Doing Good - How Doing Good Will Change Your World, Part 2

Have you ever noticed when you do something nice for someone else, when you're kind or generous that you benefit? There's something that happens inside your heart and your emotions that's really positive. But did you know that when you act kind and generous to others, it can actually change other people's world forever?

That's today. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. I'm Dave Druey, and Chip's our Bible teacher for this international discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christians. Well, in just a minute, we'll wrap up our series Doing Good with the second half of Chip's message, How Doing Good Will Change Your World. For the past several programs, we've been studying the book of Titus, and we've learned that two simple words, do good, helped first century believers navigate a very anti-Christian society and radically transformed their world.

We hope you've learned a lot from this series, but if you've missed any of it, you can catch up anytime at livingontheedge.org or by listening on the Chip Ingram app. As we dive back into Titus chapter three, Chip continues emphasizing our call to love and respect everyone, no matter what. So let's get started. God says to me, and He says to you, I want you to treat these people that I have created, and I want you to treat these people that whether they receive the gift or not, I believe that every person on the face of the earth was worthy of the price tag of the blood of my son Jesus. And so regardless of their color, regardless of their education, regardless if they're dirty, regardless if they're smelly, regardless if they're rich, regardless if they're poor, I want you to treat every person 24-7 like a very important person, whether they have the penthouse or whether they're the elevator operator, whether they're the person in front of McDonald's or the people that owns the McDonald's chain. I want you to treat everyone regardless of their political views, regardless of their lifestyles, regardless of how they live, regardless of how many tattoos or piercings they have or how many Rolex watches they wear. I want you to treat them as a very important person. And the apostle Paul said, when we do that, you'll change your community.

That's what we do. Christians who live like Christians in our community obey the law, serve their community, guard their tongue, refuse to fight, are winsome and forbearing, and they treat everyone like a VIP. In the rest of this chapter, he's going to say why.

Why is this a non-negotiable? Got your Bible handy? We're going to pick up the story, chapter 3, verse 3.

The NIV says, at one time, if you have a new American standard, it says for, in the original language there's a little word for, it means there's a reason. The reason we're to live like that is this. For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. The first reason that we have to live like the apostle Paul, filled by the Holy Spirit, shared with us is because of our former life.

Our former life demands that we care, demands that we care. These words, there's foolish is not an intellectual. We think of a fool as someone, this means a moral fool. The fool ascended his heart, there is no God. A fool is someone who doesn't have spiritual discernment.

They don't know about spiritual realities. Disobedient means people that are defying authority with their parents, the government, and most of all God. Deceived means actively straying from the course or path that you know is right and following false guides. Enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures, we get that, right? He said, you know, some of us were enslaved with sexual addictions, food addictions, word addictions, alcohol addictions, drug addictions, people pleasing addictions. And then he says, what happened is we had no sense of God, we're deceived, we're living like this, and then envy and malice, it means that when other people are doing well, we resent them for it. And then finally this phrase of being hated and hating, it's literally when our lives get to the point where we continue to degenerate where we're odious and repulsive and disgusting to other people.

There's stuff in your past and there's stuff in your mind and there's stuff that you've done and there's stuff that you've said and there's closet that you have. Here's the deal. There is no room for judgment. There's only room for compassion. Apart from the grace of God, so go all of us. And the apostle Paul said, we got to obey the law and we got to serve and we got to care and we got to love and we got to treat everyone like a VIP because the only difference between us and them is that we used to be here and we've received grace and we're over here. So we need to look back and we need to care the way God cared for us. One of the great delights of ministering in Santa Cruz was the non-religious nature. And I mean everybody was messed up.

It's why Teresa and I fit in so well. I'm dead serious. I never made it to the back or anything. I would get done. I'd come down and be surrounded by people and people, I mean out loud, there was just like they didn't know.

They weren't Christianese. Man, you know, this morning, like, you know, last night I was, I did a couple of things of cocaine and, and you know, and I hear you talking about, you know, the sex stuff. I got an addiction.

So is someone around here can help you? And there's like eight people standing around and I'm thinking, you know what they knew? They just knew we're all in this together. And I watched them and they would bring their friends. I mean, they bring their friends from all kinds of backgrounds.

I remember one particular friend, he was about 6'4", but in high heels, he was really tall, always wore a bright red dress. And I always made it a point to go shake his hand, let him know I'm really glad you're here and that God loved him. That was one of the great joys. You know what is, there wasn't a sense of judgment there. There wasn't a sense of us and then. There was a sense of we've been forgiven.

