The RESOURCE of OBLIGATION-II—Titus 1:1-4
His request approved, the CNN News photographer quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport to charter a flight.
He was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport.
Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger.
He jumps in with his bag, slams the door shut, & shouts, ’Let’s go’.
The pilot taxied out, swung the plane into the wind & took off.
Once in the air, the photographer instructed the pilot, ’Fly over the valley & make low passes so I can take pictures of the fires on the hillsides.’
’Why?’ asked the pilot.
’Because I’m a photographer for CNN’ , he responded, ’& I need to get some close up shots.’
The pilot was strangely silent for a moment, finally he stammered, ’So, what you’re telling me, is . . . You’re NOT my flight instructor?’
The pilot’s obligation was NOT a resource for the reporter.
Paul saw his spiritual obligation as a resource for Titus’ ministry.
Spiritual obligation is a resource for the ministry of others.
How is one’s obligation a resource for the ministry of others?
A Resource is something others can rely on, turn to & learn from.
My Obligation becomes a resource/asset for others when it
aligns/correlates with Christian....
1. OWNERSHIP(:1) “Bondservant”
2. REPRESENTATION(:1) “Apostle”
3. ELECTION by FAITH(:1) “the Faith of God’s elect”
4. KNOWLEDGE(:1)
5. INTEGRITY/Outworking(:1)
Parallel:
2Pet. 1:2-4—“Grace & peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God & of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life & godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory & virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great & precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
6—My Obligation is a resource for others when it correlates with Christian....
HOPE / Trust(:2)
Explanation:(:2) “in hope of eternal life”
:2—“in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,”
“Hope”—elpiv—1) Expectation or confidence of evil, fear; 2) Expectation or confidence of good, hope; 3) On hope, in hope, having hope—3a) The author of hope, or he who is its foundation. 3b) The thing hoped for.
“Promised”—epaggellw—1) To announce that one is about to do or furnish something—1a) To promise (of one’s own accord) to engage voluntarily; 2) To profess—2a) An art, to profess one’s skill in something. Strong—To assert something respecting oneself:-- profess, (make) promise.
1Sam. 15:29—““And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.””
“Time”—cronov—Time either long or short. time in general.
“Began/Beginning/Long”—aiwniov—Without beginniing or end, everlasting, eternal.
Argumentation:
HOPE of ETERNAL LIFE:
Jn. 6:68—“But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
1Thess. 5:8-9—“But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith & love, & as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
*1Pet. 1:3-4—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible & undefiled & that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”
1Jn. 2:25—“And this is the promise that He has promised us--eternal life.”
1Jn. 3:2-3—“Beloved, now we are children of God; & it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
Jude 21—“keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
Jn. 3:14-15—““And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
1Tim. 6:12—“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called & have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
1Jn. 5:11-13—“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, & this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. vThese things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, & that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
PROMISE:
Heb. 6:13-19—“For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, & multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, & an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure & steadfast, & which enters the Presence behind the veil,”
2Tim. 1:8-10—“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us & called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose & grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death & brought life & immortality to light through the gospel,”
Mat. 25:33-34—““And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”
Acts 15:18—““Known to God from eternity are all His works.”
1Pet. 1:20-21—“He[Christ] indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead & gave Him glory, so that your faith & hope are in God.”
Illustration:
Generally place money in 401k without batting an eye/?Know it will be there for your retirement!—Right?/Too much trust in bank!/Correlate with Christian HOPE/Trust?
Big Walker Mountain Tunnel on I-77 from Wytheville, VA to Bland County, VA/Almost a mile long/Daunting in a semi/2 lanes—White tile throughout—Well lit—Can change lanes/Hope in it—Believe it will hold/Correlate with Christian HOPE?
Application:
?Your Obligation to Christ correlate with Christian HOPE / Trust?
?Your Obligation to Christ a Resource for or a Handicap to others?
7—My Obligation is a resource for others when it correlates with Christian....
PROCLAMATION / Declaration(:3)
Explanation:(:3) “manifested His word thru preaching”
:3—“but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;”
“Due Time/Proper time/Appointed season”—kairov—1) Due measure; 2) A measure of time, a larger or smaller portion of time, hence:—2a) A fixed & definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for, 2b) Opportune or seasonable time, 2c) The right time. 2d) A limited period of time. 2e) To what time.
