WEBVTT 00:00:10.089 --> 00:00:14.349 As Chad mentioned, we're in Titus. We'll be reading 00:00:14.349 --> 00:00:17.870 from Titus chapter 1, verses 1 through 4 in your 00:00:17.870 --> 00:00:20.309 New American Standard Bible. No doubt it says 00:00:20.309 --> 00:00:25.050 salutation as the heading there. This is God's 00:00:25.050 --> 00:00:30.890 holy, inspired, and inerrant word. Paul, a bondservant 00:00:30.890 --> 00:00:35.560 of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ. For the faith 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:38.100 of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the 00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:41.119 truth, which is according to godliness, in the 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:44.460 hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, 00:00:44.700 --> 00:00:48.920 promised long ages ago, but at the proper time 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:51.960 manifested even his word in the proclamation 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:55.500 with which I was entrusted according to the commandment 00:00:55.500 --> 00:01:01.600 of God our Savior. To Titus, my true child in 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:06.120 a common faith, grace. and peace from God the 00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:10.879 Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Let's pray. 00:01:15.540 --> 00:01:20.700 Gracious Heavenly Father, as we begin a study 00:01:20.700 --> 00:01:26.780 of the book of Titus today, I must confess that 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:34.079 I feel wholly inadequate to do it justice. Lord, 00:01:34.099 --> 00:01:36.780 and I'm tempted to believe that Titus must have 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:39.819 felt the same way as he ministered on the island 00:01:39.819 --> 00:01:45.120 of Crete. So God, I ask now that as we open your 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:49.120 word and as I attempt to expound upon it, that 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:52.140 God, you would enable me, by your Holy Spirit, 00:01:52.260 --> 00:01:58.900 to do an adequate job of expositing this passage 00:01:58.900 --> 00:02:04.939 of Scripture. Lord, We are grateful for your 00:02:04.939 --> 00:02:08.379 word. And as we consider your word this morning 00:02:08.379 --> 00:02:11.740 here from the book of Titus, we ask that it would 00:02:11.740 --> 00:02:15.080 have its intended effect on our hearts and our 00:02:15.080 --> 00:02:18.900 minds. Holy Spirit, we ask that you would work 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:22.099 within us as we read and expound upon it. As 00:02:22.099 --> 00:02:24.599 we sit under the ministry of your word, Lord, 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:28.060 we pray that you would edify your saints and 00:02:28.060 --> 00:02:32.430 draw sinners to you. Help us to apply this truth 00:02:32.430 --> 00:02:35.830 to our lives as individuals and our corporate 00:02:35.830 --> 00:02:39.490 life as a church. For your glory and your praise, 00:02:39.729 --> 00:02:43.770 we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Please 00:02:43.770 --> 00:02:53.669 be seated. It has been some time since I last 00:02:53.669 --> 00:02:58.780 had the privilege of preaching. I've become very 00:02:58.780 --> 00:03:02.479 accustomed to Sunday school with the young people, 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:06.719 and no offense to you older folks, but it's a 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:09.800 very comfortable setting to visit with those 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:15.539 kids on Sundays. And there are times when we 00:03:15.539 --> 00:03:19.039 get the opportunity to preach, all four of us, 00:03:19.060 --> 00:03:22.300 certainly Kyle has the lion's share, but when 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:24.759 Josh and Nicholas and I have the opportunity 00:03:24.759 --> 00:03:28.180 to preach, We're no doubt all grateful for that, 00:03:28.199 --> 00:03:31.860 but also, I don't know if the other two feel 00:03:31.860 --> 00:03:34.879 this way, but if I go for an extended spell without 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:37.379 preaching, I do feel like I need to knock the 00:03:37.379 --> 00:03:40.919 rust off just a little bit before I can really 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:45.280 get into a passage and attempt to exposit from 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:48.360 it. I will tell you, I've been reading the book 00:03:48.360 --> 00:03:52.580 of Titus off and on, probably for... probably 00:03:52.580 --> 00:03:54.919 about nine months, thinking that this is where 00:03:54.919 --> 00:03:58.139 I would go next. I had a nice little outline 00:03:58.139 --> 00:04:02.259 all set up for this book and had fully intended 00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:05.099 to make my way entirely through these first four 00:04:05.099 --> 00:04:09.840 verses. But as I started to prepare and rehearse 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:12.460 my message, I noticed that I was going to be 00:04:12.460 --> 00:04:15.819 quite long -winded. And I was fearful that you 00:04:15.819 --> 00:04:18.879 all would not come back next week if I took too 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:21.579 long this week. So I have... kind of whittled 00:04:21.579 --> 00:04:26.019 this down into two parts, and I'm excited for 00:04:26.019 --> 00:04:29.500 what's here. In the same breath, I am a little 00:04:29.500 --> 00:04:33.860 anxious about preaching it. We're beginning a 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:37.439 short study in the letter or epistle of Paul 00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:40.079 to Titus, and I am intentionally referring to 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:43.100 it as a short study so that I keep myself from 00:04:43.100 --> 00:04:45.980 being too long -winded. This is one of three 00:04:45.980 --> 00:04:49.199 pastoral epistles in the New Testament, all three 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:52.250 of which... were composed by the Apostle Paul. 00:04:52.870 --> 00:04:56.790 Many of you already know 1 and 2 Timothy would 00:04:56.790 --> 00:05:00.670 be the first two of these pastoral epistles. 00:05:01.370 --> 00:05:05.250 And that's important for us to take note of because 00:05:05.250 --> 00:05:09.009 Paul takes a very similar tone with Titus to 00:05:09.009 --> 00:05:11.529 the tone he takes with Timothy, whom he also 00:05:11.529 --> 00:05:17.129 refers to as a true child in the faith. There's 00:05:17.129 --> 00:05:20.370 a lot about this letter, and I think at the outset 00:05:20.370 --> 00:05:24.290 of the series in it, that we should probably 00:05:24.290 --> 00:05:28.209 cover things that are important to our understanding 00:05:28.209 --> 00:05:32.589 of this epistle. So at the outset of our study, 00:05:32.769 --> 00:05:36.829 what I first want to do is I'd like to establish 00:05:36.829 --> 00:05:41.579 the context of the letter. This is a practice, 00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:45.600 this is a principle of Bible exposition, a proper 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:48.839 exegesis, to make sure you understand the context 00:05:48.839 --> 00:05:53.160 of the passage you're reading. Being that Titus 00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:56.459 is such a short book with merely three chapters, 00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:59.040 and those three chapters, none of them are very 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:02.939 long, it is going to be, I think, a little easier 00:06:02.939 --> 00:06:08.000 for us to keep the context in mind as we're studying 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:14.100 it. because a short letter lends itself to that 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:18.819 very idea. We're going to attempt to establish 00:06:18.819 --> 00:06:22.439 the context of the book of Titus, and today will 00:06:22.439 --> 00:06:24.740 be more like teaching rather than preaching, 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:29.040 I do believe. But what we'll need to do is perhaps 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:31.980 frame our thinking. around some questions. Now, 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:34.360 I want to be clear, I don't intend to answer 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:36.199 each and every one of these questions directly 00:06:36.199 --> 00:06:39.199 or in a certain order, but I want to use these 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:43.000 questions as a way to, again, order our thinking 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:46.540 about the letter, something to give us a framework 00:06:46.540 --> 00:06:49.959 to work from. So, I'll begin with this. What's 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:53.180 the immediate context within which the letter 00:06:53.180 --> 00:06:56.480 has been written? Who are the people involved? 