July 23, 2019 -- Titus 2:11-14 -- You a lightweight?

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Titus 2:11-14 ESV

What great grace God gives believers in Jesus Christ! We are transformed from hell-bound sinners into heaven-bound saints. The heaven-bound saint realizes worldly passions and ungodliness are weights and encumbrances which steal joy and cloud the vision of the glory of our great God and Savior.

Glory is a difficult term for us to understand. There is an expression that used to be more common. Remember when you’d call some “a light-weight”. It meant the person didn’t have much to recommend him in whatever field or area of supposed expertise he claimed to have. In the Old Testament “glory” originally means weight. God is the heavy-weight, He is substantial. In the New Testament, glory is brilliance, radiance, and bright light.

Paul writing to Titus notes that the glory of God outweighs any other consideration. The glory of God shines brighter than anything else we might consider worthy of praise. The radiance of God’s glory draws us, like a moth to the brightness. Ever have it, at night, you get up and there is a bit of light leaking through the curtains. It is dim, but enough to make your way to the hall. Where you turn on a light and suddenly you have to shield your eyes because of the brightness?! Then when you turn off the light, the darkness is deeper because you’ve just been exposed to the bright light? Even in a room that is familiar where you know the placement of your furniture you begin to stumble because your eyes are struggling to adjust to the suddenly gloom.

So it is for Christians, the eyes of our soul have seen the splendid glory of Jesus Christ—the things of this world are dim and shrouded in darkness. Suddenly the things that seemed important and weighed heavily on us are exposed as encumbrances and light-weight useless stuff to be discarded when compared with the gravitas of the majesty and goodness of God. No wonder Christians who understand Who Christ is have a zeal to do good works. The good works are not carried out in order to curry favour with God—the good works are enthusiastically pursued because of the glory of God—Who has already claimed us in Christ and called us sons and daughters. It is the joy of the soul, the heart, the mind and the strength of the Christian to serve God.

Thank You, God our Father, that grace has appeared and set the world ablaze with weight the Your splendour seen clearly in the work of Jesus Christ. Thank You, Jesus, that You would not leave us lost in darkness and hell-bound, but by Your sacrifice and the power of Your resurrection have rescued us and set us heaven-bound toward the never-ending jubilation of eternity in Your presence. Thank You, Spirit of God, that You stir up within us the awareness the greatness of the inheritance given us in Christ and that You keep us safe in path of obedience. Forgive us, merciful Father, for the times we have turned back to deeds of darkness and former sins. Forgive us when we stoked bitterness in our hearts or nurtured resentments. Sweep through the whole of our being—every part and place so that we are cleansed and fitted for holy service. Help us, Spirit of God, to hate the old ways of life more and more and to delight ever more fully in the things of God and the lasting pleasures which are found only in devoted service to You. Amen.