This is in our Bible study. The book of Titus. This is a letter. It says the
epistle of Paul, a letter to Titus, a young preacher. All
the way at the end of this book, you'll see it says he was the
first bishop or preacher or pastor. That's the name. Bishop. of the
church of the Cretans. Paul visited the island of Crete,
just below Greece there, and the Lord raised up a church there.
And Titus was the first pastor of that church. And so Paul wrote
a letter to him with many instructions. Instructions what to preach,
what to teach. And as you know, the same instructions
given to him are given to me. The same instructions given to
the church at Crete are given to the church at Rocky Mountain. Everything God says to His people,
He says to all of His people. Alright? Look at chapter 2, verse
1. He says, to this young preacher
and those who preach and teach and witness. Speak thou the things
which become sound doctrine." That's teaching. You're going
to find this word throughout this book. Over in chapter 1,
verse 9, it says, "...hold fast the faithful word as ye have
been taught which he may be able by sound doctrine to exhort and
to convince gainsavers, backtalkers. Look at chapter 2, verse 10. Show in all good fidelity that
they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
Verse 15. These things speak and exhort
and rebuke. Chapter 3, verse 8, says, this
is a faithful saying, these things I will that thou affirm constantly. So, instructions to a young preacher
named Titus, and to me, and to all of us. Go back a page to
2 Timothy 4. Go back there. Timothy, you may
not know this, but Timothy was the first pastor at Ephesus.
Paul wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus. And Timothy was the
first pastor there. And he said the same things to
him, the young preacher named Timothy. Verse 1, I charge thee
therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge
the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom, preach
the Word. Be instant or consistent always,
in season, out of season, rebuke and reprove, rebuke, exhort with
all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine." So this is what he's telling
young Titus. All right, now go back. Look
at verse 1. Paul, a servant of God and an
apostle of Jesus Christ. according to the faith of God's
elect. Now, the acknowledging of the
truth, which is after God. Paul, a servant of God. He doesn't
use a title. No true preacher does. No apostle
did. No prophet did. He just calls
himself Paul. He doesn't call himself Reverend
Paul. That's the Lord's name. Psalm
111 says, holy and reverend is his name. He alone is to be revered. He doesn't call himself Dr. Paul or even the Apostle Paul. A servant. He says, I'm a servant of Jesus,
of God. A servant of God. Servant is
a lowly person, isn't it? A servant is not a high, noble
person, although our Lord said, the greatest among you is a servant.
But a servant is someone who doesn't take glory and honor
to themselves, but honors their master. Paul said, I'm a servant
of God. I serve His glory. I serve His
name. I serve His Son, the cause of
Christ. I serve His people. I serve His
people, a servant of God. Paul was called of God. He didn't
put himself into the ministry. God did. He was taught of God. He didn't teach himself. And
man didn't teach him. But God did. Taught of God. He
was sent of God. He didn't run. He was sent. A servant of God. The same is
true of all true preachers. They serve God's glory, they
serve the cause of Christ, and they serve His people. They don't
serve themselves, they serve Him. A servant of God and an
apostle of Jesus Christ. Small a, you see that? A small
a. Apostle. It's never a capitalized,
except when it's referred to Jesus Christ in Hebrews. An apostle,
that means messenger. That's all that means, messenger,
a messenger. And he said, I'm a chosen messenger
of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ chose him. Do you
remember on his road to Damascus where the Lord Jesus Christ found
this religious fellow named Saul of Tarsus and put him in the
dirt and revealed himself to him? And he said, now, and he
said through a preacher, Ananias, whom God sent to Paul to teach
him the truth. Ananias said, God hath chosen
you. You're a chosen vessel of the
Lord. He's chosen you to see His just want, to know His will,
and to preach His gospel. An apostle of Jesus Christ, chosen
messenger. If a man is taught of God, called
of God, sent of God, chosen by Christ as his messenger, what
will his message be? If he's a messenger of God, What
is the message of God to people? This is my beloved Son, hear
ye Him. Christ is His message. That's
