Preach it - Leaving His Afterimage

Leaving His Afterimage

Imagine for a minute with me: You are a part of the Church in Crete, let’s say that it’s summertime, so the sun is beating down and it’s hot, really hot. Not only is it hot, but Crete is dry in the summertime, which of course you know since you’re a Cretan. Here is a picture of what came up when I typed Crete into a Google Images search, (SHOW PICTURE) this is a picture of Crete today. No doubt this picture is edited, but this still provides some reference of this mountainous, Mediterranean island. It looks lovely, doesn’t it? How many here would like to be there rather than here waiting for snow to fall? I know I would! (RAISE HAND AND CHUCKLE)

Crete

Titus, the man that Paul left behind in Crete when he left, has received a letter from Paul. The church that you are a part of – a house church as they usually were in the days of the Early Church – has gathered to listen to this letter being read. Here today we’re only going to read the first chapter, since we don’t have time even to really go into detail on the whole first chapter. Instead, we’re going to look at some of the themes found within this first chapter. Here we go, turn with me in your Bibles, or flip and it will also be up on the screens behind me.

Titus 1

Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior, To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.

It seems to me that Paul approaches this in an upside-down style. He introduces himself in lovely standard theologically rich Pauline fashion, says who he is writing to, then he describes the mission Titus was sent on (which will become what we see as the solution later on) and then explains what the problem is. So we are going to look at the parts of the chapter that occur after the introduction in reverse order, starting with the problem. What *is* the problem? Put simply, the darkness and corruption in Crete and its people. So we’re going to take a look at the darkness in Crete, the light of Jesus that can break through it, and the leaders that are to shine it.

Darkness

Now, as a Cretan you are well aware of the spiritual darkness that permeates your island. It is everywhere, no matter where you turn! Isolated as an island, darkness and sin and evil have spread rampantly, and due to this, the Church is not only struggling, they are falling into the same traps and some traps especially designed for believers! There must have been some sense of conviction among the believers who were hearing this letter. Paul just called them names they’ve been called time and again, quoting one of their own people to say that they are “always liars, evil beasts, filthy gluttons” (v. 12).This reputation is unsurprising considering they were an island of pirates before Rome took over. Then Paul tells Titus to reprimand them “severely” for this. What a wake-up call! So here we see Crete as a place and a people that is basically good-for-nothing, but not only this, Paul says that the believers in Crete are getting trapped by false teaching - it would seem that this false teaching is the teaching of circumcision in particular as Paul places special emphasis on this area. The false teaching on the circumcision is prevalent throughout the New Testament - Jewish people telling Gentiles that they must be circumcised and follow all the Laws of Moses *as well as* have believed in Jesus for their salvation and followed Him. This teaches that it is not only bygrace through faith we are saved, as Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”But rather this teaches it is by works first, and grace second, and then there is salvation. Paul gets angry about this many times throughout his writings, and Titus 1 seems to be no exception as he declares that these false teachers must be silenced (v. 11). Crete, a place full of people living in evil and unbelief, where even the believers have been led astray by false teaching. How bad had it gotten? “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” Titus 1:15-16How much darker could it get?

This context reminds me of John 1:5 in the NIV translation, where it says “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” When I was little, I would sometimes get these glow-in-the-dark T-shirts as souvenirs from my grandparents after they’d been on vacation. So, I’d have this awesome wolf T-shirt with paw prints that were supposed to glow in the dark, right? And what is the first thing I would do (after thanking my grandparents and putting the shirt overtop of whatever else I was wearing)? I’d run into the bathroom, one of the few rooms in the house without a window in it, and I’d shut the door, plunging myself into darkness (GET QUIETER)… (PAUSE). In the darkness, it would be possible to make out the faintest outlines of glow-in-the-dark pawprints marching along my shirt. In the darkness, the light was visible, even though it was just the slightest bit of a break in the dark. Normally I avoid the dark, even now that I’m not a child it just makes me nervous and it disorients me, but there was a bit of light, and that was enough. Since we’re on the theme of darkness, here’s one more story for you.

