Healthy Church | Healthy Life: Week 10

Paul calls believers in Titus 3:3-7 to remember who they were, rejoice in what God has done, and respond to who they are in Christ. Remembering the old life is not an exercise in shame. It is a safeguard against looking down on people who still need the same mercy that rescued the church. Paul includes himself among those who were once foolish and disobedient. The gospel leaves no room for spiritual superiority.

Sin deceives, disobeys, dictates, detests, desires, and destroys. It clouds judgment, rejects rightful authority, and turns pleasures into chains. Malice makes other people share in misery. Envy steals contentment and poisons relationships. Hatred makes people hurt those they should love and resent those they should serve. Believers cannot honestly remember that pit and then stand over others in judgment.

The words “but when” mark the great turn: God did not leave sinners there. His goodness and loving kindness appeared in Jesus Christ. The manger, the cross, and the promised appearing in glory show that God cares and has actually shown up. Salvation comes not through righteous works but according to his mercy.

The Holy Spirit does not merely polish an old life. Regeneration brings the spiritually dead to life, and renewal continues the work of transformation. God does not rescue sinners and leave them to manage alone. He pours out his Spirit richly through Jesus Christ, filling broken vessels whose lives can carry that grace to others.

Grace also changes the believer’s standing and future. God justifies sinners because of what Jesus has done and welcomes them as heirs of eternal life. Mephibosheth’s place at David’s table pictures that undeserved welcome: an enemy receives kindness, a household, and an inheritance. Those rescued by mercy are called to extend mercy, returning to the places of their rescue with good news rather than contempt.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Remembered Mercy Leaves No Room For Superiority. Paul includes himself among the foolish and disobedient rather than placing himself above them. Remembering former bondage keeps spiritual growth from becoming an excuse for looking down on others. The church’s place among the redeemed rests on mercy, not intelligence, willpower, or ability. [38:06]
• 2. Sin Promises Satisfaction And Delivers Bondage. The pleasures that appear to offer freedom can become the very things that dictate a person’s life. God’s good gifts become chains when they overtake the heart instead of pointing it back to him. Honest remembrance names that slavery rather than dressing it up as independence. [44:56]
• 3. New Birth Is More Than Polish. Regeneration is not God making an old life look a little better; the Spirit brings the spiritually dead to life. Renewal means that the same Spirit continues teaching and enabling believers to live that new life. Dependence on God does not end at conversion, because spiritual infants were never meant to survive on their own. [55:07]
• 4. God Pours His Spirit Out Richly. God does not save people and then hand them scraps of help. His Spirit is poured out richly through Jesus Christ, and that abundance overflows into other people’s lives. Brokenness does not disqualify believers from usefulness, because the power belongs to God rather than to people who have everything together. [58:49]
• 5. Grace Gives Enemies A Family Place. Justification rests on what Jesus has done, not on a sinner’s achievements or promises. Becoming an heir means receiving an inheritance because of belonging to the family, not because of earning a reward. Like Mephibosheth welcomed to David’s table, believers receive a place that kindness provides and merit could never secure. [1:03:19]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [21:59] - No Longer Who They Used To Be
• [31:40] - Remembering Where Mercy Found Believers
• [34:43] - Remember, Rejoice, And Respond
• [37:20] - The Gospel Leaves No Room For Superiority
• [39:18] - Sin Deceives And Fuels Foolishness
• [43:16] - Sin Disobeys, Enslaves, And Destroys
• [48:07] - Reaching Those Others Overlook
• [51:14] - God Did Not Leave Sinners There
• [54:44] - Regeneration And Renewal By The Spirit
• [58:23] - The Spirit Poured Out Richly
• [1:02:06] - Justified By Grace And Made Heirs
• [1:03:43] - Mephibosheth At The King’s Table
• [1:08:27] - Rescued People Extend Mercy
• [1:10:29] - Responding To God Rather Than Ignoring Him

Bible Reading

Titus 3:3-7
“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” [29:39]

Ezekiel 36:25-27
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” [57:20]

2 Samuel 9:1-13
“And David said, 'Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?' Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. And they called him to David. And the king said to him, 'Are you Ziba?' And he said, 'I am your servant.' And the king said, 'Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?' Ziba said to the king, 'There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.' The king said to him, 'Where is he?' And Ziba said to the king, 'He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.' Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, 'Mephibosheth!' And he answered, 'Behold, I am your servant.' And David said to him, 'Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.' So he paid homage and said, 'What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?' Then the king called Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, 'All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master's grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall always eat at my table.' Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, 'According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.' So Mephibosheth ate at David's table, like one of the king's sons. And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet.” [01:03:43]

Observation questions

1. In Titus 3:3, whom does Paul include in his description of life before salvation? What kinds of damage does he describe sin doing to people and their relationships? [38:06]
2. As Titus 3:4–6 moves from humanity’s sin to God’s rescue, what does Paul identify as the basis of salvation, and what role does the Holy Spirit play? [54:52]
3. In Ezekiel 36:25–27, what changes does God promise to make in his people? Who takes the initiative and carries out those changes? [57:20]
4. In 2 Samuel 9:1–13, why does David seek out Mephibosheth, and what concrete acts of kindness change Mephibosheth’s circumstances? [01:05:12]

Interpretation questions

1. Why should Paul’s inclusion of himself in Titus 3:3 challenge a believer who looks down on someone still caught in sin? How can remembering past sin encourage humility without becoming an exercise in shame? [38:08]
2. What is the difference between receiving new life through regeneration and simply improving someone’s behavior? Why does the Spirit’s ongoing renewal remain necessary after conversion? [55:07]
3. If salvation rests on God’s mercy rather than righteous works, what place should obedience have in a believer’s life? How does this distinction challenge someone who tries to earn God’s acceptance? [54:44]
4. How does Mephibosheth’s welcome at David’s table help illustrate the undeserved welcome described in Titus 3:7? What difference is there between receiving an inheritance through belonging and earning a reward through achievement? [01:03:23]

Application questions

1. When you think about where God’s mercy found you, what change in your life brings you gratitude? How might remembering that mercy soften your attitude toward someone you find easy to judge? Share only what you feel comfortable sharing. [01:09:00]
2. Pleasures can become chains when they begin to rule the heart. Is there something good—such as comfort, entertainment, success, or approval—that has begun to demand too much of your attention? What might a small step toward freedom look like this week? [43:00]
3. Envy steals contentment and poisons relationships. Where has comparison made it difficult for you to appreciate God’s provision or celebrate another person’s good news? What could help you respond with gratitude instead? [46:14]
4. The Spirit continues to renew believers rather than leaving them to manage alone. Where are you most tempted to say, “I’ve got this,” or to give up because you feel inadequate? What would depending on his help look like in that situation? [56:14]
5. God’s acceptance rests on what Jesus has done, not on your achievements or promises. When you fail, do you tend to hide from God, work harder to prove yourself, or turn toward him? How could remembering your place in his family change your next response? [01:02:23]
6. People rescued by mercy are called to extend mercy. Who in your family, workplace, or community might you have overlooked or kept at a distance? What is one thoughtful way you could show kindness and make room for a conversation about the hope Christ gives? [01:09:50]