SERMON OUTLINE:
Background information:
• The recipient: Titus
• The date: a.d.63-64.
• The Letter’s Purpose: vs 5
Essential information:
• (1). The call to serve (vs 1a)
• (2). The call to live Godly lives (vs 1b)
• (3). The call to live hopeful lives (vs 2)
• (4). The call to uphold the Bible (vs 3)
• (5). The call to make disciples (vs 4)
SERMON BODY:
Preach The Word
Reading: Titus chapter 1 verses 1-4.
Quote:
• In the biography of her father in law, G. Campbell Morgan,
• Jill Morgan says of his preaching:
"His voice is like a stradivarius in the hands of an artist,
it never jars, never becomes mechanical or harsh.
For an hour it sings or thunders, monotone’s or whispers,
but shows no strain or weariness...
His audience is unconscious of the passing of time".
Ill:
• In contrast to Campbell Morgan;
• One Church member said to their minister:
• “You’ll never know what your sermon meant to me.
• It was like water to a drowning man!”
Now when it comes to preaching:
• Most of us will hit the heights of Campbell Morgan;
• But hopefully we will not be like that last preacher mentioned.
• Remember that although we may moan at preachers & preaching:
• Preaching is still the most popular form of public address.
• It is still true that week by week more people regularly hear sermons,
• Than any other kind of public utterance.
Question: What is preaching?
Answer 1: Let me first say what it is not!
• It is not lecturing.
• Joke: definition of a lecture:
“The art of transferring information from the notes of the lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through “the minds of either”
• A lecture is designed for the mind, the intellect, with the aim of passing on information.
• Preaching goes way beyond that, preaching at the will, the heart;
• It aims of preaching is not just to inform,
• But to correct, to train, to convict and to encourage!
• Quote: The function of a preacher is:
• “To comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
Answer 2: Philip Brooks describes preaching as: “Truth through personality”.
• I like that description;
• God has made us unique with different personalities – he does not want clones!
• And if God has gifted you with the gift of preaching;
• And it is a spiritual gift (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4).
• Not everyone can preach, but if God has given you that gift;
• Allow him to use your personality and style to communicate the truth of the biblical text!
• Now tonight we begin a mini-series on the New Testament book of Titus;
• Question: When did you last hear a sermon from the book of Titus?
• Answer: Me neither! Sadly it is a neglected book!
• Now did you notice that four times in his opening greeting (verses 1-4);
• The apostle Paul makes reference to the importance of the Word of God.
• Verse 1: “For the FAITH of God’s elect”.
• i.e. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God”.
• Verse 1: “the knowledge of the TRUTH that leads to godliness.”
• i.e. Genuine faith produces a transformation– a desire to live a godly life.
• “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
• Verse 3: “By the COMMAND of God our Saviour”.
• We cannot manufacture godliness - godliness is produced in us by the Holy Spirit;
• As we live out our lives in obedience to the Word.
• Verse 4: “In our common FAITH”.
• Genuine godliness demonstrates itself in the Church – with God’s people;
• i.e. In our relationships with one-another (others who have this faith!)
These four statements are a reminder:
• That Paul related everything in his ministry to the Word of God.
• His calling and his preaching depended on faith in Christ.
• And Paul wanted Titus to grasp this fact;
• And to make the Word of God a priority in his ministry as well.
• The local Church needs to be a place where the Word of God is;
• Valued, preached, taught, explained and practically applied.
Ill:
• There were two doctors with the same name who lived a few doors apart.
• One was a Christian and a lay-preacher, the other made no profession of faith.
• One night a rather sick person, who was also a Christian,
• And wanting help from a fellow believer,
• Knocked mistakenly at the door of the non-Christian doctor.
• “Are you the doctor who preaches?” he asked.
• “No”, the medic replied, “I am the doctor who practices”.
• “Oh”, said the sick person, “I’ve always understood the two things were inseparable”.
• Good doctrine should lead to good practice;
• That was the desire of the Apostle Paul in this letter;
• Titus was to teach the Word of God in a practical and applicable way.
Background information:
• Now Titus may be a short letter;
• Only three chapters long – containing forty-six verse;
• Short enough for us all to read through before we come out each week!
• But don’t underestimate it! It is a power packed book,
• Quote: Martin Luther said,
• “It has everything needed to sustain and build a Church on.”
The recipient: was a Gentile (non-Jewish) man called Titus.
• Surprisingly Titus is not mentioned at all in the book of Acts.
• But his name does appear numerous times in other New Testament books;
• In fact the Apostle Paul gives him a name check on thirteen occasions.
