Five Wonderful Things

Temple Baptist Church - 12-22-2010

Titus 2:11-14

Introduction:

A. Thanksgiving Day is history once again and Christmas is upon us! My, how time flies when you are having fun! Thanksgiving leads us into the Christmas Season. Throughout the season, we should continue to reflect upon God’s goodness. I love this time of the year. As a matter of fact, I often go around singing, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” before church. It is a special time. People can say “Happy Holidays” but I respond “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”

B. At Thanksgiving we thank God for His bountiful blessings and we have truly been blessed. These blessings are more of a physical, therefore of a temporal nature. No doubt we thank the Lord every day for our salvation, but as we sat at the table, we saw just how good God has been to us physically. Family, friends, and food aplenty! “There’s a roof up above me; I’ve a good place to sleep; there’s food on my table and shoes on my feet; you gave me your love, Lord, and a fine family; thank you, Lord, for your blessings on me!”

C. Christmas is meant more for reflection on how good God has been to us spiritually. We will celebrate the birth of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The incarnation of the Son of God; born of a virgin in Bethlehem; lived, died, was buried, and rose again for our justification!

D. In verse 11, we see the First Advent in “the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men!” He came the first time to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to save, not to judge. He came to die, not to reign. God became man that we may live eternally with Him.

E. In verse 13, we see the promise of His Second Advent in “Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing. He will come the second time to receive His own, judge the world, and set up His earthly kingdom. It is time! His appearing is imminent! He may come today! I am excited and expectant!

John 14:3-4 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. (Praise the Lord!)

F. Titus 2:1 says, “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.” These powerful verses tell of God’s great love for mankind and His great desire for His own. I want to look at these verses this evening and see “Five Wonderful Things” for which we can truly be grateful.

1. A Wonderful Grace – vs. 11 (What a wonderful thought! He loves even me!)

a. Seen In A Manger - 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

b. Seen At Calvary - Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

2. A Wonderful Saviour – vs. 13 (What a wonderful Saviour He is to me!)

Titus 3:4-7 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 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; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

a. A Great God – What a wonder that God would send His Son to die for sinful man.

John 3:13-17 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, [even] the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

b. A Wonderful Saviour – What a wonderful Lord and Saviour!

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

1 John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

3. A Wonderful Conversion – vs. 14 (What a wonderful change has been wrought!)

a. Redemption - Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

b. Sanctification - Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

4. A Wonderful People – vs. 14 (The most wonderful people in all of the world!)

a. A Peculiar People – 1 Peter 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

b. A Zealous People - Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

1 Timothy 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

Titus 2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

5. A Wonderful Prospect – vs. 13 (I will live forever in Heaven with Him!)

a. A Hope That Is Sure – “Looking for” - John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Psalms 102:16 When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.

1 John 3:2 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.

b. A Future That Is Secure – “blessed hope” - 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Revelation 21:3-7 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Conclusion: What a wonderful time of the year for reflection and worship. The Lord has been so good to us and the best is yet to come!