Gospel Witness in Every Day Life

Titus 1:1-4

Transcript

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Church, I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July, celebrating the 250th birthday of a marriage. I know our family certainly did. We had a great time. My kids backed as much fun and as much food as they possibly could. Into one weekend, my wife and I, the other hand, are running on coffee and they hope for a good nap this afternoon. So if I seem unusually energetic during this sermon, just know that I'm running mostly on caffeine and bad decisions. So hang with me. Today we're going to begin a four-week journey through the book of Titus. I chose this book very, very intentionally. As you know, Black Continue Church is entering a new season, a season of change, transition, and Lord willing, a season of growth. And as I prayed about where we should begin together as a church, I kept coming back to the book of Titus. I saw the Lord in prayer, I talked to trusted pastors, and I became increasingly clear, and I became more increasingly convinced that this is exactly where we need to be. So why Titus? Well, before, because before God grows a church numerically, he often shapes it spiritually.

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We don't want to put the car before the post. We want to make sure that we are grown spiritually, we have a good vision of what the culture of our church will be before we start adding numbers for the sake of adding numbers.

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Numbers will come, but we need to be faithful to who God has called us to be. Now, um, again, like I said, before we focus on what we want to do, we need to understand who God has called us to be. Now, the book of Titus, it's all about building a healthy church with a healthy gospel culture. He teaches us that faithfully, faithful leadership, he teaches us what faithful leadership looks like, what sound doctrine produces, and how Christians should live in everyday life, and how a church can become a compelling witness to the world. And that's something that we desperately need church. The church is not the most attractive thing, and that's fine. The message of the gospel is not the most attractive thing, it's inherently offensive to the world. Uh, but a healthy church is attractive to those who God has effectively pulled to his presence. We want to do that. We want to be a church. In other words, Titus isn't just a letter about our organization, it's a letter about gospel transformation. And it's about becoming the kind of people whose lives make the beauty of the gospel visible. It's about becoming the kind of people whose lives make the beauty of the gospel visible. Now, my prayer over the next four weeks is that God would simply teach us more information about the church and how the church should function, but that he would shape us into the church that he desires Black Kings Community Church to become. And before we dive in, let's start with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, you are holy, holy, holy.

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You are perfectly set apart. Your name is great, you are worthy to be praised.

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Lord, we thank you for your grace and your mercy that I moved every morning, and we pray that we would that your name would be glorified through the reading of your word, and that those words would pierce our hearts and convict us and compel us to live a life that is devoted to you. We pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay, turn your Bibles to the book of Titus. I'll give you guys a second together. If you're like me, Titus is the one book that always sneaks away from you. Can't find it. I know where it is. I just can't find it, Bible. We start in chapter 1, verse 1. Okay. Starting in verse 1, Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's electric or knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, and hope of eternal life, which God who never likes promised before the ages began, and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior to Titus, my true child, and common faith, grace and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Savior. That's what we will stop today. We're not gonna get too far. And as we read that, as we read that, what we will see is the introduction to the letter. Now, this whole passage, this whole sermon is gonna be the introduction to the introduction of the letter. Okay? So let's start again, verse 1 to 3. And from the beginning, we're gonna pause in between. We're gonna go line by line. Paul, servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Stop. Whenever Paul begins one of these letters, he doesn't waste words. Every phrase is intentional. Before he even ever addresses a problem in the church, before he gives commands, before he tells people how to live, he reminds them who God is and what God has done and why his message carries a Tory. So, for example, if you were to look at this Bible right here as one of the poline letters, about this portion of that whole letter would be the gospel. You'd be like, hey, this is what God's calling you to do, this is what God's called you to leave, this is his message of salvation. Before he even gets to the meat and potatoes of what he's trying to communicate, he reminds people of the message of the gospel. Okay, now, like I said, he doesn't uh waste any words, right? The message that he brings carries a dark authority. Now, Titus is not different in any other letter, but there is something unique that deserves to be studied with intention and attention.

