Good morning, Watermark. How are we doing today? Good to see you. If this is your first time ever with us, welcome to church. Welcome to Watermark. My hope for every person in this room is that you would sense today that God is extending to you joy and peace and life and hope in the person of Jesus Christ. If you know him, I hope you take a step with him. If you don't know Jesus yet, I hope you take your first step with him today.
Before we jump into studying God's Word, I want to make sure you know about two things that are coming up. Christmas Eve is on December 24 this year. If that's new information for you, then you can pull out your calendar and mark December 24 as Christmas Eve. We have six services happening on Christmas Eve here at Watermark, and I'm so excited about what we're going to get to experience together as a church family.
I'm excited for my family to get to be together and enjoy Christmas Eve, and I hope that you and your friends, your roommates, your family, extended family, kids, or whoever it is for you… I hope this is a place that you look forward to coming to and you can enjoy celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ right here.
I also want to make sure you know that on December 28, we aren't gathering here on campus, but we are gathering in homes. It's going to be a Church at Home Sunday. In your Watermark News, there is a card that is a one-stop shop for everything you're going to need to know about Church at Home. Here's what I want to make sure you know. If you've ever done Church at Home with us before, this year is different.
What we are doing this year we have not done before. I am so excited about it. This is one of those things where we have created a resource that is going to be a very hands-on, experiential moment for you and your friends, your Community Group, and your family. So, make plans on December 28 to jump in with us as we worship all over the Metroplex. That's what's coming December 28.
Today, we get to jump into the Word of God together. I love what God has been doing and is going to do even right now. So, if you will, take a moment. I want to invite you to pray for yourself. This is a chance for you to go to God (I don't want to do it for you; you do it yourself) and for you to ask God to speak to you this morning. Would you pray and ask him to do that today? Then, would you pray for the people around you, your family, your friends, or whoever might be around you, and ask God to speak to them as well? Then, I want to ask you to pray for me that God would speak clearly through me to you.
Lord, my prayer is that you would glorify yourself among your people today. Holy Spirit, would you go to work right now in our hearts? Would you do miraculous things today among your people right here at Watermark? Would you draw us closer? Would you exalt Christ in our minds and in our hearts? Lord, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart as I stand on this stage would be pleasing in your sight. Use this time for your great name, amen.
Well, right here I have a sous vide. I don't know if you're familiar with a sous vide. Some of you all know exactly what this is. It's a cooking technique. I brought this just to show you that I own a sous vide. Now, it's still wrapped, and the reason it's wrapped is that while I own a sous vide, I have personally never cooked with a sous vide.
This was given to me for Christmas three years ago. Christmas 2022, my brother-in-law gave me a sous vide, and I received it, and then I put it in my cabinet, and it has sat in my cabinet for the last few years. I own a sous vide. I could cook with a sous vide. I have yet to cook with a sous vide. Now, here's what that means. It means I'm missing out in some way, shape, or form.
You're not close enough to see this, but if you were to look at this box, right here they have a picture of a steak that is cooked perfectly, and then they have some veggies. I could take or leave those. I could go back to the steak and just have more of that. Then they have some chicken. Like, it's guaranteed. It keeps the juice in the chicken. There's also salmon over here. There's an avocado. There are eggs and blueberries. I didn't even know you could sous vide those, but I could if I wanted to. I haven't, but I just want to make sure you know that I can if I want to.
It's a sous vide. It's a Christmas gift that has sat in the cabinet for three years now and never been used. I tell you that because I believe there is a different Christmas present that so many people, especially Christians… There is a Christmas present that just sits on the shelf of our hearts so often. That Christmas gift is the grace of God. Now, some of you are like, "Okay. Nice Jesus juke. That's a sweet little Christmas message. Everybody has the gift of God's grace just sitting on the shelf. Let's pull it off the shelf, people. Amen. Let's get out of here."
I need you to hear me. The key to the Christian life is a conscious enjoyment of the grace of God. So many people have a relationship with God's grace like I have with this sous vide. Do you know why I haven't cooked with this sous vide? Because I don't know how to cook with a sous vide, and I don't want to take the time to learn.
You might sit there and be like, "Hey, dude, I think you just have to put some meat in a bag, put it in the water, and push 'on.'" I'm like, "I'm not convinced. It's too much effort." The reality is that so many Christians, people who have been a Christian for decades, have such a small experience and enjoyment of the grace of God because, honestly, they've just never learned how to use it.
