Adorn the Gospel
Titus 2:9-3:11 | The citizens of Jesus’ kingdom are to adorn the gospel by practicing “gospel civility” in all situations.
Adorn the Gospel
Titus 2:9-3:11
Main idea: The citizens of Jesus’ kingdom are to adorn the gospel by practicing “gospel civility” in all situations
In Titus 2:9-3:11, Paul explains WHAT gospel civility looks like, WHY it matters, and HOW FAR it extends.
First, what does “GOSPEL CIVILITY” look like?
“Gospel civility” speaks to our demeanor as well as our behavior. It gets at the attitude, or spirit, behind our actions that makes them align with the gospel. It is not enough to hold the right positions, but hold them with a wrong posture. What we adhere to doctrinally loses its power and appeal when we fail to practice Jesus’ central command to love our neighbor.
As such, “Gospel civility” compels us to be HUMBLE, to be REFRESHING, and to be WISE as we live out the specific behaviors the gospel calls us into.
It is safe for us to assume that wherever Paul went to establish the gospel, he established the priority of the mindset he spells out in Philippians 2. It is a citizen mindset built on HUMILITY.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Php 2:3-8)
“Gospel civility” also calls us to be REFRESHING to those amongst whom God has placed us.
This is exactly the same ethic Peter endorses in his first letter. To people suffering under the cruel hand of Roman persecution, he writes:
Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For“Whoever desires to love life and see good days,let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;
let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? (1 Pet 3:9-13)
“Gospel civility” approaches life’s realities with WISDOM. Throughout Scripture, the WISE person is that one who understands and does the best thing in any given situation. In things governed by clear and accepted rules, they follow the rules. In that larger domain of life where there are no clear and accepted rules, they know how to choose the better options, the options that bless and build up, and they choose them consistently.
Paul may actually be thinking of Jesus' words to His disciple in Matthew 10, when He sent them out to announce the good news of the Kingdom in the Israeli villages.
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matt 10:16)
Gospel civility is that gospel-driven demeanor that inspires gospel-aligned behavior in the presence of the watching world. It aspires to the HUMILITY of Christ, seeking to REFRESH as He did, and adapts to situational realites with WISDOM.
WHY is Paul so urgent to have Titus promote “gospel civility” among the believers in Crete?
The answer rests in one word that appears twice in the passage we read. Since the word is so easily read right over, it is important to highlight it. It's the word “for” which appears as the first word in Titus 2:11 and then again in Titus 3:3.
In both cases, Paul has just outlined the set of behaviors that arise out of “gospel civility”.
In both cases, the rationale upon which Paul builds his case for “gospel civility” is something that happened in the past, not something that might happen in the future.
The reason we are to display “gospel civility” in every situation is not so that we can bring in the kingdom of God by building a better system than the rest, but rather so that we might adorn the gospel that announces that the kingdom has already arrived in Jesus.
The people of Jesus are to display “gospel civility” because the gospel is the truest truth there is. Adorning the gospel with our lives is the best possible thing we can do. It is how we serve as “salt” and “light” in the world. Whether we live or die for doing it is simply irrelevant. Whether we make a difference for the better or whether we vanish into the vast number of saints who lived and died hoping in Jesus, such things are not ours to decide. It is the gospel that must be adorned, not us.
HOW FAR does gospel civility extend in our lives as Christ followers?
There is no situation or circumstance that exempts us from the gospel civility mandate.
There are no durational limits either. There is no point in the distress of our situation at which we are allowed to set aside gospel civility in favor of any other alternatives.
Conclusion
In the first sermon of this series, Ian reminded us that “Christ has commissioned us as his ambassadors, bearing witness to the Kingdom of God in a hyper-politicized world.”
That means as we come into what will no doubt be a white hot national election season and as we stand up for racial reconciliation, the sanctity of human life, social justice, and sexual integrity that we do so in a way that adorns the gospel, with gospel civility. Remember, we exist to see a greater worship of Jesus through declaring and displaying the gospel.
