The First Sunday after the Epiphany
\nJanuary 10, 2016
\nTitus 3:4-7<\/p>\n
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.\u00a0 He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.\u00a0 <\/em>(NIV1984)<\/p>\n Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n Do you remember the Staples commercials featuring the \u201cEasy Button\u201d?\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t it be great if there really was such a thing as an \u201cEasy Button\u201d?\u00a0 If you were at work and the boss gave you a whole stack of things that needed to get done A.S.A.P. or if you had a whole long list of chores that you have been wanting to get done all you would have to do is hit your \u201cEasy Button\u201d and it would all be done!\u00a0 If you got home from work and had no idea what you were going to do for supper\u2014 just hit your \u201cEasy Button.\u201d\u00a0 If you were having relationship problems or financial problems or car problems or health problems why not at least try using your \u201cEasy Button\u201d!<\/p>\n Well guess what, my friends!\u00a0 There actually is such a thing as an \u201cEasy Button\u201d!\u00a0 In fact, I went down to Staples last week and got me an \u201cEasy Button\u201d for just $6.99 plus tax.\u00a0 But guess what!\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t work!\u00a0 When I got back to my office I put my \u201cEasy Button\u201d on my desk, hit it and the only thing that happened was it said\u2014 \u201cThat was easy!\u201d<\/p>\n All kidding aside, our text for this morning is \u201ceasy.\u201d\u00a0 By that I mean that our text for this morning places God\u2019s entire Plan of Salvation before us in a way that is extremely \u201ceasy\u201d to understand!\u00a0 And unlike my newly-acquired \u201cEasy Button\u201d (which is all words but no results) God\u2019s Plan of Salvation actually works!<\/p>\n Today then I would like us to study this \u201ceasy\u201d text under an \u201ceasy\u201d theme.\u00a0 Our theme for today is:\u00a0 He Saved Us!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 An easy theme deserves to have easy parts.\u00a0 Therefore this morning we are going to focus on four easy questions:\u00a0 #1) Who<\/em><\/strong> saved us?\u00a0 #2) Why <\/em><\/strong>did He save us?\u00a0 #3) How<\/em><\/strong> did all this become ours, and #4) What is the result <\/em><\/strong>of Him saving us?<\/p>\n While our text for today does not include Titus 3:3 that verse does indeed set the tone for our text.\u00a0 Therefore we will look at it briefly.\u00a0 Paul writes, \u201cAt one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasure.\u00a0 We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to spend much time on this verse, but we do need to recognize that here in Titus 3:3 Paul is describing you\u2014 and me\u2014 and all people before<\/u> He saved us!\u00a0 This verse is a very accurate description of who<\/u> we were by nature and how<\/u> we would still be living our lives if He had not<\/u> saved us!<\/p>\n With that in mind let\u2019s turn our attention to our first question\u2014 Who<\/em><\/strong> saved us?\u00a0 If we tried to answer that question on our own\u2014 using our own ideas and our own opinions\u2014 this would not only be an extremely difficult question to answer, but we would probably be debating all the different answers we come up with for a long long time!\u00a0 However, when we look at what Paul reveals to us here in our text not only are we able to answer that question correctly, but we are also able to say\u2014 \u201cThat was easy!\u201d<\/p>\n When we look at our text as a whole it is quite easy to see that the answer to the question, \u201cWho<\/em><\/strong> saved us?\u201d is very simply\u2014 the Triune<\/em><\/strong> God!\u00a0 First, look at the opening verse of our text.\u00a0 Paul writes, \u201cBut when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us\u2026.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 What event is Paul referring to here?\u00a0 He is referring to Christmas!\u00a0 God the Father\u2019s \u201ckindness,\u201d<\/em> God the Father\u2019s \u201clove for mankind\u201d<\/em> (which is a literal translation of the Greek word that Paul uses here\u2014 \u201cphilanthropia\u201d<\/em>) is clearly revealed when God the Father sent His eternally begotten Son into this world as our true Brother.\u00a0 While we don\u2019t often use this term Paul is absolutely correct when he refers to our heavenly Father as \u201cGod our Savior.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Now look at the second half of verse five and all of verse six.