Now, for the theological ninjas in the room, you're like, "No, we experience the grace of God every day." You're right. I get it. Theologically speaking, every day, all day, we are recipients of the grace of God. What I'm talking about is Christians who do not operate with a conscious enjoyment of the grace of God. It's a Christmas gift that sits on the shelf of our hearts so often.
In the Year of the Word, we just read the book of Titus. I have never preached a sermon from the book of Titus. You're getting it today. Honestly, as I read Titus this week, I was like, "This book is incredible!" It packs such a punch. Look at what Paul says in Titus 2:11. "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…" Do you know what that is? That's Christmas in a verse.
"For the grace of God has appeared…" That's a reference to the incarnation. That is a reference to the birth of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ showing up in a manger, born of the Virgin Mary. See, the Bible words we normally associate with Christmas are words like peace, joy, hope, and light. For Paul, at least to Titus, the word is grace. That's what Paul associates with Christmas.
Here's what I want you to know as you think about the Christmas season: Christmas is the celebration of the grace of God appearing in Jesus Christ. That's what Christmas is. If you just want to boil it down, strip it down to its most simple meaning, Christmas is the celebration of the grace of God appearing in Jesus Christ.
I know, for me, when December 1 hits, I'm always thinking about "How can the Christmas season be more meaningful this year? How can I soak up Christ this Christmas? How can I help my family soak up Christ at Christmas?" For me, this Christmas season, it involves a focus on the grace of God. I want to enjoy the gift of God's grace in the person of Jesus Christ more. This is what I need personally. This is what my family needs. This is what our church family needs.
If you have a Bible, turn with me to Titus, chapter 2. Here's what I hope happens today. What I hope happens is that you realize there is more joy, more life, and more peace waiting for you in a deeper enjoyment of the grace of God. In order for you to more fully enjoy the grace of God, you need to understand two things about the grace of God. Here they are.
First, the grace of God is extensive. That's what I want to make sure you know today. Whatever boundaries you've put around the grace of God in your mind, I'm going to expand them, because the grace of God is extensive. Secondly, we're going to see in Titus, chapter 2, that the grace of God is effective. It's extensive and effective.
Titus is one of the three books that are known as the Pastoral Epistles. Titus and 1 and 2 Timothy are known as the Pastoral Epistles. Paul wrote these letters to help church leaders know how to lead healthy churches. Here's Paul's point in the book of Titus: a healthy church is a church full of God's people who have been visibly transformed by God's grace.
1. The grace of God is extensive. Paul starts out in verse 11 and says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…" When Paul says that the grace of God has appeared, what all is packed into that word grace? When you hear the word grace, you might naturally think, "Well, grace is God's unearned, undeserved favor." You're right. If mercy is not getting what you deserve, then grace is getting what you don't deserve.
We understand that, and you are right, but what I want you to understand is packed into that one word grace is nothing short of at least 12 things. I'm about to give you a list of 12 things. You're like, "That's too many things." Well, that's the point. The grace of God is extensive. If I could have boiled it down to six things, I would have boiled it down to six things, but it's at least 12 things, and this isn't an exhaustive list; this is a bare-minimum list of what the grace of God is.
Kat and I were in New York City last week, and I asked ChatGPT to line out for us a 15- to 30-minute walk through Central Park. ChatGPT responded, and as I looked at where this walk would take me, it didn't take me to the most iconic place in Central Park, which is this particular bridge. What I realized was that 15 to 30 minutes wasn't long enough in order for us to get from where we were to the iconic bridge and back. I was like, "How big is this park?"
So, I pulled out my Google Maps. We were standing here. The iconic bridge was here. Then I zoomed out, and the other edge of the park was here. It was in that moment… I've been to New York before, but it was like I honestly had this realization for the first time. That park is so extensive. It is massive, to the point that Kat and I were like, "Let's not walk through Central Park." Instead, we walked by Central Park. We didn't walk through it; we walked by it. We saw other people enjoying it, but we ourselves walked by Central Park.
So many people walk by the grace of God but never enter in and enjoy the grace of God. So many people just walk by it and say, "Man, I'm so thankful. I get what I don't deserve. It's God's unearned, undeserved grace. I've been saved by grace through faith, so because of grace, I'll spend eternity with God in heaven." You're right, but the grace of God is so much more extensive. Until you step in and explore the park of God's grace, you are settling for something less than the life, the joy, and the soul satisfaction that Christ came to give you.
