Latest / Living Waters of Grace / Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland Sunday Services / Living Waters of Grace 02.10.26
Transcript
- 0:04This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Lewis
- 0:08Harold, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland
- 0:12County in Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Lewis as he
- 0:16continues teaching through God's Word.
- 0:37Ephesians 4 and 22 says that you put off concerning your former
- 0:40conduct the old man, which. Grows corrupt.
- 0:43According to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of
- 0:47your mind and that you put on the new man which was.
- 0:50Created. According to God in true
- 0:54righteousness and holiness, and we do that in this present age.
- 0:59And it's important that we do it in this present age because
- 1:02there's so much darkness, there's so much evil, there's so
- 1:04much wickedness, and they need to see.
- 1:06God's light. Do you know what it's like to
- 1:08walk out of a dark movie theater midday and the sun just blasts
- 1:12you away? You might feel like a vampire,
- 1:15like you're going to burst into flames and all that sunlight.
- 1:18It's a huge contrast coming from being in the darkened room as
- 1:22you step out directly under the sunlight.
- 1:25In Pastor Lewis's message today, he shares with you that the
- 1:28world needs to see the contrast between your life and a life of
- 1:32sin. When you're around others, can
- 1:35they tell the difference that Jesus has made in you?
- 1:38Now here's Pastor Lewis in Titus chapter 2 with today's edition
- 1:43of Living Waters of Grace. He was the Lamb.
- 1:46He was the one who was the blem, who was the that was without
- 1:49blemish and without spot or wrinkle.
- 1:53He was the perfect sacrifice. And he presented himself that
- 1:57way on Palm Sunday. And I just wonder, you know, in
- 2:02my own life, have I allowed? Jesus.
- 2:07To have a triumphal entry in my life.
- 2:10Does he? Sit as King on the throne of my
- 2:13heart. Do I acknowledge him as King?
- 2:16Do I call him king? Do I submit to his kingship, to
- 2:20his Lordship in my life? And one of the ways that we can
- 2:26show that. Is through our good works that.
- 2:31Timothy or Titus continues. To talk about.
- 2:33Here in the book. Of Titus.
- 2:35But not only did he come to establish those things, but the
- 2:38Bible said in verse 12 that he's teaching us that denying
- 2:42ungodliness and worldly. Lust.
- 2:44We should live soberly, righteously.
- 2:47And godly Jesus coming to give us salvation was not just so
- 2:52that we can be saved and then sit down like we have now.
- 2:55We don't have nothing else to do.
- 2:58But it's for good works which is the.
- 3:01Evidence to unbelievers that a change has happened in our
- 3:05lives. The power of God.
- 3:08Working in our hearts. Is through the good works that
- 3:12we offer to others or that we show others, he said.
- 3:17We should. Deny ungodliness we should deny.
- 3:20Worldly lusts and. And and and and we should.
- 3:24Live soberly, righteously, or upright.
- 3:28And godly or? God like.
- 3:32Back in Ephesians. Chapter 4 the Bible talks about.
- 3:37Putting off the old man. So when Jesus comes into our
- 3:40life, there's a change and we take off those things that were
- 3:44old, those things that. Used to be.
- 3:48Ephesians 4 and 22 says that you put off concerning your former
- 3:51conduct the old man, which. Grows corrupt.
- 3:54According to the. Deceitful lusts.
- 3:56And be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on
- 4:00the new man, which was created according to God in true
- 4:04righteousness and holiness. And we do that in this present
- 4:10age. And it's important that we do it
- 4:11in this present age because there's so much darkness,
- 4:13there's so much evil. There's so much.
- 4:15Wickedness and they need to see God's light.
- 4:18So it's more important. It's even more important now
- 4:21that we live. A life that shows that there's.
- 4:23A difference, A life. That shows that the power of God
- 4:26is. Working in.
- 4:28Our lives. The world needs.
