Sermon: Titus 2: 1-15 Fruitful - Self-Control

Which of the following would you prefer - you could have one marshmallow now, or, if you waited a wee while, you could have two? Here’s a video where young children were given that choice...

[Play video]

The marshmallow test was first conducted in the 1960s, to see if nursery age children had any self-control. And the idea is simple - you can either have a small reward now, or a greater reward after a bit of a wait. Some had no self-control, immediately grabbing whatever was on offer there and then. But others reckoned that the ‘later’ reward was better - delayed gratification to use big words - and used a variety of strategies to try to keep them from the temptation of the one marshmallow.

So how would you get on with the marshmallow test? And how is your self-control? When we think about our daily life, there are lots of opportunities to exercise self-control (or not). There’s the whole realm of money - when payday comes, do you splash out, treat yourself, not thinking that you’ve got a whole week or month for the money to last. I used to work in a corner shop when I was growing up, and one of our colleagues would nearly have blown his week’s wages on sweets and crisps before he’d even left the shop on payday!

Perhaps you struggle with self-control when it comes to food, or drink, or some other substance. And so, perhaps you’ve given up something for Lent, and now two and a half weeks in, you’re either managing fine without it, or else you’re having withdrawal struggles. I heard recently of the Catholic Bishop of Cork in the 1950s, Cornelius Lucey. He decreed that during Lent, his people should only eat one biscuit with a cup of tea. So fairly quickly afterwards, a bakery in Cork produced what they called ‘Connie Dodgers’ - enormous biscuits, so that you were still only eating one biscuit!

Perhaps your self-control is lacking in other ways, and there’s a particular temptation or two that you always fall for; a particular sin that you indulge in, and then feel awful about afterwards. Perhaps you think like Oscar Wilde, who famously said, ‘I can resist everything except temptation.’

This morning we’ve come to the last of the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit. We’ve covered love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and now we’re looking at self-control.

Like so many of the others, self-control is a quality that some people have, and that everyone can work on. The researcher from the Marshmallow Test tracked the lives of the original group of children, and could trace the patterns of their life based on how they reacted to one marshmallow or two. And it might be that in some areas of life, you’re very self-controlled and in other areas of your life you’re not as self-controlled. And you could, quite possible, try really, really hard to be more self-controlled, just by your own effort.

But that’s not what we’re thinking about, and it’s not what I’m recommending. You see, the self-control that we’re thinking about today is part of the fruit of the Spirit - it’s something that the Holy Spirit is growing in us as he helps us to live for Jesus and become more like Jesus.

We see this spiritual self-control as Jesus determined to live a perfect life of obedience to God’s law - Jesus was so self-controlled that he never did anything wrong in what he said, or thought, or did. Can you imagine that? But on top of that, Jesus determined to go to the cross. He controlled himself to fully obey. As Hebrews says: ‘Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.’ (Heb 12:2)

You remember the one marshmallow or two? The great reward for Jesus was fulfilling the Father’s plan, and bringing us to share in his salvation. That’s why Jesus endured the pain and agony of the cross. That’s how self-controlled he was.

And that’s what the Holy Spirit wants to grow in us. It’s the image of the athletes who are currently preparing for the Olympics - if they go ahead this summer. As they get up at 5am and run or row or life weights; as they spend hours in the gym doing all their training; as they eat very carefully designed meals that will give them all the things they need to perform to the best of their abilities; they have their eyes on the end goal - standing on the podium and receiving the gold medal.

Imagine how much they might rather stay in bed when their alarm goes off. Or how much they might like to finish at the gym early and just watch a boxset on the sofa. Or how much they would want to have a big bar of chocolate or a big fry-up. But they control themselves, they discipline themselves, with an eye on the future glory.

And that’s what the Spirit is doing in us. It’s why, when Titus is on the island of Crete, helping to establish the new churches, he is to teach the people to live in the way that matches up to the gospel. Now, you can decide yourselves whether you’re in the older or younger categories, but older men, younger women and young men are all explicitly urged to be self-controlled. And (in case you think the older women don’t have to be), they are to do things that would be the same as self-controlled.

At another of these Family Services we looked at Titus 2:11-15, when we thought about goodness. But look again at verse 12 to see how self-control fits into God’s purposes. We all naturally live for ungodliness and worldly passions. But God’s grace helps us to say no to them, and instead to say yes to self-controlled, upright and godly lives.

Grace helps us in two ways - first, because our past has been dealt with. All those times when we didn’t have self-control, all those sins we’ve committed - Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all our wickedness.

But grace also helps us by pointing us forward. What is the reward that we’re looking forward to? What will be better than whatever we’re tempted to do here and now? we’re waiting for our ‘blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.’

That’s what we’re looking forward to; that’s what drives us in our choices, and helps to keep us from temptations - one day I will see Jesus, face to face. And in the meantime, every day from this day until that day, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, producing his fruit in our lives as he takes control of us, and we gain control over ourselves.

Perhaps there are things you want to say to the Lord - things you want to say sorry for; struggles that you need his help with; so let’s take a moment or two to do that before I pray.

This sermon was preached at the Family Service in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 15th March 2020.

Sermon: Titus 3: 8-15 Devoted to good

Have you ever heard a cd skipping? A cd skipping? A cd skipping? Something has gone wrong and you get the same little bit of music over and over again, until you give the cd player a dunt, or else move it on to the next song. Or perhaps you’ve heard about someone going on like a record player with the needle stuck. The same thing again and again.

You might be tempted to think that’s what’s happening in our reading tonight. Paul repeats the same thing a couple of times. Can you see it in verse 8 and verse 14? Twice he says ‘to devote themselves to doing what is good.’ Is his needle stuck?

When you’re writing a letter today, paper is relatively cheap. You can pick up a whole pad for a pound, and you could write on that whole pad, pop it in an envelope and post it. That is, of course if you’re still writing letters by hand. Email is even easier. You can type as much as you want; copy and paste and edit as you go, click send, and the message pops into their inbox straight away. But when Paul was writing, papyrus or parchment was more expensive. Every square inch was valuable. Words were carefully chosen. So why does Paul (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) repeat himself on being devoted to doing what is good, twice in quick succession? What’s so good about doing what is good?

If you’ve been with us these Sunday evenings, you’ll maybe be thinking that Paul’s needle got stuck earlier than these last verses in the letter. We’ve already come across the same (or similar) phrase a couple of times. Look back to 2:7, where Titus is to be an example ‘by doing what is good’; and in 2:14, where Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all wickedness ‘and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.’

Well, either Paul’s needle is stuck, or else this is the whole point of the letter. And, just in case you’re in doubt, it’s the second possibility - this is the point of the whole letter - doing what is good; being devoted to doing what is good.

As we’ve seen all through the letter, the message Titus has to teach in the church in Crete is this: what you believe affects how you behave. Right belief must lead to right behaviour. In chapter one, we saw how church leaders must be people who hold to the truth and live it out. In two, the focus shifts to the home, where younger and older men and women and slaves are to live out what is consistent with sound doctrine, adorning the gospel of God’s grace. And now in chapter three, we focus on life in the world, relating to the state and to people around us.

Now, as we jump into the passage tonight, we read these words: ‘This is a trustworthy saying.’ (8) There, Paul is referring to all we looked at last week - the reminder of what the gospel is all about - from v4-7 - how God saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. The end result of the gospel is that we are heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Because this is all true, and dependable, Paul wants Titus to ‘stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.’ (8)

Paul is showing us the order that these things come in. The way you do things and the order you do them in can be very important. Just think of the laundry basket. You’ve got some dirty clothes. You wouldn’t iron them, then put them in the tumble drier, then put them in the washing machine, and then wear them straight away. The order is important. So it is here. First of all: ‘those who have trusted in God’ - so you have already done that (it’s in the past tense) - ‘may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.’

Good works won’t bring you to God. But when you have trusted God, then good works are essential. But more than that, they are also ‘excellent and profitable for everyone.’ Doing good is an excellent thing to do; and even more so because it profits everyone. Just think of the benefit to others if you do good rather than evil.

So if you have believed in God; if you’re one of his tonight, then the command is clear - be devoted to doing what is good. It’s not an optional extra; we’re to always be doing good; always looking out for ways to do good. And that word devoted brings to mind a devoted husband or wife; constantly attending to and helping; or think of the devoted football fans, flying from all round the world to be in Russia to cheer on their team.

