Know What You Stand For
Titus 1:1-4
“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ…” vs. 1
Little Known Facts
Here are some little know facts that may be of interest to you.
1. Leo Fender, the inventor of Fender guitars, never knew how to play the guitar
2. Hugging for 20 seconds releases Oxytocin, which c an make someone trust you more
3. Astronauts have a patch of Velcro inside their helmet so they can scratch their nose
4. In the 1800’s,feeding lobster to prisoners was considered “cruel and unusual punishment, like making people eat rats
5. If every muscle in your body could pull in one direction, you could lift nearly 25 tons
6. Since 1945, all British tanks have come equipped with tea facilities
Okay, were those of interest to you? Notice when I started I said they may be of interest to you.
So here is another question? What do they have in common? (Wait a minute and listen to responses) Nothing that I am aware of. They are just random facts. The thing is, we all probably know a lot of things that are interesting but really that’s about it, they really are not good for much else. The question we might need to ask ourselves is, what is important for me to know. Are there are things that are vital to me and of greater importance to my life and me survival? What about when it comes to spiritual things? Today we are going to start the study of a new book, Titus. We will begin by reading Titus 1:1-4. If you are able, please stand.
Read Passage – Titus 1:1-4
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, 4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Titus: A Man of Strength and Character
The book of Titus is a letter written to Titus, a pastor on the island Crete, by Paul. He has a special place in Paul’s heart as we see in verse 4:
“To Titus, my true son in our common faith…” vs. 4
Paul uses the term “son” affectionately showing us how much Titus means to him. Titus was a Greek who had been converted through Paul’s ministry and became his close friend. He was also one of the men Paul traveled with on his difficult journeys. Paul took Titus with him, for example, to talk with Peter about Peter’s insincerity and hypocrisy in relating to Jews and Gentiles (Gal. 2:1-16). Standing at Paul’s side, Paul confronts Peter about living like a Jew but when Gentiles were around acting like a Gentile. Titus must have learned a great deal about dealing with people, confrontation and how to deal with difficult situations from Paul and these journeys.
Titus must have been a gifted man with many talents because Paul uses him to serve at the first church in Corinth (2 Cor. 8:6) and then leaves him on the island of Crete to help a congregation that has lots of issues and Paul hopes Titus can straight out some of the issues so they become grounded in the truth of God and even to appoint leaders, elders, in the church so that it will move forward and be a light to that community.
Crete Is A Mess!
One of the main issues Titus is dealing with that there is a lot of false teaching that has invaded this island. This island was no paradise of a place. The inhabitants were known for their roughness and rowdiness. The main things they were known for were gluttony, dishonesty and laziness.
The church was being challenged not only to live out their faith and stay true to God in what is considered a chaotic environment, but to hopefully influence these people to consider a new way of life in God and Christ. One of the main false teachings that was prominent was something called Gnosticism. Gnosticism was a teaching that believed that knowledge was the most important thing and that in order to “know God” you had to have this special knowledge. Only a few people were “enlightened.” Whenever we hear something like that, that only a few people can attain something, it should probably throw up a red flag that something is wrong. They also believed you shun the material world as much as possible. This was invading the church so you can see the polar opposites of what is going on here. The “gentile” world is living it up and out of control while some in the church are going to the polar opposite of abstinence and separation from the world. Titus’ job was to bring some balance to their world and really help understand God, Christ and how to live their belief out in a way that brings honor to God.
Know…
In many ways we are in the very same kind of place today. Many people might think that they are going to heaven because they have the knowledge of who God is or because they might abstain from something that they believe isn’t right. They know of God, they know about God, but that is all it is, knowledge. Life is full of tension. One of the tensions we have is about knowing God and what it looks like to live that out daily in our lives. Paul, purposely, begins this letter to Titus with some basis for what it takes to live the Christian life. Knowledge is important. But as we will see as we work our way through this book, it is only part of who we are. The other part, which we will cover in the following weeks, is living that out in a practical and real way. So what do we need to know to get going? Today we are going to look at a few of the basics based on his opening remarks.
1. Who I Am
The first line is important. I am putting this in the first person and you can apply this to yourself. An important thing to know in life is who I am. Listen again to what Paul says:
“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ…” vs. 1a
Paul knows who he is. Paul calls himself a “servant of God.” When you think about it, we all wear labels. I am a pastor, a husband, a father, a son, a friend, etc. You wear labels of who you are. Here is where the difference lies; because he labels himself a servant of God, he takes his cues and his orders from God. That is what a servant does. A servant doesn’t decide where he wants to go, what he wants to do, etc. All that is done for him by his master. Paul is explaining in this label that is how he lives his life; by going and doing everything God tells him to.