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:00.379 Where are they located? What is the setting? 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:06.060 And what is going on around them? Also, we need 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:08.959 to observe, and we'll see evidence of this throughout 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:13.300 this letter, that while this letter is theological, 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:18.639 while it is doctrinal, it is not abstract. It 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:22.139 is not ethereal. And what I mean by that is that 00:07:22.139 --> 00:07:25.480 this letter does not exist. somewhere outside 00:07:25.480 --> 00:07:31.459 of the real world. Quite frankly, this letter 00:07:31.459 --> 00:07:35.259 written by the Apostle Paul to Titus as he's 00:07:35.259 --> 00:07:39.019 ministering on the island of Crete is profoundly 00:07:39.019 --> 00:07:43.439 applicable. It was profoundly applicable to Titus 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:46.720 in the first century when Paul wrote it, when 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:49.819 Titus read it, when it was passed around the 00:07:49.819 --> 00:07:52.939 congregations that were located throughout Crete. 00:07:53.550 --> 00:07:58.110 and it is profoundly applicable for us today. 00:07:59.430 --> 00:08:03.930 It exists in the real world of ministry, as it 00:08:03.930 --> 00:08:08.149 were. It's addressing real churches in a real 00:08:08.149 --> 00:08:14.069 place facing real problems. It's intended to 00:08:14.069 --> 00:08:18.250 aid Titus as a minister and to help him order 00:08:18.250 --> 00:08:21.949 the churches on the island of Crete and, as I 00:08:21.949 --> 00:08:25.339 mentioned, That makes it extremely applicable 00:08:25.339 --> 00:08:30.319 for us today. It helps us to do those same things, 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:35.340 to accomplish those same goals. So the first 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:38.279 thing I want to do, and this is pretty simple 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:40.700 because the letter literally starts off with 00:08:40.700 --> 00:08:43.639 Paul's name, is I want to look at the author. 00:08:44.100 --> 00:08:48.600 The author, of course, is the Apostle Paul. Of 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:52.289 course you know Paul. formerly known as Saul 00:08:52.289 --> 00:08:56.850 of Tarsus, was once a Pharisee and a persecutor 00:08:56.850 --> 00:09:00.750 of the church. Paul was not merely a persecutor 00:09:00.750 --> 00:09:07.009 of the church. He was the best at it. Paul was 00:09:07.009 --> 00:09:11.710 a good persecutor of the church. He violently 00:09:11.710 --> 00:09:15.409 opposed Christianity until the risen and glorified 00:09:15.409 --> 00:09:20.149 Lord Jesus. confronted him on the road to Damascus. 00:09:20.169 --> 00:09:23.750 Turn with me, if you would, to Acts chapter 9. 00:09:24.610 --> 00:09:28.230 I think it's easy for us oftentimes to simply 00:09:28.230 --> 00:09:32.450 mention a passage or say where something happens 00:09:32.450 --> 00:09:36.250 in the Bible, and without going back and making 00:09:36.250 --> 00:09:38.549 sure that we understand it and reading about 00:09:38.549 --> 00:09:41.570 it, refreshing our memories, perhaps we're doing 00:09:41.570 --> 00:09:46.350 ourselves a disservice in that. So look at chapter 00:09:46.350 --> 00:09:50.090 9 of the book of Acts and begin in verse 1 with 00:09:50.090 --> 00:09:54.250 me. Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder 00:09:54.250 --> 00:09:56.889 against the disciples of the Lord, went to the 00:09:56.889 --> 00:10:00.049 high priest and asked for letters from him to 00:10:00.049 --> 00:10:03.850 the synagogues at Damascus so that if he found 00:10:03.850 --> 00:10:06.870 any belonging to the way, both men and women, 00:10:06.950 --> 00:10:09.909 he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he 00:10:09.909 --> 00:10:12.250 was traveling, it happened that he was approaching 00:10:12.250 --> 00:10:15.269 Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed 00:10:15.269 --> 00:10:17.909 around him, and he fell to the ground and heard 00:10:17.909 --> 00:10:23.129 a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you 00:10:23.129 --> 00:10:26.909 persecuting me? And he said, Who are you, Lord? 00:10:27.490 --> 00:10:32.070 And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 00:10:32.169 --> 00:10:34.809 But get up and enter the city, and it will be 00:10:34.809 --> 00:10:38.779 told you what you must do. The men who traveled 00:10:38.779 --> 00:10:41.340 with him stood speechless, hearing the voice 00:10:41.340 --> 00:10:45.960 but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:48.220 and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing, 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:50.379 and leading him by the hand, they brought him 00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:55.159 into Damascus. And we'll stop there, but that 00:10:55.159 --> 00:10:57.960 helps us to remember this radical conversion 00:10:57.960 --> 00:11:04.659 of Saul when he was changed by the grace of our 00:11:04.659 --> 00:11:09.440 Lord Jesus Christ, called by the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:14.179 After his conversion, Paul became one of the 00:11:14.179 --> 00:11:17.220 most significant and prolific missionaries in 00:11:17.220 --> 00:11:19.539 the early church. You remember that much of the 00:11:19.539 --> 00:11:24.039 first third or so of the book of Acts, perhaps 00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:26.700 even just a bit more of the book of Acts, deals 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:29.679 primarily with the twelve. And quite frankly, 00:11:29.860 --> 00:11:33.769 Peter is really the star of the show. But not 00:11:33.769 --> 00:11:38.070 long after Saul's conversion, when he becomes 00:11:38.070 --> 00:11:44.710 Paul, the story shifts dramatically to him. Paul 00:11:44.710 --> 00:11:48.370 goes on to have some of the greatest ministry 00:11:48.370 --> 00:11:52.769 in the history of the church. We might even say 00:11:52.769 --> 00:11:57.929 that Paul was the most dynamic missionary in 00:11:57.929 --> 00:12:02.529 the history of the church. Certainly God. used 00:12:02.529 --> 00:12:04.929 him mightily. He traveled throughout the Roman 00:12:04.929 --> 00:12:08.289 Empire preaching the gospel and planting churches. 00:12:08.509 --> 00:12:12.889 This man who once was breathing threats against 00:12:12.889 --> 00:12:15.490 the church. This man who was once going and finding 00:12:15.490 --> 00:12:18.409 men and women who might be found in the way, 00:12:18.509 --> 00:12:22.029 who wanted to, under the authority of the high 00:12:22.029 --> 00:12:25.110 priest, bring them back to Jerusalem in order 00:12:25.110 --> 00:12:27.389 that they could continue their persecution of 00:12:27.389 --> 00:12:31.190 the way. This man who once hated Christianity. 