how you know a man sent of God is a messenger of God. Christ
is His message. Christ is His message. Alright,
now look at it. Verse 1. He said, I'm a messenger
of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God's elect. Oh, Paul. You don't start preaching
election right away. Oh no, that's deep, heavy doctrine
only for the family, and you keep that back after a while
and then sneak it in on them. That's what religion's in. Right
off the bat here, he says, elect. Elect. Peter did too. Elect,
according to the four knowledge of God. That's the faith, the
common faith. Well, the first thing he tells
young Titus is that he's a servant of God, an apostle, a minister,
a messenger of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God's elect. The first thing here, sound doctrine
begins right here. God's sovereign election of a
people before the world began. Now that's where the whole covenant
of redemption started, right there. God elected or chose a
people before the world began. And you know, I challenge you,
is not this what you first heard to make you sit up? You who are
in false religion, like Saul, the first thing you heard that
just, it either made you mad or something, but you heard it
and said, this is strange doctrine. This is strange. Now here it is. Sovereign election. Now, number one, you cannot be
one of God's elect and not believe this. You can't. You can't know God
because this is what makes God, God. This is the difference between
God and man. God says, I have free will, not
you. I choose whom I will, I choose
to do what I will, how I will, because I will. And I will work, and who will
let me? I will choose whom I will. This is the reason men hate this
so much, is they exalt their own free will. They think they,
you know, have this will. And if you cross their will,
you see what makes them matter than anything else. Who are you
to tell me what to do? You can't do that. This is the difference between
God and man. God truly does as He will, chooses
whom He will, does as He will. This is what makes God God, His
absolute right and sovereign right and sovereign will and
sovereign choice. Now, as I said, you can't be
one of God's elect and not believe in God's sovereign election.
It's like you can't be found and not know that you were lost.
You can't see and not know that you were blind. You can't be
alive and not know that you were dead. You know who knows they're
alive? Those that were dead. The person
that's dead doesn't know they're dead. A blind person doesn't
know they're blind. The non-elect don't believe they
were in election. Salvation starts with God's sovereign
choice of a people before the world began, and put their names
in a Lamb's Book of Life, in a covenant of electing grace
and particular redemption, and gave them to the Lord Jesus Christ.
This was all purposed and planned before the world began. And He did it in love. Because this
whole world is going to be plunged into sin. Before the world began,
God knew this. They're all going to be plunged
into sin, and none of them are going to be worth saving or redeeming. But God, who is rich in love
and mercy and grace, chose not just a few, but a number as the
stars of the sky and the sands of the sea, and gave them to
Christ to ensure, to make absolute certain, their redemption. Put
their names in the Lamb's Book of Life, chose them, wrote their
names down, and nothing and no one can ever change that. It's
going to be because God chose them. It starts with this, starts with
this. Matthew 24, go over there. This
is the language of Scripture. This is God's language, His elect. You know, the very word elect
or election or elected or whatever, it's 27 times in the New Testament
alone. Not to mention all the times
He talks about chosen, chosen in Him, whom He didn't choose.
27 times. And I'll tell you what, you will
not hear this anywhere but where the elect are. But this is the
language of Scripture. This is the faith of God's elect. Matthew 24, our Lord said in
verse 22, this is Jesus Christ talking. He said in verse 21,
there will be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning
of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be, and except
those days should be shortened, There should no flesh be saved,
but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Verse
24, "...there shall arise false prophets, shall show great signs
and wonders, insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive
the very elect." Verse 31, "...he shall send his angels with the
great sound of a trumpet, They shall gather together his elect
from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other."
