Studies in Titus - Part 5 — Paris Reidhead

Back with us in the fall on the subject of prayer. Will you turn to Titus chapter 2? As anyone memorized these verses. Please stand now to thunderous applause. I'm rather like the young feel like the young preacher that went to a new church.

Brought his first inaugural sermon. To the appreciation of the Congregation the next Sunday he brought identically the same message and the third Sunday brought identically the same message and The committee waited on him and said What about this?

He said well, no, I have other messages. But until you do what I've told you to do in the first one, what's used to going on to the second one? So In that sense Titus 2 11 to 14, you're going to forget all about me and about what I've said.

Salvation in Titus 2:11–14

But please remember the scripture. Because God will bring it back to your heart over and over again. For the grace of God that bring us salvation has appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly Righteously godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a Peculiar, but a pecuniary a purchased people zealous of good works.

Now I can't review the areas we've covered in the past sufficient to say that there are tenses to salvation. I Have been saved. I was saved. I am being saved and I shall be saved. Someone asked you are you saved?

You would have legitimate reason to counter with those questions. Which one do you mean? I Have been saved from the purpose of sinning. I was saved from the penalty of sin. I am being saved from the power of sin and I shall be saved.

From the presence of sin all of that in these verses. We don't I don't recommend that we use the word saved. As a question are you. For these reasons that I've decided and because of the absence of meaning in the minds of most of the people in our Generation, I remember seeing a cartoon a big sign on the road sign Jesus saves and Somebody going by said well, that's if he does that's important.

So I guess I'll open an account down at our bank tomorrow and start my own account. I miss miss total miscomprehension of what it means. Have you ever tried to witness to someone and not to use any of the words With which we're so familiar That have meaning to us.

But they have absolutely no meaning to others of our generation. I recommend you do it and Do it frequently Because it's going to force you To stop speaking in the pardon. Thank you. I hadn't thought of that.

I did others. Halo words stop using halo words and start using just just regular English language just the language of the people and communicate directly rather than the I Was talking with someone done?

Friday evening and I made the mistake of Putting into my statement the word sin. Well for the next 20 minutes the discussion was of what is a sin and irrelevant different cultures and Is what is in one place isn't another?

Oh, it was but you see If I could have used another word it's a good enough word. But still it doesn't necessarily Isn't the only way of expressing it? I mean the scriptures, you know says sin is a transgression of the law.

But one might have said transgression of the law and not have used the word sin. It would have been a little more explicit. So Word saved is is a very big word. Sanctification is a very big word it's a marvelous word to biblical word, but it has to do with the past and Our sanctification before the foundation of the world and and the present and In the future.

It's it's a stretches from eternity swings down. Like one of those bridges in some parts of the world hanging swinging bridges. I think of the word saved it stretched in eternity past swings down through time anchored in eternity to come.

Sanctification eternity past swings down through time anchored in eternity to come. They're pretty big words. I remember as a young man. I attended was brought to know the Lord through a old-time Methodist holiness camp meeting at South St. Paul, Minnesota.

And one of the words that was greatly appreciated was the word sanctification. When I got home, I went through all the material that we had in our house. All the Christian witness papers and everything that we could find.

To try to get a definition of sanctification. Because until I knew what it was I was gonna I couldn't go on it was it stymied me. I had to have a definition. I didn't know what I was talking about. Sure.

I approved it. I thought it was great. But what was it and nobody there were lots of wonderful things said about it, but no one had defined it. So my suggestion to you is that instead of our talking using terms, which are wonderfully meaningful to us let's Try to use terms which are going to be more explicit in the minds of those with whom we're sharing now we've talked about the phases of God bringing one into that relationship that we call saved and We've described first phase being awakening causing one to be discontent With what they have and giving them that inner Restlessness that that makes them want something more awakening.

And then we've talked about conviction as a phase of the divine operation Where the Holy Spirit is causing in the individuals to take sides with God against themselves. God be merciful to me a sinner was the publicans cry and then We're talking about repentance as a change of purpose.

