Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Titus chapter 1 as we continue our study through the Word of God. This letter is the last of the three letters known as the Pastoral Epistles, the other two being I and II Timothy. Titus, like Timothy was a son in the faith, which may indicate that Paul was the one who lead him to Jesus. According to Galatians 2:3, Titus was a Greek, a gentile who traveled with Paul extensively.
He also ministered to the Christians in Corinth who had lots of problems and Titus was to bring order to a church that was in disorder. In Galatians 2:1-5 we are told, “Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”
Paul brought Titus with him to Jerusalem for the first council meeting that dealt with salvation, was it by Works or by Grace? You see, many of the Jewish believers wanted the Gentiles to convert to Judaism, to keep the Law of Moses, to be circumcised. And Peter stood up before James, the leader there in the church in Jerusalem, and said, “Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” Acts 15:10-11. In other words, the Jews are saved just as the Gentiles are saved, by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ and not by the Law through Works and Titus was an example of this salvation by faith. James, in hearing the arguments, agreed and sent letters to the Gentile churches to encourage them to continue on in the faith, that you are saved by Grace through Faith!
After Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment, he took Titus with him to Crete where they ministered together for a time and then Paul left Titus there to continue on with the work, to deal with the problems there, to raise up leaders, encourage the people to live godly lives, to deal with the Judiazers, which he was very familiar with, they seemed to follow Paul around with their legalist views, and Titus not only saw this, but he saw how to deal with them, to put them to silence by the Word of God!
The island of Crete, where Titus was ministering, is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and it is about 160 miles long and it’s width ranges from 7 to 35 miles. This island, Crete, was strategically located in the shipping lanes being just southeast of Greece, southwest of Asia Minor and north of Africa. Thus, it had a heavy exposure of Greek and Roman culture. Also, the archenemy of Israel at one time, the Philistines, came from this island of Crete!
We don’t know for sure how the church in Crete was started but on the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2:11, we are told that Jews from Crete were there for the feast day and they saw the power of God, many getting saved and they could have brought the Gospel message back home with them. If that is true that might explain how there was a move towards legalism from these Jewish believers. It is a possibility, and it does seem like the church was started, probably on a small scale before Paul got there. Also, according to Homer, during this period of time there could have been 90-100 cities in Crete, and thus, many local churches spread about. That meant that Titus needed to raise up elders, leaders, godly men to oversee them!
This letter was probably written sometime between 64-66 AD, at the same time or shortly after Paul wrote I Timothy and before he was placed back in prison there in Rome for his faith in Christ where he wrote his last letter, II Timothy.
Paul, in II Timothy 4:10,tells us that Titus went to Dalmatia or modern day Yugoslavia or Bosnia for a time and that is the last time Titus is mentioned in the Scriptures. Tradition tells us that Titus did return to Crete and served there until he was called home to be with the Lord!
The purpose or theme of this letter was not only to encourage Titus to continue on in the work, but as Titus 3:8 tells us, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.” In other words, as we are saved by Grace we need to manifest in our lives good works and godliness, not for salvation, but to show that our faith is real and to be an example to others of what God has done in our lives!
This letter can be divided up as follows:
1. PAUL’S SALUTATION – TITUS 1:1-4
2. RAISING UP ELDERS – TITUS 1:5-9
3. ERROR IN THE CHURCH – TITUS 1:10-16
4. QUALITIES OF A SOUND CHURCH – TITUS 2:1-15
5. EXHORTING THE CHURCH – TITUS 3:1-11
6. CONCLUSION – TITUS 3:12-15
With that as our background, lets begin reading in Titus chapter 1, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us this evening as Paul makes his opening greetings to Titus and the churches there in Crete.
VERSE 1
Yes, Paul was writing to Titus but he was also writing to the churches in Crete and to us. Thus, Paul lists his credentials, that he is a DOULOS or bondslave, which was the lowliest slave and a slave by choice. You see, it was a personal commitment to be a bondslave just as it is with us, and it was a divine appointment that he was an apostle or one who was sent forth with a mission, specifically the Good News of Jesus Christ! That too should be true of us, that God has sent us forth, what we are doing is by divine appointment!
Notice how truth leads to godliness or a god-likeness, why is that? Because a person can be good but apart from the truths of God, apart from having a personal relationship with Jesus, you are moving away from God, all that good you think you are doing is not accepted by God.
Paul tells us in II Timothy 2:14-19, “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’” You see, sound doctrine, healthy doctrine is profitable to us while unhealthy doctrine is dangerous, it can bring ruin to our lives, it can be catastrophic!
On the other end of the spectrum are the truths of God found in the Word of God and they are profitable to us. Paul put it this way in II Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” You see, now you can understand why some churches embrace so much ungodly behavior, it is because they have moved way from the truths of God’s Word!