That's the language of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who would apologize for that? You know, if you don't believe
this, you're calling Jesus Christ a liar. You're saying, I take
exception with the Lord Jesus Christ. But God's people rejoiced. You know, here's the thing about
it, too. Let me give you an illustration. My dad told me that one time
he got a letter from a TV listener. A man and his wife had just lost
their only son. And they turned on the TV to
hear, and had never heard him preach before. And they turned
on the TV, and Dad preached that day on election. And they wrote him a letter a
little while later and said, God revealed Himself to us, opened
our hearts, gave us such peace and comfort and joy and rejoicing. Election? Dad said later, if I'd have chosen
one, if I'd have known those people, lost that only son, if
I'd have known they were going to be listening, that would not
have been the message I would have chosen. The point being, God's people,
glory in this. Abraham. Let's ask him. Go through
the Scripture, you won't find one person God saved that doesn't
rejoice in glory in the fact that God chose them. They know
for a fact, I didn't choose him. I had nothing to do with it. Abraham, tell us about your conversion,
Abraham. I was 75 years old. An idolater,
steeped in religion. I was a Southern Baptist, gone
to church all my life. Never missed a service. Taught
Sunday school. Quit my smoking and drinking
and living a good life. Accepted Jesus as my personal
Savior. In false religion. That's what
that is. False religion. But God. I heard about a sovereign God,
not the one who tried to be God, wants to be God, and can't be
God unless I let him. I heard about a God who decided,
who purposed, who chose me to understand that He is God, that
He chose me and gave me to Christ, that it wasn't my works, it was
Christ's works. Jacob, tell us your story, Jacob. If you asked Abraham, did you
choose him, God, or did he choose you? He'd say, that's the most
foolish question I've ever heard. Are you crazy? Jacob. Let's hear your story, Jacob.
I was running. A cheat, a liar, a thief. Schemed against my brother, my
dad. Running. And Jesus Christ found
me lying on a rock and wrestled me to the ground and told me
who He was and what I was. And now from here on, it's what
I purpose to do for you. Did you choose God, Jacob, or
did He choose you? What a foolish question. Andrew, Peter, Simon, James,
John, did you all choose Jesus? What a foolish question. Are
you kidding? All the elect know. It is not
that I did choose thee, Lord, that could not be. For thou hast
not chosen me, I would never have chosen thee. Simon said,
you know, there were 50 boats out in that harbor that day,
50 boats. All my friends, all my neighbors,
there was Billy Bob, there was Danny Joe, there was all these
brothers, but he called me. This is election. Barnard used
to say, it's not a doctrine, it's a person choosing persons. Chosen. The woman at the well. Huh? Did you choose Jesus or did He
choose you? Are you kidding me? I didn't know what I believed.
He came to me. He was waiting on me. He taught
me. He bought me. He brought me. Election! Keep going. Just name somebody.
Name somebody. Oh, this is why Paul said in
II Thessalonians 2, and I knew I might not get past the first
verse on this. And some of you are rejoicing
too. I rejoice that you are rejoicing. Paul said, Oh brethren, beloved,
we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord. We are not thanking you for doing
something for God. We are bound to always give thanks
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you. to sanctification of the Spirit,
set you apart to believe the truth. Whereunto He called you. I'm
not going to stop there, John. Whereunto He called you by our
gospel, the gospel, the faith of God's elect, to the obtaining
of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. See, Christ is God's elect. Isaiah
42 says, Behold mine elect. He's the one. God chose and put
everything and everyone in Him. It's not you. He didn't choose
you because of you. No, no, no. Not by works of righteousness
which you've done. But Christ. It's not merit, it's
mercy. He didn't choose us because He
saw something good in us. He chose us because He saw us
in someone good. Chosen in Christ. As I said,
the fact is, God's people, all glory, and God's sovereign electing
grace as it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at chapter 3 here
in Titus, verse 9. Chapter 3, verse 9. It says,
Avoid foolish questions. So really, Really, if people start arguing
about this, don't argue with them. God's people don't argue. I mean, tell them what the Scripture
says, but you know, when you find out who God is, you'll quit
arguing about who God is. Honestly. When God reveals the
truth to you, you'll quit arguing about the truth. You'll believe. You'll believe. You know, you quit arguing about
depravity when God reveals yourself to you. So don't argue. Let the potsherds strive. Let
the potsherds of the earth. Our Lord said, faith of God's
elect. And I'm preaching this to you,
teaching this to you, because you rejoice in it. Faith of God's
elect. And he's going to go on. more
clearly to define this faith. Look at verse 1 of our text. According to the faith of God's
elect, the acknowledging of the truth which is after God. The faith
of God's elect, the acknowledging of the truth which is after God. There's truth and then there's
error. There's no middle ground. There's no gray area, is there?
