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Leadership Matters – part 3
Titus 1:5-9 (6)
February 23, 2025

This morning we return to the book of Titus
And specifically Paul’s discussion regarding leadership in the church.

We have titled this section “Leadership Matters”
I don’t think there is anything remotely controversial about that.

EVEN THE WORLD has grown to understand the vital impact leadership can play in almost any arena.

• Currently on Amazon you can choose from 57,136 books that contain the word
“Leadership” in the title.
• A study nearly 10 years ago noted that new leadership books were being
written at a rate of around 4 per day.

Even the world understands the importance of good leadership.
• Corporations
• Athletic teams
• Non-Profits
• Politicians
• Religious institutions
• Family planners

The topic of leadership is the one thing they all seem to have in common.

BUT the common fascination may be where the commonality stops.

There may be a common desire for leadership,
But there is no common conclusion as to what a good leader is.

What is the most important leadership characteristic?
• Is it charisma?
• Is it experience?
• Is it character?
• Is it hard work?
• Is it influence?
• Is it example?
• Is it innovation?
• Is it education?

If you are going to select a leader what should you look for?

Well, thankfully with regard to the church,
God has taken the guess work out of it for us.

He has been extremely specific.
We are clearly told what to look for and what not to look for.

And that is what we are studying here in the first chapter of Titus.

To quickly recap what we’ve seen so far…

#1 THE PURPOSE
Titus 1:5a

“For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains…”

A quick reminder that:
• Crete was an island 160 miles long
• Crete was anywhere from 7-35 miles wide.
• One historian noted 100 cities there.
• There are a lot of churches on the island

Crete is also a corrupt island
(1:12) “One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

And sadly the church was being influenced by the culture.
(1:10) “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,”

Titus was left on the island to “set in order what remains”

He was to be the spiritual chiropractor for the church,
The spiritual orthodontist.

Paul would tell Titus to address all sorts of areas in the church.
Old men, Old women, Young women, Young men, Slaves, Citizens

BUT THE FIRST people Titus was to set in order was their leadership.

#2 THE DIRECTIVE
Titus 1:5-9

“and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,”

We noted that word “elders” and we started discussing it.

1) THE TITLE

“ELDERS” (pres-boo-ter-os)
• Means “older man”
• Came to be an office in the church
• Brings to mind the issue of SPIRITUAL MATURITY

“OVERSEER” (e-pis-ko-pay)
• Speaks of a manager
• Actually a word also translated “visitation”
• One who visits to oversee and evaluate and correct
• Brings to mind the issue of AUTHORITY

“SHEPHERD” or “PASTOR” (poy-mane)
• It is one who ministers to or cares for the flock
• Brings to mind MINISTRY

All 3 titles are used interchangeable and all 3 titles are important.

Speaking to the men Luke identified as the elders of the Ephesian church:
Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

• Called elders
• Made overseers
• To shepherd

2) THE JOB

It stands to reason that if:
• Titus was going to set the church in order
• And then to appoint elders

That the job of the elders would be
To maintain the order that Titus introduced.

Titus was the orthodontist who put on the braces,
The elders would serve as the retainer to keep the church straight.

And we discussed THE AUTHORITY of these men to do that job.

Paul spoke to Timothy about the elders “who rule well”

The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

God is the ultimate authority and all authority is then delegated by Him.
• Husbands over wives
• Parents over children
• Kings over citizens
• And elders over the church

We noticed that it is not to be an abusive leadership or a dominating one,
But it is authority none the less.

3) THE PLURALITY

Paul told Titus to “appoint elders in every city”

And we looked at the Scriptural references
For a plurality of elders in the church.

God’s design is for multiple men
To share the leadership burden in the congregation.

• This produces accountability
• This supplements against personal weaknesses
• This provides more availability an opportunity than one man can perform

It is God’s design that there be a plurality of leadership to fulfill this role.
Acts 14:23 “When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;”

4) THE APPOINTMENT

Paul told Titus to “appoint elders in every city”

The authority the elders would receive in their congregation
Would be an authority handed down from God through Titus.

But at the same time we recognized that
Titus would have to lean upon the recommendation
And discernment of each church to identify such men.

Paul told the Ephesian elders
That it was the Holy Spirit who made them overseers.

So we are talking about men whom:
1. God would appoint
2. The Church would identify
3. Titus would ordain

AND THAT IS WHERE WE ENDED UP SUNDAY NIGHT
In our discussion about leadership.

As we jump back into the study this morning we simply note that
LEADERSHIP IS IMPORTANT.

• It is instituted by God
• It is defined by God
• It is used by God
• It will be judged by God

Church leadership is not something that men came up with,
It is something that God came up with.

He grants His authority to men for the purpose of leading His church.

And it was so important that it is the first command Paul gives to Titus.

BUT WE ALSO LEARN THAT
• God does more than just INITIATE the presence of leadership.
• God also gives specific instructions to help us IDENTIFY leaders.

And as we move on to verse 6
We begin to see those qualifications which God has given.

(READ TITUS 1:6-9)

Now we move into that segment of
Examining God’s qualifications for such men.

SO WE’VE SEEN:
The Title – The Job – The Plurality – The Appointment

5) THE GENDER

“namely, if any man…”

There may have been a time
When stopping to make this point wasn’t necessary,
But it certainly is today.

IN TODAY’S CULTURE
• That has seen a rise in feminism
• Along with an idiotic confusion of gender reality and role,

It is important that we stop here to remind that
The Bible is not confused on this issue.

For years, Southern Baptists
Were one of the few denominations that seemed to faithfully hold the line on this issue.

In 2000 the “Baptist Faith and Message” was revised to contain this statement:

Under article VI “The Church” this sentence was added:
“Its two scriptural offices are that of pastor/elder/overseer and deacon. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”
https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/#xviii

That addition caused a stir in Baptist life.
• We saw the BGCT reject the new version in favor of the 1963 version.
• We saw Truett seminary in Waco start training women pastors.
• We saw BGCT churches start ordaining women pastors.
• Out of this the SBCT emerged as an alternative to the BGCT for Texas churches that wanted a state affiliation that would adopt the new statement of faith.
• And Texas Baptists were divided.

IT IS A FIGHT THAT CONTINUES TO RAGE TODAY.

Just this past November, the Baptist General Convention of Texas voted again NOT TO AFFIRM the 2000 version of the BF&M.

In February of 2023 at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention
• 6 churches were removed from the Southern Baptist Convention for abandoning the conventions confession.
• The most notable was Saddleback Church founded by Rick Warren, author of “Purpose Driven Church” and “Purpose Driven Life”.
• Warren had ordained 3 women to the pastorate of his church.

