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good evening everyone and welcome back to free welcome to free grace Baptist Church it's wonderful to have you with us if you're a visitor here tonight so we welcome you to our church no announcements before we begin worship so if you will turn in your Bibles with me our call to worship this evening will be a reading from psalm 32 psalm 32 our call to worship a reading of the entire song psalm 32 beginning in verse 1 this is the word of god a psalm of david a contemplation blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit when I kept silent my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long for day and night your hand was heavy upon me my vitality was turned into the drought of summer sale ah I acknowledged my sin to you and my iniquity I have not hidden I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin say law for this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when you may be found surely in a flood of Great Waters they shall not come near him you are my hiding place you shall preserve me from trouble you shall surround me with songs of deliverance say 'la I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go I will guide you with my I do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding which must be harnessed with bit and bridle else they will not come near you many sorrows shall be to the wicked but he who trusts in the Lord mercy shall surround him be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous and shout for joy all you upright in heart amen well let's stand and sing a hymn together if you'll turn with me in the larger hymnal to 295 we'll stand and sing that together 295 [Music] [Music] [Music] please be seated let us go to our God in prayer let us pray Heavenly Father we rejoice in this Lord's Day Sabbath and we rejoice that on a second time on this year Lord's Day we can gather together in this place to sing the praises a Father Son and Holy Spirit to rejoice in the saving perfections of Jesus Christ our redeeming King and we do pray once again that you would help us to worship you were right and we pray for that measure of your spirit that we might hallow your most high name we do pray Lord God that this small gathering of saints would rejoice in you we would give you all honor and all praise knowing that you our Lord God and you alone are the the object of our worship Father Son and Holy Spirit we rejoice that you've called us from out of darkness and into marvelous light to be such as to rejoice in singing the praises of our God and rehearsing the glories of so great a gospel and we do pray that you would help us to do that tonight that you would be the recipient of all worship all honor and praise and that Jesus Christ once again would be exalted upon the praises of his gathered people we do pray that you'd cause us to reflect afresh with great joy upon the gospel of Jesus Christ we know that we are not saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done but rather according to your mercy you saved us and we rejoice in that most precious truth that faithful saying that's worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world sinners to save we confess that we are sinners yet it was your your hurt it was your pleasure Lord God your eternal and divine pleasure according to your eternal and unchangeable love to bring us forth and your accepted an appointed time by amazing and victorious grace and we rejoice in that grace extended to us by virtue of the perfect work of Jesus Christ our Savior we thank you that again for that blessed truth that he came into this world sinners to say that he lived a life of perfect obedience to your law in the place of all who believe in his name and we thank you that he died upon Calvary's cross so as to take upon himself the sins of his people we thank you that he rose again the third day in power and in great victory that he ascended to your right hand where he does live ever to make intercession for his people where he rules and reigns over his enemies and where he does subdue the hearts of his elect we do pray that you'd caused us is this a gathered body again to rejoice in you and to sing the praises of Amazing Grace we do pray that you'd be with us in worship we pray God that everything that we do would be done unto your praise as we sing hymns as we read the scriptures as we engage in that act of worship the preaching of your word we do pray God that you would help your Saints to be strengthened to be nourished to be lifted up in the things of our profession of our confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and we would ask God that you would be among us by your spirit unto the salvation of sinners that any who entered in those two doors outside of Christ a would by your grace and for your glory leave those same doors singing the praises of the king of kings and Lord of lords and we do pray God that you would save tonight by your grace and for your glory we pray Lord God that you would quit equip us with a knowledge of your scriptures as we seek to grow in the Grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ we do pray that you would again nourish us by your word and by your spirit and that you would do that mighty act of salvation in our midst tonight we long as the people of Christ to see newly redeem sinners being brought forth from darkness the the deadness in the darkness of sin to life and light in Christ Jesus the Lord do be with us now Lord God and might everything that is done tonight once again be done for your glory sake and we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen let's stand and sing again then as a church if you'll stand with me and turn in the larger hymnal again two three fifteen that's three one five and we'll sing together [Music] [Applause] [Music] please be seated you can turn in your Bibles to hosea chapter 10 our Old Testament scripture reading will be a reading of that chapter Hosea 10 beginning in verse 1 once again the Word of God Israel empties his vine he brings forth fruit for himself according to the multitude of his fruit he has increased the altars according to the bounty of his land they have embellished his sacred pillars their heart is divided now they are held guilty he will break down their altars he will ruin their sacred