If there are things that we are devoted to - good works - then there are also things to avoid. Look at verse 9. ‘But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.’ Good works are profitable, helpful, useful; but these quarrels and debates are unprofitable and useless. Plenty of hot air, but not much benefit. Lots of heat, but not much light.

And causing division in the church is a serious business. We’re here for each other, to build up each other; not to start petty divisions over unimportant things. It’s so serious that Titus is told to warn a divisive person once, twice, and then to have nothing more to do with him.

Those verses seem to be clear. Be devoted to doing what is good; and avoid foolish controversies. They’re the main teaching point from the passage. We can all take it on board. From the start of verse 12, you might think that Paul is just winding down. There are some personal remarks that only really have to do with the situation of Titus as he opens the envelope and reads it on that day. What could there possibly be for us, two thousand years later?

But let’s look again. We have our second occurrence of the needle being stuck. In these specifics, we get an example of how being devoted to doing what is good will work in practice. Here’s part of what it will look like to be devoted to good works.

Have you ever seen one of those battlefield maps with the toy soldiers lining up? The commander of the army moves the regiments and plans strategy. Or maybe you play chess. You line up your pieces for maximum advantage to checkmate the opponent. That’s what Paul is doing here. He’s sending Artemas or Tychicus to Crete to replace Titus.

Titus is to move to Nicopolis to be with Paul over the winter. Zenas and Apollos are on Crete, but they are to be sent on their way ‘and see that they have everything they need. Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.’ (13-14)

Being devoted to doing what is good in these verses is all about supporting God’s work of mission. The good works of the church on Crete will be seen as they send Zenas and Apollos, with everything they need. Not everyone will necessarily go away on mission, but we can all give to those who do. So it was good last week to be able to support Alice and Clare and their mission projects.

But being devoted to good works is something that we need to learn. It doesn’t come naturally. But when it comes as a response to all that God has given us; when we realise that it’s all his; and when we realise we can make a difference for others, then how could we not?

As we close, let me ask you this question. What is it you’re devoted to? What is the pattern of your life? Paul urges Titus to insist on being devoted to doing what is good. We all need to learn how to do it. We need to be brought from selfishness to service. This week, ask God to open your eyes to see the ways you can do good, for those near at hand; and for those serving the Lord far from home. It’s not easy. It’ll not come easily. But God gives us something that will help us do it. As Paul closes, he reminds us of the power that God gives us to live for him: ‘Grace be with you all.’ Amen.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 24th June 2018.

Sermon: Titus 3: 1-8 Heirs of hope

When i was growing up, I loved to sit and do puzzles. All sorts of different puzzles. Dot to dots; and wordsearches; but the one I liked the most was the spot the difference. I’m sure you know how they work. You have two pictures side by side, and you have to spot what’s different between the two pictures.

So, if it’s a scene of a circus, in one there might be three clowns, but in the other one there’s only two. Or maybe the juggler has six balls in the air in one, but only five in the other picture. It depended on how hard the designer had made the pictures - sometimes it took you ages, and you had to look very carefully to notice the changes, but on some, it was really very obvious.

It’s fun to do spot the difference in pictures. But another way of playing spot the difference is when it comes to people. You get out the photo album to see how people have changed - their hairstyle or their clothes or their looks. On Friday I celebrated ten years of ordained ministry, and I had put up on Facebook a photo of the night of my ordination. Someone said, you look really young there. So I don’t know what that says about how I look now! But the changes were evident. Spot the difference.

Our reading tonight from Paul’s letter to Titus is a bit like a spot the difference. It’s not so much a picture of a circus - it’s more like spotting the difference in a person. Tonight we’ll see that when we’re Christians, there should be a spot the difference - people should be able to notice the change that has taken place (and continues to take place) in our lives.

In verses 1-2, we see what Titus is to teach the church on Crete. Now, we’ve already seen in our letter how Titus was to select church leaders - those who were holding to the trustworthy word and living it out in their lives. Then in chapter 2 we saw how Titus was to teach and train different groups in the church - older and younger men and women, so that at each age and stage, they live out the grace of God in their lives.

If that chapter was about how we relate to one another in the church, we move now to living in wider society. How should we live in relation to the community and the state? Should we isolate ourselves from the wider community,just live in our little Christian bubble? Or should we engage with society? Let’s see what Paul says as we turn to verse 1:

‘Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no-one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility towards all men.’

So these are things that Titus is to remind the Christians about. They’re things that they’ve heard before - none of this will be new to them - but it’s good to get a wee reminder time and again. This is what Paul would have taught before he left Crete, and before he left Titus to get on with the work.

It’s almost like a checklist of how to engage with our community and wider society. Or, perhaps to put it a better way, a list of guidelines to keep reflecting on - each day thinking are my actions in accord with this list, in accord with my sound doctrine?

So in relation to the state, to rulers and authorities, we are ‘to be subject to’ them. We’re to recognise their right to rule, to bring in legislation, even to impose taxes. Being subject to them is what God desires and intends. Elsewhere Paul tells us that the government is ordained by God to punish evildoers - they are God’s agents to uphold the law.

That means that, on the whole, we are to be obedient. now, of course, there may be times when we need to disobey, when something is manifestly not good. But remember that these words are addressed to Christians living under the Roman Empire. They didn’t have a chance to vote or change the government. They were facing sometimes intense persecution. And they’re told to obey. but beside that, they’re told to be ready to do whatever is good. (Not what is bad!).

Further, we’re to slander no-one, so we’re not to talk badly about people; speaking ill of them. Rather, we’re to be peaceable and considerate in our attitude to others. Peaceful towards them, considering how they feel. It’s all summed up in the last one - showing true humility towards all men.

And those verses are the ‘now’ picture. Beside that, Paul gives us the ‘then’ picture. We see it in verse 3. I wonder can you spot the difference?

‘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.’

Can you spot the difference? Now, in one sense, this is a spot the difference between the way Christians used to be, and how we are now - the difference between v1-2 and v3. ‘At one time we too were...’ We used to be this way, but now we’re not.

But I think what Paul is doing here is also showing us what people who aren’t Christians are still like. And what’s he’s saying is that we need to live out verses 1 and 2 because this is what the rest of the community is like. So why do we need to be peaceable and considerate, showing true humility towards all men?

Because people are foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all sorts of passions and pleasures. Malice and envy are the default position of people - and it ends up in the last words - being hated and hating one another.

When you see the two pictures side by side, you can spot the differences quite quickly. It’s easy to see the differences. But what brought about the change? With me, it was ten years of life and ministry that changed me from looking young to looking like this! What’s the change in the Cretans’ life? We see it in verses 4-7.

‘But’. Let’s pause there. Have you ever noticed how many times that word appears in the Bible, and how often it’s in relation to a change brought about by God. (e.g. Eph 2:4) And so also here, It’s But...

‘But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. 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 Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.’

The change in their lives was brought about when God’s kindness and love appeared in the person of Jesus. Love took to the stage, to bring about salvation. And why were we saved? Was it anything we had done? No. Nothing we could do. We are saved because of his mercy - mercy that doesn’t give us what we do deserve. Mercy that brings about our change.

And did you notice that it’s not just a wee change, just a slight improvement that God does, just a bit of renovation? No, God brings about the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. We are made new; given a fresh start; born again - and given the Holy Spirit so that we can live for God.

Even more than that, we are justified by his grace - that is, we are declared innocent (not guilty) and made in the right with God. And having been justified, we are heirs - waiting for our inheritance, waiting for what we will receive - and what is it we are looking forward to? The hope of eternal life. Life with God, which goes on, well for eternity, but also life with God of a different order and quality to this life.

Do you see what makes the difference between a Christian and someone who isn’t a Christian? It isn’t really anything in the person - it’s not about intellect or morality or performance or respectability. It’s about receiving God’s mercy and becoming an heir of hope. We can’t boast about it. But nor can we look down on others, who don’t yet have it.

So, as we seek to apply this passage tonight, let me ask this simple question. Can you do a spot the difference in your life? Have you been changed by the mercy of God? Can you look back to see how you’ve been made new, to see how things used to be, and how they’re different now?