00:12:32.750 --> 00:12:41.009 became its most prolific minister. Paul not only 00:12:41.009 --> 00:12:43.389 ministered as a missionary throughout the Roman 00:12:43.389 --> 00:12:46.330 world, but he wrote roughly half the New Testament. 00:12:46.370 --> 00:12:49.450 Now, some people like to split hairs when people 00:12:49.450 --> 00:12:51.950 say that because Paul certainly wrote half the 00:12:51.950 --> 00:12:54.690 books of the New Testament, perhaps not half 00:12:54.690 --> 00:12:57.710 of the volume of the New Testament, but he was 00:12:57.710 --> 00:13:01.600 prolific as an author of the New Testament. Letters 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:05.019 that he wrote were used to instruct churches 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:08.600 and church leaders in both doctrine and practice. 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:13.940 We could say that Paul was quite astute at establishing 00:13:13.940 --> 00:13:19.320 orthodoxy and flowing from orthodoxy, Paul explained 00:13:19.320 --> 00:13:25.120 orthopraxy, how we do church. Understanding, 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:29.840 right understanding precedes right practice. 00:13:30.889 --> 00:13:36.649 was a master of this skill. This pastoral letter 00:13:36.649 --> 00:13:40.409 to Titus, as we described it earlier, contains 00:13:40.409 --> 00:13:45.090 instructions on the order, the government, and 00:13:45.090 --> 00:13:50.629 the protection of the church. To say that Paul's 00:13:50.629 --> 00:13:54.289 post -conversion contributions to the early church 00:13:54.289 --> 00:13:59.909 were substantial would be a gross understatement. 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:03.519 Paul was used mightily by God. His New Testament 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:06.519 writings, including this one, were all composed 00:14:06.519 --> 00:14:10.279 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Oftentimes 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:12.419 when we're reading the Bible, we have a bit of 00:14:12.419 --> 00:14:14.299 a tendency, and I don't think it's intentional, 00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:17.860 but we often think only of the human author of 00:14:17.860 --> 00:14:21.440 Scripture. But that simply is not the case, and 00:14:21.440 --> 00:14:23.940 we see how God, through the Holy Spirit, was 00:14:23.940 --> 00:14:28.370 using Paul in such a mighty way. As he composed 00:14:28.370 --> 00:14:31.750 these books, this particular letter being a good 00:14:31.750 --> 00:14:35.690 example of this, Paul would go on to write, or 00:14:35.690 --> 00:14:39.730 did write, in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17, 00:14:39.889 --> 00:14:43.370 that all Scripture is inspired by God, profitable 00:14:43.370 --> 00:14:46.289 for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for 00:14:46.289 --> 00:14:48.370 training in righteousness, so that the man of 00:14:48.370 --> 00:14:51.269 God may be adequate, equipped for every good 00:14:51.269 --> 00:14:55.090 work. Those are the words of Paul. in what some 00:14:55.090 --> 00:14:57.950 might argue is a circular argument, writing under 00:14:57.950 --> 00:15:00.750 the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and claiming 00:15:00.750 --> 00:15:03.970 that he was writing under the inspiration of 00:15:03.970 --> 00:15:06.889 the Holy Spirit. Paul, the human author, this 00:15:06.889 --> 00:15:12.350 once persecutor of the church, now this prolific 00:15:12.350 --> 00:15:16.710 minister of the gospel who was carried along 00:15:16.710 --> 00:15:20.629 by the Holy Spirit as he wrote these letters, 00:15:20.750 --> 00:15:28.460 including this letter. As the human author Paul 00:15:28.460 --> 00:15:32.580 merely introduces himself with two descriptors. 00:15:32.580 --> 00:15:35.519 In verse 1, you can look there with me real quickly. 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:39.799 In verse 1, Paul describes himself in this way. 00:15:40.759 --> 00:15:44.419 Paul, very straightforward, easy to understand. 00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:48.700 A bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus 00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:55.019 Christ. First, Paul refers to himself. as a bondservant 00:15:55.019 --> 00:15:58.960 of God. Here Paul acknowledges his relationship 00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:07.179 with God, that of a slave to his master. The 00:16:07.179 --> 00:16:09.720 Greek word here, you've no doubt heard, many 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:13.240 expositors use it before, doulos, which does 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:17.620 not mean servant. It does not mean someone who's 00:16:17.620 --> 00:16:21.240 here if you want them, but rather it means that 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:24.549 they are a slave. A word that we're a little 00:16:24.549 --> 00:16:28.149 scared of in today's culture, no doubt. But a 00:16:28.149 --> 00:16:32.289 word that drives home the point Paul is making 00:16:32.289 --> 00:16:36.610 here. With regards to his relationship to God, 00:16:36.789 --> 00:16:45.149 Paul is a slave to God. He is a man under authority. 00:16:45.730 --> 00:16:50.490 But at the same time, this man is operating with 00:16:50.490 --> 00:16:54.620 authority. It may sound self -deprecating for 00:16:54.620 --> 00:16:58.860 Paul to refer to himself as a slave. And in a 00:16:58.860 --> 00:17:02.539 certain sense, it is. It shows a certain amount 00:17:02.539 --> 00:17:06.019 of humility for Paul to refer to himself in that 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:08.539 way, to say that he's a bondservant, that he's 00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:13.440 almost stuck, that he's somehow obligated to 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:16.980 God. It does almost sound like he's being humble, 00:17:17.019 --> 00:17:20.009 but in the same breath, He's expressing the fact 00:17:20.009 --> 00:17:23.869 that he is a man under authority who expresses 00:17:23.869 --> 00:17:29.190 and wields authority. He also refers to himself 00:17:29.190 --> 00:17:36.450 as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul has been 00:17:36.450 --> 00:17:42.410 sent by Christ. Now, we think of the word apostle 00:17:42.410 --> 00:17:47.839 with a capital A oftentimes. As being a very 00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:51.339 lofty and grandiose term, we think of it as this 00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:55.579 wonderful position. This position that resulted 00:17:55.579 --> 00:17:59.500 in authority and resulted in these folks being 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:01.579 remembered throughout all of church history. 00:18:01.619 --> 00:18:04.420 And no doubt there is an element of honor that 00:18:04.420 --> 00:18:07.660 should be given to them because God chose them 00:18:07.660 --> 00:18:11.140 as apostles. Paul here being our particular example. 00:18:13.960 --> 00:18:18.700 The word apostle just means sent one. You see 00:18:18.700 --> 00:18:21.859 it throughout the New Testament. In certain places 00:18:21.859 --> 00:18:24.619 you'll see the phrase an apostle of Jesus Christ, 00:18:24.859 --> 00:18:28.279 an apostle of Christ Jesus, an apostle of the 00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:31.880 church. And what it means is simply that they 00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:36.880 are someone, someone who has been sent. They 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:42.799 are a messenger. Apostles are envoys. apostles 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:46.180 are sent. Think of his conversion in Acts 9. 