pillars for now they say we have no king because we did not fear the Lord and as for a king what would he do for us they have spoken words swearing falsely and making a covenant thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field the inhabitants of Samaria fear because of the calf of beth Aven for it's people mourn for it and its priests shriek for it because its glory has departed from it the idol also shall be carried to Assyria as a present for King Jared Ephraim shall receive shame in Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel as for Samaria her king is cut off like a twig on the water also the high places of Aven this excuse me the sin of Israel shall be destroyed the thorn and thistle shall grow on their altars they shall say to the mountains cover us into the hills fall on us o Israel you have sinned from the days of Gibeah there they stood the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them when it is my desire I will chasten them peoples shall be gathered against them when I bind them for their two transgressions Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to Thresh grain but I harnessed her fair neck I will make ephraim pull a plow Judah shall plow Jacob shall break his clods so for yourselves righteousness reap in mercy break up your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord till he comes and reigns righteousness on you you have ploughed wickedness you have reaped iniquity you have eaten the fruit of lies because you trusted in your own way in the multitude of your mighty men therefore tumult shall arise among your people and all your fortresses shall be plundered as shellman plundered bethe árbol in the day of battle as a mother dashed in pieces upon her children thus it shall be done to you O Bethel because of your great wickedness at dawn the king of Israel shall be cut off uh turley Amen well let us pray God we thank you again for the reading of the scriptures that God we are ought to be marked by a reverence by that proper Christian as we cast our eyes and take in this revelation concerning your divine judgments a truly holy and just Lord God are your judgments upon apostate people upon sinners upon the lawless we thank you that we do have those salvation through Jesus Christ our blessed Redeemer and we thank you that this is the hope that this is the eternal and the lasting and the abiding hope that all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved and we pray Lord God that you would cause us now to be reverent in worship that we would worship you were right Father Son and Holy Spirit and that once again Christ would here be exalted upon the praises of this gathered assembly we rejoice that we can have these opportunities to come together and freedom to worship our great God we pray because it is possible Lord God only with you that each and every mouth here would give you praise from a genuine Christian heart and that we would call it a high and heavy honor to go it to gather together in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior and we pray in his precious name Amen one more him before we engage in that act of worship the preaching of the word of God let's stand and sing hymn number 218 and that's the first tune so in the larger hymnal again to 18 the first tune [Music] please be seated you can turn in your Bibles to the book of Titus in Titus chapter 3 specifically you know this already but in a reading of the New Testament the epistles that come to us in the New Testament are marked by a common common pattern or something that the Apostles repeat quite frequently and for good reason and that is the fact that salvation is not by deeds of righteousness which we have done but rather according to the grace according to the mercy of the Lord God Almighty and Jesus Christ alone is the savior of sinners he has no helper it is not the sinner who comes alongside the king of kings and Lord of lords to contribute to the scheme of salvation but rather it is amazing and victorious and sovereign and free grace and we see often that the Apostles in the New Testament will remind the audience of their former state in unbelief and in sin what they were marked by the severity the the grave nature of their previous state before they were met by the grace of Almighty God and that's something that we have here in Titus 3 I'm gonna read Titus 3 beginning in verse 1 and then finishing at verse 8 once again the word of God Titus 3 beginning in verse 1 remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities to obey to be ready for every good work to speak evil of no one to be peaceable gentle showing all humility to all men for we ourselves were also once foolish disobedient deceived serving various lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another but when the kindness and the love of God our Savior ward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life this is a faithful saying and these things I want you to affirm constantly that those who believe in God should be careful to maintain good works these things are good and profitable to men amen well let us again pray Heavenly Father we thank you now for this act of preaching and worship we rejoice in these opportunities we pray that we would count it a joy to have this freedom to sow gather and so participate in the worship of the triune God and be with us now help preacher help here might we now engage in this with hearts ready to receive the word of the living and true God we pray in Christ's precious name Amen well just an extended quote if you don't mind to open up this sermon because in every generation pseudo Christians are those flying the banner of a Christianity so-called will try and weasel in and sneak in good works with regards to the scheme of salvation and God's revelation the apostles that the Old Testament the New Testament will give no airtime to such a conception of salvation and Spurgeon wrote so many years ago the following words the idea of salvation by the merit of our own works is exceedingly insinuating it matters not how often it is refuted it asserts itself again and again and when it gains the least foothold it soon makes great advances hence Paul who was determined to show it no quarter opposed everything which bore its likeness he was determined not to permit the thin end of the wedge