Repentance as a Change of Purpose

Now, that's where we begin. I have been saved from the Purpose of sinning I have in other words. I have repented. I have decided That from today on as long as I live I am going to do what God wants me to do.

Because the essence of this thing we call sin is I'm going to do what I want to do. Now when one changes one's mind about who's going to be boss who sets the rules. How do we satisfy our needs and appetites and urges and drives?

Do I do it the way I want to or do I do it the way he's prescribed and It's at that point the that that the issue right focuses sin is I'm going to do what I want to do and Repentance is I'll do what you want me to do a change of mind a hundred and eighty degrees from something to something.

Now on the basis of that then there can be Saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and with the saving faith is the witness of the Spirit To the new birth. Well, that's the ground. We've been covering in this wonderful portion of Scripture.

Christ’s Self-Giving and the Meaning of Redemption

Now we come to the last the 14th verse the great God and Savior Jesus Christ gave himself for us. That he might redeem us From all iniquity and Purify unto himself a purchased people zealous of good works redeem.

Redeem there's another one of these Halo words another one of these biblical words, but a good word. The only problem with it is that there are four Greek words Translated by the one English word redeem now.

Four to one is a little bit high. Don't you think I mean? It's just nice to have a good word like redeem, but for Greek words All translated by the one English word you'd think that English was a Biggarly language.

Wouldn't you be a pretty poor language have to use one English word to translate for? Greek words. I have friend from missionary from China in our home and Well, we were talking about a certain scripture.

Well, she said finally let's just go to the Bible and find out what it really says. So she opened up the Chinese to the Bible translated into Chinese. Because she wanted to find out exactly what the Lord had said.

As he felt that Chinese was so much more explicit so much more precise Than English was. Well. What does it mean? He gave himself for us that he might redeem us. I think perhaps it'd be well for us to Take all four words because all of them are involved though.

This is only one of them now. If you have a Schofield reference Bible, you will find somewhere and I wouldn't be surprised what it's here. These four words that's where I was first introduced to them more years ago than I'm willing to admit except under oath and.

And I remembered them since that time. Because it meant so much to me I'd rather like the person who said I know a little Greek and I know a little Hebrew. Little Greek runs a restaurant. Little Hebrew runs a clothing store.

Not very closely affiliated with the original languages. So if I say these I get my science from the Reader's Digest and I get my Greek from the Schofield reference. No, so, you know how the depth that I'm Giving you at this point the One word means to buy in the market place.

Agarazzo to buy in the marketplace and the picture is the Lord Jesus Christ asking. The slave owner who the one who owns the slaves. Who is the one who owns the slaves? Owns the sinner if you please. Well, it's the God of this world is he not.

He's the one I remember going into one village on the Sudan Ethiopian border that was quite an experience because I had sent our Major Domo one who helped me and had come with me a thatch great big tall chap from our Over balut on the Dinka area where we lived and I'd sent him ahead with one of the local people to find the chief and Asked the chief if he'd receive us and if it would be possible for us to spend the night in the nearest village and instead of the chief waiting With the way he'd run ahead and was probably Five ten minutes ahead of us.

Instead of his way the chief waiting for us to come we noticed this old man. He was very old. Oh, he was old probably 5055 but in that part of Africa 50 years got to be real old and he was decrepit because of disease and sickness and he had someone on each side of him helping him out and.

And he's standing right there in the path when I came up. And he's looked at me square in the eyes and he spoke. And it was translated to me. I didn't know his language. And the words were why have you been so long?

And I said, please ask him to Why have you been so long? Why didn't you come before? And then he started to speak and it was translated to us. He said I was a little boy like this. When I went with my father over there.

To where the Sun sets where the government is Malachal In upper Nile province and he said you spoke that day well, it wasn't me, but it was someone a missionary that has spoken and You told us that God loves us.

And you gave us the name of his son, I don't remember the name of his son. But that God loves us and you told my father and you promised my father that you would come and tell us about about God's love.

