Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Titus chapter 3 as we continue our study through the Word of God and we finish Paul’s letter to Titus. We saw last week in Titus chapter 2 Paul showing Titus the qualities of a sound church. He spoke of older men, older women, young women, young men and bondslaves or employees and how they were to live out their faith. And we saw how the Grace of God not only brings us to salvation but it sustains us in this present life. It is by the Grace of God we can live.
Now in Titus chapter 3 we can break this chapter down into two main sections. In Titus 3:1-11 Paul is exhorting the church. In a sense Paul is now moving from how believers are to live in the church to how they are to live in society. In other words, as Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” That is so important today as unbelievers are looking at our lives, ready to attack us and we give them the opportunities to do just that by our behavior, by our words.
For instance, when Pat Robertson said that we should assassinate the president of Venezuela because he was evil and the news media jumped all over that saying is that how Christians are suppose to speak, is that how they are to act? Interestingly enough, after the devastating hurricane in the Gulf Coast the president of Venezuela offered the United States a large sum of money to help in the rescue and clean up efforts! Now doesn’t that just make Christians look bad? Of course it does because what one Christian says or does will reflect upon all of Christianity because we are the body of Christ and as that happens it gives the enemies of God a chance to blaspheme God and they will and they do!
Then in Titus 3:12-15 Paul will make his concluding remarks to Titus, his son in the faith, who is ministering to the people on the island of Crete. With that said, let’s begin reading in Titus chapter 3, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us this evening as Paul is exhorting the church to live out its faith in society, in the world!
VERSES 1-2
Paul is exhorting Titus to “remind” them of 4 things that pertain to us as Christians. The word “remind” in the Greek is in the present tense, which means that Titus was to keep on reminding them of these things. Peter tells us in II Peter 1:12-15, “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.” You see, a large part of the ministry is reminding people of what they already know, keeping it fresh in their minds. As we are reminded of these things it should help to keep us humble and to live lives pleasing to God and serving others.
The four areas that Paul will share with Titus cover the first 8 verses of this chapter. He starts out by sharing our duties as Christians – Titus 3:1-2. Then he speaks of our former condition as sinners, as unbelievers – Titus 3:3. From there he moves on to our salvation through Christ – Titus 3:4-7. And lastly, Paul speaks of our mission to an unbelieving world – Titus 3:8.
In these first two verses Paul deals with our Christian duties, how we are to respect, honor those who are in authority over us. I hate to say it, but this is a huge problem in the church today and because of that, it overflows in the way we treat people who are outside the church, those who are in authority over us.
In regards to government, listen to what Paul said in Romans 13:1-7, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”
The Roman government of Paul’s day was just as wicked as our government and yet Paul did not call for protests, rebellion, passing of laws to help Christians, but he did call us to submit to the government authorities, unless what they tell us to do goes against God’s Word. I may not agree with everything our government does, and that is from a local level, to a state level, to a national level, but I must respect those leaders for God has placed them there! That may be hard to swallow, but listen to what God said of the wicked king, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in Jeremiah 25:8-9, “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the LORD, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations.’” And in Jeremiah 27:5-6 we are told, “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him.” God can use evil people, evil nations to fulfill His plans and in the end, they may even get saved as this king did through Daniel showing him the love of God!
But not only secular governments, but we are to treat all men with humility, being kind to people. You see, as Christians we should make an influence on our community! It is as Paul said in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Try to live at peace with people, you do your part, your best, be ready for good works even when you think they don’t deserve it. “But that’s not fair, you don’t know what they did to me!” Look at what you did and are doing towards the Lord and He forgave you and He loves you unconditionally! Thus, go and do the same!
VERSE 3
I think it is easy to forget where we came from, what we were like before we were saved. And because of that we then tend to look down on people thinking, “I would never do that. How evil they are!” The reality is, we did that and only by the grace of God do we stand where we are today. That is why Paul wants Titus to remind them of their former condition as sinners, as unbelievers. In doing that we will be thankful to God for what He has done in our life. We should be humbled realizing we could not have made this change in our life on our own, but He did. It should cause us to have compassion, to extend kindness to those who are lost, and for believers who may have gone astray. And it should strengthen our faith realizing that God took a wicked sinner like me and made me into a saint in Him and if He could do it with me, He can do it with anyone!
It is as Paul said in I Corinthians 6:9-11, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
Keep in mind the works of the flesh are all man’s doing, not God’s. In fact, it is what we bring to the table you might say in regards to our salvation, SIN! Not pretty and yet, look at the next four verses and see the salvation that God brings into our lives!
