(Titus 3:1-8)--"WHAT DOES GOD THINK OF ME?"
Intro:  Do you ever wonder what people think about you? Do you even care? To some extent, most of us do care what others think of us.  Has anyone ever told you what they think about you? When they do, you are often sorry they did. There have been times, when a person just told me just what they thought of me, and I was glad they did; and other times, I wish they would have kept it to themselves!   That is one reason I do not ask people what they think of me. I am afraid they will tell me!   But today lets take it to the next level.....If you were to ask SATAN what he thinks about you, he would probably say, “You are a failure!” If you asked society what they think of you, they might say, “You are a fool!” If you asked self, that is, your own heart, self might say, “You are a fake!”   But, does it really matter what Satan, society and self think about you and me? No! All that really matters, in the end, is what God thinks about us. Have you ever wondered just what God thinks about you? Is it possible or do we really want to know what He thinks about us?  Well here, Paul is writing to Titus, a young Pastor on the island of Crete. In chapter two he wrote about how believers should behave in the church.  He talks about how believers should behave in society; and calls on Titus to “put them in mind” about certain things. He wants the saints to remember who they are, what they have, and what God expects of them as believers in Jesus.    Paul here answers the question I posed a few moments ago: What Does God Think Of Me?   Today you may be discouraged as you wonder how God sees you. Well, if you are saved, you are about to find out. If you are not, then you are going to learn how God would see you if you came to Jesus. 
(1)-(v. 3-6)-GOD THINKS YOU ARE PRECIOUS--The Devil says, “God doesn’t care about you at all”, but God says something completely different. These verses teach us that God loves us more than we can possibly understand!  Jeremiah 29:11-"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." 
(v. 3)-The Extent Of His Love –(Here Paul paints a vivid picture of what the believer was before being saved.)  Foolish – Ignorant of everything that has to do with God.   Disobedient – Rebellious toward any authority instituted by God. · Deceived – Continually led deeper and deeper into sin by Satan. · Serving lusts and pleasures – A slave to our fleshly appetites and passions. · Living in malice – Given over to a lifestyle of evil. Envy – Never satisfied with what we have, but always grasping for more. · Hateful – Mean-spirited and hard to get along with. · Hating one another – Walking without love for our fellow man.  This is what we were, and what some in this room still are!!!  But even in that condition, God still loved us! He could have just left us to going to Hell, but He loved us and did something about it! 
(v. 4, 6b)-The Evidence Of His Love – This verse says “after that”. In other words, “in spite of what we were and are, God chose to display His love for us....How?  (v.6)-says “through Jesus Christ”. God gave evidence of His love for fallen man by sending His Son into the world to die for our sins, (Rom. 5:8-"But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were YET sinners Christ died for us.")-(John 3:16)   If you need evidence that you are precious to the Lord, then look back 2000 years to a cross!  You don’t need a feeling, just look to the cross! 
(v. 5-6a)-The Energy Of His Love – What did this "SO" love of God do for us? Part of the answer is found in the word “but” in verse 4. God knew what we were. He saw us with all our sins and our baggage, yet He still chose to “butt” into our lives and offer to save us!  ("saved, washed, regenerated, renewed!")   God did all of this with no help from us! Our works, our religion, our efforts cannot save us, they only compound the problem!  (Eph.2:8-9-"For by grace are ye saved thru faith, and that not of yourselves...")  God’s love for us was not the love of a secret admirer. No! He loved us so much that He went to work to see us saved. Satan will tell you that God doesn’t love you all; but the evidence says something quiet different; that you are precious in his sight!  God sees us exactly as we really are, and He loves us anyway!
(2)-(v. 7a)-GOD THINKS YOU ARE PERFECT--Satan and the flesh will tell you that you are dirty, wicked, and that you have no hope at all....but the devil is a liar according to John 8:44; and you can’t believe a word your own heart tells you according to Jer. 17:9!  Paul wries here in Titus that God has “justified” you by His grace!               A. A Definition – What does it mean to be “justified”? Justified comes from a word that means, “to render righteous or such as he ought to be.” It is a word that speaks of God declaring the saved person to be in a perfect and right standing before God. 