And he said every night my father would come out here and he'd stand and look for you. You never came. And then when my father died and I became the chief I'd come out here and stand and You never came.

Why have you been so long? We knew nothing about that, of course, but he associated one missionary with all one messenger with all. And so tried to explain. We said come into my village and we walked with him as we came in outside the first hut at the edge of the village was a witch doctor's hut house and the witch doctor was there and a young girl Oh, I'd say 17 16 to 18 something like that was seated on the ground.

And the witch doctor was there and he had a Spear blade it had been Sharpened down. It was fairly short not more than that much blade. And he had a stone and he was rub it and he had a cooking pot turned over sooted bottom and It could tell he had been cutting on one half of the girl's back in the past and it had healed.

Now he was about a third of the way down the other half of her back other side of her back and The girl would sit there and he would take this spear and they'd rub it on his On his thigh to get it sterile and then he would take that it and he would cut an incision in the girl's back.

Then he'd reach over and take the suit off this cooking pot and fill the incision with soot. So when it healed it would heal with a ridge and I stood there and it seemed to me as though The dramatic scene I was seeing which was shocking and just just shattering to me as I'd never seen Secretarization being carried out before.

I'd seen the effects of it, but I'd never seen it. Here's this girl sitting there undergoing enormous pain. But Playing with a little piece of grass absolutely poised. And no wincing no grimacing nothing demonstrating her strength will.

But seemed to me I was something else was there. Yes, we hadn't been there before. Yes. He had been a little child. He had heard the missionary the missionary had said he would come he hadn't gotten there.

I was the first one ever to come into the village named the name of Christ, but it seemed to me that Another was in that little seed an invisible figure Satan the god of this world. As though he were Taunting me Laughing at this thing and God and then there's his son Christ as much as to say yes, you made her in your image.

And you gave your life for her but these Have been so busy with so many things. Haven't been here. She's mine. I can cut her and mark her and brand her. She belongs to me. That's the essence of it. God of this world has blinded the eyes of them which believe not.

And the synchronization is nothing more than the kind of a thing They burn into the cattle out west so that when they're raising together They can mark to whom they belong. Brand the brand of course is tribal, but the brand is also to the God of this world.

Slaves Own possess branded and it's as though the Lord Jesus is looking at such a scene and He is saying What will it cost? To buy in the marketplace where this slave is. And the answer you want to redeem her and him.

And you and me. You want to buy in the marketplace? Then you're going to have to give your self the great God and Savior Jesus Christ gave him so that he might. Have you ever seen the Lord Jesus in mind's eye and memory through the scripture as he's in the garden praying?

Have you ever wondered? Why? Perspiration Should so be forced from him by the inner pressure that it was like clots of blood just clots of perspiration falling from. Oh I have one time I thought it was the The the number of my sins that put the pressure on the Lord.

Another time I thought it was the excruciating penalty for my sins that put the pressure on the Lord, but I'm convinced in my heart now That the thing that drove the perspiration like clots of blood from the brow of our Lord Was the corruption when he had to be made to be what we were.

That we might be made to be what he is he gave him so that he might Redeem us. He might buy us in the marketplace. But there's another word translated redeem. It's the same little word To buy in the marketplace, but it has a precept prefix in front of it ex ex agarazo.

And it means to buy out From the marketplace by in the marketplace, but to take out from the marketplace. It's a transaction completed in the marketplace but now that the transfer has been made and the Prisoner is now the possession of the new buyer the slave is it now they can walk out of the marketplace.

Been bought out of it. He didn't die to save us in our sins. Thou shalt call his name Jesus or he shall save his people from their sins ex agarazo to buy out of buy from The marketplace. Wasn't his intention just to transfer title and leave you and me there the slaves of the God of this world.

Governed by his whim and fancy and wish and will He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself. That these slaves that had been the voluntary slaves Should be brought out of the marketplace.

But there's a third word translated redeem. And that's the little Greek word lutro l-u-t-r-o. Lutro and lutro means to lose. The slave has shackles of habit attitude and a memory and the desire and so bought in the marketplace and bought out of the marketplace and.

