WHAT WE WERE –WHAT CHANGED

WHAT WE WERE –WHAT CHANGED

Titus 3:1-7 (KJV)

Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus chapter three verse two commands us as Christians:

·   Speak evil of no man

·   Be gentile (toward all men) and

·   Show all meekness unto all men

Now that’s a tall order.

We live in such a time that there is plenty wrong to speak against.[1]

·   The love of many is growing cold

·   Evil men are waxing worse

·   Pulpits have lost their zeal

·   Christians have lost direction

·   Churches, well, some of them aren’t churches

·   Immorality

·   Alternate lifestyles

·   Saving the planet while aborting babies

It’s difficult not to point fingers and unload on the people we think are the main players in these wrongs.

The Bible gives us clear motivation not to speak evil of those men and to show all meekness to all of them.

The Bible reminds us that we were no different.

Vs 3

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

I feel like the natural question would be, What changed?

·   If we were no better than any of those we feel like railing against

·   If we were like that, but assuming we are no longer like that, 

Then

What changed?

I am very happy to report to you that God knew I would want to ask that question. He obliged me, and you, with an answer.

Titus 3:4-7 (KJV)

But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

I notice right away that,

·   It wasn’t a change in the environment and

·   It wasn’t a change in friendships and

·   It wasn’t a change in government

·   It wasn’t a change in social standing

· It was a change in the standard of living

that changed us.

Why is it that we think that, because some of these things changed for us when we changed, that if we change these things, people will change?

The effect will not produce the cause.

We have to find the cause, to find what produces the right effect.

So we were, sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

If we are not those things now, what changed?

Or rather, what changed us?

Notice,

I. THE KINDNESS OF GOD

Titus 3:4 (KJV)

But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Notice the two operative words:

·   Kindness and

·   Love

Each emanating, not from the individual himself or from individuals around him, but from God our Saviour.

A. Kindness

The word here is one that means usefulness and by that means benevolence – the disposition to do good.

That springs from another Greek word that means “to help.”

If there is any real change in us it is because God helped you and me.

He chose to do us good.

By the way, He would do that very same good and give that very same help to any and every person you would rather speak evil of.

·   It is God’s nature

·   It is God’s character

·   It is God’s disposition 

to do us good

Don’t you imagine that would be a good enough reason to try to do good to all men?

B. Love

This is the Greek word from which we get philanthropy.

Webster’s 1828 dictionary says,

“The love of mankind; benevolence towards the whole human family; universal good will. It differs from friendship, as the latter is an affection for individuals.”

If this love of God exists in our hearts, we can

·   Show all meekness 

·   To all men because

We have love for the whole of the human race.

God, by the way, showed no preference in saving you over another.

·   He loved them every bit as much as He loved you

·   He sent His Son every bit as much for them as He did you

·   He wills their salvation every bit as much as He wills yours.

It is not the luck of the draw that you are saved and they are not saved.

But it is the pure grace of Godthat you received that kindness and love that they have not yet received.

II. THE RENEWING OF THE HOLY GHOST

Titus 3:5 (KJV)

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

To reinforce this principle that this was nothing to do of ourselves, no goodness, no merit, no good thing in us that earned us our salvation the Bible goes on to say,

Titus 3:5 (KJV)

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

We usually contrast mercy and grace as

·   Grace, getting what we do not deserve

·   Mercy, not getting what we deserve

In this case the word is more in tune with kindness.

It is the disposition of God to show compassion on the miserable.

The word according means “to come down.”

Down from heaven came compassion. Salvation.

In that salvation came:

·   Washing

·   Regeneration and

·   Renewing

When we are born again we are made clean.

When we are made clean, we are renewed.

And all of it, not in what we do but in what the Holy Ghost of God is doing in us.

Washing of regeneration answers to justification. 

We are pronounced free at the moment of our salvation.

Renewal of the Holy Ghost answers to sanctification.

The rest of our lives on earth, the Holy Spirit indwells and undertakes to make us new and different than we were.

III. THE GRACE THROUGH JESUS 

Titus 3:6-7 (KJV)

Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The first question that comes to my mind is, what is shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour?

·   Is it salvation?

·   Is it regeneration?

·   Is it renewing?

The answer, I believe, is the Holy Ghost, and through Him all of the above.

Jesus said, John 15:26 (KJV)

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Jesus sent the Spirit of God, that we would not be without comfort in this world.

And He sent the Spirit of God to us in abundance.

·   We have an abundance of comfort

·   We have an abundance to help in overcoming our sin

·   We have an abundance of God’s love to shed abroad[2]and

·   We have an abundance of hope concerning eternal life

One final thing I wanted to point out that I don’t know whether you caught –

All three Persons of the Godhead are here

·   The kindness of God

·   The renewing of the Holy Ghost and

·   The grace of Jesus Christ

Conclusion

I am nothing like the person I was before I got saved.

Barely recognizable.

I am not perfect – yet – but I am completely changed from who I was.

It is, without question, a change for the better.

But none of that change is on my account.

One day a 7^thgrade girl, who had ridden a bus to Sunday school and got saved, told me about the grace God.

Years later rough and bearded welder named Cash Nickels told me the same story about the grace of God

And, almost by accident, I turned on a Television program one Sunday morning and heard the preacher explain the battle Jesus fought so that I could be saved.

·   How God became flesh

·   How Jesus lived without sin

·   How He died on a cross for my sins

·   How He rose again and ascended to heaven and

·   How He will forgive and save anyone who will ask Him to do it 

It could have been anyone Shannon Alexanderwitnessed to back when we were in the 7^thgrade.

It could have been anyone Cash Nickelstold about Jesus in that welding shop.

There could have been thousandswho heard that evangelist describe the battle Jesus fought on Calvary.

But by: 

·   The kindness of God, 

·   The work of the Holy Ghost and

·   The grace of Jesus Christ

I knelt before God that morning and asked Jesus to save me.

While He sure isn’t finished working on me, I am changed.

I, therefore, owe to everyone to 

·   Not to speak evil of them

·   Be gentle towards them and

·   Show meekness unto them 

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[1]The Bible does not forbid us from speaking against wrong but from speaking evil of men.

[2]Romans 5:5 (KJV)

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.