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:48.960 Paul was not only confronted by the risen Lord, 00:18:49.160 --> 00:18:58.019 he was called and sent by him. These two descriptors 00:18:58.019 --> 00:19:00.339 here employed by the apostle reveal something 00:19:00.339 --> 00:19:04.359 of Paul's relationship to God and they emphasize 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:08.779 this authority, his authority. to write this 00:19:08.779 --> 00:19:11.519 letter to Titus as he ministers by extension 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:16.259 of Paul's authority in Crete. Calvin says in 00:19:16.259 --> 00:19:20.039 his commentary, this extended and laborious commendation 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:23.720 of his apostleship shows that Paul had in view 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:28.400 the whole church and not Titus alone. For his 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:31.720 apostleship was not disputed by Titus, and Paul 00:19:31.720 --> 00:19:33.539 is in the habit of proclaiming the titles of 00:19:33.539 --> 00:19:36.160 his calling in order to maintain his authority. 00:19:36.979 --> 00:19:40.000 Accordingly, just as he perceives those to whom 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:43.420 he writes to be disposed, he deals largely or 00:19:43.420 --> 00:19:46.759 sparingly in those ornaments. Here his design 00:19:46.759 --> 00:19:50.859 was to bring into subjection those who had haughtily 00:19:50.859 --> 00:19:55.019 rebelled, and for this reason he extols his apostleship 00:19:55.019 --> 00:19:58.380 in lofty terms. He therefore writes this epistle, 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:01.440 not that it may be read in solitude by Titus 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:05.420 in his closet, but that it may be openly published. 00:20:06.380 --> 00:20:08.420 It's important for us to understand that when 00:20:08.420 --> 00:20:11.619 Paul uses these descriptors for himself, when 00:20:11.619 --> 00:20:14.640 he writes this letter to Titus, the intention 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:18.759 is not for Titus to read the letter and file 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:22.380 it away and keep it as some way to encourage 00:20:22.380 --> 00:20:25.539 himself when he's experiencing difficulties in 00:20:25.539 --> 00:20:30.349 ministries. He is not writing this letter with 00:20:30.349 --> 00:20:34.430 the intention that Titus alone will be his audience, 00:20:34.509 --> 00:20:37.849 but rather that this letter will be shared with 00:20:37.849 --> 00:20:40.950 the entire church. And boy, has it ever been 00:20:40.950 --> 00:20:44.650 shared with the entire church. Here we are, 2 00:20:44.650 --> 00:20:50.819 ,000 years later, reading it today. This tells 00:20:50.819 --> 00:20:53.680 us that Paul wants to make sure that not only 00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:57.339 Titus understands his apostleship, his authority 00:20:57.339 --> 00:21:01.519 to write this letter, Titus knows this. Titus 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:04.339 has ministered with Paul, as we'll see in a moment. 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:08.460 They are not unfamiliar with one another. Rather, 00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:13.480 there's a very important reason for him to establish 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:17.400 his apostolic authority. Because the people in 00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:22.359 Crete need to know that Paul has this authority. 00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:25.920 And, as I mentioned a moment ago, by extension, 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:30.240 he is lending some of that authority to Titus 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:33.660 as he ministers to them. During our study, we'll 00:21:33.660 --> 00:21:37.200 see what's happening in Crete that would require 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:40.559 Paul to utilize these descriptors in establishing 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:46.279 his apostolic authority. Second, this one's rather 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:49.240 on the nose as well. Let's consider the recipient 00:21:49.240 --> 00:21:52.140 of the letter, the one to whom it is addressed, 00:21:52.500 --> 00:21:58.779 Titus. Titus was a trusted companion and co -worker 00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:03.259 of Paul. Unlike Timothy, Titus was a Gentile 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:07.359 convert to Christianity. You remember that Timothy 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:11.640 was the son of a Jewish mother and a Gentile 00:22:11.640 --> 00:22:15.890 father. And there's actually some Pretty famous 00:22:15.890 --> 00:22:18.190 passages that we could turn to if we wanted to 00:22:18.190 --> 00:22:20.910 learn more about Timothy. One that deals with 00:22:20.910 --> 00:22:23.730 circumcision, which of course is important to 00:22:23.730 --> 00:22:26.369 the book of Titus, wherein Paul actually has 00:22:26.369 --> 00:22:30.150 Timothy circumcised in order to, I guess you 00:22:30.150 --> 00:22:33.029 could say, contextualize Timothy as a minister 00:22:33.029 --> 00:22:36.339 among the Jewish people. And yet we know of stories 00:22:36.339 --> 00:22:39.480 about Titus where the exact opposite happens. 00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:41.900 And someone might be tempted to say, well, Paul 00:22:41.900 --> 00:22:47.339 is not really being consistent here. But you'll 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:51.740 remember when Paul took Titus with him to Jerusalem 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:55.039 during an important moment in the early church 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:57.740 when the apostles were addressing whether or 00:22:57.740 --> 00:23:02.019 not Gentile believers needed to follow Jewish 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:06.019 ceremonial law. in order to be saved. Turn with 00:23:06.019 --> 00:23:18.259 me now to Galatians chapter 2. Galatians chapter 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:24.319 2. It's a famous incident in the church, in the 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:28.039 early church, the council at Jerusalem. Galatians 00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:30.460 chapter 2, I'll read verses 1 through 5 to you. 00:23:32.970 --> 00:23:36.710 Then after an interval of 14 years, I went up 00:23:36.710 --> 00:23:40.369 again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus 00:23:40.369 --> 00:23:45.470 along also. It was because of a revelation that 00:23:45.470 --> 00:23:47.809 I went up, and I submitted to them the gospel, 00:23:47.950 --> 00:23:50.750 which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did 00:23:50.750 --> 00:23:53.990 so in private to those who were of reputation, 00:23:54.390 --> 00:23:58.730 for fear that I might be running or had run in 00:23:58.730 --> 00:24:04.069 vain. But not even Titus. who was with me, though 00:24:04.069 --> 00:24:08.549 he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 00:24:09.329 --> 00:24:12.549 But it was because of the false brethren secretly 00:24:12.549 --> 00:24:16.069 brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our 00:24:16.069 --> 00:24:19.150 liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, in order 00:24:19.150 --> 00:24:22.130 to bring us into bondage. But we did not yield 00:24:22.130 --> 00:24:27.589 in subjection to them for even an hour, so that 00:24:27.589 --> 00:24:31.470 the truth of the gospel would remain with you. 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:35.220 Again, I want to point back to Timothy. Timothy 00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:39.079 was circumcised in order, even though he was 00:24:39.079 --> 00:24:43.220 half Greek, half Gentile, in order that in the 00:24:43.220 --> 00:24:45.859 setting that Timothy would minister, he would 00:24:45.859 --> 00:24:48.799 be able to minister in a way that was more effective. 00:24:49.339 --> 00:24:52.259 Titus, on the other hand, is not even the slightest 00:24:52.259 --> 00:24:58.559 bit Jewish. He is fully Greek. He is Gentile. 