much God loves you? Do you see just how much God has forgiven you, “your sins which are many!”? Because Jesus says, to that extent, is how much you will love God in return, and from that love for God, also love those fellow sinners you may not like.
So behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, who took away your sins. Behold the spotless lamb, meek and mild, silent before his shearers. This is the God who came down to die for you, and so will you not love Him and obey Him in return?
IN the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: From Grace to Grace to Grace (Titus 2:11-15)

From Grace to Grace to GraceSunday, November 9th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WATitus 2:11-15
Prayer
Father, we praise You for the grace You have given through Your Only Begotten Son. We thank You for sending the Holy Spirit into our hearts, the same Spirit who authored and breathed forth the Holy Scriptures, and through which we are taught and led to eternal life. Please renew now our faith and joy in knowing You, as we hear Your Word preached, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
This morning, we are picking back up in Paul’s letter to Titus. And after giving everyone in the church a list of things to work on, vices to avoid, virtues to pursue, we come now to this most beautiful doctrinal interlude. An interlude that contains within it the totality of grace in the Christian life.
Here in verses 11-15 Paul extols the appearance of God’s grace in the past, He magnifies that grace which continues in the present, and then he lifts our minds to the consummation of grace which we shall possess and enjoy in the future.
And so I have titled our sermon this morning From Grace to Grace to Grace, because when you love Jesus, and when you walk with Jesus in the power of the Spirit, everything in life can be received as grace.
As Paul says in Romans 8:28, All things conspire (work together) for our good to them that love God and are the called according to His purpose. And what is that purpose God intends for you, His saints? That we might be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:29).
And so you can consider the first two chapters of Titus up to this point, as describing what true conformity to Jesus looks like in practice. Paul has described what this looks like if you are a Bishop/Elder, an older man, an older woman, a younger woman, a younger man, or even a slave/bondservant.
No matter who you are, regardless of your age, your sex, your education, your station in life, high or low, God has a plan to conform you to His Son. The same Son who is the king and heir and ruler of all creation.
This means that faith in Christ joins you to the royal bloodline.
As it says in Revelation 5:9-10, And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
And in 1 Peter 2:9 it says, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
So when you were baptized into Christ, and took the name Christian, which means “little Christ,” “little anointed one,” “saint,” you became a co-heir with Christ, a royal son or daughter, and that means, you must learn now to walk the same royal road that Jesus did.
Where did that road begin? In Bethlehem, with humble beginnings, with persecution and poverty, fear and flight. That road then led to years of obscurity in Nazareth, humble and hidden. Until the time appointed when Christ’s public ministry began, and the Most High Son of God became the most lowly servant of all.
As it says in Philippians 2:8, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
This is where the royal road leads, up to Golgotha, down into the Hades, and only then to the ascent of glory and resurrection. There is no crown for those who carry no cross.
As Jesus says in Luke 9:23, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Now if that sounds hard, or even impossible with your natural strength, you are absolutely right. No one can follow Jesus, carrying their cross to the end, unless a supernatural power is given. The Bible calls this supernatural power grace. Grace in its most general sense is: God’s action in man that leads us to salvation. Grace is therefore an effect of God’s mercy, something given to us that is undeserved, and apart from receiving that grace, there is no hope for anyone.
And so this morning I want us to consider how grace enables us (animates us) to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. And so I’ve divided our text into three sections.
Outline of the Text
In verse 11 we have The Appearance of Grace.
In verses 12-13 we have The Instruction of Grace.
In verses 14-15 we have The Operation of Grace.
So with that outline in mind let us now walk through our text together.
Verse 11 – The Appearance of Grace
11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
First observe that by this word “For” or “Because,” Paul establishes that God’s grace is the foundation and the reason why Christians live differently from the world (grace is the ground of all holiness and the only soil where salvation can grow).
In verse 10, just prior, he had told servants not to purloin/steal, but rather to show all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. And so now he is giving us that doctrine of God our Savior which grounds all our good works.
Second, observe that God’s grace has now appeared to all men.
This is not to say that God used to be really mean and strict, but now He’s relaxed and lightened up a bit. No, God has always been and always will be unchangeably gracious and merciful.
It says in Psalm 36:5, Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
It says in Psalm 136 again and again, His mercy endures forever.
And every week we hear from Psalm 103 which says, The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy….The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children.
And so do not ever think that God’s nature or essence has ever changed or can change. No, God is unchangeably and everlastingly good. That one who calls himself, “I AM THAT I AM.” HE IS VERY GOODNESS ITSELF.
However, just as the serpent deceived Eve by calling into question God’s authority and goodness (“Did God really say?” “Why would God forbid such a good-looking fruit?), so also for many years after the devil blinded men to the truth about God.