VERSES 4-7
Yes, it is important to remember where you came from but it is just as important to remember your present salvation in Christ, your present condition. You see, when we were in sin, separated from God because of our sin, God stepped in and saved us! And once again notice that Jesus, our Savior is called “God” because He is! He is the second person of the Holy Trinity, one God manifested in three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!
Now notice who the initiator of our salvation is – GOD! “He saved us . . . His mercy . . . the Holy Spirit . . . He poured out on us . . . through Jesus . . . His grace . . .” He is the initiator and we are the receiver – it is not by works of righteousness. Because that is a hard concept for many if not all of us, we tend to think if we read the Bible more God will love us more or if we do this or that. Folks, that is a wrong concept of God. He saved us when we were still wretched sinners and He can’t love us any more than He already does nor can He love us any less! What a comfort that is, to know the love of God towards me!
Paul speaks of the “washing of regeneration” which carries with it the idea of a new life, being born again. In John 3:1-3 we are told, “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” Now Nicodemus was not to sure what that meant and Jesus clears things up for him. You see, because of the sin of Adam, we are all dead spiritually speaking and now the body appetites control our lives. But when we come to Christ, our spirit is “born again” and no longer are we controlled by the body appetites but by the Spirit of God.
It is as Paul said in Ephesians 2:1-9, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
After we are saved, after the “washing of regeneration” there is the “renewing of the Holy Spirit.” What does that mean? It is the sanctification process as the Holy Spirit guides you, shapes your life. It is the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God to empower us to live the new life we have in Christ. It is as Paul said in II Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” In Galatians 2:20 Paul tells us, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” And in II Corinthians 5:17 Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
A great picture of this is given to us in John chapter 13 as Jesus washes the disciples feet. In John 13, starting in verse 3 we are told, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, are You washing my feet?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.’ Peter said to Him, ‘You shall never wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.’ Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’” John 13:3-10.
I love Peter, he sees what the Lord is doing, washing their feet, and tells Jesus, “No way, Lord!” And the Lord told Peter that unless he allowed this, he could not work with Him, be a part of Him. And Peter says, “Give me a bath, throw the water all over me, Lord!” And the Lord tells Peter that is not necessary because you have had a washing of regeneration, you are saved, you don’t need to get saved again. You see, once you are saved, you are saved, case closed! But it doesn’t end there, you don’t need a complete bath but you do need to wash your feet in a sense because as you walk in this world, you are going to get dirty - you need the renewing of the Holy Spirit.
It is as Paul said in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” You see, as you read God’s Word, as you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart, that filth will be washed away, not for salvation but for sanctification because we are saved by Grace through Faith in Christ.
Let me close this section here by sharing what Peter said in I Peter 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” What God in His Grace began, He will see it through to the end by His Grace, as Paul said, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6.
VERSE 8
Paul now speaks of our mission to an unbelieving world and that is what should flow from our lives, ministering to the lost the love of Christ. It has been said that faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone! We are not to resent or be angry with the very people we are to reach, the LOST! How come so many Christians show hostility to the lost? Because they have forgotten where they came from and who has brought them to the place they are now at! Having that perspective will change your heart as I have said!
Good works don’t save us but they should naturally flow from a saved life. And as people see our lives, the transforming power of God at work in us, the unsaved may be drawn to Christ! It is as Paul said in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” The Amplified Bible puts this verse like this, “For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” May we walk accordingly and let our good works bring glory to the Father who is in heaven and draw men to Jesus!
VERSES 9-11
Remember what Paul said 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.” Sound teaching, sound doctrine, healthy doctrine is profitable while false teaching, unhealthy doctrine is damaging, it can hurt people. Thus, don’t waste your time arguing over it.
Notice these verses, I Timothy 1:3-4, “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia — remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.” I Timothy 6:3-5, “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.” II Timothy 2:23, “But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.” And Titus 1:13-14, “This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.” Thus, don’t waste your time with unhealthy doctrine, it doesn’t pay to argue over it, let them go if they refuse to listen.
