Our Living Hope
Pastor Chang Kim
Titus 1:1-4
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;
4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Introduction: Paul states in the introduction to his letter to Titus his reason for living.
The purpose of our lives needs to be defined if we desire to be more focused or we will not accomplish what God desires for us to accomplish.
Understand Paul’s Calling v1
Paul, a servant[a] 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
The name Paul is a Greek transcription for the Latin Paulus meaning little. It was a common name and the nearest to the sound of the Hebrew name “Saul.”
Slave is the lowest and most servile term Greek has for one owned by another.
The word apostle is derived from stello, “to send”, and apo “from-away.”
The word Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word we know as “Messiah.” Both words mean “the one who is anointed.” Jesus is the Greek spelling of the Hebrew word we know as Yahoshua meaning Jevohah or YAHWAH saves.
What is godliness? Godliness consists of expressions that represent the character of God in everyday living. Godliness is this natural flow of a life in a relationship with Jesus Christ
Knowledge is living out the truth which living out the truth leads to godliness.
2. God’s Promise Revealed vv2-3
2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began[b] 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word[c] through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior
The foundation of our faith is trust in God’s character.
What God had promised before all eternity has now come about by Jesus Christ becoming incarnate and living a perfect life for us, dying for our sins, and being raised from the dead with us.
Those who accepted Christ, Christ has entrusted with you the Gospels. It is our responsibility to share with others, revealing what God has entrusted.
3. Disciple of Paul v4
4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
The word true means legitimately born.
The word “common” means “to have in common.”
Jude 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Any departure from this “common faith” is false teaching and should not be accepted in our lives and in the church.
Grace is love in action.
Peace of God binds together which has been separated or broken.
God’s grace is the fountain and God’s peace is a stream which flows from the fountain.
Conclusion
The letter to Titus lays that challenge before us today. Much of this letter encouraged ordinary believers, who occupy all walks of life, to consider every facet of their lives so that it may become an expression of the will of God. No matter what path God has given us to walk, we are intended to be a vital piece in God’s missionary plan to reach the world for Christ. Each "piece" has meaning, each human life has inestimable value and usefulness to God, and this realization is a tremendous source of joy, satisfaction, and encouragement. But to realize this, we may need to make some adjustments in the way we view life.