Titus 1
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Good morning!
Man I’m so happy to be here!
We are kicking off a new series 8 week series going through the book of Titus!
So buckle up ladies and gentlemen because its gonna be a good ride
Before we do anything else though lets go to the Father in prayer
Pray
Pray
Lord be with Matthew and Jordan
Be with churches all across the area
Help us better understand you today
Author & Background
Author & Background
The book starts out like this:
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect 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 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; 4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
The book of Titus starts out with Paul identifying himself as the author of the book
We also see that Paul identifies who he is sending the letter to — Titus
This letter to Titus is unique for quite a few reasons
Paul was in jail when he wrote the letter
It wasn’t wrote to a specific church / region, but instead to a person (Titus)
Paul in effect is in the last years of his life, in prison and is writing to his friend Titus to help instruct him on how to be successful in ministry
To help him be prepared fully for the task of ministry and the task of life
Paul’s purpose
Paul’s purpose
Paul then goes on to address Titus directly:
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—
Paul reminds Titus why he was left in Crete — to create a healthy church in Crete
Titus was chosen by Paul to set up a healthy church and culture
This then becomes the foundation for the rest of the book of Titus:
It is Paul giving instructions for how to set up a healthy church, and what a healthy church looks like
State of Crete
State of Crete
The reason for this is because of the state of Crete the island that Titus is on
Crete was an island in Greece and listen to how it is described:
10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 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.
When describing this Island Paul tells us that it is full of people who are insubordinate, full of deceivers, full of people who are trying to pull people away from the Gospel
These people weren’t simply non-believers, but instead they were people that were actively in opposition of the Gospel
Paul makes this note by mentioning that they are from the circumcision party — this is in fact not the first time that Paul has seen this opposition
In fact the book of Galatians is all about Paul calling out the Judaizers — people saying you need Jesus and Jewish traditions in order to be saved — essentially they are Jesus+
So now Paul is warning Titus that there are people among him who are doing the same
What does Paul tell him to do? Rebuke them sharply — they must be silenced
This is intense language Paul is using to explain how dangerous it is to have people inside the church running around seeking to pull people away
Paul even quotes the Cretan poet Epimenides — This was originally a poem, but it was proven so true that it became a proverb, a simple statement of fact — to show how dangerous the Cretan people (and especially these judaizers are)
How it applies today
How it applies today
This is all well and good though — I mean I personally love to look at the history of the Bible, the backgrounds and reasons why authors write what they write
But like what does that do for us today?
Well is this not the exact same thing we see today?
Crete was full of liars and lazy gluttons.
Look at our world: Fake news, deceptive marketing, an obsession with comfort, consumerism, and 'living your truth' rather than the truth.
We are living in a spiritual Crete
Is not the state of the Crete the state of the world?
I mean Paul elsewhere states things such as
“All have sinned” “the wages of sin is death”
In fact listen to how Paul himself describes the nature of people and the world
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.
Quite literally every single person in the world without Jesus is just like the people in Crete — far from God, lost, broken
In need of salvation but with no way of finding it
Thats Titus 1 is so important to us today — we are just like Crete
The solution for Crete — a healthy church — is the same solution for us today
We need a healthy church in order to reach the world
How to have a healthy church
How to have a healthy church
Now something that is important to know is what a healthy church is
Because if Paul is leaving Titus to set up leaders that will make a healthy church we need to understand what a healthy church is
So often we see health as growth
If churches have a lot of people they must be healthy
We will see health as money
If there is a big bank account that is health
We will see events and think that is health
Looking at the calendar saying health must be when the church is constantly doing things
However that is not what a constitutes a healthy church
A healthy church has nothing to do with the size, bank account, or even the events
I have seen churches of 50 people that were extremely healthy, and churches of 100s that were unhealthy
Why?
