Titus 3

B1 This is a list of rules that reflects God’s kingdom, worldview, plan, and lifestyle for all Christians

B2 Some rules to live by

C1 To obey secular authorities as much as possible. God must be first. Acts 5:29 NIV Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than human beings!

C2 Not to speak evil of anyone.

D1 Speak the truth. We can name names and notify others of their deeds. See 2 Timothy 4:13, 1 Timothy 1:19-20, and Matthew 12:34.

D2 The truth might be to name someone as a thief, thug, liar, narcissist, etc.

D3 We are not to lie, slander, cover up, verbally abuse, gaslight, etc.

C3 Not to be a brawler, a fighter. The opposite of a brawler is one who tries to be peaceful. The opposite of brawler does not get face to face and start yelling.

C4 To have meekness. This is not being a wimp, but rather one who yields, that is, picks their fights carefully, instead of pushing and bullying.

D1 Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud. Proverbs 16:19 NLT

D2 See Matthew 5:5 (gentleness), Matthew 11:29, 1 Peter 2:21-23, etc.

B3 Our past. May have included:

C1 Foolishness—as opposed to wisely. Foolish people don't care if they sin, but good people want to be forgiven. Proverbs 14:9 GNB. See Matthew 7:26-28.

C2 Disobedience—This has the idea of refusing to be persuaded. This Lord Jesus faced this. Matthew 23:37 NIV Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

C3 Deceived—doing foolishness or sin because of being tricked, seduced, lied to, etc. Pride will let us be deceived; see Obadiah 1:3. Persuasive speech, see Colossians 2:4.

C4 Slave to various desires and pleasures. Before trusting into Jesus, people are enslaved to sinful pleasures. They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. 2 Peter 2:19 NLT

C5 Malice—this is intense ill will, wishing hurt on others.

C6 Envious

C7 Hateful—hate is in the heart then in actions and words. Consider sarcasm, verbal abuse, etc.

C8 Hating—this is the emotion, the feeling that arises towards unlikable things. People naturally do not love God or His ways. Bible Knowledge Commentary has this note:

Far from being peaceable, considerate, and humble, they were characterized by malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. Such is the brutish existence of people apart from God. While a veneer of civilization often obscures the bleak truth, the slightest crack in the surface of society reveals the reality behind the facade. The painful truth is that apart from God people degenerate into little more than animals wrangling over bones.

B4 Salvation 4-7

C1 God our Savior who shows by thoughts, desires, words, and deeds the opposite of the above.

D1 Kindness Compare Romans 2:4.

D2 Love See an example in Acts 28:2.

C2 Salvation is not what we do religiously

C3 Salvation is by HIM, by His grace

C4 Salvation by

D1 God's Grace

D2 Washing of regeneration

E1 Not baptism

E2 Being born again.

F1 Regeneration means reborn, not baptizing.

F2 Greek word means bath, not baptism

F3 It is a regeneration and renewing done by the Holy Spirit which results in salvation.

D3 Renewing by the Holy Spirit

E1 Renewing is not by us, a church, a man, a prophet, a teacher, etc.

E2 Renewing means a complete change. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

D4 Justified—just as if I'd never sinned

D5 Make heirs—joint heirs—with His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. See Romans 8:17.

D6 Given eternal life as opposed to eternal death

B5 Bearing fruit for God, verse 8. Now being saved, it is expected for us to bear fruit. God defines this—living the fruit of the Spirit:. Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.

B6 Some things to avoid, verse 9-11

C1 Stupid questions

C2 Genealogies (“I’m related to...”)

C3 Arguments

C4 Fighting over the Law—the Ten Commandments. The Jews would like to start a fight over following the Law.

C5 Heretics (verse 11)—after two times dealing with them, showing them the truth, and counseling them, disfellowship them from the church. Their actions show they are condemned. We can be a heretic in what we believe, live, or both.

D1 Convinced that wrong doctrine is true.

D2 Convinced that some sin is OK. Sins by following a lie

B7 Verse 12-13. Instructions concerning some people and the need to help them.

B8 Verse 14-doing good things that God would approve of and that would glorify Him. It is easy to get caught up in life that we often forget living the faith.

B9 Say “Hi” to all—a sign of our all being in the fellowship with the saints and God himself. 1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

B10 Application

• We need to get smaller, humbler, and serving God.

• It is growth.

• The Lord Jesus needs to be glorified by our lives.

• It is growth.