Introduction
Titus was a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He served his Savior at a tough spot in the world, the Greek island of Crete, where the mythical Minotaur allegedly lived. The ministry wasn't difficult because of Minotaur. The struggles there didn't have anything to do with mythical creatures, but with very real people.
Titus 1:12 – One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."
When Titus's mentor, the apostle Paul, wants to encourage his pupil to remain faithful in his ministry at a difficult place, he says the following:
Titus 2:11-14 – For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself Hisown special people, zealous for good works.
Paul tells Titus that the Christian lives a godly life now "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." Why? Because the Christian is looking forward to the day in which he/she is transformed body and soul to worship his/her Lord in the perfection of holiness. On the day of his blessed appearing, the Lord Jesus will raise all of his people back to life with perfect bodies and souls, completely freed from sin. It is concerning that day that the apostle Paul speaks in our passage.
We often talk about the resurrection of Christ and so we must because without it there is no salvation. Paul already told us earlier in the chapter that Jesus's resurrection is essential to the Gospel and of first importance (v. 3). The Scriptures also often speak of our future resurrection. As a matter of fact, they talk about heaven and eternity in terms of a physical reality, which makes sense since God made us from the very beginning body and soul.
I. First Thing to Note: Paul Is Speaking Only of What Will Happen to Those Who Trust in Christ.
A. He says nothing here concerning the unbeliever.
B. He is speaking of those who are descendants by faith of the second Adam, 45.
C. He is speaking of those to whom Christ will give victory over death, sin, and the condemnation of the law, 56-57.
II. Even though this is a glorious thought and an unbelievably encouraging doctrine, some in the church didn't like it, 35.
A. For some, the idea that a person could come back to life after he/she had died and his/her body rotted in the ground was ridiculous.
B. These questions seem to have been asked in mockery, not necessarily in search of truth, because of the way Paul answers them in v. 36 – "Foolish one."
C. Why would a person who is part of a Christian church question the possibility of a physical, future resurrection?
1. In the case of the Corinthians, it is likely they were functioning within a Greek worldview that taught that the physical was bad and the spiritual was good.
2. For some, it is just pure and unadulterated unbelief.
3. But I think there is a third group who are true believers but the prospective of a physical eternity is too painful for them.
D. What do the Scriptures have to say to these brothers and sisters who cannot see the hope and the beauty of the resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ?
1. The resurrected body will be a transformed body, 50-54.
2. It is a body after Christ's own resurrected body, 45-49.
E. The Scriptures say that the truth that we will be raised at the coming of Jesus gives us future hope, but also hope now.
1. Christ has removed the sting of death, 55-57.
2. Christ gives victory over sin now, 57.
3. God made all bodies glorious, 37-42.
III. How Will the Dead Be Raised? By the Power of the Word of God.
A. The same voice that said, "Lazarus, come forth!" will say, "Believer, come forth!"
B. The same Word that brought you to faith in your Savior will call you to life.
C. The preaching of God's Word today is a foretaste of that great day when our Lord himself will preach to us and call us out of our graves.
Conclusion
God will raise his people from the dead. He will transform our bodies in the perfection of holiness. As we live our lives now, marred with sin as they are, we are reminded of that day when our Lord will come for us. The victories we have over sin by God's grace in this life reminds us of our final victory in Jesus Christ at the resurrection. And all our failures in this life also remind us that this life is not ultimate, and even our failures point us to the one who will give us life without failure.
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