A Proper Christian “Hello!” -- Titus 1:1-4
A Proper Christian “Hello!” -- Titus 1:1-4
October 19, 2008 AM
By Pastor Lee Hemen
Titus was a Gentile convert who had served and traveled with the Apostle Paul “to Jerusalem… with Barnabas.” Paul “went in response to a revelation” that he preach “the gospel… among the Gentiles.” The church leadership there felt that Paul “was running or had run [his] race in vain.” But he had not, because “not even Titus, who was with [Paul], was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.” (Galatians 2:1-3). Titus knew, like Paul, that his salvation was in Christ alone and not in following the law. Titus was therefore a “gentile” witness! (2Corinthians 7:6-7; 8:6). In approximately 63-64 AD, after leaving Timothy in Ephesus, Paul and Titus traveled on to Crete. Paul then left Titus behind to help provide leadership for the Cretan churches (Titus1:5). Afterward the apostle wrote this letter and had it delivered to Titus.
Christians share a commonality of faith, knowledge, and eternal hope. Because of this wherever Christians go, they have common ground. They are “brothers” and “sisters” in Christ. It is a deep inner spirituality that cannot be faked, though many try. In fact, this is why Christians intrinsically know immediately if another is a believer or not. God has given us spiritual insight. This is why Paul introduces his letter to Titus with a proper Christian “Hello!” Let’s discover what that means for us…
READ: Titus 1:1-4
The word “hello” has often been credited to Thomas Edison, specifically as a way to greet someone when answering the telephone, but we find evidences of it in print as far back as 1823. In fact, Mark Twain used it before Edison in his book “Roughing It,” in 1872, 4 to 6 years before Edison or Bell. Alexander Graham Bell initially used “Ahoy-hoy” (as used on ships) as a telephone greeting. Some languages actually have no word that resembles “hello.” Early Greeks or Hebrews would “greet” one another. Hebrews used shaw-lome' which meant “peace.” Greeks used aspazomai, which meant to salute as in “I salute you!” Paul gives a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus because he knew that…
I. Christians share a common faith!
1. Common faith finds a common ground in Christ! Paul would write the Roman church, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.” (Romans 1:11-12) Christians long to be with one another in order to encourage and strengthen one another’s faith in Christ. Paul writes Titus that he was “an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect.” God was using Paul to call out a people for Himself. Those who had trusted Jesus. We find Paul addressing Titus as “my true son in our common faith.” What is this faith based on? Paul related that it was founded on “Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.” Paul knew and taught that “Through him [Jesus] and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people… to the obedience that comes from faith.” (Romans 1:5) The Christian’s “righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:22) How? Paul would answer that “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood!” (Romans 3:25) “Therefore,” Paul would write, “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Romans 5:1) Paul knew that all Christians share a common faith in Jesus Christ!
EXAMPLE: Faith is more than feelings of peace and contentment. It is more than having a godly moment or an angel on your shoulder. Faith is not a happening, it is a commitment of one’s complete self to trust in Christ. Recently, I read a story about a man while out for Chinese food with his friends, noticed another man walking his dog past the restaurant. Normally he wouldn’t have looked twice. But the dog’s owner had taken the leash, put it in a figure-eight configuration, and placed it firmly in the dog’s mouth. His friends explained that it’s against the law in their town to walk a dog without a leash. This clever dog owner had found a loophole—the law didn’t stipulate that you actually have to hold the leash! The amazing part is not the loophole, but that the dog was walking in obedient step with his master, even though he could have bolted away to chase a nearby squirrel. Our walk with God has to be like that. Complete faith! A total trust in our Master Jesus. While God in His mercy gives us a long leash and rarely gives us spiritual whiplash by yanking on it, He doesn’t delight in the struggle to keep us in line. He delights when we walk in a surrendered way with Him. Paul, in saying a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus reminded him that Christians share a common faith.
