The Church’s One Foundation
Notes
Transcript
Whenever we start a new sermon series, I like to give an idea of why we are looking at this book. The easiest answer is always of course: because it is inspired Scripture and we should proclaim the whole counsel of God, and rejoice in what the Holy Spirit has inspired for the benefit of God’s saints.
But specifically, the book of Titus along with Paul’s Letters to Timothy are known as the Pastoral Epistles.
They are books that describe how the church should function, what offices should be filled in the church, how
I’ve found that people tend to ignore the Pastoral Epistles unless they are:
Feeling the call to ministry.
Calling a new pastor.
If the first time a church is looking at Titus is when they are calling a new pastor - it is probably too late. That doesn’t mean they will make a bad decision - but just that shouldn’t the first time it comes up. This book is not a manual for a pastoral search - but rather a simple blueprint for the church.
The Pastoral Epistles certainly are useful for when you are looking for a new church - which hopefully, doesn’t apply to any of you - but sometimes unexpected moves happen - but more importantly for regular evaluation to ensure that your church community is adhering to the Scripture requirements of what our God has commanded the church to look like.
If a church’s reason to do anything is “We’ve always done it that way” when Scripture says otherwise the church is in grave danger. So we should always be evaluating what we are doing and comparing it what the Bible says. As a church, as individuals… as a pastor, as a father. More than the pastoral epistles being books for pastors they are books for the church.
This book written for Titus, a young pastor, who was leading the church in Crete. While we do not read of Titus in the book of Acts, we learn of him in Galatians 2 and in 2 Corinthians. We are taught that Titus joins Paul and Barnabas in Jerusalem and partners them in their ministry - and though Titus was Greek he was not forced to be circumcised - of course leading to the main point of Galatians. From the letter to Titus, we see that Titus continued on in ministry and was left on the Island of Crete to pastor the church there. Crete, as I mentioned is an Island, SE of Greece. Long and narrow Island. 170 miles long, but never more than 35 miles wide.
Paul in this letter to Titus gives instructions for who should be leading the church, what the church should be teaching, what the church members should be doing, and how they should be living. Paul does not exhaust the conversation in this letter - but also gives additional relevant instructions in the letters to Timothy, as well as in the Corinthian letters.
But before Paul gets into his instructions he builds a foundation. He builds a foundation and then provides a blueprint for how the church ought to look.
He doesn’t give us directions in how to decorate the church, or where the piano should go… because Paul is not concerned with buildings. Yet in our common vernacular when we speak of church we often confuse the church building with the church, or the church service with the church.
The church is not a building. The church is not a business. The church is a body.
The foundation that the church is built upon is not a slab of concrete. The church’s foundation is Jesus Christ.
As we just sang:
The Church's one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation,
By water and the word;
From Heav'n he came and sought her
To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her,
And for her life he died.
In many cases, we put far too much emphasis on a church building while ignore the actual body.
If a church loses their church building - that church is not dead. We are blessed to have this building but the building does not define us.
Paul opens his letter to this young pastor Titus by first emphasizing Christ - but he does this through the manner of his qualifications.
Paul’s Qualifications
Paul’s Qualifications
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness,
Paul first begins by giving his qualifications - the reasons for why he is able to write and instruct this. This should cause us to ask an important question… if Titus was his ministry partner why the qualifications?
Two reasons:
Paul clearly intended for this letter to be read among the church, and not simply to be a private letter to Titus. It was expected that Titus would share this letter among the church in Crete.
Paul’s qualifications have more to save about God than they do about himself.
Elsewhere Paul says in anyone has reason to boast in worldly qualifications he has more… so here Paul doesn’t boast in his education, or his achievements - he boasts in Christ.
Paul is a servant, a slave of God. He has been purchased by God with the precious blood of Jesus. And he has been sent by Christ Jesus.
The first of these qualifications that Paul mentions it that he is a servant of God. The word that is used here is more properly
A slave/servant of God - Purchased and chosen by God
In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome he uses the same word slave to describe those who are enslaved to sin, lawlessness, and impurity. (Romans 6).
So compared to that, Paul is introducing himself as one who has been purchased by the blood of Jesus. Bought out of his trespasses and sins. Paul is acknowledging that he too is a sinner - who needs a savior. And he celebrates that savior here in Titus 1.
This relates to all of us. We are all a slave to something. You are going to serve someone. You will either be a slave to sin and unrighteousness or a slave to God.
“Emancipation from the blessed will of God always involves bondage to some worse taskmaster.” J. Gresham Machen
The next qualification…
Apostle - Sent by Jesus.
Paul frequently in his letters refers back to his salvation on the road to Damascus. Though he lightly hints at it here - his calling as an apostle is a reference to that event. Paul, while on the road to persecute Christians is called out to by Jesus - Jesus tells him “Stop persecuting me” and Paul instead is given a mission to carry the name of Jesus before kings and nations.
He is given a mission by Christ and he is sent on that mission to build the church rather than seek to tear it down.
Paul has identified himself as purchased, chosen, and sent by God.
I have heard lots of people make odd comments about the apostle Paul. In many instances I have heard people stating that Paul teaches a different message than Jesus. Or when someone wants to dismiss what Paul wrote because they don’t like it - they will say well that was Jesus, that wasn’t Paul. Paul never boasts in his own accolades or abilities, Paul boasts in Christ. In 1 Cor 2:2, Paul tells the church in Corinth that all of his message is Jesus. The only thing he has to talk to them about is Christ - and that will be further demonstrated here in this letter. Especially in this next section as we look to Paul’s purpose for writing.
