The force, brutality, and hatred of its rejection. The cross of Jesus is all about giving. God giving Him the terrible punishment for our sins as Jesus was wounded for our transgressions. The cross of Jesus is all about giving. God giving to the world His Son that whoever believes on Him might not perish but have everlasting life. The cross of Jesus is all about giving. God giving to believers through Christ the necessary gift of righteousness that we might be given back to Him.
We sing about the cross. We wear it as a replica in our jewelry. We talk about it and portray it in our dramas. We put it in our churches. We use it in our religious processionals. We paint it on canvases. We write books about it. And we treat it as the central theme in our evangelical preaching. But we can never comprehend the cross. No matter how hard we try, we can never fully realize the cost of the cross to God and the worth of the cross to ourselves.
In the Gospels, the crucifixion scene is chronicled with its horror, its blood, its spittle, its darkness, mockery, loneliness, and death. But in other New Testament references like the one we look at today, the cross is simply factually stated as truth.
I invite you to turn to Titus 2 verse 14 where we read that our great God and Savior Christ Jesus gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Jesus Christ, our great God and Savior, gave Himself for us. We see that it was a self-sacrifice. And it was an exhaustive sacrifice because He gave Himself everything that He was. He gave. It was a substitutionary sacrifice for He gave Himself for us.
When Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, when He died on that cross, He had a purpose in mind. That purpose was the salvation of a new people whom He calls His saints. From His sacrifice on the cross there flow many blessings to us. This morning focusing on Titus chapter 2, we're going to look at but four of the blessings that come to the saints because of the death of Jesus Christ. The first blessing is that of a new relationship.
The fact is that once I was a helpless slave to sin, but now I have a new relationship. I am now a willing servant to Jesus Christ. Once you and I were related to sin. Sin was our master, a terrible master. In chapter 3 verse 3, notice that Paul says, we also once were enslaved to various lusts and pleasures. Notice that once we were enslaved to sin, sin in terms of our own lusts and pleasures. We followed that master. We did its bidding. But something happened.
There was a change in relationship and it's wrapped up in the word in verse 14 where it says, he gave himself for us, that's the cross, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed. In that word redeem or the noun redemption is the change in relationship. The word redeem means to release a slave by payment of a ransom price. Jesus Christ paid a ransom for you and for me. It was himself being sacrificed on the cross, the blood that he shed there. That price redeemed us from our old master sin.
That old master sin caused us to follow lawless deeds, he calls them in verse 14. These lawless deeds reflect self-assertion on our part in rebellion against God. That's the idea in it. It is the defiance of self. It is our self-will that rejects the will of God. That describes how a sinner lives. But you and I have been rescued from that bondage to self. A price has been paid in the life of Jesus Christ which he gave at the cross. The price was paid that we might be purchased away and released.
This whole idea has led to some false ideas of what the death of Christ as an atonement was. One of them is called the ransom to Satan theory. This theory has been around for nearly 2,000 years. It was developed by Origen in the second century. In Origen's theory he advocated that Satan held people captive as a victor in war. This theory was held by even the great Augustine a hundred or so years later. It was advocated because Satan held people captive and a ransom had to be paid.
In Origen's idea the ransom price, the death of Christ, was a price paid to Satan. Thus it's called the ransom to Satan theory. In response to this view we need to note that it was God's holiness, certainly not Satan's, that was offended by our sin. The payment price had to be made to God in order to avert his wrath. Satan did not have the power to free man. Only God had the power to free man. This is a false idea of what the atonement was. There have been others through the centuries.
And that this ransom price that was paid was a price that was paid to God so that his wrath would be satisfied and he might forgive us. We have been redeemed. Now we are related to God and we willingly give ourselves as servants to Christ. The Old Testament when a servant was redeemed, the price was paid for him. He had the option to willingly go on serving his master. But to show that it was a willing service and not an indentured service. His ear was punctured with an awl.
