Esperança do servo de Deus

Before his conversion on the road to Damascus Paul was a zealous Pharisee.

Paul thought of himself as a servant of God, do you think of yourself as God's servant.Paulo pensou em si mesmo como um servo de Deus, você pensa de si mesmo como servo de Deus?

In our society the term servant is not used frequently. Em nossa sociedade, o termo servo não é usado com freqüência. Technically people like George Bush, John Howard and Peter Beattie are servants, but you would not think so by the way they act.What does Paul mean when he calls himself a bondservant of God? O que Paulo quer dizer quando chama a si mesmo um servo de Deus? The Greek word he uses in Titus 1:1 is 'doulos' which would be better translated as slave as it describes a person who has given himself up to another's will . A servant or a slave of God consciously and deliberately refuses to be ruled by self will and commits himself to be ruled by the will of God. A palavra grega que ele usa em Tito 1:1 é “doulos” que seria melhor traduzida como escravo. Um servo ou um escravo de Deus que consciente e deliberadamente se recusa a ser governado por vontade própria e se compromete a ser governado pela vontade de Deus.

Jesus gives us the perfect example of what it is to be a servant or a slave of God.

Paul has been called and commissioned specifically to promote, strengthen and sanctify the faith of God's elect.A preocupação de Paulo é com a fé dos eleitos de Deus. He is concerned about what they believe and how they exercise their faith in everyday life. Ele está preocupado com o que eles acreditam e como praticam a sua fé na vida cotidiana. Paul is concerned about the witness of the elect, what they believe must determine and shape the way they live and behave.Through the preaching of the Gospel God's elect who already believe will have their faith strengthen and God's elect who are yet to believe will be called by God's sovereign free grace to believe. The mention of God's sovereign free election of individuals to salvation is a direct challenge to subjectivism and self-centrednesThe witness of the Cretans was defective in that what they believed did not follow through to godly behaviour, therefore the truth needed to be accentuated so that it could promote godliness.Temos de olhar para nós mesmos e perguntar se temos sidos servos e se a piedade está sendo promovido em nós. Se hIs there an agitation in our hearts to be more holy?á uma agitação em nosso coração para sermos mais santo? That is the effect truth should have on us. Essa é a verdade que deve ter efeito sobre nós. Paulo enfatiza essa verdade dizendo que 1. When Paul says 'God cannot lie' he is emphasising truth as a characteristic of God.11. 1111"Deus não pode mentir, ele está enfatizando a verdade como uma característica de Deus. Unlike us God is true in his inner being, no error, falsehood or non-reality is found in God. Ao contrário de nós, Deus é verdadeiro. Em seu ser interior não há nenhum erro ou falsidade e a não-realidade não é encontrada Nele. That God is true reveals itself in his faithfulness and trustworthiness.2. The gospel and the faith that the apostle Paul was promoting rested on the hope of eternal life. It is very important to emphasise that the meaning of hope in the Scriptures is very different to our common use of the word hope.O evangelho da fé que o apóstolo Paulo estava promovendo baseava-se na esperança da vida eterna. The Lord Jesus Christ is the one who brings the fullness of every covenant blessing and privilege to individuals.It is in Christ that every promise of God belongs to believersAs Douglas Milne says, 'The Christian is saved in the hope of sharing in God's glory when Jesus Christ comes back (Rom. 5:2; 8:24f.).O cristão é guardado na esperança de compartilhar a glória de Deus (Rm 5:2; 8:24.) e Jesus Christ is our hope (1 Tim. 1:1.) because the Christian hope is grounded in his saving life, death and resurrection.' Jesus in his saving work for the elect secures all the covenant blessings and promises for his peopl(1 Tm. 1:1.). 3. The faith of God's elect rests on the hope of eternal life secured by Christ and the fact that God cannot lie. A fé dos eleitos de Deus repousa sobre a esperança da vida eterna garantida por Cristo e no fato de que Deus não pode mentir.God's covenant promises, privileges, and blessings were fully determined before time began. God is the originator of our salvation.In the councils of God before time began God determined how sinners would be saved and which sinners would be savedDeus determinou como os pecadores seriam salvos. Jesus came to do the will of the Father to accomplish and fulfil the plans made before time began.The promises of God are totally secure because God cannot lie, he is true in all things. 4.God's chosen means of confronting people with the truth is the preaching of the Word. Paulo ainda enfatiza que a pregação é o método de proclamar a verdade como a melhor maneira de alcançar os pecadores. A pPreaching must always be seen as an extremely important and vital aspect of the church's life.regação deve ser sempre vista como um aspecto extremamente importante e vital da vida da Igreja.

Por fim, irmãos, a The blessing of receiving God's grace is amazing and overwhelming. bênção de receber a graça de Deus é surpreendente e avassaladora. All believers ought to be humbled by the fact that it was by grace that they were elected by God before the foundation of the world, by grace they have been saved, by grace they are made a sons of God, by grace they are kept, and by grace they will be with the Lord in glory forever. Biblical grace is the love of God in action. God's grace is supremely seen in God the Father sending God the Son to be our Saviour.O poder da graça salvadora que faz um homem tão disposto a abandonar seus desejos e pecados e seguir a Cristo. If you are one of God's elect you have received grace and have been given faith that agitates your heart, mind, soul and will to be more like God.Se você é um dos eleitos de Deus você recebeu a graça e a fé que deve agitar seu coração, mente, alma e vontade de ser servo de Deus. You have received the truth of God's plan of salvation in Christ Jesus, and you are a servant of God entrusted with the glorious gospel of Christ Jesus to share it with others and to guard it from error. You have been given a great responsibility . Titus had received this responsibility and Paul's instructions to him in this letter tells him how to fulfil this responsibility.Você recebeu a verdade do plano de salvação de Deus em Cristo Jesus, e você é um servo de Deus a quem foi confiado o evangelho da glória de Cristo Jesus para compartilhá-lo com os outros. Do you recognise and take ownership of the fact that you are called to be a servant of Christ Jesus, a servant who has received authority and a servant who carries a great responsibility? Você deve reconhecer e apropriar-se do fato de que você é chamado para ser um servo de JesusChrist sees you as a servant with a calling, authority and responsibility and expects you to be faithful to him..

If you do not have a deep sense of your calling, authority, and responsibility then something in your faith is defective, the truth is not making the impact on your life that it should.

I challenge you to look at your life and all that you believe and practice and ask yourself whether you are a servant under authority or a consumer with a basket full of teachings bought in the market place? Do you submit to the Word of God, or do you rule over the Word?Eu desafio você olhar para a sua vida e tudo o que você acredita e pratica e se perguntar se você é um servo? Você submete à Palavra de Deus?

Every servant of God is under authority, but also given authority to challenge the sinful ways in the world.Are you a faithful servant who submits to Christ's authority and exercises the authority he has given you?

Presb. Nilton Alves Rabelo