But the battle still didn’t stop.

A committee was formed
• To examine what the meaning of the word “pastor” really was to determine if it was possible to go ahead in the future and allow women in the position.

This past June an amendment was brought before the convention
• To amend the SBC constitution to ban women from serving as pastors in the SBC.
• The amendment failed.

THIS BATTLE ISN’T GOING AWAY ANY TIME SOON.

The issue of women pastors
Has already toppled many current mainstream denominations
And we are in the thick of the battle in the SBC.

We may not struggle with the issue here at FBC Spur,
But I promise you this is a real struggle and we need to address it.

SO, WHAT IS THE GENDER OF AN ELDER.

Well, Paul gives it to us here in Titus 1 simply by saying “if any man”
And one would think that would settle the issue.

But you and I know that for many it does not.
• You can read the TNIV (Today’s New International Version) which came out in 2001 and it will translate this verse “if anyone is above reproach…”
• They chose to say that the word “man” there was not a gender specific term, it simply refers to “mankind”.

But that is not what Paul meant.
He meant a physical genetic man.

I was looking at an article just this morning from “The Gospel Coalition” promoting a book “Women in Ministry” lauding the 4 views of the issue.

In just their endorsement of the book the article said:
“No evangelical spokesperson can be heard or taken seriously without engaging the traditional arguments supporting gender role hierarchy. At the same time, it is not enough to restate these arguments without engaging with equal seriousness the exegetical and hermeneutical work carried on in recent years, the results of which go a long way to support egalitarian role relationships in the church [supports women pastors]…Culver loses credibility with a patronizing tone and his refusal to engage seriously…He assumes too much and dismisses without critical reflection any idea that challenges his assumptions.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/women-in-ministry-four-views/

You hear it there in the article.
• Even the person seeking to give a balanced view to endorse the book has already made the statement that the man who upholds the view that women are not allowed to serve as pastors “assumes to much and dismisses without critical reflection”
• The writer dismisses the man who holds to the Biblical mandate, not because he is wrong, but because he has a “patronizing tone”.

Look, it was “Higher Criticism” that ultimately led to modernism and liberalism and then unbelief in many denominations.
• It was men who chose to let their thinking stand in judgment over God’s word
• As opposed to letting God’s word stand in judgment over their thinking.

THE BATTLE IS HERE.
And while it is a battle over the leadership model of the church,
More than that it is a battle over the authority of Scripture.

SO – TURN TO: 1 TIMOTHY 2

The chapter begins with admonition for the men of the church to be devoted to prayer.
• He speaks of how we must pray for rulers and all in authority
• He speaks of how we must pray for the salvation of the lost

(2:8) “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”

It is a clear admonition.
• If you are a man in this church not faithful in prayer you are failing this church.
• God has commissioned you to be an intercessor for this church, for this nation, for the lost, etc.

And then Paul moves to address the women of the church.
1. Her Sanctity
2. Her Submission
3. Her Station
4. Her Salvation

HER SANCTITY

(9-10) “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”

He is speaking of adornment
Or that which a woman uses to beautify herself.

The world tells women that her adornment is purely external.
• From her hair to her toenails women are relentlessly judged in our culture by their outward appearance.

And there is nothing wrong with a woman being physically attractive,
That is part of how God designed them,
And part of what we as husbands appreciate about them.

But the point is if that is all she has, she has failed as a woman.

What makes a woman truly attractive ought not to be her outward appearance.
• It should not be “braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments”
• She is to dress “modestly and discreetly”

Her goal is not to draw attention to her outward appearance.
Her goal is to draw attention to her attitude.

Such as:
(10) “good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”

THAT’S IT ISN’T IT?

Ladies, your goal should be “godliness”

If all people notice is your appearance but not your virtue
You are failing.

THE GOAL is to stand out as a godly woman.
THE GOAL is for your attitude to be what they see.

Peter said the same:
1 Peter 3:3-4 “Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”

Or we could listen to Solomon:
Proverbs 11:22 “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.”

Let your attitude be what stands out.
Well, what sort of attitude am I supposed to show to the world?

HER SUBMISSION

(11-12) “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.”

We’ll start with verse 11.
“A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.”

FIRST OF ALL,
• For Paul’s audience that was somewhat of a provocative statement,
• But not for the reason you are likely inclined to think.

• In Jewish culture in Paul’s day Jewish Rabbis wouldn’t even teach a woman.
• They were permitted to attend the synagogue but they were not permitted to
learn anything.
• Greek culture wasn’t much better in Paul’s day.

Paul sort of broke the mold here by instructing that women were to “receive instruction”.
• Women are children of God.
• Women are redeemed through Christ.
• They are just as important as any man ever was.

Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Women are just as much heirs of Christ as men
And have just as much right to hear the preaching of God’s word
And learn the gospel as any man.

That was actually revolutionary in his day.

BUT BACK TO THE POINT was HOW they were to “receive instruction”

And Paul says they were to receive it
“quietly…with entire submissiveness.”

That statement would take the feminist of our day
And just about set her hair on fire.

But it doesn’t bother us,
And it doesn’t bother the women in our congregation
• Because they have submitted their hearts to the Lord Jesus and long to be in obedience to God’s word.

BUT THAT IS THE COMMAND.

Or we read:
1 Corinthians 14:34-36 “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?”

That is a reference to God’s design of how she is to conduct herself.
She is to walk in quietness and submission.

The current stereotypical “strong outspoken woman”
IS A PERVERSION OF GOD’S DESIGN.

Women were not created by God to be loud, outspoken, bombastic, opinionated, boisterous, provocative, bold, or any or thing like that.

I realize that is the personality that is celebrated in our culture, but that is not God’s design any more than the effeminate man is not God’s design.

Now women ARE to be strong,
But biblically strong and with the right attitude.

The strength of the godly woman is in her faith, her submission,
Her endurance, her virtue, and things like that.

Think about what Peter says to women in difficult marriages.
1 Peter 3:1-2 “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.”

Do you think a weak woman can obey that command?
The faith and endurance required of that woman
Is a strength that the woman of the world today knows nothing about.

But none-the-less you see God’s design is quietness and submission.
Not loud and boisterous.

Why is that important to see first?

Because it directly correlates then to verse 12, “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.”

There is really nothing confusing about that verse.
• If it is God’s design for women to be quiet in the church it’s going to be awfully hard for her to stand and preach.
• If it is God’s design for women to be submissive in the church it’s going to be awfully hard for her to exercise authority.