As it says in Romans 1:21-25, Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
So while God was always shining in grace and goodness towards men, as people like Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, and the patriarchs attest, the majority of the world preferred the darkness of sin. They preferred to believe a lie about God, and worshipped idols. And it is in this sense that God’s grace had not yet appeared to all men like it would when Christ would come. The sun was always shining, but the clouds of sin had not yet parted.
And so it says in Galatians 4:4-5, But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
And therefore, the first words of Jesus public ministry in Mark’s gospel are, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
The coming of God the Son into this world, to preach and live and die and rise, is how God’s grace is made apparent to all men. As that great motto of the reformation announced: After Darkness Light.
And in the wonderful Christmas hymn, the Sussex Carol, “All out of darkness we have light,Which made the angels sing this night:“Glory to God and peace to men,Now and for evermore, Amen!”
Summary: The incarnation of God, and the death of Christ upon the cross, is how grace is manifested in a new way, a way more explicit, more undeniable, more clear to our dull minds and senses, and it is that good news of great joy (of Christmas day and Easter morning) that shatters the lie of the devil that God is not actually good, that God is not actually present and active and concerned for this world.
And so if you ever doubt or wonder, “Is God gracious,” “Is God merciful?” read the gospels! Look at God in the face of Jesus Christ. Look at the cross, look at his sufferings, look at the empty tomb! Because if you believe that Christ is risen from the dead, you will be saved. And it is that light of faith that scatters the darkness.
Now if that is the Appearance of God’s grace in the past, what then does this grace teach us in the present?
Verses 12-13 – The Instruction/Teaching of Grace
12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
When you are baptized, you are enrolled whether you like it or not, into the School of Grace. In this school Christ is the Headmaster, He has rules you must keep, but always there is grace sufficient to help you.
Never does Christ command us to do anything that is not for our good. And here Paul sets forth the entire moral system of Christ’s School of Grace in just two verses. So what does grace teach us?
First, that you must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. That is, You must leave your sinful baggage at the door.
As it says in Colossians 3:3, you died, and are now hidden with Christ in God.
And in Ephesians 4:20-24 it says, remember how you learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
So to deny ungodliness is to renounce every sin you have ever committed against God (and anyone else), and to resolve fresh each day to avoid repeating those sins, and in the event that you stumble, you confess them to God immediately, running to Him as your gracious Father in heaven.
Now once you have denied and renounced the devil and all his works, you must then affirm and pursue the new life Christ has for you. And this life consists of three things, Paul says, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.
First, we live soberly in relation to ourselves. This means subordinating our will to God’s will, our mind to God’s mind, and our lower passions to that renewed mind and will within us.This is how we live soberly in the fear of God.
Second, we are to live righteously, or justly towards others. This means doing what Paul says in Romans 13:8, 10, Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law…Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
And as Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness (or justice); and all these things shall be added unto you.
So we are to be sober in relation to ourself, we are to be just/righteous in our relation to others, and then….
Third, we are to live godly in relation to God.
It says in 1 Timothy 4:7-8, train yourself unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth a little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
So godliness is the life and joy of heaven begun on earth here and now, in the present world.
But how do you enjoy this heavenly life during your earthly sojourn in this valley of tears? Well verse 13 tells us. It is by Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
What is this blessed hope? This blessed hope consists primarily in two things:
1. The souls’ glory in seeing God.
2. The body’s glory at the final resurrection.
Of this first glory of the soul, Paul says in Philippians 1:21-24, For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
And in 1 John 3:2-3 it says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
So while eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, what God has in store for those who love Him, what we do know is that: 1) it is far better to be with Christ in Heaven than to be here, and 2) that we when see Him face to face, we shall be like Him. His glory will radiate through our soul, perfecting us.
As Hebrews 12:22-23 describes it, But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect.
The saints in heaven are perfect in happiness, content in God, and reigning triumphant with Him. In heaven there is no fear, no disturbance, no sorrow, no pain. Only the pleasant enjoyment of the Holy Trinity, of the man Christ Jesus, of communion with myriad upon myriad of angelic hosts, and friendship with every elect saint who has departed.
Jesus portrays this heavenly reunion in Matthew 8:11 saying, Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
So imagine talking with Noah, Daniel, Job, Paul. Sharing conversation with your loved ones who died in the Lord, meeting the children who died in miscarriage or childbirth, whom Christ has welcomed into his bosom.
All the things that don’t make sense now, shall be understood then. And it is that heavenly feast with billions of beatified souls, that awaits those who look to that blessed hope.
Moreover, that glory of the souls in heaven is not the end of the story, but only the intermediate state as we await the second coming, the final judgment, and the receiving of a new and imperishable body.
Of this blessed hope of resurrection, it says in 1 Corinthians 15:41-53, There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when are you feeling glum, depressed, discouraged by how hard and painful this life is. Lift your eyes to this blessed hope that awaits you. Beg God to give you a heavenly perspective on your earthly woes so that you can endure them with joy and finish your race well.
