Five Core Principles That Should Guide A
Believer’s Life & Service
Today: Be Committed To God’s Means & God’s People
Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.
Sermon Delivered 11/27/05
In the first four verses of Titus, Paul shares Five Core Principles That Guided His Life and Service to the
Lord. These five principles should be a model that should guide the
life and ministry of every pastor and every believer.
We have examined the first three of these five principles.
Paul identified himself first as "a servant of
God" in verse 1. The word, translated servant,
is the Greek word doulos and identifies a person who
is a slave, and who has wholly devoted to the will and service of
another. Paul was the doulos or servant of God.
All Christians are to be the servants of God because,
they are owned by God. They have been bought with a price. Paul made
this celar to the Christians at Rome when he wrote, "being made free
from sin" ye are "become the servants of God."
Romans 6:22
- Be Committed To God’s Mission – vs. 1b-2a
God’s mission for believers’ focuses on three
things –
Evangelism
Edification &
Encouragement.
- Be Committed To God’s Message – vs. 2b-3a
We can be confidently committed to God’s message,
the Gospel, because we serve a "God that cannot lie." He can be
trusted completely. God is faithful to His Word. He laid Salvation’s
plan "before the world began." Works are not a part of God’s
Salvation plan. Christ is the only Savior.
In this message we will look at the fourth principle of Paul’s
life and ministry that we are to follow. We are to be…
- Be Committed To God’s Means – 3b
Titus 1:3 "But hath in due times
manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto
me according to the commandment of God our Saviour."
The key word here is the word preaching
which is a translation of the Greek word
khrugmati – kergmati
(kay’-roog-ma-tee), which is an old word, used of a person
called a herald or public crier. Before newspapers, before public
address systems, before radio or television, before the Internet the
herald or public crier was employed by a ruler or town council to
announce official proclamations to the public. My point is, God has
chosen to make known (manifest) His Gospel by PREACHING! As
Matthew Pool said it this way in his commentary – "He hath by
setting up the ordinance of preaching, or publishing the
gospel, by men sent by him, manifested this promise of
eternal life…."
Right from the beginning of the New Testament,
preaching was God plan to get His message out. John the Baptist
preached that Jesus, the Savior of Israel would soon come and
pointed Him out (Acts 13:24; John 1:36). Jesus preached. We
read in
Matthew 4:17 "From that time Jesus began to preach,
and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The
Apostles preached and taught the people --
Acts 5:42 "And
daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach
and preach Jesus Christ." Portions of Peter’s sermons are recorded
throughout the New Testament. Let’s look at the one found in
Acts
10:34-43. Stephen, one of the first deacons, preached and
was martyred because of it. It begins in
Acts 7:2, but we
will pick it up in
verse 51 to 60. Paul said, "…woe is
unto me, if I preach not the gospel!"
1 Corinthians 9:16
Listen Christians. God’s means of getting out His
message is by preaching the Word. But that is not happening
in many American Churches! There is a spiritual famine in America
today and Christians are suffering from spiritual malnutrition
because they are eating "junk food" that contains all kinds of
unnatural substitutes. They get drama instead of preaching. They get
rock band music instead of preaching. They get comedy instead of
preaching. They get dancing instead of preaching. And the preaching
they do get is watered down, filled with fluff. It is the belief of
the seeker friendly crowd that preaching should be warm and fuzzy
and not ruffle anyone’s feathers.
That is NOT what the New Testament calls for.
Paul wrote this to a young preacher in
2 Timothy 4:1-5 "I
charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his
kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of
season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5
But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of
an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."
Let’s look at some sermon portions.
ü Acts 5:30b-33
"We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers
raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God
exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for
to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are
his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost,
whom God hath given to them that obey him. 33 When they heard
that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to
slay them."
ü Acts 7:51
"Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always
resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye."
ü Acts 17:22-31
is another good illustration.
The only way to combat spiritual malnutrition is
to preach the whole counsel of God. That is what preachers are to
feed the flock. This was Paul’s passion. Turn to
Acts 20:26-28
"Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure
from the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to
declare unto you all the counsel of God. 28 Take heed
therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the
Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God,
which he hath purchased with his own blood."
If you ever have to search for a church, your
first priority should be the preaching. Christians should be
committed to the preaching of God’s Word, above all else. Now, we
move on to the fifth and last point.
- Be Committed To God’s People
– v. 4
"To Titus, mine own son after the
common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour."
Titus 1:4
Paul calls Titus his
gnhsiw teknw –
gnesio tekno (gnay’-see-oi tek’noi),
that is my "true son after the common faith." The
phrase indicates that Paul had led Titus to the Lord. The phrase
common faith reinforces that Paul had been the means of
converting Titus by preaching that gospel which was received by all
who were Christians.
When you read Paul’s letters, it is clear that he
genuinely loved his fellow believers and he desired that they have a
deeper walk with the Lord.
We are to be committed to our brothers and
sisters in Christ. We are to…
Be kind to one another – Romans 12:10
Love one another – Romans 13:8
Admonish one another – Romans 15:14
Serve one another – Galatians 5:13
Forgive one another – Ephesians 4:32
Comfort one another – 1 Thessalonians 4:18
Edify one another – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Exhort one another – Hebrews 3:13
In conclusion, we have studied the 5 core
principles that guided Paul’s life. We need to incorporate these
into our lives as well.
Be Committed To God’s Authority – v.1a
Be Committed To God’s Mission – vs. 1b-2a
Be Committed To God’s Message – vs. 2b-3a
Be Committed To God’s Means – 3b
Be Committed To God’s People – v. 4
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