A Biblical Sexual Ethic & The Beauty of the Gospel
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 | God cares about who we sleep with because sex is not just about sex, but a signpost to the gospel.
A Biblical Sexual Ethic & The Beauty of the Gospel
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Main Idea: God cares about who we sleep with because sex is not just about sex, but a signpost to the gospel
I. The Beautiful Design of Sex
Wrong approaches toward sex:
Discount
Demonize
Deify
Instead of these approaches, sex is God’s good gift to his creation to be enjoyed in the context he created it for: a man & a woman within the covenant of marriage. God’s beautiful design for sex within this context includes:
1. Oneness: Unity & Diversity (Gen. 2:18; 2:24)
2. Intimacy: Joyful Self-Giving (Gen. 2:24-25. 1 Cor. 7:3-5)
1 Cor. 7:3-5: The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
3. Fruitfulness: Potential for Procreation (Gen. 1:26-28)
II. The Brokenness of Sexual Immorality
Sexual immorality distorts this beautiful design for sex:
It detaches sex from the covenant of marriage
“Sex is perhaps the most powerful God-created way to help you give your entire self to another human being. Sex is God’s appointed way for two people to reciprocally say to one another ‘I belong completely, permanently, and exclusively to you.’ You must not use sex to say anything less.” ~ Tim Keller
It uses sex as “self-serving” rather than “self-giving”
“Lust is a cheap thrill at the expense of another human being, but without any personal accountability or commitment to that human being.” ~ Scott Sauls
Matthew 5:27–28: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
“Jesus is saying that sexual integrity is so precious that it must not be violated, even in the privacy of someone else’s mind. Even if [the other person] were to never find out about it, [they] would have been greatly wronged by being thought about lustfully.” ~ Sam Allberry
1 Corinthians 6:18–19: Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
Paul reminds the church in Thessalonica that the Lord is an “avenger” in these things, which ought to comfort those who have been victims & humble all of us who are guilty of sexual sin.
Hebrews 13:4: Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
III. The Power Beyond Sex
For those who “know God” (4:5), they know:
1. There is grace, healing, and hope for our sexual sin & brokenness
“... and such were some of you” (1 Cor. 6:11)
“It’s not just that I’m hooked and need a fix, or that I’m overly dependent on external stimuli to try and achieve happiness. That can all be true yet still an inadequate diagnosis of what’s really going on if it doesn’t recognize the insatiability of my hunger isn’t a bug but a feature – a signal that I long for something infinite. Wanting more isn’t the problem; it’s where I keep looking for it.” ~ James K.A. Smith
2. The reason sex is so powerful is because it points to something far greater than itself
“The search for sexual excitement is not really men & women looking for biochemical sensations. We are not, ultimately, even looking for each other. We are looking for that to which sex points- something we know exists but just can’t identify. We are looking to be part of a love that is as strong a death (Song of Sol. 8:6), stronger in fact. We are looking, whether we know it or not, for a Christ and for a church.” ~ Russell Moore
Justice & The Weightier Matters
Micah 6:6-8 & Matthew 23:23-26 | Christians are called to do justice as a reflection of God’s character & an expression of his grace.
Justice & The Weightier Matters
Micah 6:6-8 & Matthew 23:23-26
Main Idea: Christians are called to do justice as a reflection of God’s character & an expression of his grace.
I. Justice & God’s Character
“Justice” is central to God’s self-disclosure of himself in his Word to his people. A few examples:
Ps. 89:14: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; Steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”
Deut. 32:4: “The Rock, his work is perfect, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, Just and upright is he.”
Ps. 146:7-9: [He] executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
He upholds the widow and the fatherless,
But the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Deut. 10:17-18: For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.