When we talk about the grace of God, we're talking about nothing less than 12 things. Now, here's what I want you to know. I'm about to review some things I shared with you just a few weeks ago, but I'm actually going to expand the list. The reason I'm reviewing it is that I want you to know it. Communicators repeat what they want emphasized. Let me say that one more time. You're like, "Oh, I see what you did there." Yeah. Communicators repeat what they want emphasized. I'm repeating this because I want you to know it.
The reason there's a list on the screen… Look. It's 12 things. You can't memorize that. Some of you who never take notes… I'm amazed. You must have a steel trap for a mind or you just have no plans to apply anything you've heard. The reason I put notes on the screen is that I really hope you learn it for more than just the time that I'm talking.
If you actually put this into practice, it could change your life this whole next week, and even more than the next week. It's 12 things. You can't memorize this, so write it down or pull out your phone and screenshot it. Okay. When we talk about the grace of God, we're at least talking about these things. Let me roll through them.
First, we're talking about God's pursuit. If you're spiritually searching right now, every other religion tells you how to get to God. Christianity tells you how God has come to you because you couldn't get to God. Christianity is God's pursuit of us. If you are exploring different religions, here's what you need to figure out.
How does every religion answer this question: What is the path for imperfect people to spend eternity with a perfect God in a perfect place? How does every religion answer that? It's impossible for imperfect people to get to a perfect God. That perfect God came to imperfect people in the perfect person of Jesus Christ. Jesus showing up in a manger is God's pursuit of us.
Jesus Christ came so we could experience God's payment. Jesus Christ was born in order to die. God himself lived the perfect life we could not live. He then died the death we all deserve to die. He then rose from the dead so we could be raised to a new life with God where all of our debt has been paid by Jesus Christ.
Through faith, we get to experience God's peace. What do I mean by that? Jesus Christ came and was born to end the war between God and man. If you know Jesus Christ, your war with God is permanently over. Your relationship status has been changed. You belong in his family. God forgives you. He doesn't just tolerate you; he invites you into a real, enjoyable relationship.
You have peace with God, and because you have peace with God, you get to experience God's pronouncements over your life. Here's what God says about you. He declares that you are permanently new. You are permanently forgiven. You are permanently clean. You are permanently his child. Paired with God's pronouncements is God's pleasure. Because Christ has come, God doesn't just love you; he actually likes you. He actually delights in you. He has joy in fathering you and calling you his own.
Because of God's grace, you get to experience God's presence. Jesus is called Immanuel, which means God with us. Jesus Christ was God in the flesh coming to live with humankind. Why? Because God wants to be with his people. Even when Jesus Christ rose from the dead and descended into heaven, what did he do? He asked the Father to send the Spirit. The Spirit is known as the Spirit of Christ. When you know Jesus, the Spirit of the living God lives inside of you. God is with you. He's committed to being with you for all of eternity.
Not just that. Because of God's grace, you can know God's path. David says in Psalm 16:11, "You make known to me the path of life…" That's important. The reason that's important is because Proverbs says there is a way, a path, that seems right to man that in the end leads to death. When you know Jesus, Jesus says, "Let me show you the path." We can know God's Word and walk in his ways and enjoy his will, which is a path that leads to peace and joy and wholeness instead of brokenness and emptiness.
Because of God's grace, we have access to God's plans. We don't have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders; it can rest on his. God is in control. We can live knowing that he is in control, and he has very good and specific plans for your life. He plans to glorify himself through your life. Because of God's grace, we have access to God's power. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to us and actually lives inside of us. We always have access to supernatural power because of the Spirit of God that lives inside of us.
Not only that. We have access to God's provision. Because Christ has come and reconciled us to God, we now have access to a good, perfect heavenly Father who loves to give good gifts to his children. He has limitless resources. We can ask him, and he can provide for us. It might not be in the way we think is best, but it is in the way he thinks is best, and he's God.
Because of God's grace, we have entrance into God's people. This is just one big family reunion right now. If you know Jesus, you are my brothers and sisters in Christ. We can enjoy life together. We can worship together. We can encourage one another. We can sharpen one another. We can fight against sin together.
Finally, because of God's grace, we can walk in confidence of God's promises. Jesus Christ is coming back. He will take us to where he is. He will reverse the effects of the fall. He will make all things new. We live in his promises. This is the grace that appeared in the person of Jesus. Christmas is a celebration of the grace of God appearing in Jesus Christ. His grace is this extensive. That's how extensive it is. When we talk about grace, we are talking about nothing less than those 12 things.