There are those who try to work their faith out by being good or by doing good things. However, we are reminded as Christians that “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Faith in Jesus intrinsically changes the individual from the inside out. Here we find Paul giving a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus because he knew that…
II. Christians have a knowledge of the truth!
1. Knowledge does little good if it is not put into practice! This knowledge, Paul related, “leads to godliness.” This was the truth Paul was trying to impart to all the churches he established. This common faith that Christians share in Jesus will make them righteous before the Lord! Since telling others about this truth had been entrusted to Paul by God, he felt he had to let Titus know right away the importance of its message. It had the power to change people’s lives! Again, this was why Paul introduced himself as “a servant of God and an apostle (one sent, a messenger) of Jesus Christ.” He brought this message of the truth to Christians: “God’s elect.” Those who trusted in Jesus were to have working knowledge of the truth. The good news. The gospel. However, truth, just knowing about Jesus, is just a concept if it is not lived in the lives of those who believe. You can have the knowledge of God, but not fully understand its implications for your life. Knowing there is a God is not the same as acknowledging His Son as Savior and Lord. This truth of Jesus so struck Paul that he related: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Romans 11:33) He went on to say, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen!” (Romans 11:36) Paul knew that it was “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ [He] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) In saying a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus, Paul told him that Christians have a knowledge of the truth, Jesus Christ.
EXAMPLE: As I related before, knowing there is a God is not the same as acknowledging His Son as Savior and Lord. It is the same with anything in life. You can read all the cookbooks in the world, but not know how to cook until you try it for yourself. A third-grade science teacher asked one of her students to describe salt. “Well, um, it’s . . . ,” he started, then stopped. He tried again. “Salt is, you know, it’s . . . .” Finally he said, “Salt is what makes French fries taste bad when you don't sprinkle it on.” Many foods are like that--incomplete without a key ingredient. Imagine pizza without cheese, strudel without apples, a banana split without bananas, a pie without salt, or a cake without sugar! The Christian life also has an essential ingredient: Jesus Christ! In saying his proper Christian “Hello” to Titus, Paul related that Christians have a knowledge of the truth! Jesus Christ.
There are a lot of folks who claim to know the truth of Jesus Christ and to have faith in him as well, but sadly, there are few who can express why it is important. Some will say, “So we do not go to hell.” Others might intone, “So we can have life more abundantly,” all the while not truly understanding what that means. Then there are those who are dimly aware that its importance might lie in the fact of who God is and what we are. God is not only infinite, loving, holy, and all powerful and aware, there is one other attribute we claim to understand but few of us truly do: God is eternal. Paul knew this to be true, so here we find Paul giving a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus because he knew that…
III. Christians rest on the hope of eternal life!
1. As one little boy put it, “Eternity is a really long time!” It certainly is. And, being certain of something makes it true only if it really is! Paul related that the faith and knowledge of Jesus rested “on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time!” There it is. That one niggling little snippet that puts everything into perspective for the reader. Paul is not just talking about a spiritual relationship in life but also the reality of a position in life. Life is eternal. It's been part of God's plan “before the beginning of time!” In fact, the hope that believers share is based on the fact that “God does not lie!” When he says something is true it is true, with a capital “T”! Even Habakkuk in his spiritual dilemma about God using the Babylonians to judge Israel lamented, “O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O LORD, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish.” (Habakkuk 1:12) Habakkuk knew God was eternal and could do what he said he would do, even if it was to use gentiles to discipline his people Israel. Why? Because God was “from everlasting” and he said that his people would “not die,” ever! Jesus related, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-16) John the Baptist related one last all important truth to his followers before he was martyred: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36) Paul, in giving a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus, understood that Christians rest on the hope of eternal life.
EXAMPLE: On a crisp October morning, a local newspaper featured a stunning photo of sun-drenched autumn trees whose leaves had turned gold. The caption read: FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY. The irresistible invitation to take a drive through the countryside to savor the brilliant colors conveyed the urgency of doing it quickly. Autumn leaves that are golden today are often gone tomorrow. Our opportunities to obey God’s promptings are also fleeting. James warned against an arrogance that assumes endless days will be available to carry out our good intentions. “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:13-14) Our life here is but for a limited time only and to think otherwise is foolish indeed. However, the Bible does teach that human beings exist for eternity and either we will enter into eternity with God through Christ or be separated from Him in a horrible eternal existence called hell. Paul, in giving a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus, understood that Christians rest on the hope of eternal life. Do You?
Conclusion:
From Paul’s proper Christian “Hello,” we discover that 1) Christians share a common faith, 2) Christians have a knowledge of the truth, and 3) Christians rest on the hope of eternal life!
----
This article is copyrighted © 2008 by Lee Hemen and if you reprint it, reproduce it, or want to use it in any way, you must do so in its entirety or get the written permission of its author.
