Series: Action [#211]
URGENT- THE ONE TRUE GOD
Titus 1:1-4
Introduction:
When Tharon and Tyler were living at home, their friends would come to our house and eat all of our food and then go do the same at the other guy’s homes. Not only did they eat our food; but they also would wrestle all over the house. During the wrestling, there would be things said that were not ok. More than once, I would tell them that they were acting like a bunch of Cretans. Until I was studying for this Sermon, I did not know where this saying originated. According to the Webster Dictionary, a Cretan is a stupid, vulgar, or insensitive person.
This week, I heard a debate on the radio concerning if the United States is a Christian Nation. The 1st part of the debate was about the United States being founded as a Christian Nation. 1 side said that it was and the other said that it was not. The evidence seemed to favor that the United States was founded upon Christian principles. The 2nd part of the debate was if the United States is still a Christian Nation. The strongest evidence given for the US not being a Christian Nation now came from a survey that said only 30% of Christians surveyed believe that we still live in a Christian Nation.
Because of this consensus, Christians need to see how urgent it is that our Nation turn back to God. We need a counterculture Gospel- That means that we are going to have to believe the opposite of the majority of Americans. Paul wrote a letter of urgency to Titus concerning the same thing- The Nation has to change its spiritual beliefs. So, what was going on in Crete, (specifically in the Churches established by Paul) that demanded a letter like this? To answer this, we have to look into the historical and cultural background of Crete. Crete was a large island off the coast of Greece.
We need to start with the Greek mythology that shaped the Cretan culture. Cretans believed Greek gods were men and women who were elevated to deities through helping mankind. The Cretans believed that the majority of the gods were born on their island, including the chief “man-become-god,” Zeus, who was allegedly buried there. In their minds, Crete was the central place of the worship of the gods.
The mythology was so strong in the Cretan culture that the Churches were mixing their understanding of the Christian God with the popular views about the Greek gods, mainly Zeus. This was a serious problem, especially because this “man-become-god” Zeus did evil things. It is recorded that Zeus loved to seduce women by any means necessary, even by assuming godlike characteristics to get what he wanted. Once, he assumed the form of a husband to get a woman into bed and then resorted to lying when seduction didn’t work. To sum it up, Zeus was a liar and a womanizer, and the Cretans immortalized him for this. They took pride in his shady character and underhanded ways. Aware of this, Paul set out to refute the idea that the Christian God was cast in the image of Zeus, or any other lowercase god. Paul wanted to make it clear that the God revealed in Jesus is totally different from Zeus by contrasting the character of the 3 in 1 God to Zeus the liar.
Titus 1:1-4
The true God…
1. Does not lie.
Paul quickly reminds Titus that Jehovah God does not lie. Our hope of eternal life is promised by a God who does not lie. Zeus may be a liar, but God cannot and will not lie because His nature is that of a God who does not lie. Unlike Zeus, Jehovah God can be trusted to carry out His redemptive promises for the good of His people.
The true God…
2. Became a man.
The Cretan “man becomes a god” theology is opposite of the truth. The truth is that God became a man. He speaks of God (that is, the Father) as God our Savior while also speaking of Jesus (that is, the incarnate Son of God) as “Christ Jesus our Savior” and the “great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Notice how closely Paul puts references to both Jesus and God as Savior. The point is, if God the Father and Jesus the Son are both the same God and Savior of the Cretans, then Jesus is God.
The true God…
3. Became a man for our gain.
Zeus supposed deity was for His own gain; while Jesus set aside His divine privileges and came to Earth as a man for our gain. Paul showed that the Christian God revealed in the coming of Jesus is not like Zeus. Jesus is the Savior of the World.
Conclusion:
Through Jesus, and Jesus only; can a person have eternal salvation. It is urgent that we share with others that our God is the 1 true God and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World.