AND I KNOW,
There are all sorts of “Yes, buts…” that come with that verse.
• Wasn’t Deborah a Judge in the Old Testament?
• Didn’t Philip have 4 daughters that prophesied?
• Didn’t it say that Isaiah married a prophetess?
• Aren’t two books of the Bible named after women?

RICK WARREN, as he defended his church’s decision to ordain women noted:
• That the Great Commission is for men and women alike so if women can share the gospel they ought to be able to preach.

• He pointed out that Jesus told Mary to give word to His disciples that He had risen from the dead and thus made her the first ever gospel preacher.

• He pointed out that at Pentecost there were women in the upper room who received the Holy Spirit and spoke the mighty things of God.

And those are the type of counter-arguments
That people often use to try and dismantle this verse.

SO LISTEN.

The Bible does not say women are not allowed to proclaim the gospel.
• In fact, they are commanded to.

The Bible does not say women cannot teach.
• In fact, Titus 2 will say that older women are to teach the younger women
• Certainly women teach their children

The Bible does not say women can’t go out and proclaim the gospel.
• We know Priscilla and Aquilla both instructed Apollos.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
That in the church women cannot “teach or exercise authority over a man”
• They cannot serve as elders.
• They cannot serve as pastors.
• They cannot serve as overseers.

That is a position of authority in the church
And they are not allowed to be in that position.

THAT IS GOD’S DIRECTIVE.
Women are not permitted to hold the position of authority
They are mandated to hold the position of submission.

And that is only offensive if you think that the position of authority
Is more important than the position of submission.

BUT THIS IS WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS:
FOR THE RECORD:
• Deborah was a Judge, not a pastor.
• Philip had four daughters who prophesied, they didn’t pastor and not a single message they ever preached is recorded.
• Isaiah married a prophetess, only called that because she bore a child with a prophetic name.

The New Testament knows nothing of
Women elders, overseers, or pastors, it is forbidden.

When we are talking about who is appointed to the authoritative office of elder in the church, that office is LIMITED ONLY TO MEN.

And to that it is fitting to see WHY.

HER STATION

(13-14) “For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”

First of all, we recognize God’s divine order.

Very simply put, but God’s design, and by His prerogative
He placed men first and women second.

“Adam was first created, and then Eve”

1 Corinthians 11:3 “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.”

1 Corinthians 11:8-9 “For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.”

You know the story.
• God created Adam and then said it was not good for man to be alone.
• God made a “helpmate suitable” for Adam.
• Adam called her woman.
• Woman was made for the man’s sake.

And I know that in our culture that just sounds awful.
But all that proves is
How far our culture has fallen from the divine standard.

When people are offended by such a statement
It does nothing but expose them as worldly
And condemn their thinking as depraved.

The God of the universe set the order.
The Creator of all things designed it like this.

God put man as the head of woman AT CREATION.
• This is NOT an Ephesian issue.
• This is NOT an early church issue.
• This IS a natural order of creation issue.

That DOES NOT MEAN men are more important than women.
We wouldn’t say that parents are more important than their children.

But we do recognize God’s divine order established at creation.

It would be totally inappropriate and backward
For women to assume authority in the church over the men.

INTERESTINGLY: The Bible even speaks of God’s judgment through bad leaders in this way:

Isaiah 3:12 “O My people! Their oppressors are children, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray And confuse the direction of your paths.”

Women rulers are a thing,
• But they are an expression of God’s judgment because you have someone in a position of authority who was not designed to be there.

THIS IS A GOD OF CREATION ISSUE:
• Men and women are different.
• They were designed differently.
• And the Creator who designed them knows what role they should be in.

You can make all the secular arguments you want…
You can give all the examples of women who led well…
But it won’t change the fact that this is how the Creator designed it.

NOW, LOOK, THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH.
The fact that God’s created order is for men to lead and women to submit would be enough.

But we have more than just God’s created order.

We also have A CASE STUDY
Of when a woman ignored the order and tried it anyway.

And that is what Paul references next.
(14) “And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”

We have an illustration of when women tried to usurp authority
And stand in a leadership role and make a decision.

• Eve tried to handle Satan
• The Bible says she was “deceived”.
• Adam was not deceived,
• Adam was disobedient and listened to his wife.

Eve assumed a position she was not designed to be in.
• She was not created to handle the enemy.
• She was not created to make those kinds of decisions.
• But she took that role upon herself and Satan deceived her.

WHAT IS PAUL’S POINT HERE?

Namely this, that women should now have
The humility and presence of mind to recognize that
It was in fact a woman who led the entire human race into sin.

Yes the fall was through Adam, but it was Eve who opened the door.

• This was the effect of women stepping outside of her role.
• This was the effect of women stepping out from under the authority she was placed under.

Just as every man recognizes in himself the weakness of Adam to succumb to temptation and thus is in need of Christ.

So also every woman must recognize that
The weakness of Eve also dwells within her
And she should not ascribe to a position she was not created for.

IT IS NOT JUST
• God’s natural order that forbids women from being in authority in the church,
• But also her track record of failure when she tried.

SO THE CALL HERE IS
• For women to have some humility,
• Realize what she was created to be,
• And not to try to move beyond that.

It is often referred to as “the glass ceiling”
And it is a sinful ambition to seek to break it.

And look, we could stop there, for the point has been made.
The office of elder is restricted to men.

But Paul doesn’t stop there and we won’t either.
For we do not want women to despair
Or feel as though they have no role and are of no importance
To the church or the kingdom.

SUCH IS NOT THE CASE.

Let’s look at one more point here.
HER SALVATION

(15) “But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”

That word “preserved” is actually SOZO
Which is the word commonly translated as “saved”.

The NASB translates it “preserved”
• Because Paul is NOT HERE SAYING that lost women will gain entrance into heaven if they just have babies.

HERE IS WHAT PAUL IS SAYING.
• Having just pointed out that it was a woman who led the race into sin.
• Now he points out how women can redeem their mistake.

A woman ruined the race through seeking authority that was not hers to seek.

She will not fix that mistake by continuing to seek authority.
• If women seek to fix the mistake…
• If women seek to redeem their reputation…
• If women seek to prove their worth to the kingdom…

She will not do it in the pulpit.
She will do it in the nursery.

She will raise up the next generation of leaders.
“The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world”?

Do you remember Hannah praying for Samuel and keeping him until he was weaned before taking him to Eli the priest?
• What do you suppose she was doing during that time?

Do you remember what Paul told Timothy?

2 Timothy 1:5 “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”

And later
2 Timothy 3:14-15 “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Now where do you suppose Timothy learned all those sacred writings and obtained that wisdom that made him so appealing to Paul?

