January 17, 2009 Titus 3:4-7

But when the kindness and brotherly love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works which we did in righteousness, but because of his mercy. 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 be heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The Epiphany of our Savior’s Kindness and Love

I. How?

I want to start today with a story about the Apostle Paul. He was under arrest and appealed his trial to be held before Caesar. In order to do this he had to be shipped with a bunch of other prisoners from Caesarea to Rome. On the way to Rome, however, a huge wind called the “northeaster” came up and drove the ship off course. After weeks of being buffeted by the storm they were finally driven to the shores of an island called Malta. In spite of nearly losing their lives all 276 people on board survived, just as Paul was told would happen. The scraggly and worn out group of prisoners and soldiers made their way up the shore; completely exhausted from the battle. Then what happened? Acts 28:2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. The islanders didn’t have to do this; but they felt sorry for the bunch of them. After that a state official named Publius welcomed them into his home and entertained them hospitably for quite some time until they were able to leave.

This is what it means to be “kind” to someone in the Bible. It means to see someone who is in a difficult and bad situation and to have mercy on them; to do something to help their situation. This is how the Bible describes God our Savior in today’s text, as a kind God; One full of brotherly love; Who mercifully saves.

Paul makes reference to this kindness of God also in the book of Romans. He writes, Romans 2:4 Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 11:22 also) Here we see a little different concept to kindness; it is that willingness of God to hold off on judgment; to take care of and be nice to people even in the midst of rebellion of sin; when you would expect Him to do the exact opposite. The same rings true in today’s text. Look at the verse right prior to our text. Titus 3:3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. Yet in spite of this behavior; God didn’t leave us in the dark. He appeared to us. He was kind to us. He showed a brotherly love towards us.

How did he show us this kindness and brotherly love? Most importantly he showed kindness by becoming our brother; by appearing on our earth as a servant. God came from heaven above and took on human flesh; limiting Himself to the body of an infant and eventually a man. When He grew to a man think of how Jesus; our brother and Savior showed such great kindness and brotherly love. People were constantly harassing Him with their requests; heal this; heal that; chase out this demon; give me food; teach me this; show me that. Day after day, night after night, Jesus constantly went from town to town, teaching and healing and genuinely caring for people. He owed them nothing. Yet He gave them health from sickness. He gave them life from death. He opened up to them who they were and who He is. He clearly told them about the mercy and forgiveness of the LORD. He told them to repent! And what did they do in response to this? They viewed Him as a threat; as a rebel; and they put Him on a cross and crucified Him. They were far from kind to Christ. They were evil and cruel to Him.

When the people of Malta saw Paul and the prisoners, they showed kindness in putting them by a fire. When God saw our condition of sin and rebellion, He had mercy on us by pulling us out of the fire. Shipwrecked and on the way to hell, Jesus rescued us from the fires of God’s wrath by allowing Himself to be attached to the cross and be put into the flames of God’s wrath instead of us. What greater kindness could God give even through our cruelty?

Even for those who do not know the cross God still shows kindness and mercy. Day by day, hour by hour, God does not bring immediate judgment on this world. Like the state official Publius provided Paul and the prisoners with shelter and entertainment, so God provides us with clothing and shelter; food and entertainment. In spite of the chains of sin and death that are bound around our flesh and the fact that we are on death row for hell; God continues to feed and cloth the world and provide it with heat and light. He sees how miserable our situation is and He has mercy on everyone each and every day.

II. Why?

Ironically, it is this kindness that causes people offense. Why? Think back to the shipwreck of Paul. Some say, “Why did God allow the shipwreck in the first place?” When on the island He provides some with a nice and warm fire while others He leaves to rot in the rain. Some He takes into His home and entertains while others He leaves begging on the street. They look at life and say, “Why on earth does God allow that immoral man to live like a king? How come that awful mother was given a child when thousands of other women could do so much better?”

What people don’t realize is that like the prisoners on way to trial we are all prisoners of sin on our way to trial. We have not been unjustly arrested as Paul was. We are all guilty as charged. Any goodness that God shows us on this island of life; any beautiful sunrise; any laughter; God owes us none of it. But people don’t think this way. God has been so richly kind to this world of sinners for so long that people have a sense of entitlement. We forget who we are. We forget what we deserve. We forget where we came from.