If you can’t - if you haven’t experienced God’s mercy, then focus in on verses 4-7. Ask God to have mercy on you. To do this work in your heart and your life. Look to the cross, where we see the kindness and love of God our Saviour appearing in sharpest focus. Jesus did it all for you. Believe in him, and receive him as your own Saviour.

Now, if you can spot the difference, if you have received God’s mercy, then verses 1-2 are directed at you. You’ve received God’s mercy; you’ve been changed; so live out the good news to those around you who don’t know God and haven;t experienced his love. Do it peaceably, do it considerately, show true humility - because you were in exactly the same boat, until God saved you.

You know this, I’m sure you know it. But it’s good to get a reminder every now and again. And maybe, just maybe, someone will do a spot the difference, and ask you, how come you’re different to me? What’s the reason for the hope that you have? Or maybe if they’ve known you a lifetime, they’ll be able to say - you’ve changed! How come? It’s only by God’s mercy, and you can experience it too. Let me tell you how...

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 17th June 2018.

Sermon: Titus 2: 11-15 God's good grace

The other day I was in a petrol station, and the lady in front seemed to be very agitated. She was at the till for ages, as the only assistant worked to try to calm her down, and to give her the help she needed. Getting a phone number for her. Eventually, the lady went out of the shop, and the assistant explained what had happened to cause the delay. The poor lady had just filled her car with the wrong fuel. She’d put petrol in a diesel, or diesel in a petrol (whichever way round it was). Now, thankfully, she had realised before she had turned on the engine, but the car wasn’t going to go too far.

Your car needs the right sort of fuel to get from A to B. And it’s the same with us, as we seek to live the Christian life. We need the right fuel to move us and give us the power to live for Jesus, like Jesus. The wrong fuel will only lead to frustration, and not get us anywhere. Tonight we’ll see the fuel for our Christian life; the power to go and grow in our Christlikeness.

Last week, we looked at what Titus was to teach to the Christians on Crete. And if you were here, you’ll remember that we saw that the application was divided into different ages and stages, older men, older women, younger women, younger men, Titus himself, and then slaves (or workers). We looked at how each group were to live out the Christian life - those characteristics and behaviours that are in accord with sound doctrine.

So, how did you get on this past week? If you glance back at the earlier part of chapter 2, how did you do? Were there opportunities to use self-control? Did you take them? Were you able to grow more like Jesus this week?

My hope and my prayer is that you were able to do that. But what was it that motivated you to do it? You see, there can be lots of different reasons why we want to do something; why we behave in a certain way. Some of them may not be helpful or healthy - it would be like putting the wrong fuel in your car.

So, what would a wrong motivation look like? Perhaps you wanted to behave in these ways because you thought you would earn your place in God’s good books. So your motive was to earn salvation - but you can’t do that! It can’t be done! Or maybe your motive was to impress me or someone else - but really, our opinion doesn’t matter at the end of the day. It’s only God’s opinion that will finally matter. Or maybe your motive was out of duty, a kind of legalism. You might have tried really hard, for any of these reasons, but in the end, you probably didn’t get very far.

You see, all those reasons are like putting the wrong fuel in the car. You want to get on, but you probably won’t get very far. This evening, though, in our reading, paul shows us the proper fuel for Christian living - the real motivation for living out the Christian life. And it all comes down to one five letter word. Grace.

Grace is the reason why we can become more like Jesus, in the first place. And grace is the driving force to make us more like Jesus as we continue to follow and grow for the rest of our lives. And Paul spells out exactly why that is in these verses.

Do you see how this connects to last week’s reading? It all comes down to the ‘for’ at the start of verse 11. That ‘for’ gives us the reason why we should live in the ways we looked at last week. Paul writes: ‘For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.’

God’s grace which brings salvation has appeared to all men, all people. The news of God’s undeserved favour for us has been announced - but more than that, has itself appeared in the Lord Jesus. So what does grace do? We see that in verse 12:

‘It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age...’

God’s grace is our teacher - other versions have ‘training us’. So it’s as if grace is our Personal Trainer, like you would find in a gym, urging us to keep going, showing us what to do and how to do it. And what is it that grace is teaching us to do?

There’s the negative first of all. When I was younger, I remember going on the bus through Hillsborough when I was going to Lisburn. And strung across the front of the Lisburn Borough Council offices at the top of the hill in Hillsborough was a big banner that said ‘Ulster Says No’. Now, that was in response to the Anglo-Irish Agreeement in 1985. But God’s grace teaches us to also say ‘No’ - no to ungodliness; and no to worldly passions.

By our own nature and choice, these are the things we want to say yes to. These are the things we want to do. But God’s grace is our Personal Trainer, teaching us to say no to them. It might be a lesson that takes a while, and we might still stumble, and we might need to keep learning over and over, but that’s what God’s grace does. Teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions.

At the same time, though, we’re also learning that there are things we can say yes to. (Like the man from Del Monte - he says yes to good pineapples) We say yes to living self-controlled, upright and godly lives. And God’s grace, his undeserved favour, is the fuel to help us go in this direction. Grace encourages us to keep going - as one author has put it, a long obedience in the same direction.

So if we put those two things together - saying no to ungodliness and saying yes to godliness - that’s what grace teaches us to do, ‘in this present age’. This is where we’re meant to be, it’s the feature of all of our days. Every day is a school day. God’s grace is for our present, teaching us. But grace also points us forward, in verse 13: ‘while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.’

This is the hope that we have; this is what we are looking forward to. This is the end of our all growing in grace - seeing Jesus appear, being with Jesus. Do you see how he’s described? It’s not the appearing of two separate people - our great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. No, Paul is reminding us that Jesus Christ is our great God and Saviour. And he’s going to appear in glory. Glorious appearing. When we’ll see him, and be with him - only by grace.

And all this grace - grace for the present, and grace for the future, it’s all rooted in God’s grace for our past. We see that in verse 14:

... Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.’

Present and future grace is all dependent on past grace. Here we see what Jesus has done to deal with our past. You see, if we need to be trained in godliness, it’s because we are naturally ungodly. The word Paul uses in this verse is ‘wickedness.’ Perhaps you’re troubled by the memory of something that you have done. The thought of your past brings you grief; makes you doubt whether God would really have you in his heaven; whether God would want to train you in righteousness.

So, even though you’ve heard this message before, hear it again, as if for the very first time. See the grace of God here in what Jesus has done: ‘who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness...’

Whatever you have done; however many or however serious your sins; however wild your wickedness; Jesus gave himself for you to redeem you from it all. He has bought you back. He has paid the price - not just from some of your sins, but from all of your wickedness.

You didn’t do anything to deserve it. He freely chose to do it, to show you undeserved, unmerited favour. It really is amazing grace, as we’ll sing later. So if you are troubled in conscience tonight, then hear the promise that you have been redeemed from all your wickedness.

But that’s often where we stop. Jesus died to redeem us. Jesus died to take away our sins. It’s true, but it’s not the full picture of the cross. You see, Paul continues to give us another reason for the cross. Another reason why Jesus died. So follow from the start of verse 14, and at the ‘to’ drop down a line and pick it up again: ‘who gave himself for us to... purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.’

Jesus died, not just to forgive us, but also to own us. He has cleansed us, purified us, so that we are his - do you see the emphasis - ‘for himself... his very own’ As Paul says elsewhere, you are not your own, you were bought with a price. We belong to Jesus, we are his people, his possession.

And what is the defining mark of Jesus’ people? It’s not so that we can say we are his - and then look down on anybody who isn’t. No, the defining mark of Jesus’ people is that they are ‘eager to do what is good.’ Not reluctant, not out of duty, not out of a sense of ‘I’ll need to do this just in case someone sees me...’ Eager to do what is good. Strongly wanting to do good.

So where does the desire for doing good come from? What’s the fuel for living like Jesus? It can only ever be grace. Knowing that Jesus gave himself for us - people who didn’t deserve it - so that our past is covered, our present is in training, and our future is certain. It’s all by grace. It’s only by grace. God’s grace is the fuel to spur us to love and good deeds.

That’s why Titus is to teach these things; why he is to encourage his hearers to keep going with all authority, but also why he is to rebuke those who aren’t doing it. We as individuals can only run by grace; and we as a church can only run by grace.

