Good morning again. I'm going to go ahead and get
started. I'm going to try to keep this to 30 minutes. But
if you would turn with me to Titus chapter 1, Titus chapter
1, if you want to follow along. Titus chapter one, I'm gonna
read the first four verses. Paul, a servant of God and an
apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and
the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness, in
hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before
the world began, but hath in due times manifested his word
through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment
of God our Savior, to Titus, mine own son, after the common
faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ our Savior. We read here in this text about
faith. And we are told in two of the
verses we read, faith of God's elect and after the common faith. You hear a lot of people talking
about their faith today. And what they mean is they have
the power of positive thinking. That's exactly what they mean.
They believed something they wanted to happen would happen,
and it did. So then they say their faith
got them through. The problem with their faith,
and I'm not saying they do not have faith, people can believe
a great many things, but that faith that most have does not
move toward God. It moves to what they want. They
are deceived and God will give them what they want. And they
will think because of that, that they get what they want, that
it is God honoring. They do not have the faith of
God's elect or the common faith. And that's my title, common faith.
In fact, from the context here, there were probably some who
thought they were with God's people and may have thought they
had this common faith. But it was made evident that
they do not have the faith of God's elect when they do not
talk about salvation in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.
They are vain talkers, it says in this chapter, and they speak
empty things. Paul says here, especially they
of the circumcision. Adding anything to Jesus Christ
is vain, empty, and it has no substance. But rather they speak
about what they did or do to bring something to pass because
they believed it would happen. That's how they say it. They
wear it as Earl Cochran used to say, or preacher before, he
used to say, they wear it around their neck like a lucky rabbit's
foot. That's all their faith brings
them is good luck. They know nothing of the scripture
where it says, in 2 Thessalonians 1 verses three through four,
we are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is me,
because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity
of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth, so that
we ourselves glory in the churches of God for your patience and
faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure. which is a manifest token of
the righteous judgment of God that ye may be counted worthy
of the kingdom of God for which ye also suffer. We read in scripture that the
trial of your faith, and that's what we're talking about here,
the trial of our faith, all these persecutions and tribulations,
they may suffer, but they do not suffer for the kingdom of
God or for the gospel's sake. Their faith looks to what they
do and not what Jesus Christ has done. They may suffer, but
their suffering generally involves them not getting as lucky as
they thought they should have. Tribulations and persecutions
for God's people is because of the kingdom of God and the fact
that they look for the return of the king of the kingdom. They
suffer because of the gospel. From that passage in Thessalonians,
we can see tribulations and persecutions are our lot. We can count on. But it causes us, when we are
enduring these things, to look to Jesus Christ. God's people's
faith looks to and hopes in Jesus Christ, and luck has nothing
to do with that. It is all because of grace Mercy
and peace from God and his son Jesus Christ as we'll see a little
bit more on that in fact The faith that that they or we have
comes from him because it is his to give And I want to look
at this morning Faith as it is in the believer. That's what
I want to look at Any faith that does not look to God, the Father,
and His Son, Jesus Christ, having worked out salvation for us,
and that God will work all things together for our good forever,
any faith that does not look to that is a dead faith. We read of dead faith. Faith
without works is dead, is what Scripture says. Those works which
are a living faith are in obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. That faith believes Jesus Christ
and what he has done. And you do things to that end,
whatever it might be. So let's look at a few things
today, and I will not exhaust this subject. But from our text,
what does the faith of God's elect cause? Where do we see
this faith? And what is meant by God to give
this faith to some? So first, what does the faith
of God's elect cause? First of all, the faith of God's
elect. Who is God's elect? I know there are those fallen
son and daughters of Adam that are chosen by God. They are the
elect of God. I understand that. But God's
elect is Jesus Christ. He is God's elect. Isaiah 42, one, we read, behold,
my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth,
I have put my spirit upon him, and he shall bring forth judgment
to the Gentiles. There's only one in whom God
so delights, and that is Jesus Christ the Lord. If God delights
in us, it's because we are in him. We are chosen in him if
we are chosen at all, Ephesians 1, 3, and 4, very familiar to
you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love. So now, what does the faith of
God's elect cause? This is something that happens
for all who possess this faith. I'm talking about in our text
here. It does not say some who possess this faith or depending
on the individual believer. It is a specific faith that is
of God and that comes from Jesus Christ. That faith does what? It acknowledges the truth. It
does not say you come to your truth It acknowledges the truth,
and there is only one truth. What does it say about Abraham