Let me encourage you to take this list and pray through it. That's what I've done the last two days of my time with the Lord. I've taken these 12 things and just prayed through them, because these things are a reality. If you want to see life change, pray through these things that are reality until they begin to change your reality. Let's just do that right now. Let me model it for you, and let me encourage you to do this personally in your own life this coming week. Let's pray together.
Lord, thank you that in your love you've pursued us, that because we couldn't get to you, you came to us because you wanted us. There was nothing in us that we deserved you coming, yet you pursued us. You've chased us down in the person of Jesus Christ, and you, Christ, have come and made payment for us.
Because of what you've done, Lord Jesus, through your perfect life, sacrificial death, and your victorious resurrection, we are completely forgiven when we trust in you. Thank you for your payment for sin. Thank you that you were punished in our place. Thank you, God, that because of what you've done, we have peace with God. The war with God is over. Thank you that you've made us right, that you call us your children, that when you see us you feel peace toward us.
Thank you for the pronouncements you make over us, Lord. Even this morning, I pray that some people in this room, even right now, would sense you declaring them clean and new and your child and forgiven. Lord, I'm thankful for the pleasure you take in us right now, that you don't just love us; you like us. You don't just tolerate us; you take pleasure in being our heavenly Father.
I thank you for your presence with each one of us, that you're committed to being with us, and that matters; that all throughout this next week when we're driving in the car, sitting at work, or whatever we're doing, you'll be with us. We're never alone. We never have to do this life on our own. Thank you, God, for the path that you make known to us through your Word. It's not like we're having to walk through the dark, stumbling along the way.
God, thank you that you show us the path to life and joy and wholeness. We don't have to walk in brokenness any longer. Thank you for your plans for us, God. Thank you that your plans for each one of our lives will glorify you. Thank you that you have perfect plans for each one of our lives. Just thank you that you are the one who holds all things together so we don't have to, God.
Lord, I thank you for your power, that right now each one of us has access to supernatural, Christ-raising power because of your Spirit. I pray that we would walk in that power. Lord, thank you that you are our provider. You have everything we need, so I pray that we would ask for it in faith and trust you with whatever you provide for us, Lord.
I thank you that you've invited us to belong to a people, that we don't have to do this life alone. We have one another. We can lean on one another. Thank you for the family of God right here at Watermark, and thank you, Jesus, that you are coming back. You are going to take us to where you are. You are going to make all things right, so we rest in that. We take hope in that. We love you, God. Thank you for just how extensive your grace truly is. Amen.
2. The grace of God is effective. Don't miss what I'm telling you right now. If you don't understand the extent of God's grace, you won't experience the effectiveness of God's grace. I'm about to read to you verses 11 and 12 from Titus 2. Some of you have no clue that this passage is even in the Bible, but these verses, in my opinion, are some of the clearest verses in the entire Bible of just how effective God's grace is to be in the life of every single Christian.
Look at what he says. "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness…" That's what God's grace is meant to do. "…training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…" This is how effective the grace of God is meant to be.
Now, a topic people like to debate is this, and maybe you've debated it before. People like to debate "Can someone believe in Jesus and not live for Jesus and still be saved by Jesus?" That's a topic of debate. Can someone believe in Jesus but not live for Jesus and still be saved by Jesus? I don't want to enter into that debate right now. Instead, I just want to emphasize what the Bible emphasizes.
Here's what I mean by that. The Bible never makes it a point to try to make casual Christians feel comfortable. The Bible never attempts to make casual Christians feel comfortable. The Bible always aims to call casual Christians to be committed Christians, sedentary Christians to be surrendered Christians.
Look. If you're a Christian, but you're not living like a Christian, that's a problem. It's a problem. If you call yourself a Christian, but you're not living as a Christian, that is a problem, because what you're doing is you're claiming the name of Jesus, but you don't want to have anything to do with Jesus, so what you're doing is claiming his name while giving him the finger at the same time. You're like, "Whoa! That sounds kind of harsh." Yeah. I chose that wording intentionally. Why? Because to claim Jesus but not live for Jesus is offensive to Jesus. It is.
So, if you want to claim the name of Jesus, but you refuse to live for Jesus, just stop identifying yourself with Jesus. Either repent or stop identifying yourself with Jesus, because Christ's grace is meant to be effective in the life of everyone who calls on the name of Jesus. Repent or just stop identifying yourself with Jesus. Look at how effective the extensive grace of God truly is.
