17 May 2026 | Titus 3:1-15

Devotional

Day 1: Washed in Rebirth’s Waters

The Cretans once drowned in lies and violence. Pirates raided ships, neighbors betrayed neighbors, and empty pleasures ruled. But Paul wrote Titus: “God saved us through the washing of rebirth.” Imagine Roman soldiers scrubbing bloodstained hands in basins. Now picture Christ’s blood purifying hearts. The same power that raised Jesus floods believers, turning pirates into peacemakers. [01:04:24]

This rebirth isn’t self-improvement. The Holy Spirit rewires desires, replacing malice with mercy. Just as Crete’s converts stopped plundering ships, believers today trade old patterns for Christ’s likeness. God doesn’t whitewash sin—He drowns it.

You’ve been scrubbed clean. But where does yesterday’s grime still cling? Name one habit, one relationship, one thought-pattern that contradicts your new identity. How will you let the Spirit scrub it today?

“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.”
(Titus 3:5-6, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to expose one stain He wants to cleanse today.
Challenge: Write the word “WASHED” on your mirror. Pray it aloud each time you see it.

Day 2: From Gluttons to Generous

Crete’s tables groaned with stolen feasts. People gorged themselves while others starved. But Paul insisted: “Be ready for every good work.” Converted pirates began sharing bread instead of seizing it. Their full bellies became open hands. The same Spirit who filled Cretan cupboards now fills your capacity to give. [01:12:17]

Good works don’t buy salvation—they broadcast it. Just as Titus’ church fed widows, your daily acts advertise Christ’s generosity. A meal delivered, a bill paid, a grudge forgiven—these are gospel billboards.

Your table holds power. Who around you hungers—physically or spiritually? What’s one tangible way to turn your surplus into someone else’s survival?

“And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”
(Titus 3:14, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for three blessings He’s given you to share.
Challenge: Today, give away one item (food, money, time) you’d normally keep.

Day 3: Quenching Controversy’s Fire

False teachers in Crete argued about genealogies and spiritual trophies. Paul called these debates “unprofitable and useless.” Imagine believers bickering while ships sank offshore. The same happens today when churches fight over secondary issues while neighbors drown in despair. [01:17:28]

Unity protects the gospel’s fragrance. Titus’ church gained credibility by prioritizing love over arguments. When we major on mercy, even critics smell Christ’s aroma.

What minor hill have you been dying on? What good work could you do instead of debating?

“But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.”
(Titus 3:9, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one argumentative tendency. Ask for grace to redirect that energy.
Challenge: When a contentious topic arises today, say: “Let’s discuss this after we pray for [name someone in need].”

Day 4: Saul’s Sword to Paul’s Pen

Saul clutched execution orders, breathing murder. But Damascus Road light blinded him—then healed him. The persecutor became the persecuted, trading violence for vulnerable letters. His sword became a pen declaring: “Christ saves even me.” [01:15:33]

Grace disarms. Paul’s past made him hypersensitive to division. He knew damaged reputations cost souls. Your transformed flaws become gospel megaphones.

What weapon has Christ turned into a tool? How does your past failure uniquely equip you to serve?

“And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’”
(Acts 9:4, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to redeem one regret into a testimony.
Challenge: Text someone: “God’s grace surprised me today when…”

Day 5: Advertisements of Mercy

Roman ships docked at Crete expecting thieves. Instead, they found Christians repairing docks. Believers became walking billboards: “See how they love!” Their good works didn’t save them—they showcased their Savior. [01:29:03]

You’re God’s ad campaign. Every kindness whispers: “This is what Jesus does.” The world judges grace by your groceries for the hungry, your patience with critics, your joy in lack.

Who sees your life daily? What would make them ask: “Why are you like this?”

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity…”
(Titus 2:7, ESV)

Prayer: Beg God to make you “irresistibly Christian” to one person this week.
Challenge: Perform a good deed anonymously today. Leave no trace except a heart changed.

Sermon Summary

Paul sets Titus 3 against a hard backdrop. Crete was a pirate island, a byword for lies, violence and laziness, and the church sat in the middle of it. The gospel, Paul says, has saved a people there, and their behavior must now reflect the gospel. The kindness and love of God appeared in Jesus. The Father, out of mercy, saved through the washing of rebirth at the cross, where the righteous one shed his blood and made the unclean clean. The Spirit renewed, not stingily but poured out generously, so that by grace believers are justified and become heirs of eternal life. Grace is free, but it is not cheap. The cross cost everything, and that costly mercy creates new people. Titus 3 calls that a trustworthy saying.

The gospel then produces a visible life. Being saved means doing good. The image of God, marred by sin, is restored, so God’s people can now mirror God’s goodness. Paul says God prepared good works beforehand, so the saved do not do good to be saved, but because they are saved. That is the sharp difference with every other worldview. Behavior reflects the gospel.

Titus 3 also spells out what that good looks like in a rough world. Believers are to be subject to rulers and authorities, not as traitors or anarchists, but as good citizens who quietly adorn the lordship of Christ even under Caesar. They are to be good neighbors, refusing slander, being peaceable, considerate and gentle toward everyone. Paul’s own story stands as proof. The self-righteous persecutor met the living Christ, dropped the sword of violence, and took up the sword of truth.

Paul then turns practical. Being saved means avoiding controversy. Foolish, stupid disputes and gospel-plus teaching are useless and unprofitable. They fracture the church and make it indistinct from the surrounding world. The gospel is enough. Finally, being saved means enforcing discipline. Divisive people must be warned once, warned twice, then avoided. Wolves in sheep’s clothing prey on the flock. Love for the truth and love for the sheep require firm rebuke.

