Straighten what is Bent: Titus 1:5-9

Introduction

Last week we started Titus.

Paul wrote this letter to Titus, who has been left on the Island of Crete.

Crete is a pretty rough place, it’s the largest of the Greek Islands, full of mercenary soldiers who would fight for the highest bidder.

It was filled with all sorts of terrible pg-13 things.

It was a hard place for Christianity to take root.

The kind way of talking about the people was that they were rough.

But maybe because Paul had come and preached the Gospel and planted churches,

Maybe because some at Pentecost were from this island when the Holy Spirit decended.

There were small churches that had been scattered across this island, but they were in need of help.

So Paul leaves Titus there and then writes this letter to help Titus out.

Let me say a couple things before we move into this letter.

This was a very convicting one for me.

Esentially what we are going to look at, by the grace of God, is the job description for a pastor.

So, as I studied this for the last two weeks there was a lot of conviction that fell upon me.

I am a perfectionist. It is part of the wiring God has given me, in the video my dad left me when I was 8 when he recorded it he saw it then.

There is a good side to perfectionism, I do not like halfway doing things.

If I start something I like to finish it fully before moving on.

That’s why my office is cluttered, and I have a to do list.

I do not multitask well, and often times I have thought about things for a while, my brain doesn’t really shut off.

The downside is this perfectionism can also cause me to be cold, to need to have things done my way, and to have pride and selfishness that can flair up.

As if I am perfect and noone else is.

Praise God for Grace and forgiveness.

I want to start by repenting to you all.

I am by no means full able to with complete and totalt confidence say I fullfill all of these criteria perfectly.

I fail.

I have seen in my life much growth over the last few years, and really over the last year there has been much strife, much struggle, much hardship in my personal life and has really been used by the Lord to shape me into not just a better pastor and a better man.

It seems like the Lord is bringing more and more difficult situations where I am required to stand firm on the Gospel, while kindly and lovingly naming sin, and pleading with people to repent and turn to Jesus.

This is hard because I know in my life I am not perfect either, and I do not want this local church to become a place where perfection is required, but I also do not want this local church to stay a place were sin is tolerated for the sake of ease.

We are called to shape one another, so I hope and pray that if you see something in my life you would lovingly come and talk to me about it.

Let me share a quick illustration that I do not think Mark even knows that he did, but has had a profound influence in my life.

One Sunday morning several weeks ago, Mark approached me before we had made it known hat Morgan was pregnenat and asked why we were not on the prayer list?

Our histroy is we have had 3 misscariages.

That last one was this summer.

So because of that, we are nervous about making publicly known that we are pregant or not because half of all of our pregnancies have ended in miscariage.

It’s hard to talk about.

I don’t want to have to deal with it.

So when Mark asked me why we were not on the prayer list, I sat and thought because I am scared to make it known.

What Mark did for me was the beginning of church dicsipline.

It was pointing out to me that I was sinning my holding back from my brothers and sisters the ability for them to pray and minister to Morgan and myself.

Church Discipline can go farther than this.

I am convinced that because churches in our part of the world have given this up Christianity is not distinct, and because it is not disticnt look at the government.

So Mark, thank you.

I am a better man and Christian because of that conversation and I hope and pray that we are having more of those convesations with one anthers.

I wanted to start with that because as I preach this text I am fully aware that I fail at these standards.

Know this.

I am sorry, and I am learning, and I am leaning into the grace of God more and more.

But this list of things is not just for pastors.

Titus is a book that is about growth of Christians.

Titus is a book about transformation where God take some of the hardest worst kinds of people, and transformed them into sons and daughters of himself.

Which means this list ought to be the goals of every Christian.

That we would grow more and more in this light.

Titus 1:5–9 ESV

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— 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. 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, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 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.

PRAY

What is Titus to do?

Titus 1:5 ESV

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 tells Titus I left you in Crete to do 2 things, but really its 1 thing when we step back and look at it.