in Romans, Romans 4, 20 and 21? He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God, and being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he
was able also to perform. This faith given by God persuades
us. And we believe that what God
has promised, he is also able to perform. Anything short of
that is not the faith of God's elect. It says acknowledging
or recognizing what God says is true and believing it. That
is, you believe God about what he says about mankind born of
Adam, And also, you believe the record God gave of his son. Acknowledging
the truth is after godliness, it says. You believe that Jesus
Christ is the elect, and that if you have any hope, it will
be because you were chosen in him, and that because he died
for you. Hiding God in Jesus Christ is
how scripture puts it. But your hope, because of what
Christ has done, is to have eternal life. Verse two, in hope of eternal
life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
began. What was promised in Jesus Christ,
who is our life, is sure, and it will come to pass, if you're
one of his. So this faith has a good hope,
because it believes the God who made the promise. Faith trusts
Jesus Christ to have saved me and to save me. Hebrews 9.15,
we read, and for this cause, he is the mediator of the New
Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions
that were under the First Testament, they which are called might receive
the promise of eternal inheritance. By what Jesus Christ did, we
are now able to receive this inheritance. And let me just
add, the inheritance is to have Jesus Christ who is our life. But you will not know this until
you are given faith, his faith. And let's be clear, it does not
say that we obtain faith or this life by our works. It is given
by him. But this life is promised by
God before the world began in Jesus Christ. He is our life,
as I've said. So our hope is in an eternal,
holy, merciful God. But this faith acknowledges God
is right. And where do we see this? So
next, where do we see this faith? Where do we see the faith of
Jesus Christ, the faith of God's elect? Coming from our text it
is manifested in his word through preaching If you do not hear
his word, or if you do not believe his word, then you cannot say
you have the faith of God's elect Here's how important the preaching
of the gospel is. Paul tells us in Acts 20, 24.
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear
unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and
the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify
the gospel of the grace of God. Paul says the gospel is worth
dying for. That's how important it is. Here
in Titus, it does not say it is manifested through visions
and signs. It says through the proclamation
of the gospel. The proclamation of the gospel
manifests Jesus Christ, the Word of God. Jesus Christ is the truth
that we acknowledge by faith. Christ told us, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. And there's no other way to the
Father other than Jesus Christ. He is the only way. This faith
responds to the preaching of the gospel if you have it. If
you have this faith, the response is obeying the gospel or acknowledging
it as it says it here. This response of this faith is
not to start keeping the law or for you to do anything. Other
than this, the response is to believe the gospel sent to you.
Faith given by God causes this. And that's where we see Jesus
Christ, verse 2 Timothy 1, 10 we read, but is now made manifest
by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished
death and hath brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel. He is the light and the life. And he is brought Faith is manifested in the gospel.
His faith. By this faith giving, having
obtained it by grace, mercy, and peace of God the Father and
Jesus Christ, what do we do? We worship the one who saved
our soul. The response to the gospel is
not trying to break God's law. I want to be clear about that.
It is resting in Jesus Christ who fulfilled the law completely.
His elect, chosen in Him who did do the law. He did the law. By this faith, God's people established
the law. We hold it up. Not we perform
it or we do it or we keep it. We establish it, Romans 3.31. Do we then make void the law
through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish
the law. We stand in the law, we hold
it up by believing Jesus Christ, proclaiming him. It amazes me that there are so
many who say they know the grace of God in Jesus Christ, yet they
will not believe God and what he says about Jesus Christ and
what he accomplished. If he is the head, and he is,
and we are the body, and his chosen people are his body, Then
it's one man, one body, right? The head and the body. Then if
our head has kept the law, we have kept the law in him, and
it's as simple as that. The gospel tells us this, so
next point. What is meant by God to give
this faith to some? We are told here that it is a
common faith. I know a lot of people think
the faith of God's elect, and that's what we're talking about,
the faith of God's elect. But many think that faith is
something that is up on a shelf and you just take it whenever
you need it. A lot of people say it's their
faith that gets them through, in other words. It's what they
do that gets them through. They decided to exercise their
faith. But this common faith spoken
of here is not common to all, only to all who possess it. What
are we told in Scripture, 2 Thessalonians 3, 1 and 2? Finally, brethren,
pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course
and be glorified even as it is with you, and that we may be
delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, for all men have
not faith. The scripture's clear, all men
do not have the faith of God's elect. Not all are chosen or
elect in Jesus Christ, so they cannot have the faith of God's
elect. Some men have their faith, but
it is a dead faith, because it does not have the one who is
the source of that faith producing it. We know the source of this
faith, because Galatians tells us, Galatians 5, 22 and 23, but
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.
