Finding The Love Of Your Life Series

Life is about what you love.

In the last 300 years the way people see life and the definition of a “successful life” has changed. It has moved from morality to money; from God to goals, from Christ to culture.

This is not new; this same setting was the type of culture Paul was addressing in the Book of Titus.

The Book of Titus is one of the Pastoral Letters; in other words, it a letter from Paul to a Gentile Pastor who was leading in a world where there was a lot of religion, but religion was making little to no impact.

There were multiples of religions and worldviews. None of them were connected to Christ. Yet, this is where Paul and Pastor Titus come in.

In the middle of that culture, Paul and Titus were called to chart a different course. To provide a different world view. To lead people to Jesus and to do it with love.

Therefore, as Paul launches His letter in his salutation, he focuses in on why anyone would want to love and live for Jesus.

Why should you? Why should you make the radical choice today to follow Jesus?

Transitional Sentence: Why follow Jesus?

I. God Chose You

vs. 1- “Paul a bondservant of God and the apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God…”

Explanation:

When Paul accepted Jesus, He made a life changing decision. It changed the way he thought and most certainly the way he lived.

This is obvious as He starts this letter he writes to a fellow named Titus and introduces himself. He reveals that this new life he has embraced as a Christian changed who He is.

Therefore, he simply calls himself by two radical titles:

a) A bond servant of God (A person who decided to be a slave of God/owned by God)

b) An apostle of Jesus Christ (A person who is an errand boy for Jesus)

Notice, these two titles are not flattering titles in our culture. Slave and errand boy sound like someone calling you “the help.”

Yet, Paul was proud of these two titles. Jesus changed Him to top to bottom. He was not the same.

He basically says: “God’s love compelled me to this radical change.” Has it changed you? It will.

Paul explained further in 2 Corinthians 5:14: “For Christ’s love compels us.”

The word he uses in this verse for compel (anagkazo) appears in the New Testament 9 times means: “If drives me, it necessitates, it pushes and pulls me. It overwhelms me!”

Sounds like how we feel when we fall in love. Anyone here ever “had it bad?” Any still have it bad? You know what I’m talking about don’t you guys? You meet her and you cannot get her out of your mind or his heart. She’s the love of His life and life would be incomplete without her.

That’s what Paul is talking about.

Why did Paul have it so bad? It was because he knew he was undeserving. We are an unlikely candidate to be chosen by God. Yet, God has done for us what no one else would have! He called, chose, and changed us by His grace.

Illustration: You are the beast

Movies are full of unlikely couples. When my kids were growing up, for a longtime we did not have cable. We were missionaries and were poor and could not afford cable, so we watched movies on the DVD. (Over and over and over again)

Aaren, my oldest daughter was 3 in 1991and she loved the movie, “Beauty and the Beast.” I always wondered what kind of animal that beast was. I am told that he was chimera- a combination of several animals.”

He had: The head like a buffalo, he had ram’s horns, a lion’s mane, bear arms and claws, gorilla eyebrows, lion’s jaws, wild boar tusks, wolf legs, ugly teeth, and a wolf’s tail.

He was an unlikely love for beautiful Belle. Yet, she looked deep into his heart and saw a need and her love changed him.

I loved the story until one time I said: “Aaren, you’re my beauty” and she responded: “Daddy you’re my Beast.” I thought that was sweet for a minute.

Application:

In God’s story, we were all beasts. We were chosen not based on who we are; we were chosen based on who Christ is. He is full of grace.

Paul doesn’t want us to forget what God has done for you. He chose you!

What does that mean? The word chosen is the Greek word “eklektos” which is a marriage word. It is a picture similar to engagement that involves two things:

a) A sovereign proposal by God.

b) A willing acceptance by us.

Our earthly marriage arrangement provides a picture of heavenly marriage to Christ. He initiates the relationship by loving us so greatly that its unfathomable that anyone would turn Him down.