We are talking about influence and ladies you have it in gobs!
Teach your children.
Train your children.

Those boys you are teaching and training today
Will be the elders in the church tomorrow.

WHAT IF DON’T HAVE CHILDREN?
• What if got saved after I raised my children?
• I’m now an older woman, what can I do?

What will Paul tell Titus?
Titus 2:3-5 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

THERE IS A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE FOR YOU LADIES!
But regarding elders in the church, it is restricted only to men.

download here

Leadership Matters – part 2
Titus 1:5-9 (5)
February 16, 2025

Tonight we’re going to jump back in to our discussion on leadership.

We know that Paul had left Titus in Crete so that he “would set in order what remains”

He was to straighten out the church.
He was to show them how to live.

Similar to what we read in 1 Timothy:
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

Titus was to do the same.
He was to travel that island, examine and confront the churches there and straighten them out.

That was:
#1 THE PURPOSE
Titus 1:5a

His purpose was to reform the church.
Get their doctrine straightened out.
Get their old men, their old women, their young women, their young men, their slaves, and their citizens all straightened out.

That’s why he was there, and as we pointed out this morning, he didn’t have long to do it.

It was an enormously difficult task.
But it was his task.

And then we started looking at the second point.
#2 THE DIRECTIVE
Isaiah 1:5-9

“and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,”

Not only was Titus to straighten out the church, but he was also to put in place elders who would continue to lead and hold the church true after he was gone.

And so we were discussing this morning about leadership.

We looked into the title of “elder”.
1) THE TITLE

We saw how it is uses interchangeable with the term overseer and shepherd.
We saw how those terms are also distinguishable and important.

Elder speaks of the leader’s maturity.
Overseer speaks of the leader’s authority.
Shepherd speaks of the leader’s ministry.

They are important titles.

And then we started discussing the second aspect of these elders and that was:

2) THE JOB

And when we left we were discussing their God-given authority to rule or manage or oversee the church.

Like a husband must manage his household…
Like a king must manage his kingdom…
Like a father must manage his children…
So also the elders must manage the church…

Indeed they are commissioned by God to do so.

If they fail to lead they will give an account to God for their failure.
And if the congregation fails to submit to their authority the congregation will give an account to God for their rebellion.

This is God’s design.

Now the elder has no right to dominate the flock or lord his authority over them.
He is a shepherd leader, not a ruthless leader.

And the Scripture has much to say about this.

TURN TO: EZEKIEL 34:1-6

The text there is clear.
It is also symbolic.

God isn’t talking about literal sheep, nor is He talking to literal shepherds.

God is speaking about the people and the elders who have been given charge over them.

But the problem was that the elders in that case ruled badly.
They had no love for the flock.
They only sought to use and abuse the flock.

You may remember even in Jesus’ day:
Matthew 9:36 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”

Instead of feeding the flock they were skinning the flock.
Instead of caring for the flock they were tossing them aside.

Jesus hated those evil shepherds.

That is the same point being made here in Ezekiel 34.

These elders were not caring for the flock they were caring for themselves.

Instead of feeding the flock (preaching the word) they were starving and exploiting the flock.

That is what a prosperity preacher does when he extorts money from the flock by tickling their ears.
You starve the sheep spiritually and rob them financially all at once.

They didn’t strengthen the sickly (that would be those struggling with sin)
They didn’t heal the diseased (that would be those caught in sin)
They didn’t bind up the broken (that would be those in the consequences of sin)
They didn’t bring back the scattered (those who have wondered off in their sin)
They didn’t search for the lost (those who have never been saved)

And God says
(5) “They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.”

So clearly, when God gives authority to elders over the congregation He is not giving them the right to run roughshod over the congregation.

He is there to feed them, lead them, strengthen them, heal them, bind them up, bring them back, and search for those who are lost.

He is there to lovingly care for the flock not dominate them.

So we do understand the type of authority we are talking about.
It is true God-given authority over the flock to which the flock must submit, but at the same time it is a loving authority that God demands.

There is a beautiful balance there, just like in a marriage.

But there is authority given.

And there is a reason for that.
It has never been God’s design to turn His people loose without leadership.

The church was never designed to be self-managing.

Throughout the pages of Scripture a lack of leadership never worked out well for the people.

TURN TO: JUDGES 2

Pick up in verse 6, and let’s read through the end of the chapter.

What do you notice?

When Joshua died and they had no leader the entire congregation fell into sin.
And when God would raise up leaders it would straighten out the congregation until the leader died and then they would return to sin.

When they rebelled against the leader it never went well.

And you see this throughout the book of Judges

Judges 4:1 “Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, after Ehud died.”

Judges 6:1 “Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.”

Judges 8:33-34 “Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;”

You get the point.
The presence of leadership was a stay against corruption, but when the leader died or the people rebelled it always led into sin.

The entire period of the Judges is defined like this.
Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

And it was a recipe for disaster.
Leadership matters.

This is God’s design.
He appoints leaders in the church whose job is to “set in order what remains” and at the same time to preserve what is straightened.

When qualified leaders are in place and they do their job well the church thrives.

When leaders are rejected…
Or when leaders are unqualified…
Or when leaders fail to do their duty…

The church suffers.
Leadership matters and that is what elders do.

They have been given God’s authority over the congregation.
And the church must submit to their leadership.

Now, as we have noted, there are many in the world who categorically reject such a notion.

Why should we give such authority to one guy to come in here and be over us?

Are you just saying that the church calls a pastor and from that moment on we’re just all supposed to do whatever he says?

No, I’m not.

In fact, let’s talk about another aspect of elders.

3) THE PLURALITY

One must be able to see that in verse 5 Paul uses the term “elders” in the plural.

He is not to appoint an elder, he is to appoint “elders”.

And this is something that is also seen throughout the pages of Scripture.

James 5:14-15 “Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”

The phrase is clear, “elders of the church”
James is not referring to many churches, but one.
He is not referring to one elder, but multiple.

Acts 14:23 “When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

You see it again “appointed elders for them in every church”
It really couldn’t be more clear than that.
Every church had elders.

Acts 20:17 “From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.”

These were those Ephesian elders.
And in Bible times it’s not like Ephesus had multiple churches.
Ephesus had 1 church and that one church had multiple elders.

Those same elders are referenced by Paul in 1 Timothy as Timothy served in Ephesus:
1 Timothy 5:17 “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

Philippians 1:1 “Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:”

There it is again.
The church in Philippi and both “overseers” [plural] and “deacons” [plural].
And it is interesting that while some balk at the notion of a plurality of overseers no one balks at a plurality of deacons.

Yet, there is more Scripture evidence of a plurality of elders than even of deacons.

