Waiting Expectantly

Titus 2:11-15 

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.--Titus 2:11

These two phrases (1) "the grace of God" and (2) "has appeared" are found together in only one place in the Bible and that is here in verse 11.  So we must ask ourselves the question.  “What do these two phrases mean and what or who do they refer to?”

Part of the answer is found in the rest of the sentence “that brings salvation …to all men."

The other part can be found in the Book of Romans,  The Apostle Paul, who wrote these instructions here to Titus, is also credited for writing the Epistle of Paul to the Romans.  We find the following in Romans 1:16-17: 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” 

So we see that Christ and the power of God for salvation have appeared to mankind and is revealed to those who believe through faith and accept His death on the cross as payment for their sins.  

But the Grace of God that brings salvation (the Gospel) is more than that.

Paul goes on to tell Titus in verse 12 what this grace of God does to and for the believer.

It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,--Titus 2:12

As a child is being taught to read, he or she doesn’t always completely learn how to read on the first lesson nor on the second or third.  

As a matter of fact, my wife Christine patiently used a book called Learn To Read in 100 Easy Lessons to teach our six children how to read.  They did not get it on the first few lessons but eventually all six of our children learned to read very proficiently.

In the same way, new believers do not always get it on the first lesson. The Holy Spirit patiently teaches the new believer and eventually he or she becomes very proficient at saying “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and they begin to live self-controlled and upright lives even in this present age of evil.


while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, --Titus 2:13

There are two ways to wait.  One is to wait passively.  It takes no effort at all.

People who wait this way seem to have an attitude of apathy.  If the Lord comes back today that is fine with me.  If He doesn’t that’s fine to because I am not in a hurry.  I will just wait until I die to see Him.

The other way is to wait expectantly.  It is this second type of waiting that verse 13 is all about.  

I don’t know if any of you have ever been a night watchman or on guard duty at night.  Usually it gets pretty boring watching when nothing happens.  So the watchman does all kinds of things to stay awake until the morning watchman comes to relieve him.  In time of war the watchman could be court-marshaled and shot for falling asleep on guard duty.  That is because the lives of his fellow soldiers are in his hands.  While they sleep his job is to be on the lookout for enemy activity.  This is what I would call active waiting.

King David knew this type of watching when he pulled guard duty at night as a shepherd watching over his father’s sheep.

He said in Psalm 130:6:  “My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.”

I know many mothers have waited expectantly after they found out that they were going to have a baby.  An expectant mother waits in hope for her baby to arrive not passively. She diligently prepares the nursery and gets ready the countless other little things that a baby will need when it arrives.  Likewise we ought to wait expectantly and diligently prepare for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

A number of years before I was born Martha Snell Nicholson wrote about waiting for this blessed hope of the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

She wrote the following: 

“The best part is the blessed hope of his soon coming. How I ever lived before I grasped that wonderful truth, I do not know. How anyone lives without it these trying days I cannot imagine. Each morning I think, with a leap of the heart, "He may come today." And each evening, "When I awake I may be in glory." Each day must be lived as though it were to be my last, and there is so much to be done to purify myself and to set my house in order. I am on tiptoe with expectancy. There are no more grey days -- for they're all touched with color; no more dark days -- for the radiance of His coming is on the horizon; no more dull days, with glory just around the corner; and no more lonely days, with His footsteps coming ever nearer, and the thought that soon, soon, I shall see His blessed face and be forever through with pain and tears is the joy that awaits.”

That should be our attitude we should be like a child on tiptoes looking out the window wait expectantly for the blessed hope of His glorious appearing.

What else should we do while we wait?

According to verse 12 we need to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and live self- controlled upright and godly lives.

Jesus said in Luke 12:35 we need to be dressed.  I think He means dressed in spiritual robes of righteousness.

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. --Luke12:35-40

In this verse Jesus said keep your lamps burning.

In Matthew chapter 5, He explains what it means to keep your lamps burning.  He says: 

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; “nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. --Matthew 5:14-16

Remember Jesus also said in Luke 12:40 that “You also must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”  He says the same thing in Matthew:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.-- Matthew 24:36-42.

who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.--Titus 2:14

Margaret Snell Nicholson, who was a woman who wrote the passage that I quoted earlier,  was also a woman who did not give up waiting and hoping just because things got hard or painful.  She personally suffered from four incurable diseases.  She struggled with pain more than thirty-five years, an invalid, bound to her bed.  She died in 1957.

Here is a poem that she wrote called Waiting.  I think it applies to the type of waiting that Paul was instructing Titus in verse 13.

WAITING

When we were young our family use to spend

Our summers on a farm.  When school would end

we talked of nothing else, and packed and planned

For our hegira to our promised land.

(I see it yet as through a rosy haze.)

There was so much that must be done, the days

Filled to the brim and so they quickly passed.

Before we knew it they were gone.  At last

All tasks were done and we sat down to wait.

Then how time dragged!  We hung upon the gate

For first glimpse of the buggy which would come

To take us to that lovely summer home.

We thought about the friends who waited there

To give us tender welcome, and to share

Our joy...We'd sit for what seemed hours and then

Run to the gate and scan the street again,

And we were sure the family clock was slow;

Sometimes we doubted if we'd ever go!

And then our mother, who was very wise,

Would look at us with understanding eyes

And smile.  Time only seemed to drag, she knew,

Because of lack of tasks for our hands to do;

And so she would produce some last small chore.

Then time, which we were coming to abhor,

Took wings, and we were off, before we knew,

To the land of green and rose and blue!

Now older grown, our school days nearly past,

And most of life's task done, we wait at last

That day which seems so close, when He will come

To call us to our everlasting home.

But Lord, forbid that we should fret and sit

With folded hands to watch Thy clock.  Has it

Not ticked on through the ages, and never late

Nor early by a single beat?  We wait,

But waiting, may we work for Thee, these last

Whom Thou didst purchase at such dreadful cost.

Give us a passion for each living gem

With which Thou wouldst adorn Thy diadem!

No childish chores are these.  God send us men

For task of desperate urgency!  And then

Before we know, our waiting will be past,

Our longing ears shall hear at last, at last,

Some misty dawn, some golden setting sun,

"Come home to Me, My love, My bride!  Well done!"

These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority.  Do not let anyone despise you.--Titus 2:15

Paul gives Timothy a similar charge in II Timothy 4:1-2:

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ²Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.


These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority.  Do not let anyone despise you.--Titus 2:15

Here Paul reminds Titus to use his authority to teach and encourage and if necessary to rebuke unsound doctrine.  Do not let anyone despise you.  He said the same thing to Timothy in his letter to him. 

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. --I Timothy 4:12 KJV

I think that in both places Paul is giving these two elders both instruction and authority and he is also telling them not to let anyone disregard this authority.

We need to be watching and waiting for the Lord to come as He has promised.  While we wait as His faithful servant we need to be about our chores.  We need to be following the instructions that He has given us i.e., to Make disciples of all the nations, to baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  We need to keep our lamps of righteousness lit and let our light shine before men in such a way as to glorify our Father in heaven.  We need to be on tip-toe expectation for His return.  Let’s pray.