Saved to Serve
Church Life: Titus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 4 viewsBelievers have received salvation through Jesus, leading to a life of sanctification and service.
Notes
Transcript
Excite
Excite
It's not uncommon for us to start the New Year each year with a look at the church. This year, we're settling in to the book of Titus.
Paul writes this book to Titus, his friend and co-laborer, someone he actually refers to as a "true child" in the faith, to encourage him as he's organizing the church in Crete. Titus was one of Paul's earlier converts...a Gentile...probably from Antioch of Syria. Paul left him in Crete to put some final things in order. Now Crete itself was one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and it had a lengthy history of being civilized, and apparently their own testimony about themselves is that they were liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons.
In his letter, two things seem to stand out: first, sound doctrine and belief, particularly as it relates to faith and salvation in Christ, and second, the fact that faith leads to godliness. These two things should affect everything about the church and make up what we will affectionately call, "Church Life."
Turn with me to Titus 1 as we begin our study together.
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Salvation Brings Service
Salvation Brings Service
Key Point:
Paul introduces himself as both a "servant of God" and an "apostle of Jesus Christ," emphasizing his humble devotion to God's purposes and his authoritative role in spreading the gospel.
Interpretation:
Paul begins His letter to Titus calling himself a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. This first “title” actually emphasizes a crucial point in both the gospel and in life in the kingdom of God: humility. Calling yourself a servant departs from the world’s ideas of leadership that more center around being the boss and having others serve you. Paul actually understands that his place is that of a humble servant - someone who’s legally owned by somebody else…whose entire life and purpose was determined by someone else. Calling himself a servant assumes the truth that Paul’s life has been bought by God. This happened through the death of Jesus of paid our ransom and redeemed us as His own (1 Corinthians 6:19–20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”) As a servant, Paul’s goal in life is humility and devotion — he wants to obey his master, which involves being an apostle of Jesus…more on that in a moment. So, Paul tries to live in total surrender to God and His will…he’s committed to active obedience, not just passive belief.
This truth just begs us to examine our lives — do we know, and have we responded to the fact that we are saved to serve? If you followed me around, what would you say I’m a servant of, and vice-versa?
Paul’s service fleshed itself out as an apostle. The word typically referred to someone who is sent by someone else in order to speak with their authority or on their behalf. When its used like this, an apostle of Jesus, it refers to someone specifically commissioned by Christ, someone who has been taught by Him and sent with the authority to speak on His behalf. For Paul, this commission happened when he saw Jesus on the Demascus road, when his life was floored and forever changed by an encounter with the resurrected Jesus. As an apostle, Paul is an authoritative messenger, particularly to non-Jewish people, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. That good news is that:
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 10:9–10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Summed up, the message states - 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
Illustration:
Paul’s understanding of who he is now, as a person who has been saved by Christ, gives us a measuring stick for how we view ourselves as well. If I were a plumber, but I never plumbed, I wouldn’t really be a plumber. If I were a carpenter who never actually built anything, I wouldn’t actually be a carpenter. If I were a welder who had never attached two pieces of metal, you wouldn’t call me a welder.
Application:
Similarly, as believers, we must realize that we’ve been saved to serve, not spectate. We should humbly devote ourselves to God's purposes, committing ourselves to usefulness in God's kingdom.
Salvation Brings Sanctification
Salvation Brings Sanctification
Key Point:
Paul’s servanthood highlights his mission to guide believers towards spiritual maturity, emphasizing that true knowledge of God leads to godliness, a transformed life, and sanctification, with salvation and righteous living being the result of God’s mercy rather than human effort.
Interpretation:
As a servant and apostle, Paul knows this is not for his sake but for the sake of the faith of God’s people and their knowledge of the truth, which accords (or leads to or is in accordance) with godliness. Paul’s mission is to deepen the knowledge of the truth of God’s people. What truth is Paul referring to here? Ultimately, it’s the truth of the gospel, but more specifically, he’s talking about how the gospel relates to everyday life.
First, it’s about grounding people in the gospel. He is a messenger for the sake of the elect. This reminds us of two truths: 1.) God’s is involved in drawing every believer, but 2.) this happens through the preached message as people respond to the gospel. We mentioned Romans 10 earlier, but that passage goes on to say (Romans 10:13–15 “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!””)
Second, it’s about teaching people how to live in light of the gospel (Romans 12:1–2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”) After establishing believers in the gospel, Paul sought to guide them to a mature faith and deeper understanding and expression of the truth of the gospel. His ultimate goal was spiritual maturity in Christ, which combines faith, knowledge, and godliness, aiming for believers to live in a way that honors God and reflects a life of true transformation. The ultimate goal…and end…of faith is a transformed life marked by godliness. It’s the natural outcome.
Illustration:
If I enter 2+2 into a calculator, and hit the = button, what will I get? 4.
Every single day, what can I expect to see in the Eastern sky in the morning? And the Western sky at evening?
If I plant seeds in healthy soil, what can I expect? Growth.