00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:04.700 And so... Paul does not feel compelled for Titus 00:25:04.700 --> 00:25:11.240 to be circumcised for that very reason. There 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:13.920 is no need for contextualization in this instance 00:25:13.920 --> 00:25:17.980 because the gospel has been proven to be effective 00:25:17.980 --> 00:25:25.140 in the life of Titus. Paul intentionally brought 00:25:25.140 --> 00:25:29.079 Titus. a Gentile believer who had not been circumcised 00:25:29.079 --> 00:25:33.420 as a living example that salvation comes through 00:25:33.420 --> 00:25:37.119 faith in Christ alone, not through the ceremonial 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:41.259 requirements of the Mosaic Law. You see, at the 00:25:41.259 --> 00:25:43.799 Council of Jerusalem, there was a question that 00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:48.319 needed to be answered. What impact does the ceremonial 00:25:48.319 --> 00:25:55.539 law have on salvation? And while the law was 00:25:55.539 --> 00:25:59.900 there as a tutor, while the law is there as a 00:25:59.900 --> 00:26:03.079 way to point us to Christ, the ceremonial aspects 00:26:03.079 --> 00:26:07.160 of the law had been fulfilled in Christ and the 00:26:07.160 --> 00:26:10.640 gospel was now able to be applied to all peoples 00:26:10.640 --> 00:26:15.220 regardless of these superficial or outward changes. 00:26:16.859 --> 00:26:21.940 And later Titus became one of Paul's most dependable 00:26:21.940 --> 00:26:25.519 ministry partners. Certainly, they had to be 00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:28.940 close. How awkward that exchange must have been 00:26:28.940 --> 00:26:32.740 for Titus standing there. Paul entrusted him 00:26:32.740 --> 00:26:37.720 with difficult assignments. Paul used him and 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:41.200 gave him assignments wherein he addressed serious 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:44.380 problems in the Corinthian church. Turn back 00:26:44.380 --> 00:26:48.240 to 2 Corinthians with me. Again, I think it's 00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:51.140 helpful for us to look at these passages because 00:26:51.140 --> 00:26:55.079 they are good reminders. of why Paul is writing 00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:59.440 what he is writing here. 2 Corinthians, and if 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:03.960 you look to chapter 7, look specifically at verses 00:27:03.960 --> 00:27:11.059 6 -7 first. What does Paul write here? But God, 00:27:11.220 --> 00:27:15.339 who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the 00:27:15.339 --> 00:27:18.759 coming of Titus. And not only by his coming, 00:27:18.920 --> 00:27:21.819 but also by the comfort with which he was comforted 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:26.130 in you. As he reported to us, your longing, your 00:27:26.130 --> 00:27:30.130 mourning, your zeal for me so that I rejoice 00:27:30.130 --> 00:27:33.529 even more. 2 Corinthians, of course, is written 00:27:33.529 --> 00:27:36.230 to the church at Corinth after 1 Corinthians, 00:27:36.529 --> 00:27:42.170 wherein Paul in that polemic is quite harsh with 00:27:42.170 --> 00:27:44.890 the Corinthian church where he calls out sin 00:27:44.890 --> 00:27:47.750 and Titus who had been left there to minister 00:27:47.750 --> 00:27:53.039 as a trusted minister of the apostle Paul. had 00:27:53.039 --> 00:27:55.460 no doubt come to Paul by the time he composed 00:27:55.460 --> 00:27:58.680 the second Corinthians and heard, Paul heard 00:27:58.680 --> 00:28:01.559 that there had been change in their hearts and 00:28:01.559 --> 00:28:04.339 he was comforted by his coming. Look at verses 00:28:04.339 --> 00:28:09.119 13 and 15, same chapter. For this reason we have 00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:11.220 been comforted and besides our comfort we rejoice 00:28:11.220 --> 00:28:14.640 even much more for the joy of Titus because his 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:19.099 spirit has been refreshed by you all. For if 00:28:19.099 --> 00:28:22.539 anything, For if in anything I have boasted to 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:25.519 him about you, I was not put to shame. But as 00:28:25.519 --> 00:28:28.299 we spoke all things to you in truth, so also 00:28:28.299 --> 00:28:33.000 our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth. 00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:39.359 Titus is a valued ministry partner of the Apostle 00:28:39.359 --> 00:28:41.940 Paul. Look at chapter 8, beginning in verse 16. 00:28:42.670 --> 00:28:45.470 But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness 00:28:45.470 --> 00:28:48.930 on your behalf in the heart of Titus. For he 00:28:48.930 --> 00:28:51.890 not only accepted our appeal, but being himself 00:28:51.890 --> 00:28:56.710 very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. 00:28:58.450 --> 00:29:03.930 And then in verse 23, As for Titus, he is my 00:29:03.930 --> 00:29:08.470 partner and fellow worker among you. As for our 00:29:08.470 --> 00:29:10.369 brethren, they are messengers of the churches. 00:29:11.119 --> 00:29:16.200 a glory to Christ. In this letter, Paul refers 00:29:16.200 --> 00:29:20.759 to Titus, his trusted ministry companion, his 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:24.900 partner, his co -laborer in the gospel. He refers 00:29:24.900 --> 00:29:28.059 to him, if you scoot down to verse 4 in Titus 00:29:28.059 --> 00:29:35.640 chapter 1, he refers to him in this way, he says, 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:41.150 to Titus, my true child in a common faith. Grace 00:29:41.150 --> 00:29:44.369 and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus 00:29:44.369 --> 00:29:50.190 our Savior. Titus, my true child in a common 00:29:50.190 --> 00:29:57.390 faith. May I just say that it's difficult for 00:29:57.390 --> 00:30:00.809 us, I think. It's difficult for us. It certainly 00:30:00.809 --> 00:30:03.670 is for me. Perhaps I should only speak for myself. 00:30:04.430 --> 00:30:08.190 It's difficult for us to really fully grasp. 00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:12.200 what Paul means when he refers to Titus as his 00:30:12.200 --> 00:30:15.700 true child in a common faith. I don't know if 00:30:15.700 --> 00:30:17.700 you're aware of this or not, but Christianity 00:30:17.700 --> 00:30:24.619 in the 21st century is much easier than it was 00:30:24.619 --> 00:30:28.140 in the first. Maybe not throughout the world, 00:30:28.259 --> 00:30:31.920 but certainly here in southeastern Illinois and 00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:38.039 southwestern Indiana. We certainly have not experienced 00:30:38.920 --> 00:30:43.319 the same difficulties and trials that Paul and 00:30:43.319 --> 00:30:48.660 Titus have shared as they co -labor in the gospel. 00:30:49.859 --> 00:30:53.700 That phrase, my true child in a common faith, 00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:57.980 tells us that their relationship was not merely 00:30:57.980 --> 00:31:04.220 professional. When I worked for an employer for 00:31:04.220 --> 00:31:09.690 several years, I developed friendships over that 00:31:09.690 --> 00:31:13.950 course of time. I developed relationships in 00:31:13.950 --> 00:31:18.210 that place. I spent four nights a week with the 00:31:18.210 --> 00:31:23.089 same group of guys for six years, and I became 00:31:23.089 --> 00:31:27.809 friends with them. And though it was difficult 00:31:27.809 --> 00:31:32.329 when I left that setting, it was not the end 00:31:32.329 --> 00:31:35.980 of the world for me. I think about some of those 00:31:35.980 --> 00:31:38.680 friends from time to time, and I do miss them, 00:31:38.779 --> 00:31:42.700 some of them more than others. Some of them I 00:31:42.700 --> 00:31:45.299 don't miss at all, to be honest with you. And 00:31:45.299 --> 00:31:47.200 I'm sure many of them feel the same way about 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:53.259 me. I think about them, and while I miss them, 00:31:53.440 --> 00:31:59.559 I don't feel a sense of great loss. You know 00:31:59.559 --> 00:32:02.390 what I mean? Can you imagine what it was like 00:32:02.390 --> 00:32:06.529 in the time of the apostles? There was no means 00:32:06.529 --> 00:32:08.869 of communication other than writing letters that 00:32:08.869 --> 00:32:11.470 had to be carried by someone, sometimes great, 00:32:11.710 --> 00:32:16.150 vast distances, right? When someone left and 00:32:16.150 --> 00:32:19.230 was sent, say, to, oh, I don't know, the island 00:32:19.230 --> 00:32:23.970 of Crete, it's not as if Paul could simply ring 00:32:23.970 --> 00:32:27.130 up Titus at that point. It's not as though... 