A God-Focused Goal

Intro:

1. From 1932 to 1955 Robert Woodruff was the president of Coca-Cola. After World War II he led the company to adopt his goal, which as he put it, “That during my lifetime, I want every person in the world to taste Coca-Cola.”

2. The Apostle Paul also had a goal, a much more noble, worthy and eternally profitable goal – one in which he wanted the Church to adopt as its own.

3. A God-focused Goal of Salvation and Sanctification being Practiced, Proclaimed and Reproduced.

Titus 1:1-5 (NKJV)

1 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.

5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you--

Notice we get the idea of God-focused by the fact that God is mentioned 5 times in the first 4 verses; the concept of a goal comes from the preposition “kata” which is found 4 times in the Greek texts: “According to” [3 times] and “in our” (4a). It has a broad range of meaning, but here it refers to a goal or purpose.

I. First, we see Paul’s Greatness. 1:1

A. His Submission. Lit. “a slave.”

MacArthur, “Above all else, the apostle saw himself as a man totally under divine authority…Paul was in complete, but willing bondage to God. He had no life that he called his own, no will of his own, or purpose of his own, or plan of his own. All was subject to his Lord.”

That is true greatness! Mt. 20:25-28

B. His Commission. “an apostle”

That was a great gift given to only a precious few (I Cor. 12:28).

Paul was a great man because he first of all was focused on God in obedience, and then on others in the ministry. E. Stanley Jones, “Most people plot and plan themselves into mediocrity, while now and again somebody forgets himself into greatness.”

II. Furthermore, Paul’s Grand Goal proclaimed. 1:1b-3

A. First, there was Election.

Paul believed that God in eternity, based upon His Sovereign choice, selected people to salvation. This motivated Him to the goal of salvation. Jn. 15:16/Ac.13:46-48/2 Tim.1:9; 2:10.

Faith is a gift that only God can bestow upon a person. T. H. Huxley was a well-known agnostic, he once asked a man, who was heading out for church this question. “Suppose you stay home and tell me why you are a Christian?” The man shared the gospel plain and simple.

When the man had finished there were tears streaming down Huxley’s face. He said, “I would give my right hand if only I could believe that!”

Yes, we are totally accountable for our persistence in sinful unbelief, but faith is always a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9).

B. Then there was Education. “acknowledgement of the truth.”

The truth is, it is the Word of God which begins the sanctification process, in those who are saved. Jn. 17:17/Mt. 28:19-20

Whenever someone is saved, we are to begin the sanctification process by teaching those new converts the Word of God. A young Christian packing for summer camp, said to one of his friends, “I have nearly finished packing. I have put in a guidebook, a lamp, a microscope, a volume of fine poetry, a few biographies, a package of old letters, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer, and a set of tools.”

His friend stunned asked how he could get all of that in that one bag! He then pulled out his Bible – it was all of that and much more!

C. Then there will be an Expression. “accords with godliness”

Salvation brings forth transformation (Rom.8:29/Phil.1:6; 2:12-13/Tit. 2:11-12).

George Cameron is alive because of a kidney donation, taken from Clay Jones. Clay was a football player who died when he was struck by lightening. George noted, “God must have some purpose for my still being alive. I wasted my life gambling, drinking, and refusing to take care of myself. And everyday I realized that I have within me the kidney of a blameless young man and it has affected me greatly.”

We have Christ within us and that indwelling Christ will effect us greatly!

D. Finally, there will be an Expectation. “hope of eternal…”

1. The Certainty – God promised it.