So in light of God’s grace, what is God teaching you right now? In this week? What do you need to say no to - ungodliness and worldly passions; and what do you need to say yes to - self-controlled, upright and godly lives. Jesus gave himself for you. How will you respond to his amazing grace?

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 10th June 2018.

Sermon: Titus 2: 1-10 Good Living

Titus is still on the holiday island of Crete, although he’s not there for a holiday. There’s work to be done when he receives this letter from the apostle Paul. Last week, we saw some of that work - the appointing of suitable church leaders, elders and overseers, men who believe and live out the trustworthy word, who can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Now, maybe when he had done all that, Titus might have been ready to lie down on a sun lounger for a while. But there’s more to be done. Titus isn’t a church consultant, brought in to troubleshoot the problems in the church and then ride off into the sunset. Titus is a pastor, a church leader, with responsibility for the churches on Crete.

And so Titus is called to teach, not just the elders, but everyone. And, as you’ll see, it’s all very practical stuff. This is what it looks like to live as a Christian - good living, if you like. Now, I choose that sermon title cautiously. You see, round Dromore, and maybe around here as well, when someone becomes a Christian, then people talk about them, saying, oh, she’s become good living now. He’s good living, he doesn’t do all the things he used to.

Now, when I hear someone say that, I want to say, it’s not just good living, it’s the best living! But the focus is just on what they do. So, if someone is good living, then that means (in the wider community) that there’s a big list of things you don’t do.

Don Carson (a famous pastor and preacher) remembers a rhyme from his youth:
We don’t smoke or drink or chew
And we don’t go with girls who do.

Is that it? Is this what Paul is urging Titus, and every Christian to do (or not do)? But the focus is only on behaviour. And so some people think that Christianity is just a list of dos and don’ts. A new set of rules to keep. As if, if you keep all these rules then you’ll be all right in the end. But it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Look at verse 1. Here, Paul sets out what he’s bringing Titus to - his second major work besides appointing leaders. ‘You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.’ So what follows isn’t an arbitrary list of dos and don’ts. No, what’s spelled out is what godliness looks like. you don’t start with the behaviours; you start with the sound doctrine.

Recently, the news has been filled with the talks between the United States and North Korea. They’ve been on and off more times than your living room light. But hopefully, the two sides will be able to make an agreement - an accord. And it’s as if our lives and our doctrines are in this tension - do our behaviours match our beliefs? Are we consistent in what we believe and how we behave?

They don’t always match, but that’s the aim. So that our lives match our sound doctrine. Now, if you’ve been with us already in the Titus series, then that shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s what we’ve already seen in the leaders’ lives, and from 1:1 ‘the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.’

So if you’re a Christian, how should you be living? What will it look like as you live out your faith? Paul gives us some guidelines for good living. And as he does so, you’ll notice that they are divided into different age groups and categories. Now, I’m not going to say which one you fit into - you can work that out yourself. Let’s work our way through the various groups, and to see how the gospel should be lived out in each age and stage.

First up, is the older men. Titus is to: ‘Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.’ (2)

So if you’re an older man, here’s what it will look like for you. The combination of words portrays a well-respected, reliable member of the community. Self-controlled. Both the temperate word and the self-controlled word suggest being sober, restrained, moderate. Important qualities, given the natural state of the Cretan - always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons (1:12). So here’s how they’re to be different, how the gospel brings good living. They’re to be known for faith, love and endurance - keeping going even when things are difficult.

Next, Paul turns to the older women. ‘Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.’ (3)

Here, Paul gives some positive behaviours to live out, as well as some to avoid. A bit like you’d sometimes see in a magazine - what’s hot and what’s not. So yes to being reverent, honourable, respected; no to being slanderers (or gossips) or addicted to much wine. (once again, do you see how this contrasts with what Cretans are like?). And finally, they’re to teach what is good.

So who will the older women be teaching? They’re to train the younger women. Notice that Titus isn’t told to teach them directly as such - it’s the older women who train the younger women. So, if you’re an older women, who are you training and mentoring and encouraging? or if you’re a younger woman, which of the older women are you looking to, being trained by? Or who are you being mentored by and who are you being a mentor to?

So what will it look like? Paul tells us in verse 4: ‘Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands.’

Older women who have been there, done it and got the t-shirt are to train and help the younger women in every aspect of their life. How to love husbands and children in those moments when it feels hard to do that. Being self-controlled and pure in thought, word and deed. Being kind. Now, Paul isn’t here saying that women should only stay at home, but that they’re to be productive in all that they do in the home and beyond.

Next up are the young men. They get just one word, one instruction, but this might just sum up the struggle and challenge of younger men - ‘self-controlled.’ To not be led astray by passions and desires; to control yourself. (Did you notice that almost every group were told to be self-controlled? Perhaps it’s the bigger challenge for young men).

But they have a model of what this will look like. Verse 7 is addressed to Titus: ‘In everything set them an example by doing what is good.’ Titus is to model this kind of lifestyle himself.

But more than that, Titus’ teaching is also under scrutiny - ‘In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned.’ It’s not just what he teaches, it’s also how he teaches.

Next up, Paul turns to slaves - now, these days, this would be workers, employees. So what will it look like when we’re at work? ‘Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted...’ (9-10).

So what’s your witness in the workplace like? Are you different in work than you are in church? Are you showing yourself to be trustworthy?

So, whichever category you find yourself in, there will be something here for you to work on. Because none of us could say that we’re already doing these things perfectly. Each of us need to hear God’s word about God’s way and God’s plan, and then try to put it into practice, more and more, day by day.

The question is - why? Why should we be doing these things? Why should we pursue this good living? You might have noticed the reasons that I’ve skipped over so far. Each of them starts with a so (not, that’s not s-e-w, as in a stitch - it’s s-o, so). Let’s look at them briefly. the first is at the end of verse 5:

Younger women are to live in those ways, ‘so that no-one will malign the word of God.’ That is, so that no one can say anything against God’s word.

The second so is found in verse 8 relating to Titus’ teaching: ‘so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.’ People might not like us, might oppose us, but they shouldn’t have anything they can say against us.

And the third so is there in verse 10: ‘so that in every way they will make the teaching of God our Saviour attractive.’

When we hear the good news of Jesus, about God our Saviour, and we believe in Jesus, something must change. We want to turn away from our sins and live the way God wants us to live. Other people will watch us to see how we live. To see if believing in Jesus really makes a difference. You might be the only Bible some people will ever read. You might be the only Christian they know. And they are watching carefully.

She says that Jesus is her Saviour - is it true? Does Jesus make a difference? He goes to church on Sundays - but how does he live the rest of the week? Does it change him? The way that we live can make the teaching of God our Saviour attractive to people, or it can turn them off entirely.

So that’s what Titus was to teach. It’s what we’re called to live out. But just as we saw this morning, when God tells us to do something, he also gives us the power and encouragement and help to do it. We’ll see that next week, that wonderfully amazing grace that God gives us. For now, though, in whichever category you find yourself, let’s live out our faith, what is in accord with sound doctrine.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 3rd June 2018.

Sermon: Titus 1: 5-16 Entrusted with God's work

The summer holidays are on the horizon. But where to go? So you check out the websites, or you go into the travel agents; you look at the brochures; you ask your friends. Crete seems to be nice: warm and sunny, scenic and peaceful, so long as you stay away from the party capitals with drunken teenagers from the UK and Ireland. Titus, the person Paul is writing this letter to is on Crete, but he’s not there for a holiday. There’s work to be done.

After the introduction (Paul the apostle telling Titus his son and fellow worker about God’s promised eternal life and the truth that leads to godliness), we’re straight into Titus’ task.

‘The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.’ Titus is to appoint elders (also called overseers (bishops) in v7 - the same people). But what should you look for in a church leader? In the life of the church there are all sorts of leaders doing all sorts of things. What should we be looking for in the parish, in organisations, in vestry? As we’ll see, the important things to look for in church leaders link in with the overall theme of the letter to Titus: ‘the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.’ (1:1)

The two must go together - truth and godliness. It’s not an either/or pick and mix. It must be both together, truth leading to godliness. First up, then, we see in verses 6-8 the quality of godliness. The word that sums it up is in those verses twice: blameless. Let me be the first to say that this doesn’t mean perfection. None of us are perfect. So if the standard was perfection, then we wouldn’t have any Christian leaders.