00:32:27.200 --> 00:32:29.980 Paul could get on Facebook and find a post and 00:32:29.980 --> 00:32:33.519 see what's going on in Titus' life, right? It's 00:32:33.519 --> 00:32:39.380 not as though it were easy for people to communicate. 00:32:40.740 --> 00:32:43.359 We know Paul, for instance, was shipwrecked multiple 00:32:43.359 --> 00:32:46.279 times, and we know that their lives were constantly 00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:49.059 in danger due to persecution. When someone was 00:32:49.059 --> 00:32:51.480 sent, there was the very real possibility that 00:32:51.480 --> 00:32:55.859 they could die, and you would not know for weeks. 00:32:56.619 --> 00:33:03.839 Months? Maybe even years. Here's this man, Titus, 00:33:03.920 --> 00:33:09.180 whom Paul considered a true child in the common 00:33:09.180 --> 00:33:13.980 faith. And their relationship was not just based 00:33:13.980 --> 00:33:20.339 on working together. Their relationship was not 00:33:20.339 --> 00:33:25.680 merely professional. Titus was a spiritual son. 00:33:26.299 --> 00:33:31.259 to Paul. Someone Paul loved deeply and someone 00:33:31.259 --> 00:33:36.519 Paul trusted completely. Their connection was 00:33:36.519 --> 00:33:39.480 intimate and familiar, but it was not based on 00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:43.920 some superficial common interest. Rather, their 00:33:43.920 --> 00:33:46.200 relationship was rooted in their mutual love 00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:50.180 for the gospel of Jesus Christ, their common 00:33:50.180 --> 00:33:54.680 faith. Now, I do think there's a point to be 00:33:54.680 --> 00:33:58.920 made here in the way of application. And I'm 00:33:58.920 --> 00:34:01.960 not suggesting that all of us should be as close 00:34:01.960 --> 00:34:07.980 as Paul and Titus were. But I am suggesting that 00:34:07.980 --> 00:34:11.179 aiming for relationships like that within the 00:34:11.179 --> 00:34:16.320 church is not a bad idea. Many of us, myself 00:34:16.320 --> 00:34:20.199 included, have a tendency to leave this place 00:34:20.199 --> 00:34:22.679 on Sunday mornings. And I'm talking about this 00:34:22.679 --> 00:34:26.750 place. I'm talking about Grace Fellowship Church. 00:34:27.690 --> 00:34:31.110 Many of us have a tendency to leave this place 00:34:31.110 --> 00:34:34.849 on Sunday mornings. And unfortunately, I would 00:34:34.849 --> 00:34:37.869 venture to guess, there are weeks that go by 00:34:37.869 --> 00:34:41.809 when we think nothing of it again until the next 00:34:41.809 --> 00:34:45.829 Sunday morning. And I don't say that to come 00:34:45.829 --> 00:34:50.110 down on you. I'm preaching this to myself. But 00:34:50.110 --> 00:34:55.039 I am saying that we... Share a common faith. 00:34:55.539 --> 00:35:02.599 We have been joined to Christ and to one another. 00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:08.780 If you are in Christ and the person sitting on 00:35:08.780 --> 00:35:14.480 either side of you is in Christ, you are inextricably 00:35:14.480 --> 00:35:19.820 linked to them. You may not minister. alongside 00:35:19.820 --> 00:35:24.179 them in the same way that Paul and Titus ministered 00:35:24.179 --> 00:35:26.960 for the sake of the gospel in the first century 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:30.699 church, it's unlikely that any one of us will 00:35:30.699 --> 00:35:34.019 have as profound an effect on the world as what 00:35:34.019 --> 00:35:39.340 Paul and Titus had. However, you have a common 00:35:39.340 --> 00:35:44.239 faith. You have a common... with the people who 00:35:44.239 --> 00:35:47.639 are sitting right next to you, those little souls 00:35:47.639 --> 00:35:50.159 that will go out into that parking lot when we're 00:35:50.159 --> 00:35:53.119 done here and climb into your vehicle with you 00:35:53.119 --> 00:35:56.159 and will ride with you back to Mount Carmel, 00:35:56.219 --> 00:36:00.400 back to Richland County, back to Bone Gap, back 00:36:00.400 --> 00:36:05.500 to wherever you're going. Those souls are not 00:36:05.500 --> 00:36:09.159 merely flesh and blood to you. They are not just 00:36:09.159 --> 00:36:12.619 your physical children, parents. They are like 00:36:12.619 --> 00:36:15.800 spiritual children to you as well. And I would 00:36:15.800 --> 00:36:18.559 challenge you as a point of application. And 00:36:18.559 --> 00:36:21.880 again, preaching to myself. I would challenge 00:36:21.880 --> 00:36:29.800 you. How strongly do you feel that bond? How 00:36:29.800 --> 00:36:35.719 impactful is it on you to know? that you have 00:36:35.719 --> 00:36:38.380 been bound to those people, whether they're the 00:36:38.380 --> 00:36:41.219 folks you're sitting next to now or the children 00:36:41.219 --> 00:36:44.460 that you'll go home with when we're done, how 00:36:44.460 --> 00:36:47.480 much does it affect you to know that you share 00:36:47.480 --> 00:36:52.599 a common faith with them? The faith that brings 00:36:52.599 --> 00:36:56.400 about eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:36:56.719 --> 00:36:58.940 And I'm not trying to stir up your emotions. 00:36:59.179 --> 00:37:01.840 I'm not trying to whip up some reaction in you. 00:37:01.960 --> 00:37:05.380 I'm trying to make you think deeply. About what 00:37:05.380 --> 00:37:09.659 this relationship was like between Paul and Titus. 00:37:09.739 --> 00:37:13.420 Because it should inform the relationships we 00:37:13.420 --> 00:37:22.000 have with other believers in the church. Paul 00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:29.340 trusted Titus completely. He loved him deeply. 00:37:30.440 --> 00:37:34.780 Paul loved Titus so much and trusted him so much 00:37:34.780 --> 00:37:38.760 that he was willing to send him to Crete. And 00:37:38.760 --> 00:37:42.780 that's really our third point, the setting of 00:37:42.780 --> 00:37:50.360 this letter, the island of Crete. Crete, anybody 00:37:50.360 --> 00:37:54.179 like geography? I do. I love geography. I'm not 00:37:54.179 --> 00:37:56.300 suggesting that I'm really good at it, but that 00:37:56.300 --> 00:38:01.579 was always one of my favorite. I always enjoyed 00:38:01.579 --> 00:38:04.780 all of the social sciences and especially geography. 00:38:05.579 --> 00:38:09.460 Crete is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. 00:38:09.960 --> 00:38:13.559 I don't know about you, but when I think of the 00:38:13.559 --> 00:38:16.420 Mediterranean Sea, I think of crystal blue water. 00:38:16.920 --> 00:38:20.599 I think of white sandy beaches. I think of beauty. 00:38:20.980 --> 00:38:26.860 I think of a wonderful vacation spot, though 00:38:26.860 --> 00:38:30.320 I hate travel, so it'll never happen. Kind of 00:38:30.320 --> 00:38:33.139 weird to be that way. Crete is in the Mediterranean 00:38:33.139 --> 00:38:36.460 Sea. It is south of mainland Greece. It is the 00:38:36.460 --> 00:38:40.960 largest of the Greek islands, and it is, as I 00:38:40.960 --> 00:38:44.420 read, not that I knew this already, but it is 00:38:44.420 --> 00:38:46.820 the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean. 00:38:47.239 --> 00:38:49.980 It had a long and famous history stretching back 00:38:49.980 --> 00:38:52.480 many centuries before the time of the New Testament. 00:38:52.940 --> 00:38:56.420 In fact, I did read that Crete was home to one 00:38:56.420 --> 00:39:00.239 of the earliest advanced civilizations in Europe. 