Put what remains in order.

appoint elders in every town I direct you.

Put what remains in order

The phrase put things in order uses a greek word that we get orthodonics from or orthodepics from.

Ortho.

Who all had braces growing up?

I did. from 6th to 8th grade.

I would get rubber bands alternating colors, either blue and orange go broncos or purple and gold once a panther always a panther. .

I remember the day I got my braces.

I got them on, and then we headed to Mr Gatti’s to eat cheap pizza and spend 5 dollars on a .50 toy.

I don’t know if there are Mr Gatti’s in Lubbock or Midland or Abilene.

Think Chuck-e-cheese.

It’s cheap pizza and arcade.

I get my pizza sit down and take a bite, then this sharp pain shoots through my mouth into the rest of my body.

It was terrible.

the pain of my braces had kicked in, that goofy gas from the chair had worn off.

Why did my teeth hurt?

Why did my teeth get sore every time I had to get them tightened?

Because they were crooked and needed to be straightened to function in the fullest best way they could.

That’s Titus’ job.

take the churches that had become crooked.

That had looked like the world.

That had never really looked different than the world and to strighten what had been bent.

put what remains in order.

Orthopedic surgeons are the ones that will fit bones.

I have broken one bone in my entire life.

It was a small bone on my hand.

I was playing soccer, I was not the goaly and a girl, yes that is right, kicked the ball I stuck out my hand it bent my thumb back and broke this bone.

I am left handed it caused issues.

So I went to my doctor and he talked to the Othoropecidic dr.

they put a brace on my had to do what?

straighten out and heal what was broken.

That is Titus in Crete.

Paul had probably planted these churches, they were brand new trying to figure out how to be a church what to do.

So Paul left Titus in Crete to help guide them and straighten out what was bend, to put what remained in order.

This is not a recipe for numerical church growth.

This is a recipe for a healthy church.

Not all that grows large is healthy,

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells.

Our goal is not be to a mega church, our goal is to be a healthy church.

And to do that we must be centered on the word.

Appoint Elders

That is a tall order in this Island.

So how?

How is Titus to accomplish this?

by appointing elders in every town as Paul has already directed him.

Who are elders?

In a few sentences Paul will call them overseers.

They mean the same thing.

Today we call them Pastors.

Elders carries with it maturity and age.

Put we know this cannot be compeltey meaning physical age because Timothy was a pastor, and Paul tells us he was young.

1 Timothy 4:12 ESV

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

So it carries the idea of a Spiritually mature person.

Someone who knows the bible and applies the bible.

Not someone who looks down on others from their superb status, but someone who repents quickly, seeks to guide other in and on the word.

So think about this.

The churches are crooked.

Not in order.

And Paul tells Titus, it’s your job to get them straighened out, and to do that you need to put Elders in every town and I directed you already.

They have already talked about this plan.

So then, what should the elders do?

Think of it like this.

In the interview for a pastor, what should you be looking for?

They are not doing what we do now a days.

now a days you post it somewhere you use word of mouth to try to find someone to come be your pastor.

They were not doing that in Crete.

Other than Paul, Titus, and a few others, Titus is called to raise up Pastors from the people already in the churches on the Island of Crete.

These guys would be locals.

So what should they be like?

Paul breaks it into three parts to look at.

Their Home.

Their Character.

Their teaching/preaching content.

Home

Titus 1:6 ESV

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.

above reproach

This has to do with his reputation.

A Pastor is one who is not only not doing wrong, but is one who lives a life that it would be difficult to accuse them of doing wrong.

They are contious of not hiding things.

living out in the open.

husband of one wife

There is a lot of debate on exactly how to take this.

Paul, in his letter to Timothy uses this as a criteria for being a deacon and an elder.

This is a hard greek phrase to translate.

Many bible versions translate it slightly different.

Many have taken this to mean only one wife.

Not poligamous.

Others have taken it to mean something along the lines of not being divorced.