And now it's as though he comes and he takes the knife of his love and he cuts through those bonds. Whole story of the preacher went to a woman said. You know, dear you're just tearing this church up with your exaggeration and your misrepresentation.

Oh, well, I know pastor, but it's not my fault. I inherited it from my mother. The Lord Jesus gave himself for us that he might redeem us loose us from all the habits and attitudes and traits and Dispositions we inherited from Adam or from our mother or from our neighbors or from whatever sort to lose us free us.

He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity. And then there's a fourth word also translated by the little word redeem and It's a pollute rose to a pollute rose. And it means to permanently Set free.

So it's never to be forced back into bondage. Did you hear me? Permanently set free. So it's never to be forced back into bondage again. Oh, you can go back into bondage, but you can't be forced back into bondage.

You go because you choose. Not because you have to. There's no force in earth. No force in hell. It can force a child of God back into sin. The only thing that it can do it is his own choice. Because he permanently set us free so that we would never be subject to being forced back into bondage.

God is faithful. Who will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able but will with the temptation Make a way of escape. That we may be able to bear. He gave himself for us that he might Redeem us from all iniquity.

And purify unto himself a purchased people Zealous of good works. I suppose one of the clearest pictures of Of Sinner In this Bible is Samson. Samson was made for fellowship with God. Made to serve a high and noble purpose.

They made so that he could fulfill God's great plan for him. But Samson was led aside by his appetites and his urges and his drives and his propensities. And though warned again and again He still chose to disobey and so We have some effects of this thing.

Samson as a Picture of Sin’s Bondage

What was the first thing they did when? To Samson when once his power was gone by his Decisions they put his eyes out. Oh first thing they did would bind him wasn't it? That's the first thing. They bound him.

Binding binding it just weaves. You know the father that had his sons that were all was scrapping. And he said now boy Are you a man or a boy? To break that stick. Haha. Anybody can break it break it with my thumb.

You break it break it with my thumb, right he said here's this string. Now what I want you to do is break this just like that. I said, all right now I want to show you something. He said here's your stick Tom and here's yours dick and here's yours Harry and here's yours bill.

Put the all of his boys gave him the sticks and he put them together. Now he said I want you said you could break that string did you know. I said I want you to see what I'm gonna do and he put those that string and he Wrapped it around again and again and again and again and again in the same place.

Then he moved up. And then he moved up and then he moved up till he put several times that string that they could break in those sticks. Now he said let's see what can happen. Here you broke it. So you break that break it together.

Well, I can't do that. Then any rest of you think you can. You break that string. I can't do that either. Well, I said that's what I want you to understand your attitudes and the things you do they're like that string.

They're just gonna hold you now you boys keep fighting with each other and it's you're gonna just destroy yourselves. But if you'll stick together. And stay there. There isn't anybody strong enough to break you.

Well father's way of trying to teach his sons some of the facts of life, but that's what sin does to us. It binds us just wraps that little thing that we could have said no to until it becomes a deeply ingrained Habit and something that's committed.

That's what they did to Samson. They bound him with something. He could have broke. Did break but now this is change. Then when they couldn't get loose they heeded the poker and they burned out his eyes.

Sin is binding. And sin is blinding the God of this world blinded the minds of them which believe now put the hood of death over and then. The next thing they did with Samson was taken down into the marketplace and they stripped the harness off of a donkey or an ox and they shortened it here and there and adjusted it once or twice and They put it on Samson.

And they put him out at the end of a sweep and his job was now to crush the sesame. So as to get the oil that they could use and You understand from that don't you that sin is grinding. Binding and blinding and grinding and such were we by our choice by our our consent To be the slaves of the God of this world.

Now the Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for us. That he might redeem us by us out of the marketplace. I try to get truth into perspective that I can understand and can grasp and can live with. And every once in a while. I hear something that I remember.