The point is that the church in the New Testament operated under a system that saw a plurality in its leadership.

Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

Hebrews 13:24 “Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.”

Now why does this matter?
Why is this preferred?

Well for one, and this is a big one: ACCOUNTABILITY

Everyone seems to rightly understand that you don’t take a congregation and give sole authority to one guy to make all the decisions of the church.

That is a foolish notion.
Even a trusted man should not be in that situation.
There is too much temptation, and it is not a good idea.

After all, even a man who has been appointed as a shepherd is himself still a sheep.

Accountability is vitally important to the leadership of the church.
Men need to be accountable to other men.

Beyond that, all men have blind spots.
That is to say, everyone has failures and flaws that they do not see in themselves.

Sometimes it is just blindness, sometimes it is that they weren’t raised to see their flaw as a flaw and so they don’t.

Iron sharpens iron and multiple leaders help to bring accountability and purity to each other.

Another important reason is: WEAKNESSES

A plurality of elders balances the weaknesses of men.
There are things an elder may be good at and there are things he is not good at.

And when there is only one then the flock suffers.

If you have a shepherd that’s good at feeding sheep and terrible at sheering sheep, then the sheep are going to suffer.

And the flipside is also true.
If the shepherd is good at sheering and terrible at feeding then the flock will still suffer.

A plurality of leadership balances out the weaknesses of the various leaders.

Another important reason is: WORKLOAD

It is unlikely, but let’s say you have a leader who is actually exceptional at every aspect of leadership, but even then doing it for the entire flock all the time can still cause the flock to suffer.

You may have the best cardiologist in Lubbock, but if all of Lubbock uses him too you’re going to have a difficult time getting to see him.

The fact is that the flock deserves to be cared for.
This is God’s flock.

They must be fed, healed, bound up, delivered, restored, and searched for.
Often times it is a job too big for one man.

God answers this problem throughout the New Testament with a plurality of leadership.

You see them described over and over as “elders”.

Does that mean you lose your main preacher?
No, not in the New Testament.

There is also a principle in there that is often referred to as the “first among many” principle.

Peter is often held up as the example.
Peter was not the first disciple chosen by Jesus.

It was actually Andrew who took Peter to Jesus.

And yet in Matthew 10 we read:
Matthew 10:2 “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;”

There Simon is called “the first”.
But he wasn’t the first chronologically.

“first” there is PROTOS
And it means first in rank.

And you see that.
It was Peter with Jesus on the mountain.
It was Peter closes in the garden.
It was Peter tabbed to preach at Pentecost.

They were all disciples, they were all apostles, they all had been granted authority to shepherd the flock from Jesus and yet Peter was still “the first”.

A plurality of leadership does not negate spiritual gifts or abilities or duties but it does follow a patter that lends to accountability, effectiveness, and availability.

Now some would say:
YES, AND THAT IS WHY WE HAVE DEACONS

And that is a fair assessment.
And in fact that is what has happened in many Baptist churches.

Baptist churches have ordained deacons and then treated them as ex-facto elders.

I have found this to be true in every church I’ve been a member of.

The deacons become a sort of leadership group to accomplish all the things we just said a plurality of leadership is necessary for.

I actually had a deacon at Crawford tell me that the job of the deacons was to keep the preacher in line.

And look, I am not in total disagreement here.

I have seen the fall out and the problem.

When I was in seminary they told us that the average tenure of a pastor was 18 months.

I googled it and found that the number today is more like 3 ½ years.
Southern Baptists are doing better with their tenure closer to 7 years.

But even that causes problems, and I have seen them.

A pastor comes, the church is excited, he starts leading and making changes.
He starts new ministries.
He allocates funds for them.
He makes a change to the schedule.
He changes the music or whatever.

And just as the church is starting to buy in, he leaves.

The next pastor comes in and wants to put his stamp on everything so he starts changing stuff too, but this time the congregation is a little more hesitant because they’ve been burned before.

And sure enough after a while he leaves.

The next pastor shows up, unaware of all that has happened before him and meets immediate resistance. He labels the congregation as stubborn or “too attached to tradition” gets frustrated and leaves even sooner.

And then your stuck in this broken cycle of pastors who get frustrated with the congregation and congregations who have a difficult time trusting their pastors.

It happened in Baptist life.

What was the solution?
In Baptist life the power began to be transferred to the deacons.
Afterall, they were typically the most faithful men of the church.

And the deacons really started to operate more like elders than deacons.
Instead of an office of service it became an office of authority.

And you see that easily.
If an issue arises in the church and our deacon body makes a recommendation it is almost a certainty our congregation will follow their recommendation.

And that is not a bad thing.
The congregation realizes the need for a plurality of godly leadership, they see that in the deacon body, and they follow their lead.

Now, why is that a problem?
What is wrong with that structure?

Only this.

By ordaining men as deacons and treating them as elders you have created a leadership group of men who at the very least are untrained as elders and who may even be unqualified to be elders.

That is the problem.

The church deserves biblically qualified and biblically trained men to be in a position of authority, and in many cases in the church this has not happened.

Far too often men are selected to be deacons, only if they haven’t been divorced, they are not asked to know any doctrine or theology, they are not examined according to the criteria of an elder, but they are put in a position where they are given authority over the congregation as if they were qualified.

Now, I love our deacon body.
I love their humility.
I love the love they have for this church.
I love their wisdom.
I love them.

But even they will tell you that they can all remember a time when the deacon body of this church was something far different and something far worse.

And here is the simple point that we must ultimately see.

God has ordained two offices in the church.
God has ordained the office of elder.
God has ordained the office of deacon.

They are both absolutely vital to the health of the church.

But they are not the same office.
They do not have the same function.

If you ordain deacons but treat them like elders then the church loses the blessing of a faithful deacon body.

If you ordain deacons and use them as deacons then the church loses the blessing of an eldership that can lead effectively and minister effectively.

Commonly what you get is a mixture hybrid of both and it all falls short of what God intended.

Elders and Deacons do not serve the same function.

What is the difference?

If I could just sort of simplify it then I would say it like this:
Elders are appointed for the spiritual care of the flock.
Deacons are appointed for the physical care of the flock.

TURN TO: ACTS 6:1-6

You see it there don’t you.
You have Peter who knew his obligation to prayer and ministry of the word.
There needed to be servants who could handle the distribution of food.

Does that mean that Peter thought feeding widows was beneath him?
Certainly not!

But it wasn’t good for the church to go spiritually hungry either.
You needed both!

Does that mean that there is never any overlap between the two?
No.

