Titus 2:11

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11–14)

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:22–25)

Saved by faith alone, but created for good works—a call to a living, truthful, zealous Christian life.

Two Men Who Loved Good Works

Though James and Titus are very different books, written by different men, they share a heart for good works. James, the Lord's half-brother, was a Jewish leader; Paul, who wrote Titus, was also Jewish but sent out to the Gentiles. Two very different paths to where the Lord took them.

James and Paul are famous, well-discussed figures. Titus gets less of the spotlight, and I love him for one simple reason: he is a huge fan of good works. As a Christian, that's my goal too. I had the best summer of my fifty years, and you were a huge part of it, because what we do through this church doesn't happen alone—it happens through your prayers, your giving, everything you pour into this place.

Titus served with Paul in Corinth, Crete, and Dalmatia. A Gentile and a partner of Paul, he was put in charge of one of Paul's most difficult church plants. From 1 and 2 Corinthians we see things didn't always go well there. Paul sent Titus with the letter we don't have—the one that told them they weren't behaving in a way that glorified God. Paul also sent him to collect the offering for the suffering believers in Jerusalem, which is no easy assignment. Titus was strong, dedicated, and a follower who knew what good works meant.

Titus and James at the Council

We see James and Titus together in Acts 15. Certain men came down from Judea teaching, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." Paul and Barnabas had no small dispute with them, so they and certain others—including Titus—went up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about the question. Galatians 2 tells us Titus was with Paul and was not compelled to be circumcised.

Paul wasn't against circumcision; he was a Jew, and he had Timothy circumcised when ministering among the Jews. But at Jerusalem, when Peter and James were convinced the Gentiles were to receive the gospel, James stepped up and said the Gentiles didn't need to take on these Jewish requirements to be saved. "Why put a stumbling block in front of them," James said in effect, "when we can't even handle it ourselves?"

I like to think these two men—both lovers of good works, both straight-talkers—got along very well. If you haven't read James, be ready: he doesn't pull punches. This is what the Lord expects of us; this is what you do.

A Mission Statement for Christians

This passage in Titus is my favorite because it reads like a mission statement. Jesus is the grace of God—unmerited favor, something done for us that we didn't deserve. And it describes how we are to live: soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. This isn't about how people lived two thousand years ago; it applies to us, here, today, while we wait for the Lord.

His sacrifice gave us the ability to do good works for His kingdom. If you hear nothing else today, hear this: we have a huge privilege. We can be His hands and feet. We can bring the gospel to people who've never heard it. We can help brothers and sisters who are stumbling and be helped by them in return. If you haven't taken advantage of that opportunity, you must, because it is fantastic.

Saved By Faith, Created For Works

I want to be explicitly clear: we are saved by faith alone, not by good works. Ephesians 2:8–9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." We're not even responsible for the faith we received—Christ gave it to us. But verse 10 continues: "For we are created in Christ Jesus for good works." Not by, but for. It couldn't be plainer.

In Matthew 28, Jesus gave us the Great Commission: go into all the world, preach the gospel, make disciples. That's one of our main jobs, and we do it through good works. As we represent our Lord, we act in ways He prescribes. We're not here to preach the gospel according to David—or insert your name—but the gospel of Christ. We spent weeks on the "I am" statements; this is the "we are" to His "I am."

Renouncing the Things That Distract Us

He trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions—the things that distract us from His work. James 1:14 says, "Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."

It's easy to get sidetracked. You go out doing the Lord's work, someone makes you angry, and suddenly you're doing things the Lord never prescribed. When we detach from God, we drift toward our own perspective instead of His. That's why staying in constant contact with Jesus matters—read your Bible, gather with friends, show up for Bible study, worship in your car. I'm not here to tell you how many minutes or how many times a week. A real relationship looks different for everyone, but you have to do it. If you never spoke to your spouse or your children, what kind of relationship would you have?