First, the grace of God saves us. Verse 11: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…" Who's all people? Does that mean everyone on the planet? No. What it means is for people of all different kinds, all different ethnicities, all different ages. The grace of God saves us. That's how effective it is.
The only reason anyone will spend eternity with God in heaven when they die is because of the grace of God. It's because God pursued us. God himself made payment for us. God himself has brought peace with us through the death, through the burial, and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When Kat and I flew into New York, our flight had been delayed. We had scheduled to be at a show, so we were flying in hot. I just told the driver we were with, "Hey, man. Can you get us as close as possible to the theater? I know you're not going to be able to get us there because of the traffic, but just get us as close as you can. As long as we can get there within a 15-minute walk, that'll do."
Then we got into a conversation. I asked him, "Hey, do you celebrate Christmas? Is faith something that's important to you?" He said, "Well, yes and no. I'm a spiritual person. I probably most identify with Buddhism. And now would be a good time to get out." I was like, "That timing was impeccable. But the good news is he's driving us to the airport when we go back, so he can't escape."
Anyway, he was driving us back to the airport a few days later. I asked him if there was anything I could pray for him. I prayed for him, and I ended my prayer, "In Jesus' name." Then I said, "Do you want to know why I prayed in Jesus' name?" I said, "Here's my story, man. There was a time in my life where I wasn't a child of God; I was an enemy, but God rescued me. Now I'm filled with peace and joy, belonging to God's family." I said, "If you ever feel like God is trying to get your attention, you have my number. Just let me know."
The reason I tell you that is that guy and I were operating with two fundamentally different understandings of reality. This guy would say, "I identify most with Buddhism." So for him, it's about trying to find peace. It's about trying to live good. Yet in my story, what did I say? "God rescued me." Why? Because I needed saving. Because I can't find peace on my own, I look to the only one who has come to bring peace. I can't be good on my own. I look to the only one who has ever been good who has come to make me good enough for God.
Those are two fundamentally different understandings. The grace of God saves us. You need saving. I need saving. Christ is a rescuer. He's not just some helper, although he is. He's a rescuer for desperate people who have no hope unless he comes and does everything for you. That's what he does. Do you believe it? The grace of God saves us. Now, this is where I need you to dial in with me. These verses… I'm just like, "Titus, where have you been all my life? What have I been doing?" It's so good.
Secondly, the grace of God trains us. Watch this. This is how effective. The grace of God doesn't just secure eternity with God in heaven for us one day; the grace of God changes us today. Verse 11: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions…"
Here's what that means. It means it's the grace of God… It's things like God's peace and presence, his pleasure in us, his pronouncements over us, his power in us, and his path before us that actually train us to hate and reject the godless, filthy, sinful ways of this world. That's what the grace of God does.
I met with a friend not too long ago who has experienced the devastating effects of pornography in his life, yet God's grace is gripping him in such a fresh way right now. As I sat and met with him, I held back tears in my eyes just hearing life in his voice. It's so abundantly clear that the Spirit of God is at work in him.
He sat there and read me a letter he wrote to his sexual addiction. He wrote a letter to his sexual addiction. With his permission, I want to share a couple of sentences from it. Here's what he wrote to his sexual addiction: "You made me pathetic. No, I allowed you to make me pathetic. I hit rock bottom, exposed in my sexual sin, consumed by your lies, and caught up in your sick, distorted fantasy. Not anymore. Sexual addiction, it is over. We are through. Heavenly Father, you alone are God, and I'm not. You're worthy of my undivided heart."
Isn't that incredible? Do you know what that is? That's grace talking. That's what grace does. It empowers us to see sin for what it is. Grace is what allows us to begin to hate it and reject it and return to the love of our heavenly Father. So, here's what I want to ask you to think about right now: What in your life do you still love that God hates?
Just think about that. What in your life do you still love that God hates? If something comes to mind, the answer isn't to ignore it or to keep accommodating it, but the answer also isn't to just try to white-knuckle resist it. The answer is God's effective grace. It's to take the list I gave you and begin to pray through those realities until they change your reality.
Look back at the text. Look at what else God's grace does. Remember, the point is that the grace of God trains us. Verse 11: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age…" God's grace doesn't just keep us from doing certain things; the grace of God compels us to do certain things. It is the grace of God that allows us to actually live godly lives.
