Saved!

1st Sunday after Epiphany, 1/13/13
Titus 3:4-7


Saved!


Even though celebrating the coming of the new year may seem like it happened months ago, it’s only been a couple weeks. We’re still at the beginning of a new year. And that means people are still engaged in some reflection. How did 2012 go for us? Was it a good year or one which you hope to forget soon? Would you like 2013 to be better? If so, what changes will you make? After all, you can’t keep on doing the same things and expect different results.

But if we’re going to make changes, then that means we have to engage in an honest assessment. The key word in that last sentence is “honest.” Sure there were times when we were victims. Things didn’t go right because of what others did. But an honest evaluation will reveal our own culpability. What did we fail to do? And how often when we did do something was it the wrong thing to do? How much of it was our own fault? That assessment can be painful, but it’s necessary if we’re going to make corrections.

St. Paul wrote the words of our text to his young co-worker named Titus. Paul wanted Titus to carry on the work that Paul had established and to build on it. He wanted Titus to nurture the faith of those entrusted to his care and to reach out to the lost. In offering his advice for doing that work, Paul wanted Titus to be absolutely sure of his own salvation. But he also wanted Titus to remember that was all God’s doing and not his own. So first Paul recalled what he and Titus had been. He makes an honest evaluation.

In the verse right before our text Paul writes, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.” Not a pretty picture, is it? His evaluation of their past is brutal. Is Paul overstating the case? Not at all. Paul was hated and hated others before he came to faith in Jesus. You know the story of how he persecuted Christians prior to his conversion. Paul loved himself and was filled with sinful, damning pride. And he includes Titus in his evaluation. We don’t have the details of Titus’ former way of life, but we don’t doubt that what Paul wrote is true.

In fact, it’s true of us, too. The Bible makes it clear that we all come into this world without faith in Jesus. Our natural condition is sinful, against God and his truth. We’re under the damning delusion that we’re fine the way we are and that we can do what God expects of us. In short, we’re not looking for God to help us spiritually in any way.

But all of us know that’s not the way we are now. We’ve been changed. Our presence here in God’s house this morning is evidence of it. We’re here to praise and thank our God for all he’s done for us. We’re people filled with love for God and love for others. We’re not under the delusion any longer that we can save ourselves. We know that our eternal destiny is certain because of what God has done for us.

But just what is that? Just what has God done for us? Paul states it with these words, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.” God’s kindness and love for people (the Greek word sounds almost like our English word philanthropy”) appeared. Just what does Paul mean? The Greek word for “appeared” is the same one which gives us the word “Epiphany.” In this season of Epiphany we celebrate the truth that God Jesus reveals himself as the Savior of the world. That Savior appeared on this earth when he was born of the Virgin Mary. We mentioned just weeks ago that Jesus is God’s gift to the world.

But what would cause our God to give us such a gift? Let’s spend a moment analyzing why we give gifts. Some gifts are given out of obligation. It’s the required thing to do. Others are given as pay-back. If someone gives us a gift we feel we owe them one in return. Here’s another reason: we feel that another person deserves a gift. I’m sure you heard that reason this past Christmas. Charities make the statement that every child deserves a special Christmas. And then there are gifts given for the most noble reason of all—simply out of love.

So what would cause God to reveal his kindness and love for us by sending Jesus to us? Paul quickly rules one reason out—that we deserve it. A literal translation of the opening words of our text reads like this, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, not from works of righteousness that we had done.” There’s no ounce of merit in us. We can’t claim that we deserve to have God’s kindness and love revealed to us because we’re good people who do good things. An honest evaluation—and there’s that important word again, “honest”—reveals that the opposite is true. Our record is stained by sin, sometimes willful sin. Contrary to what we might think about ourselves, we’re not so lovable. Even when we do the right thing it’s often for the wrong reason or with the wrong motive or attitude. The truth is we stink!

So why would God show us his kindness and love? Paul tells us. “Because of his mercy.” We use that word, but do we really appreciate what mercy is? The credit card company rep was merciful to us in giving us another month to pay, but hey, we’ve made all our previous payments on time. We deserved a break. That’s not mercy. Mercy when it comes to our relationship with God is realizing we should get hell for our sins, but God decides he’s not going to give it to us.

Instead, he has decided that he is going to save us. And that’s the focus of Paul’s words to Titus and to us this morning. Paul proclaims, “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.” The washing that Paul refers to is baptism. God used baptism to work faith in our hearts, a faith that grabs hold of the blessing of the forgiveness of sins. In a spiritual but real way God used baptism to wash our sins away. Considering that our greatest problem is our sins and our greatest need is forgiveness, what a saving blessing baptism is!

But there’s more. Paul calls baptism a washing of regeneration. That’s his way of saying that God also uses baptism to bring us to spiritual life. We come into this world spiritually dead. In an instant God gives us spiritual life when he brings us to faith in Jesus as our Savior. We’re no longer dead in sin and unbelief. We’re alive with true life—life with our God.

And it doesn’t end there. There’s still more. Paul talks about our renewal. Just what does he mean? When you take some time to get away from the daily grind of life, you come back refreshed and renewed. Spiritually, the same thing takes place in us each day. The Holy Spirit renews us every day as he brings us daily forgiveness of sins and causes us to grow in our faith in our Savior-God. As God’s children we daily put off the sins of the day just past and put on the new life that God has given us by faith in Jesus.

That faith which we possess causes Paul to end this section of his letter with two grand pronouncements for each one of us. He assures us, “So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

First, he tells us we have been justified by God’s grace. Imagine being completely guilty of a crime and appearing before a local judge. You know you’ve broken the law and the charges against you are absolutely accurate and true. So you admit it. You plead guilty. But then the judge declares, “Not guilty.” Imagine that happening. It happens every day in God’s court. He has us dead to rights. We’re as guilty as anyone ever has been. His charges against us are accurate and true. We admit it. But he declares, “Not guilty. Innocent. You’re free to go!” That’s exactly what God does for every sinner because of the work that Jesus did for us. He paid for all our sins. He took the punishment for our sins on himself. We’re justified! Not guilty. Innocent.

And because of that, we are heirs. This world is full of people who hope they get to heaven. It must be terrible to spend a lifetime with that doubt. Your God wants you to be sure, absolutely sure. So he made you his heir. Heaven belongs to you because Jesus won it for you. There’s no uncertainty about it. That’s why he came to this earth—to win heaven for you. His resurrection assures you that he did. It’s all yours. And with that certain truth, that means you are SAVED!

There you have it. Paul began by leading us to an honest evaluation of what we were without our God and he ends with assuring us of what we are with him. SAVED!

Even though it’s mid-January, you’ll still hear plenty of encouragements to become something different in this new year, to make a change for the positive. While that encouragement can be empowering, it can also be depressing. We know the changes we should make, but we can’t seem to do it.

But in the most critical area of your life, there’s no change for you to make. Your God has already done it all. This is what you are. This is who you are. SAVED! It’s all by God’s grace. We didn’t deserve it. He did it because of who he is and not because of who we are.

He did it for you at your baptism. At his baptism Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit to be the world’s Savior from sin. He accomplished that work perfectly. By his resurrection he empowers your baptism to be the gracious washing that it is and the source of divine power for your daily living as God’s child. Live in that renewal! Each day put off the old self with its sinful deeds and desires and put on the new self which was created in you at your baptism.

You’re SAVED! What daily comfort! What daily power! Amen.