“Manifested/Brought to light/”—fanerow—To make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way.
“Preaching”—khrugma—1) That which is proclaimed by a herald or public crier, a proclamation by herald; 2) In the NT the message or proclamation of the heralds of God or Christ.
“Committed”—pisteuw—1) To think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in; 2) To entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity.
Argumentation:
“In Due Time...”
Hab. 2:3—“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, & it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”
Rom. 5:5-6—“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
Gal. 4:4-5—“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Eph. 1:7-10—“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom & prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are on earth--in Him.”
“Thru Preaching...”
Jer. 20:8-9 “For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, “Violence & plunder!” Because the word of the LORD was made to me A reproach & a derision daily. Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.”
Mk. 13:9-10—“But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, & you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers & kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. “And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.”
*Rom. 10:14-15—“How then 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 unless they are sent? bAs it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!””
2Tim. 4:1-3—“I charge you therefore before God & the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living & the dead at His appearing & His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season & out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering & teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;”
“Committed to me...”
Rom. 16:25-27—“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel[God chose Paul for it] & the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, & by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith-- to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.”
Eph. 3:8—“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,”
*1Cor. 1:20-24—“...Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, & Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block & to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews & Greeks, Christ the power of God & the wisdom of God.”
1Cor. 9:16-17—“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.”
1Thess. 2:4—“But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.”
2Tim. 1:10-11 “....the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, & a teacher of the Gentiles.”
1Tim. 1:1—“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior & the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,”
Illustration:
2am, Sunday, 25th October—Massive Rock-slide on I-40 in Haywood County west of Asheville/Interstate closed/Going to a football game at North Iredell High School/Exit off of I-77 to I-40 Proclaimed I-40 shut down/PROCLAMATION
Haiti earthquake relief efforts/Daily PROCLAMATIONS
Preaching appears ridiculous/Fallible-Weak people/PROCLAMATION
Application:
?Your Obligation to Christ correlate with Christian PROCLAMATION?
?Your Obligation to Christ a Resource for or a Handicap to others?
8—My Obligation is a resource for others when it correlates with Christian....
RELATIONSHIP(:4a)
Explanation/Argumentation:(:4a) “A true son”
:4—“To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, & peace from God the Father & the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.”
“To Titus...”
“Titus”—‘Nurse’—Of Latin origin, A gentile.
Gal. 2:3—“...Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.”
—Titus was heavily involved at Corinth, but not limited to Corinth(:5).
—“A partner & fellow worker” of Paul’s.—2Cor. 8:23
—2X Sent to Corinth to finalize the collection for poverty-stricken saints @ Jerusalem(2Cor. 8:6, 22-24).
—Delivered Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians(2Cor. 8:16-19).
“A true son in our common faith”
—Paul refers to Titus as a “true son” in “faith” as he also referred to Timothy.
1Tim. 1:2—“To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, & peace from God our Father & Jesus Christ our Lord.”
“Son”
*Paul experienced a direct responsibility for raising/nurturing Titus spiritually, particularly regarding his Christian service/calling.
—Maybe there is someone you have helped birth into the kingdom.
—Maybe there is someone who depends upon you for spiritual guidance.
—Maybe there is someone who is gifted along the same lines as you & with you is partnered in mutual battles of spiritual warfare.
“In our common faith”
—A faith shared by all true Christians.
2Pet. 1:1—“Simon Peter, a bondservant & apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God & Savior Jesus Christ:”
2Pet. 1:10-11—“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call & election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.”
Heb. 2:11-12; 14-18—“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things & by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies & those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,”....“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh & blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, & release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful & faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”
Mat. 23:8—““But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, & you are all brethren.”
—Said of the apostles & implied of all Christians.
“Common”—koinov—1) Common; 2) Common i.e. ordinary, belonging to generality.
*1Tim. 5:1-2—“Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger as sisters, with all purity.”
Illustration:
SBC Cooperative Program/Varying & chosen degrees of autonomy among churches/Distancing from it too greatly dissolves ties to the Family=Work suffers/RELATIONSHIP
Call one another ‘Brother’ or ‘Sister’/Emphasizes family ties among all/How can some Christians wrongly treat others as mortal enemies rather than family?/ RELATIONSHIP
Application:
?Your Obligation to Christ correlate with Christian RELATIONSHIP?