Application: So it is with the seed of the gospel. When it plants into a person life, it grows and grows until we become mature followers of Jesus…fully functioning followers who serve Christ and live for His glory. To grow in spiritual maturity, we must seek true knowledge of God, allowing His mercy to transform our lives, leading us to live righteously and humbly, relying on His grace rather than our own efforts. Are you earnestly consistently seeking Jesus?
Salvation Brings Security
Salvation Brings Security
Key Point: Paul emphasizes that the certainty of eternal life, grounded in God’s unchanging promises, provides the foundation for living a godly life, empowering believers with an unshakable hope.
Interpretation:
Paul’s call to godliness is rooted in hope. Hope is what we attach our expectations to, and the hope and certainty we have in Jesus does not disappoint (Romans 5:5 “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”) This expectation is not anchored simply to positive thinking…it’s not just something we wish for. There is an objective reality for those who believe in Jesus that is attached to God and what He has promised to do. It’s significant that God is promising to do this because God…never lies. They are promises cemented in unchanging truth declared by the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Further, these promises made by a never-lying, promise-keeping God were made before the ages began. These aren’t promises made like promises we tend to make — I promise I’m telling the truth — you know, on the fly as a way of trying to convince someone of what we’re saying. No, these promises were actually established before the world…showing that creation and the coming of Christ was actually God orchestrating human history to ensure that His promises would come to fruition…that they would actually happen. God was intentional in making sure His promises held up.
These promises from ages past were finally manifested, Pauls says, at the proper time, and it happens whenever the Word of God is preached. Paul’s calling as a servant and an apostle comes into even better clarity. He says this gospel message has been entrusted to him by God’s command. It wasn’t something that was self-initiated. Paul wasn’t a “self-starter” in the gospel ministry. It was a divine stewardship from God. The word of God’s promise, made in eternity past, which was revealed in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, is made known through preaching. And just for a little clarity on the matter…no, preaching isn’t reserved for preachers behind a pulpit. It’s a sacred duty God has given to all for the sake of proclaiming and spreading the truth about the kingdom, the gospel, how to be brought back into a right standing with God, and how to live for God’s glory and fame…and not our own.
With that, Paul’s finished with the ground work, so he addresses Titus, calling him my true child, which points to the fact that Paul was rather instrumental in Titus’ life as a follower of Jesus. But, notice that Paul doesn’t lord it over Titus. Instead, yeah, he emphasizes this family-like intimacy, but he also points out their equality because they share in a common faith. There’ a unity in that…you’re both my son and my partner as we share in a much bigger task. It’s almost like the proud papa moment when the son is at the place to share in the family business.
His greeting is a rather common one, much like “Dear So-and-so” today, but it contains this blessing: grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. He emphasizing the unity of the Father and Jesus His Son, blessing Titus in the process — may God shower you with His grace, that is, His unmerited favor, and peace…not the mere absence of conflict, but a wholeness and well-being…an answer to life’s chaos that gives purpose and contentment to it all.
Illustration:
Imagine you're climbing a steep mountain. The peak is hidden by clouds, but you know it’s there. Every step you take feels heavy, and the path is full of obstacles, but you keep going because you **believe** that reaching the summit will be worth it.
Your certainty—that the peak exists and that you can make it there—fuels your determination. Even when the path gets harder, you don’t question your hope. It’s unwavering. The closer you get to the top, the more your belief in reaching it strengthens, and with each step, the mountain becomes a little less daunting.
Eventually, you reach the summit. What seemed impossible at first now feels like a natural outcome of your persistent faith. **Success**, in this case, was not just about physical effort, but about the certainty that the journey would lead somewhere worthwhile. Hope turned into a foundation for action, and that certainty made all the difference.
Application:
In Christianity, we know the end from the beginning. Our surrender to Christ and our faith in Him doesn’t guarantee a smooth climb to the top, just that hope beyond this world awaits us when we get there. Hope, and our security in Christ, gives us the courage to keep moving forward, and with that certainty, we turns our eyes to Christ every morning and we keep following Him.
Experience
Experience
Question number centers solely on the gospel: are you a follower of Jesus?
Second, we must apply our security in Christ to our actual lives. There is a hope that we have, a peace that surpasses understanding, a settled and contented joy that sustains us in all of life's ups and downs. Where do you need to apply the salve of certainty this morning? Is there a situation in life where difficulty is causing you to doubt the goodness of God? Remember that you belong to Him. Is there a sin that is hammering your heart with guilt? Remember that you belong to Him. Is there a fear over the future? Remember that you belong to Him. Is there a struggle with the surety of your salvation...first, do you belong to Him? And, if so, you belong to Him!
Now, since you belong to Him, let me pivot slightly, because salvation leads to service. We exist as a church to make much of Jesus and to partner with Him in making disciples from the neighborhoods to the nations. We believe that's in line with the over-arching story of Scripture and God's purpose for His people, both individually and corporately. In light of today's message, and in the context of what our church is called to be and do, how do you fit into this purpose? What does God desire to do with you? How can you serve and contribute to this body and the kingdom as a whole? After all, saved people are serving people.