That hole from that time onward represented the fact that that person was the servant of his master. By the act of his own will, he voluntarily gave himself to his master. I want to say to you that it is only reasonable that we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. But upon our release from that slavery to sin, give ourselves freely to serve our new master, the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the blessings that flows from the cross death of Jesus Christ is this new relationship.
Whereas once we were slaves to sin, now by God's grace and by the ransom price paid by Jesus Christ, we are voluntary willing servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, the great King of Kings. The second blessing that we see is that of a new identity. I once had no identity. I was lost and separated from God. But now I have a new identity. I now belong to God and I am identified with the people of God. Once the guilt of my sin separated me and alienated me from God.
As Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 12, we were without God, without hope in the world. We were separated from the promises and the covenants of Israel. What happened? That we have this new identity. God in His grace removed our guilt and our defilement. And a new identity was given to us through the new birth. Just in verse 14 it says, He gave Himself for us that He might purify for Himself a people. This word purify means to wash. It means to cleanse. It means to purify.
We have a word in the English, catharsis. This is exactly the word that is used in the New Testament here. It means that we have been made clean from our defilement of sin. This same word is used in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament again and again and again of the washings that were necessary under the old covenant. And the washing that we now receive under the new covenant through Jesus Christ. Here Paul says again, we have been purified. We have been washed.
The consequence of that is that our defilement of sin is gone. Not only our slavery to it, but the defilement of it in our lives is gone. How did this happen? Well I think we have a hint in chapter 3 verse 5 where he says, God our Savior saved us not on the basis of righteous deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. A different word in washing, but the same idea, the washing he says of regeneration.
It's talking about a new birth, a new beginning. This particular word is found only one other time in the New Testament in Matthew chapter 19 and there it's of the new beginning that creation will have when our King comes and establishes His Kingdom on the earth. This word is used of the new beginning of a believer, of a person who is born again, who has a new birth and who by that birth is washed from the defilement of his first birth.
The consequence of this washing by the new birth is that I am now born again with a new identity. I am now counted as one of the people of God. One of the people of God. And notice that he calls us here a people for his own possession. That means that we as a people, as a washed people belong to God in a special sense. Yes, it is true that all people everywhere belong to him by right of creation, but we belong to him by right of birth.
If you want to picture what this word means, put a period in your notes and draw a circle around it. That's the idea. We as a people are that period and the circle around us is God. We are encompassed by him. We belong to him. Therefore we are saints. Now the word saints is not used in the book of Titus at all, but Paul uses it many times in the New Testament. We are those who have been separated unto God, who have been consecrated to God for his special purpose.
We see that idea in this word, a people for his own possession. So the second blessing that comes to us through the death of Christ on the cross is that of a new identity. Now we are a part of the people of God who belong in a special sense to him. The third blessing that comes to us from the cross is that of a new character. I was once devoted to evil, but now I am a zealot for good.
You see before I was a slave to sin, as I said earlier, and that slavery was proven by my own affection for evil. Paul elaborates on this in chapter 3 verse 3.
We also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, that is led astray, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life, that's an interesting thought, it means just existing, not enjoying life, just spending it, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, that means detestable, and counting others detestable, hating one another. My friend, what he does here is expose the affections of the heart of the sinner.
Now the sinner may dress it up, the sinner might comb its hair, the sinner might wash it off as best he can, but here is the heart of the sinner, and it's not a very pretty picture. This is the character of the sinner. But something happens to the saved person, a change takes place. We see the hint of it in verse 5 again, where he says, God our Savior saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is renewing us on the inside, we have a new character.
Instead of having an affection for sin now, we have an affection for righteousness. There is an inner transformation that's taking place. God is about renewing us. He hasn't finished yet, but he's doing it, and he's going to keep on doing it until he is finished. When I went to school in Chicago 25 years ago, the school was in the midst of a terrible area on the near north side of Chicago. There were houses of prostitution on both sides of the school.