Rather, what we’re looking for is someone with integrity. And this can be seen in three ways, in each of these verses - verse 6 at home; verse 7 in negative form; and verse 8 positively. At home (v6), blameless, as the husband of one wife, not running after lots of women; and whose children (if there are any) being believers. Just as the church is God’s family and household, so our families are the place where leadership is seen in practice.

Verse 7 shows what being blameless is not like: ‘not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.’ It’s easy to see why these kinds of behaviour would make someone unsuitable for church leadership. Each of these are modes of selfishness - putting me, or my anger or my addictions or my fists or my wallet first; all a lack of self-control.

In verse 8, we see the opposite of selfishness - hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. These are the things to look for as we select new leaders. These are the things to pray for in our leaders, that they would be increasing.

Godliness is important for those in church leadership. But as we’ve said, that’s just one part. We also need the knowledge of the truth which leads to godliness. It’s truth we find in verse 9. ‘He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught...’

When I was a Curate in Dundonald I was visiting a home when a dog came and attached itself to the front of my shoe. It wasn’t for letting go. It hung on for ages. This is what Paul is looking for - a firm grasp, holding firmly to the trustworthy word.

You see, if God doesn’t lie, then we need to hold on his word - especially church leaders. Why? Because the work of the gospel is the work of the word. Paul gives us two parts of the work: so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine’ - so that what is preached is healthy, is sound. (That’s why it’s important for you to have your Bible open during the sermon to make sure that what I’m saying is what the Bible is saying). It would be great if that’s all that is needed, but there’s a second part of the work: ‘and refute those who oppose it.’

Do you see how the two parts fit together? encouraging other by sound doctrine, and refuting those who oppose it. Why’s this bit needed? There are those who contradict sound doctrine. There are those within the church who don’t hold to the trustworthy word. Not everyone who wears a clerical collar is a Christian preacher. I know this might be hard to believe, but it’s true today, just as it was true in Crete in the first century.

That’s why church leaders are needed. Do you see the ‘for’ at the start of verse 10? Here’s why we need sound teaching: Paul gives us a picture of what these false teachers were like. ‘rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers... ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach - and that for the sake of dishonest gain.’ You see, these false teachers were tapping into the natural Crete temperament. They were saying what the people wanted to hear, and were gaining, because it was an easy message.

It’s easy for us to see how the Cretans are far from godliness in their ‘always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons’ mode of being. But what about us? You see, we are also far from God and godliness by ourselves. What would Paul write of us? ‘People in County Armagh are...’ Richhillians are always... If someone came with a message that you’re basically all right the way you are, with no challenge or change needed, it would be popular enough. But it’s not the gospel. It’s not the trustworthy word that leads to godliness.

Titus is called to do something harder. As he holds to the trustworthy word, Paul tells him in verse 13: ‘Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith...’

Titus, and therefore church leaders must administer this rebuke in order to take people from their sin-sick nature to being sound in the faith. If you were sick, you would ring up the surgery and get an appointment to see a GP. You want them to stop you being sick and to make you well, healthy. This is what ministry is all about - we want to be healthy in the faith, but if we’re stuck in our sinful nature then we’re not healthy, we need the treatment of the gospel.

The false teachers had turned away from the truth, but it wasn’t that they believed in nothing; rather, they were now believing in anything - Jewish myths or the commands of those who reject the truth. But the end results of their belief and teaching is clearly to be seen. Throughout Titus we’re seeing that the truth leads to godliness. What you believe is seen in how you live your life.

We see it here with the false teachers. They rejected the truth. They still claim to know God, ‘but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good.’ What they do doesn’t match up with what they say. False teaching needs to be rebuked; corrected; and instead the truth proclaimed.

So what do we look for in church leaders? People marked by holding firm to the truth which leads to godly living. People who proclaim sound doctrine and rebuke those in error.

If you’re in leadership, perhaps like me, you’re feeling the weight of the requirements. Could we possibly do this? So please do pray for those who lead in this parish. And please do pray for me - in study and in homes and in the pulpit to hold and hold forth the word of truth, to apply it to my own life and household, and to the church family.

Who could do this? Who is sufficient for these things? There’s a section of the ordination service, which is our answer: ‘Because none of us can bear the weight of this ministry in our own strength, but only by the grace and power of God, let us pray earnestly for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on these persons. Let us pray also that God will each day enlarge and enlighten their understanding of the Scriptures, so that they may grow stronger and more mature in their ministry, as they fashion their lives and the lives of the people they serve on the word of God.’

There’s that double emphasis on truth and godliness. So let’s pray.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 27th May 2018.

Sermon Audio: Titus

The sermon mp3 uploads have been behind for a while, but hopefully we'll be able to catch up. Back in May and June, we preached through Paul's letter to Titus, and here are all the podcast sermons. In Titus, we discover that the truth of God's gospel of grace must lead to godliness. Here's how that can happen in church, home, state, and individuals:

4th May: Titus 1:1-4 Introducing Titus

11th May: Titus 1:5-16 What to look for in a church leader

18th May: Titus 2:1-10 Living the gospel

25th May: Titus 2:11-15 God's grace

8th June: Titus 3:1-7 Heirs of hope

22nd June: Titus 3:8-15 Devoted to good works

Sermon: Titus 3: 8-15 Devoted to good works

Have you ever heard a cd skipping? A cd skipping? A cd skipping? Something has gone wrong and you get the same little bit of music over and over again, until you give the cd player a dunt, or else move it on to the next song. Or perhaps you’ve heard about someone going on like a record player with the needle stuck. The same thing again and again.

You might be tempted to think that’s what’s happening in our reading today. Paul keeps saying the same thing a couple of times. Can you see it in verse 8 and verse 14? Twice he talks about being devoted to good works. Is his needle stuck?

When you’re writing a letter today, paper is relatively cheap. You can pick up a whole pad for a pound, and you could write on that whole pad, pop it in an envelope and post it. That is, of course if you’re still writing letters by hand. Email is even easier. Type as much as you want; copy and paste and edit as you go, click send, and the message pops into their inbox straight away. But when Paul was writing, papyrus or parchment was more expensive. Every square inch was valuable. Words were carefully chosen. So why does Paul (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) repeat himself on being devoted to good works, twice in quick succession? What’s so good about good works?

It’s the question the puzzled me as I studied the passage this week. But then I realised that this focus on good works is the key to the whole letter. You see, Paul has mentioned good works already - look back at 2:7, where Titus is to be a model of good works for the church; and in 2:14 where Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all iniquity and ‘to purify a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.’ (Same phrase ‘good works’ in Gk).

As we’ve seen all through the letter, the message Titus has to teach in the church in Crete is this: what you believe affects how you behave. Right belief must lead to right behaviour. In chapter one, we saw how church leaders must be people who hold to the truth and live it out. In two, the focus shifts to the home, where younger and older men and women and slaves are to live out what is consistent with sound doctrine, adorning the gospel of God’s grace. And now in chapter three, we focus on life in the world, relating to the state and to people around us.

Because the gospel is true, Paul wants Titus to ‘insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone.’

Once again, Paul is showing the order. The way you do things and the order you do them in can be vital. Just think of the laundry basket. You’ve got some dirty clothes. You wouldn’t iron them, then put them in the tumble drier, then put them in the washing machine, and then wear them straight away. The order is important. So it is here. First of all: ‘those who have come to believe in God’ - so you have already done that (it’s in the past tense) - ‘may be careful to devote themselves to good works.’

Good works won’t bring you to God. But when you have believed in God (trusted him), then good works are essential. But more than that, they are also ‘excellent and profitable to everyone.’ Doing good is an excellent thing to do; and even more so because it profits everyone. Just think of the benefit to others if you do good rather than evil.

So if you have believed in God; if you’re one of his today, then the command is clear - be devoted to good works. Always be doing them; always be looking out for ways to do good. Devoted brings to mind a devoted husband or wife; constantly attending to and helping; or think of the devoted England fans, willing to pay thousands to fly to Brazil for the World Cup, now facing an early trip home.

