Titus Session 1

This evening, we move from the letters written to Timothy and begin the study of another pastoral epistle written by Paul to another young minister he was mentoring: Titus.

This epistle, made up of three chapters, is written in similar form to the letters written to Timothy.

Paul is the clear author and he is writing to s minister who is immersed in a secular context.

Paul establishes very quickly the intent or the purpose of the letter. “The God who does not lie and the cultural deception of Crete.”

Paul is writing to help Titus deliver the true gospel message to a specific culture or context. In this case, Titus is ministering in Crete. And to better understand the instruction Paul gives, Titus, we need to know a little about where Titus was.

The Cretans were a very interesting people.

In New Testament times, they had a reputation for their terrible moral standards.

They were known for being dishonest. They were not very trustworthy.

They were known for being lazy.

They were known for their gluttony.

To this day, if a person refers to another person as a Cretan it’s not a good thing. They are, in general, calling them a liar or just a really bad individual.

Other interesting things to note about Crete and its culture.

In that day, there were two ways of thinking about the gods: some had existed forever while others started on earth and later became gods.

The Cretans believed that their race had emerged from the earth, which made them the original Greeks.

How many boast about being the “original _____________?” With this belief comes a huge sense of pride.

Olympus claimed to be the seat of the gods. Crete countered saying those very gods were but men and women of Crete elevated to deity by virtue of benefactions bestowed upon the human race.

They believed their island was the birthplace of the majority of the gods. They also believed Zeus was buried on their island. Worship of the gods (according to the Cretans) thus began on their island.

These are some big claims! These are some big beliefs!

These kind of claims can make a community proud!

Consider Kensington for instance. We are the biggest little town in the state of Kansas! Phillipsburg is the home to the largest rodeo in the state! These are boasting points.

What about Riverside Iowa? Anyone know the boasting point of this town? That town is the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk - the infamous captain of the star ship Enterprise!

Cawker City has a ball of twine. Greensburg has a well. Garden City used to have the world’s largest free swimming pool. Dodge city has the Boot Hill Museum and… you get the point!

Imagine claiming to be the ORIGINAL Greeks and being the birthplace of many worshipped gods! That might bring in a few tourists!

And… that might make for a difficult ministry context. Remember the purpose or theme of this letter. Paul is calling out the lie. Paul is calling out the deception and… he is instructing and encouraging Titus to do the same thing.

Crete had a problem: they bought into the deception and they were spreading the deception. They had bought into the false hope and promises of the false gods they claimed came from their island.

Paul desired for them to come into contact with the truth. Paul wanted them to know THE GOD WHO DOES NOT LIE. When God makes a promise… He keeps it.

God can be trusted. God can be known. He does not reside on some distant mountain nor did He originate anywhere on Earth. He has always been and will always be. He created ALL things and nothing is impossible for Him.

What we will see throughout this letter is this: Paul wrote primarily to instruct Titus in his task of:

Setting in order the unfinished business in the churches of Crete, including the appointment of elders

Helping the churches grow in faith, in knowledge of the truth and in godly living

Silencing false teachers

Joining Paul after the assigned replacements arrive in Crete.

This evening, we dive into the greeting given within the letter and we will immediately see the theme pop out as Paul gets down to business.

The Greeting

Titus 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, 4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Paul drops the longest greeting he would ever write… and he does so writing to Titus.

And this is not by accident. Several commentators agree that the reason for doing this is in reflection to the material that is coming next.

Husbands… when you are about to ask your wife a question… maybe about buying something new or making a change on the house… or adding a new toy to the toy box… how does one go about doing this?

The big joke is we say something really nice or maybe even do something like housework or buy flowers or something. “Wow honey, you are looking more beautiful and radiant than ever! You lit up the room as you walked in… I could hear a choir of heavenly voices announce your presence through singing… my heart leaped out of my chest with joy and excitement as my bride… my one and only walked through the door! By the way… Harley Davidson is having a sale this week and...”

All joking aside, Paul was preparing Titus’ heat for the material that was to come.

Remember… the context is rough. The context is boasting of it’s self-proclaimed historical significance regarding the Greek gods. this was NOT going to be easy!

This greeting gives a lot of information that we need to take note of.

First, it tells us who the author is.

We know the author is Paul. Not only does he give his identity, but he also gives his credentials. Who is Paul according to this greeting?

He is a servant of God. He has committed his life to serving the One true God.

He is an apostle of Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be an apostle?

An apostle is a special messenger of Jesus. It is a person who Jesus delegated authority for certain tasks.

When did Paul see Jesus? Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and had ascended into heaven before Paul became a believer? Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus.

What was the certain task Paul felt called to do? To reach the gentiles with the true gospel message of Jesus Christ. Who was Titus? He was a gentile who had given his life to Jesus.

Next, Paul reveals some specific truths regarding the message that he preaches and the message that needs preached in Crete.

God is the only source of eternal life. This promise has been known since the beginning of time.

GOD DOES NOT LIE. So this promise regarding eternal life can be taken to the bank. It is not empty. It is not myth. It is not a promise that will be broken. GOD WILL ALWAYS DELIVER ON HIS PROMISES.

God is bringing this promise to light in this “appointed season” through preaching.

What appointed season is Paul speaking of? The last days! The era of the church… the era of grace. Before God pours out His wrath upon this world, all will be given the chance to repent and be saved.

Think for a moment of mythology. Can anyone remember the stories? Selfish gods doing things for their own gain and interests. That is NOT the story or history of our God! God loves and cares for all! He has given us Jesus that we might be forgiven and set free. This is completely different from what they have know in this region.

Crete desperately needed Jesus… the gospel would have to break through a hardened barrier of deception, lies, and pride. This was going to be a challenge but church, we know that nothing is impossible for our God!

God had placed Titus in this region to bring His light to the darkness. And no matter how hard the darkness might try to push back, the light would always prevail. God’s promises will NEVER fail.

This world knows all to well about broken promises. God does not lie. God’s truth breaks the chains of the enemy’s deception.

Only God can bring the kind of freedom this world needs.

The world needs to be shown the truth regarding its misguided claims.

The world needs to come into contact with the truth that is God’s Word.