You see, Paul says that if this person doesn’t listen to what you are saying after you confront him twice, reject him, have nothing to do with him. I remember years ago back in Illinois, we had a couple of guys come into the church who were there to spread their theology which stated that only the letters that Paul wrote are for the church, even the Gospels are not for us. Now my Pastor confronted them a few times and one day after Sunday service he saw them standing in back of the church with a group of people huddled around them. So my Pastor went over to see what was going on and heard them promoting their false doctrine. Pastor Phil told them they were more than welcome to stay in the church but they could not be teaching these things that were unbiblical. Well, they became very upset and said, “Who gave you the right to tell us what we can and can’t say?” And Phil said, “The Lord did as a shepherd over these sheep!” Needless to say they left the church and moved on to their next church or mission field! Pastor Phil rejected them and what they were teaching and it was what was needed!
Listen to what John MacArthur said in regards to this topic. We are told:
False teachers in the church invariable distort and contradict Scripture, replacing it with novel insights, ideas, and notions that confuse and mislead God’s people and undercut their trust in God’s revealed truth. The danger of false doctrine is made all the worse because, appealing to the natural man, it finds ready acceptance among unbelievers and even among worldly, self-centered Christians who are poorly grounded in the Word. It is for that reason that Paul instructs Timothy to “be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, . . . [and will] spread like gangrene” (2 Tim 2:15-17). Once a false teacher is exposed, he is to be rejected by the church and given no platform to spread his spiritually cancerous and destructive falsehoods. He is not to be debated but denounced and expelled (cf. 2 Cor 6:14-18).
One wonders how many hours and years and lifetimes of Christians have been lost to genuine teaching of God’s Word and to effective evangelism and discipling because of time wasted with foolish controversies. Although false doctrines themselves certainly are foolish, Paul’s point here is that wasting time discussing them is a seriously foolish behavior for God’s people to be involved in.
He goes on to say:
The fourth-century church historian Eusebius reported that when the apostles died, a conspiracy of godless error arose through deceptive false teachers, who arrogantly propagated their insidious lies in opposition to God’s Word. It is obvious from Paul’s counsel to Timothy and Titus that those godless errors were a serious threat to the church even before all of the apostles were gone.
- John MacArthur
In the days we are living in, where many say that all roads lead to God, we are all on the same journey, we need to stand strong in the faith that has been entrusted to us!
Now, in Titus 3:12-15 Paul makes his concluding remarks to Titus and the churches on the island of Crete.
VERSE 12
We know nothing of this man named Artemas except that he was a godly man in the church. Tychicus is mentioned several times in the Scriptures. He accompanied Paul on his third missionary journey to Asia Minor – Acts 20:4. He delivered Paul’s letter to the church in Colosse – Colossians 4:7 and Paul’s letter to Philemon. He might have delivered Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church – Ephesians 6:21. He was sent by Paul to replace Timothy in Ephesus for a time – II Timothy 4:12.
I tend to see these two men as pastors who came in to relieve the other pastors, give them some time off, like Timothy and Titus, so they could be refreshed, so they could visit Paul and-so-on.
Nicopolis is a common city name, maybe as many as 9 cities that went by that name in the New Testament. This Nicopolis that Paul was going to spend the winter at was probably on the west coast of Achaia, located in the southern province of Greece.
VERSE 13
We again know nothing of Zenas except that he was a lawyer but was he a Jewish expert on the Mosaic Law or a Roman litigator, we don’t know. Apollos is mentioned several times in the Scriptures and he was from Alexandria, Egypt and a powerful preacher of the Gospel, (Acts 18:24-25). As these two men passed through Crete, Titus was urged to help them on their journey, meet their needs. You see, they were not building up their own ministry but working together for the cause of Christ! What a lesson for us to learn!
VERSE 14
This letter was not just for Titus, but the church in general to exhort them to live godly lives, to do good works, to show people that their faith was real. On September 2nd of this year we received a phone call from my oldest son, Joe, at 10:30 at night. He told us that he and a friend were heading down to Houston to minister to the victims of the devastating hurricane that took place in the Gulf Coast.
At first I was wondering what in the world was he doing, it is a mess down there. But then I realized, he has the ability to go down there and do good works, share the love of Christ with people who need to see some good and some love. The reason he called is that he wanted us to be praying for them as they went on this journey! Because of the turmoil down there, the group he was suppose to hook up with told them not to come, but just to have that passion to help people in need, to share the love of Christ with others blessed me!
It is as James said, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. . . . What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 1:22, 2:14-18. We are not saved by works, works just show we are saved, that our faith is real.
VERSE 15
Again, Paul starts out with the Grace of God and ends with the Grace of God because it is Grace that saves us, it is Grace that sustains us and it is the Grace of God that sees us to glory! His final words to the church in Crete and to us are, “Grace be with you all. Amen.”