This is true also of Christians. Note carefully what he says through inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He saved us, not because of works which we did in righteousness, but because of his mercy. Christians try to figure out God’s kindness from a human perspective. They say to themselves, “Why did God choose to give me salvation? Why did He pick to save me from the depths of hell? Did He foresee what a great Christian I would make and then decide to put me on His team?” Paul says, “No! It had nothing to do even with the works that you perform in righteousness. It only had to do with the fact that God is merciful. He saw what a miserable sinner you were; He saw how were destined for hell; and He decided to rescue you from the fires.” Was there any quality in you that made God want to choose you? You go to church. You take the Lord's Supper. You give your first fruits. Good. Thanks be to God. But it has nothing to do with why God loves you.

Then why does God love you? Why is God kind to you if you are so miserable; if you deserve judgment? God’s gracious love had to create a justifiable reason to love you and be merciful to you on Judgment Day. God was able to do this “through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might be heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” God loves you for One reason and One reason alone; His name is Jesus Christ. Grace is where God does something FOR US that He absolutely has no human reason to do. He sends His only Son to die for us; to take the blame; to suffer the punishment. When God raised Jesus from the dead, it was as if He was declaring to the whole world; THE PUNISHMENT OF JESUS HAS BEEN ACCEPTED. Notice that the verb “justified” is passive and it is in the past tense. No matter what happens; no matter what anyone says; the judgment has already been made by God. He has declared to the entire world, “I no longer consider you guilty for what you have done. Jesus has paid the entire price for each and every sin.” He did this only because of the unconditional love that flows from the heart of God and reveals itself in Jesus’ work. If we were to go back to the Island of Malta illustration, not only does Jesus welcome us to His Island of righteousness and harbor us safely in His palace, He then gets in the stormy boat and sails on to die!

When the President provides a pardon on leaving office there is nothing that can be done by anyone to change it. Remember the man by the name of Marc Rich? He was indicted in the United States on federal charges of illegally making oil deals with Iran during the Iran hostage crisis. He was also charged with tax evasion. Yet when President Clinton left office he completely exonerated him. The Republicans screamed bloody murder but they could do nothing about it. There was no appeal. Even though it was a rotten deal, the deal was done.

When God declares the world to be pardoned based on the bloody death of the God man Jesus Christ; it doesn’t matter if the devil doesn’t think it’s fair; God calls it fair. It doesn’t matter if the atheists call it a terrible theology. It doesn’t matter if the Muslims say Jesus got down from the cross before He died. It doesn’t matter if the Mormons say this is only part of your salvation. None of it changes the fact of what Jesus did and what God said. He died for the sins of the world. He paid for the sins of the world. Believe it or not; it is true. This is why God is kind. This is why God doesn’t just destroy the world. This is why God takes people into heaven; because of what Jesus did for them. He creates the reason for salvation. He performs the work of salvation. He says to the world, “Like it or not, this is why I save. This is where I save.”

III. Where?

Yet notice how this text at first glance doesn’t seem to say that salvation is through the cross. What does it say? “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.” Paul tells Titus that God saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. What is that but a reference to baptism? It must be. The word for washing is used in the Greek specifically for washing things with water, like when the centurion washed Paul’s wounds after he was imprisoned and whipped in Acts 16. Yet this washing is of rebirth and renewal which comes by the Holy Spirit who is actually poured out on us. When Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, hidden under the feathers of a dove. When Peter told people to be baptized with water in His Pentecost sermon, he said that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, just like God predicted back in the book of Joel.

We see glimpses of God doing this even back in the Old Testament. Did you catch it in our Old Testament lesson? What happened when David was anointed with oil to be king? 1 Samuel 16:13 says, “From that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power.” It is a shame that some of the largest churches in our own city absolutely deny the power of baptism. They call it nothing but a picture, an empty sign which carries no gift of the Holy Spirit whatsoever.

But why does Paul say that baptism actually saves? Do not lose sight of that last phrase. He pours the Holy Spirit on us generously “through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Without this connection, baptism would not save and Paul would never say it would. Yet with the promise of this connection God can and does use baptism to save. The Holy Spirit never works on His own; like a rogue agent on His own secret missions. It has always been the role and call of the Holy Spirit to testify to Jesus and point people to Him; connecting them to Christ. If the Holy Spirit comes, He always comes with the message and forgiveness of Christ. He is the first of the golden chain of the Trinity; the Holy Spirit brings us to Jesus and Jesus brings us to the Father.