Paul’s Purpose
Paul’s Purpose
And Paul’s purpose in writing is listed in this lengthy sentence that follows his qualifications.
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;
For the sake
the faith of God’s elect
Paul has connected election and faith. God’s elect will have faith. Faith is the fruit of election. But Paul is not merely writing this for the benefit of those in Crete, but for all the elect. Paul’s intention thus is that this letter would be a benefit and blessing to all Christians in all places and all times.
And For the sake of their knowledge of
the truth
Godliness
This is the message of the truth that accords with Godliness is the full message of Scripture. That God has created us to glorify him, yet we have sinned and fallen short of his glory. Though he has given his son Jesus for the salvation for sinners. He died on the cross to save us from our sins and his wrath - Jesus took the wrath that we deserved upon himself, in order that God’s wrath might be satisfied - and he rose again on the 3rd day. And those who have faith in Jesus are forgiven - and given the right to be called sons an daughters of God.
In the hope of eternal life
Which was promised by the God who never lies (without deceit/never lying/deceitless)
We can have hope in God’s promises because he never lies. There is no one you can trust more than God.
This promise was made in ages past.
God is all knowing.
God’s election is not based upon human action - but upon God’s grace. God didn’t look down the corridors of time when he chose his elect saints - he did it before time began. His election is not conditioned by anything any of us do - but based upon his mercy. And if the doctrine of election is shocking to you - I will add that it is much more surprising frankly that God chose anyone than that he didn’t choose others. God is doing that which glorifies him most - as he is most deserving of glory.
I know that the doctrine of election can make people uncomfortable. But it’s Biblical. However, I want to add that Paul obviously believed in God’s sovereign choosing of his saints. Additionally, Paul’s belief in election did not stifle his belief in evangelism. Election does not and should not stifle evangelism - but rather encourage it. If God is going to save all his elect, and he will, then we just need to be faithful to present the message and he will do the saving.
And this is further emphasized by the statement he makes in verse 3.
At the proper time (God’s good time) God made manifest in his word
The word of salvation that he had foreordained in eternity past at the right time came to fruition. This word or message refers to the gospel - the act of Jesus death and resurrection for the salvation of sinners.
And this word is spread by preaching. This is the task to which Paul was called.
He was called to proclaim Christ. His goal is that God’s people might love God more by knowing Christ more. That sinners might come to rejoice in Christ Jesus as savior and
Paul’s Source
Paul’s Source
3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;
Now in the last half of verse three we read of where Paul’s message comes from. Paul’s message does not originate with himself. The gospel is not a message that Paul made up - but one that he received.
This is evidenced by the radical means of his conversion. Paul wasn’t looking for God when Jesus came to him. Paul was dead in his trespasses and sin - on he way to persecute the church - breathing out threats and murder against the disciples - it’s in that mindset that Paul mets the Lord and his life is radically changed.
Paul has been entrusted this message by the command of God our Savior. To tie this back to verse 1 he is a slave taking marching orders from his master.
Then in the final part of Paul’s introduction to this letter he tells us who he is initially writing to.
4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
To Titus
Now I already mentioned who Titus is earlier. However, he identifies Titus as:
My true child according to our common faith
He addresses Timothy with a similar title in 1 Timothy. He held both of these men in high esteem - and he wanted the churches that they were leading to know that. And this also reinforces what we will read in chapter 2 to demonstrate that their relationship is a model of what is described as exemplary there.
Then Paul concludes his introduced with a familiar phrase. Grace and peace. Some variation of this phrase appears in all of Paul’s letters.
To some degree grace and peace reads like a normal greeting. Grace being a Greek greeting, and Peace/shalom being a common Hebrew greeting - though he uses the Greek word for peace here.
Paul has taken these greetings from Greek culture and Hebrew culture and baptized them into the Christian faith.
But again to draw the idea of Paul’s source would point us back once again to God the Faith and God the Son, Jesus Christ. That is the source from where this grace and peace come.
Grace and Peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our savior.
Paul uses σωτηρος ημων in both verse 3 and verse 4. He describes both God and Jesus as our savior. Paul uses this word 6 times in Titus. Each time he first applies savior to God, and then soon after applies Jesus to savior. In Titus 2:13 he applies both God and savior to Christ. Paul without question believes that Jesus is our God and Savior.
And in this final statement we have the gospel. We can have grace and peace from, and before, God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Through faith in Jesus as savior, who takes away the sins of the world, through his death and resurrection - we who broke God’s law by repeatedly sinning, and deserving his wrath - can find grace and peace before God the Father. It’s a simple greeting that Paul uses, but it has a huge meaning.
In Paul’s ministry he is chosen and redeemed by Christ, that he might preach Christ, at the command of Christ. This leads him to write a letter to build up the faith of God’s elect saints that they might grow in the full knowledge of the truth.
But each step of this theologically rich introduction is rooted in who God is, what he has done, and what he has called his people to do. The definition for God’s church ought to begin who who God is. If you have a faulty foundation the entire building will have problems. So Paul lays his foundation by looking at the gospel and applying it to his life, and to the church.
The foundation that you have for the church, for why you are here, and why and how you serve the Lord must be rooted in Christ, or it is a faulty foundation.
