Good morning, everyone. I don't know why I'm always surprised by the song selections. This time I knew the songs because Carol told me about them. But still, as I'm singing them and listening to the words, I'm just, I'm always shocked at the ministry of the Spirit. The imagery of Christ sitting on his throne could not be more perfect. Before we get into Titus, I want you to first turn to Acts chapter one. Bear with me for a moment. Though we are going to be in Titus chapter one today, I want to read the first verse of chapter one of Acts because it helps to frame our understanding of the book of Titus and what is going on. as you probably know, Luke wrote the book of Acts, and it was, he wrote the book of Luke, and then he wrote the book of Acts, and they're to be read together, and he says, the former account I made, which he's referring to the book of Luke, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after he, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen. Notice, the book of Luke is what Jesus began to do and teach. And what he continues to do and teach is that which he teaches through his church and through the apostles which he had chosen. The story of Acts follows Roughly, it follows Peter preaching to the Jews, and then it follows Paul preaching to the Gentiles. And it stops at chapter 28, and if you remember, that is when Paul was put in prison. That was his first imprisonment. His second imprisonment is not recorded in Acts. And what we are going to see in Titus is what happens between his first and his second imprisonments. No sooner did Paul get released from prison that he went out again preaching because the Lord had sent him. As we make our way through this letter of Titus, keep in mind that it is the Lord who sent them. It is the Lord who loves you and cares for you, sending shepherds to you to care for you, sending you to care for others, to your neighbors, to your friends. Each one of us has a role in this church. And I know I'm always talking about Carol. I'm sorry, Carol. But I just so appreciate that even while she was suffering with recovering from her hip surgery, she's still picking out songs for us to sing and still passionately caring about it. Each one of us has a role in this body. Each one. Not just the elders that get up here to speak. With that in mind, keep it in mind that Christ is both doing and teaching. Turn to Titus chapter one, verse one. I'm gonna read from the New King James because I think there's a word here in this first verse that I think is best translated in the New King James. Starting in verse one, Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Notice that Paul was sent, that's what the word apostle means. Sent by Jesus Christ according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgement of the truth which accords with godliness. in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested his word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior. To Titus, a true son in our common faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, please teach us this morning from your Word. We think of the comforting words that you have said right here in this passage, our hope of eternal life. We think of our brother Dan, who is right now in glory, enjoying his eternal life, seeing his Savior face to face. And we also think of our sister, Colleen, who misses him desperately, and she's mourning over him, Lord. We pray for her that you would comfort her and remind her of this, that the ones that we lose in this life that belong to you, we will see again. Never to say goodbye ever again. There are many that we have lost in this congregation, even in the past few years, but we will see them again. We thank you, Lord, for this great hope that you've given us. In Christ's name we pray, amen. The first word of this letter, Paul. It says a great deal about the man himself and about where God had sent him. The name Paul is the Greek form of the word Saul, the name Saul. His name wasn't changed. We might think, well, Jesus changed his name when he was saved, like he changed Peter's name. Simon turned to Peter. But this is actually Saul's name in Greek. The man who raged against Jewish believers, throwing them in prison. who would have probably rioted in the temple if a Gentile had gone past the court of the Gentiles. This man was sent to the Gentiles to preach the gospel, and his name was changed to Paul. I was wondering as I wrote this, I wonder what Hal, Hal's back there, if they had a name for you in Thailand, what it would be. Now Paul is a bondservant of Christ, of God, it says. This word bondservant in some of our translations just says servant, but in the Greek it is the word doulos. And the Greek-speaking people of that day knew what doulos meant. It means slave. Paul considered himself to be a slave of God, sent to be poured out to the uncircumcised Gentiles whom he formerly would have hated, but now he loves. The word doulos is not a flattering word in a Greek and Roman context. The title doulos would have been one that would have brought shame on himself. But Paul was a willing slave of Jesus Christ. In the ancient world, slaves were bought and sold in public slave markets, exposed to nakedness, from one owner to the other, treated like animals. But this is not how the Lord Jesus He was, the Lord Jesus saw him and freed him, but he didn't pay for him with money. He paid for him with his own blood. He himself hung naked on a cross, shedding his blood for Paul and for you. Stripped of his own dignity, Christ died for us. Paul was his enemy. He didn't die for Paul, or for you and me, when Paul was serving him. Paul was actively persecuting God's people. He wasn't searching for God. He was stopped