to be introduced into the church for well he knew that willing hands would soon be driving at home therefore when Peter sided with the Judea izing party and seemed to favor those who demanded that the gentiles should be circumcised our brave apostle withstood him to his face he always fought for salvation by grace through faith and contended strenuously against all thought of righteousness by obedience to the precepts of the ceremonial ceremonial or moral law as we find here in Titus chapter 3 we find the Apostle Paul the bold apostle here bringing forth the reality that we are saved not by deeds of righteousness but rather by the grace and the power and the mercy and the love of a thrice holy God we want to look at Titus 3 - excuse me 3 to 7 under a number of considerations and I'm simply going to read them out as we move along in the text this is Titus three three to seven and the first thing we want to notice is that former state of unbelief that marked all Christians prior to conversion notice what we have here in Titus 3 at verse 3 and this comes as a as a response or as a reason in reply to the first two verses but notice the language here with regards to that former state of unbelief for we ourselves were also once foolish disobedient deceived serving various lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another you see the the Bible the Bible doesn't shrink back from declaring the true nature of man in that state of unbelief and sin does it the severity of sin is brought forth page after page chapter after chapter and it is designed to put man in his place to put God and to show God in his place and to magnify the grace of God and the victory of Jesus Christ in the salvation of sinners when we read here this these the the former state wherein we all once found ourselves we are to reflect upon the severity of sin notice the list that we have here and we have here the sins if you will of the mind and those practical things that flow from the folly and the depravity of our minds we have here for we ourselves were also once foolish disobedient and deceived again the the picture that the Bible presents with regards to sin it is a severe one we see here the the folly the madness the deceit that men find themselves in outside of Christ that's why you see the gospel does not come to us as as a message where we're by God you know betters a life that is just somehow not to its fullness Christian proclamation is never the proclamation of a better life of increasing increasing your worth or increasing your value or moving from a position of you know semi illness to a position of of healthiness in your spiritual walk it is always a message of a holy God depraved and sinful mankind dead in their trespasses and sins and the glory of the gospel the majesty of grace the glory of eternal and unchangeable love the beauty of God in the gospel of saving grace and Paul wants these people to reflect upon that time prior to their conversion where they were marked by this guilty vile and helpless we is what Paul wants to is wants to communicate here and notice the Apostle Paul uses this first the the first person plural he uses we for we ourselves were also once foolish the Apostle Paul didn't think himself above those above these didn't think himself above Titus the Apostle Paul didn't think himself above the cretins with respect to his former state nor with respect to the state that he presently found himself in the state of grace he was once a son of disobedience he was once foolish he was once disobedient deceived etc just as these cretins once were in fact the Apostle Paul's own language is striking in his first epistle to Timothy when he writes those words those words and it's it's in essence a mini Creed when he says this is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world sinners to save there is no period there well there's no punctuation originally but that's not where Paul stops he continues and he says of whom I am chief Christ Jesus came into the world sinners to save and the Apostle Paul says that he was the chief of sinners and so he can reflect actually he can call upon Titus and the cretins to reflect upon the cretan Christians to reflect upon their former state in the state of sin and unbelief and he can group himself in with them for we ourselves were also once foolish disobedient deceived at cetera reminders like this cure us of self-righteousness and they magnify the Savior in his work you see it's the human propensity err it's the the human proclivity if we're if we're not constantly in the word if we're not constantly doing those things attending unto the means ordained by God for our growth in faith we can often have that Pope in the bosom you know scratching the itch of a self-righteousness and we we will not and we cannot dwell properly upon the reality that we were once foolish disobedient deceived well look in the mirror and we'll see a shining example look in the mirror and we'll see one who is not as bad as the Bible depicts I mean come on are we really that bad or were we really that bad you know I think we ought to count it a a good thing when preaching and I'm not talking about myself right now I'm talking about biblical preaching and any good preacher who brings out the sense and the point and the meaning of the Bible but we ought to count it a good thing when preaching tells us like it is hopefully you appreciate that the churches that you find yourselves in if you're a member of this church hopefully that's the sense that you'd get with the proclamation from this pulpit is that we don't shrink back from declaring to you what the Bible what God through his revelation discloses is the severe and the grave case for mankind that outside of Christ outside of saving faith outside of Amazing Grace this is the picture we ourselves were also once foolish disobedient deceived serving various lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another it is grave it is severe this this picture of sin I love the and this is perhaps more of a more of something that we can bring up in the next point but I'm not going to do that I'm going to do it now Spurgeon's language reflecting upon our former state he uses that language there where we are in this exercise of reminding ourselves of what we once were in unbelief and in the state of sani