Tying this into what Timothy was dealing with on Crete; the Gnostics believed that their “special knowledge” elevated their status in society. They also believed because of this special knowledge, they lived it out by doing away with the material things of their life which would in turn make them more devoted. This became their identity.
Ex. Jesus, his identity was who he was in God. “I have not come to do my will but the will of my Father who sent me.” John 6:38
2. What I Stand For
The second thing Paul stresses for us to know is What I Stand For. Paul’s words from verse 1b:
“…an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness…” vs. 1b
Paul was not a shy man. When he came around, he was not shy in letting people know what he stood for. I think there are two things in this passage that Paul emphasizes.
1. Community – He uses the words “God’s elect” to combat the Gnostic’s idea of “special knowledge.” He is saying yes there is something special but it is for everyone and it’s everyone’s job to spread that word. The Gnostics tried to keep their special knowledge a secret and that made theme special, at least in their mind. God’s idea of this knowledge is for us to share it with others.
2. Truth and Godliness – The message behind knowing the truth is that is should lead to God and to godliness. Paul wanted people to know that God was his standard of living. The people of Crete, as I mentioned, did not have standards of living that were anything to brag about. Their standards were not one that led to God but ones that led to self-fulfillment and indulgence.
3. What I Am To Do
A third consideration is Paul knows what his purpose is, what he is to do and we should always keep in mind what I/we am to do. He states in verse 3:
“…he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior…” vs. 3
Paul understands his role; he is a preacher. I have mentioned this at other times and it is worth mentioning again, that we all have a role in telling others about God, but we are not all preachers. We are all gifted. God has given each of us talents, gifts, and abilities that we can use
for His glory. I would even say that we are not called to do things that we were not given the ability to do. God never expected us all to be preachers, all to be teachers, all to be evangelists, etc. You are uniquely gifted and empowered to be you and to use the gifts and talents God has given you. In 1 Corinthians Paul uses the analogy of our body. He talks about not everyone is to be a hand, a foot, a heart, etc. Each part is to do their part, in unison with the others, to function properly. A body in full health has every part working together. We, as a church, are the same. Some of you are called to teach, lead a study, play on the praise team, help with the facility, encourage others, how about the recyclables, help with the finances, etc.
4. Who I Am Doing It For
Paul’s concluding remark of his opening statement puts it all in perspective; Paul knows who he is doing everything for. Verse 4:
“Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.” vs. 4
Paul’s reminder here is that everything he does, he does for God and his purpose is to bring God into the places and peoples lives that he touches. He knows he will not being seeing these people in this life again. This point is really what the whole book of Titus is about, knowing God and living out that knowledge through your actions and your life. Paul wants to live out the Christian life in two ways. First he wants to bring grace, God’s grace, in every situation. Grace is bringing God’s strength and courage and his divine assistance in all he does. This is contrary to the Gnostic movement that relies on knowledge as their power and strength and their prestige. He also stresses the idea of bringing God’s peace.
In a world where there is a lot of unrest, a lot of chaos, and a lot of “get all you can” for yourself, Paul wants to remind Titus and the people of Crete that when your motives are in the right place, and God is the driving force behind all you do, that people will see that and want that too.
Ex. I recently heard a pro athlete give a speech where he claimed that his sport gave him his identity, his life and his purpose. A game! I want my identity to be in God and that should come out in everything I do.
Living With Hope
All this leads to something that we all want to have; hope. Paul says in verse 2:
“…in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” vs. 2
Hope is to cherish a desire with anticipation and to expect with confidence. Dr. Henry Cloud wrote in Necessary Endings that “Hope is one of the most powerful forces in the universe.” Hope is the thing that drives you to hold on when everything looks bad. Hope keeps us focused on what is ahead and not on what we have left behind. Hope is a driving force that can helps us believe in what we know but might not have seen.
In the Vietnam war Admiral James Stockdale had his plane shot down and he had to eject. He landed in a village but was taken prisoner and was held captive for 7 ½ years. He saw hope as a requirement of survival. He was regularly beaten and tortured. Stockdale was one of about eleven prisoners known as the “Alcatraz Gang” because they were separated from the other prisoners and placed in solitary confinement in a prison that was separate from the main prison. He was kept in a cell that was 3 ft. x 9 ft. with the light left on 24 hours a day. Reflecting on his experience he said:
“I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”
We can have that same kind of anticipation: that is that we can and one day will be with God for eternally. The key to that is that we have that hope because God has promised it to us…and God doesn’t lie.