- 4:30To see that. And you know, we may not
- 4:33understand, we may not know it, but a lot of the people in the
- 4:37world want. To see that because the opposite
- 4:41is so hopeless. Suicide attempts are.
- 4:45Up. People are desperate.
- 4:49And don't have an answer. They need to see our good works
- 4:53so that they can see the God in us that they may have something
- 4:58to trust in, something to believe in.
- 5:01And we need to do it in this present age.
- 5:02And then we go on the verse 13. Now he's going to talk about the
- 5:06second coming, he says, looking for the blessed hope and
- 5:11glorious appearance of our great God and.
- 5:14Savior Jesus Christ. Now I want to also mention that
- 5:18there's a couple times. Here where Jesus is equal.
- 5:21Is is named as God in this in this verse, in this chapter.
- 5:26The first time was back in verse 10 when he said.
- 5:29That we should be that they. Adorned the.
- 5:32Doctrine of God our Savior. In all things, that was a
- 5:35reference. To the deity of God.
- 5:38To the deity of Jesus Christ. And then here we see it again,
- 5:42looking. For the Blessed.
- 5:44Hope and glorious appearing of our great God and.
- 5:47Savior Jesus Christ. So when people try to tell.
- 5:50You that. What?
- 5:51The Bible never says that. That that Jesus is God.
- 5:54The Bible never says that. Well, this is one place you can
- 5:57bring them. He said it twice, they said it
- 6:00twice. There's one place you can bring
- 6:02them. So he's talking about that
- 6:04second coming that that time when we are looking forward to
- 6:08him coming back and that's our hope.
- 6:10As believers, that's our hope. As Christians, it's our.
- 6:13Hope as those who live for the. Lord that we're going to see him
- 6:16again, that we're going to see him, we're going to, we're going
- 6:19to, we're going to be able to love his appearing.
- 6:22Paul talked. About the fact that when he sees
- 6:24him, he knows he's going to receive a crown of righteousness
- 6:29and not only him, but everyone who would love his appearing
- 6:32will receive a crown of righteousness.
- 6:35So this coming this this second coming is is something that we.
- 6:38All look forward. To And that's our hope.
- 6:42That's our hope. For the appearing of the future
- 6:44return of our. Great God.
- 6:46And savior, you know what, If it happens in the next 5 minutes,
- 6:50I'll be happy. I'd be OK with it.
- 6:54That we never have to go to our cars again and drive anywhere.
- 6:57Else if it. Happens before I even get to my
- 6:59car. I'll be OK with it.
- 7:01I just want to see him. I just want to be with him.
- 7:04I want this to be over. But then again, He has a plan
- 7:10and a purpose for keeping us here, and that plan and purpose
- 7:14has to. Do with the good works that He's
- 7:16calling us to do and to be. So while we're here, abode and
- 7:21abide. And occupy.
- 7:23So then in verse 14 he goes back to talking about what?
- 7:27He does. The first time that he come, he
- 7:30comes back to talking. About his sacrifice.
- 7:32So he says here in verse 14, Who gave himself for us?
- 7:36That's who we're. Looking for We're looking for
- 7:38the one who gave himself for us. So that's why we can't be
- 7:42looking for no other king. We can't be.
- 7:45Looking for no other God, because it was only one who gave
- 7:48himself for us, and that's Jesus Christ.
- 7:51There's no other. There's no other to look for.
- 7:55The one who gave himself. For us, he sacrificed.
- 7:58Himself for us, that He might redeem us, and were redeemed
- 8:01that purchase that He. That he purchased.
- 8:04Us and and if we. Look at just.
- 8:06You know, you know out of. School you always had glossary
- 8:09right where you had these. Words that you can look up to
- 8:11find the meaning of them. Well, the word redeem really
- 8:14refers to the payment of ransom the.
- 8:17Purchase of our. Freedom from sin and its
- 8:19consequences through. The blood of Jesus Christ, you
- 8:24see, we were. Redeemed.