“More than half of the books in the Old Testament speak of justice as an attribute of God & a responsibility of His people. We can’t know God without understanding His heart for justice… He is a just God. He is the source of all true justice… seeing God in this way helps define & root justice in the Lord. To ignore justice is to ignore God. Justice isn’t God (we don’t worship justice), but His justice is one of his key attributes.” ~ Eric Mason
II. Justice & God’s People
The people of Israel were to showcase this attribute of God by having a society that embraced a “holistic” justice. This included:
Punitive Justice: Punishing wrongdoers & protecting victims of wrongdoing (ex: Lev. 24:19-20)
Structural Justice: Treating others fairly in the context of right relationships; not showing partiality, creating just societal structures (ex: Lev. 19:15-18; 24:22)
Restorative Justice: Speaking up & advocating for the vulnerable, oppressed, overlooked (ex: Prov. 31:8-9)
“The righteous are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community; the wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves.” ~ Bruce Waltke
Generous Justice: Practices such as “gleaning” (Lev. 19:9-10), Sabbath years (Deut. 15:1-18), & the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8ff)
“If you are trying to lie a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice when we give all human beings their due as creations of God. Doing justice includes not only the righting of wrongs, but generosity and social concern, especially toward the poor & vulnerable. This kind of life reflects the character of God. It consists of a broad range of activities, from simple fair and honest dealings with people in daily life, to regular, radically generous giving of your time & resources, to activism that seeks to end particular forms of injustice, violence, and oppression.” ~ Tim Keller
This vision and expectation of “justice” from God helps us to appreciate why Jesus is so confrontational with the Pharisees in Matthew 23. They were “hypocrites” (actors with a mask) because they gave the impression they were righteous while neglecting the “weightier” matters of the law.
III. Justice & God’s Son
Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because he has anointed me
To proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovering of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Any conversation about justice & mercy in the Bible has to find its center at the cross. At the cross, every form of biblical “justice” meets the mercy of God toward the undeserving.
“By becoming one of the poor who was deprived of his rights, by dying as one of those robbed of justice, God’s Son submitted to the utmost extremity of humiliation, entering into total solidarity with those who are without help… even more astonishingly, however, he underwent helplessness & humiliation not only for the victimized but also for the perpetrators… Who would have thought that the same God who passed judgment, calling down woe upon the religious establishment, would come under his own judgment and woe?... Perfect justice is wrought in the self-offering of the Son, who alone of all human beings was perfectly righteous.” ~ Fleming Rutledge
There is an intrinsic link between our “justification” at the cross of Christ & our call to “do justice.” When we begin to grasp the depth of God’s mercy toward us in Jesus Christ, we will keep him at the center of justice. Because we are changed we will want to do justice as we follow King Jesus.
Pro-Life for All of Life: The Gospel & Human Dignity
Matthew 25:31-40 | The gospel compels us to uphold the sanctity of all human life, because Jesus stands with the vulnerable & powerless.
Pro-Life for All of Life: The Gospel & Human Dignity
Matthew 25:31-40
Main Idea: The gospel compels us to uphold the sanctity of all human life, because Jesus stands with the vulnerable & powerless.
I. Who are the Least of These?
The “least of these” are the human beings who are deemed insignificant, invisible, or unimportant by a society. Jesus emphasizes that they are in need of the basics for human existence: food, water, clothing, shelter, and companionship.
“I believe that’s what a fetus is: a human life. And that doesn’t make me one iota less solidly pro-choice… Here’s the complicated reality in which we live. All life is not equal… a fetus can be a human life without having the same rights as the woman in whose body it resides. She’s the boss. Her life and what is right for her circumstances and her health should automatically trump the rights of the non-autonomous entity inside of her. Always.” ~ Mary Elizabeth Williams (pro-abortion commentator)
If the church is going to have conviction & compassion here, we ought to humbly consider in our own lives who it is that we are prone to devalue & ignore. Who would we rather not think about? How have we tacitly contributed to a society where “all life is not equal?”
II. The Church & the Least of These
Jesus says that the church has a responsibility to the least of these, because we have a responsibility to him. We can step into this courageously and faithfully for 2 reasons:
1. We know the truth about human dignity & sanctity.
We know from God’s Word that every single human being – regardless of age, size, shape, color, abilities, or cognitive faculties – is created by God, bears the very image of God, and therefore has inherent worth, value, and dignity.
