We too were once disobedient (Titus 3:3-8)
Gary McManus, 07/13/2014Part of the Life With Jesus is Better series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Titus is mentioned in the New Testament
several times; a fellow missionary of Paul.
He is still in Crete to “straighten things out” (1:5)
Basic issues: life in the church and life in the world
are VERY DIFFERENT. And supposed to be.
Living for Jesus is different than living any other way.
We live IN the world but we are not OF the world.
(2 Corinthians 10, John 15:19)
We Christians don’t belong here among the rest of the world.
Our homes are in another place. Our homes are with the Lord.
We are ambassadors of a whole OTHER country.
(Ephesians 2:19, Philippians 3:20, 2 Corinthians 5:20).
We do not and we cannot accept people into our
communities UNCHANGED.
We have ALL undergone some transformation.
BE transformed.(Romans 12:2)
We are to be committed to a JESUS approved lifestyle.
The only hope of living a transformed life is Jesus Christ.
Talk the talk or walk the walk?
Jesus said, . . .”then follow me.” (Luke 18:22)
Follower or fan? (Luke 6:46)
Most of the letters of the Apostles in the Bible
are about finding the line between fans and followers.
The ANCIENT church had basic “rules”.
WHY those were so important?
Those violations wreck the community.
LIFE INSIDE the church is to be different
than life OUTSIDE the church.
Where the church in America has gotten confused.
We sometimes think that the transformation has to happen
BEFORE you come into the church. That is not true.
The transformation starts and the church is SUPPOSED
to HELP you stay transformed.
The church is directed that offenders be put OUT of the church,
when the church has been unable to rehabilitate the offender.
The Apostle INCLUDES himself in the lifestyle change.
The SIGN of transformation: baptism.
(John 3:5, 2 Peter 3:5, Hebrews 10:22, 1 Peter 3:21)
Renewal is on-going.
Any good that we might NOW do as transformed persons
in Jesus Christ is not from us (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)
God did it. So, our so called GOODNESS doesn’t make
us proud or better, it makes us GRATEFUL.
WE forget that even Jesus said,
“Why call me good? GOD is good.” (Mark 10:17)
I am not good and I’m not even trying to be good
—I am transformed and I’m still waiting to be transformed
and renewed. . .called to live a transformed life because of
Jesus Christ. AMEN
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