Titus 3:1-8

WHAT DOES GOD THINK OF ME?

Intro:  Let me ask you a question: Do you ever wonder what people think about you?  Do you even care?  To some extent, most of us do care what others think of us.  Now, let me ask you another question: Has anyone ever told you what they think about you?  When they do, you are often sorry they did.  There have been times, when a person told me just what they thought of me, and I was glad they did.  There have been other times when folks have shared their thoughts about me and I was not pleased at all.  That is one reason I do not ask people what they think of me.  I am afraid they will tell me!

      Today, I want to look at this matter from a spiritual perspective.  If you were to ask Satan what he thinks about you, he would probably say, “You are a failure!”  If you asked society what they think of you, they might say, “You are a fool!”  If you asked self, that is, your own heart, self might say, “You are a fake!”  Have you ever heard these things?  Many have and on a daily basis!

      But, does it really matter what Satan, society and self think about you and me?  No!  All that really matters, in the end, is what God thinks about us.  Have you ever wondered just what God thinks about you?  Is it possible to know what God thinks about us?  Do we really want to know what He thinks about us?  Well, this passage clearly reveals exactly what God thinks about us.

      Paul is writing to Titus, a young Pastor on the island of Crete.  In chapter two he wrote about how believers should behave in the church.  In this chapter, he talks about how believers should behave in society.  Paul calls on Titus to “put them in mind” about certain things.  He wants the saints to remember who they are in Jesus; what they have in Jesus; what God has done in them through Jesus; and what God expects of them as believers in Jesus.

      In these verses, Paul answers the question I posed a few moments ago: What Does God Think Of Me? In this passage designed for instruction, we can find a word of encouragement.  Some of you may be discouraged as you wonder how God sees you.  Well, if you are saved, you are about to find out.  If you are not, then you are going to learn how God would see you if you came to Jesus.  Let’s look in to these verses together as we address the question: What Does God Think Of Me?

 

  I.  v. 3-6    GOD THINKS YOU ARE PRECIOUS

(Ill. Satan says, “God doesn’t care about you at all.”  God says something completely different.  These verses teach us that God loves us more than we can possibly understand.)

A.  v. 3 The Extent Of His Love – Verse 3 paints a vivid picture of what the believer was before he or she met Jesus.

·        Foolish – Ignorant of everything to do with God. 

·        Disobedient – Rebellious toward any authority instituted by God.

·        Deceived – Continually led deeper and deeper into sin by Satan. 

·        Serving divers lusts and pleasures – A slave to our fleshly appetites and passions. 

·        Living in malice – Given over to a lifestyle of evil. 

·        Envy – Never satisfied with what we have, but always grasping for more.

·        Hateful – This is the natural fruit of all the above.  This kind of life makes us mean-spirited and hard to get along with. 

·        Hating one another – Walking without love for our fellow man.

            This is what we were, and what some in this room still are.  It is a terrible condition to be in, yet that is what the Bible says time and time again, Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Cor. 6:9-10. Even in that condition, God still loved us: Jer. 31:3.  He could have written us off and just allowed us go to Hell, but He loved us and did something about it!

B.  v. 4, 6b The Evidence Of His Love – This verses says “after that”.  In other words, “in spite of what we were and are, God chose to display His love for us.”  How did He do that?  The answer is in verse 6.  It says “through Jesus Christ”.  God gave evidence of His love for fallen man by sending His Son into the world to die for our sins, Ill. Rom. 5:6-8; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10. 

            If you need evidence that you are precious to the Lord, then look no farther than Calvary!  You don’t need a feeling, just look to the cross!  Look away to Jesus as He dies on the cross for your sins, 2 Cor. 5:21, and know that you are special to the Lord.  He loved you and that is the reason for the awful death of Jesus Christ.  The cross says, “I love you!  You are special to Me!”

C.  v. 5-6a  The Energy Of His Love – What did this wonderful love of God do for us? Part of the answer is found in the word “but” in verse 4.  God knew what we were.  He saw us with all our sins and our baggage, yet He still chose to “butt” into our lives and save us by His grace.  Ill. The “but” in Eph. 2:4 and the “but” in Luke 15:22, the prodigal deserved judgment, but received mercy!

            Look at all His love and grace did for us in verse 5. 