My good friend David Dzina… Many of you know Dzina. He has been a member here at Watermark for many years, and he served on Watermark staff for several years. He just rolled off staff. When he rolled off staff, the whole staff felt it. We were like, "Oh man! What a huge hit to our staff team," because if you get around Dzina… Here's what I know about him. Here's what everyone on our staff knows about him: He's wise. He's selfless. He's an encourager. He's a champion of people. He's a great husband. He's a great father.
When Dzina stood up and addressed the staff at his last staff prayer, he was just looking back over the last couple of decades of following Jesus, and here's what he was able to say. When he said it, it wasn't arrogant. It wasn't boastful. It was just him testifying to the grace of God in his life. He was able to look back on who he was pre-Christ to who he is today in Christ, and he was able to say with confidence, "I'm not who I used to be."
Isn't that incredible? What a sweet statement to be able to say with confidence, "I'm not who I once was." I texted him. I was like, "Hey, man. Are you okay if I share about what you shared?" He just said, "It's God's story. It's what it is." That's God's grace. It's God's story for God to take broken and busted people to make them new, to make them whole, and to make them like Jesus. Don't you want that? Don't you want to be able to say, "I'm not who I once was"?
I've been reading on Year of the Word, Join the Journey, this past week. We read 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Second Timothy 2:1 is a verse I normally just blow past, and for some reason, on the day we read it, I spent my entire time with the Lord… After I read all of 2 Timothy, I just camped out on 2:1.
Paul says, "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus…" Be strengthened by it. Are you being strengthened by the grace? A minimum of those 12 things. Are those things strengthening you? That's what we're called to. Jesus came so that by grace we could become like him now and so we could be with him for all of eternity.
Thirdly, the grace of God focuses us. Look back at what Paul says. "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…"
The grace of God focuses us. Here's what Paul is saying: Jesus came in grace; he's coming back in glory. What does it mean that Jesus came in grace? It means he came in humble beginnings. He was born in a manger. He was born to a virgin woman. He's coming back in glory. A day is coming when Christ comes back, and everyone is going to know he's back.
You'll see him for who he truly is. Every knee will bow. He's coming back. He's going to judge the living and the dead. He's going to make all things new. That focuses us. Life now on earth should actually, because of God's grace, be a life of waiting for his return, because we know he's coming back. It focuses us.
I've shared that this past summer our family had a unique opportunity to go with my dad to Paris, and we happened to be in Paris on the final day of the Tour de France, a big bike race through the country of France. So, we went and stood on the Champs-Élysées and waited to see the peloton ride by. So, we go out there, and it's wet. It's a rainy day. And it's tight, because the streets are lined with people, and everyone wants to be up by the gates to get a good view.
So, we're just standing there. People are trying to cut in front of each other. I might have done that a little bit. Anyway, we're packed in there. We're standing there waiting for a couple of hours to see the race go by. I'm on my phone, and I keep checking to see how many kilometers they've covered so far. I'm trying to estimate about what kilometer we're at and trying to do math (which is not my forte), trying to figure out, "How far away are they?"
We've already been waiting for a couple of hours. As I'm looking at my phone, I'm like, "I still think they're 20 to 30 minutes out." As I'm looking at my phone, someone says, "There they are. There they are." I'm looking at my phone, and I look up just in time to see 50, 60, 80 riders powering through the streets of Paris.
I cannot put you there, but what you need to know is when I looked up, I felt a surge through the city. The words that came to mind were electric and exhilarating. There's nothing like it. My wife this morning was like, "Yeah, it made me tear up." These riders just powering through the city… You felt the energy and the power, and the streets were lined with people cheering.
I'm so glad that at no point were we like, "You know what? It's cold. It's wet. It's uncomfortable. Let's just go back to the hotel. Let's get dry. Let's just lounge around, zone out on our phones, and relax." It was worth it. It was worth waiting. Here's what you need to understand. For a lot of us, we're checking our spiritual phones, like, "When is he coming back?" and it feels like he's still a long way off.
But I'm telling you, when Jesus comes, it's going to have that same feeling where we just glance up and he's here. And when he's here, it's not just going to be electric; it's going to be triumphant. In that moment, what we're talking about is the deepest soul satisfaction, where the victory of Christ through his death, burial, and resurrection will make the most sense it has ever made in our lives, and we will enjoy it for all of eternity.