he says that we are Christians are to peruse the diaries of our memories because they're the witnesses of our guilt have faithfully recorded their names it's a good exercise for the Christian because that's what Paul is doing right here through Titus to the Cretan Christians it's a good exercise for Christians to reflect to use Spurgeon's language again upon that rock whence we were hewn in the pit the whole of the pit from which we were digged and what's the reason for that the reason is so that we can then turn our gaze to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world find our everything in him and in the amazing grace that we have in the gospel of Jesus Christ which then brings us to the next point the divine condescension in bringing us to a state of grace so we have this former state of unbelief in sin that marked all Christians prior to conversion but now we have the divine condescension in bringing us to a state of grace notice the language in verse 4 verse 4 of Titus 3 but let's just stop there for a second there this is a word that you find in the Bible that really tells you that what follows is an excellent thing hopefully you've read your Bibles and you come across this but and you see that what follows after is the beauty of the gospel the glory of amazing grace we're going to come across a couple other passages as we work through in the time remaining that employ this but you see it's a picture that God is driving us to reflect upon the madness and the foolishness of that former state so that he might draw us to that that constant and steady and abiding gaze upon the beautiful things of gospel truth but notice this language but when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared so there is this former state there is this picture of the the gravity and the severity of sin but now divine condescension in bringing us to a state of grace but when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared now what we have in this language first no doubt is the Incarnation but will will will point out something that's probably more in view but no doubt first we have the reality of the Incarnation that in Christ Jesus appeared the love of God our Savior toward men in fact this is the language of the the announcing angels in Luke's Gospel this language of good tidings which would be to all men in Luke chapter 2 we have that wonderful account of the Angels bringing a message of hope to the Shepherd's that are watching their flock by night and in Luke 210 we read these words then the angel said to them do not be afraid for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people for there is born to you this day in the City of David a savior who is Christ the Lord and this will be the sign to you you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger you see the love and kindness toward and appeared from God our Savior and we see this no doubt in the Incarnation now that the question might be asked well where was then prior to the Incarnation was there no kindness and was there no love of God our Savior towards men that appeared well Calvin writes these words he says it might be asked or he writes it might be asked did the goodness of God begin to be made known to the world at the time when Christ was manifested in the flesh for certainly from the beginning the fathers both new and experienced that God was good and kind and gracious to them and therefore this was not the first manifestation of His goodness and fatherly love towards us the answer is easy in no other way did the father's taste the goodness of God under the law then by looking at Christ on whose coming all their faith rested you see we noted that this morning the Old Testament Saints were not marked by some other schemes some other gospel some other object of their faith but rather every saint that has ever drawn breath in God's lower world has been looking to faith in Jesus Christ the Savior in the Old Testament in anticipation looking forward to when that seed born of woman would crush the serpent with his heel and this side of that finished Daugava we look back with the reflecting in it and a wonderful faith upon that one who came who did come to give himself for guilty sinners but no doubt in the Incarnation we have something of what the Apostle Paul here is setting forth that God's kindness and his love is exercised toward us in the sending forth of his son born of a woman to redeem those who are under the law but perhaps secondly and perhaps to stress the meaning of the Apostles words this pertains to when we were made alive in Christ Jesus and enlightened to the gospel of grace so that what we mean then is that the language when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared pertains to when God met us in His amazing grace made us alive in Christ Jesus and caused us to know the gospel of saving grace that's what we have here in this language when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared you can turn back if you have your Bibles at the ready you can turn to Ephesians chapter 1 for a moment the same author the Apostle Paul writing with respect to the glory of the triune God and the salvation of sinners in verse 7 begins to deal with the glory of the son and the redemption wrought by the shedding of his blood and notice the language that we have here in verse 1 of excuse me chapter 1 verse 7 of Ephesians in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence now notice having made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times he might gather together in one all things in Christ he made known to us the mystery of his will what was formerly not known what was formerly alien to us what we formerly rejected what we formerly would have no peace or parcel of we railed against it we did not love this Christ but rather we love to do the desires of our father the devil yet God and his condescending an amazing grace made us alive in Christ Jesus according to the riches of His grace and he caused us by that grace to know the mystery of his will that is the gospel of Jesus Christ our Savior beautiful truth and if we move over to Ephesians chapter 2 we have some the same language notice there what we have in Ephesians 2 and verse 17 the Apostle Paul speaking of Christ and he came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near