Titus 3:5-7

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When I first saw Nancy, she was sitting in the back corner of the church. That particular Sunday I was preaching on Titus chapter three, verses five through seven, where the Apostle Paul writes,

He saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified[a] by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7)

After the service that day, she was the last one to leave. And when I greeted Nancy, her eyes were filled with tears, and all she said to me was, pastor, I have not been baptized. In the course of our conversation, I found out that Nancy had been struggling with cancer for quite a while and that it did not look good for her. She had more questions about baptism and Jesus and wanted to talk more. And so we set up a time for the next day to chat. But that morning came and she canceled on me. Weeks went by, I tried to reach out to her again and again, but I never could connect.

And then a few months later, I got a phone call from Nancy’s sister telling me that Nancy was on her deathbed and that Nancy wanted me to come visit her. And when I got to her house, I shared that same passage from Titus with her once again. I shared with her what Jesus has done for her and the blessings of baptism. That through those waters our sins are washed away. What Jesus did on the cross to take away those sins becomes ours personally. That we are forgiven children of God who are heirs, having the hope of eternal life and it’s hope that’s more than just a wish or a want. It’s a certain hope. Life in heaven is ours. Even when our life in this world looks terrible. Even when our life is coming to an end.

Baptism gives that hope. And when baptism is recalled, it reassures the suffering and the dying of their hope of eternal life. When you seem to be struggling through life, or your life appears to be coming to an end, like Nancy, you might have hope that things are going to get better. And by God’s grace, maybe they will. But they don’t always get better. And yet, when you look back to the waters of your baptism, there you find true comfort. There you see something more than just wishful thinking or a desire. There you see that you are a forgiven child of God. There you see your certain hope of eternal life. You are an heir of heaven and nothing, nothing can ever take that away from you. Not even suffering. Not even death.

That day, I finally had the privilege of baptizing Nancy. And this time I saw different tears flowing from her eyes. Tears of joy. Baptism gave her comfort, peace and hope in the face of approaching death. And the very next day her hope became a reality. The risen Lord took Nancy home. He raised her from death to life in her heavenly inheritance where I know I will see her again one day.

Dear fellow baptized children of God. When you are faced with suffering and death, look to your baptism there in those waters you see and find comfort, peace and assurance and reassurance, again and again and again. There you see your hope every day until the day our risen Lord Jesus raises you from death to life in your heavenly inheritance. Amen.

(This is part two of a four part devotion series. We’ll be posting the next parts of this series in the coming weeks. You can find the other parts on our Born Again Series page. )

John 3:8, Titus 3:5-6

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Last week we talked about the second birth that God works through faith in Jesus Christ. But today I want to ask a question how can we be certain that that birth has actually happened?

One of my favorite things to do when I meet people is I like to ask them, what’s your birth story? And what I find is, though, every single person alive has been born, we each have a unique birth story. Some were born early. Some were born late. Some were born naturally, others by C-section, some born at home, some born at the hospital, and all of us at different times and different places. You see, this is what Jesus means in John three when he’s speaking with Nicodemus and he says,

The wind blows wherever it wants. You don’t know where it came from or where it’s going. So are those who are born of the spirit. (John 3:8)

And what is Jesus saying? He’s saying, just as you can’t put wind in a box, we shouldn’t try to box up the Holy Spirit. This is important because every person has their own spiritual birth story. Every Christian story is different. Some came to faith as little children and never remember a time when they didn’t believe. Others came to faith later in life and could point to the exact moment when the Holy Spirit worked faith in their heart. For some, coming to faith was like a slow, subtle sunrise as the day gets brighter and brighter and you can never point to the moment where it began. You just know when the sun is finally out. They know they believe, but they can’t identify when that process started. Others might have always known Jesus, always known God in a certain sense, but they didn’t come to a full realization or understanding of the gospel until much later in life.

What the Holy Spirit is teaching us here is that just because he worked one way in my life does not mean I should expect that he must work the same way in someone else’s life. We cannot put the Holy Spirit in a box. At the same time, the Holy Spirit wants you to be certain that you are born again, and he wants your certainty to not rest in a memory that can change or go away, or an emotional feeling or something that can change. He wants your certainty to be anchored in God’s sure promises. And that’s why Jesus says that we must be born of water and the spirit.

And there Jesus is speaking about Holy Baptism. If you look at the promises that God makes to you in baptism, he says, baptism now saves us. Or in Titus chapter three, he says,

He [God] saved us through a washing of rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on you generously through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 3:5-6)

You see, you are, you have been born again, and God, through Holy Baptism, has delivered all those gracious promises to you, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through faith in Jesus. Amen.

Titus 2:11

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Growing up, my brother and I had the entire lower floor of the house to ourselves. It was awesome. Down there it was just my room, his room, a bathroom, and a little den area where we had a TV and video games and stuff. It was great. That entire space was just ours. Everything else the kitchen, living room, my parents room was all upstairs.