If there are things that we are devoted to - good works - then there are also things to avoid. Look at verse 9. ‘But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.’ Good works are profitable, helpful, useful; but these quarrels and debates are unprofitable. Plenty of hot air, but not much benefit.

Causing division in the church is a serious business. We’re here for each other, to build up each other; not to start petty divisions over unimportant things. It’s so serious that Titus is told not to have anything to do with those who cause divisions.

Those verses seem to be clear. Be devoted to good works; avoid stupid controversies. They’re the main teaching point from the passage. We can all take it on board. From the start of verse 12, you might think that Paul is just winding down. There are some personal remarks that only really have to do with the situation of Titus as he opens the envelope and reads it on that day. What could there possibly be for us, two thousand years later?

But look again. We have our second occurrence of the needle being stuck. In these specifics, we get an example of how being devoted to good works will work in practice. Here’s part of what it will look like to be devoted to good works.

Have you ever seen one of those battlefield maps with the toy soldiers lining up? The commander of the army moves the regiments and plans strategy. Or maybe you play chess. You line up your pieces for maximum advantage to checkmate the opponent. That’s what Paul is doing here. He’s sending Artemas or Tychicus to Crete to replace Titus. Titus is to move to Nicopolis to be with Paul over the winter. Zenas and Apollos are on Crete, but they are to be sent on their way ‘and see that they lack nothing. And let people learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive.’

Being devoted to good works in these verses is all about supporting God’s work of mission. The good works of the church on Crete will be seen as they send Zenas and Apollos, lacking nothing. Not everyone will necessarily go away on mission, but we can all give to those who do. It seems like the Lord’s perfect timing that we are today announcing our new mission partnership.

But being devoted to good works is something that we need to learn. It doesn’t come naturally. But when it comes as a response to all that God has given us; when we realise that it’s all his; and when we realise we can make a difference for others, then how could we not?

What is it you’re devoted to? What is the pattern of your life? Paul urges Titus to insist on being devoted to good works. We all need to learn how to do it. We need to be brought from our selfishness to service. This week, ask God to open your eyes to see the ways you can do good, for those near at hand; and for those serving the Lord far from home. It’s not easy. It’ll not come easily. But God gives us something that will help us do it. As Paul closes: ‘Grace be with you all.’ Amen.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Church on Sunday 22nd June 2014.

Sermon: Titus 3: 1-7 Heirs of Hope

When I was younger, I loved to do spot the difference puzzles. You would have two pictures, side by side, but there were some subtle differences. If it was a picture of a park, there might be three ducks in one picture and only two in the other; or the little boy’s kite might have disappeared. Sometimes you had to look really carefully to see what was different.

Sometimes it’s not very easy to see what has changed. For some of the men, perhaps your wife has returned from the hairdresser and they ask you what you think; and can you notice what’s different or what they’ve had done. Is it a new colour, slightly shorter, more or less wavy? Or is it a trick question?

In other situations, though, it’s easy to spot the difference. With a family occasion, you maybe see someone you haven’t seen for a while and the change is instantly noticeable - if they’ve been on holiday; lost or gained weight; or for nephews and nieces, the inevitable ‘look at how tall you’re getting...’ It’s easy to see the change and spot the difference.

In our reading today, Paul gives us two pictures of how to live. He sets them side by side, but the difference is very easy to spot. In fact, the two ways of life are so different to one another, it’s like comparing day and night.

Now we’re coming near to the end of our series, but it’s always good to remind you where we are and what’s happening. Paul is writing to Titus, his colleague, who is on Crete, teaching the church and appointing leaders. The big theme of the letter is ‘truth which accords with godliness’ - or in other words, what we believe affects what we do. All the way through, Paul has been showing us that we need to believe the truth, and then live it out. We saw that in chapter 1 in the church leadership - wanting men who hold to the truth; and in chapter two in the home, where younger and older men and women each have their own specific roles and application.

Here in chapter three, Paul focuses in on life in the world. In verses 1 and 2, he shows us what living as a Christian will look like. It’s something they already know, because he says ‘Remind them...’ So let’s hear and heed this reminder, even if it seems like you’ve heard it all before. ‘Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be gentle, and to show courtesy to everyone.’

Here’s what we need to do as Christians. Here’s how we should be living as we go about our daily business, meeting friends and neighbours and enemies. It’s an attractive, positive way of life. Good citizens, good neighbours, good living.

But this is like the ‘after’ feature of one of those home makeover programmes. There used to be one on a few years back called ‘How Clean is your House?’ Kim and Aggie would go into a home that had been neglected over the years, clean it up and get it sorted out. Life as a Christian is like the after shot - the good, indeed the best way to live.

But just as a spotless home doesn’t just happen, neither will a blameless life. Instead, if we’re left to ourselves, if we go our own way, life will look very different. I wonder can you spot the difference when we get to verse 3: ‘foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another.’ It’s the exact opposite of verses 1 and 2. It explains the way the world is, as people live out these very ‘values’ (if that’s the right word). It’s easy to look out at other people and see these things in them. But for the Christian, it’s important to remember that we are no better, because we were once like that as well. Look again at the start of verse 3: ‘For we ourselves were once...’

The Christian life is one of change. I used to be like that, but now I have changed. But how do we jump from one to the other? How can we move from living out verse 3 to living the 1&2 way? We simply can’t do it by ourselves. By nature, we are enslaved. We can’t escape by ourselves. Just like the people in those houses who needed Kim and Aggie, so we need to have outside help.

That’s where verse 4 comes in. This is where the change is found. ‘But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.’

Before God works in our life, we’re in verse 3. We can’t be saved by works of righteousness, because we can’t do any. We’re slaves to passions and pleasures. We can’t do anything good that will earn favour with God. That’s why God steps in. Jesus, the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared, and saved us according to his mercy. Mercy is when God does not give us what we deserve.

You see, our sins deserve punishment, but instead God gives us mercy. Instead of wrath, we receive rebirth and renewal - new life by the Holy Spirit. We are reborn and made new, so that we can live by the Spirit, instead of following our sinful desires.

On this Pentecost Sunday, we remember how God gave the Holy Spirit to every believer. He lives within us, giving us life, confirming in us his grace, helping us to live for God, and reminding us of the hope of eternal life. We have been given the Holy Spirit, not miserly, not in a small measure, but richly, abundantly, fully.

Some people think that the church is all about do’s and don’ts. At first glance, that’s what this passage looks as if it’s doing. Don’t be like verse 3. Do be like verse 1 and 2. Do, do, do. It’s like trying to drive a car that has run out of fuel. You could be terribly inspirational, but the car can’t do it. The Christian life is fuelled by the message of grace - here’s what God has already done. You have been saved. You have been justified. You have this great hope. You have the Holy Spirit living inside you. So live it out.

At times we fail. At times we don’t do it as we should. That’s why we need the reminder. Keep going this way; keep obeying the Spirit. And as you do so, you and those around you will be able to spot the difference. You’re not the person you used to be.

As we look at this spot the difference, I wonder which of the two pictures is the likeness of your life. Do you find yourself in verse 3? Enslaved, hating and hated? You don’t like how things are; you want to change, but you don’t know how. Look to Christ and find the grace and mercy he provides. He can make you new through his work on the cross, and give you the Holy Spirit to change you.

Or maybe you’re already a believer. How are you getting on with verses 1&2? Do your workmates or friends see something different in your life? We’re not asking you to pull your socks up, to try a bit harder. Rather, it’s a reminder of what God has done, as you live out the good news. He can make us change, for his glory. Amen.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 8th June 2014.

Sermon: Titus 2: 11-15 God's grace

I wonder if you’ve ever received one of those mailings which declares that you have been chosen at random from a draw you didn’t enter to win a guaranteed £50,000. If it doesn’t go straight into the bin, you might wonder, what’s the catch? You read the small print to discover you have to buy something from a catalogue, or send a small deposit to continue to see what you’ve actually won. The new version is the spam email from an African country where if you give them your bank account details to help them move a small fortune then you’ll be handsomely rewarded. Except you realise quickly that the only movement will be the money out of your account, and delete the emails.