for through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father now you might be saying well what does that have to do with the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appearing well at the point that we're discussing that that pertains to the revelation of the gospel and causing us to be made alive in Christ Jesus and regenerating us renewing our minds that we might lay hold of Jesus Christ notice verses 11 to 13 it sounds very similar to Titus 3 1 & 2 therefore remember that you once Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands that at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world but now you see there's another but a glorious but now but now in Christ Jesus you who were once you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ and what was the instrumentality what was the means of bringing them near by the blood of Christ it is verse 17 he came and preached peace to you who were afar off in to those who were near now Paul is not saying and I know you've heard this before but repetition can be good this isn't Christ literally and physically coming to the Ephesians and preaching to them but Paul is saying that Christ came and preached to them what does he mean he means through the apostolic proclamation Christ in his ascended glory sending forth the spirit empowering his apostles to proclaim the riches of gospel truth this is Gil on this particular idea in this passage which is to understand not of Christ's coming in the flesh that is and he came and preached peace to you but of his coming by the spirit in the ministry of his apostles to whom he gave a commission after he had made peace and reconciliation by the blood of the cross to go into all the world and preach the gospel of Christ who is our peace and peace made by his blood and it is the means of making persons of peaceable dispositions its doctrines and promises when powerfully applied give peace to distressed Minds and quiet to doubting saints and it shows the way to eternal peace and so moving back then to Titus 3 what we have in this particular language of when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared we have the reality that God in His amazing grace bought brought us forth from deadness in sin to life in Christ and caused us by that self same grace to know the gospel and to rejoice in the Christ whom he had sent notice secondly that with notice with regards to this reality the divine condescension in bringing us to a state of grace that this helps us or it communicates to us this particular application or conclusion a right view of the seriousness of sin and divine condescension in bringing us to a state of grace serves to fill our hearts with gratefulness hopefully if you reflect and as we're reflecting on this that your Christian hearts are filled with a gratefulness towards God our Savior when we reflect upon that rock whence we were hewn in the whole of the pit from which we were dig that state of sin and depravity to a place of grace where by God's grace we have been made to know the glories the riches the excellencies of Jesus Christ we don't move on and and just eat our potatoes and and not do anything but we are too marked in the warmness of our Christian hearts by a thankfulness and by a gratefulness so great a God who has taken us from so horrible a place to so great a place of being found in Christ Jesus the Lord these this is this is sinclair ferguson on this gratefulness we see here only when grace is still amazing when we return to christ in the cross where God's love for us was demonstrated to us does it retain its power in us only as we retain a sense of our own profound sinfulness can we retain a sense of the graciousness of God we reflect upon that sin and then that grace we can't but thank our God and His Christ for so great a gospel thirdly we want to note then as we work through this passage divine power in bringing us to our state of grace so if we just noted divine condescension we now know divine power in bringing us to our state of grace but notice first negatively and I'm gonna back up and begin reading at verse 4 again just to help the flow but when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy he saved us you see first negatively our state of grace is not due to human merit now these words hopefully come to your ears as as no strange thing there Christians at least the majority of you tonight are Christians who believe in Jesus Christ and so the theological truth the biblical and glorious truth that we are not saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done that ought to come to your ears not as a new thing but as something that you affirm and that you of course would reject that we are saved by works of righteousness which we have done but you see this exercise in reflecting upon this biblical truth is not unnecessary it's not needless repetition but it is a wholesome repetition designed by God through the preacher to remind our cell of our former state to remind ourselves of our present state and to fill our minds with the reality that we find ourselves in this present state of grace not by works of righteousness which we have done but solely and alone by amazing in victorious grace through the perfection of the work of Jesus Christ our Savior and so when a preacher opens up his Bible and preaches from Titus three three to seven we do not ask Christians roll our eyes but we reflect with great joy upon the reality that our salvation does not come by works of righteousness which we have done because that could never be when we reflect upon the holiness and when we reflect upon the Justice of God when we have as we already have done reflect upon when we reflect upon the sinfulness of mankind we know for a truth that works of righteousness which we do could never avail ourselves to can never commend ourselves to God could never save us and we understand sin and when we understand holiness we understand that with God only the perfection of obedience will do and with sin having been committed only a perfect sacrifice will do to wash away sins to to secure the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life this truth that we are not saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done or that our state of grace is not due to human merit is a truth that is clear from the Holy