Students could look across the street and see that kind of activity going on. One place was bombed just across the street from the school because of some underworld things that were taking place there. It was dangerous to walk down the street in Chicago in those days. We always went in groups everywhere even though the police station was just catacorned across the block from the school. You go down to that same school today, it hasn't moved, but it's in a brand new area.
Urban renewal has taken place in the last 25 years. Now some of those same buildings where there were houses of ill repute, there are condos that go for about a half a million dollars. I'd say that's some kind of renewal, wouldn't you? Something has happened in the city of Chicago, and part of it was because the school stayed there as an anchor until the city was ready to do something. I want to tell you something.
What does it work in your character and mind that he is carrying on a personal renewal? Those things in our lives that were once of ill repute, he is replacing, he's getting rid of that, and he's putting in their character that loves righteousness, that's zealous for what is good. He describes what that looks like in verses 1 and 2 out in the world. He says that Christians are like this in the world. Once we were like verse 3, but now here's what we're like.
He says, remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign or to slander no one, to be uncontentious, that is not given to fighting, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. That's the new character that God is putting into our lives now because of the cross. He elaborates on it in verse 8. I want you to speak confidently so that those who have believed in God may be careful to engage in good deeds.
The word engage means to stand before good deeds. The idea is to practice what they profess. Verse 14 says, let our people also learn to engage in good deeds, to meet pressing needs that they may not be unfruitful. So just as God has given, we're to give. That pressing needs might be met. So the blessing that comes to us from the cross is that of a new character. Once we were defiled inside and that was shown by what we love to do.
But now we have been washed and the Holy Spirit is renewing us so that we have a character that loves and practices good deeds. Let me close with a fourth blessing that comes to us from the cross. It's found in verse 13. The grace of God teaches us to look for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. We have a new outlook. The fact is that before I looked only for judgment.
It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment, the Bible says. But now I look not for judgment, but for the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ. Before our destiny was that of condemnation. We were under the wrath of God. We were guilty before God. But what happened? Well, chapter 3 verse 7 says we were justified by grace. What does that mean? God declared us to be righteous in His sight. He justified us that we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
A change was made. Before my inheritance was that of condemnation. Now I am an heir of eternal life. And as a result of that I have a new outlook. Today I am looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. But now we are eagerly anticipating His second appearance. That will have nothing to do with sin, but He will come to save us from this world.
This Palm Sunday we remember that coming of Jesus into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. That day was but a rehearsal for what is coming when Jesus returns to the earth. First coming for us, then coming with us. He will establish His Kingdom upon the earth. That is our outlook. It is the appearing of His glory. Even now that glory is visible in heaven. He is exalted at the right hand of God as King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is glorified forever.
But one day what now prevents us from seeing that glory will be broken into and pulled back and His glory will be exposed and revealed. We anticipate that day when His glorious appearing will take place. It is a blessed hope for us. It is a blessed hope that Christ is coming again, a new outlook to face life with, a new outlook for this week for whatever it may hold for you. Whatever decisions, whatever trials lie before you tomorrow or Tuesday or through this week, remember your outlook.
Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. And when He comes, He is going to set things right. And when He comes, He is coming with reward for those who faithfully hang in there and serve Him. Let that outlook possess your heart with great joy this week of Easter. The blessings that flow from Calvary are far more numerous than what we have elaborated on this morning.
But these four begin to help us understand the worth of the cross because every one of these blessings is ours because Jesus, our great God and Savior, gave Himself for us. Would you bow with me please? Oh Father God, help us today to value the cross in a new way, to see the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus as the source of all of the blessings that we enjoy in our lives.
Having looked at just four of them, may we go from here today with our hearts filled, our hearts excited about the things of God, our hearts devoted to serve as willing slaves our new Master. And Father, if someone be here without Jesus today, help them to come to Him in faith, even today, that they may be made new and be counted a part of the people that belong especially to You. Amen. Let's go out this morning with His praise on our lips and in our spirits.
Let's stand and glorify the King of Kings.