Because just like Odin told Thor that “Asgard is not a place its a people” So is the church not a place/building its a people
It takes the people in the church to be healthy in order to go and reach those around us
It takes spiritually healthy churches fueled by spiritually healthy members to push back the darkness
Spiritual health
Spiritual health
But here is the beauty Paul doesn’t give Titus a task — and us for that matter — without then giving us the blueprint for what it looks like to be healthy
Paul being a good shepherd and leader isn’t telling Titus to do something and then expecting Titus to figure it out
Instead Paul goes on to tell Titus what it looks like to be healthy
What is expected
He does this by telling Titus what he should be looking for when setting up Pastors and Elders in the church
The characteristics that are expected
I mean listen what is described:
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.
Paul in essence is giving a simple blueprint for health
Health for all
Health for all
Now I know what some people are probably thinking:
Jamie this is all well and good, but Paul is describing the qualifications for Pastors
I’m just a Volunteer Jamie
I just attend
I can’t be expected to follow these things
Doesn’t James in chapter 3 tell us that not everyone should be a pastor? Clearly this doesn’t apply
Well your thoughts aren’t wrong Paul is talking about setting up pastors, and you’d be correct in your thoughts as James 3:1 clearly says that not everyone should be a teacher
BUT
The reality is that it does not excuse you, or anyone for that matter
Peter tells us 1 Peter 1:15-16
15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
We as believers are called to be Holy — set apart — different
Jesus teaches us
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
We as believers are called to take up our cross
What does this mean?
We are called to live up to the same standards that Paul lays out for Pastors and Elders
In fact its not that Pastors are given a higher standard of Christian living, they are giving the standard standard
The example we are all to follow
We should all be like what Paul tells Titus to look for in Pastors
Our life should be different
Paul even tells us multiple times: 2 times in 1 Cor., 2 times in Phil., and 2 times in 1 Thess. to be imitators of him as he is imitating Christ
We are called to live up to the same standards
So yes you’d be correct in that we are not all meant to be Pastors, we are meant to be healthy and Paul laid out what it means to be healthy
He gives us 3 things:
1. Above reproach
1. Above reproach
The first thing Paul laid out about being spiritually healthy comes from vs. 6:
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.
What does Spiritually healthy people look like?
To be healthy we must be Above Reproach
We are called to be above reproach
Other translations say: blameless, unquestionable integrity, without fault, or good reputation
The greek word also has the sense of unaccusable
What does that mean?
As believers seeking to be healthy we are meant to live a life that is so seeking the Lord that no one can come to us pointing out sin
They shouldn’t be able to look at our life and identify something that is sinful
This does not mean that we are without sin because the reality is that we are sinful people — we are sinful and will have a sin nature until we meet Jesus
I mean Paul even talks about his sin
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
Paul the apostle is identifying sin in his life — we are going to sin
Being beyond reproach doesn’t mean we won’t be sinful
I think about my old Pastor Stan Riddle
I worked closely with Stan for many years, I saw him in all kinds of different seasons of life
When I first came on staff his wife had passed away only a year prior
The camp we worked at constantly was having some trouble, rather it was some of the kids, or literally the camp grounds itself
Yet all the years I worked with Stan I couldn’t ever point out something that was sinful in his life
I mean there was a day that he was hanging up sheet rock in the Arbor
I was coming down to the camp because I had left my phone in the gameroom
Stan had no idea I was there, no idea anyone was there
He had headphones in and was just hammering the nails (even though we had a nail gun)
I grabbed my phone from the game room and then decided to walk down to Stan and see what he was doing
I came into the arbor and about the time I came in there he hit his pointer finger with the hammer
And I don’t mean he lightly tapped it, I mean he full power swung his hammer and hit his finger
What did he do he started violently shaking his finger and was yelling out “hot as fire, hot as fire”
Like in that scenario no one would bat an eye at what comes out of a person’s mouth — yet Stan was a man beyond reproach
Paul tells Titus, and is telling us that we must be the same
Beyond reproach
He goes on in verses 6-8 to describe what beyond reproach is:
Faithful to their wife
Leading their family to love God
Not arrogant or prideful
Not angry, drunk or violent
Not a lover of money
Seeking to always do the right thing
Paul looks at Titus, and ultimately all of us, and says that this must be us!
We must live a life that is beyond reproach!