• For example Titus is mentioned in Galatians (chapter 2 verses 1-3);
• Where Paul writes of journeying to Jerusalem with Barnabas, accompanied by Titus.
• Titus was then dispatched to Corinth, Greece,
• Where he played the role of peace-maker;
• And successfully reconciled the Christian community there with the apostle Paul.
• Titus was later left on the island of Crete to help organize the Church,
• And the picture we get of him is that he was a co-worker with Paul in the gospel.
• His final mention in the New Testament is found in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verse 10,
• Where Paul remarks in passing;
• That Titus has departed for mission work in Dalmatia (modern day Croatia).
At the time this letter was written and received:
• Titus was a young pastor serving a church on the island of Crete,
• According to this letter in verses 12-13 and also secular history;
• We know that the citizens of Crete were notorious for bad behaviour.
• Do the apostles letter was written to a young pastor in a wicked society;
• So it contains good advice and guidance for living in a secular world.
• We can also call this letter ‘A Pastor’s Manual For Leading A Local Church’.
• Because it contains instruction and guidance on how to lead a Church.
• And don’t forget that because it is included in our New Testament;
• It goes beyond Titus and becomes a letter of instruction for all pastors & Church leaders.
• It’s directives are for all Christians in all cultures and in all periods of time.
The date: Paul wrote this letter approximately a.d.63-64.
• Titus is one of three Pastoral letters (the others being 1&2 Timothy);
• That the apostle Paul wrote two young Church leaders;
• While we don’t know for sure the date most scholars think;
• It was written sometime after they left Timothy behind in Ephesus;
• Then Paul and Titus travelled on to Crete.
• After a brief stay, Paul left Titus behind to lead the Church (verse 5).
• And sometime later he wrote this letter and had it delivered to Titus.
The Purpose of The Letter::
• Was to instruct & encourage Titus in his church planting ministry.
• So the apostle Paul gives Titus some clear instructions and directives.
• In fact the broad purpose of Paul’s letter is stated in chapter 1, verse 5:
“The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”
It is a dynamic little letter:
(a).
• This letter to Titus (and 1&2 Timothy) are often called “pastoral letters”;
• Because they deal with pastoral care in the church.
(b).
• They are also “personal letters”;
• Because it was written to people the apostle Paul had led to Christ through his ministry;
• Verse 4 refers to this with the expression ‘true son in the faith’.
(c).
• It is an “Ecclesiastical letter”;
• It contains instructions on personal behaviour, church organization, and doctrine.
(d).
• It is also an “apologetic letter”.
• Because it gives a strong defence, a strong argument for the faith.
5 lessons to learn (vs 1-4):
• From the opening four verses of this book;
• I want us to see and learn five calls of the church.
(1). The call to serve (vs 1a)
• (NIV): “Paul, a servant of God”
• (NLT): “from Paul, a slave of God”
Note: Paul describes himself as a slave (GK: ‘doulos’).
• A slave was somebody under the control of another (i.e. the master)
• A slave was somebody under the authority of another (i.e. the master called all the shots)
• When Paul encountered the living Christ on the road to Damascus;
• joke: not the road to ‘domestos*’ as one little child said!
• (*in the UK ‘domestos’ is a well known bleach).
• He was never the same again!
• He was forever under the authority & control of another – Jesus Christ;
• And that slavery, that attitude of service was how he lived his life.
Application:
• Every Christian ought to be a ‘slave’, ‘a ‘servant’ of Jesus Christ:
• The Lordship of Christ is not an optional extra it is the normal Christian life!
• Therefore every Christian is called to serve,
• We are not called to sit on the sidelines, but we are called to the front lines.
Note: We are called to serve in two ways.
• First: we serve God - Paul said he is a “servant of God”.
• This is our priority and this attitude and relationship;
• Probably determines everything else in the Christian life.
• Secondly: we serve people – “for the faith of God’s elect…”
• We are called to serve people - specifically God’s people.
• i.e. Serving each other by helping each other, by praying for each other,
• By encouraging each other, by building up each other’s faith.
(2). The call to live Godly lives (vs 1b)
“...the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness
Notice the apostle Paul describes a process in this verse:
• The process begins with faith i.e. faith in Jesus Christ (conversion)
• It develops in knowledge i.e. teaching we receive from the Bible (personal & collective)
• And then exercised itself in godliness i.e. it is seen in our lives, by the way we live!
Ill:
• As a Church our ‘strap-line’ (motto) on our publicity emphasises this:
• They summarise why we exist as a community of Christians:
• "Worshipping God, explaining our faith, serving the community"
• ‘Worshipping God’ – Faith & love for the God who made us & saved us!