Things seem too good to be true. We’re brought up to see that you don’t get anything for nothing. We have to work hard for what we’ve got; and to make sure that you pay your way. Just think of the spectacle of two ladies fighting over which one of them is going to pay for their morning coffee. We can’t quite accept anything for free.

When it comes to God, we expect to have to work hard to become acceptable to him. We expect there to be a check list of things to do so that he will love us - pray, read your Bible, give to charity, avoid temptation and all the rest. And last Sunday, as we looked at the passage immediately before our reading today, we found lots of things to do. There were specific instructions, a teaching curriculum for different groups of people in the church - older & younger men and women. Maybe you went away last week thinking - finally - something to do or something to try. So you tried to be more self-controlled or less addicted to wine or whatever your bit was. But as the week went on and life happened, with stress at home or work, you discovered that it’s not easy to be self-controlled. The more you tried, the harder it became. The more aware you were of failure. Well, don’t give up.

This morning we have the key to the Christian life; the secret that brings peace and energy for our walk with God. It’s the motivation to live in the way that we saw last week and it’s found in our reading this morning. The apostle Paul is writing to Titus, a church leader on the island of Crete. He’s spelling out what Titus needs to do as he teaches the church and appoints leaders. Paul knows that what we believe affects how we behave. So Paul is urging Titus to teach the truth, which accords with godliness. When we believe the truth, we’ll show it in our lives.
And here is the truth. Here is the reason why we are to live out the truth. ‘For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.’ Salvation has been offered to all sorts of people, and it’s entirely free. Grace is God’s gift, undeserved, but gladly and graciously given. There is nothing you can do to earn God’s grace, just receive it as a gift. Now I don’t know if ‘Baptism presents’ is something that happens (and if you’re a guest of the family today, don’t panic if you haven’t brought anything!), but imagine you give a gift to Erin today. What would you think if Catherine brought out her chequebook and asked how much she owed you for it? You’d say, no, it’s a gift, it’s free. Please just take it.

Now imagine that you’re Erin. You’ve received so many beautiful gifts. If she could talk, I’m sure she would express her thanks and wonder and amazement. We have nieces who are a little bit older, and when they receive a new t-shirt, they’re amazed that they got something. They want to tell everyone that auntie soandso gave me this!

When we receive salvation as a free gift, it will change how we view God. We want to do what pleases him; we don’t want to do those things which harm our relationship with him. And look at the way in which grace works in this. ‘For the grace of God has appeared... training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions...’ Some of us may remember back to the mid-1980s, after the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed. Unionists were dismayed at that agreement. Across the province banners displayed the message: ‘Ulster says no.’ Grace prompts us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions. If God has been so gracious to us, we don’t want to carry on doing those things that separate us from him.

But grace helps us to do more than just say no. Grace also helps us to say yes to other things. There used to be an advertising slogan: ‘The bank that likes to say ‘yes’’. As we say no to ungodliness, so grace helps us to say yes to live ‘self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age.’ The types of things we find in the first part of chapter two. You see, it’s not that we have to do those things in order for God to love us. Rather, because God loves us, we’ll want to do these things.

And all the more, because God’s grace has given us something to look forward to. Verse 13. We’re waiting for our blessed hope. So often, waiting is seen as a negative, whether it’s waiting on a bus which doesn’t seem to come, or waiting in the doctor’s surgery. But we’re waiting for our blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

It’s more like the eager anticipation of preparing the nursery for the arrival of a new baby. Or counting down the days until a long lost relative arrives home on holiday from Australia. We’re in the in between period - in between the appearing of God’s grace, something which has already happened; and the appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

You see, when Paul writes those words, he isn’t referring to two people. It isn’t ‘our great God; and then also our Saviour Jesus Christ.’ No, Jesus Christ is our great God and Saviour. The first appearing of God’s grace was when Jesus appeared. And that grace appeared because of what Jesus accomplished when he was on earth. Look at verse 14. Here’s what Jesus came to do the first time, as he demonstrated his grace; as he gave freely to us:

‘who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.’ Jesus gave himself as he died on the cross, taking our sins upon him. Removing all the wrong things that we have done. Giving us a fresh start, from all the ways we have broken God’s laws. Those sins are gone. We are redeemed, bought back by Jesus, the price has been paid.

As we receive this good news; as we accept Jesus to be our Saviour, so we discover that he loves us just as we are, but he doesn’t want us to stay that way. His purpose is to purify his people to be zealous for good works. There’s an order there - redeemed by Jesus, and then zealous for good works. Christianity isn’t about what we do for God. It’s about what God has done for us. Our good works are a response to God’s grace.

As we come to baptise Erin today, we are expressing God’s grace toward her. As she grows and discovers God’s grace, our prayer is that she will accept it for herself, and live a life of love in response.

But what about you? Have you experienced this grace of God for yourself? That Jesus did it all for you? The salvation is offered to you freely? Let today be the day that you surrender to him; that you stop trying to work to earn his favour, and instead receive it for what it is - a gift, freely offered and freely received.

And if you have already received this grace gift - what difference is it making to your life? If we believe in the God of grace, and have received the grace of God for ourselves - does it show in how we treat others? Has it made an impact in teaching us to say no and yes? In other words, is grace really amazing to us?

What we believe affects how we behave. The message of God’s grace is the heart of the Christian life. And that’s why Paul insists on this message being taught and declared. Nothing else will change us. Nothing else will motivate us. Except this: Jesus loves you and gave himself for you. Praise the Lord.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 25th May 2014.

Sermon: Titus 2: 1-10 Living the Gospel

Tomorrow morning, the alarm will go off, and you’ll get up and get ready for school. You’ll walk or get dropped or get the bus to school. You get into the classroom and have your pencil case and your books all ready. What kinds of things might you be learning about tomorrow?

Have you ever thought about this: How does the teacher know what to teach you? When they are planning your lessons, how do they know what to cover? Do they just make it up, whatever they want to do? Can you imagine a primary school teacher who only liked doing maths, so for all the time in school, you only ever learned about maths? It wouldn’t be very good for your spelling or your reading or learning about art or history or anything else, would it?

To make sure that you don’t get a teacher like that there is such a thing as a curriculum. Now that’s a big word - does anyone know what that might be? ... It’s the things that you should be taught. And whether you knew it or not, your teacher has to follow the Northern Ireland curriculum. There are things you have to be taught by Key Stage 1 (P4), Key Stage 2 (P7), Key Stage 3 (Year 10), Key Stage 4 (Year 12). So every day, in all the different classes in your school, the teachers are following some kind of plan.

All the way through school, you’ll be able to go from not being able to write to being able to do joined up writing. Going from not knowing the times tables to being able to count and multiply and divide. You’ll learn lots about science and nature and the world around us. How to play cricket or hockey or any of the other sports you do. All because your teacher is following the plan.

During this term, we are reading about a church leader called Titus. He had been left on an island called Crete - has anyone been to Crete? You might have been on holiday there, but Titus is there to lead the church. And the work he has to do is teaching. Look at verse 1. What does Paul (who is writing) tell Titus?

‘You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.’ Paul says that the work of a church leader is to teach the people in the church. And what is it he has to teach? Not reading writing and arithmetic - but what is in accord with sound doctrine.

Now if something is in accord, that just means that it’s in agreement. So imagine that you had fallen out with a friend. But then you get back together again - you’re in accord, you’re friends again, you’re happy and agreeing together.

So what Titus has to teach is what agrees with sound doctrine, with the good news about Jesus. So when you hear the good news, this is what you should do - here’s how we need to live. So here’s the curriculum for the church. Here’s what has to be taught; what we all need to learn.

Now, who is in Key Stage 1? 2? 3? 4? There are different things that you have to learn, depending on who you are. You wouldn’t expect to sit a German or French GCSE exam on your first day in P1! There are different things for different groups to learn. Paul divides it up into older men, older women, younger women and young men.

I’ll let you decide which of the categories you fall into- and have a look at what you’re meant to be doing. But the thing to notice is that they’re all very similar. Each of them is about self-control, being careful how you live and what you do. Not just going wild. Not just doing anything at all. Being self-controlled.

You see, the place where Titus was, everyone just did what they wanted. Nobody cared about anything. They even took pride in the fact that they were all: ‘always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.’