October 19, 2008 AM
By Pastor Lee Hemen
Titus was a Gentile convert who had served and traveled with the Apostle Paul “to Jerusalem… with Barnabas.” Paul “went in response to a revelation” that he preach “the gospel… among the Gentiles.” The church leadership there felt that Paul “was running or had run [his] race in vain.” But he had not, because “not even Titus, who was with [Paul], was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.” (Galatians 2:1-3). Titus knew, like Paul, that his salvation was in Christ alone and not in following the law. Titus was therefore a “gentile” witness! (2Corinthians 7:6-7; 8:6). In approximately 63-64 AD, after leaving Timothy in Ephesus, Paul and Titus traveled on to Crete. Paul then left Titus behind to help provide leadership for the Cretan churches (Titus1:5). Afterward the apostle wrote this letter and had it delivered to Titus.
Christians share a commonality of faith, knowledge, and eternal hope. Because of this wherever Christians go, they have common ground. They are “brothers” and “sisters” in Christ. It is a deep inner spirituality that cannot be faked, though many try. In fact, this is why Christians intrinsically know immediately if another is a believer or not. God has given us spiritual insight. This is why Paul introduces his letter to Titus with a proper Christian “Hello!” Let’s discover what that means for us…
READ: Titus 1:1-4
The word “hello” has often been credited to Thomas Edison, specifically as a way to greet someone when answering the telephone, but we find evidences of it in print as far back as 1823. In fact, Mark Twain used it before Edison in his book “Roughing It,” in 1872, 4 to 6 years before Edison or Bell. Alexander Graham Bell initially used “Ahoy-hoy” (as used on ships) as a telephone greeting. Some languages actually have no word that resembles “hello.” Early Greeks or Hebrews would “greet” one another. Hebrews used shaw-lome' which meant “peace.” Greeks used aspazomai, which meant to salute as in “I salute you!” Paul gives a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus because he knew that…
I. Christians share a common faith!
1. Common faith finds a common ground in Christ! Paul would write the Roman church, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.” (Romans 1:11-12) Christians long to be with one another in order to encourage and strengthen one another’s faith in Christ. Paul writes Titus that he was “an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect.” God was using Paul to call out a people for Himself. Those who had trusted Jesus. We find Paul addressing Titus as “my true son in our common faith.” What is this faith based on? Paul related that it was founded on “Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.” Paul knew and taught that “Through him [Jesus] and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people… to the obedience that comes from faith.” (Romans 1:5) The Christian’s “righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:22) How? Paul would answer that “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood!” (Romans 3:25) “Therefore,” Paul would write, “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Romans 5:1) Paul knew that all Christians share a common faith in Jesus Christ!
EXAMPLE: Faith is more than feelings of peace and contentment. It is more than having a godly moment or an angel on your shoulder. Faith is not a happening, it is a commitment of one’s complete self to trust in Christ. Recently, I read a story about a man while out for Chinese food with his friends, noticed another man walking his dog past the restaurant. Normally he wouldn’t have looked twice. But the dog’s owner had taken the leash, put it in a figure-eight configuration, and placed it firmly in the dog’s mouth. His friends explained that it’s against the law in their town to walk a dog without a leash. This clever dog owner had found a loophole—the law didn’t stipulate that you actually have to hold the leash! The amazing part is not the loophole, but that the dog was walking in obedient step with his master, even though he could have bolted away to chase a nearby squirrel. Our walk with God has to be like that. Complete faith! A total trust in our Master Jesus. While God in His mercy gives us a long leash and rarely gives us spiritual whiplash by yanking on it, He doesn’t delight in the struggle to keep us in line. He delights when we walk in a surrendered way with Him. Paul, in saying a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus reminded him that Christians share a common faith.