How do you view? I think some Christians think that those outside of Christ are like the enemy and God's saying, I died for them. I love them. You must treat them with love. Yes, with truth, but with love because I made them. And the way we will reach them is the way that you got reached. It's the kindness of God that brings about repentance. But it's not simply because our former life demands that we care, it's because our new life demands that we share. Follow along in verse four.

Notice it starts with but. He talks about the former way that all of us lived to some degree or another, but when the kindness and the love of God our Savior appeared. That's that word epiphany.

It means at a historical point in time, in space time history, Jesus came to the earth, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, was killed, paid for the sins of all men of all time, rose from the dead, ascended to the right hand of God. But at the right time the kindness and love of our Savior appeared. He saved us. And then he's going to give the basis for it. Not because of righteous things we've done, but because of his mercy he saved us.

How? Through the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, purpose clause. So that having been justified by his grace we might become heirs, heirs with God, having hope of eternal life. And this is a trustworthy statement and I want to stress these things so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. The divine intervention he saved us.

Write that down will you? He saved us. Two key words, kindness and the love, literally it's a very interesting compound word. The motivation here, the divine intervention, kindness is pity or concern and a heart that is moved by someone's condition. God saw your sin and my sin and our broken relationships and our lying and our posing and all of our stuff and instead of being repulsed even though he's holy, his heart was I want to help. The compound word, the love of man is phileo, you know like Philadelphia and the other word we get is for mankind, like anthropology. And those two words are stuck together.

The God of the universe totally apart from anything he sees in you or me or any person, his heart and compassion is to save and to love and to care. And it was an intervention. I saw an intervention. It wasn't done really well and Dr. Drew didn't show up and we didn't have a lot of professionals but my dad's alcoholism went from mild to not mild to extreme to not coming home and I remember the intervention and I was there, my sister was there and my dad was there and my mom was like this, Reb, that was his name was Ralph that called him Reb. Reb, you got a decision to make.

You can have me and the kids and she held up this bottle, us or them. Intervention, you got 24 hours. My dad was a smart guy. He never took another drink. Now I wish he would have got counseling, I wish he got help. He later became a Christian. Can you understand that God intervened for you?

He came to earth, he intervened. Last night I was at the door and one of the people that were serving as an usher, just a casual conversation and another guy's kids are grown. They had a friend who's a single mom. Single mom had four children and she died in July.

No family, no relatives. This man and his wife went to his kids and said, you know, we feel like we should give generously and we should love extravagantly and they're of a different ethnic background than this man and we're sensing God wants us to adopt all four of these kids and they did. You know, when we came and we talked and we dreamed and we prayed and we talked about doing good, that's doing good. That's doing good. That's not like I did a nice little good deed or I brought coffee for someone at work.

All that's great but those are all the training wheels. When you and I start doing good where it cost us like that, we will receive grace and you know what, can you imagine what all his friends are thinking? You're an idiot, right? What were you thinking? And then the other thing they're thinking is where in the world do you get something inside of you to make that level of sacrifice? I will tell you this, there are four lives that will be changed forever and ever and ever and ever and who knows how many others and it's going to look different for all of us but the question that God is asking you today and me today is what's it look like for you? You know, we talk about change the world.

Here's how the world gets changed. It gets changed when you change your world and you change your world when you do good in your home, when you do good at work and when you do good in your community and so he says he saved us, he intervened and now he's kind of going to break down the basis of that salvation. Notice it's not because you're so wonderful, not by works of righteousness what we have done. Basically you can't earn your way to God's favor.

He's really clear. Doing good is so important it has nothing to do with being saved. It has nothing to do with being delivered out of your sin and being delivered into relationship. Not by works of righteousness but according to his mercy. Mercy means that someone deserves something and you withhold the punishment they deserve. It's God's mercy. It's his kindness.

It is love. Salvation is all about what God has done. We receive it by faith but it's his work and then notice the means of salvation by the washing of regeneration. Literally it's a picture of the new birth when Jesus was walking upon the earth and he'd done multiple miracles and one very smart moral religious man who was a religious leader came to him by night and he said we know that you're from God because no one except someone from God could do all the miracles that you do. And before he could even ask a specific question Jesus said to him Nicodemus unless a man is born again you cannot enter the kingdom of God.

And Nicodemus I mean this is this brilliant guy. This is this brilliant guy had probably most all of the Old Testament memorized schooled trained moral squeaky clean. And he goes I don't get it. That's Chip's translation. I don't get it because I'm getting pretty big and I couldn't go back my mother's womb.