My family and I moved to a new house when I was 10, and I had a new room in the basement. It had a walk-in closet built under the stairs to the far right of the door and my mattress was set on the floor to the left of the door on our first night there. My mother had set me up with a night light that went out after a few minutes to help guide me to the bathroom if I needed it in the middle of the night, and as it turned out I did wake up in the night. It was pitch black, and although it isn’t as obvious now that I wear contacts, I am as blind as a bat without glasses even in the daylight, never mind at night. I got out of bed, in enough of a hurry that I didn’t bother hitting the nightlight to turn it on. I was convinced I could make it to the door, since it was a straight angle slightly to my right. No problem, right? So, I started to make my way towards the door, hands extended. It felt like an eternity before my hands brushed… a wall? I wandered blindly along the wall until I hit a wire rack attached to the wall. I had somehow ended up inside my closet, not at the door I was aiming for. Thankfully, the light switch inside the closet was easy to find, and by the soft glow coming from the closet I was able to find my bedroom door, finally escaping my room. I have been ever aware since then of how easy it is to get disoriented when you’re surrounded by the dark if you forget to use your light source. The people in Crete were forgetting to use their light source, they were forgetting even what their light source looked like and wandering around in the dark, feeling desperately for anything to guide them - ending up being tricked by false teaching.

Light

The thing is, not only are we supposed to know what our light source is - the Word of God, and WHO our light source is - Jesus, we are called to be light in a dark world. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says ““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” We are to be the light of the world, torches lit by Jesus’ fire shining into the pitch black that has surrounded this world since the Fall! The church in Crete was to be a light in a very dark place, but just as a glow-in-the-dark T-shirt will shine brightly in a dark room, their brilliant light fuelled by a never-ending source would shine all the brighter in such a dark island!

The cool thing about Jesus is, he always brings light with Him, wherever He goes. We see in Genesis 1:3that God speaks the Word - “let there be light” and there it was! It blossomed and burst forth into the darkness, shattering it. Even in the Christmas story, Jesus enters the world and a star bright enough to capture the attention of magi shines in the sky, angels illuminate a field in the dead of night, and a small stable cave is warmed with the light of the hope of the world. That’s just what Jesus does, and isn’t it amazing? If He could do it in a place that had never known light, if He can do that in the night sky, if he can do that in a drafty stable… then He can certainly do it in a dark place like Crete and, lovely news for us, in the darkness of hearts that constantly rebel against God (that’s us, just in case you weren’t sure). The Gospel comes through the command of God – for light, for life – even here in Crete the Gospel comes “according to the command of God” (v.3). There is always light where there is Jesus, and His light shines all the brighter when His people reflect His glory.

Now, here’s a question for you: Paul talks about the problem of the darkness in Crete, we’ve covered this in-depth. And we know that this darkness needs the light of Jesus, but where does he talk about a specific solution? Is the solution even in this chapter? Maybe I’m going to make you guys wait for Vincent or Josh to continue this… Or, maybe we need to look earlier in the chapter to see what direction Paul was thinking in. Right after the introduction, Paul introduces the mission that he had left Titus in Crete to fulfill. Titus 1:5-9 “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” Now, you might be wondering how on earth this is a solution to the need to bring light into the darkness of Crete. You’ll notice here, as Pastor Jonathan has described it in the past in one of his sermons on 1 Timothy, the traits listed here are character-based, not skill-based. It’s a requirement of having a good character. In one of our staff meetings, Vincent quoted the Abridged Summary of the Bible and its description of Titus which was “The thing for picking leaders is don’t pick stupid jerks, this is harder than you think.” While this is an amusing summary, it is not inaccurate. The leader that Paul is describing here is someone who lives a Christian life. A man above reproach, husband of one wife, believing children, not accused of dissipation or rebellion… these all sound like things that should be expected of your average Christian Joe! Now, I will say, that although believers can train their children in the way they should go, raise them to follow Jesus, sometimes the Enemy seems to win and they turn away or go astray. This is so heartrending and I have seen it far too many times to good Christian parents. There is much sorrow in this. And yet, Paul says that this is a necessity. This elder must be able to influence their children strongly enough that they follow Jesus as well. But there has to be space for children to make their own choices, and while this passage may not mention that, Paul was certainly aware of the choice each person has to follow Jesus. In this specific situation, the Cretan leaders are to be spiritual leaders of their home before they are spiritual leaders of the church. There must be a testing ground – Bible college works for this too Pastor Jonathan assures us. (CHUCKLE) This makes sense, especially in a place like Crete where such a life would stand out starkly from the culture around them. Whether this applies today is honestly really hard to say, but to any parents who are left wondering where they went wrong? Sometimes, as hard and heartbreaking as it is, all that can be done is to trust your children to God and pray for them unceasingly.