• ‘Explaining our faith’ – Teaching & preaching the message of the Bible.
• ‘Serving the community’ – Living lives that reflect the love of God towards others.
(3). The call to live hopeful lives (vs 2)
“a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time”,
The call to live ‘HOPEFUL’ lives
• In English the word ‘hope’ is something we are unsure about;
• We use it like we use the words ‘maybe’ or ‘perhaps.’;
• But in the Bible the word ‘hope’ is used very differently;
• It is used in a similar way we use the words ‘guarantee’ or ‘surety’.
• In other words it is used as a certainty – something that will come to pass!
Ill:
Hope rests of course in its source:
• I may hope that a house will remain standing strong;
• But if that is built on quicksand is a false hope, because it will sink.
The Christian hope is true and certain because it is resting on a firm foundation.
• Verse 2 reminds us that our foundation of hope is resting on God,
• A God who is from everlasting to everlasting,
• A God who is the creator and sustainer of the universe.
• Our hope is resting on the Word of God, which will never pass away.
• Our hope is resting on the promise of God,
• And when God makes a promise he always keeps it.
Therefore in view of the hope we have:
• We are called to live lives filled with hope,
• As Christians we should always be optimists!
• For us the future is bright!
• God is still on the throne! God is at work in our lives;
• And even when these lives are over – our hope is to be “with the Lord forever!”
(4). The call to uphold the Bible (vs 3)
“and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Saviour,”
God’s people need God’s Word!
• It gives substance to our faith.
• It stabilizes us in times of testing.
• It enables us to handle God’s Word correctly.
• It equips us to detect and confront false teaching.
• It makes us confident in our walk.
• It calms our fears and cancels our superstitions.
• It prepares us to handle the trials and difficulties of life!
• It equips us to “fight the good fight of faith”.
And we as followers of Jesus Christ are called to uphold that Word.
• We uphold it by Reading and studying it.
• We uphold it by reading it to our Children.
• We uphold it by striving to live according to its principles.
• We uphold it by sharing it with a lost and dying world.
Quote:
• “This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation,
• The doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.
• Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true,
• And its decisions are immutable.
• Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy.
• It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
• It is the traveller’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass,
• The soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character.
• Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.
• Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.
• It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.
• Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully.
• It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.
• Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb,
• To a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity!”
(5). The call to make disciples (vs 4)
“To Titus, my true son in our common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.”
Notice: that Paul addressed Titus as “My true son in our common faith”,
• Which means that Titus was not only converted under the apostle Paul’s preaching,
• But he was also discipled by him.
• And the other references to Titus in the New Testament would bear this out.
As a Church (and as Christians):
• We are not just called just to help people come to faith in Jesus Christ;
• One of the main purposes of the church is make disciples,
• Not just to preach the gospel,
• But to disciple, to continue to shape lives after someone has come to faith!
Ill;
• That is the great commission!
• Matthew chapter 28 verse 19: “...therefore go and make disciples of all nations,”
• That is our final orders from Jesus!
• And as far as I am aware they have never been rescinded!
• Our mandate as a Church is not just to preach the gospel,
• But to make disciples, to continue to shape lives after someone has come to faith!
• Quote: Alan Redpath:
• "The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment,
• But the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime."
Question:
• Are we still open to ‘BEING DISCIPLED’ or do we think we have arrived?
• We may be GROWING OLDER in years but we also need to GROW UP in our faith!
• No-one ever outgrows the need for discipleship
• So let’s keep our ‘L’ plates on and have the right attitude.
• There are no short cuts to growing as a Christian;
• It calls for discipline and it calls for a desire.
Ill:
• Someone said to a teacher on one occasion;
• “I met someone recently that you know, he tells me he was one of your students”
• The teacher replied; “He may have attended my lectures;
• But he was not one of my students!”
• We could paraphrase that:
• “He/she may have attended my Church, but they were never one of my disciples!”
There are no short cuts to growing as a Christian;
• It calls for discipline and it calls for a desire.
• It calls for fellowship – the need to emulate and find support in others.
Ill:
• After a distinguished performing career,
• Virtuoso violinist Jascha Heifetz accepted an appointment as professor of music at UCLA.
• When asked what had prompted his change of career,
• Heifetz replied:
• “Violin playing is a perishable art.
• It must be passed on as a personal skill; otherwise it is lost.”
• We need to listen to this great musician.
• Living the Christian life is a highly personal experience.
• We can’t pull it off merely by watching skilled veterans “perform.”
• We all need hands-on instruction.
Quote: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ”.