If you keep reading Acts you’ll find both Stephen and Philip preaching.
Certainly Peter served his brothers and widows from time to time.

But the main issue at hand has to do with qualifications and training.

When you read the list of qualifications the lists for deacons and elders are remarkably close and similar.

But there is one major exception.
Elders must be “able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2)

Paul will tell Titus:
Titus 1:9 “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”

Beyond that, and I think this is very interesting.

When Paul lays out the qualifications for deacons.
We read this peculiar verse.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 “Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”

Isn’t it strange that Paul is talking about deacons, then all of a sudden he mentions “Women” and then he is back to deacons again?

The KJV for years translated that word “their wives” and sought to settle the debate saying that it was just a qualification for deacon’s wives to meet.

And I certainly don’t think it’s a bad thing for a deacon to have a good wife.

But doesn’t it seem strange that Paul would give criteria for a deacon’s wife to fulfill but none for an overseer’s wife to fulfill?

In reality that word Paul uses is not the word for a wife, it is just the word for a woman.

And it is highly likely that he does so because the early church had women deacons.

Romans 16:1 “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;”

That word “servant” that Paul uses for Phoebe is the Greek word DIAKONOS

And if you’ll think, this makes so much sense.

When you’re delivering food, or one of the widows is bedridden, or perhaps she needs help taking a bath, or any of the other practical and hands-on physical ministries of the church, you’d much rather have a woman come in and help than a man.

So why don’t we have women deacons in the Baptist church?
Because we have wrongly elevated the office of deacon to an authoritative office and women are forbidden from preaching or having authority in the church.

It’s just an example of how doing things the wrong way robs the church of a beautiful blessing.

In reality, in the New Testament this is what we see.

We see churches with multiple pastors, elders, overseers, shepherds.
They are men who fit the qualifications.
They are men who are able to teach.
They are men who are trained in doctrine.
They are men who care spiritually for the flock.

They teach them, they counsel them, they encourage them, they correct them, they lead them, they feed them the word.

They protect the flock from heresy and deception.
They guide the flock in godliness and truth.

And in those churches we also see multiple deacons.
They serve the physical needs of the church.
They deliver the meals.
They meet the needs.

And it is a beautiful picture of care for the flock.
It is God’s ordained design so that His flock gets the absolute best care imaginable.

It is not a system meant to rob the congregation of her voice.
It is not a system meant to silence the sheep so that the elders can do whatever they want.

On the contrary, it is a system meant to care for the sheep.

I realize that there are many who oppose such a system because they have seen it abused, and clearly that is just as wrong.

Any group of elders who think it is their job to hide in a room and disregard the desires of the flock just to be in charge has no idea what their job is.

But let’s be honest, in our lives we’ve seen just as many bad deacon bodies do that as we have elder bodies do it.

The problem isn’t the structure, the problem is placing ungodly, unqualified, and untrained men in positions they should not be in.

Or when we place them in a position that they have no idea what their true responsibility before God is.

That is when things go bad.
It’s not a plurality of elders that is bad, it’s bad elders that is bad.

The Biblical model is multiple elders to oversee the church and multiple deacons to serve it.

Now, if you’re a little nervous (and I know that not everyone agrees with me on this, and that’s ok. I’ve told you it took me about 5 years to come around to it after being first introduced.)

If you’re nervous that I’m about to try to pull something on you, I assure you I am not.

We are currently training men, any men who want to be trained in leadership.

They have been emphatically told that just because they go through the training does not mean they were going to be elders or deacons.

This church will not follow the elder led model unless the church congregation sees fit to adopt such a model.

There’s no need to fight or get nervous here.
But I would say, don’t close your heart to it.

What God has designed here He has designed for the good of the flock and we’ll never adopt a better design than His.

The Title
The Job
The Plurality

Let’s consider one more thing about this elder issue before we dive into the qualifications next week.

4) THE APPOINTMENT

How does the church go about selecting elders?

Well on one hand we could just read the verse here and take it at face value.

Paul told Titus “appoint elders in every city as I directed you”

And I suppose one could say, “There it is.”
Titus was just supposed to go and pick some men make them elders over the church.

One could even quote:
Acts 14:23 “When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

And you could double down right there and say, “There it is, one elder just goes and appoints the others.”

Let me tell you why that doesn’t mean what it sounds like.

First of all, you have Titus who is going to travel to these churches all over Crete.

As I told you this morning some have thought there to have been around 100 cities on Crete and that would be a lot of churches.

There is no way Titus knew the men in those churches.
There is no way Titus, in a relatively short amount of time, was going to be remotely able to enter a church, select elders and ordain them.

You and I both know what Titus was going to do.

He was going to approach those churches, outline God’s plan for reform or straighten them out.

He was then going to outline God’s plan for leadership in their churches, namely that they needed elders.

He was then going to show them God’s qualifications for those men.

And you and I both know what he was going to do next.
He was going to ask the congregations if they had any men who fit this description?

Who knew those men better than the people who lived with them day in and day out?

That is what he’s going to mean by “above reproach”

Paul is going to tell Titus to examine their family life and their public ministry life.

And Titus is going to ask those congregations.
Do you have any guys here who have managed their families the right way?
Do you have any guys here who are living with the right attitude?

And someone will say, “Yes, Stephanos has” or “Yes, Marcus fits that criteria”.

And then what is he going to do?
He’s going to ask, “Does anyone here have any indictments of either of these men based on the criteria God has set forth?”
“Does anyone know of something about them that makes them unfit to fill that role?”

And if you can’t find any reproach then what is going to happen?

Well then Titus is going to appoint them.

Most likely he will question them doctrinally, but ultimately he will lay his hands on them and ordain them as elders and charge them to care for the flock.

Similar to what Paul told the Ephesian elders:

Acts 20:28-32 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

That is the sort of thing Titus would do.

And what you will end up with is a leadership identified by the congregation, qualified by the word of God, and appointed by those in leadership.

That’s how the deacons were selected wasn’t it?

Acts 6:3 “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.”

Peter told them to select qualified men and then Peter would put them in charge.

And I just point that out to you as well, because it is important for you to know that learning these qualifications is important for you.

You need to know what sort of man God has determined should be an elder.
You need to know what sort of man God has determined should be a deacon.

Because as this church begins to identify and select leaders in for our congregation you need to know:

Why you are selecting them.
What you are selecting them to do.
What office you are selecting them for.
What sort of training you are going to require them to complete.

You do not want to select unqualified or untrained leaders, that is a nightmare for the church.

So we study to see God’s plan for the leadership in the church.

Next time we’ll start talking about their qualifications.

download here

Leadership Matters – part 1
Titus 1:5-9 (5)
February 16, 2025

This morning we now come to Paul’s stated purpose for Titus.