Spirit we don't have to search the Holy Scriptures with a fine-tooth fine-tooth comb in order to somehow stumble across and find one small grain or gem that will support this possible notion that Christians are saved not by works of righteousness which we have done but rather according to the mercy of God it comes with a raging and with the glorious clarity to the human mind to the human heart to the Christian mind into the Christian heart that were saved solely and alone by grace through Christ and so any idea any notion any doctrine any confusing communication that we are saved somehow whether in whole or in part by our works is an abomination before the Lord and comes against the clear grain of biblical revelation some of those most glorious passages that we have in the Holy Scriptures are some of these and you can turn with me to Ephesians 2 if any if there is any passage perhaps if I was to say to you kids who have gone through some Bible study here at the church or any one of you who are here tonight familiar with the Bible if I was to say what's a passage in Holy Scripture that speaks to the fact that we're saved by grace through faith in Christ and not by works perhaps the first verse that you would say is Ephesians 2:8 2:10 and notice first off what we have in Ephesians 1 and following we have another Pauline reflection upon the state of sin and depravity and then another but followed by the glory of Amazing Grace and you he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the air the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and we're by nature children of Wrath just as the others you see the biblical picture of sin here it rubs against the the you know modern liberal Christianity where we just need to pick up our socks and we just need a little kick in the rear to go about our spiritual way no man is dead in his trespasses and in his sins but notice this glorious but that follows but God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ moving down to verse 8 for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God and particularly to our point not of works lest anyone should boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them you see what does a doctrine that were saved by works or a doctrine that were saved by faith plus works or a doctrine that our final salvation depends upon works wrought in holiness of heart what does it do well first off it destroys the amazing grace that is in view here it diminishes the amazing grace taking it entirely out of you but also it steals away from the divine and eternal purpose that good works have they were prepared beforehand that we should walk in them and it steals something away from God's creative workmanship with respect to good works we are his workmanship we do not work ourselves unto commending ourselves to the divine favor negatively our state of grace is not due to human merit and we know what the grave outlet the grave implications are hopefully don't we if righteousness comes through the law if righteousness comes through the law what are the grave applications come on you know how bad can it really be you know if we if we have faith in Christ but we you know we have some sort of a remaining and dangling doctrine that's something that I do commend myself salvific lee to God I'm justified by Christ mostly but you know in the smallest part I bring something to that economy of salvation that is meritorious what you know how how bad can that really be well the Apostle Paul besides in a thematize anyone who would teach that closes up a section in Galatians with these words I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law then Christ died in vain you see the implications of a doctrine where works are imported into the scheme of salvation that is any works other than Christ's of course where our works are brought before the bar of divine justice as things that merit everlasting favor and life destroys the cross of Jesus Christ why did Christ come then that that bleeding massacre upon gaagaa tha's cross was just vanity then everything that Christ went through the spitting 's and the bruisings and the beatings and the whippings and the scourgings the mockings and the laughing's and the ridicule the physical torture of the cross the divine torture the travail of soul as he cries out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me was all in vain then if we're saved in part or in whole by works or if our final salvation depends upon deeds of righteousness the cross is vanity the cross is empty praise is due to the man might it never be our state of grace is not due to human merit positively then as we find our way back to Titus positively it is according to divine mercy so verse 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done but there's another glorious bot but according to his mercy he saved us positively it is according to divine mercy did you love that language too just by an aside but a completely relevant and glorious aside he saved us that's a that's a three word summary of Christianity he saved us it's a three word summary of the biblical revelation the triune God he saved us Christ Jesus the Lord he saved us Father Son and spirit saved us positively this salvation is according to his mercy this has always been what the Bible has set forth the people of God are to glory in the mercy of God for their salvation you can turn to only one example to see where a psalmist glories in the mercy of God turn to Psalm 103 with me a wonderful section he divine mercy Psalm 103 Psalm 103 beginning in verse 8 the Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in mercy he will not always strive with us nor will he keep his anger forever he has not dealt with us according to our sins nor punished us according to our iniquities for as the heavens are high above the earth so great is his mercy toward those who fear Him as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us as a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear him for he knows our frame he remembers that we are dust you're a Christian here tonight and you're reading that along with me or you're listening as I read that you know that's something that whether inwardly or outwardly we have red eyes you know we're brought to a warm point of joyful tear by this particular reality and you see what's