He said no you don't understand. Physical life demands a physical birth. Spiritual life demands a spiritual birth. That which was born of water picturing of the birth the water breaks is flesh.

That which is born of the spirit is spirit. Nicodemus how can you a teacher of Israel not understand that you must have a second birth. You need to understand that you despite your religion and your morality you've sinned against a holy God and you need to recognize that you fall short of his perfection repent of your sin and the empty hands of faith ask him to forgive you and the new covenant is the spirit of the living God will come inside your mortal body washing your sins away and regenerating you as the spirit takes up presence. In the early church baptism was so linked so linked to salvation because it was so public.

Then when you went public then you might get disowned. When a Gentile wanted to convert to Judaism they would have a baptism he would baptize himself he would go under water my old life has died and now I'm coming I'm a Jew. And in the early church when people would trust in Christ in fact notice how how closely they trust in Christ's baptism trust in Christ's baptism because they were going public with their faith and so uses this washing that symbolic washing of baptism is the picture of what God has done spiritually and I think in some circles we've tried to make it so clear that it's not the actual act of being baptized that saves you we have hundreds and hundreds of Christians that have not obeyed God and done good in some of the most basic first steps as a follower of Christ. Being baptized going public recognizing that you're not ashamed of the gospel of Christ you want the world to know and so he tells us not only the the means of salvation but then he talks about the result the result of our salvation he says therefore having been justified that means we have a new standing with God. Justification literally the word it's it's a this is a legal perspective justification is declaring just as if you hadn't sinned it would be like if you went before a judge and had all these things and you owed five billion dollars and you're going to be in jail until you can pay all five billion dollars and Jesus would show up and say tell you what I'll take the debt of that five billion dollars on me and I want everything in my account put on her or him and so God in a legal action justifies you and so views you as a son or a daughter just as though you have never sinned and in your new legal position the imputed righteousness of Christ you never have to earn God's favor you are the object of his affection not because you're wonderful because Jesus is wonderful and so you're covered with a robe of righteousness. The next he says not only are you legally declared but you have a new family relationship now you're an heir what's an heir? What an heir is you're related to someone so what they have you have access to right your heirs get your money your heirs get your house your heirs get your cars your heirs get your stuff well what does Jesus have? Every spiritual blessing in heaven. Ephesians 1 says every spiritual blessing you have you're seated with him all God's resources his power his love his spirit that's now the moment you trust in Christ and forever and then finally it's interesting not only does he legally declare you as a son or daughter and say that you're now an heir with full privileges but he says there's a new mandate from God he says be careful to do good works that's like a new vocation he says you're never saved by works but once you are saved when you at a certain time on a certain day turn from your sin and receive the grace of God he says your new job description is you're like an ambassador you're like an agent of light an agent of love it's Jesus living in you by his spirit directing you through his word encouraging you through his body and when you wake up there's your neighborhood and you're the agent of light you're at work you're the agent of light there's a need you're an agent of love and the love of Christ and the light of Christ you do good and when you do good they glorify your father who's in heaven and say why would someone who doesn't know me adopt me why would someone who doesn't care loan me money why is someone who doesn't care and I totally disagree with him and treat me with dignity do you get it it's what like Jesus has said I've given you the cure for cancer or I've given you the cure for HIV and now are you going to hoard it because people are dying they're dying all around you their marriages are dying their families are dying they're struggling in their finances they're depressed they drink too much they take too many pills they're discouraged what do they need they need delivered they need delivered out of and delivered into and how are they gonna know that God cares when you do good where you're at with who you know just the way God made you in fact he gives some final words to Titus in verses 9 through 15 because there's some big enemies of living this way notice as we pick it up he says but notice again there's a contrast but avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law because these are unprofitable and useless in other words don't get distracted I mean there's some Christians that get so bent out of shape about minor things and they beat that drum and beat that drum and beat that drum he says don't go there life's too short and some things are too important he goes on warn a divisive person literally a heretic once and then warn him a second time and after that have nothing to do with him I mean don't don't fight these battles I know as a Christian growing up I thought to myself if Jesus is really real and unity and love then why are there like 17,000 denominations and all these people that when you talk to this group in this group they talk so bad about one another he says don't put up with that don't put up with it in your small group don't put up with in your church you got to be unified around all the things that matter and important he said you may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful he's self-condemned and then he kind of just closes with some final remarks he says you know as soon as I send Artemis and Tichias to you do your best to come to me at Nicopolis because I have decided to enter there do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way they have make sure they have everything they need and then he kind of closes like just in case Titus you missed the point of the whole