Both of those things were prominet on the Isalnd of Crete.

In fact I came across this quote from a man named demosthenes who live in this type of culture around this time.

“mistresses we keep for the sake of pleasure, concubines for the daily care of our persons, but wives for the sake of out offspring.”

But the question becomes then why didn’t Paul just say, divorce or monogamy?

The idea seems to be more than simply that.

It’s a one woman man.

Faithful to his wife.

So can a single man be an elder?

Paul was single, not to mention Jesus also...

Can a divorced man be an elder?

Jesus gives some examples of permisable divorce.

I will say divorce is ALWAYS a result of sin, and someone who knowingly unbiblically divorces his wife gives up the qualifications of being a pastor or a deacon.

God takes marriage seriously. It represents His gospel, divorce should NEVER be the first option and honestly is killing families in our country.

However, there are many circumstances where it is permissable.

Those circumstances are pretty clear and straight forwards, if your spouse commits adultry, If your spouse is abusing you, and if you and your spouse are both unbelivers, then you are saved and your spouse leaves.

Even then, it is permissable, but that does not mean that it should be sought out.

I know that is not popular for preacher to preach on, it is much easier and more comfortable to preach and teach on things that are not as emotionally involved, but as we will see when we get to verse 9, those who are qualified to be elders, must not waver from truth just because it is not popular and might strike the congragation as difficult.

A one woman man is a man who has eyes for his bride and her alone.

His heart is with her.

He seeks to be a husband, according to the deepest biblical sense of the word.

For single men who are in the pastorate to be a one woman man, means you are not gazing, looking, day dreaming, thinking about other women.

You are celebate.

For married men in the pastorate, your wife is the one who has your eyes and your heart and no others do.

children are believers

His children are believers.

Acts 4:12 ESV

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Ephesians 2:8 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Isaiah 43:11 ESV

I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

One of the hardest things I am having to come to grips with in my life is that I cannot save my kids.

I cannot force them to be Christians.

I cannot make them adore God.

I cannot punished them or reward them to love Jesus.

At this very moment, both of my children are unbelievers.

They are both young and we talk about Jesus alot, but I do not have the power to save them.

So them, how can Paul write to Titus and say one of the qualifications for an elder is they need their kids to believe.

The bible does not contradict itself.

Ever “contradiction” is only aparent contradiction.

So then what is my responsibility?

What am I being held to here?

The word believe can be translated many different ways depending on context, and I beleive in your bibles it might read something different.

The idea is the elders kids should be taught what it takes to believe and should live as is dad, the elder, is the spiritual leader of not just the church but His own home too.

This means you watch closely and look at the pastor and how he leads his family closely, because if he cannot lead his family how will he lead the church?

His kids should be well behaved, kids.

Not robots, they should thrive in their home life because dad leads the family well.

They will make mistakes.

They also are not perfect.

I will make mistake in parenting them.

What you look for is a pastor who leads his family in repentance.

Who deomonstrates that grace is something he needs too and points them to Jesus

not open to the charge of: debauchery or insubordination

This is linking back to the Cretan culture.

The elders kids should be out partying and wild.

They shouldn’t be God-mocking individuals.

They should be submissive to their dad’s leadership.

Even is they never become believers.

We look at those qualification and what you see is a elders qualification are so much more than how old is he, is he funny, can he draw a crowd?

Those qualification take his family and say how well are they led.

Does his wife thrive under his leadership?

Is she growing in Christ?

Do his kids thrive under his leadership?

Is he living out his Gospel calling with those whom God has given him as children?

An elders job description requires him to be a good husband and a good father, according to the bibles standards.

Is being a pastor a part of his life or is it an overflow of who God has formed him to be.

Character

Titus 1:7–8 ESV

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, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

Overseer

God’s Steward

above reproach

We get a new description for the pastoral ministry.

Overseer.

Paul talked about the elder/overseers’ home life.

Now Paul is going to move to his character.

The idea of overseer is in the name.