After this, Paul is not done yet, there’s more there. He goes on to talk about personality characteristics such as sensible, just, devout. What I find interesting here is that Paul starts out this part by listing things they should not be. They should not be self-willed or quick tempered, or addicted to wine, and so on. I wonder if he started with what they should not be because these are such common traits in the people surrounding them in Crete. The last bit of this section ties us into where he continues on, and what we’ve already covered. Titus 1:9 “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” Paul gave them the solution to the false teaching, and not only that, he has given them a solution for how to bring light in and combat the darkness in Crete as well.

Problem Solved: Leaders of Light

The leaders in the church in Crete, but everywhere as well, are to be examples of people whose lives have been transformed by the saving and changing power of Christ. Their character previously was like any other Cretan - “liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons” (v. 12) but now must stand out as changed, 180’d, and shining the light of Jesus into the darkness they were once a part of. Not only will the light of Jesus shine all the more brightly through them because of the darkness surrounding them, but it will shine all the more brightly because of the contrast. Who these people were versus who Jesus made them to be, between what their lives demonstrated and what He says is right. The contrast is so stark because of the depth of the darkness they came from and the depth of darkness that still surrounds them because of their physical location.

Josh and I are going to be waiting to see where God will send us to minister after we graduate, about two years from now, and I must admit, reading Paul’s words about Crete and having done some background research which just revealed more of Crete’s colorful history, this island sounds like a place we would be dismayed to be sent. There might be conversations of “To such a dark place, Lord? What could we possibly do there?” And while yes, we need to be the kind of people He can use, and we pray to become more useable for His purposes, His answer might be. “It’s not what you can do there, it’s what I can do there. Go shine my light and watch the darkness flee.” You know what’s wonderful? While I might be scared of the dark (and not afraid to admit it, I am a child of the light after all - CHUCKLE -) the Lord of Hosts most certainly is not. At His Name, darkness quivers and retreats waving a white flag, amen? We need to be leaders and believers of a character that God can use and that shines His light into the darkest of places, wherever He will send us. The solution to the darkness in Crete, the darkness in Edmonton, the darkness in the world, is the light of Jesus shining out through His people and their transformed lives. So… I have a question for you. If someone watched you live, would they be drawn into darkness? Or would the light of Jesus burn an afterimage into their eyes so all they can see is Him?

Well, that’s great and all, but I’m sure someone is thinking the question: How are we supposed to shine His light into the lives of those around us? How do we reach into the darkness with the light of Jesus? And honestly, I think I can tell you that there is no one way that this must be done. What I can tell you is what Jesus said in John 13:35 ““By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”” and in 1 John 4:19 “We love, because He first loved us.” and earlier in 1 John 4:16-18“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” As believers our lives must be marked by love, that’s not always easy, is it? Thank God, we can find the strength and ability to lives lives like this in Jesus, we see this in Titus 2:12 where it says that “[the grace of God] teaches us to… live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age”.