Think also about the history of baptism in connection with Jesus. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, He didn’t do it in order to be forgiven. He didn’t do it in order to prove that He had made a decision to believe in Himself. He went into the Jordan in order to fulfill all righteousness. How would Jesus fulfill all righteousness but by dying for the sins of the world? And how would Jesus do this? Not on His own, but with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit and the help and support of the Father. So Jesus was being baptized to die; He walked into the Jordan to begin His official journey to death as mankind’s substitute.

If it was baptism that put the holy Jesus in His official role as mankind’s substitute – to be blamed as the sinful man; then why wouldn’t God put us sinners back into the waters to connect us to Jesus as our substitute? Yes, the waters of baptism are where we are connected with Christ and He is connected with us. God gives us His Word that all of Jesus blood and righteousness is conveyed to us through these waters. It is God’s gospel chain which connects us with the baptized Christ. Baptism saves because of Jesus. This is how God promised to work. As we drink milk to get Vitamin D and we put certain lotions on our skin to soothe our muscles under the skin, so the Lord uses the water of baptism to completely bathe us in Christ and give us His Holy Spirit. When we have the Holy Spirit we have Christ. When we have Christ we have salvation. But if we don’t have Christ we have no salvation.

We live in a religious age where so many people are seeking to encounter a religious experience; to get a feel for the spirit. I have noticed how in our society more and more are going back to native religions; early American worship practices; witches and palm readers who use earthy materials to try and draw upon what they call “natural powers” to help and protect and to curse and hurt. The recent blockbuster Avatar has people chanting while kneeling in front of an ancient tree in order to be connected to it and achieve oneness with this god of the planet. Even within Christianity you can see reflections of this as some Pentecostal versions rely on drum beating and repetitive chanting to try and breathe a spirit into the crowd which gets revved up. Less blatant versions are constantly asking people if they “feel the spirit” as they play their music and sway back and forth. It shouldn’t be surprising that it is those same groups who deny that there is any Holy Spirit involved in baptism.

Jesus was baptized for a reason; to save you from your sins. God has you baptized for the same reason as well; to give you the Holy Spirit and Jesus in order to save you from your sins. If you are looking for a spiritual experience; it is right in front of you; look back at what happened to Jesus. See the Holy Spirit land on Him; publicly announcing to the world; “He is here to die!” If you are seeking the Spirit; if you want forgiveness and acceptance from God; don’t listen to all of these spiritual gurus who are telling you to kneel in a certain posture or empty your mind or sway your hands back and forth. Go back to where Paul says to go; to your own baptism. If you want to know if you are saved, remember that you were baptized.

This is no fanciful interpretation of one verse to Titus. It is a consistent promise from God. Paul also told the Romans, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:3-4) Does this sound like just a ritual to you? Or does it more sound like a powerful tool of God to connect you to Christ. Baptism is all about the work of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is all about Jesus. It isn’t the water that saves or the minister that saves; it is the Holy Spirit that saves through the work of Christ. But if you have no faith in your baptism and in the promise of the Holy Spirit; if you also fall into the line of thinking of so many of modern day Christians, then what good will your baptism do you? Where will we find the Holy Spirit and Christ if not in baptism? All other places are but spiritual mirages apart from the Gospel which lead people into hell.

I started this sermon out with a story about Paul being shipwrecked on the Island of Malta. Malta was hospitable; it was a beautiful place I’m sure; but Paul didn’t beg to stay there; he knew it was his duty to go on and witness more; it was his destiny to die. So he didn’t try to escape. He went back on the boat and went on to die. Eventually he found another ship and sailed on to Italy; he sailed on to die; being beheaded by the Roman Empire.

Paul suffered in his life; yet his sufferings didn’t compare with Christ’s. When Jesus was baptized He knew what He was being baptized to do. He knew the purpose of His life; it was to die for the sins of the world. Jesus suffered not only death; but He also suffered hell. Jesus suffered under God’s wrath. But He rose again from the dead and left death and hell as weak and powerless under the cross. This is what He was baptized to do. This is what He accomplished.

This is why we celebrate Jesus’ baptism. This is why this day is so important to us. Since you are now connected with Christ in baptism you have already suffered the most terrible wrath of God you could ever suffer. You have suffered hell. Your spirit has been renewed. You have been given new life and hope in the resurrection of Christ. You are on the boat of salvation. No matter where that boat leads you, no matter what waters crash into you and no matter how you end up dying; rest safely with Christ in its hull. Know that at the end you will be living in paradise with Jesus; having sailed through earth and landed safely in heaven; all because of what Jesus did for you. Amen.