Paul’s aim is clear. Believers must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good. Titus repeats that call seven times. History shows what happens when the saved live that way. From care for the weak to schools and hospitals, the public beauty of goodness has been a stubborn witness in hostile times. So the text presses a simple charge: devote to doing what is good for the church, the gospel, and the world.

Key Takeaways

1. Grace saves, then goodness follows Grace is not a reward for the good. Grace creates the good. When the Father’s kindness appears, the Son washes and the Spirit renews, a people rise who do good because they have been made new. That order guards the heart from pride and grounds obedience in gratitude and power, not in self-salvation. [63:11]
2. Salvation is trinitarian and complete The Father shows mercy, the Son accomplishes washing through the cross, and the Spirit renews by generous outpouring. Justification by grace makes heirs of life, so nothing needs to be added to gospel grace. Confidence grows where burden once sat, and holiness grows where swagger once lived. [67:07]
3. Goodness looks public and ordinary Subject to rulers, gentle to neighbors, free of slander and quarrels, the saved become an attractive advertisement for Christ. Quiet fidelity in civic life and ordinary kindness on the street are not small things. They are the visible aroma of the new creation. [74:11]
4. Avoid foolish controversies that divide Gospel-plus requirements and status games around lineage or gifts are useless and unprofitable. Such disputes trade the riches of grace for thin tribal wins and leave a church looking just like the world. Wisdom refuses the bait and chooses unity in the truth. [77:28]
5. Warn wolves and guard the flock Love does not tolerate predation. Divisive teachers are warned once, warned twice, then refused, for the sake of the gospel and the vulnerable. Real shepherding names the danger, cuts out the cancer, and keeps the household of faith whole. [81:26]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[58:27] - Turn to Titus and setup
[59:00] - “I like your Christ” challenge
[61:29] - Crete’s lawless backdrop
[62:53] - Big idea: being saved means doing good
[63:25] - Kindness appeared, mercy saved
[64:24] - Washing of rebirth at the cross
[65:22] - Renewal by the Holy Spirit
[67:07] - Justified by grace, heirs of hope
[72:39] - Good citizens and good neighbors
[77:07] - Avoid foolish controversies
[81:26] - Warn divisive people, enforce discipline
[87:15] - What Christians have given the world
[90:16] - Practical devotion to doing good
[93:04] - Closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Titus 3:1-8 (ESV)
1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 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. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 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, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Observation questions

According to Titus 3:4-7, how do the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each uniquely contribute to salvation?
What practical instructions does Paul give in Titus 3:1-2 for believers living in a hostile culture?
In Titus 3:9-11, what specific behaviors does Paul warn believers to avoid, and what consequences do they bring? [01:17:28]
How does the sermon connect the idea of "doing good" to restoring God’s image in believers? [01:09:22]

Interpretation questions

Why does Paul emphasize that good works flow from salvation rather than being a means to salvation (Titus 3:5-8)? How does this contrast with other worldviews? [01:11:03]
Titus 3:10-11 instructs believers to warn divisive people twice before avoiding them. Why is this process necessary for both the church’s health and the individual’s accountability? [01:21:26]
The sermon mentions historical examples of Christians building schools, hospitals, and advocating for justice. Why might public acts of goodness be a powerful witness in a skeptical world? [01:27:15]
How does avoiding "foolish controversies" (Titus 3:9) protect the church’s unity and distinctiveness from the world?

Application questions

In what ordinary, daily situations (e.g., work, neighborhood interactions) could you intentionally reflect God’s kindness and gentleness (Titus 3:2)? What would that look like practically?
Are there any disagreements or debates in your life that might qualify as "foolish controversies" (Titus 3:9)? How could you redirect your focus to gospel-centered priorities instead?
The sermon warns against wolves in sheep’s clothing who disrupt the church. How can you cultivate discernment to recognize false teaching while still extending grace? [01:22:22]
Paul urges believers to "devote themselves to doing good" (Titus 3:8). What is one specific way you can serve your church or community this week to embody this call?
Reflect on a time when you tried to "earn" God’s favor through good behavior. How does understanding salvation as a gift (Titus 3:5) free you to serve joyfully rather than fearfully?
How can you encourage fellow believers to pursue unity and avoid divisiveness in your church? What practical steps would foster this?

Sermon Clips

36s

“So we do good because we have been saved. We don't do good in order to be saved. That is the fundamental difference between Christianity and any other worldview. Every other worldview is about building up interest in the bank of good works in order to achieve salvation. God has done it all by his amazing grace. That's why we do good.”

40s

“That is the eyewitness testimony of the New Testament. This is not just a book written by human hands. It is the witness of god revealed to us through the prophets and through the apostles. It is trustworthy. You can believe it. And that's why the gospel is good news because we are saved by grace. While grace may be free, it is not cheap. It comes at an enormous cost.”

35s

“That's in verse four. And how did Jesus save us? Again, verse five, through the washing of rebirth. That's the cross. Jesus who is without sin, who is completely righteous, who is stainless and spotless, goes to the cross and he is nailed to that cross, and his body is broken, and his blood is shed, and he washes us clean of our sin. That is how Jesus makes us clean.”

32s

“We can reflect god by doing good because god is not only the source of goodness. God is goodness itself. As Jesus says in Mark's gospel, no man is good. Only god is good. But also, we do good because as Saint Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, god has prepared in advance for us good works to do so that no one can boast.”

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St James Muswell Hill This sermon · AI assistant

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17 May 2026 | Titus 3:1-15

Devotional

Day 1: Washed in Rebirth’s Waters

Day 2: From Gluttons to Generous

Day 3: Quenching Controversy’s Fire

Day 4: Saul’s Sword to Paul’s Pen

Day 5: Advertisements of Mercy

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

17 May 2026 | Titus 3:1-15

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