Devoted to Doing Good

The First Idea in Titus:

Love what is Good

Paul focuses on the leadership here.

and part of that is just practical - that’s what needed to get done in the church there

But paul describes the qualities of a good leader here - though he applies them through the rest of the book to others as well.

What does ‘bad’ look like?

Titus 1:7 “Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.”

Titus 1:7 NIV

Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.

Blameless here doesn’t mean ‘never does anything wrong’.

It’s about intention, about motivations. That you shouldn’t be able to point at this person and say, ‘They’re obviously trying to do the wrong thing, trying to be bad’.

People can always criticize, they can ALWAYS find fault. But this is about being a person that’s not willfully doing wrong things.

Psalm 19:13 “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.”

But bad means...

Overbearing - this means, self-focused, arrogant, stubborn

Way of saying, ‘I’m the important one here, I’m right and i’m always right, too bad for you’.

SIDEBAR: As a christian, and as a leader, the opposite of this is NOT ‘willing to do whatever anyone tells you no matter what’. We NEED discernment, we need wisdom, and we need outside help

But refusing to be overbearing, means refusing to say, as a rule, i’m always right and you’re always wrong. You’re willing to listen to people, to consider their side.

Quick-tempered - fast to answer, fast to act, fast to judge

Sometimes, we can make good quick decisions. But usually not.

A quick-tempered person is always the first to cast the first stone.

It connects well with arrogance - i’m always right, so the first thing that I think it is is always right, why bother thinking further?

Drunk, Violent, and Pursuing Dishonest Gain - these are just bad character traits of leadership.

These are all lifestyles focused on pleasuring ourselves. They’re all defined by ‘I want’.

KEY CONCEPT:

‘Bad’-ness is about being focused on ourselves

Every one of these is rooted in a self-focus

What does ‘Good’-ness look like?

Titus 1:8–9 NIV

Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Self-control is practically the subtitle for the book of Titus

so paul says, a GOOD leader is...

hospitable - willing to welcome, to love, to care for.

To the culture, hospitality was literally about ‘I’m going to open up my home, and you can come in and stay as long as you need’.

in love with ‘what is good’ (KEEP THIS PHRASE IN MIND - MORE ON THIS LATER!)

self-controlled & disciplined - that means, they don’t just do whatever they want whenever they want. they’re sacrificial, they control themselves, their opinions and their emotions.

Ever met someone that would just fly off the handle any chance they got? Or who would take any and every opportunity to make it about their judgementalism and their being wronged?

Upright - they’re living by the standards of scripture. This word also means ‘righteous’.

Holy - Want to take a moment. We use this word to mean ‘a specific culture’ or ‘a specific place’.

But to the biblical authors, ‘holiness’ meant ‘we understand that God is pure, and righteous, and true - and we aren’t’.

Holiness was understanding the contrast between our lives and God’s infinite power and goodness

OUR holiness isn’t a suit and tie - it’s a life of complete submission in every fashion towards the Lord. It’s knowing that God is different, and allowing Him to make US different.

KEY CONCEPT:

‘Good’-ness is about being focused on submitting to God, loving others, and denying ourselves

These are all outside-focused qualities. Focused on God, and on others. In fact, the only self-focused qualities are critical in nature - discipline and control yourself more.

In every life, in every chuch - there’s a battle between these two. So Paul emplores us:

Titus 3:14 (NIV)

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good

The second ‘idea’ in Titus:

Do What is Good

All of us in some fashion think we’re doing this. Even the ‘bad’ characters. So how do we actually do what is good?

Paul gives some really practical advice about how to do what is ‘good’.

And here’s the great part - if we follow the advice in the scriptures here, we will do what’s good!

Often times, we overcomplicate life and faith. And honestly - we do it because we think, ‘faith is this and ALSO all the things I think are most important’. We add our own ‘AND’s’ to the list.

So let’s just take this right the way it is.

Paul says, across the board - whether you’re older or younger, man or woman - there’s a few key qualities when we pursue them we’re ‘doing what is good’.

Titus 2:2–3 NIV

Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.

Paul expands on this later

Titus 3:1–2 NIV

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.

The vast majority of these statements are character pieces, regardless of what is going on outside of you.

The main place we are challenged about being devoted to good is our individual characters

And he gives a pretty crazy laundry-list of what our character should look like.

Refusal to slander

Being peacable and considerate

Always being gentle

Being temperate and self-controlled

Respecting and obeying rulers and authorities

So what does doing good as a church look like? Prioritizing this.

It’s that simple.

The third idea in Titus:

Always remember where goodness really starts

I’ll just read this:

Titus 3:3–8 NIV

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Paul says, all of these bad things - all of the negative traits he’s warning us against - we were all those things. We were all lost. We were all broken. We were all the bad guys in the story.

But in God’s grace, we were saved from that kind of life. We don’t have to be those things anymore. We don’t have to be self-centered, or slanderous, or quick-tempered.

And it’s by grace. Not one of us earned it. When God looked at everything we’d done, he didn’t see a single thing worth saying ‘ok, so, that guy’s obviously good so I have to let that person in because they proved it’. That’s never happened, and it never will happen.

But we have been rescued from all of the things (both things that come from outside AND from inside) that poison our lives, our characters, and our relationships.

‘Good’-ness starts, continues and ends in God’s power, His grace, mercy, love, kindness and righteousness

These things enable us to be able to even BE good in the first place - we couldn’t otherwise. Our ‘self’ is worth condemnation - God’s grace gives us freedom.

Good-ness STARTS with God, it ENDS with God, and it’s powered every step by God. And you can’t be devoted to good without being devoted to God

And as people walk further away from good-ness - they walk further away from God Himself.

There’s a scary end to this book, and I think it’s important to talk about - because it really underpins how important all of this is.

Titus 3:9–11 NIV

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

There’s not a lot of places that the bible says ‘just don’t have anything to do with that kind of person’.

Paul says, as we abandon these standards of good-ness - and remember, we usually believe we’re doing the right thing by making an exception! - it leads to foolish controversies, arguments, quarrels about the rules and the ‘right ways’ of doing things.

And the kind of people who push this agenda - paul calls them 'divisive people’

And this is a hard truth, but paul straight up says - if someone has been saved, but is actively and continually embodying these bad traits, if they’re self-centered, self-focused, quick tempered, overbearing, slanderous - move on from those people.

The ‘if they’ve been saved’ part is really important. Paul is very clear in many other places - people in the world will have issues. And we can’t shut ourselves off from that, or we can’d do our jobs.

Paul’s applying this to people who have been saved by grace, but refuse to show it practically. The people who say, I love God in one breath, but then practice all these things God says he hates.

Paul says, as much as we’ve all been forgiven by God - these kinds of traits in people show that they’re not really on the boat, that they’ve brought themselves back around to condemnation.

And for sure, paul says, warn them, warn them twice even, try and bring them back - but if they’ve chosen to stay on this path, then Paul says - just have nothing to do with them.

Being devoted to goodness is so important that Paul says,

Your life doesn’t need people who say they love God but aren’t devoted to doing good

GOSPEL MESSAGE:

God is devoted to our good

Romans 8:26–28 NIV

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Paul here is saying, the Spirit steps up when we are weak. He works towards our good. He looks even into our hearts.

And when we look to God, when we love God and trust God - he can work good in even the worst of things.

In your darkest moments, in your deepest despair and anxiety - God can do amazingly good things.