VERSE 2
When Paul speaks of “eternal life” he is not just speaking of the existence of life, but abundant life and that abundant life is only found in Jesus. In fact, Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” That eternal life is a present possession for us and it is also a future hope, not an uncertainty, but a hope in the promise of God’s Word, that what God has promised He is able to bring to pass. How can we be sure of that? Because God cannot lie as Numbers 23:19 tells us, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Before God created the Heavens and the Earth, before time began because time is a physical property, God promised that He would give His creation abundant life, everlasting life and He has! That life is found only in Christ! Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” I think He made that very clear to us, that abundant life is found only in Him!
Thus, we have that present possession of eternal life, abundant life in Christ and we are waiting for a future hope as we are gathered to the Lord. Paul put it this way in Philippians 3:20-21, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Our hope is in Him and His promises to us, which will come to pass!
VERSE 3
How does God manifest Himself to us today? Through His Word that is opened up to our hearts by the Holy Spirit! In his excellent book Toward an Exegetical [critical interpretation of a text] Theology, Walter C. Kaiser writes:
It is no secret that Christ’s Church is not at all in good health in many places of the world. She has been languishing because she has been fed, as the current line has it, “junk food”; all kinds of artificial preservatives and all sorts of unnatural substitutes have been served up to her. As a result, theological and Biblical malnutrition has afflicted the very generation that has taken such giant steps to make sure its physical health is not damaged by using foods or products that are carcinogenic or otherwise harmful to their physical bodies. Simultaneously, a worldwide spiritual famine resulting from the absence of any genuine publication of the Word of God (Amos 8:11) continues to run wild and almost unabated in most quarters of the Church.
- Walter C. Kaiser, Toward an Exegetical Theology, p. 7
Thus, we need to get back to God’s Word, to feed upon it for as the Psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” May we be guided by the Lord through His Word and take in that spiritual nourishment that we need to grow by as we read and mediate upon it!
VERSE 4
Paul could have been the one to share Christ with Titus and he came to saving faith, thus, Paul considers him a “true son in our common faith.” Notice, all roads don’t lead to God, only one and that is through Christ and thus, it was common faith!
God’s grace, mercy and peace are all gifts bestowed upon us because of God’s love and that is a gift that is all wrapped up in Christ and His finished work on the cross of Calvary, paying in full the payment for our sins. It is as Calvin put it, “The Son has brought to us salvation from the Father, and the Father has bestowed it through the Son.”
Now, in Titus 1:5-9 Paul’s focus to Titus is RAISING UP ELDERS and specifically, their qualifications!
VERSE 5
During this period of time, according to Homer, there were between 90 and 100 cities on the island of Crete, and thus, many churches. And Paul wants Titus to get things in order by appointing elders or leaders in those churches, godly men. Our God is a God of order, not disorder and thus, one of the functions of leadership in the church is to keep things in order. In speaking of this, Paul uses a word that was a medical term, the setting of broken bones, putting them back together, back in line so they could heal! If not, the church would be crooked, off balance, it would be unstable! If you remember from our study in I Corinthians, the church in Corinth was in disorder, people were speaking when they wanted in church, it was a mess. And Paul reminds them in I Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” And God still establishes order, not confusion in the church today through leaders!
Now here in verse 5 Paul uses the Greek word PRESBUTEROS or elder. In verse 7 he uses the Greek word EPISKOPOS or bishop. I believe the bishop is what we might call the senior pastor and all bishops are elders but not all elders are bishops or senior pastors. Here at Calvary that is the form of church government that we have where the senior pastor is the shepherd or overseer of the church. The elders are there to care for the spiritual matters of the church, assisting the senior pastor. And the deacons deal with the physical things of the church.
I believe this is the Biblical pattern for church government. In the Old Testament we see Moses accountable to God for the nation as he leads the people like a shepherd. He, in a sense would be the senior pastor. Then there were the priests who dealt with the spiritual matters of the nation and they would represent the elders of today. Next were the judges who dealt with the civil matters of the nation and they would represent today the deacons. And then you had the children of Israel, the sheep or as we say today, the congregation.
Please understand that leaders are not appointed just because there is a need, but because there is a need and they meet the qualifications to be a leader that God has set forth. In saying that, this list is also applicable to those who are not in leadership positions; they are for all Christians as they show the true measure of a man, his maturity! Now we looked at some of these in I Timothy chapter 3, but lets look over them again and see what qualifications there are for leaders.
VERSES 6-8
QUALIFICATIONS
FOR LEADERS:
It has been said that Biblical leadership is “Bent knees, wet eyes and a broken heart.”