He see’s over everything going on.

He is God’s steward.

God has called him to that church to stewrd that church all her ministries and all her memebers.

And we are reminded again that he need to do so above reproach.

His personal life should match his verbal and public commitments.

Negatives:

As Paul works through the overseers character, he starts with the negatives.

The overseer isn’t supposed to be these thigns.

not arrogant

literally this means pleasing himself. The idea is someone who is only concerned about his own rights and is unconcerned about the rights of others.

not quick tempered

This is the short fuse, but it is the short fuse at everything.

What we will see in a little bit, and where this gets misunderstood is sometimes we think that Pastors are suppoed to jsut be doormats.

Letting everyone walk over them and not really speak up on sins or things happening because that might be judgemental and Jesus doesn’t want that.

while that is true we should not be trying to cultivate a culture of judgementalism and you have to be perfect to be here, Pastors are also called to stand firm on the Word and call out false doctrine and preach truth.

quick tempered and passionate can look the same in small samples.

You wants a pastor who is passionate about Jesus, who wants to lead the church to be more biblically and who is going to give good godly biblical counsel even when that means he will lose friends, have have people upset and maybe even lose them as members.

It’s much better to lose church members than to passivly sit back and have plenty of church members but lose God’s calling as a church.

not drunkard

There is alot that can be said here.

Drunkard is someone who gets drunk all the time. Given to drunkenness.

It means an overindulgence of wine in this culture, but it also was used to refer to outragious, unconcered for others conduct.

it is not saying elders cannot drink alchol, Paul adived Timothy to drink wine for his stomache ache.

It is saying he canno be controlled by wine, which is what our church Covenant says.

So if you have to have a glass of wine or a beer every night then you might be controlled, evaluate that.

if you are getting drunk you are controlled.

if you drink a beer every now and then or have a glass of wine every now and then, that’s not being controlled and is permissable according to the bible.

It’s an issue of wisedom, is that the wiseest thing?

Is that going to cause antoher brother or sister to stumble?

Those are the questionst that we wrestle with.

not violent

physically or verbally.

if your pastor is wanting to throw fists all the time he is probably disqualified.

not greedy for gain

There are any pastors who have found ways to make a lucrative career in this calling.

It is not a sin to be rich or make money.

It is a sin to use an office of service for greedy gain.

This doesn’t mean do not pay your pastor.

This means pastors don’t exploit the sytem and be lazy while getting a paycheck .

money and greed are terrible motivating factors for ministry.

They will let you down.

You will burn out.

Postives:

hospitable

I heard one scholar say it like this

“how many of your church members can describe the inside of your house?”

Hospitality is more than that thought.

Can you talk to others?

Do you care about others?

lover of good

You want a pastor who loves good not evil.

self controlled

He is not out of control.

It is not impulsive and has damaging behavior.

upright

lives according to God’s law.

holy

devout, committed to godliness.

disicplined

is always growing, is disicplines with the means of Grace.

Prays.

Read and studies the bible.

All of those characteristics point to a person who has godly character.

In verse 1 Paul says that he is writing this for the faith of the elect

so the salvation of Christians,

and ther knoeldges of truth which accords with godliness.

Meaning, for salvation and sanfitication.

So people will be saved and people will grow in grace.

A Pastor is to be someone who character represents one who is growing in grace.

Preaching/Teaching

So we have seen who the elder is supposed to be.

A godly Father.

A godly husband.

avoiding bad characteristics.

cultivating good characteristics.

I think it’s disheartening to think of the job interviews I have been in, where the churches really didn’t seem to carte about any of that stuff.

They just wanted a young, funny pastor who could draw a crowd with his personality.

Yet, God says a pastor might be young, funny and have a commanding personality, but that is not the basic qualifications.

You cannot over look these areas.

But what is the pastor supposed to do?

How is a Pastor going to accomplish the straightening out of bent churched?

Titus 1:9 ESV

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.