in the act of persecuting Christ. And suddenly, God made him an heir of eternal life. And I say to you, those of you who tremble at God's holiness, First of all, that is a gift. You should tremble at his holiness, but remember that God came to save sinners like Paul. I apologize, I'm using my tablet today because my printer didn't work. But in God's sovereignty, he gave me a tablet. What do we have to lose by giving our life as Paul did as a bondservant. What do we have to lose by giving our life for someone who gave his life for us and was willing to hang naked on a tree, suffering for our sins? Paul understood this very well. In Philippians 3.8, he says, Yet indeed, I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. And I count them as rubbish. that I may gain Christ. The Lord Jesus is not a cruel master. He's a loving and gentle and kind master. Paul had left Titus, his true son in the faith, in Crete in order to set in order the various churches If you do a Google search to Crete today, and you see all the pictures that people post, they're very beautiful photos, you may admire the natural beauty, you may see palm trees swaying in the breeze, you might see beautiful cliffs and beaches, you might think, that is the place where I would like my cruise ship to port. But I assure you that if you landed in Crete in these days, you likely would have encountered pirates and slave traders. The sea around Crete was known as the Golden Sea because it was the area where people got rich off of the sale of men, women, and children. It's not the kind of place you would want your cruise ship to port. Paul repeated what one of their own prophets had said about them, calling them liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. This was said six centuries before Paul got there. This had been going on for a very long time. Remember that old song they used to play on WPOS? I know Tim knows this one. Please don't send me to Africa. Remember that song? We used to laugh about it. I imagine that if it were written in the days of Paul, the song would have been, please don't send me to Crete. Anything but Crete. You might wonder why Paul would leave someone else to continue establishing the churches while he left. But Paul didn't abandon a green recruit to the island of cutthroats and thieves. Titus was a seasoned veteran. Remember that this was said about Titus 10 years before. This is in 2 Corinthians. I didn't write the reference here. I think it's 2 Corinthians 7. When Paul was in his second missionary journey, going from city to city, he was being beaten and cast out of the cities. It says, for indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. But when we were troubled on every side, outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Even Paul was afraid. Nevertheless, God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus. The Apostle Paul was comforted by the coming of Titus. Titus was a godly man. This is 10 years before he left him on Crete. He had left on Crete a mature, gentle, bold, godly example for them to follow. When he says that he's Paul's true son, he was truly his son spiritually. In light of this, I wondered why would Paul, at first I wondered this, why would Paul remind Titus that he was a bondservant of God? Didn't he know that? Didn't he suffer with Paul? Titus was well acquainted with Paul's sufferings. Why would he remind Titus that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ? He knows that. I thought about this when I got home from Honduras last year. I sent a message to Pastor Mario that we had been serving with, and I didn't send my text message saying, I, Mark Priestap, an elder from Toledo, Ohio, I didn't say that. A servant of Jesus Christ. I didn't have to introduce myself to him as if I'd never known him. It's because this letter was not merely addressed to Titus. It was addressed to all the churches as well, to where he was going. You could think of the book of Titus as his official papers as he went from city to city. Remember who the Cretans were. and that they were under the influence of the circumcision party, which he talks about later in chapter one. Besides his godly character, what else do we know about Titus? That he is a Gentile. That he's an uncircumcised Gentile. He's going into the lion's den. Titus was the very same uncircumcised Gentile who was in the center of controversy with Paul 15 years before this in Jerusalem. In Galatians 2, Paul recounts in Galatians 2, 3 through 5, but even Titus, this is when they were in Jerusalem, when Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek, Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Jesus Christ so that they might bring us into slavery, to them we did not yield in submission for even a moment so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. These Jews who professed to be Christians were teaching that physical circumcision was necessary for salvation. They believed this in Galatia and they believed this in Crete. They believed that adherence to the law of Moses was necessary for salvation. That is legalism. The same familiar foe, those of the circumcision. They were ready in Crete and had been there for some time. I wondered about that. How in the world did they get there so quickly? How was there already a circumcision party? Didn't Paul just start preaching there? There was a sizable Jewish population on the island of Crete, probably many of them knowledgeable in the scriptures. And secondly, this was 30 years after Paul had preached in Jerusalem. If you remember, they were speaking in foreign tongues. and many of them were Cretans. They were Jews that had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and they heard about Jesus in their