Text: Titus 1:1-4
Title:Take a Stand for Truth’s Sake!
Introduction
Today we’re beginning a new series in the book if Titus entitled, “Godly living in a Godless world.”
It’s hard to imagine a culture less concerned about sin, or more enamored with material goods, individual rights, and all forms of ungodliness than the one in which we find ourselves.
Yet during these dark spiritual times, instead of our Christian way of life confronting the sinfulness around us, we have allowed worldly philosophies to find a home in our hearts and minds. As a result, the name of Christ is stained, and the testimony of believers rendered worthless.
It was into this exact kind of situation that the apostle Paul nearly 2000 years ago writes this very pointed and personal letter to his young disciple Titus. You can find some of the background to the book listed on your sermon notes but let me just add this.
The message that Paul is communicating to Titus is How to live a Godly life in a godless world. The idea is this: Truth must download into the way I live or it’s not really believed. It must show up in my day timer. It’s not enough to just talk about my faith, it must impact and change the way I live. Godliness must show up in our churches, in our homes and in our world.
Paul sets the tone for his letter in the opening verses where he says: [Read 1-4]
In these opening verses Paul makes an appeal for truth. Truth has fallen on hard times today. One of the greatest temptations the church faces today is that of watering down the truth to accommodate our culture. To that Paul says not! That’s not how the church is to live! The church is to live godly and holy lives. We are to live radically not apathetically! And it begins with standing up for truth’s sake!
And so what we want to do in the time we have together is take these opening verses and download them into our lives so we can take a stand for truth’s sake!
Four things, here’s the first one: If I am going to take a stand for truth’s sake then first…
I. I must know who I am (1a)
The subject matter here is one of identity, and more specifically our identity in Christ. At the very core of Paul’s being he understood who he was. He could of said: Paul a brilliant scholar—the highly educated Jewish leader, or Paul the Roman citizen. He could of said any of those things but he doesn’t. Instead he says: “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ…”
The word servant doesn’t really get at it. The word Paul was using here was the word used for the lowest person in society. It describes a person who gives up their will for the will of another. Paul was saying that he had come to the place where he had humbled himself before God and totally surrendered his will over to Him. He had become a servant of God. But not only that he had submitted himself to Christ and His work in his life. For Paul that was becoming an apostle of Jesus Christ. That was his vocation. That’s what Christ had called him to do. The power of Paul’s life, the thing that made it possible for him to take a stand for truth was that he knew who he was. He was a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
And the question that comes back is this: Who are you? Have you come to the place in your life where you have surrendered your life totally to God and submitted yourself to Christ and his work for your life. Have you? Or are you just going through the motions. Because if you haven’t you won’t be able to take a stand for truth.
II. I must know what I stand for (1b-2)
Look at the end of verse one: “…for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time
The word faith here is not our confidence or trust in God as we saw it was last week in Ephesians 6, but rather, the faith Paul is referring to here is the body of truth, the doctrine, the main things that believe, the things we would die for, the things we stand for as followers of Jesus Christ.
And if you’re going to be able stand for truth’s sake you’re going to have to know what it is you believe. Not just a head knowledge but a knowledge that leads to godliness. A knowledge that changes your life.
Question: do you know what you stand for? Do you?
Paul goes onto say that this faith and knowledge rests on the hope of eternal life. I don’t know what’s ahead for me in 2005 but I do know what’s in my future. When this whole thing is over I’m with Jesus! And knowing that enables me to stand for truth’s sake in a godless world.
You say, how can you know that for sure? The reason is right here in the text. Because God who cannot lie promised it before the beginning of time! Isn’t it great to know that God can’t lie? Just can’t—never tried—isn’t interested. That concept doesn’t square at all with a holy and righteous God.
Everything God says is true. 100% true. And if God promises eternal life to all who believe in Jesus Christ you can take that promise and put feet to your faith and stand up for truth’s sake in a godless world. I mean, what’s the worst thing that could possibly happen to you if you do? It’s doubtful here in this country, but the worst thing that could possibly happen is to lose your life for your faith. And then what? You end up in heaven!
That’s why Paul said in Philippians 1:21 21 For to me, to live is Christ (As long as I have breath I’m going to give him all I’ve got and stand up for him) and to die is gain.
But before you can stand for truth you need to know what it is you believe. Otherwise you’ll bail!
III. I must know what to do (3)
That’s my mission! Once you know what you believe and what you stand for you need to figure out what it is you have to do. Notice verse 3…
I must know what my mission is. Paul certainly knew what his was. His mission was to take the truth which accords with godliness and preach it to sinners and people who needed to know the Lord. Paul saw the Gospel as a precious possession given to him to share. He was fired up about it.
Now I know what you all think when you hear the word preaching. You think of the pulpit and the preacher that stands behind it. Well, you need to get rid of that idea because the word doesn’t mean that at all—it means to proclaim, to herald. And we’re all called to do that. As a matter of fact Paul says here in verse three that we are commanded by God himself to proclaim the good news of the gospel!
And so the question comes—are you fired up about proclaiming the gospel to those who don’t know Christ? Are you? Well, let me say this in love. Christians fail big time in this area. Here are some common excuses I’ve heard and even used myself at one time:
It’s just not my gift—or—I think that if you just live the Christian life before people they will get the message. Let me just say this to that. That’s the great evangelical cop out! We are commanded to proclaim the gospel to the world around us. It’s not an option—it’s not when I feel like it or when its convenient. There’s an urgency about it. And when we don’t do that which we are commanded to do we are not taking a stand for truth’s sake.
That’s the third thing—I must know my mission. Here’s the last thing…notice verse:
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
IV. I must know who I am doing it for (4)
Paul was writing to a young man in the ministry who was under his authority and his care. And he calls Titus a true son probably because he had led Titus to Christ. And definitely because he was Discipling him. Now here’s the thing.
Paul knew who his people were. Do you? Do you know who your people are? The people God has called you to influence? Your family, your friends, people here at church. Sometimes I fear that the pain of the world around us numbs us to the pain of the people right next to us. I can’t do much to help the world but I can do a lot to help the people right next to me. I believe this with all my heart.
This year is going to be a fantastic year in our church. Can I just tell you that ahead of time. This is going to be a fantastic time in our church. We are going to see God do stuff in our church that we have never seen Him do before. And I just want to call on you because this is your place.
Titus was Paul’s problem. I don’t know Titus, he’s not my problem. My family, my neighborhood, my church, that’s my place. That’s where I can do something for God. So let me just ask you this. What’s your plan in 2005 to really get involved in the place that God has put you so you can stand for truth’s sake?
Because you know what? Before you know it this life is going to be gone. Now as best as I know how, I took a passage of Scripture and we looked at it, and we considered it together. We’ve read what it says, we have a good understanding of what it means and all that remains is for us to chose.
To live out my identity as a follower of Jesus Christ
To stand for what I believe, even in the face of opposition
To do the things that God has called me to do
To recommit to the people God has called me to serve and live with.
That’s what Titus 1:1-4 is about. Taking a stand for truth’s sake in a world that desperately needs the truth!