It says in Romans 8:24, For we are saved by hope.
And in 1 Peter 1:3, that according to His abundant mercy [God] hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
So Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in. (Psalm 24:9).
So God’s grace has appeared in Christ, God’s grace teaches us to live in hope with Christ, and then finally in verses 14-15 we see how grace operates through Christ.
Verses 14-15 – The Operation of Grace
14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
So how does grace operate within us?
First, it redeems us from the bondage of sin. Christ pays the debt we owe to God’s justice, and frees us from the guilt and eternal punishment we deserve.
Second, Christ purifies us unto himself. That is, he actually renews our nature and cleanses the very essence of our soul. So that no longer is there is a stain on our conscience, and an inability to do what pleases Him. Instead, we are given a new heart, a new spirit, that wants to please God, wants to do right, and more and more gains mastery over our the flesh.
Later in Titus 3 Paul will describe conversion in this way saying, According to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
So when God gives saving grace, He actually changes us at the deepest levels of our being. While we were born dead in sin, incapable of saving ourselves, God from love chose to resurrect us. He gives us grace to begin the Christian life, and He gives us grace to finish.
And so the mark of a born-again Christian, living in grace, is that we are zealous for good works.
Meaning, we don’t merely do good things reluctantly, or indifferently, with a sluggish attitude. But we do good works with zeal for God burning in our hearts.
We are zealous for good works because God is zealous for us.We do good to all because God is good to all.And as Jesus says in Luke 6:35-36,But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
So have you been born again? Does zeal for God and good works and mercy towards others describe the default attitude of your heart?
If not, then remember the infinite debt of sin that God has forgiven you. Remember how patient, gracious, and kind He has been to you, even when you were obstinate and blind.
There is a reason Paul charges in Titus in verse 15 saying, These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. And that is because we are constantly in need of reminders of grace.
We need to be reminded of the appearance of grace, the teaching of grace, the operation of grace and how it looks in practice.
It says in Hebrews 3:13, But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
And so are you receiving daily exhortation from the word of God? Are you meditating day and night upon the law of the Lord? Are you filling your mind with thoughts of heaven, that cloud of witnesses, the saints gone ahead, the Last Adam, the man from heaven, whom you shall stand before and give an account for every careless word? Are you living in the light of eternity, or has the darkness of sin obscured your vision and dampened your soul?
We all need to be stirred up each day to love and good works, to fresh zeal and new hope.
Conclusion
I close with a quote from Martin Luther, who commenting on verse 15 exhorts us all to keep the Word of Christ constantly before our eyes. He says,
“They think that the devil is dead, and they do not know their domestic enemy, who goes about [as a lion seeking someone to devour]. Therefore the flesh snores daily. It has new laws, contrary to faith and love. Therefore one must not stop teaching and exhorting with the same Word, because Satan harasses us every day with his flaming darts (Eph. 6:16). Those who are not harassed are possessed. Therefore every Christian has trials every day. His faith, his hope, and his chastity are tried. What are we to do? Let us teach, let us expound, let us inculcate the Word, let us exhort. Holy Scripture has this grace, that it does not teach in vain. If only one opens the Book attentively, it does not depart without fruit but sets a man straight, purges away his evil thoughts, and brings in good ones. If the evil thoughts return, let him open the Book again. Therefore, Scripture is called in Romans 15:4, a book of patience.”
May God grant that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: Young Men & Servants (Titus 2:6-10)

Young Men & ServantsSunday, October 19th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WATitus 2:6-10
Prayer
O Father, we hate vain thoughts, but Thy law do we love. Before You afflicted us we went astray, but now being corrected by Your discipline, we do keep Your word with a whole heart. So teach us now Thy statutes, Thy testimonies, which are our delight. Through Christ Jesus our Lord who reigns together with the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end, Amen.
Introduction
In our Lord’s famous Sermon on the Mount, he warns in Matthew 7 about the danger of judging the sins of others. He says in Matthew 7:1-2, Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And then he goes on to tell us that the only way to judge your brother rightly, is by first seeing yourself rightly, and that requires looking into the mirror of God’s law, judging yourself strictly and honestly by that law, and then repenting of whatever sins you have committed against that law.
Jesus puts it this way in Matthew 7:3-5, And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
So according to Jesus, there is a right order in which judgments should be rendered. First, we must judge ourselves and remove the sins that obscure our vision (the planks), and only then can we see clearly to help someone else with their lesser sins (the specks).
Now what Paul has been doing here in Titus chapter 2, is telling all the different classes of people in the church, where they ought to look first to find and remove the planks in their eye.
Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has been listing the common virtues we ought to pursue, the common vices we ought to avoid, and pointing out the unique tendencies and temptations of older men, older women, younger women, and now this morning younger men and servants.
