Sunday 8th November 2015
Titus 3 : 1 - 15
Our hope for eternity
Focused On Eternal Hope
According to Wikipedia, “The Odyssey” is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed
to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to “The Iliad”, the other work
ascribed to Homer. Scholars believe it was composed near the
end of the 8th century BC, somewhere in the Greek coastal
region of Anatolia.
It mainly focuses on the Greek
hero Odysseus and his journey home after the fall of Troy. In
“The Odyssey”, Mentor was the son of Alcimus. In his old age
Mentor was placed in charge of Odysseus’ son Telemachus, and
of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.
From this we can see where we get our word mentor, both a noun, describing a person, and a
verb, describing the actions that person performs. Collins dictionary says that a mentor is a ‘wise
or trusted adviser or guide’. In our work, family or spiritual life, to have a mentor can be very
valuable in helping us to work out the path we take. To be a mentor is a great honour and a
matter of real trust. It is usually better in workplace situations if the mentor is separate from the
recipient’s line management. The role of a mentor is not to direct, but to guide, ask questions and
advise, it is for the person being mentored to decide what they will or will not do.
It is probably fair to assume that, over the time that Paul and
Titus worked together, Paul acted as mentor to Titus. In the
whole of the letter from Paul to Titus we can see lots of
guidance and advice. It is all good stuff, the more so because
we believe it was written under the guidance of Holy Spirit. Is
it mentoring though? Probably not, because it is very
directive. Paul does not say to Titus ‘here is something to think
about’, he says ‘do this, or ‘don’t do that’. There is also the
fact that Paul is, in effect, Titus’ line manager. So, we may wonder about how Titus received this
letter of instruction from his friend and spiritual guide.
What we have to remember is that Holy Spirit was not only in the writing of the letter, He was also
in the receiving of it. He would have prepared Titus to receive it, and He would have enabled Titus
to see the truth and wisdom contained in it. Titus had a challenge before him to correct the error
in the Cretan church, but Paul knew he was the man for the job. In chapter 3 Paul gives sound
direction for a church that wants to be in a place to have the eternal hope promised by the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. He gave direction to Titus, Titus was to share it with the Christians in Crete. Later
on those God chose to put the Bible together had their attention drawn to this ancient letter and
Holy Spirit caused its inclusion in the canon of Scripture. We must draw the conclusion that it
speaks to us in the 21st Century, and that it contains some of the keys to the eternal life which we
too are promised.
These things are not by Paul’s teaching, they are by the Grace of God.
Sermon Outline with space for your own notes
Introduction
Grasp how we are to live
Reject those things that are not of God
Acknowledge what God has done for us
Comply with God’s word
End thoughts
Suggested questions for small groups and personal reflection
• Do you believe that the Gospel is the answer to the current state of the world? If so why or
if not why not?
• Do you accept that “all scripture is God breathed” and has something to say to mankind?
What are you going to do about sharing it?
• If we look at our behaviour at church, at home, in the community and at work, is it
consistently in line with how God would have us behave?
• Salvation comes because of God’s kindness, love and mercy. We cannot save ourselves or
others. God did not stand off from a world that needed rescue. What about us?
• We are encouraged to focus on eternal hope, what does that look like for you?