own tongue. And they went back to Crete, and no doubt they were sharing this message. But for three decades, the apostles had not come to them to establish the churches. They lacked the foundational teaching of the apostles, being isolated from the mainland and probably hindered by these brethren, these false brethren. Legalism does not advance the kingdom of God. Legalism does not advance the kingdom of God. It is at war with the kingdom of God. It pretends to be godliness, but it is at war with Christ. Do not be deceived. The circumcision party had had time to dig in, and they were waiting. Their ammo was ready. I was thinking of the soldiers waiting for the Allies to land on Normandy. They were waiting with their guns ready. it is likely they would have questioned Titus's credentials. Who is this uncircumcised Greek coming to establish elders in every city? Who is this guy? Titus would have needed this letter for believers to prove that he had the authority to appoint elders. But his credentials were not merely on paper. It would have been stunning for these people to see an uncircumcised Greek filled with the Holy Spirit. It reminds me of a video I saw, you remember the story of Jim Elliott going down to South America. Many years later, one of the men who was responsible for murdering those missionaries came to America and did a tour. He was a gentle, godly man. He had been a fierce warrior living in the jungles of Ecuador, a murderer, but by the power of the Holy Spirit had been transformed into a gentle, godly man. That is the power of God. No physical circumcision can do this. We must be circumcised in the heart by the Spirit of God. The Jews in Crete were used to Greeks being enslaved to pagan deities. It was thought to be the birthplace of all the Greek gods and goddesses, the island of Crete. Paganism was part of their lives in Crete. Now here's this man named Titus. General Titus was a famous Roman general at that time. Now here's this gentle servant, bondservant of Christ, named Titus, coming to them to serve them, whose grace and dignity was stunning. I wanna say this, brothers and sisters, our obedience to Christ, the one who saved us with his own blood, in the world that we live in is stunning to them. Do not be discouraged that we live in a dark time. We have an opportunity to display the power of God through loving one another. They shall know us by our love. The great irony of the situation that from God's perspective, Titus was the one who was truly circumcised. Romans 2, 28 through 29. Paul said, speaking to the Jews in Rome, he said, for no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical, but a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man, but from God. Remember that the Lord said, do not say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones. The land of Israel is littered with stones. They're everywhere. Just like the Gentiles are covering the earth, God is saying, Circumcision is a matter of the heart. If you are thinking today, I wonder if my heart is circumcised. I wonder if I know Him. I beg you to cry out to Him for mercy. Trust in Him. Salvation is freely given through Christ. He has poured out His blood for you. Rest in Him. Think about the people who lived in Crete on the island. It's about the size of Jamaica, maybe a little smaller. What does it teach us that God sent his precious servants, Paul and Titus, there? It teaches us that God delights to save sinners, even the worst of sinners. His love and mercy extends to all of them. In the time that's left, I would like to focus on three key truths. Three key truths conveyed in this introduction. There's more. If you look at this passage, you might be disappointed that I don't cover everything. But I want to focus on three things. The first one is that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him. Whosoever, Jew or Gentile, may have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into this world, the world that we live in, that we often want to condemn. Christ did not come to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Those who are well have no need of a physician. But those who are sick, Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Sending Paul and Titus to Crete is an exclamation point on that. An island of cutthroats and thieves, the Lord sent mercy. He came to save lazy gluttons. liars, evil beasts. He came to save slave traders. Today we call them human traffickers. We have them in Toledo. God came to save even people like that. We often sing the song, Amazing Grace. Written by a slave trader, former slave trader. God came to save them. People who kidnap and enslave people. Don't get stuck on the title, think about what they do. They kidnap children. He came to save pirates. Not the ones on the Caribbean, the ride at the Disney World. Pirates, they were thieves, rapists, murderers, drunkards. He came to save prostitutes, idol worshipers, tax collectors, yes, even IRS agents. I'm sorry, if there are any IRS agents here listening. idol worshipers, drug dealers, abortion doctors, corrupt politicians, terrorists, communists, homosexuals, arrogant, abusive, narcissistic husbands and wives. adulterers, people addicted to alcohol, drugs, pornography, gossip, slander, and every other evil vice that man practices. Jesus also came to save people who don't do these things outwardly, but do them in their hearts. He came to save people that hate one another, that lust, that commit adultery in their hearts, who are envious of their neighbor's stuff, Envious of their neighbor's wives and husbands. And for people who think they are more righteous than all of these. If you think you're not a sinner, you're a liar. And the truth is not in you. Our