Preached on Sunday, January 10, 2010
from
Titus 1:1-4

Theme: In the introduction to his letter, Paul exemplified a passion for God’s plan of redemption through His Son Jesus Christ.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

I have a dear friend who is a retired missionary. He told me a story the other day about someone who is the headmaster of a school for the children of missionary families serving in China.

When new kids are brought to this headmaster to be considered for enrollment, he has an interesting way of determining how they will do. He sits the potential student down for a chat, and asks the simple question, “So; what does your dad do?” And then, he listens carefully as the child answers the question.

This headmaster has discovered that he can tell a lot about a child by how they answer that strategic question. If the boy or girl has a fairly good understanding of what their father does—if they are familiar with his work on the mission field, and can explain something of why their father does what he does; if he or she demonstrates an interest in and excitement about the vision their father has for his ministry—the headmaster knows that they will most likely do very well in the school, and will also probably fare well in the experience of being with their family on the mission field. Conversely, if the boy or girl doesn’t know what their father does—if they demonstrate a lack of interest in or enthusiasm for their father’s work—he knows that they will most likely do poorly in the mission school, and will also probably have a hard time on the mission field.

My friend told me that he was sharing this with his wife as they were driving around the other day; when she turned to him and asked, “And what about our heavenly Father? How would we respond if someone asked us, ‘So; tell me what it is that your heavenly Father does’? Wouldn’t our ability to answer that question say a lot about us?”

It’s a great question, isn’t it? “What is it that your heavenly Father does?” Would we know how to answer? Would we know something of the plan that He has purposed to bring about in this world? Would we know something of His reasons for doing what He does? Would we be captured by His vision for the work? Are we familiar with His vision? Are we interested in it? Are we excited about it? Are we invested in it? Wouldn’t it be fair to say that, if you know about—and are truly excited over—the plan of your heavenly Father, you will do well in the work He has for you in fulfilling that plan? Conversely, would it be fair to say that, if you don’t know much about what your heavenly Father does—or are not excited about His plan—that you probably won’t do very well in fulfilling your part in it?

I suggest, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, that a good understanding of our heavenly Father’s plan is what will lead us into a greater passion for our part in it. Such knowledge makes all the difference between a passively indifferent experience of the Christian faith, and a faith in which we live fervently for Jesus Christ! Such knowledge will motivate us to share God’s redemptive plan of love through Jesus Christ with the lost and needy people of this world.

And we find just such a knowledge expressed by the apostle Paul in the opening words of his letter to Titus. As I read it, listen carefully to Paul’s grasp of the plan of God. In the first four verses, Paul writes;

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, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;

To Titus, a true son in our common faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 1:1-4).

Paul knew what it is that his heavenly Father does! He knew the redemptive plan of the Father through Jesus Christ His Son! No wonder Paul was so passionate for his part in that plan!

And in these opening words, the Holy Spirit shares with us what it is that Paul knew; so that we too may become sharers with him in that passion!

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Now; Paul wrote this letter to Titus—a pastor appointed to minister to the churches of Jesus Christ on the island of Crete. And he exhorted him in it to teach something important to the Christians who lived there. They lived in a culture that was very ungodly; and they needed to be taught to live lives that match the gospel message that they professed.

It was Titus’ job to exhort the Christians of Crete to live in the sort of way that truly “adorns” the gospel, and makes it easier for non-Christians to hear. That’s quite a task! But it was a task that clearly motivated Paul. And so, in the formal greeting of this little letter—before he even begins to give specific instructions to Titus—Paul sets forth his own passion for this great plan of God; so that Titus will also become captured by that passion, and will also be motivated to do his part in the great work God has given him to do.

This morning, let’s look a little closer at these introductory words. Let’s think about what it is that Paul knew about the plan of God. Let’s learn together about what it is that our Father does! And in doing so, let’s allow the Holy Spirit to build up in us a passion for God’s great plan—and for our part in it.

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Let’s begin by considering . . .

1. PAUL’S SENSE OF IDENTITY IN GOD’S PLAN (v. 1a).

Look at how Paul introduced himself to Titus. He calls himself “Paul, a bondservant of God . . .” I wonder how many of us know God the Father so well, and loved Him so gratefully, that we would—in all sincerity—introduce ourselves to others as His bondservant!