And so we can consider this chapter as a kind of checklist for our own self-examination, and a pointer to help us do what that great sentence in the Westminster Confession of Faith declares, “Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man’s duty to endeavor to repent of his particular sins particularly” (WCF 15.5).
What Titus 2 is all about is giving us a starting point to find our particular sins, not to condemn us, but so that we can be set free from our favorite shackles and chains and prison cells, so that we can confess our sins to God, and then be able to see God and our neighbor more clearly.
Remember how Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount. He starts by telling us what a life of beatitude in a fallen world consists of. He says, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (Matt 5:3-8).
The person who wants to see God, has to start by seeing the real ugliness of their own sin. For only then can we begin to appreciate that God came down in Christ to die for our sins, to save us from our sins. And only then can we move from pursuing what is right, not as slaves from the fear of punishment, but as sons of God and from love for our savior.
This is what Paul means when he says in Titus 2:10 that the whole underlying rational for our repentance, and our good works, and our pursuit of virtue is so: that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. So does your life bring glory and honor to Christ, or does it give the world cause to blaspheme and reproach Him?
Through this letter, Paul has been flagging and tagging different parts, groups, and members of the body, and this morning he continues his diagnostic with an exhortation to young men and to servants.
Outline of the Text
Our text divides into four basic sections, but only three of them will we treat this morning.
In verse 6, Paul charges the young men to be sober minded.
In verses 7-8, he charges Titus to be an example to the younger men.
In verses 9-10, he charges servants to be obedient to their masters.
And then in verses 11-15 which will be a future sermon, Paul extols the grace of God in Christ.
Verse 6 – A Charge for Young Men
6Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
This virtue of sobriety (σωφρονέω) is a virtue that Paul assigns to every class of people in the church. Back in Titus 1:8 he made it a qualification for a bishop/elder. He assigned it the older men in Titus 2:2, to the older women and younger women in Titus 2:4 and 2:5, and now this is the one thing he charges the younger men to focus on: be sensible, be sober minded.
We said that this Greek word σώφρων/σωφρονέω, can be translated many ways but it captures the idea of being thoughtful, self-controlled, prudent, discrete, and temperate. It is a moral virtue of the mind that governs and directs our thoughts, our words, our passions and actions. To be sober is to know what is right and pleasing in the eyes of God and then to subject your will and bodily appetites to God’s will.
Now the sins that militate against this virtue are legion. But I will just highlight a few that tend to ensnare young men.
It says in Proverbs 18:16, Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
And in Romans 12:3 Paul contrasts the pride of conceit with sobriety saying, For I say…to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly.
So young men, we all tend to think far too highly of ourselves, far too often of ourselves, and imagine that the world exists to serve us and our pleasures. We think too much about what other people owe us, and we tend to think too little and too lowly about others and what we owe them. This is the narcissism and conceit of immaturity, and we must all grow out of this.
Pride is that great sin that blinds us (obscures our vision), and it is the first plank we ought to confess to God regularly, daily, frequently, and often. Underneath almost all other sins you can find this sin of having an inflated view of self, it is why we exaggerate the faults of others while minimizing our own.
Pride avoids taking ownership, except when doing so will make us look good. And so heed the words of Jesus who said in Matthew 23:12, Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; but he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
With humility is honor, and God promises in Psalm 138:6, Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.
Some of the other common sins that war against sobriety are: laziness, lack of diligence and follow through, procrastinating, complaining, making excuses when things are hard or are taking longer than we would like, being impulsive, being self-willed rather than seeking and heeding godly counsel. And on and on I could go.
The book of Proverbs is really the handbook that young men should be keeping upon their chest. You ought to be reading Proverbs every day as a young man, because in it is all kinds of encouragement to build and channel your strengths, and all kinds of warnings and cautionary tales for what to avoid (foolish friends, liars, thieves, the easily angered, the seductive woman and more).
It says in 1 John 2:14, I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
So young men, you are the future, God made you strong and aggressive and powerful for a reason, because He wants you to lead. But you need the wisdom of God’s Word and godly examples to direct that strength for good and not evil. Consider a few examples:
It says in Proverbs 28:20, A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
So don’t gamble, don’t go to the casino, don’t bet on sports, or try any other get rich quick schemes. God will not bless it in the end. Instead find honest work that you can become excellent at.
It says in Proverbs 12:24 says, The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: But the slothful shall be under tribute.
And Proverbs 22:29 says, Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; He shall not stand before mean men.
So young men, amongst whom I count myself, get wisdom from Proverbs, get wisdom from older godly men, for as God himself tells us in Proverbs 4:7, Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: And with all thy getting get understanding.
It is this supernatural wisdom that teaches us to be sober.And it says in Proverbs 19:8,He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: He that keepeth understanding shall find good.
And in Psalm 34:12-14 it says, Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
This is the sober life that God blesses and rewards if you will patiently seek Him.
