Titus 1:2-4
~16 minutes
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for this morning's message is taken from Titus 1:2–4. We are still in the introduction of the book of Titus and in our previous message, we have learned how the Apostle Paul articulated his commitment to two very important things: evangelism and discipleship. He was committed to the preaching of the gospel so that all those believers whom God has elected, even before the foundation of the world, would come to faith in Jesus Christ. And after they were saved, they would grow in the knowledge of the truth that would lead them to godliness.
But that does not mean that the Christian life is without problems, struggles and afflictions. It is inevitable that there will be trials, challenges and the issues of life. Perhaps this morning you are not able to come to church because of a physical illness, and as much as you want to serve and worship God, you cannot. Just as the saying goes, ‘when you least expect to fall sick, you always fall sick’. In times of trouble, people like to cling onto something and that is what we call hope.
But what hope do we have when it seems as if there is no light at the end of the dark tunnel? When you turn left there's trouble, when you turn right there's more trouble. Where can we find hope, even if there is the hope of recovery? It is only temporary; more trouble will come. As Job said, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble" (Job 14:1).
Is there such a thing as a hope that is free from trouble, that is permanent, that will last forever and ever? Yes, that is the hope of eternal life. Oftentimes, we hear in a funeral service, people say to the bereaved family members, ‘Well, your husband is no longer suffering, your dad is resting now, your mum has gone to a better place.’ That is very hopeful, but how do they know? Where did they hear that from? Did they read that from a greeting card somewhere, or was that something they heard in a funeral service, and they simply repeated what people say? None of that means anything unless they really understand the basis and credibility of that hope.
This is what we want to learn from this passage and the title of our message is: ‘The Hope of Eternal Life.’
I. The Hope of Eternal Life is Based on God's Promise.
Our first point is: the hope of eternal life is based on God's promise. Let us begin with Titus 1:2: "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began."
The English word ‘hope’ is defined as a feeling, a wish or a desire for a particular thing to happen. Like the way we say, ‘I hope this COVID-19 pandemic will end soon,’ ‘I hope my operation will be successful,’ ‘I hope my children's education will be good, in a sense, they will pass their examinations.’ It is wishful thinking—something that may or may not happen. That is why when people hope for the best and the situation turns out to be the worst, they give up hope.
Some people like to look at the brighter side of things. It is good to be optimistic rather than pessimistic. We have seen how some people who have terminal cancer; and even when doctors say they have only several weeks to live, they are still so optimistic. We are happy for them; most certainly we do not want to dampen their spirits. Looking at the brighter side of things is good, it may seem bold and courageous. However, if you really have only several weeks to live and yet you force upon yourself an optimistic attitude for recovery, the failure can be very bitter.
We use the word ‘hope’ or ‘hopeful’ very loosely: ‘I hope things will get better,’ ‘I hope my business will recover,’ ‘I hope the result will be positive’ and so forth. But in reality, we do not know what the outcome will be and we have absolutely no control over the outcome. It is just some wishful thinking at best; at worst, it is a play on our imagination.
The Christian hope, or biblical hope, is different. It has the idea of absolute certainty. It does not originate from us; it comes from an outside source, the object of our hope. Our hope is centred on our almighty God. It is not some wishful thinking; it is a done deal. Our Christian hope is certain because it is based on what Christ has done in the past, and what He is doing in the present, and what He promised to do in the future.
Allow me to briefly explain: by its own definition, ‘eternal life’ means it will never end. Our eternal life does not begin when we die. The moment we believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, we have eternal life. We are saved, we are being saved and ultimately we will be saved.
Remember Jesus said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37) Those whom God has chosen will come to Jesus Christ and they will be saved. And Jesus said, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (John 10:28) Those whom Jesus has saved, they will never lose their salvation, they will persevere, they are being saved.
Jesus said, "…all which [my Father] given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." (John 6:39) Ultimately, one day, our bodies will be raised from the graves to be united with our souls in a glorified body. That is why when we speak of our hope of salvation, our hope of eternal life, our hope of the resurrection, it is not ‘we may or may not be saved, we may or may not be preserved, we may or may not be resurrected.’
Our hope is certain because it is based on what Christ has done in the past when he died on the cross to save us. It is based on what Christ is doing in the present; He is seated at the right hand of God, interceding for you and me. It is based on what Christ has promised to do in the future—that one day, He will come for us in the rapture or He will raise us up from our graves.
And this promise was given before the world began. Which means if you are a believer, even before the creation of the world, thousands of years before you were born, God already knew you. He already chose you to be His beloved child; He already promised to give you this eternal life.
Sometimes people would ask, ‘What is the most difficult doctrine in the Bible? Is it the doctrine of election or the doctrine of predestination or the doctrine of the Trinity?’ All of these may be difficult doctrines, but just take a moment and consider the word ‘eternal.’