He is coming back. I don't know when he's coming back. It might be a long way off, but it might be tonight. We don't know. So don't go back to the hotel. Don't zone out. It might be uncomfortable for a little bit of time. It might be painful for a little bit of time, but you're going to look up, and he's going to be here, and you're going to be glad you waited expectantly.
We wait because the grace of God focuses us. It focuses us. Don't get too comfortable. Don't try to squeeze as much out of this world as possible. This life is just a temporary stay. We're waiting to go home. Maybe try this. Try starting some of your prayers this week with these words: "Jesus, if you're coming back today, then…" and just see what the Lord brings to mind to pray.
Just try that. "Jesus, if you're coming back today…" When I've done that this week… It's sobering. It's like, "Whoa! Oh man. That kind of changes things." Like, "Jesus, if you're coming back today, then I pray I'm just faithful as I preach this next message." "If you're coming back today, would you save this person?" Just watch how it focuses you.
Look at what verse 14 says. Watch how God's grace further focuses us. Paul says we're waiting for our great God and Savior. "…who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." Here's what I want you to know. I don't have enough time to unpack this verse fully, but all throughout this one verse are all of these allusions, or references, back to the Old Testament, which is pretty cool.
Like, when Paul says, "He gave himself for us," he's recalling the Passover sacrifice. When he says, "To redeem us," he's pulling back upon the exodus redemption from Egyptian bondage. When he says, "A people that are his very own," he's kind of pulling back into the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai.
When he refers to a "treasured possession," that's what Israel was meant to be in the Old Testament. What was Israel's purpose in the Old Testament? God's intention for them was to be a light to the nations. I tell you that to say the grace of God focuses us. God saves us and then sends us out into the world to be a light to the nations.
When I was in college, there was this worship song I loved that said, "All of life comes down to just one thing, and that's to know you, O Jesus, and make you known." You're like, "That's two things." No, it's one thing. When you know Jesus, you make him known. That's what life is about. Life is about knowing Jesus and making him known. The grace of God focuses us.
Paul finishes that passage… In verse 15, he says, "Declare these things…" That's what I just did. "…exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you." What would it look like for you to disregard this message today? It would be for you to walk out of here and critique the message but never apply the message. It'd be to fight sin or try to live the Christian life by just trying harder. It'd be to screenshot those 12 things but never pray through them.
I'll end by saying this. Anytime I see my brother-in-law now, we joke about the sous vide. I just saw him at Thanksgiving. He was like, "Have you used the sous vide?" I was like, "Nope." Something in me was like, "Man, I really need to use that sous vide. Hopefully, the next time I see him at Christmas, I will use it." Have I used it? No. Why? Because I completely forgot about it. It took this message for me to even remember that I own one. I just forgot about it.
Isn't that Sunday morning so often for people? Like, you sit there. I don't understand. Why would you sit and listen to me for 45 to 50 minutes to just forget all of it and do nothing with it? That is crazy. What's the point? To listen, forget, and repeat. That's disregarding it. It's okay if we're just talking about tasting and enjoying some steak at home; it's not okay when we're talking about tasting and enjoying the grace of God in a much more satisfying way that saves us, trains us, and focuses us.
Make a decision now. How will you consciously enjoy just how extensive and effective the grace of God is? For some of you who have never put your trust in Jesus Christ, maybe today is the day you experience the grace of God consciously for the first time in your life. He has been chasing you down for a long time. That's his grace. But today, maybe you experience it consciously for the first time. Let's pray.
Lord, I do pray for that, if there's anyone in the room right now…
In fact, let me just ask. With all of your eyes closed, if there's anyone here who's like, "Yeah, I want to say yes to Jesus for the first time in my life," would you put your hand up? Everyone's eyes are closed. It's just so I know who I'm talking to in this place. Okay. Awesome. You can put your hands down.
Here's what I want to encourage you to do right now. Just say, "Lord Jesus, I want that to be true for me today." Just say, "Thank you for your grace in my life." Tell him, "Jesus, I believe you lived for me, you died for me, and you rose from the dead for me." Just ask him. Say, "Would you come into my life, would you forgive me of all of my sins, and would you lead me in a new life?" For anyone else in the room, even if you've known Jesus for decades, would you just pray right now and say, "Lord God, thank you for your grace. I want to enjoy it and experience it more all week long."
Lord, may we not be a people who disregard your Word today. I pray that we would be people who are visibly transformed this week by the grace of God that appeared in the person of Jesus Christ. We love you. Amen.