The Danger of Preaching Your Own Gospel

Look at many newer church movements and you'll see the actual Word of God being given up in favor of popular culture. It's frustrating to watch people preach their own gospel, changing a perfect message into something it was never meant to be. That is heresy—pure and simple, a lie we cannot accept.

This isn't new. In Jeremiah 23:28–32, God says, "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully... Is not My word like a fire, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? ... I am against the prophets who steal My words... who use their tongues and say, 'He says'... who cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness." That's a holy smackdown. Jeremiah told the truth—that captivity was coming—and they threw him in a well and locked him up for it. People don't always want to hear the truth. It's hard, difficult, painful. But it's the truth.

The Truth Can Be Narrow

There's a movement now that says Christians are narrow-minded. But the truth can be narrow. Gasoline goes in a gas tank—you don't put anything else in there. That's a narrow truth, and it works. Hard truths need to be diligently applied. We can't soft-sell, sugarcoat, or water down the gospel. It's good news—sometimes painful, but good.

God's Word is true, and no amount of public opinion changes that. Sin is sin; it's dangerous, damaging, and leads to death—and remember, death means separation from God. First Corinthians 1:18 says, "The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing." As A.W. Tozer put it, God's Word is true whether we believe it or not; human unbelief cannot alter the character of God.

Point One: Speak God's Truth Lovingly and Intentionally

That brings us to our first point: we can and must speak God's truth lovingly and intentionally. Not the heart-eyes-emoji kind of love—I mean real love for people we know: friends, family, coworkers who don't know the gospel. If they keep rejecting it, they are perishing, and we have the ability to love them better with Jesus than with anything else.

That's why it has to be intentional. We bring it to them: "This is what my Jesus has done for me, for you, for all of us. If you'll explore this with me, it's good news." Our goal is to glorify God and point others to Him. Anger and self-righteousness have no place in it.

That's a tough one for me. I'm German and Irish, a ginger—one big seething ball of anger. After forty years of getting nowhere with it, Jesus began to change that. James 1:19–20 slapped me upside the head: "Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." And "swift to hear" means swift to hear God's voice—the one that says, "Remember what James told you." Give your brain time to catch up with your mouth, and you'll avoid a lot of trouble. No matter how angry you get, yelling will never produce God's righteousness.

Point Two: Act Like a Christian Everywhere You Go

I once asked our pastor what the best translation of the Bible is. He said, "All of them." He's right—different versions help us glean different things. The Common English Bible renders James 1:22–25: "You must be doers of the word and not only hearers who mislead themselves... they look at themselves, walk away, and immediately forget what they look like... But there are those who study the perfect law, the law of freedom, and continue to do it... They will be blessed in whatever they do."

Once Christ has hold of us, we're not the same people. Why would you ever want to be that dirty, washed-out version again? My second point—really my sixteen-year-old daughter's better wording of it: you won't forget who you are as a Christian if you act like one everywhere you go. Acting like a Christian reminds you that you are one.

This isn't prosperity gospel—I'm not promising riches. The blessing is doing God's will, which is worth more than all the gold. The perfect Word of God is not a burden or a chore; it's freedom. God says, "Look what I have for you—grace, hope, joy, freedom. You can hand it out to every person you meet for the rest of your life and never out-give Me." The unbeliever thinks he's free, but he's behind the bars; freedom is out here with Jesus. Like a horse in a burning barn, scared to leave but doomed if it stays, people need us to show them the way out.

Faith Is a Contact Sport

Not everyone recognizes they need the gospel, and Jesus showed us plainly that we'll take some punches. He took an epic beating on our behalf and promised we'd take some too. Being a Christian is a contact sport—you can't do it from your easy chair. You have to get involved and do good works.