at stake then if if it's if it's us if it's we that save ourselves or it's he and we save us it's God that saves according to his mercy the the grandness the the supremacy the majestic nature of the forgiveness of sins according to the mercy of God for as the heavens are high above the earth so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us if you're here tonight and you're a Christian and perhaps you're struggling with the sin that you just can't seem to put to death you've done well doing whatever you do growing in the grace and in the knowledge of Christ and you're seeking to put Daly to death those sins of the flesh but perhaps something just tends to creep back by the grace of God you're struggling you're dealing with it but you have this perhaps an untoward and undue self-loathing where you think yourself for perhaps only a temporary period of time as if there is no forgiveness for you read these words the Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in mercy the salvation that we have the forgiveness of sins that we have as the heavens are high above the earth so great is his mercy towards those who fear him as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us it's probably the third time I've read that in a minute in 37 seconds and yet that repetition should not cause us to roll our eyes but to well up with tears that's so great of God so glorious of gospel is so beautiful of Christ it is according to divine mercy that he saved us thirdly it is by sovereign power of the Holy Spirit if you find your way back to Titus 3 and as we move towards a close with some final considerations notice thirdly under divine power in bringing us to the state of grace to our state of grace that it is by sovereign power of the Holy Spirit not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit we see here the sovereign power of the Holy Spirit in bringing forth dead sinners to life it's through his mercy it's not by works and it's through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit this language what does it mean this washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit well first off washing of regeneration does not pertain to water baptism the washing here is not a literal washing in literal water but it is the washing of regeneration it is that power of the spirit whereby he washes us figuratively metaphorically not literally he cleanses us by his power and for his glory he makes us from - from dead sinners to be alive in Christ in fact a passage that may very well be in view here both with respect to the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy spirit is Ezekiel 36 no doubt the doctrine of regeneration at large but if you have your Bible you can turn with me to Ezekiel 26 just to see excuse me 36 to see this washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy spirit this statement by the Apostle Paul who knew his Old Testament is rich with Old Testament this promise of the new covenant reality that God's covenant people that all of God's covenant people will be marked by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy spirit that is they will be saved by amazing and victorious grace notice in Ezekiel 36 beginning at verse 22 therefore say to the house of Israel thus says the Lord God I do not do this for your sake o house of Israel but for my holy name's sake which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went and I will sanctify my great name which has been profaned among the nations which you have profaned in their midst and the nations shall know that I am the Lord says the Lord God when I am hallowed in you before their eyes for I will take you from among the nations gather you out of all countries and bring you into your own land then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean I will cleanse you from all of your filthiness and from all your idols I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them you see that beautiful language of what God does to his people by amazing and victorious grace it is a washing as it were a cleansing whereby we are made clean by divine power and amazing grace given by renewal a new heart and a new spirit within us taking out the heart of flesh and taking out the heart of stone rather and putting in a heart of flesh and causing us by his spirit to walk in his statutes so in Titus 3 when the Apostle Paul is writing this language with respect to the power and the efficacy of the Holy Spirit in the salvation of sinners when he writes he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy spirit that glorious Ezekiel language is in view and the theology the rich theology of it that by God's power and for his glory he washes us by his spirit in regeneration and he renews us in his spirit now this those two clauses or those two phrases are probably not presenting different things it is probably the the renewing of the Holy Spirit is probably explanatory of the washing of regeneration these things are the same thing the divine power of the Holy Spirit in making us new making us alive in Christ Jesus the Lord Gill writes or rather that is renewing of the spirit or rather it means the same thing with regeneration and is added partly is explanatory generation showing that there is no other than the new creature the new man the new heart and new spirit formed in the soul in the effectual calling and partly to observe that the Holy Ghost is the author of it now it is in this way God saves his people namely by regenerating and renewing them in this is the first appearance and discovery of the love of God to them you know how are we made to love God He loves us first this is the first discovery and appearance a glorious appearing in effectual and amazing grace to bring us forth from dead sinners to life in Christ and notice lastly under divine power in bringing us to our state of grace it is through Jesus Christ alone notice the language of the text here beginning in verse 6 and speaking of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior we see here that this divine mercy that this divine power that this sovereign power by the Holy Spirit is through Jesus Christ alone affected secured procured by the perfection of his saving work when God exercises mercy toward anyone saving mercy towards anyone it does not come arbitrarily and loosely and some