This brings us to verses 7-8 where Paul charges Titus to be an example to the younger men. Proverbs is good, but we also need to see Proverbs enfleshed, incarnated, lived out, and this is where elders especially should be a good example to the young men.
Verses 7-8 – A Charge for Titus to be an Example
7In all things shewing thyself a pattern (type) of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, 8Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
So here Titus is charged to both live well and preach well. In living the elders ought to aspire to be examples of good works. And because doctrine/teaching is our most public work and duty, Paul says we need to especially take care that four things characterize our teaching.
1. First, our doctrine is to be without corruption. Meaning the content of what we preach is the pure and undefiled Word of God, and that not mixed with falsehood or mere opinion.
2. Second, that our teaching is with gravity. Meaning it is firm, weighty, reliable, immoveable.
It says in 1 Peter 1:24-25, For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
So the Word is weighty in a world that is vain, and therefore our preaching and lives should reflect that weight of glory we proclaim.
3. Third, our teaching is to be with sincerity. Meaning we are honest, upright, without flattery or deceit. If God’s Word says it, we have to say it, even if you we know you don’t want to hear it.
This is why Paul says in Galatians 1:10, For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. God’s servants must be sincere.
4. Fourth, our doctrine is to be with sound speech that cannot be condemned. Meaning our preaching can be crosschecked and verified by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Moreover, we do our best to not give any unnecessary offense or intentionally try to scandalize our hearers.
It says in Romans 1:16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
And so while we try to not offend anyone by our words or lives, we also recognize that truth is offensive to liars, light is offensive to the darkness. And so we want our light to shine brightly, in gravity, sincerity, and truth. And so that as Paul says in verse 8, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
Our lives and doctrine should shame our adversaries.
Verses 9-10 – A Charge to Servants
9Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; 10Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
In the original context, servants (δούλους) here almost certainly refers to what we would today call slaves, or bondservants, and these were often people who had no choice about who their master was, or where and how they earned their keep. And in some cases, they would never have an opportunity to be free, they were the lifelong property of their masters.
Now it is one the great blessings and effects of the gospel that this kind of slavery is no longer prevalent in our land, but it can also dull the force and power of these exhortations if we forget the state of these slaves to whom Paul was writing.
Paul is addressing people who for whatever reason (whether justly or unjustly) have little to no choice or opportunity to be their own master.
Perhaps the closest modern equivalent would be the person who has no economic upward mobility, they are wage slaves, or debt slaves, or they are stuck in a dead-end job. Or perhaps you still owe years of service to the military or some corporation. Whatever the case, God has a special word to those who feel trapped at the bottom of the economic totem pole. And what is that word?
He gives 3 specific exhortations:
1. Be obedient (or submissive) to your own master, and to please them well in all things.
This means obeying cheerfully and promptly all their lawful commands, and the only exception is if they command you to sin. So yes, you must not obey if they tell you to lie, or steal, or do something dishonest, but that is because both you and they have a master above them, namely God to whom you both will give account.
Paul repeats this command in Ephesians 6:5 and Colossians 3:22 saying, Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.
And again in 1 Timothy 6:1 he says, Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
Christian servants, Chistian employees, really should be the best workers. And this would especially stand out on the Island of Crete when Paul says that the culture there is that, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons (Titus 1:12).
What Paul wants is for all the Cretan masters to be forced to admit that “Christians are always truthful, honest, good, and hardworking.” Is that the reputation you are winning for Christ at your job?
2. The second exhortation is for servants to not talk back to their masters. This phrase, “not answering again” refers to that impulse of children and inferiors to want to argue with and contradict their superiors, rather than just silently doing what they are told.
This is a long-lost virtue in our egalitarian age where we think every voice needs to be heard, every decision made by democratic committee. But that is not what Paul tells servants to do. He says don’t be that fool who always has some comment to make.
It says in Ecclesiastes 5:3, a fool’s voice is known by his many words.
And in Proverbs 10:19, In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.
Don’t be the servant who tries to tell his master how to do his job. Don’t be the employee who imagines he could run the place better than the boss. Perhaps you could, maybe you can, but has God put you in that position?
Consider the example of Jacob serving under Laban’s tyranny. God took care of Jacob and blessed him, while Laban was rebuked. Or consider the example of Joseph, who served well in Potiphar’s house, God took care of Joseph, and elevated him above Potiphar, but only after being tested, again and again.
3. Third and finally Paul says, not purloining (or pilfering), but rathershewing all good fidelity (trustworthiness).
Purloining is what we would today call petty theft, or skimming off the top. The idea is that a person takes what their employer or master is unlikely to notice. And then he usually rationalizes or justifies that stealing as not really being stealing because the amount is trivial, or because the servant really deserves it.
But this is that seemingly little sin, that like a small leak in a great ship can sink it.