sins were laid on Christ. He came to save each one of us. He paid the penalty for every single person who comes to him by faith. The second point I want to make, the Lord sends shepherds to preach to his sheep, to tend his sheep, and he sends them to the end of the world. to an island filled with the worst kinds of sinners and false brethren. He didn't send Caesar. He didn't send General Titus to subdue them, although he had sent them 100 years before this. This time he sent Paul and Titus, his precious servants, humble, willing slaves. slaves of Christ, proclaiming the good news to those who are far off on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. God cares about each one of His sheep, no matter where they are. He doesn't send cattle drivers. He sends shepherds. Shepherds do not drive the sheep. They don't beat the sheep. They gently lead them. They don't browbeat the sheep. They don't guilt the sheep into the kingdom. They preach the gospel to them. They comfort them. Sheep are weak, vulnerable creatures. They're easily disturbed and they're easily led astray. He doesn't send hired hands, men who are in it for the money. He sends men who have devoted themselves as slaves to Christ. He doesn't send those who are greedy for money or fame or power. True shepherds gently entreat the flock to obey their master. They preach what their master sent them to preach. Not their favorite hobby horses, not what fills the pews, not what is popular, but they preach Christ and Him crucified, because that is what encourages the sheep. That is what strengthens the sheep, and what makes them keep going. Listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 9. He says this. If I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid on me. What does he mean by that? It means that God has laid this burden on his heart. He must preach the gospel. To the Jews, I have become a Jew, that I might win Jews. To those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law. as that I might win those who are under the law, to those who are without the law, as without the law, not being without the law toward God, but under the law toward Christ, that I might win those who are without the law. To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker of it with you. God's shepherds are not sent to feed themselves, but to feed the sheep. Paul said that he is the apostle in Titus 1, according to the faith of God's elect. The elect are those that God has chosen to save. There would be none that seek God if he had not done this. He doesn't just choose them, he saves them. And he comforts them, and he sanctifies them. This phrase, according to the faith of God's elect, it means for the furtherance of the faith of God's elect. Around my house, I had these bushes. And these bushes have been dying one by one. And it just occurred to me, I think last month, I've been living there for almost 10 years, I don't think I've ever watered my bushes. I have a sprinkler system, but I have it turned off. And that just occurred to me, I'll bet they're dying because I haven't been watering them. There are men like this who fail to nourish God's sheep, and they begin to wither. Those men are not sent by God. They are not shepherds. The Lord Jesus is faithful to finish the work that he started in you. He sent shepherds. He sent them to his sheep. But so often shepherds are attracted to men who tell them what they want to hear. Beware of those men. He sent them for the furtherance of their faith. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Election is so that God saves and sanctifies his people. He could have sent YouTube videos to everyone. I know there was no YouTube back then. He could have sent a hologram, but he didn't. He sent living, breathing shepherds to preach the word and to model obedience to Christ. Along with the godly example, the Lord sends his shepherds to preach. He says there in verse three, but has in due time manifested his word through preaching which was committed to me according to the commandment of God. Preaching is integral to your growth as a Christian, not just any preaching. It's preaching Christ and Him crucified, and we'll get to that in a minute. When the Lord sends a man to preach, He puts a burden in his heart. He is compelled to go. It's not just a guilt trip that sends him out. It's not a guilt trip. It's an overpowering urge to proclaim the message that God has put in his heart to preach. For necessity is laid upon me. He says, woe is me if I preach not the gospel. Jeremiah 20, Jeremiah put it this way. If I say, I will not mention him. So if he says to himself, I'm not gonna preach or speak any more in his name. There is in my heart a burning fire within me. Shut up in my bones and I am weary of holding it in. Someone who is sent by God to preach must preach. He cannot hold it in. God fills the preacher's heart with this burden and he sends him where he must go. Some go to small churches, some go to large churches, some go out on the mission field, but they are all sent by the Lord so that all of God's elect might be saved and sanctified because he cares for you. What is it that they are called to preach? What is this burden in their heart? He says there in Titus 1, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgement of the truth, which accords with godliness in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested his word through preaching The Lord works godliness in each one of us through the gospel. The acknowledgement of what truth accords with godliness, what truth is he talking about? It's very simple. So many preachers seek to entertain us, entertain the flock, rather than feeding us. And as a result, many believers are immature. True godliness comes first through the acknowledgement of the truth that you and I are both sinners, that we are in need of redemption. That's the first thing. The truth that Christ has died for our sins and that he is raised again and that he's coming again to judge the living and the dead. The truth that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Godliness comes through the hope of eternal life. When our bodies are in the ground, we will see him. We will be with him. And one day, our bodies will be made new again. These are the things that sanctify us and make us more like Christ. True godliness comes from believing that God cannot lie, that he has promised these things and he will do them. I wrote down a few verses here. Believing these following promises results in godliness. Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Do you believe that? God cannot lie. He's promised you rest if you come to him. Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Do you believe that? God cannot lie. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself. That is very personal. That where I am, you may be also. Do you believe that? God cannot lie, brothers and sisters. The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Our brother Dan will rise first. And the dead in Christ will rise first, and then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord, always. These are the things by which we are strengthened, brothers and sisters, not legalism. God cannot lie. These things are so. The Lord has spoken. He who sits in the heavens on his throne, who holds all things together by the word of his power, there's one thing he cannot do. He cannot lie. And he has said these things that you might be comforted. God sends his shepherds to remind the sheep of these things and to exhort them to obedience in light of them. Look how Paul instructed Titus in chapter three, starting at verse one. Titus three, verse one. This is how we are to grow. Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. Before I go on, do people know you for your humility? If not, I urge you to return to the grace of God because you have forgotten it. For we ourselves also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another, but when the kindness and love of God and our Savior toward men appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by his grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a mouthful. His heart is overflowing with the gospel. This is a faithful saying, these things I want you to affirm constantly. He's telling Titus this, these things affirm constantly. Why? That those who have believed in God may be careful to maintain good works. This is God's way that we become strong and obedient by His grace. I once heard a pastor of a large church mocking people who stand up in the pulpit and preach grace, grace, grace, and he said it in such a mocking tone, I don't even want to do it, insinuating that God's grace leads to licentiousness or living for pleasure. The Word of God teaches that God's grace leads to obedience. Do not be deceived. Those who are sent by the Lord are to affirm constantly these things. If you ever get sick of hearing it, the problem is not in the preacher, it's in your heart. Remember these three things. Christ died for sinners like you and me. Some of you have heard this before and are resisting. I'm sure that there's someone in this room that's resisting the grace of God. Maybe you're thinking, why would he die for someone like me? The people in Crete were probably far worse than you. And God sent his servants to preach the gospel to them. repent, and believe the gospel. God cannot lie. His mercy is for all people. He has not left us on our own. He sent shepherds to feed His sheep. And thirdly, He strengthens His sheep by reminding them constantly of His grace. I'd like to close with two questions. I want you to think about these. You don't have to shout it back at me. Just think about it in your hearts. What has God called you to do here in this body? Each of us has a role to play. God has sent you here. He has equipped you in some way to nourish the body. Second question, when you're struggling with sin and when your soul is downcast, where do you turn for help? Do you turn to sports? Do you turn to money? Do you turn to social media? These are temptations that lead us away from Christ. Remember to take every thought captive. Go to the cross. See your sin nailed there. The Lord has put to open shame the devil who condemns you. Go to the cross and be encouraged that your salvation is secure in him. Remember that God had mercy on an island of cutthroats and thieves and self-righteous people. When the kindness and the love of our Savior toward men appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he has saved us. The path to obedience. If you're a Christian, if you're a true believer, the path to obedience is not by legalism. It's through the cross. And it's through resting in what Christ has done for you. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, You are so merciful to us. We so often forget Your mercy. We are guilty of doing this, Lord, but even in our guilt, we can look at the cross and know that even that sin was nailed there. The sins that we will commit, that we are committing now, even listening to this prayer, our thoughts drift away. We are weak, easily led astray. Forgive us, Lord. Help us to remember that Christ has borne the punishment, the wrath that we deserve. Let us rest in you fully. Help us that we might be obedient to you, that we might not hide the light before men. Let us be filled with joy for what you've done, that the world might know that Christ lives. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.