“The whole concept of the image of God, is the idea that all men have something within them that God injected. . . . And this gives [mankind] a uniqueness, it gives him worth, it gives him dignity. And we must never forget this . . . there are no gradations in the image of God.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
2. We know the real enemy
Ephesians 6:11:12: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Throughout Biblical & human history, Under the orchestration of an ancient enemy, when human beings grasp for unhealthy power, the vulnerable get hurt (especially children), and a culture of death reigns.
“There is no one more pro-choice than the Devil on the way into the abortion clinic, and there is no one more pro-life than the Devil on the way out of the abortion clinic. Deceit and accusation are the most powerful tools in his arsenal against us. But those in Christ have something more: we have forgiveness, redemption, and the promise of Christ’s perfect righteousness.” ~ Russell Moore
If you are carrying the shame & guilt over having a hand in an abortion, there is hope in Christ Jesus:
Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Hebrews 4:16: Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
III. Jesus & the Least of These
The surprising part of this passage and what baffles both the sheep & the goats is the fact that Jesus identifies with the least of these. The King of all Kings came & identified with the powerless, the weak, & the vulnerable.
“It should not surprise us that the spirit of every age seeks to define human worth in terms of power and usefulness, while the gospel of the kingdom defines human dignity in strikingly different terms, as Christ himself identifies himself not with the powerful but with the vulnerable. A fallen universe seeks to wipe out vulnerable human life precisely because such life bears the unmistakable imprint of the one who overcomes not by might nor by power but by his blood.” ~ Russell Moore
If we want to follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross & follow him. Following Jesus often takes us to an uncomfortable, vulnerable place - but this is precisely where Jesus is. The church is to care for the least of these because we see Jesus there and we see ourselves there.
Racial Reconciliation & Walking in Step with the Gospel
Galatians 2:11-16 | The church must walk in step with the truth of the gospel that powerfully brings reconciliation to racial division.
Racial Reconciliation & Walking in Step with the Gospel
Galatians 2:11-16
“There is no institution more equipped and capable of bringing transformation to the cause of reconciliation than the church. But we have some hard work to do.” ~ John Perkins
Main Idea: The church must walk in step with the truth of the gospel that powerfully brings reconciliation to racial division.
I. God’s Heart for Diversity & The Church at Antioch
The church in Antioch is a significant church in an important city in the Greco-Roman world.
The gospel is shared with Gentiles in Antioch & many of them turn in faith to Jesus
This church becomes home-base for Paul’s missionary journeys & had a multi-ethnic, diverse congregation & leadership (cf. Acts 13:1-3)
It is the first place the disciples are called “Chritians” as the gospel cut through deep ethnic divides in the city & brought racial harmony
Antioch is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that “all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” It is also a foreshadowing of Revelation 7:9, where God’s people from “every nation, from all tribes, and peoples, and languages” are gathered before the throne of Jesus, worshipping together.
“We used to hate and destroy one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies.” ~ Justin Martyr
II. Walking Out of Step with the Gospel
Peter “eating” with the Gentiles in Antioch showed how the gospel had the power to break through all the reasons for division between Jews & Gentiles. Peter knew this power-first hand from Acts 10.
Acts 10:28: “And [Peter] said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.”
The “men from James” or the “circumcision party” were contending that Gentile believers needed to be circumcised & become Jewish in order to be saved (cf. Acts 15:1). Peter hypocritically acts out of “fear” of this group & separates himself from the Gentiles.