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Paul introduces himself as a servant of God. A servant of God.

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Now, that may not seem remarkable at first, but this is actually the only time that in any of Paul's letters that he uses that exact title for himself. More commonly, he would say, I'm a servant or a slave of Christ. So why change? Why say, I am a servant of God? The reason is actually simple. It's because words matter. Paul is writing to believers living on the island of Crete. A culture of that, a culture that we will learn was notorious for moral corruption. Before he ever confronts the culture, Paul establishes whose authority he represents. He's not writing as a philosopher, they're used to that, they're in Greece. He's not presenting new ideas, he's not writing as a politician trying to win votes, he's not writing as a religious influencer offering opinions, he's writing as a servant of God. And that's very interesting because that title echoes some of the greatest figures in all of Israel's history. Moses is called a servant of God, David is called a servant of God, and the prophets are repeatedly called servants of God. Paul is placing himself in the same string, not to exalt himself, not to make himself look more important or bigger, but to remind Titus that this letter comes with divine authority. In other words, Paul is saying, don't evaluate these words as false opinions. This is not Paul's opinion.

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Receive them as God's message.

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And that's very, very important because all scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit through Israel. Okay, now, I have some, I personally have some friends. This is really interesting that when we would be discussing theology or discussing or discussing ideas or what the word says, they would often dismiss certain aspects of opinions of what the Bible says simply because, well, that's what Paul says. That's what John says. That's just a polyum letter. No. This is all the word of God. Church, that should change the way that we read scripture altogether. One of the greatest dangers for Christians isn't actually rejecting the Bible. Because if you did reject the Bible, that simply proves that you just don't believe it. You weren't a believer to begin with. Like one of the core tenets of scripture is that you believe the word. So if you reject it, not really a problem for a believer because he would, in fact, prove that you're an unbeliever. One of the greatest problems is becoming so familiar with scripture that you become apathetic towards it. That you read scripture and you're no longer interested is not like, it doesn't draw you in, you're bored with it. And we and we can tend to do that even not intentionally. Because we come to a passage like this and we think, oh, this is just a reading of the greedy of Paul. Let's just skip to the good part. You read Corinthians and you read the greedy, and you're like, I want to hear how Corinthians is about to get ripped from shreds. So we skip certain things. So let's not do that. But here's the reality of things. There are no unimportant parts of God's word. There are no unimportant parts of God's word. I once heard someone ask two questions that stayed with me. The first one was simple. Do you believe, do you believe that this is God's word? Do you believe that this is God's word? Most Christians would answer, yeah, absolutely, that's God's word. Then the second question came. Then why don't you read all of it? Why don't you read all of it? If this is God's divine revelation to his people, this is one of the most important things that we have in this world. Divine knowledge revealed to us. Why don't we read all of it? Why do we skip certain parts? Now I get it. I've gone through a Bible reading plan and I get to Leviticus and I'm like, ah. I get it. But honestly, like that question really changed things for a lot. Because everything is intentionally laid out by God. And that is why that question stands on your head. Every page is breathed out by God, every verse is profitable, every sentence deserves our attention. That's why the writer of Hebrews says the word of God is livid and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. God's word does not just give you information, it performs surgery. It cuts deep inside of you and it exposes you and changes you. So as we study Titus over the next four weeks, let's resist the temptation to skim past the details. Instead, let's ask questions like why did Paul say that that way? Why this word instead of the other word? And what is God trying to teach us through it all? Because even in Paul's reading, the Spirit of God is already preaching to us. But preaching to who? Preaching to who? Who is this letter to? Who's the audience of this letter? Let's talk about that context for a little bit. Because understanding that context is going to help us better understand what the claim of the text is.

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What is the claim of the text? What is truth that we're trying to get from it? And in simple terms, that simply means what's the point? Right? Okay.