Besides people, we fight another enemy who loves passive Christians. He's read the Bible; he doesn't care if you read it too, as long as you stay home. He hates an active Christian. When you swing your feet out of bed in the morning, you want the devil to say, "Oh no, he's up." James 2:17 says, "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." Who wants to stand before the Lord with a dead faith? We all want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Faith is like muscle: don't use it and it atrophies; use it now and then and you maintain; work it actively and it grows strong and useful. Statista reports Americans spent $26 billion on fitness in 2015—apparel, gym fees, equipment, supplements—not even counting food. (We have donuts afterward, so forget all that.) Imagine the culture we'd create if we put that kind of effort into our faith.

Judge With Mercy and Examine Yourself

A favorite verse people throw around is Matthew 7:1–2: "Judge not, that you be not judged." But they stop too soon. It continues: "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." You will judge—if I say "don't judge me," you just did. So let your judgment be filled with mercy, grace, and love—the very judgment you'd want measured back to you.

That means it's okay to help a brother or sister who is straying, the same way you'd want to be helped. But beware the plank in your own eye first. Always be aware of where you stand—which goes back to spending time in the Word. The Barna Group reported that only 17% of professing Christians have a biblical worldview. That's like showing up for a test and only getting your name right. How is it possible that 83% of us look at the world without addressing it the way Jesus tells us to?

Point Three: Your Life Shows What You Believe

Last week we talked about Nehemiah and righteous leadership, and the question was posed: how different would our nation look if our leaders had a worldview of integrity? Then came the bomb—you put them there. If we accept less than integrity, that's what we'll get. If we're not giving 100% to our faith and letting people see it, we're getting what we deserve. If you want to be part of that 17% and bring the rest along, you have to deal with everyone you meet through the lens of a biblical worldview.

That brings us to point three: how you live for Jesus shows others what you think He sacrificed Himself for. On my good days, I hope people look at me and think, "He believes it—he's living like a man given a second chance, creating that chance for others." Jesus sacrificed Himself for you, and He wants you to respond with good works.

I'm not perfect. I'll stand with Paul and say I may be the chief of sinners. But I know what Jesus did, why He did it, and what He expects of me. On my wall hangs a Spurgeon quote: "How should divine justice spare the sinner who knows the right, approves it, and professes to follow it, and all the while loves the evil and gives it dominion in his own heart?" That hurts—which is why I keep it there.

Point Four: Honor His Sacrifice, Don't Fight for His Honor

Jesus already paid the price. I never argue whether He did it; He did, and He said, "It is finished." There's nothing left for me to do for my salvation. That brings us to point four: Jesus doesn't need us to fight for His honor, but to honor His sacrifice.

Romans 12:1–2: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." This expectation runs all through Scripture: have an active faith, get up, go out, proclaim the gospel where you work and among the people you see. And if you can't shout from the rooftops, then live like you would. Tell people you're a Christian, then live like one.

We don't have to pretend to be perfect, because we're not. We don't want others following us—we want them following Him. If following us leads to Him, we're doing it right. Married to good works, our measure of faith lets people see what's so exciting about Him. We don't always know what made someone broken, but we know it's sin—so let's speak honestly about how sin damages, hurts, and leads to death.

Point Five: Be Zealous for Good Works

So if you speak about the Lord truthfully, intentionally, and with love; if you act like a true Christian everywhere you go; if you show the world the One so worthwhile that the Creator of the universe humbled Himself to the cross; and if you honor that sacrifice by how you live—you will do good works.

My challenge to everyone here, including myself, is point five: be as zealous for good works as His love is zealous for you.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You for these words. Some of them are hard and difficult to hear, and if hearing them was a little painful, we thank You. The Holy Spirit sometimes has to tear down the parts of us that don't want the truth. If we're to speak the truth, we have to know the truth. So as we leave this place and go out into our mission field—work, home, neighborhood, wherever it is—embolden us, purify us, and teach us how to live righteously, that we may live that way before others. We thank You, Father, for being here with us, for pouring out Your mercy and grace upon us. We pray this all in Your name, Jesus. Amen.