January 5, 2020
Morning Service

To close out 2019, we were challenged to enter the new year by putting our faith into action.  We used James Chapter 1 as our base as he encouraged us to be “doers of the word and not hearers only.”  The three issues we focused on were how we as Christ Followers should be reacting to our divided nation, the ongoing drug abuse epidemic, and guarding the spiritual safety of our children. 

Also in December we finished the second letter Paul wrote to Timothy emphasizing many of the important teachings he wanted carried on after his approaching martyrdom.  Today we will begin studying the third letter from Paul (along with I and II Timothy) that are often referred to as the “Pastoral Epistles.”  This letter is believed to be written at the same time as I Timothy after his release from his first imprisonment at Rome.  It contains basically the same theme as well, as Paul had left Titus at the island of Crete in the Mediterranean to help establish and organize churches there.  He writes this letter to emphasize key points on how the church is to be set up and the teaching that will be needed.  The biggest hurdle he faced was the inhabitants there were notorious for their untruthfulness and immorality.  It was so bad that it was a common saying to “act the Cretan” was an idiom that meant to “play the liar.”  Sound doctrine (truth) had to be established among them.  In an “untruthful” society it is difficult to establish that baseline of what is truth and what it is not.  We are so blessed that we are given “everything we need that pertains to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him.” (2Pet. 1:3) It is by faith that we accept our Bible as the “truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”  We cannot pick and choose what we like or dislike, but we are commanded to accept these teachings as the infallible words of God; the truth.  It is the solid foundation that we must stand upon.  We continue to fight this same issues here in today’s society as Titus did as we even have churches picking and choosing what they want to believe as truth based solely upon the current culture.  God’s truth never changes with society it is the “same yesterday, today and forever.” (Heb. 13:8) Paul wrote this to the churches at Corinth and Galatia:

 1Co 14:37 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.

 

Gal 1:6-9 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, (7) which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.  (8)  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  (9)  As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

As you read your Bible, it is like God Himself speaking directly to you (through the Holy Spirit) about what He wants you to know as a Jesus Follower.  They are not “guidelines to follow” that we can choose the ones we like and ignore the ones we don’t like but they are “commandments of the Lord.”  It is our place as Jesus Followers to accept this gospel as a whole and do our best to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to line up with it accepting it as the truth and yield to His will.  We are the ones following.  He is leading.  Those who want to pervert this message by adding or subtracting from it are, according to Paul, to be accursed.  It is our job from this pulpit to point you to God’s Word and encourage you as Paul did Timothy:

 

2Ti 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

            It is by reading and studying God’s Word that we can know the truth.  Jesus said this to His disciple Thomas:

Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

            It was Jesus who empowered the apostles to carry on His ministry here on earth, and they did that by establishing churches in each community that would continue to teach the same gospel message of truth that He delivered to us.  Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit the apostles (especially Paul) taught this truth and established churches based on that truth.  It is that process that brings us all assembled together here this morning as we continue teaching Jesus’ gospel to the next generation.  As we begin this letter to Titus, remember Paul is guiding him on how to set things in order in the church according to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

 

Tit 1:1-4  Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,  (2)  in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,  (3)  but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;  (4)  To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

            Paul begins this letter by referring to himself as both a bondservant (slave) of God and as an apostle of Jesus Christ.  This in a way defines who Paul sees himself as.  He is totally and wholly committed to serving his Master, Jesus, by fulfilling the calling on His life to sharing the true gospel message.  I hope that as we look at our lives we too can define ourselves first by being a Jesus Follower who happens to test concrete, work on trucks, work with children, work in a factory, or the service industry.  It is not our vocation or social status that defines us but who it is that we are committed to following.  We are defined by Him and complete in Him made evident by the work He is doing in each of our lives as we yield our will to His.  Paul was all in and gave his entire life to the ministry of truth.  We are called to be salt and light to those around us as we through the Holy Spirit make the world we live in a better place; being slaves to God and committed to following no matter what.

            Notice Paul also right away acknowledges that his calling came through both faith and truth.  He then lays the foundation that we can stand on concerning truth as he tells us that “God who cannot lie promised before time began.”  God can do all things except those things that are outside of His perfect character.  Lying would be one of the things He cannot do.  Everything He says is true and will come to pass.  All of His promises are not empty ones, but we can take them by faith as always true.  This should erase any doubts we have about what we read in our Bibles.  It is all true.  It says that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. (Rom. 10:9) There is no room for doubt there as he says “you will be saved” not “may be or possibly” but “will be.”  We must choose by faith to believe every word as infallible (incapable of being wrong).  “God said it, I believe it and that settles it for me.”  Our lives would be so much more full and complete if we can get to the place of dying out to ourselves and living fully for Christ!

            Is God’s Word the truth?  The church’s existence for the past 2000 years can be evidence enough that it is.  Many have willingly given their lives believing it was true.  Lee Strobel, an elite academic, set out to disprove God’s existence, but failed.  His research led him to accept Jesus as his Savior believing that His Word was true.  Our world is confused about truth, but God is not the author of confusion.  He is the author of our salvation.

 The key question is “Do you believe it?”  Believing is not enough, you must accept it and yield to it allowing the Holy Spirit to change you, to transform you, from the inside out.  This is not a buffet where we can pick and choose what we want and ignore what we don’t like, it is all or nothing.  I believe this Bible to be the truth, and I also believe it to be a “treasure map to true happiness, contentment, and fulfillment.”  I challenge you this morning to believe it by faith and then put that faith into action by following Jesus wherever He leads you to go.

 

Heavenly Father, open the eyes of our heart that we might see the truth and allow that truth to set us free.