If we have this faith, it is given us by God through the Spirit,
or by His Spirit. If this is not how you have faith,
then it is a man-made faith, if you will, and it's dead as
last year's Christmas tree, as the saying goes. It does not
say it is common to all without exception. First of all, in the
context, it's talking about the faith of God's elect. So those
chosen of God are the ones who have this faith. That faith,
trust, believes in, obeys Jesus Christ the Lord. It does say
that the meaning of it is common or shared by all or several.
But it is common to all he is talking unto and all that have
it. It is saying that this faith is the same to all who possess
it. That's what it means by common.
If you have this faith, it does not believe one thing while someone
else who has this faith believes another. That's not faith. And that's the point I'm trying
to make here. Remember one truth, one truth. Not different truths
based on what we like or dislike. This faith looks to the one who
gave it, for without him we can do nothing. It is not I have
my faith and you have your faith. If you have this faith given
as it says it here, this common faith, it specifically believes
God. But we are told right here where
that faith comes from and how it comes. It has a colon right
there in that sentence in verse four. To Titus, at least in my
Bible, it has a colon there. It says, to Titus, my own son,
after the common faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Now I'm no English
grammar expert by any stretch of imagination. But here's what
I read the purpose of a colon is. It introduces lists, or explanations,
or formal quotations, or clarifies ideas that follow an independent
clause. And what do we read next? How
does this faith come? How does the scripture clarify
this common faith? It is by or from grace, mercy,
and peace, from. God the Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ, our Savior. All men have not faith, because
it is God who must give it, and if he gives it, he does this
by grace, mercy, and peace toward those whom he has chosen in Christ
Jesus, those to whom he is pleased to give it to. He does this so
that those he chose will believe. And that is believe on his only
begotten son and to acknowledge the truth of him and about ourselves. Believers do not boast in their
faith because they know it was given. They boast in him. Rather, they say, Lord, I believe.
I know I believe because what you've given me. But they also
say this, Lord, help my unbelief. because this flesh will take
credit for where credit is not due. So faith is not common to
all, but this faith is given so that we might have hope in
Christ Jesus the Lord. It is common to all who are his
elect, elect in Jesus Christ. The faith of Jesus Christ is
what's common to all of God's people. Faith acknowledges the
truth, and in that, we hope of eternal life. This is promised
by God through Jesus Christ the Lord. He cannot lie, it says. He promised it in Jesus Christ,
so it is sure. It's solid. It's not just a pipe
dream. It's real and acknowledging the
truth by faith, we are sure about it. We, by faith, are convinced
that what God says, he is also able to perform. Remember Abraham? He was persuaded by faith, not
in his own mind. Faith persuaded him. The word
of God, which is Jesus Christ, is manifested, made known through
preaching. Because those sent of God preached
the faith of Jesus Christ, the same gospel that Jesus Christ
preached. And if you would, turn over to
John 3 real quick for a minute. John 3. And this is Jesus Christ speaking
in John 3 verses 31. John 3, 31 through 33. He that cometh from above is
above all. He that is of the earth is earthly
and speaketh of the earth. He that cometh from heaven is
above all in what he has seen and heard that he testify. And no man receiveth his testimony. He that received his testimony
hath set to his seal that God is true. Jesus Christ testified to these
things, and it's what we have right here in the scriptures.