If we are to reach our neighbors we must be beyond reproach!
2. Hold firm to the Word
2. Hold firm to the Word
Paul then continues to describe for us what a Spiritually health person:
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.
The next characteristic of a spiritually healthy individual?
Hold firm to the Word
Paul tells Titus that a spiritually healthy person is someone who is holding firm to the Word of God
Holding firm also has the idea of being devoted
That we as believers are meant to be devoted to the Bible to the Words of God
That means that Spiritually healthy people are ones that are constantly reading and studying the Bible
They are ones that dive deep into Scripture to hear from God and know God
You cannot be devoted to something that you never interact with
You cannot know something that you never read
David says in the book of Psalms
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
And
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
David is teaching us that the Bible is the very thing that is meant to direct our path — the very thing that is mean to show us what to do and how to do it
We as believers are meant to know the Bible
But the idea of being devoted or holding firm doesn’t just mean that we know the Bible
It also means that we apply the Bible
James in chapter 1 tells us that we are meant to not just be hearers of the word, but also doers
We are not meant to simply gain more knowledge about the Bible through studying it — reading and studying the Bible is the lowest bar a Christian has — we are instead meant to go and apply it
This reminds me of me and my wife
Her number 1 love language is not words of affirmation — she constantly lets me know that what I say means nothing to her unless my actions are backing it up
I can tell her all the sweet nothings in the world, but that is exactly what they are — sweet nothings without action
The same thing as believers is true if we just simply read the Bible without applying it
Paul tell us that we are meant to be devoted to the Word of God letting it change us and mold us into people that Christ is commanding us to be
So are we spiritually healthy church? Are we reading the Bible and then applying what it says?
I think about the song by Josiah Queen do we have “dusty Bible’s but brand new iPhones?”
3. Teach Sound Doctrine
3. Teach Sound Doctrine
Paul now continues by telling us that not only are we mean to hold firm to the Word but listen to what else verse 9 says:
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.
Spiritually healthy people also:
Teach Sound Doctrine
Those that are Spiritually healthy will teach what the Bible is telling us
We are meant to go and teach what the Bible says
To not just hear and be devoted to the Word, not just applying it to our lives, but spiritually healthy people are meant to teach and help others to do the same
Paul tells us that we are meant to teach others the truths of Bible
This goes right along with what Jesus said in the Great Commission when He said:
“teaching all that i’ve commanded”
We are meant as believers to go and teach others!
The sad reality though is that this is not the case
Approximately 42% of people in American churches have at some time taught a small group
In the same sample size only about 44% of people in average churches attend a small group in some capacity
REVO has 36 small groups — approximately 50-60 leaders that teach a small group
Church we need to take the responsibility of teaching the Word to heart!
We need to be people that are actively seeking to share the knowledge that we have about Jesus to others!
We cannot just sit back — we are called to go and teach!
Paul tells Titus and us that a sign of healthy believers are people who teach!
Let us be teachers!
This includes both teaching those who want to learn about the Gospel and what it means to live a Christian life, but Paul also makes the statement to rebuke those who go against it
Meaning our teaching is not only for Christians, but we are meant to know the Bible and live the Bible and share the Bible to the point where we are willing to stand up for the Bible!
We are called to be apologists — All of us!
Yet so often church I know myself and my natural inclination is to sit idly by when someone brings up a negative thing about the Bible
If we are going to be healthy Christians we must teach!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Paul tells Titus that Crete is an area that needs a church to be healthy in order to reach others
The island is lost, full of evil, sin, and wickedness
There are people trying to use Jesus name for clicks and money
Paul is also looking at us today challenging us that our culture is the same!
We have people trying to use Jesus, sin and wickedness is everywhere
Paul is telling Titus, telling us, that we must combat that by being Spiritually healthy!
We must be people that are beyond reproach
We must be people that are holding fast to our Bible
We must be people that are willing to teach!
If these things are not the case than we are failing as a church!
Let’s take Paul’s advice and be healthy
Let’s be people that are pushing back the gates of hell, not ones that are sitting idly by