Now; the culture in which Paul lived was filled with many slaves; and almost all of them were slaves unwillingly. But the word as Paul uses it for himself—here translated “servant” or “bondservant”—is being used by him to speak of himself as a slave by choice; one who has devoted himself to his master willingly out of love.

There’s a beautiful picture of this in the Old Testament law. Whenever someone had become the slave of another—perhaps because of economic necessity or in payment of a debt—their master was to set them free from their bondage when the debt was fully paid. But God spoke through Moses and said,

And if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you, then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever . . . (Deuteronomy 15:16-17a).

The piercing of the ear at the door of the house was a symbolic way of marking that man or woman as a servant to that house for life. Such a person had become more than merely a slave. They had become a willing bondservant. And that’s what Paul said that he was—a slave by choice; a willing “bondservant” of God in love.

But we need to notice that he doesn’t just call himself a “bondservant”. He goes on to say, “and an apostle of Jesus Christ”. When it comes to his relationship to God, Paul was a humble servant. He had given himself over willingly—in gratitude—to be the slave of the God who had graciously saved him. But the God who saved him then put him to work in this world as an “apostle”—that is, as an authoritative ambassador of Jesus Christ. Paul was personally commissioned by Jesus to go forth—as Jesus’ own representative—and declare Him to this world. And so, he went out in that commission confidently and boldly—with the very authority of Jesus Christ backing up what he said!

Now; that’s who Paul was in the plan of God. And I wonder, dear brothers and sisters in Christ; do we know who we are in relation to God the Father? Do we have an accurate sense of our identity before Him? Do we recognize that He has redeemed us from eternal doom through the blood of His precious Son? If we truly do, then we’ll gladly and gratefully rendered ourselves to Him as His willing bondservants through Jesus Christ. And as His bondservants, we’ll also view ourselves as appointed ambassadors for Jesus Christ in this world—just as Paul says, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:20)?

We become truly passionate for the plan of God in this world when we realize who we are in it! And when we truly are passionate about it, we will live lives that match up to it!

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Another thing we find in these introductory words is . . .

2. PAUL’S AWARENESS OF HIS PART IN THE PLAN (v. 1b).

Paul not only knew who he was, but also what it was that he was supposed to be doing. As a bondservant of God who was also an apostle of Jesus Christ, he was to do his work “according to [or "for the sake of", or "in the interest of"] the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness . . .”

Paul knew that God had chosen—by grace—to save some. God’s choice of those He would save was made before the world began; but many of those whom God had chosen for Himself had not yet heard the gospel and believed. And so, in the faithful exercise of his apostleship in the service of God the Father, Paul was to work—first of all—for the faith of God’s elect.

It wasn’t Paul’s job to know in advance who the elect were—any more than it’s our job to know such a thing. All that Paul knew—and all that we ourselves need to know—is that, from before time, God had graciously chosen some for salvation through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. And so, Paul faithfully and diligently preached the gospel God had given him, and in all the places that God had put him—knowing that those whom God had chosen to Himself would hear, and would believe.

Now; that’s basically the task of evangelism. It ought to be our task too. We ought to work and labor diligently for the sake of “the faith of God’s elect”. We can’t know who the elect are in advance; but we can know who the “elect” prove themselves to be by the fact that they hear the gospel we preach, place their faith in it, and are saved by it. And so, we ought to be about the marvelous work God has given us of telling others about Jesus—laboring for “the faith of God’s elect”; and knowing that our work will be a guaranteed success because God’s elect will hear and will believe!

But there’s another task that Paul was aware of, and that was the task of discipleship. Once those who hear the gospel prove themselves to be the elect of God by the fact that they place their faith in Jesus and believe, they then need to be helped to grow in that faith into the kind of godly people who’s lives adorn the gospel they’ve trusted. So, Paul not only labored for the sake of “the faith of God’s elect”, but also for “the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness”.

Dear brothers and sisters; do you remember what the Lord Jesus Himself said our task is in the plan of God? Our Master has given us the Great Commission; in which He has said,

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit [which is the work of evangelism], teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you [which is the work of discipleship] . . .” (Matthew 28:18-20).