00:39:00.800 --> 00:39:04.340 By the first century, however, the island had 00:39:04.340 --> 00:39:07.739 developed a very poor moral reputation in the 00:39:07.739 --> 00:39:11.480 wider Greek and Roman world. Ancient writers 00:39:11.480 --> 00:39:15.380 frequently described the Cretans as dishonest, 00:39:15.380 --> 00:39:19.599 greedy, and morally undisciplined. This poor 00:39:19.599 --> 00:39:22.920 reputation was so strong, the Greek language 00:39:22.920 --> 00:39:26.300 actually developed a verb based on their name. 00:39:26.340 --> 00:39:28.960 I am going to attempt to pronounce it for you. 00:39:29.019 --> 00:39:32.460 Please do not laugh. I believe it's kritizo. 00:39:32.980 --> 00:39:39.360 And that word means to act like a Cretan or to 00:39:39.360 --> 00:39:44.079 lie or deceive. Later in this very chapter, Paul 00:39:44.079 --> 00:39:48.400 quotes. one of Crete's own poets, Epimenides. 00:39:48.719 --> 00:39:51.880 And he writes this in verse 12. Cretans are always 00:39:51.880 --> 00:39:55.460 liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. Now I said 00:39:55.460 --> 00:39:58.420 that Crete was a beautiful island with... Blue, 00:39:58.519 --> 00:40:01.699 clear water, beautiful white sandy beaches, beautiful 00:40:01.699 --> 00:40:04.699 terrain, a wonderful vacation spot, but I cannot 00:40:04.699 --> 00:40:07.280 imagine that that was helping the tourism industry 00:40:07.280 --> 00:40:10.420 in Crete when even one of their own referred 00:40:10.420 --> 00:40:14.719 to them as liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. 00:40:15.119 --> 00:40:18.320 We often joke, Ashley and I have joked, I have 00:40:18.320 --> 00:40:22.780 joked and Ashley pretends to laugh, when we've 00:40:22.780 --> 00:40:28.980 been to certain islands in the past. Again, travel 00:40:28.980 --> 00:40:32.019 is not my favorite thing. But when we've gone, 00:40:32.199 --> 00:40:34.539 I always make mention of the fact that we are 00:40:34.539 --> 00:40:37.320 on island time. And I do not mean that for myself 00:40:37.320 --> 00:40:40.400 because I'm uptight. And I cannot help it. Ask 00:40:40.400 --> 00:40:43.400 my children. They can verify. I really don't 00:40:43.400 --> 00:40:45.559 care for sitting still for too long a period 00:40:45.559 --> 00:40:47.360 of time. In fact, standing up here right now 00:40:47.360 --> 00:40:49.639 for as long as I have makes me want to stomp 00:40:49.639 --> 00:40:52.039 my feet. It's difficult for me to sit still. 00:40:52.719 --> 00:40:56.500 And when I go to an island, I really, really 00:40:56.500 --> 00:40:59.199 struggle because when I look around, everyone 00:40:59.199 --> 00:41:04.460 saunters when they walk. They are so much slower 00:41:04.460 --> 00:41:08.860 than I am. When I'm walking to a place, I like 00:41:08.860 --> 00:41:12.239 to get to the place I'm going. I know many of 00:41:12.239 --> 00:41:14.460 you are probably the same way. At least I hope 00:41:14.460 --> 00:41:16.400 you are because it makes me feel better about 00:41:16.400 --> 00:41:19.199 myself. After service, just lie to me and say 00:41:19.199 --> 00:41:21.739 that you're like me. That will make me feel better. 00:41:24.340 --> 00:41:28.320 Island time. Here's Crete. An island. An island 00:41:28.320 --> 00:41:33.050 full of liars, deceivers, evil beasts. Lazy gluttons. 00:41:33.130 --> 00:41:35.590 Now, I don't mean to throw all island -dwelling 00:41:35.590 --> 00:41:39.550 people under one broad brush, but in the same 00:41:39.550 --> 00:41:42.690 breath, it is something that seems to stand out. 00:41:43.590 --> 00:41:47.769 Sometimes things are the way they are. Today, 00:41:47.969 --> 00:41:52.590 we even use the word Cretan ourselves, right? 00:41:53.369 --> 00:41:55.949 You've called someone a Cretan before, or at 00:41:55.949 --> 00:41:59.530 least you know someone who has. And this is why. 00:42:01.360 --> 00:42:09.300 because of their moral inactivity, because of 00:42:09.300 --> 00:42:14.480 their unwillingness to be truthful, because they 00:42:14.480 --> 00:42:19.480 have no ethics. Crete was known in the Roman 00:42:19.480 --> 00:42:24.559 world also for piracy, for supplying mercenaries, 00:42:24.559 --> 00:42:28.739 and for political instability. Crete sounds like 00:42:28.739 --> 00:42:34.849 Chicago at this point. The island's cities were 00:42:34.849 --> 00:42:38.489 fiercely independent and difficult to govern. 00:42:38.809 --> 00:42:42.650 That sounds like southeastern Illinois. In other 00:42:42.650 --> 00:42:45.369 words, Crete was not exactly known as a place 00:42:45.369 --> 00:42:49.829 where moral discipline and social order flourished. 00:42:50.389 --> 00:42:53.190 The Bible doesn't tell us exactly when or how 00:42:53.190 --> 00:42:55.670 the churches in Crete were first established, 00:42:55.969 --> 00:42:58.909 but it is possible the gospel reached the island 00:42:58.909 --> 00:43:02.909 through Jews who were present. For the apostles 00:43:02.909 --> 00:43:06.329 preaching at Pentecost, you remember what Luke 00:43:06.329 --> 00:43:09.590 writes in Acts chapter 2, verse 11 in particular, 00:43:09.710 --> 00:43:13.269 he says, Cretans and Arabs, we hear them in our 00:43:13.269 --> 00:43:18.110 own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God. 00:43:18.550 --> 00:43:23.070 Perhaps there were men of Crete who had been 00:43:23.070 --> 00:43:28.130 in Jerusalem at Pentecost and heard Peter's sermon, 00:43:28.230 --> 00:43:31.760 who were pierced to the quick. who were then 00:43:31.760 --> 00:43:34.820 filled with the Spirit, who then returned to 00:43:34.820 --> 00:43:38.239 the island where they began to establish churches. 00:43:40.099 --> 00:43:44.420 Perhaps some of them did carry the gospel back 00:43:44.420 --> 00:43:49.679 home to their island. Apparently, Paul and Titus 00:43:49.679 --> 00:43:52.619 spent time on the island helping to establish 00:43:52.619 --> 00:43:55.400 and support the churches. And again, we don't 00:43:55.400 --> 00:44:00.530 really know the timeline for that. Regardless, 00:44:00.650 --> 00:44:05.789 though, the work on Crete was not yet complete. 00:44:06.230 --> 00:44:09.610 As Paul explains to Titus in verse 5, For this 00:44:09.610 --> 00:44:12.250 reason I left you in Crete, that you would set 00:44:12.250 --> 00:44:15.530 in order what remains and appoint elders in every 00:44:15.530 --> 00:44:20.590 city as I directed you. The churches existed 00:44:20.590 --> 00:44:28.070 in Crete, but they still needed more. They needed 00:44:28.070 --> 00:44:32.150 biblical leadership. They needed doctrinal stability. 00:44:32.590 --> 00:44:36.429 They needed correction of false teaching and 00:44:36.429 --> 00:44:40.389 instruction in godly living. Titus had the difficult 00:44:40.389 --> 00:44:43.510 but essential assignment to help turn young, 00:44:43.630 --> 00:44:47.889 vulnerable congregations into healthy, stable 00:44:47.889 --> 00:44:51.949 churches. And he had to do that in the midst 00:44:51.949 --> 00:45:00.480 of a corrupt and morally compromised Think about 00:45:00.480 --> 00:45:03.659 that for a moment. Think about the assignment. 00:45:03.760 --> 00:45:05.800 And I would encourage you to read through Titus 00:45:05.800 --> 00:45:10.000 this week. It won't take you very long. But think 00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:11.760 about the assignment that's being given here 00:45:11.760 --> 00:45:17.039 to Titus. And how this assignment must be accomplished 00:45:17.039 --> 00:45:23.880 in the midst of corrupt and compromised people. 