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 time manifested his word through preaching, which is committed
unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour, 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,
but 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 is a servant 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 is all of grace, that salvation is all
determined, dependent, and accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
here is 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. 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 promised His 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 a 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's
given us this 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,
this eternal promise of salvation, how it is 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 time,
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 a promise of salvation in Christ Jesus, and we have been
commanded to declare this Gospel unto all men. It is 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, 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. 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 to 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. 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
by 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, 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 tied to 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.