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Today we are continuing our sermon series through the season of Advent. Advent is a Christian season of waiting and anticipation that takes place on the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to Christmas. This time of year is a wonderful time to attend church and corporate worship because there are several things Christians are waiting for in the time of Advent. Christians are waiting to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, anticipating the second coming of Jesus, preparing our hearts for the joy of Christmas, and renewing our desire for Christ are among the reasons why we observe Advent. Today, we are exploring Paul’s letter to Titus. It is a great Advent text because the focus is on the behavior of the church before Jesus returns. Much like us today, the audience reading Titus expected Jesus to come back at any time. So they needed some teaching on what’s essential to the Christian life. As you heard in our Advent reading this morning, joy is a great theme, not only of Advent, but is an essential piece of the Christian life we need ! If we we want joy for the long term, Paul writes in our text to “Insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.”-Titus 3:8. What are the things Paul insists on that are essential to joy for the long term? In the ancient world, to speak of things “excellent and profitable” was to say remembering what was said will build the highest levels of joy and fulfillment for the ones hearing the instruction. It is vital then, that we visit what Paul calls essential for believers in Christ so joy can be ours as we progress through the Christmas season.
But before we get into that, I read a great autobiography by former President George W. Bush titled “Decision Points.” In the early stages of his career, George Bush would read the Bible, and even with his wife Laura Bush would attend the Methodist church in Midland Texas with his daughters, because they felt like the daughters needed to be raised in a life of faith. But, at that time, following Christ for President Bush was about improving himself and those around him. Yet, as he puts it, “I was listening, but not hearing.” Put another way, following Jesus was more what Jesus could do for George, not what George could do for him. That began to change when George and Laura, along with his father also President Bush, and his mother Barbra Bush, attended a retreat in Maine and invited one of the greatest preachers of all time, a guy named Billy Graham, to the retreat to eat together and have a discussion on matters of faith. The former President describes the weekend as a big family gathering, in which Billy Graham was invited to not only eat with the family, yet also had the opportunity to ask questions of this incredible preacher, who had every reason to demand a one on one meeting with George Bush’s Father, but choose to request taking questions from the Bush family. That gesture, for President Bush, was deeply moving” and left him “in awe” of the entire weekend. When President Bush and his wife Laura returned home to Midland Texas, they had a copy of The Living Bible waiting on them. Inside the Bible was a message from Billy Graham that said “To my friend George W. Bush, may God bless you and Laura always.” Inscribed in the Bible was a verse from Philippians 1:6: “Of this, I am sure, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”- Philippians 1:6. It is safe to assume, the entire weekend had an impact on George W. Bush. Reading the Bible was no longer about improving himself, but about being more like Christ. The older he got, the more former President Bush implemented following Christ’s teaching in all he did as a leader. He would ask Kirbyjon Caldwell to pray with him over the phone before major events in his presidential campaign and in his presidency. The former President tells one story of when he was scheduled to have a high-profile meeting with a prominent member of a nation in Europe named Vladimir, and he knew going in it would be a tense meeting. After the leader began the meeting with some more tense discussion, Bush replied “Is it true your mother gave you a cross you had blessed in Jerusalem?” The leader explained that he had hung his cross in his dacha (a home in Russia), which caught on fire. He went on to say he told the firefighters all he cared about salvaging was the cross in the house. He recreated the moment from the firefighter when he opened his hands and the firefighter revealed the very cross the leader wanted, “it was as if it was meant to be.” “Vladimir” Bush replied, “that is the story of the cross, things are meant to be.” Friends, that is a dramatic change of events from someone who wanted to improve himself, to planting a seed for Christ in the life of a prominent member in Europe. Why do you think George Bush did that? He realized that Christ was essential to joy in the Christian life.