\u00a0 Here Paul emphasizes that God the Father saved us, \u201c\u2026through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit<\/u>, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ<\/u> our Savior.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 We\u2019ll be coming back to this verse in just a minute, but since the Triune<\/em><\/strong> God is the only<\/em><\/strong> true God it is \u201ceasy\u201d for us to see that the only acceptable correct answer to the question, \u201cWho<\/em><\/strong> saved us?\u201d is:\u00a0 the God who reveals Himself to us in Scripture \u2014 God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n While this is indeed an \u201ceasy\u201d answer to the question of \u201cWho<\/em><\/strong> saved us?\u201d it is not always an \u201ceasy\u201d answer to proclaim in our society today.\u00a0 You may remember a few years ago when a member of congress took the oath of office with his hand on a Koran.\u00a0 One article I read at the time said that this event emphasizes that \u201creligious differences are nothing to be afraid of.\u201d\u00a0 The prevailing winds of our society today are indeed trying to convince us that it doesn\u2019t make any difference what religion you hold to.\u00a0 The prevailing winds of our society are tying to convince us that it doesn\u2019t make any difference if you are a Muslim or a Mormon, if you hold to the hollow teachings of Judaism or the heretical teachings of the Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses.\u00a0 The prevailing winds of our society today are trying to convince us that all the various religions are simply \u201cdifferent pathways to the same salvation,\u201d that we are \u201call worshiping the same god, we just call him by different names.\u201d\u00a0 The only<\/u> way we could even remotely<\/u> agree with the prevailing winds of our society today is if we were not concerned about where we or anyone else will spend eternity.\u00a0 There is only<\/em><\/strong> one God who has the power, who has the right, who has the \u201ckindness\u201d<\/em> and \u201clove\u201d<\/em> necessary to save us!\u00a0 He is the Triune <\/em><\/strong>God of Scripture!<\/p>\n Let\u2019s move on to our second question\u2014 \u201cWhy<\/em><\/strong> did the Triune God save us?\u201d\u00a0 Look at the opening portion of verse five, \u201cHe saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Here is where we need to remember how Paul describes our natural sinful condition in Titus 3:3.\u00a0 By nature we were all <\/em><\/strong>\u201cfoolish, disobedient\u201d<\/em> and \u201cdeceived.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 By nature we were all<\/em><\/strong> \u201censlaved by all kinds of passions and pleasure.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 By nature we all<\/em><\/strong> \u201clived in malice and envy.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 By nature we all<\/em><\/strong> were constantly \u201cbeing hated and hating one another.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 By nature we were all <\/em><\/strong>completely unable to save ourselves from our own sins!<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the Scriptures so simply and so clearly emphasizes that \u201cHe<\/u> saved us<\/u>!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The Triune God did not save us because He saw that we either were living or were at least capable of living a decent, upright and \u201crighteous\u201d life.\u00a0 He saved us \u201cbecause of his mercy<\/u>.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The Triune God did not save us because we \u201cdeserve\u201d to be saved.\u00a0 He saved us \u201cbecause of his mercy<\/u>.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The Triune God did not save us because of our works or because of our efforts or because of our good intentions or because we decided that we wanted to be saved.\u00a0 He saved us \u201cbecause of his mercy<\/u>.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The Triune God took pity on us poor sinners by sending His Son into this world to pay the penalty for our sins\u2014 right there on the cross.\u00a0 No matter how much we would like to believe that we contributed at least a little bit to our own salvation, Scripture clearly and consistently proclaims a simple\u2014 \u201ceasy\u201d\u2014 answer to the question of \u201cWhy<\/em><\/strong> did the Triune God save us?