- 8:25But we weren't redeemed with corruptible things like gold and
- 8:28silver. We were redeemed with
- 8:31incorruptible the. Blood of Jesus Christ the.
- 8:34Lamb. Without spot or.
- 8:36Wrinkle We were redeemed with the.
- 8:39Blood, the precious. Blood and that same blood that.
- 8:42Flowed over 2. 1000 years ago. Is still.
- 8:44Efficacious enough today. To save those.
- 8:48Who will believe on him? It can still cleanse from every
- 8:53sin. So he said.
- 8:54He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from.
- 8:59Every lawless deed. And purify for himself his own.
- 9:03Special people zealous for good works.
- 9:07That. Is what's?
- 9:08Hard for me to get my head around because I know what I
- 9:11did, I know how I lived, I know the sins that I've committed and
- 9:17he is saying. That we.
- 9:20Are redeemed from every lawless act, everything that I've ever
- 9:26done that I'm not proud of now. It's washed.
- 9:32It's. Cleanse.
- 9:33I'm redeemed from that. He doesn't hold that against me
- 9:37anymore. That right?
- 9:43Just to have that in my mind every morning when I get up, if
- 9:46I can have that. At the.
- 9:47Forefront of my mind every morning that I get up, how would
- 9:51that impact my life? I am redeemed.
- 9:59And I just want to say that if there's anyone here that is not
- 10:03redeemed. Today.
- 10:06Today you can be. Forgiven and cleansed of every
- 10:10sin you ever committed. I don't care how.
- 10:14Bad it was. I don't care how long you've
- 10:16been doing it. He's here to.
- 10:19Redeem us today, that He might redeem us from every lawless
- 10:27deed, and purified for himself His own special.
- 10:30People. Zealous.
- 10:31That means devoted or diligent. For good work.
- 10:37And then in verse 15 he says, speak these things.
- 10:39Exhort. That means encourage.
- 10:41The people with these? Things comfort.
- 10:44The people with. These things I know it comforts
- 10:47me to hear. These things comfort me.
- 10:51It blesses me to know that I'm redeeming to.
- 10:54Hear this over. Again, all of it.
- 10:58Whether? It be the.
- 10:58First coming his first announcement of him coming to
- 11:02the world announced by the angels to the.
- 11:05To the. Shepherds who were in the field
- 11:07as they announced the coming. Of the Lord Jesus Christ, the
- 11:10Savior, who would take. Away the sin of the.
- 11:13World, that was. Announced and even on the
- 11:16triumphant entry when he came in and was.
- 11:18Established or they or they? Called him king.
- 11:21He came in as king, as a Messiah.
- 11:25All these things, they give me comfort.
- 11:28They give me comfort. And he says, speak these things,
- 11:31exhort and rebuke. That means they point out the
- 11:34sin, point out the heresy, point out the things that needs to be
- 11:38changed, that we need to give and we need to confess to.
- 11:43The Lord Jesus. Christ, that we need to repent
- 11:45of and do it in all authority, and let no one.
- 11:49Despise you? Let no one despise you.
- 11:53And then he goes on and he starts over here in Chapter 3
- 11:59and he says remind them. So he said this is something
- 12:02that you need to do over and over again.
- 12:04Bring this up over and over again.
- 12:06Remind them to be. Subject to rulers and
- 12:09authorities to obey, to be ready for every.
- 12:13There's that word. Again, every good work, every
- 12:18good work. So he's saying that we have to
- 12:21submit to the rulers and authorities.
- 12:23Of the other civil leaders, the. Government leaders, the.
- 12:26Local leaders, the state leaders, the federal leaders,
- 12:30the local law. Enforcers enforcement that we
- 12:33need to submit to the authority. Submit to the authority.
- 12:39You know we're not there to. Always try to.
- 12:40Protest something that they're that they're doing, but to
- 12:43submit to the. Authority as.
- 12:45Long as it doesn't go against the word.
