May 12th

TITUS 1

Titus was a Greek believer – apparently he had been won to Christ through Paul’s personal ministry.  Paul wrote, “he is my partner and fellow worker among you” II Cor. 8:23.  Titus had his hands full on the island of Crete.  The people there were not the easiest to work with and Titus became somewhat discouraged.  He was likely a young man similar to Timothy but unlike Timothy he was not given to timidity and physical ailments.  Paul had left him there to correct the things that were wrong. 

Titus had his share of problems!  The churches needed qualified leaders and the various groups in the churches needed shepherding.  One group of false teachers was trying to mix Jewish law with the Gospel of grace, while some of the Gentile believers were abusing the message of grace and turning it into license.  By nature the people were not easy to work with and Titus needed extraordinary patience and love. 

“One way to measure the depth of your religion is to look at the breadth of your concern for others.”

The book of Titus tells what good works can and cannot do for you.  Good works cannot save you – we are saved “not because we are good enough to be saved but because of His kindness and pity”  The tendency of Christians is to throw out the baby with the bath water…to conclude that since good works cannot save, they are good for nothing.  You are not saved BY good works but you are saved UNTO good works (Eph 2:8-10) where Paul reminds you that good works are more than a good idea. 

Titus is like a condensed version of Paul’s first letter to Timothy.  Paul is reminding Titus of three responsibilities he had to fulfill. 

1.     Preach God’s Word v. 1-4  Purpose of Paul’s ministry was to share the faith, that body of Truth…the Word of God.  The Truth that changes lives so that they can have eternal life…God cannot tell a lie and He will bring about what He says. 

Sad to say there were people in the churches on Crete, like some members today, who professed to be saved, but whose lives denied their profession.  There was a definite body of truth deposited in the church…any departure from this is false teaching and must not be tolerated in the church.

Paul related everything in his ministry to the Word of God.  His calling and his preaching depended on faith in Christ.  He wanted Titus to grasp this fact and to make the Word a priority in his ministry.  Local churches ought to be “Bible schools” where the Word is taught systematically and in a practical way.

 

2.   Ordain Qualified Leaders v. 5-9

Paul’s objective in leaving Titus on the island of Crete was that he might organize the local assemblies and “set in order” the things that were lacking.  ‘Setting a crooked limb’ …a medical term.  Titus was not the spiritual dictator of the island, but he was Paul’s official apostolic representative with authority to work. 

You will remember the qualifications of a elder:  blameless, the husband of one wife…not given to wine, not a striker (not violent, not given to filthy lucre…a lover of hospitality…sober.  The fact that these standards applied to Christians on the island of Crete as well as to those in the city of Ephesus proves that God’s measure for leaders does not fluctuate.  No matter what size the church, all need Godly people in places of leadership.

v. 6 faithful children – Faithful means believing.  If a servant cannot win his own children to Christ, what success can he expect with outsiders?  Christian living and Christian service must begin at home.  GOOD EXAMPLES of obedience and dedication. 

Often new Christians feel a call to the ministry and want to be ordained before they have had a chance to establish their families in the faith.  A wise father first wins his own family to Christ and gives them a chance to grow before he pulls up stakes and moves to Bible school.  “If Christianity does not work at home, don’t export it!”  (Howard Hendricks)

v.7 steward of God…steward does not own but manages all that his master puts into his hands.  He must use what his master gives him for the good and glory of his master and not himself personally.  Must never say, “This is mine!”  All that he has comes from God and must be used for God.  All is on loan and he must be faithful to use them to honor God and build the church.  ALL Christians ought to be faithful stewards, and not the pastors only.  

NOT self willed…not overbearing…a person always pushing to have his own way.  While church members ought to respect and follow the leadership of the elders, they should be certain that is is leadership and not dictatorship. 

Anger…not have a quick temper.  “Temper is such a wonderful thing that it is a shame to lose it!” 

Loves what is good v. 8 Good men, Good books, Good cause, Good things!!!!

He should be a man of integrity who sticks by his word and who practices what he preaches.  His conduct is righteous.

Holy – unstained…Christians are different from lost sinners because Christians are new creations!

Temperate.  Selfcontrolled…a man’s appetites and actions.  A pastor must discipline his time so that he gets his work done.  Disciplines his desires.  Must keep his mind and body under control as he yields to the Holy Sp irit.

v. 9 Holding fast the faithful Word”…the Word is faithful and those who teach the Word must be faithful.  Healthy doctrine…SOUND doctrine that promotes spiritual growth.

Twofold ministry of God’s Word 1) building up the church with healthy doctrine 2) refuting the false teachers who spread unhealthy doctrine.  Apart from truth there can be no spiritual help or health. 

 

3.   Silence the false teachers!!!  Wherever God sows the truth, Satan quickly shows up to sow lies.  Titus faced a mixture of Jewish legalism, man-made traditions, and mysticism. 

Paul had nothing good to say about them!!!  They would not submit to the Word or to the authority of God’s servant. 

 *What they were personally:  REBELLIOUS…beware of teachers who will not put themselves under authority.  VAIN TALKERS…impressed people but talk had no content or substance.  “hot air”…excelled in TALKING, not in DOING.  They could tell others what to do, but they did not do it themselves 1:16. 

The DECEIVED by their false doctrines.  Peddlers of error.  They were deceived by Satan, they deceived others.  V. 11

CARNAL AND WORLDLY:  V. 12 Lived for their own appetites.  EVIL beasts, LAZY gluttons, celebrities, not servants.  They lived it up at the expense of their followers…AND THEIR FOLLOWERS LOVED IT!  V. 16 abominable…detestable disgusting.  Minds made up and will not face the truth.  Reprobate…not able to pass the test…CASTAWAY (I Cor.9:27)

*What they did:  told lies, upset the faith of the people.  Dr. David Cooper “When the plain sense of Scripture makes good sense, seek no other sense.”  Don’t seek deeper meaning when it already makes sense to you. 

*Why they did it:  to make money v. 11 used religion to fill their own pockets.  A true servant of God does not minister for personal gain, he ministers to help others grow in the faith.  Their minds and consciences had been defiles v. 15.  Deceivers love for money causes them to teach false doctrine and live false lives … seared conscience I Tim 4.2.

“To be pure all things are pure is used to excuse v. 15 bad behavior.  Paul is basically speaking of FOODs.  For a believer to indulge in sinful, erotic experiences and claim that they were pure because his heart was pure, is to use the Word of God to excuse sin. 

 

What Titus is to do:  Do not stand quietly by and let them take over.  *exhort them by sound doctrine v. 9 *stop their mouths v.11 and prevent them from teaching and spreading false doctrine…rebuke them sharply v. 13

Paul’s purpose was to convince these teachers and get them to be SOUND IN THE FAITH v. 13  But while he is doing this, he must protect the church from their false teachings..  False doctrine is like yeast…it enters secretly, it grows quickly, and permeates completely.  Attack at the beginning…before it has a chance to spread.

“It makes not difference what you believe as long as you believe something!”  NO! … foolish philosophy.  It makes all the difference between life and death whether or not you believe the truth of the Word or believe lies.  You can choose what you want to believe, but you cannot change the consequences. 

“And ye shall know the truth” said Jesus Christ, “and the truth shall make you free.”  John 8:32