Hold fast to the trust worthy word as taught

There is not greater authority that God’s holy word.

Pastors need to hold fast and hard to the word of God.

The saying is true, if you do not need your bible when the pastor preaches he isn’t preaching and you are not at a church.

But what does he do with this holding fast to God’s word?

two things.

give instruction in sound doctrine

teach preach sound doctrine.

rebuke those who contradict it

Rebuke those who are in unsound doctrine.

That is why you want to see a pastors home life, because if he isn’t teaching and ebuking in his own life then he wont with the church.

At the end of the day Jesus is the head of the Church.

JEsus is the chief chepherd.

But Jesus has appointed undershepherds who are to pastor his church.

According to the bible them you want pastors who are not afriad to lead.

You want pastors who know you and you know them.

You trust their character.

You know their heart.

You know they are not perfect, but you also know they are growing in the Lord.

You need pastors who are not afraid to teach nad instruct even when it is difficult. and hard.

You need pastors who will rebuke even when it seems small. Even when it’s something near and dear to you.

Can I just say this temptation is a real thing.

When we are as small as we are, and know each other like we know eachother this is beyond hard.

You all have known one another far longer than I have known you.

And for me:

I want to be liked.

I want to be optimistic.

I want to see the church grow and have everyone excitdd about what it happening.

Then I come across texts that I have to preach that have thinkgs in them that I know are sensitive.

That I know might make people upset and even leave.

That I know if I preach it faithfully and diligently it is going to hurt.

This is my liveley hood.

This is how I provide for my family.

The temptation to soften what is hard and harden what is soft is present every single week.

The conviction of this passage is preach the Word.

have the characer to do it.

Lead your family, not because everyone is watching but because good church leaders are good leaders in their homes.

It’s who they are.

Conclusion

Who is sufficiant for these things?

One of the hardest things about this is those standards are impossible.

I am going to fail.

What happens then?

Think about the original audience.

I imagine Titus reading this and then looking up to see Crete, the culture of liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons.

Adultry, poligamy, and divorce running rampant.

Where are qualified men to be found?

They are to be raised up in the church.

Noone is going to perfectly be able to accomplish this so we rest in grace and we strive for more growth.

We repent were we need to repent.

We understand that satan and the world are attacking the very foundation of what God has established.

It’s no coincidence that marriage and kids were highly included in this list.

Those are the areas that are and have been and will contine to be attacked by Satan.

He wants to destroy familes.

And he has done a great job of that.

He wants to destroy churches,

That’s why if you get upset it is most likely to be over marital issues and kids and youth ministry issues.

When Satan gets Christians to give up their mariages.

When Satan gets Christains to give up their churches.

Culture reflects that.

The mistake govenment offical make over and over again is they believe they can shape culture.

I will argue with you they reflect it.

So when we look at the government what we ought to do is in turn look at ourselves.

It is so easy and so tempting to call the corupt politicians who are making up everything to get their way.

Glad it’s not me.

How God, in his infinite wisdom and sovereignty, has set up to shape and battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil is by placing churched all around and then calling and euiping pastors, elders, overseers to guide those church in Him.

No pastor is perfect.

Every pastor is a shepherd.

And ever pastor is also a sheep.

The call is to live a life that exemplifies the Gospel.

You should be able to look at your pastors and say that man has been radically shaped by the gospel.

Jesus came to that man and forever changed him and look at how Jeuss is growing him now.

But this list is more.

This list is what all believers should strive for.

Our culture is not that different that the Cretan culture.

Our churches are not that different that the Cretan churches.

We need to be straightened out.

We need to be fixed.

It starts with the understanding that we need to Grow in Christ.

What is keeping you from that?

Read this list this afternoon and pray for god to show you where you need to repent and grow in Him.

The beauty of the gospel is it’s Jesus in my place.

Not me doing this checklist. However when JEsus is in my place, I want to live a life for Jesus.

I want to grow in Him more and more.

Is that you?