·        He extended His grace and mercy to us when we deserved nothing but Hell. 

·        He saved us from the penalty of our sins (saved). 

·        He cleansed us from the defilements of our sins (washing).  He made a new creature out of us (regeneration). 

·        And, He placed His Spirit within us to lead us deeper in Him day by day (renewing). 

            God did all of this with no help from us!  Our works, our religion, our efforts cannot save us, they only compound the problem!

            God’s love for us was not the love of a secret admirer.  No!  He loved us so much that He went to work to see us saved.  Satan will tell you that God doesn’t love you all; the evidence says something quiet different!  The evidence says that you are precious in His eyes!

 

(Ill. God sees us exactly as we really are, but He loves us anyway!)

 

  I.  God Thinks You Are Precious

 

 II.  v. 7a     GOD THINKS YOU ARE PERFECT

(Ill. Again, the enemies of the believer, Satan and the flesh will tell you that you are dirty, wicked and that you have no hope at all.  Folks, the devil is a liar, John 8:44; and you can’t believe a word your own heart tells you, Jer. 17:9!  Verse 7 tells you what God thinks about your standing.  He says that He has “justified” you by His grace.)

A.  A Definition – What does it mean to be “justified”?  Justified comes from a word that means, “to render righteous or such as he ought to be.” It is a word that speaks of God declaring the saved person to be in a perfect and right standing before God. That is saying a lot!

B.  A Description – Being justified is far different from being forgiven.  Some people think that justification is just the forgiveness of our sins.  Justification is far more powerful than that!  When there is forgiveness there is also the remembrance of the wrong committed.  A man might be convicted of murder and be forgiven by the victim’s family; but everyone still knows what that murderer did.

            On the other hand, a person who had been justified has been totally acquitted and exonerated of all charges.  There is absolutely no record of any wrongdoing.  When we are justified by God, all record of our sin is forever banished from the memory of the Lord.  It is as if we had never or will never sin! (Ill. Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12; Heb. 10:16-17)  The bottom line is this: the law has no claims against a justified person.  The law of God is satisfied, there is no case against the redeemed ones! There are no charges against the child of God.

C.  A Defense – Some might hear this and say, “Well, that is an excuse to sin.  If the Lord doesn’t remember and He has already declared me righteous, then I can do as I please with no consequences.”  If you think that then you are dead wrong and way off base!  You can be saved and still sin.  When you do, your sin will not affect your relationship with God.  Once you are saved by grace and justified by God, that condition can never be altered.  However, when you as a believer sin, you can expect two things to happen. 

·        First, you can be sure that you will reap what you sow, Gal. 6:7-8. 

·        Second, you can be sure that God will bring His chastisement into your life, Heb. 12:6-12. 

            You might be saved and forgiven as far as Heaven and eternity is concerned; but there will are earthly consequences for our sinful actions. Low living carries a very high price.  Just ask Samson!

 

(Ill. Not only does the Lord see us as we really are; He also sees us as He has made us by His grace.)

 

  I.  God Thinks You Are Precious

 II.  God Thinks You Are Perfect

 

III.  v. 7b     GOD THINKS YOU ARE PRIVILEGED

(Ill. Satan comes by and tells the believer that serving God is waste of time.  That it just doesn’t pay off to live right, go to church, pray and read the Bible.  Well, as you might imagine, God sees things just a little differently.  He tells us in verse 7 that we are a privileged people.)

A.  Privileged Because Of Our Earthly Hope – I realize that as Christians, we are all living for what is coming after this life.  That is when we expect to receive our inheritance.  Why?  Well, an inheritance is usually given after the death of the one who owns the inheritance.  The One Who promised us an inheritance has already died and risen from the dead.  I am looking forward to Heaven, but I am a partaker of the inheritance of the Lord today, Rom. 8:15-17.

            Heaven will be wonderful, but I’ve got it good today! 

·        The Lord is always with me, Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20. 

·        The Lord has promised to meet all my needs, Phil. 4:19; Matt. 6:25-34. 

·        He cares about all that I face in life, Heb. 4:15.  He listens to me when I pray, Heb. 4:16. 

·        It seems that the Lord is doing His best to spoil me, Luke 12:32! 