There are those who try to work their faith out by being good or by doing good things. However, we are reminded as Christians that “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Faith in Jesus intrinsically changes the individual from the inside out. Here we find Paul giving a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus because he knew that…
II. Christians have a knowledge of the truth!
1. Knowledge does little good if it is not put into practice! This knowledge, Paul related, “leads to godliness.” This was the truth Paul was trying to impart to all the churches he established. This common faith that Christians share in Jesus will make them righteous before the Lord! Since telling others about this truth had been entrusted to Paul by God, he felt he had to let Titus know right away the importance of its message. It had the power to change people’s lives! Again, this was why Paul introduced himself as “a servant of God and an apostle (one sent, a messenger) of Jesus Christ.” He brought this message of the truth to Christians: “God’s elect.” Those who trusted in Jesus were to have working knowledge of the truth. The good news. The gospel. However, truth, just knowing about Jesus, is just a concept if it is not lived in the lives of those who believe. You can have the knowledge of God, but not fully understand its implications for your life. Knowing there is a God is not the same as acknowledging His Son as Savior and Lord. This truth of Jesus so struck Paul that he related: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Romans 11:33) He went on to say, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen!” (Romans 11:36) Paul knew that it was “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ [He] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) In saying a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus, Paul told him that Christians have a knowledge of the truth, Jesus Christ.
EXAMPLE: As I related before, knowing there is a God is not the same as acknowledging His Son as Savior and Lord. It is the same with anything in life. You can read all the cookbooks in the world, but not know how to cook until you try it for yourself. A third-grade science teacher asked one of her students to describe salt. “Well, um, it’s . . . ,” he started, then stopped. He tried again. “Salt is, you know, it’s . . . .” Finally he said, “Salt is what makes French fries taste bad when you don't sprinkle it on.” Many foods are like that--incomplete without a key ingredient. Imagine pizza without cheese, strudel without apples, a banana split without bananas, a pie without salt, or a cake without sugar! The Christian life also has an essential ingredient: Jesus Christ! In saying his proper Christian “Hello” to Titus, Paul related that Christians have a knowledge of the truth! Jesus Christ.
There are a lot of folks who claim to know the truth of Jesus Christ and to have faith in him as well, but sadly, there are few who can express why it is important. Some will say, “So we do not go to hell.” Others might intone, “So we can have life more abundantly,” all the while not truly understanding what that means. Then there are those who are dimly aware that its importance might lie in the fact of who God is and what we are. God is not only infinite, loving, holy, and all powerful and aware, there is one other attribute we claim to understand but few of us truly do: God is eternal. Paul knew this to be true, so here we find Paul giving a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus because he knew that…
III. Christians rest on the hope of eternal life!
1. As one little boy put it, “Eternity is a really long time!” It certainly is. And, being certain of something makes it true only if it really is! Paul related that the faith and knowledge of Jesus rested “on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time!” There it is. That one niggling little snippet that puts everything into perspective for the reader. Paul is not just talking about a spiritual relationship in life but also the reality of a position in life. Life is eternal. It's been part of God's plan “before the beginning of time!” In fact, the hope that believers share is based on the fact that “God does not lie!” When he says something is true it is true, with a capital “T”! Even Habakkuk in his spiritual dilemma about God using the Babylonians to judge Israel lamented, “O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O LORD, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish.” (Habakkuk 1:12) Habakkuk knew God was eternal and could do what he said he would do, even if it was to use gentiles to discipline his people Israel. Why? Because God was “from everlasting” and he said that his people would “not die,” ever! Jesus related, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-16) John the Baptist related one last all important truth to his followers before he was martyred: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36) Paul, in giving a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus, understood that Christians rest on the hope of eternal life.
EXAMPLE: On a crisp October morning, a local newspaper featured a stunning photo of sun-drenched autumn trees whose leaves had turned gold. The caption read: FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY. The irresistible invitation to take a drive through the countryside to savor the brilliant colors conveyed the urgency of doing it quickly. Autumn leaves that are golden today are often gone tomorrow. Our opportunities to obey God’s promptings are also fleeting. James warned against an arrogance that assumes endless days will be available to carry out our good intentions. “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:13-14) Our life here is but for a limited time only and to think otherwise is foolish indeed. However, the Bible does teach that human beings exist for eternity and either we will enter into eternity with God through Christ or be separated from Him in a horrible eternal existence called hell. Paul, in giving a proper Christian “Hello” to Titus, understood that Christians rest on the hope of eternal life. Do You?
Conclusion:
From Paul’s proper Christian “Hello,” we discover that 1) Christians share a common faith, 2) Christians have a knowledge of the truth, and 3) Christians rest on the hope of eternal life!
----
This article is copyrighted © 2008 by Lee Hemen and if you reprint it, reproduce it, or want to use it in any way, you must do so in its entirety or get the written permission of its author.
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