Can you name something in this world that is eternal? The mountain is not eternal. The ocean is not eternal. The creatures are not eternal. The entire universe is not eternal. Basically, there is nothing in this world which we can see with our physical eyes that we can say is eternal. We are all limited by time and space. Our finite minds cannot fathom what it means to be eternal. It will blow our minds when we try to comprehend that a million upon a million years, we will still be alive and existing. Yet, we use this word ‘eternal’ so loosely.
Every doctrine in the Bible is difficult. Without faith, it is impossible to please God; without faith, it is impossible for us to understand and believe these doctrines, including the word ‘eternal.’
Look at verse three: "[God] hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto [you] according to the commandment of God our Saviour." In due times means at the proper time—that is, when the Bible was written.
In other words, this promise of eternal life for the Believers whom God had elected and chosen, even before the foundation of the world, was only known to God. But at the right time, the proper time when the Bible was written, beginning with Moses in the first five books of the Bible followed by the prophets and then the apostles until the last book Revelation, which was written by the Apostle John—at that proper time, it was revealed. And this revelation was manifested, which means made known to the people through preaching.
Dear friend, how do we know about the creation of the world? How do we know how man has sinned against God in the Garden of Eden and the wages of sin is death—physical, spiritual and eternal death? And because of sin, Jesus Christ must come; He must live a perfect life and ultimately die on the cross and shed His precious blood to save sinners from damnation. And those who believe in Him shall have eternal life.
How do we know all these things? Through the Bible. The only true message, the only way of salvation and the only hope of being forever with God is found in the Bible. And the only way people can know this truth is through preaching. That is why Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." But how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, ‘how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.’ And then, finally, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
The Apostle Paul was called by the almighty God to be such a preacher. That was the reason why he said, "which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour." (Titus 1:3) No doubt, God has specifically called some to be pastors, preachers and evangelists to preach the gospel that may save the souls of sinners. But in a general sense, God has called all the believers, every one of us who is saved by Jesus Christ, to preach the gospel. There is no way our unbelieving loved ones and friends can be saved except they hear the gospel that only Jesus Christ alone can save them.
Dear friend, how can you and I be saved and have the hope of eternal life, and yet not breathe a word of this good news to our beloved loved ones, whom we all claim to love so dearly? How can we face our unbelieving grandparents and parents when they are lying on their death beds and we look them in the eyes and say, ‘Well, Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mummy, it is all right; things will be all right.’ It is not all right. Without Jesus, they would be lost forever. We shall never meet again; never again shall we see them.
Indeed, it is true that understanding and believing in the hope of eternal life is so vital. It is something that we ought to cling onto especially in times of trouble, so that we can press on and fight a good fight of faith. But it must also help us to set our priorities right and to determine the decisions and choices we make in life. If we truly believe in the hope of eternal life, if we truly love our dear ones, we will always be considering, ‘How can I preach the gospel to them? What else can I do that I may minister to them?’
If given a choice to go for holidays or to visit my elderly parents living overseas who are lingering on the brink of eternal death, where do I go? If given a choice, do I use this money to pamper myself, to make my life in this temporal world a little more comfortable, or to use the money for the advancement of the gospel, that souls may be saved. If given a choice, do I spend all my time focusing on the things of this world, which are temporal or on the things of Heaven, which are eternal? Will the fear of men, or the rejection of men, or inconveniences, or mockeries stop me from sharing the gospel?
This hope of eternal life is not just something for us to cling onto and feel good for ourselves. ‘Well, I'm saved; I have eternal life; heaven will be my eternal home; all is well and good.’ This hope of eternal life must and will transform our lives and change our entire perspective about life, and determine the decisions and choices we make in life. We will see everything in light of what is temporal and what is spiritual.
Let us quickly move on to our second point.
II. Our Hope of Eternal Life is Based on God, Who Cannot Lie
Some people may say, ‘We have left everything to lay hold upon the hope of eternal life; we have lived, worshipped, and served God all the days of our lives. But what if all these things are not true?’ Then there are preachers who say to them, ‘Well you don't worry about that; you just need to cling onto Jesus and not let him go.’ But the reality is that our eternal security is not in our ability not to let go of God, but in His ability not to let go of us.
Remember Jesus said, ‘No man can pluck you out of my hand.’ Our Lord Jesus will not lie to us; it is impossible for Him to lie because it is contrary to His divine nature. That is why there is this little phrase in verse two, "which God, [who] cannot lie." In other words, regarding this hope of eternal life, you can be rest assured that God is the source and measure of all truth. It is His very nature and it is impossible for Him to go against His own nature; it is impossible for Him to lie.
Once, there was an old woman who believed in Jesus all the days of her life and she was asked, ‘What if Jesus is not true? What if He is not the true Shepherd? What if Jesus cannot save you from your sins and eternal Hell? Would it not be a great loss to you?’ The old woman replied, ‘Yes, it would be a great loss to me, yet I am a nobody. But it would be a greater loss to Him, because He who is God would have to go against His own divine nature. He would lose His name’s sake. I do not know about your God,’ she said, ‘but my God cannot lie.’