- 12:48Of God. Because anything that is
- 12:54suggested to us, commanded to us, mentioned to us, that goes
- 12:57against the word. Of God, God is.
- 12:59Our ultimate authority, he is our ultimate authority.
- 13:04In fact, even even Peter himself, he said.
- 13:09We ought to obey God rather. Than man, not that he was asking
- 13:14for protests. He wasn't asking for people to
- 13:16go against the grain or to go against the system.
- 13:19But when God speaks, when God says we need to do this, then
- 13:23that's what we need to do, then that's what we need to do.
- 13:27And if that goes against. This age.
- 13:31If it goes against the worldliness of this age.
- 13:35So be it. But we are.
- 13:36Under the authority. Of our Lord and Savior.
- 13:40Jesus Christ. So he says, remind them to be.
- 13:43Subject to rulers. And authorities and and in fact,
- 13:47to be. That way to.
- 13:48To be someone who? Who?
- 13:49Who? Doesn't always cause us think
- 13:51when it's something that doesn't have anything conflict in
- 13:54conflict with the word. Of God, but to follow the rules,
- 13:57to follow the laws, to obey the. Ordinances, again, these things
- 14:02bring positive influence for the people of God, and it brings.
- 14:07Glory to God. And it says then be ready to do.
- 14:11Every good work, so we should be good.
- 14:14Community people, we should be good citizens.
- 14:18We should be. Good citizens doing good works
- 14:22in our neighborhood, in our communities as well as in our
- 14:26churches, and he says. Speak evil.
- 14:30Of no one. But be peaceable.
- 14:33And gentle, showing all humility to all men.
- 14:37So to be so, he says, Speak. Evil of no one.
- 14:40We should not be out speaking evil against anyone, and I know
- 14:46that sometimes that can be hard to do when you know somebody
- 14:49speaking evil against you. That can be hard to do.
- 14:54That can be hard because sometimes in just telling people
- 14:57the truth. They said.
- 14:58It comes across that you're speaking evil, but he says speak
- 15:01evil of no one. The Bible tells us that our
- 15:04words should always be. About grace and season with
- 15:08salt. We should let no corrupt thing
- 15:11come forth out of our mouth. So we really shouldn't be those
- 15:14who backbite or those who who talk about people, those who
- 15:19gossip. We shouldn't be those who say
- 15:21things to damage somebody's reputation.
- 15:23It's basically what he is. Saying here speak evil of no one
- 15:27but be. Peaceable God is.
- 15:28Calling us. To be peaceable.
- 15:30In, in, in the. 5th chapter of of of of.
- 15:34Of Matthew. The Bible said that blessed.
- 15:37Are the peacemakers? For they are the.
- 15:41Children of God, the peacemakers, the peacemakers,
- 15:46we're the children of God, the children of God Jesus Christ was
- 15:51a peacemaker. He came as a peacemaker, and
- 15:54then we know that peace is one of the one of the nine fruit of
- 15:57the. Spirit.
- 15:59James 3 and 18, says Now the fruit of righteousness is sown
- 16:03in peace. By.
- 16:04Those who make. Peace.
- 16:06And then Hebrews 12 and 14. Says that we are to pursue peace
- 16:11with all people, with all people, with everybody, those
- 16:14who like. Us, those who don't like us.
- 16:17Those who hate. Us, those who don't hate us.
- 16:19Those who talk about. Us, those who don't talk about.
- 16:21We are to pursue peace with all people, all people without.
- 16:29Without which no one. Will see the Lord.
- 16:33So we need that peace and holiness.
- 16:36Peace and holiness is what we are to pursue obedience.
- 16:43And then he goes on down to verse the bottom of it and he
- 16:47talks about being gentle. We're showing moderation to all
- 16:51people and showing all humility to all men.
- 16:54And then in verse three, he just wants us to remember that part
- 16:57of the reason why we do these things is because he wants us to
- 17:00remember who we. Used to be.