?Your Obligation to Christ a Resource for or a Handicap to others?
9—My Obligation is a resource for others when it correlates with Christian....
TOOLING / Equipping / Empowerment(:4b)
Explanation:(:4b) “Grace, mercy & peace”
:4—“To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, & peace from God the Father & the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.”
“Grace, mercy, & peace”—Specifically >18X.
1Tim. 1:2—“To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, & peace from God our Father & Jesus Christ our Lord.”
2Tim. 1:2—“To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, & peace from God the Father & Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Rom. 1:7—“To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Rom. 16:19-20 “For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, & simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
1Cor. 1:3—“Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ.”
2Cor. 1:2—“Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Gal. 1:3—“Grace to you & peace from God the Father & our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Eph. 1:2—“Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Php. 1:2—“Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Col. 1:2—“To the saints & faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ.”
1Thes. 1:1—“Paul, Silvanus, & Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father & the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ.”
2Thes.—1:2 “Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jude 1-2—“Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, & brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, & preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, & love be multiplied to you.”
2Jn. 3—“Grace, mercy, & peace will be with you from God the Father & from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth & love.”
Phm. 3—“Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ.”
1Pet. 1:1-2—“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, & Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience & sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you & peace be multiplied.”
2Pet. 1:2—“Grace & peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God & of Jesus our Lord,”
Rev. 1:4 “John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you & peace from Him who is & who was & who is to come, & from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,”
*Heb. 4:14-16—“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.”
“Grace”—cariv—1) Grace—1a) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech; 2) Good will, loving-kindness, favor—2a) Of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, & kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues; 3) What is due to grace.
—Grace—God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Giving you what you do not deserve or have earned!
*Dog in road/Actively remove the dog from the highway , taking it home & attending to its every need.
“Mercy”—eleov—Mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable & the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them. Active compassion. Denotes sympathy, fellow-feeling with misery, mercy, compassion. eleov, however, manifests itself chiefly in acts rather than words.
—Mercy—Compassion in action. Not giving you what you deserve.
*Dog in road/Actively shoo the dog out of the highway, protecting & preserving it.
2Cor. 1:3—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies & God of all comfort,”
Eph 2:4-7—“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), & raised us up together, & made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Heb 9:5—“& above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.”
Js. 2:13—“For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
1Pet. 1:3-5—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible & undefiled & that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
“Peace”—eirhnh—1) A state of national tranquility—2) Peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord; 3) Security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace & harmony make & keep things safe & prosperous); 4) Of the Messiah’s peace; 5) Of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, & so fearing nothing from God & content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is; 6) The blessed state of devout & upright men after death.
—Peace—Php. 4:6-7—“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; & the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts & minds through Christ Jesus.”
*Dog rescued/Peace/No more worry-concern about dog’s well-being/Peace
“....from God the Father & the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
1Jn. 2:23—“Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”
2Jn. :9—“Whoever transgresses & does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father & the Son.”
“Father”—“Lord”—“Jesus”(‘YHWH is Salvation’)—“Christ”—“Savior”—
Argumentation:
2Tim. 3:16-17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2Cor. 9:8—“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
Rom. 12:1—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
Illustration:
Brother-in-law, John/Cement roadway & curbing Construction/Drives company truck with various tools on board/Heads up a 20-man crew/Must have Tools appropriate to the task/TOOLING / Equipping / Empowerment
Christians must do the same!...be equipped as well!
Chunnel construction/Special, specific machines/TOOLING/ Equipping / Empowerment
Application:
?Your Obligation to Christ correlate with Christian TOOLING / Equipping / Empowerment?
?Your Obligation to Christ a Resource/Asset for or a Handicap to others?CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Action:
My Obligation becomes a resource/asset for others when it
aligns/correlates with Christian....
6. HOPE / Trust(:2)
7. PROCLAMATION / Declaration(:3)
8. RELATIONSHIP(:4a)
9. TOOLING / /Equipping / Empowerment(:4b)
1. OWNERSHIP(:1) “Bondservant”
2. REPRESENTATION(:1) “Apostle”
3. ELECTION by FAITH(:1) “the Faith of God’s elect”
4. KNOWLEDGE(:1)
5. INTEGRITY/Outworking(:1)
Presented 02/21/2010pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf NC 27054
