Titus 2:13

Book of Titus chapter 2, verses 11 to 13. Our focus tonight, and our study will be on verse 13. For the grace of God that bring us salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord blessed to us the reading of his sacred word this evening. During the early days of World War II, there was a little group of people that was shipwrecked on a deserted island out in the middle of the Pacific. They were there for quite some time, and after some long, weary months, finally a ship spotted them on the island, their signals, and they sent a boat to go ashore. As a reported that the boat didn’t actually land immediately. One sailor threw a bundle of newspapers onto the beach, and he shouted that they were from the captain. He said, after you’ve read them, let us know whether you want to be rescued or not. Paul, has been explaining that the grace of God, which brings salvation, teaches you as a believer both negatively and positively. It teaches you negatively to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. It teaches you positively to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. The words present world, suggests to us that there is a world to come, and therefore immediately we proceed now in verse 13 to how that coming of a new world takes place, and that is through the second coming of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Like the ship captain, you realize this world is not a very pleasant place to live in, and it is hostile to the Christian. It’s full of it. of evil and hardship. Do you really want to live in this world? Escaping this present world and entering into a new world, where there’s a new heaven and a new earth, we’re in the world’s righteousness, has got to be a thought that’s very dear and precious to us as the people have got. We see ourselves as pilgrims on a journey. We’re looking forward to something better, something much more marvelous. And so the words of the Apostle here come on this as an encouragement to us and also at an incentive, an encouragement, because this world is passing away, but we have something better. And as an incentive, because we have to be prepared for the world to come. We should be looking for the appearance of Christ in the world that’s going to come when he appears. Let me begin tonight by saying, this. You should realize that Jesus Christ is going to make a glorious appearance. That’s what our text tells us. We have here the promise of the appearance of Jesus Christ. Interestingly enough, there are two appearances in this chapter. First, there is the appearing of the grace of God that brings salvation in verse 11. But the second appearing, is the second coming of Christ, where our Lord returns to this earth. When he ascended from the Mount of Olives, the disciples remained for a while looking up into heaven because it was probably a great and marvelous sight to behold the Savior being taken up. And an angel appeared with this promise. You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing? up into heaven this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you’ve seen him go into heaven. Acts chapter 1 verse 11. The glorified Savior, this same Jesus, is going to return to this earth. Now it’s not going to be a spiritual coming. It’s not going to be a secret coming. Indeed, it is going to be in like, manner as you’ve seen him go. If you’ve seen him go to heaven, you’re going to see him come to earth again. It’s going to be visible. It’s going to be a bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The scriptures repeatedly make mention of the second coming of Christ. In fact, it’s interesting. First Thessalonians, every chapter, at the end of every chapter, it seems, he talks about the second coming of Christ. Each chapter, as he goes along. He mentions it repeatedly throughout that book. The Bible declares that when the time is right, according to God’s time clock, our Lord and the Savior is going to descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, according to First Thessalonians chapter 4. This is going to be the terminal point. point of this present age. While the saints are caught up to be with the Lord, all sorts of wrath and judgment will be falling upon the earth and upon the wicked that are here. And then, of course, the new heavens and the earth will be brought into existence, and all sin will be purged away by fire as the elements will burn with fervent heat, and we shall then live in a new heaven and the new earth as the scripture indicates to us. Paul states in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 52 that Christ’s second coming involves the last trump. That’s an interesting statement. The Roman armies were summoned by three trumpet blast. The first trumpet blast was be prepared. And that means that the soldiers, hearing that first trumpet, would then pull down the tents, hitch up the horses, put on their equipment, secure the weapons, and so forth, get ready to move. The second trump would be formation trump, where the soldiers would get in the line. In other words, they would get in their proper places in the formation. of the legion they were in. And the last trump meant, okay, start marching. So when heaven’s last blast here sounds, the people of God are going to be caught up to meet the returning Savior. They’re going to be marching out of this world. We’re going to be gone. So we have the promise of the appearance of Jesus Christ. Now, notice, they tells us that Jesus Christ’s appearance is going to be going to be going to be. be a glorious appearance. When you think about it, the first coming of Christ was not glorious. He was born in a very humble manner. No place at the end for him. He’s laid in a manger, feeding trough for animals. His glorious person is veiled behind human flesh. He didn’t come as a handsome, a appealing person. There was no beauty in him that people should desire him. The scripture tells us. In fact, he was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was born into the family of a poor carpenter. They had no royal robes, no precious