1. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998)

2. In a 2005 telephone poll on religious beliefs 89% of the respondents answered that they believed in heaven.

3. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) In a 2005 telephone poll on religious beliefs 89% of the respondents answered that they believed in heaven. Of those 89% who believed in heaven, 85% believed they were going there.

4. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) In a 2005 telephone poll on religious beliefs 89% of the respondents answered that they believed in heaven. Of those 89% who believed in heaven, 85% believed they were going there. In a different survey, 52% of respondents believed that good works can get you into heaven.

5. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) We find in England…we really don’t have a big enough view of sin. It takes weeks to persuade people that sin is the problem. We’re saying to people, “Jesus didn’t come for good people but for bad people” so the qualification for being a Christian is not are you good enough, but are you bad enough? (Rico Tice)

6. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Jesus said, “I didn’t come for the righteous, but for sinners.” And if they still think they’re okay, we say let’s look at Mark chapter 7. And see that the heart, Mark 7 in verse 20, is a fountain of evil. It’s what’s within us, and no good work can cover up. (Rico Tice)

7. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3)

8. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) There are two main reasons for this connecting verse. The first is that when we look at what we used to be that gives us the impetus and the power to be kind and courteous and gracious to others.

9. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) There are two main reasons for this connecting verse. The second is that when we look at what we used to be we get a “before” and “after” picture that motivates us to continue to live a life consistent with the “after” picture.

10. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish

11. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish Proverbs 1:7 says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. If you do not fear God and get your sense of reality and truth from him (and His word), your understanding will be critically flawed.

12. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish 2.Disobedient

13. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish 2.Disobedient Because the essence of our sins is rebellion against God and his authority, this rebellion shows itself in other ways as well: disobedience in home life, work life, in society towards government and leaders.

14. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish 2.Disobedient 3.Led Astray

15. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish 2.Disobedient 3.Led Astray We are always led by someone or something. We all have teachers. The only question is whether our teachers and influencers are leading us down the right path or not.

16. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish 2.Disobedient 3.Led Astray 4.Slaves to Various Passions and Pleasures

17. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish 2.Disobedient 3.Led Astray 4.Slaves to Various Passions and Pleasures Whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. (2 Peter 2:19)

18. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish 2.Disobedient 3.Led Astray 4.Slaves to Various Passions and Pleasures Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. (John 8:34)

19. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish 2.Disobedient 3.Led Astray 4.Slaves to Various Passions and Pleasures While you have many freedoms and choices, one choice you do not have is autonomy. You are the slave of something. (Rom 6:16)

20. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish 2.Disobedient 3.Led Astray 4.Slaves to Various Passions and Pleasures 5.Passing Our Days in Malice and Envy, Hated by Others and Hating One Another

21. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) 1.Foolish 2.Disobedient 3.Led Astray 4.Slaves to Various Passions and Pleasures 5.Passing Our Days in Malice and Envy, Hated by Others and Hating One Another Although our sinfulness is first and foremost a problem in our relationship to God, sin also ravages human relationship.

22. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) So then, verse 3 is both a motivation for the instructions before it, but also the reason for what comes after it- why we need salvation.

23. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5)

24. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) Contrary to what many, many people believe, good works don’t work. They don’t work to save us. They don’t work to make us good enough for God. They don’t work to make us fit for heaven.

25. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) God’s righteousness is absolute! James 2:10 says For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

26. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7)

27. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) Other parallel descriptions of God’s character include goodness and loving kindness (v4) and grace (v7).

28. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) They show us that our salvation is rooted not only in what God does, but who God is. He is good, he is loving, he is kind, he is gracious, he is merciful. And because of those things he saves.

29. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) Both the washing of regeneration and renewal are two angles of the same operation of the Holy Spirit that takes place to give us a new birth or new beginning.

30. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) Both Titus 3:5 and John 3:5 refer symbolically to water. Are these allusions to water baptism?

31. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Both Titus 3:5 and John 3:5 refer symbolically to water. Are these allusions to water baptism? Among other things, baptism symbolizes the spiritual washing /cleaning /sanctification of the Holy Spirit that occurs at conversion. So the outer washing at baptism is a symbol of an inner washing that happened earlier.

32. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Both Titus 3:5 and John 3:5 refer symbolically to water. Are these allusions to water baptism? Answer: Water baptism is an allusion to them (the spiritual washing)

33. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) Notice the work of all three persons of God in the operation of conversion.

34. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) While a true believer can never have the Holy Spirit taken away from him, the strength of the Spirit’s work in our lives does vary depending on a number of things, including our own walk with the Lord. (Eph 4:30, 5:18, 1 Thess 5:19)

35. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) God’s salvation also included justification by grace.

36. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) God’s salvation also included justification by grace. Justification is more than just being forgiven and not having to pay the penalty for your sins. It is a positive declaration from God that we have fulfilled the law!

37. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) Further Results of Mercy (v7)

38. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) Further Results of Mercy (v7) The word heir is a rich word that carries two important ideas: sonship and inheritance.

39. Titus 3:3-7 Saved by Mercy, Not a Good Life (p998) Why We Need Salvation (v3) Why Good Works Don’t Work (v5) How God’s Mercy Works (v5-7) Further Results of Mercy (v7) A life that never ends, spent forever enjoying God, and each other and the new heavens and earth he will create, and all his blessings that he has desired for mankind since the beginning of creation but that we have been unable to receive.