TITUS 1 // INTRO I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into? – JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings Life is not like a math problem It comes to us as story, it unfolds as a drama For some of us it is a constant soap opera - LOTS of drama Sometimes it’s a comedy - like when I split my tuxedo pants right before a choir concert sometimes it’s a tragedy - like when my kid sister aborted her baby at 15 We all relate to and love many of the stories we’ve heard or read down through the years The best one keep coming around regularly in our lives, wanting to be read again and again, and we love them for what they tell us We love them because they all borrow from THE story Christianity, in its true form, tells us that there is an Author and that he is good And additionally, He tells us that HE is author of all that is good and beautiful and true, as he is the source of all these things The Christian faith tells us that he has set our hearts with longings for good, and not evil. And it warns us that the truth is always in danger of being twisted and corrupted and stolen from us because there is a Villain in the Story who hates our hearts and wants to destroy us His story calls us up into a Story that is truer and deeper than any other, and it assures us that there is deep meaning in our lives So if the great books that we love so much are true at the deepest places in us, how much more God’s written Word? Every good story you’ve ever heard and loved is rooted in the True Story Every good story you’ve ever heard has a villain Our story has others who are caught in the middle or oppressed and downtrodden, needing aid, and this is the place where the Holy Spirit comes into view and uses US as participants in the story in spite ourselves This is all true of all the great stories that we love And it is true because it is THE TRUE STORY - our story as human beings made in the IMAGO DEI - the image of god And although you all know that the villain is Satan, did you know that the Hero is NOT you, nor is it me? The hero is Jesus It’s so easy for us to put ourselves into the role of the hero every time, but the truth is we’re more often-than-not the damsel in distress Don’t believe me? Check out what Jesus calls the Church - His Bride!! Yep, we’re the damsel in distress alright, but Jesus is aware of all our needs, and is quick to give patient instruction whenever needed (which with me is often!) This morning we begin in the short letter from Paul to Titus Paul is a servant of the One True King, just like the other Apostles And he instructs Titus, his protege’, to appoint qualified elders in the churches of Crete, outlining specific character traits these leaders must possess while also emphasizing the need to strongly rebuke false teachers who were subverting the faith This letter is essentially focusing on establishing strong leadership in the church to combat false doctrine that was threatening to wriggle into the Church and wreak havoc And in this way, it is very much relatable to us in the American Church, which has largely embraced false doctrines But instead of waiting to see how it might manifest or play out, Paul took the bull by the horns and addresses the issues, urging Timothy to fight against false doctrine // TEXT & EXPOSITION [1] Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, Bond servant - Doulos Apostolos - one sent with a message - Apostle for the sake of the faith of God’s elect For the sake of those who have (and will) put their faith in Jesus They are chosen IN Christ So because they chose to put their faith IN Christ, they are chosen Again, this isn’t God picking His team in advance and casting all others into Hell for all eternity In His omniscience (omni-all / science-knowledge) He knows who will and will not come to him in submission to embrace Chrst as Savior So then, this letter is for those who are chosen in God And it speaks to our faith and also to the knowledge of God’s true Truth! His truth is the only always according to Godliness and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, [2] in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began God’s Truth is also rooted in the hope of eternal life which He promised long ago, in ages past And He cannot lie, nor can He break His precious promises [3] and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; At the right and perfect moment in time, Jesus manifested in the world God became flesh He was incarnated (carne - flesh) The invisible God took on flesh and became a human to save all those made in His Image and likeness And this was (and is) the proclamation that Paul was entrusted with And now we, also, have been entrusted with this message, and this is why I push evangelism so much, even though it frustrates some of you Who is going to tell the world around us about Jesus if His Church doesn’t do it?? Share the Gospel and love people made in the Image and likeness of God [4] To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Paul writes a warm greeting to Titus, whom he considered a “son” in the faith This simply means that Titus was someone that Paul had invested in heavily, having seen a ember of passion for Christ in him, and as a mentor, he fanned that into flame Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Grace is simply God’s unmerited favor When you put your faith in Jesus, you were counted as part of God’s own family You didn’t earn it - there’s no way you could Only Jesus merited God’s favor because only Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life And therefore, when we put our faith in Christ alone for salvation, we are now counted as