gems, no attendance, the birds had nest, the foxes had holes, but Jesus Christ did not have a place to lay his head. He lived in poverty. He died like a criminal on the cross. No man cared for his soul, the scripture indicates to us. His few garments were gambled for by the Roman soldiers. What else did he have? Christ’s second coming, however, is going to be much different because he’s going to come in a glorious way. One form greater than Solomon is going to appear. And it will be a marvelous appearance. His majesty, his authority, his glory will be a terror to the wicked, but a comfort to his own people. He’s going to come as the king of kings. He’s going to come as the Lord of Lords when he returns. He’s going to come with all the authority in heaven and earth. His eyes is a flame of fire. His feet like fiery brink. as if they had burned in a furnace. His voice thundering like the mighty waters. His countenance as the sun shining in its full strength. You’ll recall that the Apostle Paul, as he was converted on the Damascus Road, got a glimpse of the glorified Savior. I remind you that he was blind for three days. So when he talks about the glorious Savior, his appearance, he knows something of what he’s speaking about. His personal knowledge of this. So he’s going to make this glorious appearance when he comes back. Now, this glorious appearance will display both the power and the mercy of Jesus Christ. Now, it should be clearly understood when the scriptures speak of the coming of one person here, Jesus Christ, that he must be seen as both God and Savior. Both. We’re not talking about two persons of the Trinity here. We’re talking about Christ, the second person of the Trinity, returning, and he’s recognized here as God as well as Savior. Those two things must be held firmly. Earlier in Titus in Chapter 1, verse, Versus three and four, Jesus Christ, is called God our Savior. And so here he’s, again, recognized as the Savior God. Since the blessed hope and appearing both refer to Jesus Christ, so does God and Savior refer to Jesus Christ. So Christ is going to return. He’s coming back as the great and mighty God. Who holds a position of authority and power. He comes as a judge to execute judgment upon the earth. Divine punishment upon evildoers. Now, if you just back up a couple of pages to 2. Thessalonians chapter 1. 2. Thessalonians chapter 1. Let me read verses 8 through 10. The scripture says this. That Jesus Christ is going to return in flaming fire taking venerunions. on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. When he shall come to be glorified in his saints and be admired in all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that day. Now, as we look at this particular passage of scripture, there’s two things we see. And the first is this, that Christ has the authority to judge and condemn. And when he comes back, he’s going to meet out vengeance on all his enemies. All the ungodly. And who are the ungodly? Those who do not know God, and secondly, those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. the ignorant of who the true God is and those who have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ but have not repented and believed. They are both classified as those under the judgment of the Lord. The tear of the Lord is going to be revealed on this day as he comes in flaming fire and judges the wicked. They’ve broken God’s law. They have broken God’s law. They have. spurned his gospel. And there’s going to be a price to pay for that. Every secret of your heart is going to be revealed. Those who have committed sins, those sins who perhaps have been concealed from the eyes of men are going to be revealed as the books are open. And those things done in secret will be exposed and shouted from the house tops. There’s no escaping. these things. A little over a century ago, when pirates still roamed the seas, the Brigg Nancy was pursued by the British warship Sparrow. Brign Nancy was supposed to have been engaging in illicit trade and piracy. So they were going to bring them up on charges. So they could captured the ship, but when they investigated, they couldn’t find one scrap of evidence, no papers or anything regarding to any criminal activity. It was thought that she would be released, but they decided that first they would go to Jamaica and turn it over to the authorities at Kingston, Jamaica, and let them decide what to do with this ship and the people on it. Meanwhile, there was a small British frigate Abergraveny that had been cruising off the waters of the coast of Haiti and they saw this dead bullock in the water and all these sharks were feeding on it. And so they were able to retrieve the bullock and in the process they also picked up in the net one of the sharks. Now this shark to be, happened to be of unusual size, quite large. And when opened, a parcel of papers, tied with a string, was discovered in his stomach. These papers, which are presently at the Institute Museum in Jamaica, were found to belong to a ship named the Nancy. Thinking it might be useful, the officer preserved them, and took them to Jamaica. And Kingston turned them over to the authorities there. arrived just in time as they were about to make a decision with regard to the brig Nancy. Now you can imagine Nancy’s captain and ship when jubilant at the prospect of release because they had thrown all the papers overboard that were and waited them down thinking that no one was going to find them in the depths of the sea thought that they had escaped cleanly and they’re going to get away. Lo in the whole. Behold, the paper. papers are presented as evidence against them. And they again get thrown into jail. My friends, we should realize that while we hear on earth, we may fool men. We may think we’re going to hide things from God as if he doesn’t see them. He sees them. He records them. And on the day of judgment, the things you’ve even forgotten about are going to be brought up against you. There’s no escaping it. And you will be held accountable. he’s coming in flaming fire. The Bible says here to punish with ever-lasting destruction, the ungodly. The great God, who wield such power and authority, is going to cast into hell the wicked. What a frightening prospect that is for those who do not believe the gospel. But I like what he adds in verse 10 here in Second Thessalon. Psalmians chapter 1, he shall come to be glorified in his saints and be admired in all them that belief in that day. While the wicked are terrified here by the judgment that’s going to come upon them, Christ appearance is going to be of great comfort to the people of God. In this life, you are called upon the suffer with Christ before you enjoy reigning with it. So you have to wear the crown of thorns before the crown of glory. those who know the Lord Jesus Christ love him and rejoice to see him in all his glory and his splendor. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ, who died for us that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. This is the day when those who believe the gospel of Jesus Christ are going to have their vile bodies changed and made like under the glorious body of Jesus Christ. With immortality we will be clothed. This is the day when all tears will be completely wiped from our eyes, when the earth will be purged of all unrighteousness and all the ungodly. And our communion with the Savior will be never ending. There will be nothing to break the peace and the happiness and the joy that we have in our fellowship with Jesus Christ. So the appearance of Jesus Christ, this glorious appearance he speaks about, is sort of a two-edged sword. For the wicked, well, there’s going to be terror and punishment. But for the righteous, there’s comfort and rejoicing. So you should realize that Jesus Christ is going to make a glorious appearance. The second thing we see from our text tonight is this. You should be anticipated. the glorious appearance of Jesus Christ. Is this glorious appearance your blessed hope? For he says here in our text, looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearance of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ here. Now, you’ve already been reminded as a Christian, that your faith rest in hope of eternal life in chapter 1. 1 and verse 2. Now, remember in the Bible, the word hope is not used in the sense of any uncertainty. It is used in the sense of a certain thing. A sure expectation. In our modern language, we use the word hope, is, I hope so. We might have someone say, I hope I get this new job. Or I hope the car doesn’t break down on the way to Colorado or something of that nature. But Christ’s glorious appearance is a sure expectation for the believer. It’s a blessed events that we have for us that awaits us. But there’s going to be a day when you’ll see your Savior. There’s going to be a day when all sin and sorrow are going to be gone. A life of immortality and happiness will be enjoyed. So here’s the Christian. And the ideas with this promise, which is a sure promise, us. And it’s a blessed one for the believer. He’s coming and we’re going to enjoy all the benefits of the glorified heaven and earth and be with our Savior and so forth. Therefore, because we’re living in light of that future thing, we have hope. We expect it to occur. We anchor all our trust in the fact that there’s going to be something better to come. The Christian is someone who, sees the present then in the light of the future. Years ago, John Hooper, who was a godly bishop of the Church of England, was marty for his faith, February 1555, during the reign of Mary Tudor. He was brought to Gloucester, I hope I pronounce that right, to be burned at the stake. As he approached the city, one of his friends who greatly cared for him, pleaded with him. The man encouraged Hooper to save his life by renouncing his faith. And then he added this. Remember, that life is sweet and death is bitter. To which Hooper made a magnificent reply in this situation. He said, eternal life is more sweet and eternal death is more bitter. So he did not denounce his faith, and he was burned at the stake. He said, he was burned at the stake. He went on to seal his devotion to Christ by dying as martyr. Why? He had a sure expectation. He had a blessed hope. There’s something better that awaits him. What is your blessed hope? If you talk to the people of this world, what is their blessed hope? I’m going to get a new job. It’s going to pay me a lot of money. I’m going to find a mate. I’m going to have fame. I’m going to have fame. I’m going to have financial success. I’m going to go to retirement. This shows their mindset. It’s all earthly bound, isn’t it? Your mindset should be different. Your blessed hope goes way beyond what this life has to offer. You’re looking for something better. So is this glorious appearance your blessed hope? Another question. Are you earnestly looking for this glorious appearance? Looking for, he says here. The Greek, looking for means to expect, to anticipate the coming of the Savior Jesus Christ. The Christian is someone that’s always waiting. We’re like the virgins, you know, with the lamps, and we’re waiting for the bridegroom to come. Now, some of us may fall asleep while we’re waiting, and, you know, that’s another situation. But the idea is we should be waiting for the bridegroom to come. Unbelievers say to themselves, else that this life is all there is. So they give all their time and the attention and devotion to this life and the sinful pleasures that are associated with it. The world’s philosophy is you only go around once in life, grab for all the gusto you can get. So they have a steady pursuit of the sins of the flesh and of the mind and so forth. Now, as a believer, your heart is earnestly looking for something beyond this life. And therefore, you see this present light in light, as I said, of a better future. And this is why the glorious appearance of Jesus Christ is something that should motivate you to a holiness of life. As verse 12 indicates. The blessed hope, therefore, is a transforming hope. The second coming is a relevant doctrine for your purpose. life, you’re supposed to be expecting it, living in anticipation of it, and therefore your life should be such that you would have the Lord be happy with how you’re living. When he returns. We’re not fighting a losing war. We’re on the winning side. