Go! And Remember God Is Real - Titus 1:16
Why Do Christians Often Live As If God Does Not Exist?
Titus 1:16 (NLT): "Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good."
Introduction:
My friends, there is a sobering reality we must confront: many Christians profess faith in God with their lips but deny Him with their lives. This isn’t a problem exclusive to modern times—it has been a spiritual tension since the days of the early church. The question we face today is this:
Why do Christians often live in moments of everyday life as if God does not exist?
This isn’t a question to condemn, but one to convict, correct, and call us back to the One who gave His life so that we might live. Today, we go deep into God’s Word to expose the roots of this spiritual amnesia and rediscover the truth that Jesus is Lord of every moment.
Point 1: Forgetting God is a Heart Issue
Titus 1:16 (NLT): "Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good."
Paul's letter to Titus addressed the need for sound doctrine and godly living in Crete, where false teachers had crept in. These individuals professed faith but lived in opposition to God’s character. The Greek word for "deny" here is arneomai, meaning to contradict or reject. Their lifestyle was a contradiction to their confession.
We may attend church, carry a Bible, and wear a cross, but do our decisions, thoughts, and words honour God? If not, we are, like them, denying Him with our lives.
John Piper wrote, “Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God.”
How true this is! When we forget the sufficiency and sovereignty of God, we drift into self-dependence and sin. But if we delight in God, our lives will declare His reality.
Point 2: Ignoring God Reveals Spiritual Drift
Psalm 10:4 (NLT): "The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead."
Psalm 10 is a lament where the psalmist asks why God seems distant. Verse 4 addresses the arrogance of the wicked, who act without reverence for God. The Hebrew word for "seek" here is darash, implying an intentional pursuit of God's presence.
Pride, distraction, and comfort can numb our awareness of God. Spiritual drift doesn't require rejection, just neglect. Do we pursue God daily or assume He is only needed in crisis?
R.T. Kendall once said, “The greatest tragedy is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.”
A life that forgets to pray is a life forgetting God. Daily communion with the Lord keeps our hearts aligned with His.
Point 3: Remembering God Requires Intentional Focus
Deuteronomy 8:11 (NLT): "But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today."
Moses warned the Israelites about the danger of prosperity leading to forgetfulness. The Hebrew word for "forget" is shakach, which implies not just memory loss, but wilful neglect.
When life is good, we often live as though we are self-sufficient. But true spiritual maturity is remembering God in both abundance and lack.
Charles Stanley wrote, “We are not to seek God only in times of trouble but live in constant awareness of His presence.”
God isn’t a safety net; He is the Saviour. Our lives should reflect that He is central, not optional.
Point 4: The Gospel Confronts Our Forgetfulness
Romans 5:8 (NLT): "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."
Paul reminds us that salvation wasn’t our idea. God initiated it while we were lost. The Greek sunistemi (“showed”) implies demonstrating something with decisive proof.
The Cross is the constant reminder that God is real, active, and loving. When we meditate on the Gospel, we cannot live as if God doesn't exist.
Tim Keller once said, “The Gospel is not just the ABCs but the A to Z of the Christian life.”
We don’t move on from the Gospel; we move deeper into it. Forgetfulness fades when we keep the Cross in view.
Point 5: Living Mindfully Before God
Colossians 3:17 (NLT): "And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."
Paul exhorts believers to live every moment in light of their identity in Christ. The Greek word for "representative" is onoma, meaning "in the name of" or "with the authority of."
Every conversation, task, or decision becomes an act of worship when we remember we represent Jesus. Living mindfully in His name keeps us from functional atheism.
Max Lucado wrote, “You will never go where God is not. You may be ignorant of His presence, but He is never absent.”
Let’s not live unaware of the God who walks with us. Let’s live on mission, on purpose, for His glory.
Gospel Presentation:
We have all lived moments as if God does not exist. That is sin—living independently from our Creator. But God, in His mercy, did not leave us in our forgetfulness.
Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came to rescue us. He lived the perfect life we could not live. He died the death we deserved on the cross. He was buried. On the third day, He rose again, conquering sin and death.
In Him, we have forgiveness. In Him, we are restored. In Him, we have the presence of God with us—always.
Call to Action
Today is the day to:
Repent of living like God is distant.
Recommit to walking daily with Jesus.
Remember the Gospel and live it out.
Reflect Jesus in your every word and deed.
Don’t live another day as if God is absent. He is present. He is powerful. He is personal.
Invitation to Salvation:
If today you realise you’ve been living without truly knowing Jesus, I urge you:
Confess your sin.
Trust in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
Receive the gift of eternal life.
Call on Him now. He is listening. He loves you.
Benediction:
May the God who is ever-present remind you of His love daily. May you walk in the light of His truth, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and may every word you speak and action you take reveal that God is real, and Jesus is Lord. Amen.