“Racial pride must have entered into [Peter’s mind]. It had been drilled into Peter, and all the Jews, since their youth that Gentiles were “unclean”. While hiding beneath the façade of religious observance, Peter & other Jewish Christians were probably still feeling disdain for Christians from “inferior” national & racial backgrounds. Peter was allowing culture differences to become more important than gospel unity.” Tim Keller
“For Jesus and for his Spirit-anointed apostles, there is no gospel apart from the exposure of sin, and the repentance demanded in its wake. And one of the oldest manifestations of flesh-worshipping devil-worship is racial superiority. To confront such sin is no distraction from the gospel. To the contrary, to not confront it, silently allowing it to sit in the psyches and consciences of the people, is not just a distraction from the gospel but a contradiction of it.” ~ Russell Moore
We must be on guard against the danger of having proper doctrine or theology but failing to live out the gospel. Peter was preaching the gospel but his conduct was “out of step with the truth of the gospel.”
III. Walking In Step with the Gospel
A proposal for what this practically looks like:
1. Embracing
Galatians 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:11: Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
2. Lamenting
3. Befriending
“The Bible calls us to weep with those who weep; it doesn’t tell us to judge whether they should be weeping.” ~ H.B. Charles Jr.
4. Speaking
5. Acting
A Better Way Forward
1 Peter 1:1-2, 2:9-17, 3:8-17 | Christ has commissioned us as his ambassadors, bearing witness to the Kingdom of God in a hyper-politicized world.
A Better Way Forward
1 Peter 1:1-2, 2:9-17, 3:8-17
Joshua 5:13: “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”
Main Idea: Christ has commissioned us as his ambassadors, bearing witness to the Kingdom of God in a hyper-politicized world.
I. Remembering Our Identity
Peter reminds these scattered Gentile Christians of their identity as:
Elect Exiles
A Chosen Race
A Holy Nation
A Royal Priesthood
A people for God’s own possession
God’s people who have received mercy
Sojourners
Citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20)
Ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20)
In a world where politics has become a religion (or at least demands a religious-type commitment), Christians need a reminder of our true home and that our highest allegiance & citizenship is to King Jesus in heaven.
“Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that what they do want, and want acutely, is something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise… if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world… I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country & to help others to do the same.” ~ C.S. Lewis
If we lived faithfully toward this end, we would not allow political parties to set the agenda for our civic engagement, but rather King Jesus & the ethics of the Kingdom of God. Christians won’t fit perfectly into any earthly political party and we will always feel a bit out of place amongst the tribes of this world.
“Consistent faithfulness to Scripture will never square with total alignment with any political party. A gospel agenda is not set by partisan think tanks in Washington, D.C. It’s set by Scripture. A gospel agenda may align with some aspects of one political party and some of another—and should spur us to engage in those areas—but it also decidedly rejects some aspects of both. God’s agenda is better, bigger, and more glorious than any one party, nation, culture, or time. The mission of Jesus will outlast every White House tenure. It will outlast America itself.” ~ Brett McCracken
II. Remembering Our Mission
Embracing our identity as sojourners, exiles, and ambassadors does not mean that we disengage from the affairs of this world, however.
Jeremiah 29:4-7: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Two dangers the Israelite exiles in Babylon needed to avoid:
1. Don’t hate the Babylonians
“For Christians, one inescapable conclusion of this extraordinary command is that we are obliged to work for the benefit and the flourishing of all people, whether or not they see the world as we do or agree with us in any way. Christians’ obligation is not to their “tribe” but to their God – a God who cares deeply for all people.” ~ Michael Wear
2. Don’t become the Babylonians
As we seek to be faithful where God has placed us, Chrsitians can’t engage in the same way that the world engages. We must stay focused on Jesus, seeking to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Pet. 2:9).
III. Remembering Our Distinctiveness
Peter reminds us that Christians are to live with a distinct, compelling witness to the Kingdom of God. This includes:
Distinct Behavior (2:11-12)
Distinct Honor (2:13-17)
Galatians 5:13–14: For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus’ 12 disciples had political diversity; Simon was a zealot, actively working against Rome, while Matthew was a tax collector, supporting Rome. We have to allow for political diversity within the church, since we will always have more in common with a brother or sister in Christ than a fellow Democrat or Republican.
Distinct Humility (3:8-9)
Distinct Speech (3:10-12)
Colossians 4:5-6: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Distinct Hope (3:13-16)