One of the greatest ways for you and I to grow in our passion for God’s plan is to not only know who we are in that plan, but also what it is that we’re supposed to be doing in it!

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A third thing we learn from these words of greeting is . . .

3. PAUL’S GRASP OF THE BIG PICTURE OF GOD’S PLAN (vv. 2-3a).

All that Paul did as a faithful servant and apostle—laboring upon this earth for the faith of God’s elect, and helping them to know the truth which accords with godliness—was based on something grand and glorious. It was based on “hope of eternal life”. He said that he did it all, “in”, or as it might be better translated “upon”, or “on the basis of” hope of eternal life; “which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested the word through preaching . . .” He had a clear vision of God’s eternal plan—of which, he himself was a part; and his clear vision of the ‘big picture’ greatly motivated him in the work.

Just think of the great offer that Paul was privileged to announce to the people of this world. It was the offer of “eternal life” as a free gift from God Himself. Can you think of anything greater to offer people than that? Can you think of anything that people need more? And that glorious offer was something that God had promised, as Paul puts it, “before time began”—or literally, “before times of eternity”. Long ago in eternity past—before creation was brought into existence; before, in fact, there was even such a thing as “times”—God had made a promise to graciously give eternal life to those fallen members of the human family that He had chosen for Himself—those who place their faith in the redeeming work of His Son.

And ask yourself this: If it was before the times of eternity—if it was before we ourselves were ever even brought into existence—that God made this promise, then to whom did He make it? I believe this was a promise that God the Father had made with the other members of the triune Godhead.

This is a pretty lofty subject; but it’s something that theologians often call this “the eternal covenant of God”, or “the covenant of Redemption”. In eternity past—before Creation—the three divine Persons of the Trinity agreed together to the plan of redeeming the elect; and they promised to one another that they would do their individual parts to fulfill that plan. For the Father’s part of this promise, He determined to elect some for salvation, and to graciously give His Son to be their Redeemer. For the Son’s part in fulfilling this promise, He graciously consented to be born into the human family, to live a sinless life in obedience to the Father, and to die on the cross as our Substitute and our Redeemer. For the Holy Spirit’s part in fulfilling this promise, He agreed to call the elect to saving faith in Jesus, to apply Jesus’ righteousness and atoning sacrifice to their account when they believe, and to empower them to live in obedience to the heavenly Father as His adopted children.

The fact that “the hope of eternal life” is something that God “promised before time began” suggests to us that the plan of our redemption was the gracious initiative of God the Father. And isn’t it wonderful that Paul adds that this is a promise made by God, “who cannot lie”? He would never lie to Himself! But what’s more, He has made this plan known to us; and He would never lie to us either. He will keep every promise that He has made concerning us—including the promise of eternal life to those who believe on His Son!

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So; as you can see, Paul’s heart had been gripped by a vision of something majestic beyond words—something that transcends the temporal concerns of this world. His heart had been gripped by the glorious and eternal plan of God. He knew the great promise of eternal life through Christ that the triune Godhead had agreed to before time began. But he knew more than that. He also knew how that plan was to now be revealed to the people who were the beneficiaries of it. He adds that God “has in due time manifested the word through preaching”.

When Paul speaks of the plan being made manifest “in due time”, Paul is using a different word for “time” in the original language than he used in verse two. In verse two, the word “time” speaks of what we might call “clock time”. God’s promise of eternal life was made before there was such a thing as “time” in the sense of a succession of temporal moments. But the word that Paul uses in verses three is a different word—one that means “time” in the sense of “a limited period” or “a fit season” for a thing. And so, he was saying that the word of revelation concerning this great plan—promised before times of eternity (long before we existed)—was made manifest “in due” or “appropriate” seasons “through preaching”. That’s how you and I can know about it today—through the word of God’s plan being manifested through the coming of God’s Son Jesus Christ, and through His sacrifice for us being “preached” through Jesus’ appointed apostles and preachers.

