This morning for our Bible study,
I would invite you and encourage you to turn to Titus, the book
of Titus, chapter 1. And I'll begin reading it, verse
1. Titus, chapter 1, verse 1. And let's 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,
my own son, after the common faith." They were born of one
faith, one spirit, one Lord, by the word of God. Verse 4 now,
grace and mercy. and peace, grace, mercy, and
peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Now
let's see if we can take a few moments this morning and study
these first four verses found in the book of Titus, Titus chapter
1. We read here Paul. Notice he
doesn't call himself Dr. Paul, Reverend Paul. but rather
Paul, and that word actually means, that name actually means
small. Paul, a servant of God. Paul,
a willing, loving, bond slave of Jesus Christ. Now this is
a very humble title, It's a very honoring title as well, a servant
of God. All of God's preachers are known
by this title, servant of God. Before Paul met the Savior on
the road to Damascus, he was a servant of sin. but being justified
and called by the grace of God, he became a willing, loving,
bond slave to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, through his epistles,
often refers to himself as a servant of God. Not only does he call
himself a servant of God, but also an apostle of Jesus Christ. Now, what does the word apostle
mean? It simply means one that's sent of God. The Lord Jesus Christ
commissioned and gifted, called, and sent this man, Paul, Saul
of Tarsus, who later became known as Paul the Apostle, God sent
him to declare this message of salvation in Christ Jesus. Now notice this carefully in
verse 1. According to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging
of the truth which is after godliness, or that truth which glorifies
God, according to the faith of God's elect." Who are these elect? Well, they're chosen of God unto
salvation, and they're chosen of God before the foundation
of the world. Paul was one of these chosen
ones. Not by anything that Paul had
done, but according to God's eternal purpose and grace, God
chose this man, this sinner, made him a trophy of His grace,
and he's one of these chosen of God, called throughout Scripture,
those who believe, are called the elect of God, the sheep of
Christ. Notice the faith of God's elect. This election is known by believing
God. How do I know if I'm one of the
elect of God? Well, God grants, in time, through
the preaching of the gospel, faith to believe the truth. True
faith is particular and peculiar to God's elect. Notice what it
says here, the faith of God's elect. We know that faith's the
gift of God. Faith is not something that's
native to a depraved, sinful heart. Faith is a gift of God,
sovereignly given through the Word of God, the means that God
has ordained, and this saving faith that's common, it's called
down here in verse 4, common to all of God's elect, acknowledges
the truth. You see that in verse 1? Saving
faith, given to God's elect, those who believe the truth and
love the truth, they acknowledge and confess the truth that glorifies
God. That truth is simply that salvation's
all of grace, that salvation's all determined, dependent, and
accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's the nature
of the faith of God's elect, believing the truth. from the
word of truth, the word of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ
who is the truth, revealed by the Holy Spirit of truth. True
faith and true repentance both lead to the same end, glorious
end. Both confess that salvation is
in Christ Jesus. In Him dwells all the fullness
of a Godhead bodily, and we stand complete in Christ. Now notice
carefully, now get your Bible and read this verse with me.
According to the faith of God's elect, these chosen, whom God
has granted faith, and this true saving faith, this genuine and
real, acknowledges, loves, embraces, and confesses the truth, salvation
in Christ, And this glorifies God. That's why Paul said, God
forbid I should glory save in the cross of Christ. But of Him
are you in Christ? We read in 1 Corinthians. But
of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Now, notice verse
2. I'm reading from the book of
Titus, chapter 1, verse 2. In hope of eternal life, which
God And it says here, God that cannot lie, let God be true and
every man a liar in hope of eternal life. Which God, who cannot lie,
God is true. God promises hope of eternal
life before the world began. True faith acknowledges and believes
the hope of eternal life through the grace of God. Paul says we
have a good hope through grace. We rest with confidence in this
blessed hope. Christ in you is called the hope
of glory. In hope of eternal life. Now
this hope here is just more than a wish, a shot in the dark. This hope here is a true living
person. Christ in you, the hope of glory. We have a good hope through grace
and that grace lays hold of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this hope
of salvation in Christ is by the promise of God who is ever
true. Let God be true and every man
a liar. Salvation is by the promise of
God. Notice it's an eternal promise.