There is really no debate to this for in verse 5
We read the phrase, “For this reason I left you in Crete…”

This letter is Titus’ marching orders.

IT IS CLEAR THAT
• He and Paul had already discussed the needs of Crete.
• Paul had already told Titus what to do.
• We actually see verse 5 end with the phrase, “as I directed you,”

What we have in the letter of Titus is Paul putting in writing
The verbal instruction that had already been given to Titus.

Before leaving Titus in Crete Paul had told him what to do.

NOW PAUL IS GONE,
• But to reinforce that conversation
• And to supply Titus with the written authority he needed to fulfill his mission,
• Paul wrote a letter back to remind and clarify why he was there.

We are grateful because we have access to the letter Paul wrote.

We get a direct view into the heart of the apostle
Regarding his expectation for the reform of the church.
We have God’s word regarding His expectation for the church.

So let’s begin examining this chief issue of the book.

I would remind you that there is a problem on the island of Crete.
That problem is what we might call “Crooked Churches”.

(1:10-14) “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.”

We know
• There has been a corrupt Jewish influence that has affected the church.
• Crete is an island of gluttonous evil beasts.
• One of Paul’s chief points is that the church must engage in good deeds.

THE REAL PROBLEM SEEMS TO BECOME CLEAR.

• Instead of standing against the culture…
• Instead of being a light in the darkness…
• Instead of walking in good deeds as a condemnation of the evil deeds of the people…

The churches in Crete have instead been influenced by their culture.
They don’t stand out anymore.
They don’t look different.

Adrian Rodgers said:
“Men are like rivers, they grow crooked from following the path of least resistance.”

That is what has happened on Crete.
• The churches look like the world.
• They have lost their distinctiveness.
• They have lost their moral high ground.
• They have lost their testimony to practical righteousness.

That should never happen, but let’s be honest…it does.

We should look, talk, and act different. We should pursue different things,
But there are times when the church backslides and fails to be different.

Titus was left on Crete because of this problem.

Let’s see the plan to fix it.

#1 THE PURPOSE
Titus 1:5a

“For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains…”

Titus was left there to “set in order what remains”

“set in order” is EPI-DEE-OR-THO-O

EPI and DI are both prepositions. (intensify)
ORTHOS is a word that means “straight or upright”

It is where we get our word orthodontics (straightening of teeth)
Or orthopedics (straightening the bones)

Titus was to totally, emphatically, thoroughly
Straighten out what was crooked among the churches of Crete.

We see the various commands given to Titus:

(1:10-11) “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”

(2:1) “But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.”

(2:15) “These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”

(3:1) “Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,”

And we could add to that the instruction Titus received regarding old men, old women, younger women, younger men, slaves, and citizens.

Titus was to correct their crooked living.
• He was to correct their crooked theology.
• He was to straighten out the churches and get them back on track.
• His job was to make them straight.

You can’t help but think of a ministry like John the Baptist:
John 1:23 “He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

There is a sense in which this is just basic ministry.

We see the same calling in the life of Timothy to the church at Ephesus.

1 Timothy 1:3 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,”

Timothy was supposed to clean up the doctrinal errors of the church.

1 Timothy 2:1 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,”

Timothy was supposed to create the prayer ministry of the church.

1 Timothy 2:8 “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”

1 Timothy 2:9-10 “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”

Timothy was supposed to instruct women in regard to their adornment and walk in the world.

And we could go on.
• 1 Timothy 3 he is supposed to reform the offices of overseer and deacon.
• 1 Timothy 5 he is supposed to reform the churches ministry to widows.
• 1 Timothy 6 he is supposed to reform the mentality of slaves.
• 1 Timothy 6 he is supposed to reform the thinking of the rich.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

THAT IS SORT OF WHAT MINISTRY IS.
It is a calling to straighten out what is crooked.

TITUS is called to do the same things.
• He is called to reform the church.
• He is called to straighten the church.
• He is called to “set in order what remains”

Titus was a spiritual chiropractor; he was a spiritual orthodontist.

And needless to say, this would be A DIFFICULT JOB.

We know people well enough to know that
Most people don’t like it when an outsider comes in
And tries to change the way you have grown accustomed to doing things.

Titus would have to travel throughout Crete.
• An island about 160 miles long and anywhere from 7 to 35 miles wide.
• One historian claimed there were over 100 cities on Crete
• Which could potentially mean there were 100 churches.

Titus is going to have to travel to them with Paul’s letter in hand.
• He is going to have to confront them.
• He is going to have to examine them.
• He is going to have to ask a lot of questions.
• He is going to have to correct their thinking.

• There’s going to be some personnel changes.
• There’s going to be some behavioral changes.
• There’s going to be reform in their ministries.

• There is going to be a refocus on areas like godliness, doctrinal truth, prayer,
and evangelism.

I just don’t think you can overstate the difficulty of the job
Titus is being asked to complete.

And I might also point out
He won’t have an enormous amount of time to complete it.

Paul writes at the end of this letter:
Titus 3:12 “When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.”

• Paul notified Titus that he would be at Nicopolis until spring and Titus is
expected to join him there before he would leave.

There is not a lot of time for one man to cover an island
And all of those churches and set them in order.

He’s going to have to enter those churches
• With the authoritative word of God
• With a focus to straighten out what is crooked
• And convince the churches to submit to his leadership.

Just ponder that a moment.
Think about what Titus is about to try to do.

We know in Scripture that sometimes jobs like this went really well.
We all love the letter Paul wrote to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

But it doesn’t always happen like this.
We remember some of the statements he made to the churches in Galatia:

Galatians 4:11 “I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”

Galatians 4:19-20 “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you— but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.”

Even in Paul’s ministry, some churches were a blessing of submission
And others were compared to being in labor pains.

I’m sure Titus would experience both extremes
And just about everything in between.
It was going to be difficult.

I think such a reality sort of requires us to wonder
How we’re going to accept such a letter from Paul through Titus to us?

It’s easy to sit in judgment of the churches on Crete for listening or not
But in reality this letter is for us too.

We have to wonder if we would be the type of congregation
That will resist the straightening out
That Titus was commissioned to bring.

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

We certainly would rather be a Thessalonica and a blessing
Than some stubborn congregation resisting the words of God.

What is occurring here is REFORMATION WORK

One of the phrases that came out of the Reformation was:
“Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda”

It means, “The Church Reformed, always Reforming”

One of the truths learned from the reformation is that
The church will always be a work in progress.