Because it makes the truth come alive to me. I was preparing message many many years ago on this text. And I had just read in something. I couldn't if you ask me now for my. I Couldn't find it, but I read of a Britisher that had been In the West he'd gone across the Santa Fe Trail.

He happened to be near Sutter's Mill At the time of the discovery of gold. He made a claim mine bind and got a a Lot of gold not many did but he was one of those who did and he saved it. And the time came when he sold his Mine and had enough to go back and redeem the family estate in England and lived there the dignified life that he wanted.

So he decided he'd go back the way he'd come and go over again over the Santa Fe Trail and and would. But this time he would go down to New Orleans to Louisiana and from there by boat To New York and then to England and so He was in New Orleans.

And he did like tourists have done then and since and I did when I was that. He went down to the slave market the difference was that at that time they were selling human beings as slaves and he never seen this happen before and it was Appalled with what was going on to see human beings put up on the block and their points pointed out by the Auctioneer and people bidding for them as though they were just chattel which that time they were considered a young woman Octa maroon and probably high white Was put on the block.

And he heard all the ribald and lascivious talk going on by the buyers among him. He had no intention of doing anything that day. But then he saw one man who said explicitly what his purpose was in buying this woman.

And he became furious with that inner fury. And so he began to bid. And This man they're bidding against him raised his bid. And he would raise it again and still again and finally got tired of the game and he doubled the bed.

Just doubled it highest price ever paid for a slave in the New Orleans. Ma gave him the bill of sale and he paid the money and went over and Went to the block where this woman was standing Reached up to take the rope around her hands and She'd been saving for the moment.

And as he picked up the rope, she looked into his face and hissed with hatred. I hate you. Having first spat full in his face with a mouthful of saliva. He said nothing. He simply took her walk through the crowd open for He went down the street.

He conversed quietly with a man in a corner. Then he asked somewhere and someone else a little further for a certain address. And he went into an office Stood there Handed the bill of sale told the person but the bed, but this is the most unusual and most extraordinary I know it is but I want you to do it.

The woman is standing there cowering saying muttering I hate you I hate you. And finally the papers are drawn and they're signed and they're sealed and they're delivered to him and he pays the fee. And he takes the paper and he walks over to the woman and he takes the rope off of her wrists.

And he said here This is your manumission paper for free you bought me To set me free. You paid more for me Than any one who's ever been sold in that market. You didn't buy me to use me. You bought me tears rolled out her cheeks.

She fell to the floor. She put her face in his rough miner's boot and looked up and said oh, you bought me to set all I asked Is let me serve you. As long as I what he paid was nothing in comparison to what the Lord Jesus.

Responding to Christ’s Costly Redemption

All he had to pay was gold coin. The Lord Jesus had to give himself himself. He had to be made what we were. We might be what he is. He gave himself for us That he might redeem us from all of it and purify unto himself a peculiar people.

Ought we not Bathe those nail wounded feet with our tears and from our hearts look into his face and say Lord Jesus. All I ask as long as I live Is just to serve you just to do what you want. That's what this text tells us.

The great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave himself for us. That he might buy us out of vile bondage. And purify us unto himself a peculiar purchased people and sell us in good luck. Father in heaven such love such wondrous life measureless boundless inconceivable.

We can't understand how thou couldst love us at all knowing ourselves. But to know that you loved us when you knew the worst about us and that there's nothing we'll ever find out about ourselves that will surprise thee.

Or make you change your mind about loving us giving your son. You loved us and you gave your son Up to this that he should give himself For us. That he might buy us in the marketplace. Buy us out of the marketplace and loose Permanently set us free so he'd never be forced back into bondage again.

Oh father of Jesus. Somehow move upon our hearts until overcome with wonder Love and awe like Thomas of old we cry my Lord my God and with it a total abandonment and commitment of all we are and all We have to him that end father Seal we pray thee our thoughts our meditation.

On this portion of thy lovely word May it become quick and real to us. May it accomplish its purpose in this through us. May the Lord Jesus in us see of the travail of his soul And be satisfied That his love his gift his sacrifice was not in vain.

We ask it in his worthy name.