letter okay just just in case you sort of miss something our people must learn process to devote themselves to what doing good doing good God can change your neighborhood your workplace your home your community and I believe he will now the question for you is what are you going to do the question for some of you is when I went through what it meant to have a personal relationship with Christ you realize I either don't know for sure that I have that or I'm pretty sure I don't you can't do good out of your own strength for any amount of time God is good and when he lives in you he will do good in you and then through you and so your application is to let God do good for you and receive him today as your Savior before we go on today I think it's extremely important that we don't gloss over what you just heard there's many people listening right now the fact of the matter is is that this is an appointed divine appointment where the living God wants you to know he wants to do good for you through Jesus Christ he's paid for your sin Jesus has risen from the dead to prove that it's true and grace is the free offer of God to say to you would you be willing to turn from your sin to admit that you have need and to say to God you're sorry for what you've done and ask him to right now at this moment you can be driving your car and talk to him you can pull off to the side of the road and the Spirit of God that sense that you have that something's happening is him probing your heart to say I love you I'm for you I want to do good I want to give you the greatest gift ever I want to give you eternal life my son came he died in your place he rose from the dead and he's asking you will you receive life and then follow me all the days of your life if that's your heart's desire then it's a transfer of trust right now in your mind or if you can stop and and even speak out loud you can pray dear God I come to you in the name of Jesus and I admit to you that I do fall short of being perfect I've messed up I've hurt people and I'm sorry I want to ask you right now to forgive me for all my sins I ask you to come into my life right now this minute fill me with your spirit and Lord will you help me to follow you all the days of my life thank you very much for your forgiveness on this day in Jesus name and what I want you to know is that God has forgiven you because it's not based on what you can or would do it's based on what he's already done he loves you and as you pray that prayer you're transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light and you are now his son or daughter and so your next step is to call the greatest Christian you know or text them or tell someone today I prayed to receive Jesus Christ as my savior now I need some help I don't know much about the Bible I don't know where there's a good Bible teaching church but I know I'm a brand new baby in Christ and I I need and want some help so get a New Testament that you can understand and dig in and just see the great plan God has for you if you prayed with Chip we'd love to put a resource in your hands it's called starting out right and it's absolutely free this resource will help you gain a clear biblical understanding what it means to put your faith in Jesus and that's our whole mission here at Living on the Edge helping Christians really live like Christians so let us help you get started in your faith journey you can request this resource by calling triple eight three three three six zero zero three or visiting Living on the Edge org then clicking on the new believers button that's Living on the Edge org or call triple eight three three three six zero zero three well chip still with me in studio and chip throughout this series you've really shared some practical ways we can do good toward others but you know the problem is people are still secluded and there's not a lot of fellowship or connection happening now what are we doing to encourage people to get re-engaged again well Dave that is a great question and there's a reason that we put this series on at this time in our nation's history Peter would write to a group of Christians that were undergoing intense persecution very very difficult time for believers they were maligned life was very very difficult and he writes to them and says live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day that he visits you know the fact of the matter is as our words our arguments our positions our posting on Facebook or Instagram are not necessarily going to change the world very much but acts of kindness acts of love especially to those who would think that you don't care we are calling the church in this season to do good to love our neighbor as ourself and we're reminding everyone that when Jesus said who is your neighbor it's the person who's in proximity to you regardless of what they look like what color they are what their view is and political issues when we as God's children love our neighbor when we do good we make a difference I'm imagining in my mind's eye thousands of groups of Christians gathering together in small groups studying what it looks like to do good and then coming up with plans where you do good in neighborhoods in your community and in workplaces in ways where critics are silenced God's name is glorified and change really begins to happen let me encourage you be a part of one of those groups do good make a difference God promises he will use it thanks Chip well let me encourage you to get plugged in to the small group resources for this series join Chip as he unpacks why being others centered is important to God and has the power to turn our world upside down learn more about the small group resources for doing good by going to livingontheedge.org or by calling 888-333-6003 that's 888-333-6003 or livingontheedge.org app listeners tap special offers as we wrap up today's program I want to say thank you to those who make this program possible through your generous giving if you've been blessed by chips teaching and you'd like to bless others in the same way there's never been a better time because thanks to some very generous friends of the ministry when you make a donation between now and July 7th it'll be matched dollar for dollar if today's your day to join the team just go to livingontheedge.org tap donate on the app or give us a call at 888-333-6003 that's 888-333-6003 on behalf of everyone here thanks in advance for your generosity well that wraps up this program until next time this is Dave Druey saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.