Let’s visit then about what Paul considers essential to joy in Christ, so we might not only experience joy the the next few weeks of Advent, but also experience joy that will last beyond Advent in in all the ways God intends for us to do so. Hear the Good News: How we behave matters. “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.”- Titus 3:1-3. Remember, anytime you read scripture, the issues you read about are what the audience is doing wrong, and the biblical author is encouraging the audience to do what is Godly. In the case of Titus, the church had followers of Jesus who felt like they didn’t have to be obedient in a variety of examples. These followers of Jesus did speak evil of others, argued all the time over small matters, were disobedient, and weren’t very courteous to others. Paul writes “remind them” to not be this way. Apparently, the church needed reminded, don’t do these things you are doing! Paul even acknowledges that he understands their temptation to be disobedient: “We ourselves were once foolish.” The “we” Paul is talking about is himself and other associates who helped plant the church. This admission from Paul at his capacity to not behave well in the past is prevalent throughout the NT. In Romans 7, Paul writes “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”-Romans 7:18-19. In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul, in writing about the purpose of why Christ came, says “Jesus came to the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.”-1 Timothy 1:15. How we behave, matters. Despite our society’s tendency to secularize and force Christians to look at what’s not essential at Christmas, society does a good job encouraging good behavior at Christmas time. Food pantries will have an abundance supply that the needy will gladly take. Our own church just hosted Caring and Sharing yesterday, and breakfast with Santa last week, an event that requires workers, cooks, and citizens to help the unfortunate in our community with groceries, toys, and other needs. Anytime you walk into Shopping malls, adults dressed as Santa Claus will show more kindness to a child than that child has received in a long time. Even church’s will host events like the ones mentioned above and a Christmas Cantata that draw families to come and feel loved and included in the community. Yet here is the difference, secular society would call such goodness “being good for goodness sake.” But, hear the Good News: How we become good, matters. “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”- Titus 3:4-7. 4 times in our text, how we become good in Christ is attributed to His spiritual provision. The more we insist and tell of what Jesus has done and is doing in us, the rewards are better than what money can buy. The first church I ever served full time was at Carroll Springs Methodist church outside of Athens Texas. I will never forget the first Lifegroup of the semester we had a house that belonged to a member of the church opened his house to us, along with several others who came to the meeting. It was a cold night in the woods, so everyone was grateful to be in a warm house to meet 15 mins outside of Athens. Hamburgers were being cooked, Garth Brooks was playing on player in the background. Friends, nothing says the Lord is about to move than the Garth Brooks hit “Shameless” playing while members of the church weren’t just cooking burgers, they were cooking them perfectly, burned and cooked just enough. People were laughing, and, after eating, we finally settled in to begin. Much like what our church does now, the point of those groups were to engage in conversations about where we have seen God at work in our lives so we can be changed into the image of His Son Jesus and be better disciples for Him. One of the members brought an individual who was an agnostic to the Christian faith. He didn’t know if God existed or not. He stopped the conversation and asked me “if I was there because I was good, and the people there were not.” My response was “I am here, not because I am good, but because God is good, and want to spend my life telling others the grace His Son Jesus has shown in my life.” That same person who questioned my intentions, came to every lifegroup and men’s breakfast after that conversation. Scripture tells us why he did so: “God 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,”- Titus 3:5. Friends, now do you understand when Paul says “Insist on these things, for they are excellent?” He asks the church in Titus, and us, to relax. To remember that God is a God of provision for all that we will need that is not only good, but the best God has to offer. In Genesis 22:14, Abraham names the location he and his son Issac left “Jehovah Jireh” which means “The Lord will provide.” Hear me clearly friends! God knows the good you need, what you need to become good, and He will provide in your life! Paul affirms this posture in Ephesians 1:3 when he writes “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”-Ephesians 1:3.
God provides, His provision matters, how we behave matters. These are not rules friends, they are the doorway to joy in Christ.What do you need for your life to be a joyful one today? This question is why we are about to have a call to prayer. We want to give space for the Holy Spirit to move in your heart so you can ask God for what you need today. Friends, I want to encourage you to come down and pray for our church. Pray for your family. Give a prayer of Thanksgiving for the Advent season we are in, the changes you are trying to make, or even that it’s the awesome time of Bowl season in college football! And while you’re here, if you’re carrying a burden, and need good things to happen, please tell Jesus and give it to Him, because He doesn’t want you shouldering it on your own. That is what He wants. Won’t you come forward? In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.