God’s children Now, I know that there are many well-meaning people who say things like, “Well, we’re all God’s children” but that’s simply not true In fact, the Bible tells us that we were children of wrath Paul calls all of us “children of wrath” in Ephesians 2:3 because, prior to knowing Christ, everyone was under the judgment of God. Let’s just read that whole paragraph to get the context Ephesians 2:1–10 [1] And you were dead in the trespasses and sins [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—[3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. [4] But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—[6] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. What a blessed gift from our Lord Jesus Christ!! [5] This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you What was the reason? For Titus to preach the Gospel And I know…I know that some of you get tired of me talking about the importance of evangelism, so I’ll make you a deal If you dislike me pushing that agenda all the time, then do something about it Get outside the 4 walls of the Church and share that Good News with the world You will be hastening the coming of our Lord according to 2 Peter 3:11–12 [11] Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, [12] waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! Again, if you want me to shut up about evangelism, then let’s get out there and finish the task so we can all go home! Titus, in addition to preaching the gospel, was to put things in order in the Church In other words, get the Church somewhat organized These things are necessary for a healthy church And one of the most important things that needs doing is to appoint Elders/Overseers who are qualified And I’ll tell you plainly that I’m glad for the Elders we have at Emmaus Road, and those who have been with us in the past Every single one of them has made a deposit in this Church for the good, and have left it better than it was before, and not every local church can make that claim 6] if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. This speaks to the parenting that happens in a house with at least one believing parent as a qualification for Elders/Overseers in the local church And some point to this verse with a tendency to see unfairness They argue that their children are unruly for reasons beyond their control, but should still be able to be an Elder So we go back to 1 Timothy 3:4-5 - [4] He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, [5] for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? [7] For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. This applies to any and all Elders and Overseers in the Church They must be above reproach because he is a steward of Christ’s family Stewards are tasked with keeping things running in a good, working order A man in that position must not be willful (self-willed - only doing what he wants to do) Nor can he be a man with a quick temper Nor can he be addicted to much wine, and I would add, in our context today, neither should he be given over to anything that alters his state of consciousness This is actually spoken of in Scripture as PHARMAKIA - taking into one’s self substances that alter one’s consciousness, whether drugs or alcohol An Elder cannot be someone who is always looking for a fight or conflict, BUT must be willing to wade into a fight when necessary, for the right reasons And I can tell you personally, as an associate pastor in previous church, there is a time to fight for the Word of God and what is right and good We who lead must not shrink back from evil He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, A quick-tempered man cannot be in leadership in the Church It just doesn’t work It’s like Don Quixote tilting at windmills Or, to use another analogy, when you’re a HAMMER, everything you see around you looks like a NAIL These types of men never do well in leadership because they only have one setting - FULL THROTTLE And there are more than enough temptations that come against leaders in the Church, than adding men like that on top of everything else So we choose our Elders wisely, and with much prayer and discussion [8] but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. So hospitality is important for Elders and leaders in the local church And they must love what is good Philippians 4:8–9 [8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. [9] What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. [9] He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. He - again, Elders must be Men It has never been otherwise, nor should it be This is the way God wants it, and the way that we know that is by His Word In accordance with the teachings of the bible, the local Church should teach and practice that only males may serve as elders Female elders are are prohibited 1 Timothy 3:1–7 [1] The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. [2] Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, [3] not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. [4] He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, [5] for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? [6] He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. [7] Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. And also in Titus 1:5–9 [5] This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—[6] if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. [7] For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, [8] but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. [9] He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. But getting back to the situation with