·        You can take it anyway you please, but if you are saved, you are a privileged person right now!

B.  Privileged Because Of Our Eternal Hope – Not only are we privileged because of all we have here; we are also privileged because of all that we have waiting on us when we leave here.  We have a home in Heaven, John 14:1-3. We have a perfect place reserved for us in His presence, 1 Pet. 1:3-5.  We have the hope that we are headed to a city where there will be no more death, parting or sorrow, Rev. 21:4.  We are a privileged people!  We have the best here and hereafter!  What a God we serve!

 

(Ill. He sees us like we are, yet He loves us.  He sees us as He has made us.  And, He sees us as we will be someday. Ill. “made heirs” – All that we have; all that we are, and all that we will become, is because of His amazing grace!  “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture,” Psalm 100:3.

      We are a precious people.  He saved us by His grace, apart from any works at all; He has made us a perfect people.  He blesses us in marvelous ways and promises us a home in Heaven some day; we are a privileged people.)

 

  I.  God Thinks You Are Precious

 II.  God Thinks You Are Perfect

III.  God Thinks You Are Privileged

 

IV.  v. 1-2, 8  GOD THINKS YOU ARE PROFITABLE

(Ill. Satan, or the flesh, often says, “God can’t use you!  You will amount to nothing as a Christian.  Look at the things you do.  Look at how you live.  You are a failure.”  You ever hear that?  Well, the truth is a different matter altogether.  These verses remind us that God saved us for a purpose and part of that purpose is so that He can use us for His glory!)

A.  v. 1  He Can Use Your Walk – Paul is telling these folks to walk in a disciplined manner.  They are to obey the laws of the land and submit to the people who are in authority over them.  He is telling them that their simple walk of faith is proof that they are different from the world around them.

            Just the way you carry yourself day by day is a powerful witness to the world around you.  As you live for the Lord and demonstrate His love and grace, you are allowing Him to live through you and God uses that to touch hearts.  A disciplined, holy life is a power tool in the hand of the Lord, Matt. 5:16.

            You might not think that bowing your head over your lunch is a lot, but God can use it.  You might not think that reading your Bible at break time is much, but God can use that too.  You might not think about it but just showing up on time and doing a days work for a days pay is a powerful testimony to God’s saving grace in your life.

B.  v. 2  He Can Use Your Witness – Paul tells these people that the way they treat others is a testimony in the hands of God.  They are told to avoid fighting and gossiping and just treat people with gentleness and meekness.  He is merely telling them to have the testimony that they are different.

            The way in which we conduct ourselves around others, and the way we treat others, is as powerful a witness as any we give with our lips.  Someone has said, “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you are saying.”  That is true!  When we live right and treat others as Jesus would treat them, Luke 6:31, it is a powerful witness and God can use it for His glory.  Of course, when we don’t treat others right, it is a powerful witness too!

C.  v. 8  He Can Use Your Works – When you set your heart to go after God the result will be good works.  You will soon discover that God did not save just to keep you out of Hell; He saved you to put you to work for Him, Eph. 2:10; 2 Cor. 9:8; Col. 1:10; James 2:18.  You might not think that He can use you, but He can. 

            If He can use a murderer named Moses; a blasphemer named Saul of Tarsus; an adulterer named David; a rebel named Jonah; or a loudmouth like Simon Peter, then He can use you.  If you will do what He tells, your life will be a life of immense profit for the Kingdom of God!

            Satan might tell you it isn’t true; your flesh might try to stand in your way; but God saved you knowing what you were and what you were capable of becoming by His power. He saved you to use you and He will use you because He sees what He can do through you for His glory.

 

Conc:  So, what does God think of you?  He thinks you are Precious; Perfect; Privileged and Profitable.  That’s how He sees you.  What do you need to do in your life to line up with His vision of you?  Has He shown you that there is room for improvement in your walk with Him and your work for Him?  If so, get to Him and deal with that today.

      The things I have mentioned today are only true if you are saved.  What does God think of you if you are not saved?  He thinks you are in trouble.  He thinks you are living a dangerous life.  He looks at you with love and knows that there is a way out.  There is hope for you if you will come to Jesus and be saved.  If you will, He will think all the wonderful things I have shared today, and more.  Isn’t that what you want too?