00:45:26.510 --> 00:45:30.869 Now that's why it's so important for us to know 00:45:30.869 --> 00:45:35.489 the context of this letter. Because it demonstrates 00:45:35.489 --> 00:45:41.449 just how immensely applicable this letter is 00:45:41.449 --> 00:45:47.389 for us today. Do we not live in the midst of 00:45:47.389 --> 00:45:51.690 corruption and moral compromise? I hate to admit 00:45:51.690 --> 00:45:54.869 this. But you know where the first place my mind 00:45:54.869 --> 00:45:58.909 goes when I hear the word island anymore? I'm 00:45:58.909 --> 00:46:06.550 sure you can guess. Right? We live in a culture 00:46:06.550 --> 00:46:13.929 that is compromised in the same ways as the Cretan 00:46:13.929 --> 00:46:21.170 culture of Paul and Titus' day. And we have... 00:46:21.599 --> 00:46:26.900 a duty to do the same things that Paul will instruct 00:46:26.900 --> 00:46:34.139 Titus to do here in this letter. We see all the 00:46:34.139 --> 00:46:37.699 same types of activity going on in the world 00:46:37.699 --> 00:46:42.300 around us, don't we? I mean, when was the last 00:46:42.300 --> 00:46:46.719 time you heard anyone tell the truth? When was 00:46:46.719 --> 00:46:50.030 the last time? You heard someone talk, and I'm 00:46:50.030 --> 00:46:52.510 not talking about the people you can stand across 00:46:52.510 --> 00:46:55.409 from and have a conversation with. I can't remember 00:46:55.409 --> 00:46:58.409 with whom I was having this conversation, but 00:46:58.409 --> 00:47:00.550 I told someone, and I think it was maybe at a 00:47:00.550 --> 00:47:03.329 fellowship meal here not terribly long ago, that 00:47:03.329 --> 00:47:06.650 the only people I trust in the world are the 00:47:06.650 --> 00:47:10.030 people I can touch. In other words, the only 00:47:10.030 --> 00:47:13.010 people I trust at this point in my life are the 00:47:13.010 --> 00:47:15.760 people who are close enough to me who see me 00:47:15.760 --> 00:47:18.460 on a regular enough basis that I can give them 00:47:18.460 --> 00:47:21.739 a hug, shake their hand, or kiss them. You know 00:47:21.739 --> 00:47:24.539 what I mean? Those are the only people I trust. 00:47:25.159 --> 00:47:29.159 Because every time I turn on Facebook or YouTube 00:47:29.159 --> 00:47:31.960 or any other one of those godforsaken social 00:47:31.960 --> 00:47:35.639 media platforms, I listen to people talk and 00:47:35.639 --> 00:47:38.699 they take different positions. Different positions. 00:47:38.920 --> 00:47:41.829 And there are people... who will tell you something, 00:47:41.949 --> 00:47:46.130 even though they know they are lying. And they 00:47:46.130 --> 00:47:49.789 know that you know that they're lying, and yet 00:47:49.789 --> 00:47:55.150 they do not care. Amen? That's the world we live 00:47:55.150 --> 00:47:57.969 in today. And I don't mean to be bleak. I don't 00:47:57.969 --> 00:48:00.250 mean to make you feel depressed. This is a good 00:48:00.250 --> 00:48:03.929 sermon. Let's enjoy it. But it doesn't change 00:48:03.929 --> 00:48:08.130 the fact that we live in an age of compromise. 00:48:09.039 --> 00:48:13.460 We live in the age of deceit. This is a post 00:48:13.460 --> 00:48:18.500 -truth world that we live in. And they manipulate 00:48:18.500 --> 00:48:27.719 everything. I love silver. I love silver. And, 00:48:27.739 --> 00:48:30.480 I don't know, within the past few years, I really 00:48:30.480 --> 00:48:33.139 started paying attention to the markets and the 00:48:33.139 --> 00:48:36.719 futures. And it wasn't too long ago that the 00:48:36.719 --> 00:48:40.420 price of silver ran up to over $120 an ounce. 00:48:40.480 --> 00:48:42.639 Previously, the historic high had been around 00:48:42.639 --> 00:48:45.920 $50 an ounce. And I remember when it shot up 00:48:45.920 --> 00:48:48.019 that high, and then within just a few weeks, 00:48:48.039 --> 00:48:50.840 it had collapsed. Actually, once it hit $120, 00:48:51.019 --> 00:48:53.679 it collapsed pretty quickly. The point here is 00:48:53.679 --> 00:48:57.400 that that market moved the way it moved, not 00:48:57.400 --> 00:49:01.139 because of some change, some institutional change, 00:49:01.480 --> 00:49:04.610 some system... that had changed, but rather because 00:49:04.610 --> 00:49:09.590 that market was being manipulated. Now you take 00:49:09.590 --> 00:49:12.670 that instance and you can apply it to virtually 00:49:12.670 --> 00:49:15.750 anything else in the world right now. And there 00:49:15.750 --> 00:49:18.650 are people who are manipulating things, people 00:49:18.650 --> 00:49:21.789 who are lying about things, people who will tell 00:49:21.789 --> 00:49:24.210 you that they know what's best for you while 00:49:24.210 --> 00:49:27.789 they have every intention of the world to see 00:49:27.789 --> 00:49:37.539 your demise unfold. Just like Crete. That's our 00:49:37.539 --> 00:49:42.440 culture today. So this book, this letter from 00:49:42.440 --> 00:49:46.539 the Apostle Paul to Titus is applicable for us. 00:49:47.460 --> 00:49:51.440 But I want to tell you something. The cultural 00:49:51.440 --> 00:49:56.320 malignancies that we see around us in the secular 00:49:56.320 --> 00:50:02.159 world, guys, those malignancies are in the church. 00:50:03.909 --> 00:50:07.250 Now, I'm not suggesting they're in this church, 00:50:07.489 --> 00:50:11.929 but I am suggesting that they exist and persist 00:50:11.929 --> 00:50:15.809 in the church writ large, especially in the United 00:50:15.809 --> 00:50:22.989 States of America. How many churches are ordered 00:50:22.989 --> 00:50:28.650 rightly? Is our church ordered rightly? How can 00:50:28.650 --> 00:50:33.639 we know? Are many Christians' lives, and I say 00:50:33.639 --> 00:50:38.900 this with a certain sense of fear, are many Christians' 00:50:39.119 --> 00:50:47.219 lives marked by godly living? Is yours? Is your 00:50:47.219 --> 00:50:50.679 life marked by godly living? Because you're going 00:50:50.679 --> 00:50:54.480 to see what the gospel produces here in the book 00:50:54.480 --> 00:50:57.940 of Titus. And you're going to see that when Titus 00:50:57.940 --> 00:51:00.710 starts applying these principles, when he's encouraged 00:51:00.710 --> 00:51:03.710 to apply these principles from this letter, from 00:51:03.710 --> 00:51:06.750 Paul, that people's lives are supposed to be 00:51:06.750 --> 00:51:12.650 changed by the gospel. We're supposed to be different 00:51:12.650 --> 00:51:19.949 once we have the gospel. So I ask, is your life 00:51:19.949 --> 00:51:24.670 as a Christian, is my life as a Christian marked 00:51:24.670 --> 00:51:31.260 by godly living? Now this letter is remarkably 00:51:31.260 --> 00:51:35.900 applicable for us today. It demonstrates the 00:51:35.900 --> 00:51:39.400 urgent need for the gospel in churches and communities 00:51:39.400 --> 00:51:42.559 across our land. The gospel rightly understood 00:51:42.559 --> 00:51:45.679 and applied doesn't merely save individuals. 00:51:46.059 --> 00:51:49.599 It has the power to transform churches and it 00:51:49.599 --> 00:51:51.360 has the power to transform, just so you know, 00:51:51.480 --> 00:51:56.039 the gospel rightly applied has the power to change 00:51:56.039 --> 00:52:00.280 any church. lest we think that somehow we're 00:52:00.280 --> 00:52:04.900 special. It has the power to change any life. 00:52:05.840 --> 00:52:11.079 Any life. And it has the power to impact entire 00:52:11.079 --> 00:52:15.500 cultures. It produces sound doctrine. It produces 00:52:15.500 --> 00:52:18.500 godly character, healthy churches, and lives 00:52:18.500 --> 00:52:22.139 that are devoted to good works. I believe that's 00:52:22.139 --> 00:52:24.980 why Paul, before addressing these specific problems 00:52:24.980 --> 00:52:28.179 in Crete, Starts by explaining the purpose of 00:52:28.179 --> 00:52:30.860 the gospel. And we're not going to get into this 00:52:30.860 --> 00:52:33.659 now because I've already gone too long. But read 00:52:33.659 --> 00:52:38.179 with me there. Verse 1. After he introduces himself 00:52:38.179 --> 00:52:41.619 as a bond servant of God and apostle of Jesus 00:52:41.619 --> 00:52:44.400 Christ, he says, For the faith of those chosen 00:52:44.400 --> 00:52:46.159 of God and the knowledge of the truth, which 00:52:46.159 --> 00:52:49.320 is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal 00:52:49.320 --> 00:52:51.420 life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long 00:52:51.420 --> 00:52:54.360 ages ago, but at the proper time manifested even 00:52:54.360 --> 00:52:57.199 his word and the proclamation with which I was 00:52:57.199 --> 00:52:59.739 entrusted according to the commandment of God 00:52:59.739 --> 00:53:06.130 our Savior. Lord willing. We will pick up there 00:53:06.130 --> 00:53:10.090 next week, and we will expand upon the gospel 00:53:10.090 --> 00:53:14.329 that is described so well here by the Apostle 00:53:14.329 --> 00:53:19.010 Paul. And we'll see that this gospel comes from 00:53:19.010 --> 00:53:22.710 a God of order, that it contains the hope of 00:53:22.710 --> 00:53:26.130 eternal life, that it was promised by God, and 00:53:26.130 --> 00:53:31.010 He is a God who does not lie. And what a stark 00:53:31.010 --> 00:53:34.880 contradiction that will be. to the world around 00:53:34.880 --> 00:53:39.900 us, just as it was to Titus' world around him.