And I've quoted that to you in 2 Thessalonians. It's through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, the
gospel, the faith of God's elect. It's said in Jude, he said, the
common faith once delivered to the saints. That's what all the
saints believe, the same thing. One Lord, one faith, one hope of your calling. They
all believe the truth. You remember old Pilate. Our
Lord was standing before Pilate. You remember his question? And
people have been asking this from the beginning, not really
wanting to know, but just a question. What is truth? What is truth? What is truth? That's right. He was standing in front of power
and he didn't recognize it. The truth as it is in Jesus Christ. The truth. Who is God? Jesus
Christ. What is man? He's not like Jesus
Christ. Christ is holy. Man is not. He's nothing like Jesus Christ.
The truth. What is love? Oh, herein is love. See that man standing before
his accusers, guiltless, sinless, unblameable, unreprovable. He's
doing that as a substitute. Set by God for guilty, wretched. Oh, that's love. What is mercy? Here's mercy. What is grace? Here's grace. The gift of God. An unspeakable gift. People that
don't deserve it. What is truth? Did God do this
for all men? Oh, no, no, no, no. No. Christ said, I lay down my life
for my sheep. I give unto them eternal life.
What's the truth? Once saved, always saved? Yep.
Christ said, I give unto them eternal life and they shall never
perish. That's the truth. The acknowledging of the truth.
And it says this truth is after godliness. Verse 1, after godliness. Don't be afraid of that word.
I wish we weren't. Knowing something of ourselves,
you know, it makes us a little uneasy, but this is what we want.
This is what we seek. Look at chapter 2, verse 11. The grace of God that brings
salvation hath appeared to all men. In other words, the gospel
of God's grace hath been preached everywhere. Paul said, had they
not all heard? Yes, they had. In verse 12, it
teaches us denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world. Contrary to what the enemies
of the truth, the enemies of the gospel say, the truth, the
gospel of God's sovereign electing grace makes a person like Jesus
cry. That's why God saves him, to
be conformed to the image of Christ. in holiness and in love. It makes a person like Christ,
makes a person godly, makes a person holy and righteous. That's what
it's all about. That's why God saves them. Saves
them from their sin, to deliver them from their sin. Not leave
them in it, but save them from it. Godliness. And godliness,
people, is just another word for Christ-likeness. God-like,
Christ-like. It's not something you do, it's
just something the Spirit of God does. So we're saved by godliness
unto godliness, or like Peter said, by virtue unto virtue. All right, look at the next line.
It says, the truth which is after godliness in hope of eternal
life, which God that cannot lie. promised before the world began. You see that? Paul says, I preach
in hope of eternal life. And to Timothy, a young Titus,
to preach and teach in hope of this eternal life which God promised,
the hope of eternal life. Paul wrote in Romans 8, we're
saved by hope. Now this hope is not A wish. Like you have a rabbit's foot
or a four-leaf clover and you just hope, you just hope, hope,
hope, you know. Cross my fingers, hope to die,
you know. Hope it all turns out alright.