Our lives should not be marked by just any love, but the love of Jesus that does not look at one person and go “You’re an anti-vaxxer, I hope you go to Hell” or “You got the vaccine? Well… you’re sinning and I can’t even look at you.” Now, I hope that these are exaggerations, but with the way things are going these days I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t. Where is our love? Where is the light that shines for Jesus in the church and in the world? It’s certainly not being evidenced as we allow ourselves to divide over issues that, in contrast to seeking the lost and loving our neighbour, do they have that much eternal significance? I didn’t get up here to rant about Covid or vaccines (there’s enough of that these days CHUCKLE), but I do want to say: We are the Body of Christ, Church! We cannot allow ourself to get divided over issues like the world does! So, instead of dividing what can we do? We can unite with a common goal… hmmm… sounds familiar. Sounds almost biblical, doesn’t it? (PAUSE) Matthew 28:19-20 ““Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” Sure sounds united… Rather than asking today how we can fight our neighbor or protest against something, what if you called your neighbour and asked if they had time to chat? Find out how they’re doing with everything! Paint the windows of your house with beautiful colors and words that speak of the joy of the Lord, even in the midst of sorrow! Invest in your marriage and your family, nothing stands out so much in this day as a marriage and a family that have taken priority and as such are thriving.

(POINT OF TO SIDE) What do they have that we don’t....? Is it a bigger house? No… must be something in the water (TOUCH CHIN THOUGHTFULLY). How can they ask what makes us different, if we are cowering in fear, hiding our light under a basket rather than setting it on a lampstand to light the whole house even the darkest corners? That’s no different from everyone else right now. Here’s another thought for you, and honestly, I speak as much to me as to you. In spending time with Jesus, you are imbued with His love and His light and eventually, it will start to just seep out. It seems a good place to start, spending time with the One Who made Moses’ face glow with His very Presence. Not only that, but His love can cast out the fear of this dark time and empower us to love, to be lights, and to be transformed. Speaking for myself, I need to do a lot more of all of this shining, but guys, in a world this dark and bleak, to quote my mother-in-law, it’s not that hard to look shiny! We just need some Jesus, some love, and to do some stepping out.

Do You Leave His Afterimage?

Now, this is what I believe is one of the most important parts of a sermon, and that’s the part where I hope and pray that God has touched someone’s heart in a new way, despite me. If there is anyone here who has not gotten to know Jesus before, not accepted the free gift of salvation that He has extended though we do not deserve it, or if you simply want to know more about this gift because it has hit a chord in your heart like nothing ever has before, I want to encourage you to come talk to me, to Pastor Jonathan, Pastor Naomi, or Pastor Feller after the service. We would be over the moon to pray with you to accept Jesus, or to chat with you about Him. We all love Him so much we are thrilled to talk about Him and introduce other people to Him. While the Christian family is far from perfect, as we see in the believers in Crete, we are joined by the bonds of grace and the love of God, and believe me, there is nothing that compares.

If you already know Jesus personally, then I want to ask you to be considering the lesson we can learn from Titus 1 - the light of Jesus, shining through His people, can break through the darkness that has gathered anywhere we go. We need to be obedient to go where He sends us, and to live lives that shine that light and don’t point to the darkness instead. Are you doing this? Are you leaving the Afterimage of Jesus in the eyes of those who look at you, or do they only see you? If you’ll bow your heads and hearts with me, I’d like to close us with a word of prayer.

Prayer:

Father, we are so grateful to be here, sitting and free to worship You and listen to Your Word. The believers in Crete probably weren’t anywhere near so free, but like them we live in a world of darkness that seems to be growing always bleaker. Please, work in our hearts and our lives to transform us, to change us to look more like You so that we can shine the image of Jesus into the world around us and the lives of those around us. Use us as your torches to bring Your hope to the darkness, and give us strength to shine brightly even when those around us don’t want us to. Thank you for who You are, and for making us Yours. We don’t deserve it, we never could, and we are so very grateful. We love you! Amen.