\u201d\u00a0 The answer is found here in our text when Paul says, \u201cHe saved us\u2026because of his mercy<\/u>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That leads us to our third question:\u00a0 How did this amazing gift of God\u2019s boundless mercy, how did this amazing gift of God\u2019s eternal salvation become ours?\u00a0 That\u2019s easy!\u00a0 Look once again at the second half of verse five and all of verse six, \u201cHe saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 This portion of our text reveals to us that Baptism is not<\/em><\/strong> simply a ceremony which symbolizes a person\u2019s commitment to Christ.\u00a0 Baptism is a sacrament<\/em><\/strong> given to us by \u201cGod our Savior\u201d<\/em>!\u00a0 Baptism is a \u201cwashing of rebirth and renewal by <\/strong>the Holy Spirit.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Through the seemingly simple act of pouring or sprinkling or immersing someone in water in the Name of the Triune <\/em><\/strong>God that person\u2019s sins are completely washed away.\u00a0 They are \u201cborn again\u201d<\/em> as a dearly beloved adopted child of the Living God.\u00a0 They are \u201crenewed\u201d<\/em> or \u201crestored\u201d<\/em> through the power of God the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n Yes, my friends, as \u201csimple\u201d as Baptism seems, as \u201ceasy\u201d as Baptism is to do, it was through this holy Sacrament that many of us received the holiness and the righteousness and the perfection that the God of heaven demands of us.\u00a0 As \u201csimple\u201d as Baptism seems, as \u201ceasy\u201d as Baptism is to do it is on the basis of this holy Sacrament that many of us can answer the question of, \u201cHow<\/em><\/strong> did God\u2019s amazing gift of forgiveness, eternal life and salvation become mine?\u201d by saying, \u201cThat\u2019s easy!\u00a0 I was baptized in the Name of the Triune God!\u201d<\/p>\n That bring us to our final question for this morning, \u201cWhat is the result<\/em><\/strong> of the fact that the Triune God saved us?\u201d\u00a0 Look at the closing verse of our text, \u201cHe saved us\u2026so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The result of God\u2019s \u201ckindness,\u201d<\/em> the result of God\u2019s \u201cphilanthropy\u201d<\/em> (His love for all mankind), the result of God\u2019s \u201cgrace\u201d<\/em> is that you<\/em><\/strong> are \u201cjustified\u201d<\/em>!\u00a0 Through faith in what the Triune God has done for<\/em><\/strong> you (pointing to the cross) you<\/em><\/strong> have been \u201cDeclared:\u00a0 Not Guilty!\u201d<\/em> by God Himself.\u00a0 Because you are<\/em><\/strong> \u201cNot Guilty!\u201d<\/em> because you are<\/em><\/strong> a saved child of your heavenly Father you are<\/em><\/strong> an \u201cheir\u201d<\/em> of the Kingdom of Heaven!\u00a0 You have the sure confident hope, the Christian expectation that when your life here on this earth comes to an end you will immediately inherit a glorious \u201ceternal life\u201d<\/em> in your heavenly Father\u2019s home!\u00a0 And if anyone asks you how you can be sure<\/u> of this, if anyone asks you why you are so confident<\/u> of where you will spend eternity answer them by first saying, \u201cThat\u2019s easy!\u201d and then point them to the cross and say, \u201cHe saved us!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Ironically, my \u201cEasy Button\u201d came with instructions.\u00a0 Thankfully, the instructions were limited to five easy steps!\u00a0 STEP 1:<\/strong>\u00a0 Identify a difficult situation.\u00a0 STEP 2.\u00a0 <\/strong>Press your Easy Button.\u00a0 STEP 3.<\/strong>\u00a0 Listen to the reassuring message.\u00a0 STEP 4.\u00a0 <\/strong>Smile and get on with your day.\u00a0 STEP 5.<\/strong> Repeat as necessary.\u00a0 While it\u2019s kind of cute\u2014 it\u2019s certainly not a cure-all, is it.\u00a0 Difficult situations don\u2019t disappear quite so \u201ceasily.\u201d<\/p>\n Thank God, my friends, that when it comes to the most \u201cdifficult\u201d situation of all\u2014 the sin that separated us from the God of heaven, thank God that when it comes to the extremely \u201cdifficult\u201d question of how any mortal sinful human being can even hope to spend eternity in the joy and perfection of heaven, thank God that there is a simple (dare we say \u201ceasy\u201d?) answer!\u00a0 Lift up your eyes to the cross and listen as Scripture lovingly proclaims to you, \u201cHe saved us!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The First Sunday after the Epiphany January 10, 2016 Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.\u00a0 He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through 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