B. A Description – Being justified is far different from being forgiven. Some people think that justification is just the forgiveness of our sins. Justification is far more powerful than that! When there is forgiveness there is also the remembrance of the wrong committed. A man might be convicted of murder and be forgiven by the victim’s family; but everyone still knows what that he is a murderer!   But, a person who had been justified has been totally acquitted and exonerated of all charges. There is absolutely no record of any wrongdoing. When we are justified by God, all record of our sin is forever banished from the memory of the Lord. It is as if we had never or will never sin!  In the Devil's court here is no case against the redeemed ones! 
C. A Defense – Some might argue, “Well, that is an excuse to sin. If the Lord doesn’t remember and He has already declared me righteous, then I can do as I please with no consequences.” If you think that then you are dead wrong ....You can be saved and still sin.  Once a person is saved and justified by God, that condition can never be altered. However, when you DO sin as a believer, you can expect two things to happen:  · First, you can be sure that you will reap what you sow, Gal. 6:7-8. · Second, you can be sure that God will bring His chastisement into your life, Heb. 12:6-12.   Low living carries with it a very high price. Just ask Samson, David, and others!
(3)-(v. 7b)-GOD THINKS YOU ARE PRIVILEGED--The Devil comes by and tells you that serving God is waste of time. That it just doesn’t pay off to live right, go to church, pray and read the Bible.....but God sees things differently. 
A. Privileged Because Of Our Earthly Hope – I realize that as Christians, we are all living for what is coming after this life. That is when we expect to receive our inheritance....but I've got it made TODAY!!!-("I will never leave thee...")(1 Tim. 4:8-"Bodily excercise profiteth litte, but godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of the life which NOW IS and of THAT WHICH IS TO COME!!!")
B. Privileged Because Of Our Eternal Hope – We have the hope that we are headed to a city where there will be no more death, parting or sorrow...and because of this, we are a privileged people; having the best here and hereafter! 
(4)-(v. 1-2, 8)-GOD THINKS YOU ARE PROFITABLE--The Devil will whisper in your ear, “God can never use you! or, "You will amount to nothing as a Christian. Look at the things you do. Look at how you live. You are a failure.” You ever hear that going thru your head?  But according to God, the truth is a different matter!  God saved you for a purpose, and part of that purpose is so that He can use your life in His service!
A. v. 1 He Can Use Your Walk – Paul is telling these folks to walk in a disciplined manner. They are to obey the laws of the land and submit to the people who are in authority over them. The way you carry yourself day by day is a powerful witness to the world around you.  A disciplined, holy life is a power tool in the hand of the Lord.  (You may not think that bowing your head over your lunch is a lot, but God can use it.)
B. v. 2 He Can Use Your Witness – Paul tells these people that the way they treat others is a testimony in the hands of God. They are told to avoid fighting and gossiping and just treat people with gentleness and meekness.  Someone has said, “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you are saying.” That is true! 
C. v. 8 He Can Use Your Works – When you set your heart to go after God the result will be good works. If He can use a murderer named Moses; a blasphemer named Saul of Tarsus; an adulterer named David; a rebel named Jonah; or a loudmouth like Simon Peter, then He can use you. If you will do what He tells, your life will be a life of immense profit for the Kingdom of God!   "The stone which the builders REJECTED is become the head of the corner"---Jesus was a REJECT in society....another evidence that GOD USES REJECTS!!!  
Conc: So, what does God think of you? He thinks you are Precious; Perfect; Privileged and Profitable. That’s how He sees you.  Has He shown you that there is room for improvement in your walk with Him?  The things I have mentioned today are only true if you are saved. What does God think of you if you are not saved? He thinks you are in trouble. He thinks you are living a dangerous life. He looks at you with love and knows that there is a way out.