Serving Well in Light of Eternity (Titus 2:9-15)
Titus 2:9–15 - 9 Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. 15 These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
What does today’s passage say?
In this section, Paul exhorts servants to fully submit to and seek to sincerely satisfy their masters (vv. 9-10). He then explains the incredible mercy and grace God has shown humanity through Christ's redeeming work, as He gave Himself to free us from sin's penalty (vv. 11-12). Jesus teaches those who trust in Him to live self-controlled, noble lives in this world as we eagerly look ahead to His promised return in splendor (v. 13). Because Jesus sacrificed Himself to purchase our salvation, we now belong completely to Him. So, we must confidently devote every aspect of our lives to His purposes and glory, striving to excel in virtuous works out of thankfulness and desire to honor our amazing Redeemer (vv. 14-15).
How can I apply Titus 2:9-15 to my life?
Today, Paul continues to encourage Titus to teach sound doctrine that leads to godly living. He touches on practical ways people should live out their faith regardless of their station in life. He tells Titus that even if a believer is a slave or servant of someone else, they should live and serve their master in such a way as to glorify God so that the master will see past his servant to the Gospel. This passage calls those who trust in Christ to allow gospel truths to transform their conduct and priorities. Our good behavior makes the Gospel we claim to believe more winsome. The exhortations demonstrate that grace is not merely a status but a teacher that trains us to live upright lives in this present age while we await the return of Jesus Christ. When we fix our hope fully on the promised return of our Savior, it gives us an eternal perspective that allows us to live purposefully in the present. As we begin to understand the mercy and salvation lavished upon us by God through Christ, we gain motivation to fully devote ourselves to righteous living for God’s glory. When we remember how Christ sacrificed Himself to redeem us from sin, our hearts should overflow with gratitude. This motivates us to courageously say no to ungodliness and to excel in doing good for the praise of our Savior. This passage urges us to display the gospel through lives eager to honor God and ready for the coming King. Here are some basic principles from this passage that we should apply to our lives:
1. Show Off the Gospel by Faithfully Submitting to Those in Authority Over You (vv. 9-10): These verses instruct servants to be obedient to their masters and please them in everything. This applies to us today in our workplace relationships and points us to live as followers of Christ in all our conduct. We are to fully and respectfully submit to those who have authority over us at work. This includes both obeying instructions and seeking to truly satisfy them with our work, not working only when they are watching. We serve our earthly authorities as unto the Lord, understanding that we ultimately submit and serve in reverence to God through them. It is easy to grow frustrated with unfair or ungodly leaders. However, by maintaining consistent obedience and respect even through hardship, we demonstrate the patient grace of Christ. Our lives preach a loud gospel sermon to all around us when we faithfully follow even difficult leadership. This requires dependence on the Spirit to produce self-control, integrity, humility, and nobility in us by grace. So, whether your boss is a believer or not, God calls you to shine forth the transforming power of His gospel through your work ethic, attitude, integrity, and care for their needs. In this way, others see past you to the amazing Savior you represent. Your life and conduct become a canvas on which the beauty of the gospel is painted and displayed (Ephesians 6:5-8; 1 Peter 2:18; Colossians 3:22-25).
Food for Thought: Why is it sometimes so challenging to fully submit to and satisfy those God has placed in authority over you? How have you seen the power of the gospel displayed through a believer’s patient, respectful conduct under unfair leadership? What impact did their faithfulness have on you or others who observed them?