- 17:03You see, you know when we get. Saved, we are.
- 17:06Supposed to change. But we are supposed to also.
- 17:09Remember. That the people who are out.
- 17:11There, acting the way we. Used to act.
- 17:13They need. Jesus Christ.
- 17:14Too. They need salvation.
- 17:16They need a heart change as well as well.
- 17:21So we pray for the Lord to touch their hearts.
- 17:24The way someone prayed to touch ours.
- 17:26So he says, remember what you. Used to be right, he said.
- 17:29For we ourselves. Were once foolish, disobedient.
- 17:32Deceived we were. Serving various lusts and
- 17:36pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one
- 17:41another. You know, when I went through
- 17:42all these, I said at one time in my life I was every one of
- 17:44these, every one of these. And sometimes I can even be this
- 17:50way now. And some of these things, every
- 17:55one of them, there's times. That we serve our laws there's.
- 18:00Times that we live in malice or we have envy, There's times that
- 18:04we can be hateful, I said. Wow.
- 18:09Lord. Have mercy, have mercy.
- 18:15And then he goes on and he says the thing that we all.
- 18:19Love to hear. And everyone of us who believe
- 18:22in Jesus Christ. God bless you has had this
- 18:25experience. He said, But when the kindness
- 18:29and love of God. Our Savior.
- 18:31Toward man appeared when the kindness and love of God.
- 18:39Our Savior. Toward man appeared the moment
- 18:43that someone shared the. Gospel with you.
- 18:45And you were? Able to see how desperately.
- 18:51You needed exactly. What they were sharing.
- 18:54The moment you were able. To say yes.
- 18:56I am a Sinner and I need the Savior you're talking about
- 19:01because I can't save myself. The moment you saw that and we
- 19:07realized, Oh my God, this is a loving God.
- 19:10When I think about everything I've done against him,
- 19:12everything I've done that was in disobedience to Him, and yet he
- 19:17is showing me this kindness and this.
- 19:20Love he's. Going to redeem me and take away
- 19:24all my sins and cleanse me from all my sins.
- 19:28That's the good news. The love and kindness, love and
- 19:33kindness that he showed. To us.
- 19:35What an awesome thing. And I have a note here that I
- 19:38said here that we don't realize how kind and loving God is
- 19:42until. We first realize.
- 19:44How much we need his kindness and his love.
- 19:48That's when we realize just how. Kind and how loving he is.
- 19:53And then he goes on and he says here about how that happens.
- 19:57He said now that kindness didn't come because of anything you
- 20:00did. It wasn't by your works of
- 20:01righteousness that you've done. It wasn't by any of that.
- 20:08But it was. By his mercy.
- 20:10His Grace it was. According to his mercy.
- 20:14That he saved. Us his mercy, there's nothing
- 20:18that. We ever did.
- 20:20No matter how good it may. Appear that.
- 20:24Earned the mercy and the love that.
- 20:27Jesus Christ gave us. I don't care what we've done.
- 20:30The Bible says that our righteousness.
- 20:33Is what Filthy rags the best of what we try to do is, but filthy
- 20:38rags? It's like filthy rags.
- 20:43And then he talks about the regeneration, he said the.
- 20:46He said it's through the. Washing of regeneration and
- 20:49renewing. Of the Holy Spirit this.
- 20:52Regeneration that he's talking about.
- 20:54Here is a. Is an awesome thing because in
- 20:57in regeneration we're talking about a supernatural act that
- 21:03comes when. Jesus Christ through the Holy.
- 21:07Spirit comes into our life and washes us clean of all of our
- 21:13sins. It cleanses us of.
- 21:14All of our. Sins, and it changes us on the
- 21:18inside. That's a supernatural.
- 21:20Act It's through the work of the Holy Spirit that that's.
- 21:24Done. The work of the Holy Spirit.
- 21:27That washing of regeneration, that washing away your sins,
- 21:30It's not baptism. Some people think that it's
- 21:33baptism, that these things happen.