This sin and crime of pilfering is rampant in our world. Companies now have to just budget for all the petty thefts that they know will happen from their own employees. And because this crime is so common, it becomes easier and more tempting for Christians to do it, because everyone else is, and often without consequence.
But of such behavior, Christians should have no part. And indeed, this is one of the easiest ways for a Christian to set themselves apart in this dishonest world, don’t pilfer, but show all good fidelity. See the good of your employer as if their good is your good. That’s what the golden rule commands of us, and that is also how faithful servants get promoted and elevated to high position.
When you refuse that impulse to take advantage of what your employer can’t see, God who sees all, shall reward you openly. Sometimes in this life, but always in the next.
Recall how Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 25. He says, For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
This life is like God giving different amounts of talents, position, and goods, to different people, and then going away to see what they will do with what He has given.
To those who use and invest those talents well, he says, Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.
But what does he say to the person who is unfaithful, who pilfers away the time and gains no profit for his master?
It says in Matthew 25:26-29, But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
This is a sober warning to all of us, whatever our state and position in life. All of us must give an account to God, for how we have stewarded the time he has given, the status he has given, the body and mind he has given, and opportunities and resources he has placed around us.
What none of us are allowed to do is complain that he has five talents but I only have one. None of us are allowed to grumble that he or she came from money and good Christian family, and I came from poverty and a broken family. God knows, and God sees, and God shall judge and reward accordingly.
Conclusion
So by way of conclusion and example consider Christ. He is the eternal Son of God, perfect in wisdom and power and might. And yet he humbled himself to be born into a world that we ruined, ruined by our sin, our selfishness, our pride, and our conceit.
And while He could have left us in our sins, and rendered to us the just punishment of eternal death, it says in Philippians 2:7, He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And because of this, God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
If God Himself came down to serve and save you, are you so proud that you cannot serve and be faithful to God, and to those He has placed above you?
May God help us to adorn the doctrine of God our savior, with all meekness, humility, and submission, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: Holy Women - Pt. 3 (Titus 2:5)

Holy Women – Pt. 3Sunday, October 12th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WATitus 2:1-5
Prayer
O Father adorn our soul with gladness, make our lives to mirror the life of Jesus, who from love for You, laid down His life for us. Conform us now to the image of Your Son, as we hear his word preached, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
A few weeks ago, in our first sermon on Holy Women, we asked the questions, What is beauty? And, What makes something beautiful?
In answer to those questions, we said that beauty is that which gives pleasure upon being seen, and we said that what gives pleasure to our sight is the beholding (the apprehension) of three qualities: 1) Unity, 2) Due Proportion, and 3) Splendor. When we see that something is 1) united as an integrated whole, 2) ordered and well-proportioned in all its parts, and 3) that it has good color and appropriate brightness/clarity, we cannot help but say that that thing is beautiful.
Now this morning we are going to consider 4 more virtues that God wants the older women to teach the younger women, and which if acquired have the potential to make a woman beautiful in the eyes of God. Those virtues are enumerated in verse 5 of our text and they are: 1) Chastity, 2) Domesticity, 3) Goodness, and 4) Obedience to one’s husband.
Now before we consider each of those virtues in depth, I want to highlight why I said that these virtues only have the potential to make a person beautiful in the eyes of God. That is because without Jesus, without genuine love for God as THE REASON WHY you are pursuing these things, no changes you try to make will be of any ultimate value to you. It will not serve your salvation if Christ is absent from your efforts.
As we heard earlier from 1 Timothy 2:15, women will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control. That is a big IF.
To put it another way, the “trad life” without Jesus is just another way to hell. Conservative politics without Jesus can only get you so far. Yes, we must reject the feminism of our age. Yes, we must oppose the many assaults on the natural family. But recovery of good traditions and family values must be animated by an authentic love for Jesus, otherwise, what we are? We are Pharisees, cleaning the outside of the cup when the inside is still filthy. Or worse, doing what Jesus condemns in Matthew 15:6 when he says to them, Thus have ye made the commandment of God void by your tradition.
Christ wants a vessel that is clean inside and out. And how do you clean the inside of your soul? It says in Acts 15:9, God purifies our hearts by faith. Faith is what make all things pure to the pure.
It says likewise in Hebrews 11:6, without faith it is impossible to please God.
And in 1 Corinthians 13 Paul says, without charity, I am nothing.
So you must always keep before your eyes those things most essential, namely the ultimate WHY of your actions, the WHY of your pursuit of chastity, or homemaking, or goodness, and submission.
It it’s just because you want to fit in at Christ Covenant Church, okay, but that isn’t the same thing as living faith. Or if it’s just because you want to rebel against the absurdities of our technocratic globalist age, again that is not the same thing as faith working by love. What must motivate our acquisition of new virtues is that we simply want to please God. We love Jesus and want to make him happy. That’s Christianity 101 and we must never forget it.