This was how they lived their lives. But if they’re now on Jesus’ team, then they need to do things the way Jesus wants. They need to hear and learn and do what Jesus wants.

For older men (not looking at anyone!) that means being temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled and sound in faith, love and endurance. Being the type of man that everyone will look up to and respect. Being the type of man that younger men will want to be like.

Older women, are to be reverent, not slanderers (not going around gossiping and speaking evil about others, spreading rumours), not addicted to much wine, but rather teaching what is good. Because it’s the older women who train up and encourage the younger women - older women, are you encouraging the next generation of women in the congregation? Younger women, here’s what you should be seeing and copying from the older women - how to love husbands and children; how to be self-controlled and pure, how to be busy at home, and kind, and subject to husbands.

Young men, there’s just one thing, but this is a big thing - to be self-controlled. To not get carried away by passions and desires. To be careful to watch over yourself. Titus, the church leader, is to be the example of this.

Slaves - or the equivalent in our day, workers - are to be honest, not stealing and not talking back.

There’s something for everyone to work on here. No one could say that we’re already doing this perfectly. Each of us need to hear God’s word about God’s way and God’s plan, and do it.

But the question is why. Why should we be doing these things? The immediate answer is because God says so. But God is good, and he also gives us three reasons why we should do these things. We’ll look at them quickly. In the reading (which you have in front of you), can you find the first so? (Not we’re not talking about sew - to stitch) So? It’s there in verse 5: ‘So that no one will malign the word of God.’ The first reason we’re to do these things is so that no one says anything against the word of God.

The second so? ‘So that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.’ (8). People might not like the church, might not like Christians, but if we are doing good, then they’ll have nothing bad to say about us.

And the third so? ‘So that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive.’ Imagine you have a school disco coming up. There's a boy or girl you want to dance with or you want them to like you. Would you turn up in your old clothes? No, you'd want to make a good impression. You'd wear something new, something fancy. You might wear perfume or makeup or aftershave. You try to be attractive.

When we hear the good news of Jesus, about God our Saviour, and we believe in Jesus, something must change. We want to turn away from our sins and live the way God wants us to live. Other people will watch us to see how we live. To see if believing in Jesus really makes a difference. You might be the only Bible some people will ever read. You might be the only Christian they know. And they are watching carefully.

She says that Jesus is her Saviour - is it true? Does Jesus make a difference? He goes to church on Sundays - but how does he live the rest of the week? Does it change him?

God has given the curriculum for the church. The teaching plan is laid out. Will we hear and obey?

This sermon was preached at the Family Service in Aghavea Church on Sunday 18th May 2014.

Sermon: Titus 1: 5-16 What to look for in a church leader

The summer holidays are on the horizon. But where to go? So you check out the websites, or you go into the travel agents; you look at the brochures; you ask your friends. Crete seems to be nice: warm and sunny, scenic, so long as you stay away from the party capitals with drunken teenagers from the UK and Ireland. Titus, the person Paul is writing this letter to is on Crete, but he’s not there for a holiday. There’s work to be done.

After last week’s introduction (Paul the apostle telling Titus his son and fellow worker about God’s promised eternal life and the truth that accords with godliness), we’re straight into Titus’ task.

‘I left you behind in Crete for this reason, that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.’ Titus is to appoint elders (also called bishops in v7 - the same people). But what should you look for in a church leader? In the life of the church there are all sorts of leaders doing all sorts of things. What should we be looking for in the parish, in organisations, in vestry? As we’ll see, the important things to look for in church leaders link in with the overall theme of the letter to Titus: ‘truth that is in accordance with godliness.’ (1:1)

The two must go together - truth and godliness. It’s not an either/or pick and mix. It must be both together. First up, then, we see in verses 6-8 the quality of godliness. The word that sums it up is in those verses twice: blameless. Let me be the first to say that this doesn’t mean perfection. None of us are perfect. So if the standard was perfection, then we wouldn’t have any Christian leaders.

Rather, what we’re looking for is someone with integrity. And this can be seen in three ways, in each of these verses - verse 6 at home; verse 7 in negative form; and verse 8 positively. At home, blameless, as the husband of one wife, not running after lots of women; and whose children (if there are any) being believers. Just as the church is God’s family and household, so our families are the place where leadership is seen in practice.

Verse 7 shows what being blameless is not like: ‘not arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain.’ It’s easy to see why these kinds of behaviour would make someone unsuitable for church leadership. Each of these are modes of selfishness - putting me, or my anger or my addictions or my fists or my wallet first; all a lack of self-control.

In verse 8, we see the opposite of selfishness - hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. These are the things to look for as we select new leaders. These are the things to pray for in our leaders, that they would be increasing.

Godliness is important for those in church leadership. But as we’ve said, that’s just one part. We also need the knowledge of the truth which leads to godliness. It’s truth we find in verse 9. ‘He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching.’ It hasn’t happened here yet, but in Dundonald one day I was visiting a home when a dog came and attached itself to the front of my shoe. It wasn’t for letting go. It hung on for ages. This is what Paul is looking for - a firm grasp of the trustworthy word.

You see, if God doesn’t lie, then we need to hold on to it - especially church leaders. Why? Because the work of the gospel is the work of the word. Paul gives us two parts of the work: ‘that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine’ - so that what is preached is healthy, is sound. (That’s why it’s important for you to have your Bible open during the sermon to make sure that what I’m saying is what the Bible is saying). It would be great if that’s all that is needed, but there’s a second part of the work: ‘and to refute those who contradict it.’

There are those who contradict sound doctrine. There are those within the church who don’t hold to the trustworthy word. Not everyone who wears a clerical collar is a Christian preacher. I know this might be hard to believe, but it’s true today, just as it was true in Crete in the first century.

Paul gives us a picture of what these false teachers were like. ‘rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers... upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what is it not right to teach.’ You see, these false teachers were tapping into the natural Crete temperament. They were saying what the people wanted to hear, and were gaining, because it was an easy message.

It’s easy for us to see how the Cretans are far from godliness in their ‘always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons’ mode of being. But what about us? You see, we are also far from God and godliness by ourselves. What would Paul write of us? ‘People in Fermanagh are...’ If someone came with a message that you’re basically all right the way you are, with no challenge or change needed, it would be popular enough. But it’s not the gospel. It’s not the trustworthy word that leads to godliness.

Titus is called to do something harder. As he holds to the trustworthy word, Paul tells him in verse 13: ‘For this reason, rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith.’

Titus, and therefore church leaders must administer this rebuke in order to take people from their sinful nature to being sound in the faith. If you were sick, you would ring up the surgery and get an appointment to see a GP. You want them to stop you being sick and to make you well, healthy. This is what ministry is all about - we want to be healthy in the faith, but if we’re stuck in our sinful nature then we’re not healthy, we need the treatment of the gospel.

The false teachers had turned away from the truth, but it wasn’t that they believed in nothing; rather, they were now believing in anything - Jewish myths or commandments of those who reject the truth. But the end results of their belief and teaching is clearly to be seen. Throughout Titus we’re seeing that the truth leads to godliness. What you believe is seen in how you live your life.

We see it here with the false teachers. They rejected the truth. They still claim to know God, ‘but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.’ What they do doesn’t match up with what they say. False teaching needs to be rebuked; corrected; and instead the truth proclaimed.

So what do we look for in church leaders? People marked by holding firm to the truth which leads to godly living. People who proclaim sound doctrine and rebuke those in error.

If you’re in leadership, perhaps like me, you’re feeling the weight of the requirements. Could we possibly do this? Last Sunday we had the Select Vestry up front as we prayed for them. In a sense, we need to hold them up in prayer every day. Pray for them; Pray for me, in study and homes and pulpit to hold and hold forth the word of truth, to apply it to my own life and household, and to the church family.
Who could do this? Who is sufficient for these things? There’s a section of the ordination service, which is our answer: ‘Because none of us can bear the weight of this ministry in our own strength, but only by the grace and power of God, let us pray earnestly for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on these persons. Let us pray also that God will each day enlarge and enlighten their understanding of the Scriptures, so that they may grow stronger and more mature in their ministry, as they fashion their lives and the lives of the people they serve on the word of God.’

There’s that double emphasis on truth and godliness. So let’s pray.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 11th May 2014.