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The letter to Titus was written in the 60s, not the 1960s, the 6060s. Somewhere between AD 63 and AD 66. Now we don't know how old Titus was when he received this letter, but we know that he was a seasoned adult. And we know that because of some of the travel data that we have between him and Paul, which we can read in Galatians and 2 Corinthians. So biblical scholars place Titus somewhere around 35 to 50 years old. Titus was serving as a leader of the churches in the Isle of Crete. And Crete, if you look at a map, is the largest island in Greece. And it sits strategically in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. That means that if you want to travel to Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa, or the Middle East, there's a good chance you are stopping in Crete.

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There's a really good chance you're stopping in Crete. It was a commercial hub, there was all kinds of people, all kinds of ports there. And in many ways, Crete looked a lot like our culture. Full of competing worldviews, competing loyalties.

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And nowadays you can look around and find whatever flavor or lifestyle or religion that you like. Crete was very much like that. This was a very, very good spread place strategically for the growth of the church. If you were trying to find a place to spread the message of the gospel that would go out to the world, few places, few places in the ancient world were like Creed. And Paul had apparently evangelized Creed after his first Roman prison. And he left Titus there behind for a specific purpose. And you can actually read in the very next verse. So verse 5 says, This is why I left you in Creed, so that you might put what remained into order.

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The church in Crete was now under the influence of some of the Paul's teachers. That's why Paul left Titus there, to send them straight.

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And he began to do that by reminding them of who he is and whose message he proclaims and the authority with which he proclaims it. So, back to Titus 1, line by line, little by little. Number one, Paul, a servant of God. Again, this is Paul's call to authority in who he serves. Next, in an apostle of Jesus Christ. The word apostle simply means sent one or emissary. He communicated that he was sent there and appointed by Jesus Himself. Next, for the sake of the faith of God's elect. That simply means for the sake or the benefit or the purpose of the faith of God's people. And their knowledge of truth, which accords with godliness. And their knowledge of truth that accord that accords with godliness. And that simply means that what they know of the truth, which is in harmony with godliness. Paul is clear here that the truth produces godliness and they cannot be separated. They cannot be inconsistent. And then the next one, this is the big, big part of this. In hope for eternal life, which God who never lies promised before the ages begin. Here we go. In hope for eternal life, which God who never lies promised before the ages begin. Now, he points them at to what is at stake. And what is that? Eternal life. Eternal life is what we're dealing with here. And then he says something incredibly interesting. He says, which God who never lies. Which God who never lies.

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Why say that? Why say, which God who never lies?

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Why not simply say, you know, God who is faithful? If he's writing to Titus and believers in Crete, why not say that? Why be this specific about it? Now we talked about this earlier. God is incredibly intentional about his word and why he's put in it. And this was no accident. The letter is gone to the Isle of Crete in Greece. And we will get into a little bit more of who the Cretans were and their reputation next week, but for now, here's another bit of context you should know that ties this whole God memorialize part together. Cretans were Greek. And as such, they worshipped their chiefest god, which would have been Zeus.

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As a matter of fact, the Cretans believed that Zeus was a Cretan. They believed that Zeus was born in the outer creed.

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And Zeus wasn't just one of the gods in the long list of gods that they had. He was the main God. A common theme found through the expansion of the gospel is that people always try to conform God to familiar form. People always try to conform their idea of God to a familiar mold, something that they would understand, something people still do to this day. Cretans model their perception of who Almighty God is with who their idea of Zeus was. And that was the problem. That was the problem. Why? Well, let me tell you about Zeus. In Greek mythology, Zeus spent his childhood preparing for his self-appointed destiny. He said that he believed that he was appointed and meant for greatness. He wanted to challenge his parents and the Titans for control of the universe. He believed that he deserved him. Sounds really familiar.

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Same story. Zeus then lies to his father in order to trick him into releasing his brothers and sisters.