you know without any measure of objectivity it comes through and by and in virtue of the perfection of the saving work of Jesus Christ the Lord the mercy that is extended to us the mercy by which God saves us comes through Jesus Christ our Savior if you noticed in this in this passage and and perhaps in other passages where we might skip by noticing this particular thing but we have it here in this passage and we have it elsewhere that this is setting forth a triune salvation this is setting forth to us that salvation comes from a triune God in a passage where the Apostle Paul is not arguing for the doctrine of the Trinity why because it was assumed by Christians back then in the Apostolic era the doctrine of the Trinity while it might not be the rich you know nicene-constantinopolitan Caledonian trinitarianism that we have this side of the last two millennia nevertheless they were trying Christians who believed in Father Son and Holy Spirit the one true God and we see here the Holy Spirit who he the father poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior Christianity is the religion of the triune God we have here in this apostolic explanation of the glory of salvation by Amazing Grace a scheme of a purpose of a plan of salvation affected by the triune God Father Son and Holy Spirit but it is through Jesus Christ our Savior that is through whom any man any woman any boy in any girl and through whom alone we will have the salvation from our sins Jesus Christ the Lord the way the truth and the life we are to read on this morning past acts three into acts four and and into acts five we would see there the Apostle Peter continuing his ministrations before Jews and before religious leaders even after being arrested and and beaten but we see there the Apostle Peter declaring that there is no other name given under heaven among men by which we might be saved it is through Jesus Christ and through him alone well can we take away from this before we close with very briefly with the fourth point I don't mean very briefly as if to do disservice to the Word of God but only to do service to you as we draw to later hours but taking away from divine power and bringing us to our state of grace having a right view of salvation eliminates boasting in ourselves and promotes boasting in God far be it from any one of us that we would ever boast in ourselves as Christians you know in our social media world social media has in in one sense exacerbated mown in God and His Christ as it is only in God in him eternal life think of the nature of this hope if works were in whole or in part the way of salvation how hopeless this hope would be but this hope has its certainty the hope has the perfection of its nature grounded in the triune God and in the perfection of Jesus Christ the Lord we we have a passage in our confession that speaks quite well to this and it wraps up the entirety of of God's saving purposes and in His amazing grace it is chapter 17 paragraph 2 it says something like this it says that this perseverance or the our perseverance does not depend upon our own free will but upon the immutability of the decree of election flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father from the the excellence in the mayor passage if you're here again tonight and you're we read by a remaining corruption you're we read by a sin that you cannot but put to death find your eyes dwelling upon this beautiful passage of Holy Writ and see that Christ is a glorious Savior who has saved you according to the mercy of God by the perfection of his work and find fresh courage and fresh grace and fresh endurance to have strength and endurance in persevering in the way of Christ and the way set before you and brethren I think this is this it tends to be an application many times for me reflecting on a passage like this is to bring us to remembrance and I want to stress the fact that this sort of passage ought to make the Lord's Supper that much sweeter the Lord's Supper has been given to us as an ordinance whereby we remember Jesus Christ till he comes again commanded by Christ not as some not as some abiding and tyrannical oppressor who sets upon us yokes of obedience that we cannot bear but a blessed supper of bread and wine to observe his death to remember his death we to come to the supper were to come to church where we hear of this Christ and this God of Amazing Grace and be here for the supper why would you crow cry oh my leanness an old Baptist said when all the while you forsake the Lord or causes us to reflect with great remembrance upon this Jesus through whom we have this salvation that is not of works but that is according to the mercy of our triune God well let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for this time together in your word we rejoice in your revelation to the sons of men we're in chapter after chapter page out after page were confronted wonderfully by Christ upon the cross working out the salvation of men we do pray that you'd help us now as we reflect upon your word as we reflect upon the glory of salvation that you would cause us to rejoice in the fact that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone and reflecting upon that reality might you empower us to live lives consistent with your revelation and consistent with so great a salvation we pray that you would help us by your grace and for your glory to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of grace all the while reflecting upon the fact that we're saved from first to last midst and throughout by the perfection of a triune God and the work of Jesus Christ the Savior we do pray that you'd go with us into this upcoming week that you'd return us next Lord's Day to do this all over again that we might gather together for the lord's supper where we will once again remember our saviors death until he comes again go with us now and might all that we do this week we're down to your glory into your praise into your honor and we pray in Christ's precious name Amen well let's stand again and we're going to just sing as our doxology stands a one of him 35 that stands a one of him 35 [Music] Oh now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever amen you can be seated we'll have a brief time of Prayer and then when the piano is finished you're dismissed [Music] [Music] you