- 21:34No, it's not through baptism. It's a supernatural work.
- 21:38Of the Holy Spirit that. Comes in and cleanses me
- 21:42Cleanses. You washes you.
- 21:44Clean from your iniquities and your lawlessness and your sins,
- 21:49and not only does he wash away those sins, but he also washes
- 21:51away the consequences of it. The consequences of those things
- 21:55are also. Washed away they're.
- 21:57Gone. They're gone and therefore.
- 22:00We are justified by His grace. Now then, that's happened
- 22:05through the Holy. Spirit that has.
- 22:07Poured out on us abundantly through Jesus.
- 22:10Christ our Savior. And then in verse 7 it talks.
- 22:13About the fact. That having been.
- 22:15Justified by His grace, we should.
- 22:18Become heirs according to the. Hope.
- 22:22Of eternal life, and with this hope of eternal life as we.
- 22:27Live our lives we realize that the way that we.
- 22:32Show the evidence. Of the hope.
- 22:35That we have. The way that we show the.
- 22:37Evidence of the change that has happened on the inside of us.
- 22:42Is through the good works that people see.
- 22:44In our lives, they see the change in our lives and how.
- 22:48We are different. Than what we.
- 22:50Used to be. And how God is working in us.
- 22:53For. Peace and love and righteousness
- 22:56and to do good things in a Bible study and a brother made a
- 23:00statement that was profound. It was a great statement, he
- 23:05said. It seems now that when we say.
- 23:08That we are saved by faith. It seems that that.
- 23:15People get the idea that we are divorced.
- 23:18From good works and I thought about it and I thought about
- 23:21that and that's exactly true. For some reason, we still think.
- 23:25That to say that we have good works.
- 23:28Is a bad thing, but we're not saying that we have.
- 23:32Good works which? Results in our salvation.
- 23:36We don't earn our salvation. With the good works, we have
- 23:40good works because God loved us. And showed kindness and has
- 23:45given us salvation. And as a result.
- 23:48Of our. Salvation it produces in US.
- 23:51Good works. And we should.
- 23:54Have those things. This has been Living Waters of
- 23:59Grace, a ministry of Pastor Lewis Harrell of Calvary Chapel,
- 24:03Westmoreland. Today's message has been on the
- 24:06book of Titus. This book is a master class in
- 24:09how Christians should live in modern culture.
- 24:12Titus was ministering to the people of Crete, an island off
- 24:15the coast of Greece, but he was facing many challenges.
- 24:19The Cretans who came to know Jesus seemed to assimilate Jesus
- 24:23into their existing culture instead of allowing themselves
- 24:27to be transformed by the Holy Spirit inside of them.
- 24:31Others were fully devoting themselves to Jesus but shutting
- 24:35themselves off from the world around them.
- 24:38The Apostle Paul encourages Titus to help his audience find
- 24:42a middle ground where they can live in this world while still
- 24:46following a different way of life in Jesus.
- 24:49If you would like to learn more about what it means to
- 24:52faithfully follow the teachings of Christ in a world full of
- 24:55darkness, we'd love to get connected with you in person.
- 24:59If you are in Greensburg, PA, we'd love to invite you to join
- 25:04us at Calvary Chapel Westmoreland.
- 25:07We need every Sunday at 10:30 AM at 400 E Pittsburgh St.
- 25:12Ste. 6B. Also, if you visit us at
- 25:16calvarychapelonline.com, you'll find links to our mobile app,
- 25:21our giving page, and our contact form where you can leave a
- 25:25prayer request if you have one. Before we go off the air for
- 25:29today, we ask you to invite someone to tune in next time
- 25:33right here on Grace FM 91.7 or streaming online at Grace Radio
- 25:40dot FM. Word of mouth is the best way to
- 25:43spread the good news of the Gospel with those who are hungry
- 25:47to hear. Until next time, this has been
- 25:50another edition of Living Waters of Grace.