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Later on, he lies again by using trickery and shapeshifting to cheat on his wife and deceive and seduce mortal women. Later on in chapter 2, we will read Paul quoting a Greek philosopher saying, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and lazy loves. Yet their chief God was a Cretan. What's up with that? Okay, now back to the text. In hopes of eternal life, which God never lies. Paul couldn't have simply said, God promised eternal life. Again, remember where this letter is going. It's going to create. The Greeks believe Zeus had been born in their island. He was not simply a God, he was the main guy. But what kind of God was Zeus? He was one who deceived, one who manipulated, one who disguised himself, one who lied, one who pursued his own selfish desires. And in Greek mythology, the gods were simply larger, more simple versions of humans. Paul says, the God I proclaim is nothing like that. I come in the name of the God who does not lie. He never lies. He doesn't deceive, he doesn't manipulate, he doesn't change his mind. He always keeps his promise. Church, isn't that exactly what the gospel rests upon? If God could not lie, you couldn't trust his promise. If God could deceive, you couldn't trust his salvation. If God could change his mind, you couldn't have assurance. But because God cannot lie, every promise in Christ is secure. And that's supremely different than the God that the Cretans have grown to idolize was lying. Zeus was a liar. And Paul is here telling them, like, hey, this God that I proclaimed, I'll like God. You can rest in this God, this earth. Earlier I said that a common theme found throughout the extension of the gospel is people always trying to conform God into a familiar world. Every culture tries to recreate God in its own image. The Greeks imagined gods who are just our conversions of themselves. Today, we often imagine a God who exists simply to affirm us, to make us comfortable, or to help us accomplish our dreams. Every generation creates a God it prefers. I can give you example upon example upon example of all of those forms from the most ridiculous, like the Pastaferians. If you've never heard of the Pastaferians, they worship this spaghetti monster in the sky. Or the pantheists who believe that everything is God. Or those who still hold to ancient beliefs, even today, gods like Zeus or Thor, or if you go to India, there's thousands. Then we have those who are a little bit more senior. The ones that just want to blend in. Think of Mormonism, for example. Mormonism has created a God that allows you to become a God yourself. It's the same line from the garden repackaged over and over and over. Genesis 3. You will be like God. Do this. You will be like God. It's the same line over and over and over. Christianity doesn't invite us to create God, he calls us to submit to the God who has revealed Himself. Remember Paul and the statue of the unknown God? It's in Acts chapter 17. Paul is in Athens. And he feels moved to evangelize in this one area of Athens. And there's statues there everywhere that people have worshiped. And Paul spoke at the Areophagus, which is Marstill later on in the Roman time poll, Marstill. And let me read that part to you. It says, So Paul standing in the midst of the Areophagus said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious, for I have passed along and observed the objects that you worship. I found also an altar with an inscription that said, To the unknown God, what therefore you worship is unknown, I proclaim to you, the God who made the world and everything in it, began being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by men, nor is he served by human hands. As though he needed anything since he himself give all mankind life and right in everything. This is completely countercultural to everything the Greeks have heard until this point. Zeus independent of their gods live in Mount Deliquas.

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And they're in charge of decreeing what should happen to mankind based on their own sense of morality.

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But as I told you guys before, they were not the most morals of beings. In fact, if you go read more about Greek mythology, you're going to be left scratching your head. Now, after Paul delivers that speech, some rejected him and some follow him. Paul is very familiar with the culture of the Isle of Creed and what he's trying to communicate to Titus within the first few lines of this letter is what God is that God, the God that they serve, is unlike any gods that people and Crete have worshiped before. Because our God is not a liar, and our God can be trusted unconditionally. And that is the wild part. Because when you know who God is and what he has done, when he gives you a new heart, I'm sorry about that, when he gives you a new heart and regenerates you, you submit gladly and with absolute trust because he's unlike any false God, even the ones of our own making.

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He is the one true God. And as we seek to build a culture for our church, we must heed the words of fall to the church and creed.