Right here in the Bible. You have one of these Bibles. But what does it say of those
who hear this testimony? Not all hear it. But those who
do, what does it say? Hath set to his seal that God
is true. Hath set to his seal. It is stamped,
and what does that stamp say? God is true. Stamped by God through
faith that God is true. What is this testimony of both
our Lord and those he has chosen? It is his gospel, which is by
God's grace our gospel. He is the author and finisher
of faith. You all know this verse, Hebrews
12, two. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of faith. It has our faith and it is ours
if he gives it. But he is the author and finisher
of faith. And the rest of the verse describes
his faith that he authored and finished. We read. who for the
joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. What
is that? I mean, what is that saying exactly? This is saying this. We can see
this saying there in Hebrews. He came down. He died and paid
the redemption price. Then he arose. And this he did
in our stead for us, that we might be just before a holy God. That is the gospel. Those who
have that common faith, common to all his people, it acknowledges
the truth. The truth being Jesus Christ
is our hope and Jesus Christ alone. If you teach anything
else, if you teach Jesus Christ and something else for salvation,
you are a vain talker, and your mouth must be stopped, Paul says
in our text. And how? How are those mouths
stopped? Are we gonna smack them around
a little bit? No. By God sending those who preach
his truth, his gospel, and all those who stand up by the grace
of God for his truth. Support it, love it, keep it. So the gospel is very important. We are told that here, listen
to the verses, Titus 1, 9 through 11, if you'll go on down to those
verses. Holding fast the faithful word
as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine
both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are
many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they
of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert
whole houses, teaching things which they ought not for filthy
lucre's sake. There is no place for such empty
sayings, empty things. Things like this are empty. Listen. I decided to follow Jesus by
my own free will. That's vain talk. But so is this. Jesus Christ saved me by his
grace and all I have to do is be circumcised or keep the law. All I have to do is this or that
to make what he has done effectual. That's vain talk. It's empty
and it has no substance. We must stop their mouths. And
how do we do that? holding fast the faithful word
as he has been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine
both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Faith, believing
God, that is the substance because it sees Jesus Christ who is our
life. And it is also the evidence.
What Jesus Christ did is what faith sees. And that is my evidence. This common faith acknowledges
who God's salvation is. They believe Jesus Christ is
the Word of God. And that's what we are told to
preach, who He is and what He has done, Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. But I do not get to this point
on my own. I do not work up this faith.
This faith, this salvation in every aspect comes by grace,
mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is our Savior. Turn over to chapter two in Titus
real quick, and I'll finish up here shortly. This is what Paul
is saying to all those who are ordained as pastors, and they
should be teaching these things is what it's talking about. Titus
2 verses 10 through 14. Not purlorning, but showing all
good fidelity that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior
in all things. For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior
Jesus Christ Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us
from all? Iniquity and purify unto himself
a peculiar people zealous of good works We can see right here the grace
of God brings salvation and That grace is found in Jesus Christ
because that is who it is manifested by preaching and by faith. It
teaches us that we should live good lives. That's what the gospel
teaches us. It does not teach us to live
debaucherous lives. We do this, we believe God looking
for something, looking for that blessed hope it says. Jesus Christ
is that hope. I know a lot of people talk about
they want to go to heaven to see grandma or whatever. Our hope is to see Jesus Christ,
to be with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is a great God and
a savior. But then it tells us how this
salvation was accomplished. Who gave himself for us that
he might redeem us from all iniquity. with this end result that he
might purify unto himself a peculiar people, a special people. I know
some might say, I've heard others that have had this said to them,
but they'll say, well, you must think you're special. Well, that
right there says that there are some who are special. That's
what peculiar means. But they are not special for
anything that they have done. He purified his people, making
them special to himself. So they are special to him because
of him. What do we have to do with any
of it? Nothing. All we can do is praise his name
for all things that he has done and thank God for his grace,
mercy, and peace in Jesus Christ that saved me from my sins. Now,
just a few more verses to give witness up to this common faith.
2 Peter 1, 1, we read, Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle
of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith
with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior, Jesus
Christ. Do you see that? We receive this
light, precious faith, this common faith to all of God's people.
We obtain this faith through the righteousness of God and
our Savior, Jesus Christ. One more, Romans 1, verses 11
and 12. For I long to see you that I
may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end you may be established. That is, that I may be comforted
together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me. That faith is the faith of Jesus
Christ, which we hear in the gospel. You know, I don't know
of a time that you read in scripture where people gather together
as God's people in the scripture where the gospel was not proclaimed. Faith feeds off of the gospel
of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Oh, may I hear it over and over
and over again. And that's why we gather, isn't
it? Most people join together to be social. But God's people
gather to hear the gospel and we socialize in that. grace,
mercy, and peace from God and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. May he apply these words
to our hearts.