No, no, no, no. In Romans 8 it says it's called hope because
you're not there yet. But you believe, you trust God's
promise. But God's promise is certain. God's promise in Christ. In 2
Corinthians it says, all the promises of God are where? In Christ. Are yea and amen to
the glory of God by us. Are certain. God who cannot lie. He said, he that believeth on
the Son hath life. He that liveth and believeth
in me, Christ said, shall never die. That's our hope. Christ is our hope. Colossians says He is our hope. He made peace by the blood of
His cross. He established a perfect righteousness,
a robe to cover His people, paid for their sins. And this is our
hope of eternal life. Well, it's a good hope because
it's in Christ and in the promises of God who cannot lie, and it's
all in Christ. God promised all this. He cannot
lie. Verse 3, and I've got to hurry. He hath in these due times manifested
His Word, revealed His Word, made clear His Word through preaching,
which is committed unto me, and me. And every preacher committed,
chosen, called, committed according to the commandment of God our
Savior. Go preach. Go preach the gospel. You know what I'm doing, and
you know this, what I'm doing and what Brother David Edmondson
is standing up doing right now in Ashland what Gabe is doing
in Kingsport, what David Pledger is doing in Houston, what Marvin
is doing in Fairmont, what Don is doing in Danville, what Todd
is doing in Lexington, whatever God-called preacher is doing
in the place that he's doing, preaching the gospel, preaching
this same truth, the exact same truth, is foolishness to this
world. Foolishness. This is what 1 Corinthians
Paul said. He said, Christ sent me to preach
the gospel. Not with the wisdom of words,
lest the cross of Christ be made of none of that. The preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto
us which are saved, it's the power of God. It's written, I'll
destroy the wisdom of the wise. I'll bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? They don't come sit and listen to this. And all I'm doing
is stand up and trying to talk about God. Where's the wise? They don't even believe there
is a God. Fools. Read on, or I'll read to you.
It says, Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made
foolish the wisdom of this world? But after, in the wisdom of God,
the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them. I don't have to hear that to
be saved. Then you won't be. You won't be. How shall they call on him whom
they have not heard? How shall they hear without a
preacher? And this is exactly what God
does to all His elect. He sends a preacher. Like I told
you about Saul of Tarsus and Ananias. The Ethiopian eunuch
was out there in the desert. You say, fella doesn't have to
be a preacher. Hang on now. He said, Philip, all the way
out in the desert, and this man's reading, and he's reading, and
he said, I don't understand it. How can I except some man showed
me? Would you show me? And Philip
said, that's why I'm here. Somebody showed him. He wasn't,
you know, he said, I didn't figure this out. Somebody showed me,
and I'm thankful for him. Like Cornelius to Peter gathered
his whole house. The Lord told him in a dream,
I'm going to send a preacher to you. And boy, when he came,
he fell at his feet. He was so glad to see that man's
feet walk through his door. And you see, we're all here to
hear what things God has given to you to tell us, because we
just don't know. It's not glorifying the preacher.
It's just the means God used. It's just the means God used.
It's like you won't have a garden if you don't plow it and plant
it. You don't put the seed in. Somebody's got to do that. A
man's got to do that. That's just the way it is. And
I've told you so many times before that you know that. Because from
that day forward, you will esteem preaching highly. You'll have
to have it. If a person was saved without
it, they don't ever need it. They don't ever need it. They're not God's people. Not God's people. And then in verse 4, when I close,
it says, he says, to Titus. This is just the introduction. This is just the salutation.
To Titus. Oh my, letters are much more
wonderful than modern texting and all that stuff. Reveals forethought. It takes
care and time and a little bit of money to send it. Time to
wait on it. Anticipation upon getting it.
Something you'll keep. This letter to Titus. You know
how long it took for him to get this letter? by courier, on foot, maybe across
the ocean, by ship, months. If you're a sailor on a ship,
you know how long it takes to get mail to you? Or get it home. And you'll get it, and you'll
just cherish it. To Titus. Personal letter. Titus, oh. Have we heard this letter so
many times? And it's so easy and so convenient. to Titus, to Henry, to Roberta. Put your name there. This is to you, to the elect.
It's not for everybody. God help us all. My own son, after the common
faith, all grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. I ran out of time to deal with
that. But we, Lord willing, will give us more time to look into
it. Titus, my own son. Okay.