Heaven and Hell hangs on that distinction. And so I want you to hear this sermon within that larger gospel frame. It says in Colossians 1:17 that in Christ all things hold together. Meaning, without Christ, your life, your efforts, will fail and fall apart.
So what is the gravitational center of your soul? Is it truly Christ crucified, resurrected, and reigning, or is it your petty self? Is what your words and actions revolve around the Holy Spirit of God, or is it worldly desire? This is the warfare of all the saints between virtue and vice, and this is the contrast Titus 2 is setting up for the Christians in Crete. Paul is describing for them what a life that harmonious with gospel can blossom into.
And so with that in mind let us consider these four virtues each in their turn.
Again, we read in verse 5, Paul says to Titus. I want the older women to teach the younger women to be chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. So the first virtue we have here is chastity. What is chastity?
#1 – Chastity (ἁγνάς, pure, holy)
This word chastity comes from the idea of chastising/disciplining your natural desire for pleasure, especially physical or sexual pleasure.
To be a chaste woman then is to keep your sensual appetites in subordination to the law of God. This means no adultery, no fornication, no sex outside of marriage, no wanton lustful looks, no seduction, no romantic attachments to people who are not your husband. More positively it means desiring union with your husband as one of the great blessings of marriage, and then also desiring spiritual union with God through a chaste soul.
Of bodily chastity, it says in Hebrews 13:4, Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
That is to say, sex within marriage is a wonderful gift (it is honorable), but outside of marriage it brings shame, it brings destruction, it defiles you.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 that regular intimacy within marriage is also a protection against sin. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
So chastity is this virtue of sexual contentment and benevolence. It is seeking your spouse’s good above your own, and acknowledging that your body belongs to the person you are one flesh with.
This also means being patient with one another when sickness or providence prevents you from coming together.
It means imitating the example of Job, who says in Job 31:1, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon another?”
A chaste woman moderates and directs her passions, so that the words of Song of Solomon 7:10 become true of her, I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.
We learn in 1 Corinthians 6 that what we do with our bodies has a direct impact on our spiritual condition. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
We learn also in 2 Corinthians 11:2, that sexual chastity is the analogy for spiritual chastity. Paul says to the whole church, For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
So your physical chastity is to be ordered towards your spiritual chastity, because our bodies belong to God, our spirits belong to God, Christ died to purchase us entirely, and thus we want to remain pure for Him. So chastity is how we keep covenant with God and the person we are married to, it is sexual fidelity.
This brings us to our second virtue which is…
#2 – Domesticity (οἰκουρούς)
In Greek this is just one word, οἰκουρούς, which means to keep watch like a guardian over the household.
So when the KJV has “keepers at home” the idea is not passive, as if you are on house arrest and cannot leave, being kept at home, but rather that you are the one doing the keeping, actively watching, managing, fulfilling the household duties. You should think of Adam in the garden, his job was to tend and keep it. Just so a woman tends and keeps the home.
Other translations go with, “homemakers” (NKJV), or “working at home” (ESV), or “fulfilling their duties at home” (NET). And so I think our English word domesticity/domestic helps capture this idea of homemaking as an art, and as a vocation.
In 1 Timothy 5:13-14 Paul says something similar about why he wants the younger widows to get married, And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house (οἰκοδεσποτεῖν), give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
So God wants women to manage the house under their husband’s authority, not wandering about as busybodies. If you recall our four sermons on the Proverbs 31 woman, that passage and those sermons are really an exposition of what this single word domesticity can look like for a Christian woman (this is a huge category). So go back and listen to all those if you want more details on this subject.
For now, just observe that our culture is at war with this virtue, and has set up major economic, legal, and social obstacles to the very existence of productive households. Many women would love to be homemakers (working at and from home), but it’s just not feasible for many families.
So sometimes people ask me, “Is it a sin for a wife to work outside the home?” And my answer is usually very disappointing because it’s usually something, “well it depends, how much time do you have?”
If the woman is willfully neglecting her duties before God as a wife and mother and homemaker, then yes, that is sin (and something needs to change!). But there are also circumstances where it can be good, lawful, and wise, for a woman to earn wages, even from some outside employer, especially when that work is in service of the household and does not prevent her from doing her most essential calling.
It really is a question of your priorities, your duties, your stage in life, the ages and number of your children, your skillset, your husband’s vocation, and your current financial commitments. It is also a question of your trajectory. Maybe you are still paying off certain debts, and Psalm 15:4 applies to you which says, He who swears to his own hurt and does not change.
So depending on what those prior commitments are, and whether or not you can be released from them, God has a plan for your flourishing (He always meets where we are not only where we should be), but it might require sacrifices (in fact it almost always does!), it might require a change in your standard of living, or where you live, or how big your house is, it might require a plan with multiple phases to it.
