Key Text: Titus 1:1-9
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,
To Titus, my true son in our common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Some would say it’s an overly wordy salutation to a letter. The apostle Paul had a habit of doing that – being wordy – or at least, some people think so.
But there, nestled in with all the big, theological words, there is one glorious little truth: God doesn’t lie.
Paul says he has the privilege of being “a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ” and that his job is to “further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of truth that leads to godliness….”
He does this job “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised….”
There it is –do you see it?
God promised eternal life before the beginning of time itself.
As we go through life; struggle with all of life’s challenges; deal with the pain and hardship that life can bring – we have this great hope – that God has promised eternal life before the beginning of time itself.
Nothing has happened, not since the beginning that has done anything to make God change His mind.
We can count on it because, as Paul says in faith, God doesn’t lie.
To some it may seem only like a verbose salutation to an ancient letter.
To me – it’s the great good news of the Gospel of Christ.
IGW3 - In God's Word, In God's Will, In God's Work 