Why is that? Because you love them so much that you are in prayer for them. You weep as they weep, you rejoice as they rejoice. And you are broken when they go astray; they go down those paths that are dangerous, not where God wants them to be!
VERSE 9
As a pastor you must be a student of God’s Word, you must know how to rightly divide the Word of God so that as you teach God’s Word, as you share God’s Word you will exhort or encourage those that need encouragement and you will convict or discourage those who are moving down the wrong path. It is as one person said, “God’s Word will comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable!” Now, if a leader is not standing upon the solid foundation of God’s Word, then he is on shaky ground and his exhortation and conviction towards his people will be meaningless because only God’s Word is living and powerful and able to transform lives!
In II Samuel 23:9-10 we are told of one of David’s mighty men, Eleazar. We are told, “And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder.” How did he defeat the enemy and strengthen the people? With the sword that cleaved to his hand. How do we defeat the enemy and strengthen those around us? With the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and we should know it so well that it is a natural part of our life, that when we speak, God’s Word comes forth! Know the Word!
Now, in Titus 1:10-16 Paul will deal with the ERROR IN THE CHURCH.
VERSES 10-11
Like in Ephesus, there was a problem in the church in Crete. Many in the church refused to submit to the leadership in the church. They were doing their own thing, supposedly being spiritual but negating God’s desire by not being respectful of the order that God has set forth and they were getting others to join them. Why? Paul tells us that it was for dishonest gain and folks, that does not necessarily mean money, it could be attention, notoriety and-so-on. In Crete, it seems like the Judiazers were the ones coming in and bringing disorder to the church as well as the Cretans themselves as we will soon see.
VERSES 12-14
Paul is quoting from a Greek sixth century B.C. prophet and poet named Epimenides. Not that this was a prophet of God, but that one of their own people saw this moral failure in the Cretans. Not that everyone was like this, but it was so bad that their reputation had spread far and wide, they were well known for their behavior!
First of all they were liars, you couldn’t trust them. Next, they are like evil beasts or they acted like wild animals, living on the level of an animal who tries to satisfy his appetite, whatever it may be. And lastly, they were lazy gluttons or they hated to work but they loved to eat. And now, some 600 years after their own prophet spoke, Paul affirms that nothing has changed, they still are liars, they are still like evil beasts, and they still are lazy gluttons.
Because of this character, as the Judiazers were teaching their legalism, they just accepted it because they were to lazy to search the Scriptures, to see if what they said was true. The Judiazers brought in a salvation by the Law through Works and with Jesus, but you can’t add anything to Grace, it stands alone! We are saved by Grace through Faith in Christ and the Cretans were being lead astray from the truths of God and Paul wants Titus to rebuke them sharply!
Folks, it is a cop out to say, “I was born that way, that is why I act like that!” The Cretan’s may have said that, it is our nature, but as a Christian, that was not true. They may have been like that but now that they are born again in Christ the old things have passed away and all things have become new in Him! There is no excuse for bad behavior, lazy behavior, ungodly behavior!
VERSES 15-16
As they were attracted to Jewish legalism for salvation, every pleasure was bad to them. But Paul tells us that this is not true. Do you realize that sex is truly a gift from God that He has given to us to enjoy, not only for procreation? I know to some that is outrageous, but it is true. Sex is not a dirty word or a dirty act. In Hebrews 13:4 we are told, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” You see, in a marriage relationship sex is honorable. What some have done is reverse it and sex outside of marriage, sex between the same sex is honorable, and God says no to that and you can ignore it but you will be judged for your actions that go contrary to God!
We see that same thought of denying oneself of things will make you holy and that is wrong in I Timothy 4:1-5 where we are told, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” Thus, if you walked in the purity of the Lord, these things were not wrong, but if you walked in your own purity, then all things are wrong because you will never be able to stand before God in your own righteousness!
Now when Paul says, “all things are pure” he is talking about godly things, the things of God and not evil things, of course. So be careful with that, don’t let it take you down an unscriptural path like, “In God’s eyes we are married so I can live and sleep with him!” Wrong! It is as Paul said in Romans 16:19, “For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.”
Titus had to deal with those who felt they were more spiritual than he was by their actions and yet their actions themselves deny they are saved because theological error will lead to moral deficiency! As I said earlier tonight, apart from Christ you can’t do anything that He will accept. It is as Paul said in Galatians 3:10-14, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’ Yet the law is not of faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Folks, we are accepted in the Beloved, in Christ, case closed! What a comfort, how refreshing it is to know that God loves me that much and to know that God can’t love me anymore than He already does nor can He love me any less! In knowing that, in knowing that He is coming back, it causes me to live my life so that it is pleasing to God, that is my desire and I am sure it is your desire also.