DISCOVERING GOD’S WILL
Titus 3:12-15 (KJV)
When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter.
Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.
And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.
All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
We find here what is typical for the Apostle Paul; he has some parting greetings.
Paul never viewed himself as an island unto himself. He realized he needed others and seemed to be appreciative of them.
Apostle Paul did not mind nailing someone’s hide to the wall and he would name names when he did it.
But he was always quick to say the kind, the positive, the gracious thing first.
Someone advised leaders, before you correct someone under you for an error, tell them 5 or 10 things they did well.
I think that works best if you are constantly building up your bank of nice things so, when you do give that word of correction, you’ve already won them to support you.
Of course, it doesn’t work every time.
But when it does work, it works well.
So here we have Apostle Paul’s closing statements.
They are kind and thoughtful, but they are also meaningful. There is no word in your Bible God put there frivolously.
I want to begin by simply pointing out the players in the passage. There are six in all:
The first two are unnamed but they are the most vital of them all.
· Paul, the writer
· Titus, the receiver
Maybe Paul is not the best example of this because we find his name plenty of times in the Bible, but I think it is still worth saying that maybe the most important people in the world today are the ones whose names will never be known to history.
· Some people’s names make history
· Some people make history but are soon forgotten but
· The real people who make history are the ones whose names were never recorded
Titus 3:14 (KJV)
And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.
Do you know who “ours” is?
It’s you.
It’s every one of us who make up the congregation of the church. Who compose the local body of Christ. Who:
· Give and
· Serve and
· Pray and
· Sing and
· Clean and
· Greet
Don’t sell yourself short in the work of God. You are more important than the most well known preacher whose name you’ve ever heard.
There are four other people whose names are mentioned.
Artemas – we have his name but nothing else.
Tychicus-we find his name seven times. I think he is a “go-fer.” His main function seems to be carrying Paul’s correspondence to and from Paul
Zenas, the lawyer – this is intriguing to me and offers a hint about when the letter was written. Paul was free when he wrote this, or at least believed he would be free. But he needs a lawyer.
I think Titus is written between 1st and 2nd Timothy.
He has been in a Roman prison and has to answer for himself. A lawyer would be a handy guy to have around right about then.
Apollos-he is famous in the Word of God and was in his own day.
1 Corinthians 1:12 (KJV)
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:6 (KJV)
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
The relationship between the two was tight and, while we do not know why Apollos was on his way to see Paul – he was a great preacher. Perhaps Zenas wanted to use him to proclaim before the Roman court, the precise doctrines of the accused Paul.
All that being said, what I find to be interesting in this passage is the human element and the will of God.
I. SOMETHING PAUL WAS PRAYING ABOUT
Titus 3:12 (KJV)
When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter.
We know nothing whatsoever about Artemas but I think we have some clue about him in this passage.
We know that whenever we see Tychicus, he is carrying Paul’s mail.
And we know that here Paul is still praying about whether to send Artemas or Tychicus.
I think Artemas might have been another one of Apostle Paul’s carriers.
Whether these men ever became preachers like Timothy and Titus did, we will not know until we get to heaven.
But right here Paul has a decision to make.
He has a choice.
He is going to send either Artemas or Tychicus.
He does yet know which one, and we will never know for sure.
· Maybe it’s six in one half dozen the other
· Maybe he needs to wait for some more information before he decides
· Maybe he needs to ask them which one is more willing to make the trip
There are some things in life that are just a matter of choice.
· You pray about
· You becoming as informed as you can be
And then you make a choice and live with it.
I’ve known people who never get anywhere in life because they just refuse to make a decision.
We shouldn’t be careless in our lives.
But neither should be frozen in fear in our lives.
Make a decision, act on the decision, and trust the Lord that He guided you in the decision.
Notice secondly
II. SOMETHING TO BE DILIGENT ABOUT
Titus 3:12 (KJV)
When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter.
Once you have made a decision, get diligent about following the decision.
I am aware that in this case it was Paul who seems to have made the decision for Titus.
I am reminded of going to Astoria.
I went to Bible College with every intention of coming back to plant a church in LaGrande, OR. But while we were gone, another man went to start a church there.
I was sort of at a loss of where to go up here and the pastor I was working with did not want to let me just come up and hunt around for a place.
I called Mike Gass, who was the evangelist I had surrendered to preach under. Bro Gass gave me two churches he knew of looking for a pastor and the name of a preacher in Oregon who might also have some ideas.
After some research I came to my pastor, and to his pastor with the results of my study. I was interested in
Baker City, OR – just up the road from LaGrande, and probably my favorite of the places I had discovered.
Hood River, OR – just across the Columbia River from my grandparents and Anita and I could stay there while we got started.
Astoria, OR-the last place of the three I was interested in but I had heard of two families looking for someone to come start a church there.
Pastor Bob Roarke and Pastor Don Smith listened to me describe each of the towns and together they sent me to Astoria.
I can’t begin to describe to you how difficult the first three years in Astoria were.
You wouldn’t believe me.
I don’t have any idea how we survived except to say it was the grace of God.
There were days that I believed we would die there, and if we did, it would be Pastor Smith’s fault.
But believing that God had directed me through my pastor, Anita and I stayed. We stuck it out. We were diligent.
And by and by, God planted a church there.
Can I just say this – make a decision and stick to it.
I see thirdly
III. SOMETHING PAUL WAS DETERMINED ABOUT
Titus 3:12 (KJV)
When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter.
I don’t know if Paul got to go to Nicopolis or not. Nobody even knows where it was.[1]
I can tell you that it is ok to make a decision and be determined about doing it.
So long as it is not opposed to the word of God
So long as it is not in rebellion to the known will of God
It is ok to make a decision and stick to it.
Someone will say, “He should have said, ‘If the Lord will I’ll winter in Nicopolis.’”
I’m not going to challenge that the Lord’s will is implied in what Paul had determined.
He was surrendered to the Lord
He died daily to his own will
But it’s ridiculous to say, “I can’t tell you whether I will do this or not because I don’t know if it’s the Lord’s will.”
I think you are very capable of knowing the Lord’s will.
· You have a Bible
· You have authorities in your life
· You have a pastor to help you and
· You have the Holy Spirit within you
· Study the Word of God
· Get godly counsel
· Listen to the authorities you already have over you
And trust God to lead you in your decision.
Fourth notice
IV. SOMETHING TO BE CARING ABOUT
Titus 3:13 (KJV)
Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.
Paul told Titus that Zenas the lawyer and Apollos would be coming through.
When they arrived – help them.
Bring them on their journey means to
· Be hospitable to them while they are there and
· Make sure they have what they need to get to the next stop on the way.
It’s the will of the Lord for us to be caring people.
Finally, there is
V. SOMETHING WE ALL SHOULD LEARN ABOUT
Titus 3:14 (KJV)
And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.
I was tempted to try to preach a whole message on the word “ours.”
Isn’t that an interesting word?
Ours.
He is obviously speaking about the believers. People like us.
It is possessive
Every Christian belongs to every other Christian in some way.
It is exclusive
Not everyone is one of ours.
It is protective
Inside the circle known as ours, we find shelter, community and security.
It has some responsibilities
Titus 3:14 (KJV)
And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.
· I am to learn to maintain good works
· I am to do them for necessary reasons and
· I am to become fruitful as a Christian.
One last thing and I am done.
Titus 3:15 (KJV)
All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
I doubt that he wanted them to unkind to others.
But Christians ought to be especially supportive of those who love the same Christians you love.
[1] As I understand it there were three cities named Nicopolis, that we know of. If it was in Macedonia I doubt that Paul got to be there.