Dear friend, the God whom you and I believe in—our Lord Jesus Christ—cannot lie. It is impossible for Him to lie, because it goes against His own divine nature.
Finally, Paul ends this section by saying in verse four, "To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour." "My own son" does not mean biological son because Paul was not married. Here, he was speaking of Titus as his spiritual son. Most likely, Paul was the one who brought Titus to salvation. He was instrumental in nurturing him in his spiritual growth, training him for spiritual service, so he called him "my own son," my spiritual son.
The words "common faith" means the faith, the salvation that belongs to everyone who believes in the only Saviour, Jesus Christ. Every Christian has the same faith, the same salvation.
It is not as if you have a better salvation than me or I am more saved than you. We are all saved by grace through faith; we are all saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We all have a common problem—we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We all have a common provision, in that God provided His own Son, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) We all have the same prescription, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)
That is why every Christian has the same salvation, the common faith. Grace is the wondrous gift of God that brings salvation. Mercy is God's compassion towards us. Because of His grace and mercy, we are at peace with God; we are no longer enemies of God and we have the peace of God. This is the inner peace which passes all understanding, which the human mind cannot fathom, that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Even in the most difficult times, we can still have this peace of God. We cannot have the peace of God unless we first experience His grace and mercy through His only begotten Son.
Before you walked into the church this morning, in the foyer there is this display of Noah in a glass cabinet. We are all very familiar with the story of Noah—how he built the ark, how he preached to the people for 120 years, the great flood, God's intervention to save Noah and his family, God's promise never again to destroy this world with water. All those things are marvellous. But before any of those things could ever happen, it must first begin with grace. That is the reason why Genesis 6:8 says, "But Noah found grace in the sight of [God]."
The same goes with the story of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and Solomon. It has always been the same story throughout the ages. It is their story as well as our story. Our lives begin with God's grace.
If you are a believer, a Christian, did you start to find God the moment you were born? Did you start searching for God the moment you were born? Most certainly not. If you ever did anything, you were running away from God and God had to pursue after you. We never seek God. When you and I found God, it is because He first sought after us. If you and I ever love God, it is because He first loved us. Our lives began with grace. If not for His grace, we would not be here this morning; we would not be singing the hymns of praises; we would not know how to pray; we would not be listening to this sermon; we would not be worshipping God. It is all because of His grace.
God not only saves us by His grace; He also pours out onto us His peace. That is the reason why in our deepest struggles, in moments of intense pain and troubles, we still have this peace which passes all understanding. That is just how good our God is.
Dear friend, have you received the grace and mercy of God through faith in the gospel? Through the One who was crucified on the cross, who shed His precious blood to wash away your sins, who died because of you, who was buried, but death could not consume Him? On the third day, He rose again from the dead because of you. Have you believed in Him? If you have, then you are at peace with God; you are no longer an enemy of God and you have this peace of God which passes all understanding. You have the hope of eternal life. And this hope is not because of you; it is outside of you. It is because of God's promise; it is because God cannot lie.
So even in our darkest moments, even if death knocks on our doors, we are not afraid. Remember Jesus said, "Let not your hearts be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you. And If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:1-3)
This is the blessed hope of eternal life. A million upon a million years, we will still be alive and existing, living in the mansion that our Lord Jesus has prepared for us. Do you believe it? I pray you do. No one can save you; only Jesus saves. Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven, indeed we are so thankful that Thou hast reminded us yet again of Thy grace and mercy. And because of Thy grace and mercy we are at peace with Thee, and we have the peace with Thee—the peace that cometh from Thee, which passes all understanding. We are not afraid because our hope is not some wishful thinking; it is not something that may or may not happen. It is with absolute certainty. It is based on what Jesus has done for us in the past when He died on the cross for us. It is based on what Jesus is doing in the present; He is seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us. And it is based on Jesus' promise of what He will do in the future. One day, He will come for us, whether it be in the Rapture or by raising our bodies from the grave.
Oh Lord, we believe Him, because our God cannot lie. We believe every word He says and this is the blessed hope of eternal life. And we pray that we will not just cling onto this blessed hope, but it will and must transform our lives. And it must change our entire perspective about life, and it must determine the decisions and choices we make in life. Everything we see, we see in light of this blessed hope of eternal life. What is spiritual and what is temporal is clearly set out to us, and our value systems will change; our lives will change because of the blessed hope of eternal life.
May the Spirit of God do His mighty work in our lives, that we will be transformed to the glory of Thy precious name. All this we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF TITUSThe Commitment Of A Faithful ServantThe Commitment Of A Faithful ServantTitus 1:1
The Blessed Hope Of Eternal LifeThe Blessed Hope Of Eternal LifeTitus 1:2-4
Why Do We Need Godly Leaders?Why Do We Need Godly Leaders?Titus 1:5-9
Message 6: To Fight the Good Fight of Faith is to Hold Fast the Faithful WordMessage 6: To Fight the Good Fight of Faith is to Hold Fast the Faithful WordTitus 1:9-11
