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The Promise
Titus 1:1-3
November 26, 2000am
Out on US-31 just north of Rothbury in the northbound lane ditch sits a cross with the name “Jesse” inscribed on its cross beam. Those that I have inquired have told me that a few years ago there was a car accident and someone had died. I imagine that like the countless crosses we all have seen scattered along the roads in our travels this cross represents the same thing: hope.
Within the symbol of the cross lies a meaning that reaches back beyond the boundaries of the beginning of time. A place where only the Triune God existed and love was communicated. Since the time of Christ on the cross Christians have recognized it as more than just a symbol of faith but a depiction of hope. Hope for the next life to come. Hope that says we will one day meet again. Hope that offers eternal life.
Today, we open our season of Advent with “The Promise.” Unlike politicians, when God makes a promise you can be assured that He will keep it: A promise made is a promise kept. This series, “From Heaven to Earth,” will offer to you a God who is there and is never silent.
In a world that cries out for more evidences of God, in a world that is searching for a better tomorrow and in a world that hungers for meaning God’s Word proposes to us a refreshing glance at what Christ meant to a world who is always looking for peace on earth. Within the pages of the Bible we find words of hope and inspiration that give to us golden nuggets of truth.
Here in Titus the Apostle Paul gives us an insight into God’s eternal value. Here he points out, quite literally, the “un-lie-able God.” God cannot lie. His character of holiness does not allow Him to do so. And so when God makes a promise you can be assured that He will keep His promise. (And when Paul makes this assertion based on the Word of God He is also elevating scripture above all other books in the world.)
Imagine if you will, a house with no foundation. Some of you have worked in construction and understand precisely what I am saying. It would be very difficult to build a house without a foundation- without a base that will do three things: anchor it against the strong winds, protect it from water eroding underneath, and steady it against vibrations. Every house, everybuilding that will last needs a foundation.
And that is like Christianity- we need a foundation. Our faith cannot survive if it is only based on the temporal things of this world. We need a foundation of truth that will anchor us against the winds of all sorts of doctrines and opinions, a foundation that will protect us from the erosion of this world’s immoral compass, and steady us against the continued attacks from underneath. Paul gives us such a foundation.
And that foundation is God’s promise of eternal life. A promise that says that this life is only temporary and we are only passing through.
This Christmas time will be very difficult for many of you. You have loved ones who have passed away and of whom you have cherished and will miss. And the holidays bring on a kind of morose way of thinking. Some may think hopelessly. That there is no hope so we just go through the motions of the holiday. Others will seclude themselves and ignore this time of the year. Our society has so commercialized Christmas that there are those who hurt the most but are recognized the least. Make Christmas a joyous time again. A time of really seeing Jesus for who He is: The King of Kings.
This life is only temporary. That is a promise. But heaven is eternal. That is another promise.
As Christians our faith and knowledge rests on this promise. When Paul writes “faith” in this scripture this is referring to the two kinds of faith: a faith in the work of Christ and also the faith that hold our doctrines. We have a FAITH that is based on the promise of eternal life. He also refers to “knowledge of truth.” This is experiential truth. We have tasted the fruit of God and have found it to be good. This knowledge is what we have experienced in truth. And so we have a KNOWLEDGE that is based on the promise of eternal life. Together, KNOWLEDGE and FAITH rest on the promise of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, made before the beginning of time.
There are three points that I want to make about this PROMISE:
1. This Promise is Grounded in Love.
The Apostle John writes that “God is love.” His character is love and holiness. And before the beginning of time God was expressing love. He was expressing His love for whom? Who was God loving? He was loving us. And even more poignantly, God was loving you before the beginning of time.
God offers each one of us this promise. He holds it out to us. All we have to do is accept what He is guaranteed to do. You have been offered eternal life. That is a promise of God made before the beginning of time and grounded in His love for you.
When I asked Naomi to marry me, I did not offer to her a grandiose home or nice cars. I did not have a lot of money so I couldn’t offer her that but I did offer her love. I offered her my love and affection- forever. And she believed me. And so we were married and lived happily ever after. There were many times that we had no money. We experienced times of pain. There were tough times. But our love for each other and for God is what got us through.
But my point is not about your marriage but about God’s eternal love for you. My love for my wife grows and should be growing but God’s love for you and me is already there. It is so “already there” that He can promise eternal life. And follow through with that promise.
But how could He do that? How could God offer us eternal life knowing that we would be scarred by sin and unable to attain the holy character necessary to be in His presence?
I Peter 1:18-20 tells us that Jesus Christ was chosen at the foundations of the world to be the one and only sacrifice for our sins. He would be the lamb slain on our behalf. Which brings me to our second point:
2. This Promise is Proven through the Cross
God became man. This great doctrine of Christ’s divinity must never be marred or given in to. Jesus is God and died for you.
In Genesis chapter three Adam and Eve sinned. They took of the forbidden fruit and ate. This was wrong. Sin was ushered into the world. Mankind, with Adam as our federation head and representative, sinned. We were separated from God. We began to experience pain and sorrow because of sin. We were lost. But God loved us with an eternal love. He saw our lostness. And He had a plan. He promised then that Satan would bruise Christ’s heal but that Christ would crush his head. In other words, on the cross Jesus would feel the bruise but that after His death and resurrection Satan’s power would be crushed.
The Son became man. He lived as we live. Breathed air as we do. Was born a virgin, unlike any of us, and performed miracles. He healed the sick, the blind, and the lame. He forgave sins- for which He was almost stoned. He challenged those in powerful positions. He was killed on a cross.
The cross did not represent hope but shame. Just like a convicted murderer or thief, Jesus was nailed to a cross and He died bearing our sin, our guilt, and our shame. This was no fashion statement. This was reality.
All because God loved you. He left no question mark about His love.
So often we question if God really loves us. Agnostics have said that if God is love then why does He allow innocent children to die in third world countries. If God loved me then why do I have to go through so much pain? You see, this is the result of sin. We can question through worldly eyes what God allows or does but the reality is what are you doing with the love that God has revealed to you?
His promise is grounded in love and proven in the cross. Our third point is this:
3. This Promise is Fulfilled in Eternity
One day we will see our Savior face to face. One day there will be no more sickness or sorrow or crying. Why? Because the old order of the things will be passed away.
We live in the old order of things. This is where we are now. We hurt. We cry. We mourn. But one day, there will be a new heaven and new earth. The glory of God will be upon us continually. We will live in peace and harmony forever. We will never grow old. We will no longer experience the hurting of an aging body. We will never taste death again.
A new day is coming. And it is because of God’s promise of eternal life that comes through Jesus Christ.
And during this Christmas holiday, may each of us understand and experience the actuality of this promise in our own life. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life I invite you to do so right now. Christmas is about Jesus coming to earth and being God’s gift to us. And here is how you can accept this promise of eternal life that God offers.
-Ask God to forgive you of your sins and sinfulness. We are not simply saved from the sins we commit but the sin that is a part of our nature. You need to recognize that sin is a part of your life. So confess you sin to Him.
-Believe that Jesus died for your sin. That His death is your sacrifice to God. The Israelites offered sacrifices for sin and did so because God commanded them to. But that was only a lesson that would look ahead to the time when Jesus would be the one and only sacrifice needed for sins. You need to recognize that Jesus died for you.
-Receive Jesus Christ into your life. When you do, the Holy Spirit enters your heart and gives you the strength to do God’s will. This is the gift of the Holy Spirit: you are sealed with a guarantee that you will have eternal life.
Let’s close with that Christmas hymn “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”