God promises hope of eternal salvation, eternal justification,
promised by God eternally. It's an eternal promise. This
promise goes back to the covenant of grace made with the Godhead
way back in eternity, where God determined to choose a people,
given to the surety of the covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ, He's called
the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, who in time came and secured
their salvation by His blood atonement, and imputed to them
a perfect righteousness which He established, which is the
only ground of our salvation. This is the promise of eternal
life that God had made. in Christ Jesus before the world
began. You see, it's an eternal promise.
Peter talked about the exceeding great and precious promises we
have in Christ Jesus, but this is an eternal promise of salvation,
known unto God are all his works from the beginning. Salvation
by promise is according to the Word of God, given in Christ. The promises of God are in Christ. Since it is true that God has
promised eternal life in Christ before the world began, then
it is the obligation of everyone to believe that promise. He has
given us His promise in the Word of God. Now this faith of God's
elect that we talked about is persuaded of this promise, embraces
this promise. We read in Romans 4, it said
of Abraham, he believed God and he was fully persuaded that all
that God had promised, God was able to perform. Now how do we
know anything about this promise, this eternal promise? It talks
about salvation given to those elect. who acknowledge the truth. Well, it tells us how this promise
that's an eternal promise of salvation, how it's manifested. In verse 3 we read, Titus chapter
1 verse 3, but hath in due time, that is according to the fullness
of God's time, when it pleased God to send forth His Son made
of a woman to redeem them, and in due time God had called preachers
Our Lord said, after he was raised from the dead to his church,
go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
This promise, this covenant promise, grace and salvation in Christ
hath in these times, due times, God's time, manifested His Word,
His promise, through preaching, through preaching. That which
had been promised before the world began, that which has been
hid in types and sacrifices and shadows under the law, in due
time, in God's appointed time, God has been pleased to manifest
His Word through the preaching. Now we know the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself is the Word of God incarnate, the Word that dwelt with God
and the Word that was God. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. And the preaching of the Gospel
is the promise of salvation in Christ Jesus and we have been
commanded to declare this Gospel unto all men. It's written in
the Word of Truth. Paul, when he wrote to young
Timothy, said, I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ
to preach the Word. That's Christ crucified. As Paul
said, I'm determined to know nothing among you. That is a
way of righteousness and justification before God. But Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. God hath in these due time, in
His time, due time, manifested His Word through preaching, which
is committed unto me according, watch it, according to the commandment,
of God, our Savior. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. Now, I would not make
much of the preaching, especially this one. Well, I can say with
Paul, I'm an earthen vessel. We have this treasure in an earthen
vessel that the excellency and the power may be of God. But
I tell you what, I'd make much of the preaching God has been
pleased by the preaching of the Gospel to call out His people,
to reveal His Gospel to His sheep, and to call them through the
preaching of this message, this promise of eternal life and salvation
through the covenant mercy, the covenant grace, the covenant
redemption in Christ Jesus. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the Word of God. Now, in closing, let's take a
look at verse 4 here. This is Titus chapter 1 verse
4, to Titus. He says here, my own son. Now, we know from reading the
scripture that Titus wasn't Paul's son naturally, but spiritually
they were both born into the same family of God. Titus heard Paul preach the gospel
and believed it by the grace of God and was made an heir of
God. They had a family relationship
being adopted into the household of God. Now here's a phrase I
want to pick up in verse 4, to Titus, my own son, born of the
Spirit of God, by the Word of God, put in this household of
God, after the common faith, the common faith, the faith of
God's elect is common in this way, all of the same source,
given of God, in that way it's common. That doesn't mean that
it's something that's ordinary and common in that way, but they
have this thing in the same way that it's common, that it's from
the same source, given of God. That's the thing that's common
among the faith of God's elect. This common faith all has the
same object. looking unto Jesus, who is the
author and finisher of our faith. This common faith, they all believe
the same truth. The same promise. It's God who
saved us and called us. Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit which He shed
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. That being
justified by His grace we should be made heirs according to the
hope of eternal life. That's just common faith. This
common faith has one source, one object, one hope, one truth. The same effect. What is that
effect? glorifies God. God forbid I should
glory save in the cross of Christ. This common faith is born of
the grace of God, the mercy of God, and it brings peace in the
heart. Notice, in closing, from God
the Father and from Jesus Christ our Savior. Repeatedly throughout
this epistle, this small epistle, Titus, three chapters, The Lord
Jesus Christ is often referred to as God, our Savior. If our Savior is not God, we're
in trouble. Well, I pray that the Lord will
bless this portion of Scripture that we've studied this brief
time together, and I would encourage you to get your Bible and look
at these verses again. The faith of God's elect acknowledges
the truth.