Whatever the case, it is here that you really ought to seek out wise counsel. Pray with your husband, pray for your husband, ask God to guide him so you have a shared vision for your life and future together.
And as you sort through that counsel remember the words of James 3:16-17 which says, For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
If that is the spirit in which you are seeking heavenly wisdom, God will show you the way.
God knows your heart. He knows if you are abdicating your duties and being selfish, or honestly desiring to fulfill them. Keeping the home is a duty he assigns to you as wives and mothers. So embrace it, aspire to get better at it. Treat your homemaking like the art that it really is, and remember the words of Colossian 3:23-24, And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
So older women set the example here, teach the younger women to be domestic, and to serve Christ in and through keeping the home.
This brings us to our third virtue which is goodness.
#3 – Goodness (ἀγαθάς)
And this virtue does not need too much explaining. Goodness, like beauty, is a transcendental. And we define goodness as simply that which is desirable. Goodness is that which is desirable.
Jesus says in the gospels that God is very goodness itself. His nature is goodness all the way through. This is what Jesus means in Matthew 19:17 when he says, Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
So any creaturely goodness that we possess down here is only a participation of God’s more perfect and heavenly goodness that He is. And therefore, the more we align ourselves to God and His will, the more good that we become.
Again, this is why faith and love are so essential if you want to become good. As it says in Psalm 16:2, I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.
In practice this looks like not repaying evil with evil, insult with insult, but rather like God, being patient, kind, compassionate and merciful.
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:15, See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all.
He says likewise in Ephesians 4:31-5:2, Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
What is Goodness? It is the best smelling perfume a woman can wear. It is desirable in the eyes of God, and makes you more desirable to your husband.
Fourth and finally, Paul says, the women are to be obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
#4 – Obedience To Your Husband (ὑποτασσομένας τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν)
Here is perhaps the hardest of all virtues for most women, to submit to and obey your husband, when you do not agree with him.
And this is really the test of faith (through many trials we must enter the kingdom). Do you believe that God knew what He was doing, when he made this a universal command for marriage? Did God not know that men are sinners? Did God not anticipate that your husband would sometimes (or often) get it wrong? Do you think yourself wiser than God, and that you can setup marital roles better than He can?
Countless Christians pay lip service to the doctrine of headship and submission,but many women have never obeyed their husband, cheerfully, reverently, honoring him from the heart. Maybe you have submitted begrudgingly, on the outside, you’ve done the thing, while inside you are furious, resentful, and bitter. Is that Christian submission? No. If that is you, you need to seek forgiveness from God and your husband for that kind of attitude.
So I could give here all the appropriate warnings to husbands about not exasperating your wife, and being unreasonable, but that is not this sermon. And if you look at our text, Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit does not add any qualifications to this command. He just says it and moves on. And so here we can practice not being wiser than God? Let’s just hear it, obey it, and not make excuses.
Remember that warning from earlier in Titus 1:16, Paul says there are people in the church who profess that they know God; but in works they deny him. Do don’t be the woman who denies God by refusing to obey her husband.
Don’t pretend that your situation is somehow always the exception to the rule. Here’s the general rule: Unless your husband is commanding you to sin, God says obey him.
And if you wonder what to do when your husband is not obeying God, God also has an answer for that. It says in 1 Peter 3:1-2, Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
Fear of what? Fear of God. Because remember it is God you are submitting to when you obey Your husband’s lawful commands.
Remember the argument in 1 Peter 3 starts way back in 1 Peter 2 with the command for all Christians to be in subjection to the civil authorities.
Peter says, Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king (1 Peter 2:12-17).
This is the same logic as what Paul says here in Titus to the women. Women are to be obedient to their own husbands, so that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Our marriages are either shining testimonies of the gospel, or they are cause for people to blaspheme. Those are the stakes.
So how seriously do you take the word of God? Do you trifle with it, do you scoff at it, do you pick and choose which things you want to observewhile ignoring those things that would inconvenience you?
Jesus says in Matthew 5:16, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Martin Luther once said, “through faith we are justified, through good works God is glorified.”
So young women, wives, glorify God by honoring your husband from the heart. Not with eyeservice as pleasing men, but truly as pleasing God.
Conclusion
Imagine these four virtues are like precious stones buried in the earth. 1) The pearl of Chastity, 2) the diamond of Domesticity, 3) the emerald of Goodness, and 4) the ruby of Obedience.
What faith in Christ does is discover these virtues, it digs them out of the ground,it cuts them into the right shape, and polishes them to show off their splendor. Faith beautifies the virtues.
And then what love for God does is bind them all together, like gemstones perfectly set within a golden crown.
And what your life here is meant to be, is the seeking of that crown so that by it, God may be praised, hallowed, and glorified.
It says in Revelation 4:9-11, Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
Ladies, God created you for glory, to reflect His infinite beauty, and so pursue these virtues from faith and love, for the glory of Christ, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.