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to triumph over sin and save. Christ is coming. Nothing can hinder the outworking of God’s eternal purpose. You know, the reconstructionists always tell us we’re pessimists. because we see the world getting worse and worse until Christ returns. No, we’re optimistic because when he comes, all wickedness is going to be destroyed. We’re on the winning side. I have no question about the optimism of our position. And I tell you this much. There’s not going to be a perfect world until Jesus Christ does come. No man can usher in a perfect world. Certainly the church is not going to do so. Only Christ is going to do so. That’s extra, I’m not charging you for that. I just agree that. So here’s a transforming hope and a relevant doctrine. The question is, how does the second coming of Christ affect you? Is it a great stimulus to you that you would overcome wickedness and sin be mortifying sin in your life? Because you will wait the Savior. Our Lord told the story relevant to being prepared for his coming. It seems that there was a servant who was given the authority over the household, the whole household, of his master. And the master was going away on a long journey, and this servant was in charge of his estate until the Lord’s return. He was to carefully run the great house, make sure everything was done according to the master’s wishes, in anticipation of the master’s return. However, this man thought to himself, my Lord, delayeth his coming. He got to the point where he put the master’s return completely out of his mind. Soon he was mistreating the fellow servants. Soon he was being gluttonous. Soon he was keeping company with the drunkards down at the local waterhole. Soon he was abusing his authority. Because this evil service, did not expect his master’s return. And the Bible says he did not, he looked not for him in Matthew 2450. He wasn’t even looking for him. So he indulged in all this wicked behavior. And what happened? Well, the master comes back, catches him unawares, catches him in all his evil activities, and the scripture tells us of the judgment that’s poured out upon this guy. He’s punished. by the master. The point of the story is that those who claim to be God’s people and Christ’s disciples must live in expectation of the Lord’s return. Yes, it may appear to be a long time before the people of God to wait for Christ’s return. However, we must avoid the fatal error of the evil servant. He looked not for him. Otherwise, you will indulge in sinful activities be unprepared. when the glorious appearance of Christ occurs. The text in Matthew 24 says, The master shall appoint the servant his portion with the hypocrites. Luke’s gospel says with the unbelievers. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This indicates to us that some who profess to know the Lord, who profess to serve the Lord, are actually hypocrites. and end up in eternal hell. Why? Because they’re not living in anticipation of Christ’s return. They’re not looking. They’re not expecting. They’re not focused on things above. They’re focused on the things just of this world alone. So are you earnestly looking for this glorious appearance? And lastly, are you prepared for this glorious appearance? The only way to be prepared for the second coming of Christ is to know Jesus Christ, not only is God, but his Savior. Right? As Savior. Otherwise, you’re doomed to everlasting punishment. Has the grace of God that brings salvation to you through the person and work of Jesus Christ? Have you tasted it? Have you experienced it? Grace automatically teaches you to deny ungodliness and live righteously. Jesus Christ came the first time to save sinners. God’s way of salvation is found in the sacrificial death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And we’ll look at that in verse 14, which is coming up Lord willing in a future sermon. But God now commands all men to repent. Because he has appointed a day in which he’s going to judge the world in righteousness by that man, Jesus Christ, who whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given us assurance unto all men, that he raised him from the dead, Acts 17, verse 30 and 31. So here you are. You are to confess your sin. You are to acknowledge the wickedness in your life. You are to accept that God’s assessment of you is right and proper, that there is none righteous, not want. You are to renounce your sin. You’re to throw yourself on the mercy and the grace of God. You are to place your trust in Jesus Christ, the Savior sinners, who says to the uttermost, all who come unto him, under God by him. Let the wicked forsake his way. Let the unrighteous man his thoughts. And let him return unto the Lord and he will mercy on him and to our God. And he will abundantly part. So God here provides a wake up call. You’ve drifted through life asleep to the danger of head of you, perhaps, unprepared to face the Lord, and God says, prepare to meet thy God because there’s going to be a day you’re going to meet him. He’s returning. He’s coming back. May God use his word to awaken us to the need of the righteousness that’s found in Jesus Christ. Well, let me close tonight by saying this. That little group of shipwrecked people on the deserted island on the Pacific. We’re asked if they really want to be rescued. This world is not a great world to live in. Christians recognize that this world isn’t a very pleasant place. It’s hostile to the Christian faith. There’s a lot of evil and hardship and struggle and suffering in it. But our blessed hope, of course, is the return of our Lord’s Savior, Jesus Christ. His glorious appearance is an encouragement. We have a wonderful future that awaits us and an incentive. Let us be prepared for the world to come. Is Jesus Christ your Savior? That’s the question. Let us close.