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And remember that our God is the one true God, and we need not to create or follow any false gods or idols, even of our own making. What I mean by that is what a famous Frank Reform theologian once said is that man's nature, so to speak, is a perpetual idol factor. Man's nature is a perpetual idol factor. So let me ask you, do you have idols in your life that shape the way you think? Do you have idols in your life that shape the way you think? Church, this is where Titus stops being about creed and starts being about what can't come in the church. This is the application. The book of Titus tells us a wonderful, wonderful design of what God's church should be. And this is the continuity of that. As you study scripture, and eventually we're going to get to the point where we're doing Sunday school and that sort of thing, you study scripture by seeing what is a continuity in that discontinuity of scripture. Discontinuity are things that you read in scripture and go like, that doesn't really happen today. A continuity is what you can glean from scripture and continue on to today. Titus, Timothy, anytime that you read a Pauline letter, it's all continuity. You can see the story today, you can relate it to today, you can apply it to your life. This is where it applies to what can spin the church. Paul wasn't simply trying to help Titus build a better, bigger church in the first century, though the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God is showing us what kind of church he desires today. Why? Because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You've heard me say several times already that one of the reasons I chose Titus is because we are in a season of transition. Every church has a culture, whether we realize it or not. Every church becomes known for something. Some churches become known for their programs, some churches are known for their traditions, some for their music, some for their politics, some for what they're against, some for what they're for. But my prayer is that Blackman's Community Church is something different. My prayer is that we would become known for our confidence in God and our confidence in His Word. That when people walk through these doors, they don't encounter a church trying to keep up with the later strength. They encounter people whose lives are anchored by the unchangeable character of God. That if they talk to any of you guys, you're ready to encourage someone with the word. You're ready to sit with somebody somebody at the table in your fellowship and just have a chat. Ask about a lie. Ask how you can support them. Ask how you can pray for them. Because if our God cannot lie, then his word never needs updating and is profitable for us. For reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. That we may be equipped for every people. If our God cannot lie, then his promises never expire. If our God cannot lie, then his gospel is still the power unto salvation. That's Romans 1.16. Why is the gospel? Is the power unto salvation? And that is the foundation upon we should build this church. We should guide this church. We should all come together and drive this church forward. Not personalities, not preferences, not problems. None of those things are bad, or at least bad all the time. But that we can build everything that we believe and everything that we stand for on the trustworthy word of the trustworthy God. Have you ever noticed something about Paul that when he introduced himself, he cannot do it without talking about Jesus? He can't greet tithings without preaching the gospel. The gospel has so saturated his heart that it naturally spills out of his mouth. And Jesus himself said, out of the abundance of your heart, out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth is. How we serve, how we welcome visitors, how we love our neighbors, how we endure suffering, how we speak to one another. That every part of who we are would be marked by the good news that God has revealed Himself to us in Christ. That every part of our lives is affected by that. Even the difficult parts, even when you have disagreements or arguments or frustrations, that first and foremost you remember the hope that is in you.

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And that is the driving force in which you communicate and you live your lives with others.

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Paul begins this letter with the gospel because everything else in Titus depends on it. Before he talks about elders, before he talks about false teachers, before he talks about older men, older women, younger men, younger women, good works, sound doctrine, he begins here, with a message of the gospel, with God. Because if we get God right, everything else begins to find its proper place. So for the next few weeks, my prayer is simple. And that of all the messages, this is the most concise and small. So be prepared to get into weeks. That we would know him more deeply, trust him completely, and love him more fully. And as we do that, that the gospel would saturate our hearts, that like Paul, it becomes impossible for us to speak without the beauty of Christ spilling into our conversation. May that become the culture of likeness coming to the church. A culture of the gospel. That's right. Father God, thank you for your word. Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for revealing yourself to us as we walk through this season in our church. And I pray that you would give us a desire to share your message of salvation on apologetically, relentlessly, and with passion. That we would be honored people known for always pointing all the side. Father God, you are on the Lord. You are on the law and we're gonna start.