2. Put Your Hope in Christ's Glorious Return (vv. 11-13): Here, Paul highlights the incredible mercy and grace that God has revealed to humanity through Jesus Christ. He explains that God's love, kindness, and salvation have been perfectly displayed to us in the person and work of Christ. Moreover, he makes it clear that Jesus Himself instructs those who follow Him to live upright, holy lives as they eagerly await His return. True disciples of Christ are to anchor their hope fully and completely on the guaranteed promise that we will one day see our Savior face-to-face when He comes again. It is this hope that helps devoted Christians to make the very most of our fleeting days on this earth. We are compelled to maximize each moment for God's glory in view of the fast-approaching day when time shall be no more, and we enter eternity. Though we face sorrows and trials now, we can endure them with joy and confidence knowing that incomparable glory awaits all who are in Christ. We must keep an eternal perspective, understanding that this life is temporary while heaven’s splendors will never end. The certainty of Christ’s return gives us motivation to live holy lives, renouncing worldly passions and influences. It moves us to generously invest our time and resources into the kingdom of God, storing up eternal treasures rather than earthly ones. Our longing for heaven should separate us from idols that compete for our affections. We become Kingdom-focused when we believe live out the truth that the rewards with Christ far outweighs any sacrifice. So, we persevere in righteousness by the power of the blessed hope within us, purified as Christ is pure. Fixing our eyes on things above transforms us to live purposefully and urgently here below. It gives us strength to stand firm in our convictions when pressure mounts. As we eagerly await our Savior, we are compelled to boldly share the gospel so that more can partake of this blessed hope with us (2 Peter 3:11-13; 1 John 3:2-3; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).
Food for Thought: Why can being overly attached to this world keep us from living wholeheartedly for Christ? What are some ways that you actively fix your hope on Christ’s return and let that shape your life?
3. Confidently Live Your Life for Christ Who Gave His Life for You (vv. 14-15): Paul teaches that Christ gave Himself to redeem believers from sin and purify them as exclusively His own possession. As those purchased by Christ's sacrifice, we are now called to live confident, dedicated lives for the One who gave everything to save us. Specifically, as beloved children of God, we must strive to do good works so that the truth and beauty of the gospel shines brightly through us. We live to honor our Redeemer for the gracious redemption He accomplished on our behalf. Since we have been shown such extravagant mercy by Jesus, we should joyfully devote every aspect of our lives to His purposes and glory. His love demonstrated at the cross constrains us to willingly offer our bodies as living sacrifices of worship to God. We cling tightly to what is good and shun what is evil, destructive, or wasteful because we belong to Christ who is altogether lovely and righteous. We can courageously obey Christ's commands without fear, resting in our secure position in Him. Our mandate is to excel in good deeds that are excellent and profitable to others. This brings praise and attracts people to our Father. We overflow with eagerness to share the Word of truth that rescued our souls with anyone who will listen. We speak with grace, humility, and urgency to implore people to turn to the gracious God who adopts all who come to Him through Christ. We no longer live for ourselves or this world but for the One who died and rose again for us. His extravagant love calls us to make every moment count for His Kingdom (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 1:27).
Food for Thought: Why is it important to remember what Christ did for you when facing temptation or opposition? What are practical ways you can cultivate an attitude of devotion and service to your Redeemer for all He has done?
God calls those who trust in Christ to live in a way that displays the gospel by our upright conduct and eternal priorities. This passage teaches us that the grace of God which saves us also instructs us in how to practically follow Jesus each day. When we remember Christ’s sacrificial love and glorious return, our lives become devoted offerings of worship and service to Him. Faith in the gospel transforms even the mundane moments of work and relationships into avenues for magnifying our Master. Though trials will come, we can meet them with confidence and endurance knowing our eternity is secure in Him. Our mandate is to excel in doing good for the glory of God and the benefit of others, guided by sound doctrine. May our hope rooted in Christ urge us on to boldly share God’s truth and the reason for the hope that we have!
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that You would help me live in reverent submission to all in authority over me wherever I find myself. Help me to serve and satisfy them out of devotion to You so that my conduct makes the gospel attractive. When needed, I pray that You would give me grace to endure unfairness patiently while doing good and strengthen my spirit with the certainty of Christ’s return so that I can stand firm in holiness without fear. Help me to fix my hope fully on the glories of heaven and strengthen me to invest generously in Your Kingdom rather than earthly things. I pray that You would fill my heart with praise over the redemption Jesus purchased for me by His blood. Make me overflow with eagerness to do excellent, profitable deeds that lead people to praise my Father in heaven.
I pray these things in the most precious name of Jesus, Amen.
Titus 2:14 – “[Christ] Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
With His Blessings,
Pastor Corby
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