Titus… [10] For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. In the OT, circumcision was the sign that God gave to Israel related to the covenant He made with them And it’s very much a counter-intuitive covenant, as the Lord expressly said that He was going to make them a great nation, and that they would be more abundant than the sands on the shores of the seas So then why did God direct the males to undergo circumcision? Why give up a part of the very thing that is needed to bring about that promise?? And the answer is that it was never about Man’s ability or power or strength It was always about God’s power and strength.”Sign of the covenant under the Old Covenant And someone will ask another question, “Why then did things change?” Because Jesus died for our sins and initiated a New Covenant We are not under the Old Covenant of works We are now in the New Covenant which is of faith Whereas the Old Covenant was of works, it could never save anyone because humanity was fallen and couldn’t keep the Law in its entirety But in the New Covenant, the Law is finished or completed because Jesus kept it for us, so if we put our faith in Him alone, then His perfect keeping of God’s Law by Jesus is then credited to us simply by faith in Him The Jews in particular could not wrap their heads or hearts (for the most part) that God had made a New Covenant available, and that it was no longer by works of the Law, but simply by faith in Jesus They struggle with it, and largely reject it to this day But the Bible tell us that will change when the Antichrist (whom they will erroneously see as their Messiah (having rejected Jesus) comes, they will embrace him as their Messiah And at the middle of the Tribulation period (AKA the Great Tribulation), they will see their error, and many will pay for that error with their lives But the good news is that many Jews will be saved at that time, but at the cost of their earthly lives Getting back to the text…dealing with those who demand circumcision… [11] They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. The Jews were still pushing the Old Covenant which was made in the context of Israel, and therefore was exclusive (unless you wanted to become an Israelite) But the New Covenant is not exclusive - it is INCLUSIVE insomuch as anyone may put faith in Jesus at any time, and enter into salvation as part of the household of God So the clash was with those Jews who still were hanging onto the Old Covenant instead of putting their faith in Christ So Paul was encouraging Titus to stand up to them and preach the Gospel message so that they would be put to shame [12] One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” [13] This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, [14] not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. We see here what many truly thought of them, including one of their own prophets They clearly did not have a good reputation as a people group So Paul is telling Titus to rebuke and reprove them severely It might seem harsh, and it would definitely feel harsh to those who received it, but it was for their good I wonder some days, if God sent a Prophet of old among us in the Pacific Northwest, if anyone at all would listen to him, even if he DID do signs and wonders like Elijah and Elisha Cultures and people groups CAN go too far in their sinning so that they lose any fear of God at all And I wonder how close we are, as a culture, to ending up there…. [15] To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. This is pretty straight-foward Paul is describing people whose minds and consciences are defiled When that’s the case, everything else follows Conscience = Con (with) science (knowledge) So when the part of us with the knowledge of good and evil is defiled, it can no longer serve as a compass to point you in the right direction So for folks in that situation (and it doesn’t happen overnight, but over a long time of disobedience to God), nothing is pure [16] They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. These people openly profess that they know and worship God, but the way that they actually live says something completely different Their lives prove the lie, and therefore God says they are detestable and worthless for anything good That’s a really scary statement for God to make!! // APPLICATION We began this sermon this morning with our favorite stories, and all the things we love about them But as we wrap up, I want to skip to the ending I don’t know how much more life I will live, and neither do you And if you know me or have been around me much at all, then you know that I expect to be Raptured by Jesus, not to grow old(er) and die of natural causes What we do know and have is Jesus and His salvation We are secure in Christ, and nothing can us from His love So given that reality, and knowing the sacrifice that He’s already made for us, why would we not freely share what He has done among the nations? Why would we not tell the Lost about this great God who made us and loves us, and who wants relationship with His Creation?? I want to encourage you to take the initiative to talk about Jesus for the next few weeks Our entire culture is celebrating something that they don’t actually understand And in the context of Christmas, and all the gifts being exchanged, what a wonderful and powerful, and ultimately redemptive gift to share the Good News of Jesus’ first coming to Earth!! Brother and sisters in Christ, the door is wide open at this moment Will you step up and take advantage of this season to make Jesus known and to clarify eternity for those who don’t know Him? It’s the reason we’re here // PRAY // SING // GO