Paul was passionate about the plan of God because he had a vision for it that was far bigger and far more vast than the simple, everyday events of life. He had a vision for the eternal plan of God for the redemption of the elect. And what’s more, he saw himself as fitting into this eternal plan that had it’s beginning point before time—a plan based on the eternal promise of God. He saw that he was living in the time in which the word of that glorious promise of eternal life was being made manifest through God-appointed preaching!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ; do you have a grasp of the great promise of God—the promise of eternal life? Has your heart been gripped by the ‘big picture’ yet? And what’s more, do you see how God has made you to fit into it?

Once you do, you’ll have Paul’s own passion for God’s plan!

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Not only do we see a grasp the eternal promise of God in these introductory words; but we also see . . .

4. PAUL’S OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMISSION IN THE PLAN (v. 3b).

Paul not only knew what it was that God had promised, and what it was God was doing to make that promise known, but also what he himself had been given to do to help reveal that promise to others. He said that it was being revealed through the preaching of the word, “which was committed [or “entrusted”] to me according to the commandment of God our Savior”.

That, to Paul, was the greatest privilege he could possibly imagine—to be given the task of revealing the mystery of God’s great plan of redemption, and the promise of eternal life to those who believe! He had been a former persecutor of the church. But the risen Jesus had met him, saved him, and commissioned him to preach the gospel that he once fought against! And the great privilege he felt in all this kept him going through some of the darkest times of trial—even in the times when he was slammed into a prison cell for that gospel! In his letter to the Ephesians, he wrote;

To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory (Ephesians 3:8-13).

Dear brothers and sisters; you and I have been given a commission by that same Jesus to proclaim Him wherever He puts us! You and I have a privilege we don’t deserve—to bear the message of God’s promise of eternal life through faith in His Son!

Rise up in obedience to that commission with a sense of privilege that’s equal to it; and you’ll want to live a life that matches what you preach!

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Now; it’s then—after affirming all of this—that Paul finally addresses Titus. He writes, “To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior” (v. 4).

Next week—if the Lord so wills—I’m hoping that we’ll take some time to examine what the Bible says about this remarkable man Titus. But for now—in closing—note what these words tell us about . . .

5. PAUL’S HUMILITY AS A TEAM-PLAYER IN THE PLAN (v. 4).

Given all that Paul has already said about himself—that he is a bondservant of God, but also an authoritative ‘apostle’ of the Lord Jesus Christ; that he has this overwhelming awareness of the great task of working toward the faith of the elect, and the instruction of those who believe in the truth that accords with righteousness; that he has a motivating grasp of the eternal plan of God for redemption; and that he knows and obediently fulfills his unique place in this task—he still speaks with great humility to Titus. He doesn’t lord it over his young assistant, or order him as if he were a mere underling.

Instead, Paul sets himself at an equal level with Titus. He encourages Titus with the affirmation that he is a true son—not of Paul, even though it was very likely that Paul led him to the Lord—but of the faith of the gospel. It’s as if he’s saying, “Titus; I’m about to give you directions concerning a great task—that of getting the churches in Crete into good working order. But before I do, I want you to know that I—the apostle Paul—know you well; and am confident that you truly are a genuine son of the faith!”

Can you imagine receiving a commendation like that from Paul? What a motivation that must have been! But more than that; Paul also says that Titus is a true son in “our common faith”. He makes the great gospel that God gave to Paul to preach just as much Titus’ faith as it was his own. It was a faith that they held equal ownership over—and with an equal responsibility to labor for it and spread it! Paul saw himself as a team-player in this great plan of God; and he sought to rely on the ministry that God had given to Titus in the fulfillment of that plan.

Dear brothers and sisters; are you genuine sons and daughters of the faith that you hold in common with the apostle Paul? If so, do you realize that you share common responsibility with Paul to live that faith out in such a way as to adorn it—and make it easier for unbelieving people to hear it and believe it? Do you see that, by the sovereignty of God, you are alive today as an inheritor of the work in the gospel plan that Paul labored in; and that the baton has—as it were—been now passed on to you?

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And look! We haven’t even gotten into the body of the letter itself yet! This was just the introduction! But as we do so, may we become captivated by the same passion for the glorious gospel that drove Paul—and thus live lives that match up to it!