Being brothers, we often fought and caused a ruckus, so my dad would have to yell down at us from time to time, don’t make me come down there with, of course, the implication that it wouldn’t be good for us if he did, and we’d be better off trying to resolve our differences by ourselves.

At Christmas, we celebrate Jesus coming down to earth and being born as a baby. This isn’t God following through on the threat of don’t make me come down there. Rather, as the Apostle Paul writes,

The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. (Titus 2:11)

This is a really short verse, but it’s also a really great Christmas sermon because each phrase is packed with comfort. Let’s take a moment and unwrap this gift together.

So first of all, the verse starts, the grace of God has appeared. Not God’s strict righteousness, which would make demands of us in our lives, not even the love of God. Which would maybe sound nice, but even loving parents have to discipline their children, as my brother and I knew far too well. Note the grace of God, God’s unmerited, undeserved love given freely as a gift. This is what has appeared in Christ Jesus.

What did Jesus come to do? The verse continues bringing salvation. That baby in the manger would grow up and live a perfect life in your place. He exchanged the wood of the manger for the wood of the cross and suffered an innocent death in your place. Christmas is the beginning of the plan and the story of salvation, which culminates in Jesus suffering and death on the cross, whereby he forgives all of your sins and puts you in a right relationship with God our father.

Who is this for? The verse continues: all people. Not just some people. Not just those who deserve it or those who are on God’s nice list. No, this Christmas message that the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation is for all people, including you. That’s a really great Christmas sermon for such a short verse. Amen.

Titus 3:3-5

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Black Friday is a household term for us here in America. We’re all familiar with what that day is. It’s the biggest shopping day of the year takes place the day after Thanksgiving. Everyone has off that day, and so they’re looking forward to buying gifts for the next holiday: Christmas. It’s perhaps a bit strange that it has that name, though Black Friday. It sounds like something tragic happened on that day. But perhaps that name isn’t all too inappropriate, after all, traffic and parking is a nightmare on that day, and I think about the crowds all jam packed into the stores. How fistfights have been known to break out in some of those stores. People driven on by their greed for the things they can buy or the money that they’re going to save, it’s made people downright nasty towards each other on that day.

I don’t know about you, but I know there have been some years that I’ve fallen into that trap of greed that comes along with Black Friday. Reading through some of those advertisements from the stores, just imagine the things that I’m going to buy for myself, for the money that I’m going to save for others. Perhaps that greed, though, is a good reminder of why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. In Titus, chapter 3, it says this.

For at one time we ourselves were also foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by many kinds of evil desires and pleasures, living in malice and jealousy, being hated and hating one another. (Titus 3:3)

Maybe reminds us of Black Friday and those crowds, those mobs, those fistfights, the way that people treat one another, motivated spurred on by their greed. But it goes on.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, 5 he saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy. (Titus 3:4-5)

Mentions how God’s love and mercy appeared, we think about how that took place at Christmas time. As God sent his Son as our Savior from sin. What did he come to do? It came ultimately to save us from ourselves, to save us from the results of our sinful desires, including our greed. On Black Friday, we think about how that greed leads people to treat each other so terribly. How much more all of our sinful desires and thoughts lead to so much destruction in our own lives. And yet, God sent his Son Christmas time as our Savior from sin.

You know, it’s interesting that Black Friday has that name, that’s quite ironic because the name in which Jesus carried out his plan of salvation for us also seems similar, yet quite ironic. It’s known as Good Friday. It seems so ironic because of how terrible it was for him to suffer so much, though he was innocent, though he had done nothing wrong. The pains of the cross itself. And yet it’s an appropriate name, because that day was a good day for us. Because of his suffering, pain and death, he has saved us from our own sinful desires and their results. The destruction that sin brings.

So is it OK to go shopping on Black Friday? I’d say yes, but keep an eye on that greed showing up in your own life? If that greed rears its ugly head, repent of your sins and turn to your Savior who was born for you at Christmas time. Who has come to suffer and die for you on a cross. Remember again, not just Black Friday, but Good Friday and what he did for you there. Amen.

Titus 2:11

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St. Paul wrote to Titus.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.

Notice what Paul said: ‘the grace of God has appeared.’ He didn’t say ‘the righteousness of God’ or ‘the justice of God’ has appeared. That would strike us with terror. In fact whenever God appeared in the Old Testament the immediate response of people was fear. Dead terror. That is what the righteousness and justice of God produces.

It does so because we’re sinful. We know that we are far from perfect. We are corrupt to the core and deserve God’s wrath and punishment, but thankfully God’s grace has appeared.

Grace means undeserved love. God doesn’t treat us as we deserve but treats us according to his love. Paul is referring to Jesus. That the grace of God has appeared. The grace of God was earned by Jesus. God treats us not as we deserve, but as Jesus deserves.

Because of Jesus God loves us, forgives us, and desires to work all things for our good. He brings salvation to all people and that means to you. Jesus has appeared so that you can know God loves you. Jesus has appeared so that your sins could be taken away. Jesus has appeared so that you can have the hope of eternal life.

May God’s grace be evident to you. It is evident in Jesus your Savior, amen.