We are, after all, comprised of fallen men and women.
• While we have been justified in the sight of God,
• While we are in the process of being conformed into the image of Christ,
• WE ARE NOT THERE YET.

We sing the song, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”

WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE.
And so we are in constant need of reformation,
Both personally and corporately.

We are in need of Jesus to continually wash our feet with the water of His word and cleanse that worldly dust off of us.

We are need of continual correction and training.
We are in need of continual examination and leadership.

Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

• Paul knew that Timothy would need the word to teach men, reprove men, correct men, and train men.

It would be the word that would reform the church.

And then Paul commissioned Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:1-5 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

• Timothy didn’t just need to possess the word, he needed to preach it.
• He needed to actually “reprove, rebuke, [and] exhort”

There is a straightening work that must continually occur
In our lives and in the lives of the church.

Sometimes the church has to go to the orthodontist
And get her teeth straightened.

Well, that is what Titus is told to do.
HE WAS A REFORMER on the island of Crete.

That was His Purpose

#2 THE DIRECTIVE
Titus 1:5b-9

Let’s just begin with the remainder of verse 5.

“and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,”

Well there it is.
That infamous six-letter word “elders”.

• If we understand the necessity of leadership in the church…and we do.
• If we believe that God has outlined the leadership in the church…and we do.
• If we are interested in knowing what God has to say about it…and we are.

Then we’ve got to address that word.

Let’s talk about it.

1) THE TITLE

“elders”

It is the Greek word PRES-BOOT-ER-OS
And it simply means “an older man”

It was certainly quite common and understandable that
The leadership of a society was comprised of older men.

It is a title that came to be used of those in leadership in the church.
It is where we get our word for “Presbytery”

And we see this word used many many times in Scripture.
• All the way back in the Old Testament as those selected to help Moses with the leadership of Israel.
• In the gospels we see them as Jewish leaders, though almost exclusively in a negative light with the Pharisees and Sadducees.

But even when the church was born and began to develop her structure
We see this office of “elders” emerge.

• It was NOT a discarded title in the church.
• It was NOT an office that the New Testament church abandoned.
• It was an office that the New Testament church EMBRACED.

Paul actually tells Titus here to “appoint elders in every city”.

Peter references them in:
1 Peter 5:1 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,”

Luke, writing the book of Acts, references Paul’s meeting with the leaders at the church in Ephesus and he writes:
Acts 20:17 “From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.”

SO FIRST WE RECOGNIZE
That the title “elders” is NOT an obsolete Title.
• It is not a rejected Title in the New Testament.
• It is an approved, God-ordained office.

And the office shows up frequently.

Acts 11:30 “And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.”

Acts 14:23 “When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

Acts 15:2-6 “And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.”

Acts 15:22 “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren,”

1 Timothy 5:17 “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;”

1 Peter 5:5 “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

Clearly the office remained.
Clearly the office remains today.

We see men in the role of elders who are literally leading the church.
It is still a valid office and title.

I think sometimes titles get a negative connotation

Because they become more synonymous with certain denominations,
But this is a New Testament title, not a denominational one.

Now, what we do also recognize in the New Testament is that
Those who served as “elders” were not only called “elders”.

Those same men in that same office are also referred to by other titles.

For example, they are also referred to as “OVERSEERS”

1 Timothy 3:1 “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”

Philippians 1:1 “Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:”

Even those men whom Luke referred to as elders of the Ephesian church,
Later we see in that same chapter in Acts that
These men who are called elders functioned as overseers.

Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

This was the same office.
On one occasion called elders, on another occasion referred to as overseers.

The Greek word for “overseer” is E-PIS-KO-PAY
• We get our word “Episcopal” there.
• It is a word that speaks certainly of “oversight, direction, and correction.”

Twice that same word is translated as “visitation”
Luke 19:44 “and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

1 Peter 2:12 “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

So the word carries with it the connotation of like an inspector
Who shows up to visit and oversee the operation.

In many ways that is what Titus is doing on Crete.
He is going to visit the churches
To oversee their ministry and set them in order.

But that is a synonymous term with elders.

There is a third term that is also used synonymously and that is PASTOR or SHEPHERD.

The word “pastor” is only used once in the New Testament.
Ephesians 4:11 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,”

It is the Greek word POY-MANE
Every other time that word is used it is translated as “shepherd”.

The interesting point is that men who are called elders
Are often commanded to oversee and also shepherd God’s flock.

FOR EXAMPLE:
Those Ephesian elders are told:
Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

• So there you have men called “elders” back in verse 17,
• But in verse 28 as elders they have been made “overseers” and told to “shepherd”.

1 Peter 5:1-2 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;”

• Peter addresses “the elders among you”
• And tells them to “shepherd the flock of God”

These are synonymous terms.

And yet, I do think it is important to embrace all 3 of them
And not to seek to push one aside, or elevate one above the rest.

Each of these terms or titles is given for a specific reason
They each teach us something vitally important about the office.

FOR EXAMPLE:
The term “elders” – is a term that speaks a great deal of MATURITY.

When leadership are understood through the title of “elders”
• We see that we are NOT looking for “hip” and “trendy”
• We are looking for “spiritually mature”.
• We are looking for men who know God and walk with God
• And who have known God for quite some time.

1 Timothy 3:6 “and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.”

Interesting that Paul doesn’t list that qualification in Titus,
Only in 1 Timothy.

But perhaps by telling Titus to “appoint elders”
The maturity level was understood.

So this is an important title to emphasize
The importance of spiritual maturity among those who lead the church.

The term “overseer” is also important as it denotes AUTHORITY.

We know that God is our ultimate authority
And that He delegates authority down from Him.

And as such He has given His authority
To those who lead the church over the churches they lead.

• Just as God gives civil magistrates authority over the people…
• Just as God gives husbands authority over their wives…
• Just as God gives parents authority over their children…
• So also God has given authority to leaders over their congregations…

It is an important title to emphasize that we are under God’s authority,
And that this authority is delegated through His appointed leadership.

And the term “shepherd” or “pastor” is important because it denotes MINISTRY OR CARE over the congregation.

• The church doesn’t just want a spiritually mature man to give advice.
• The church doesn’t just want an overseer to make decisions.
• The church wants a shepherd to guide and protect and care for the flock.

That title is also very important.

In a day when pastors want to be CEO’s
Or even remain only in the realm of theological debaters
It is good to remind them that they are shepherds.

John 21:16 “He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

Peter learned that.
• He was no longer a fisherman, he was a shepherd.
• His purpose was the care of the flock.

So I think you understand why the different titles are given
And why they are all important.

We are talking here about spiritually mature men
Who have been given authority to lead the flock
And the purpose of that authority is that they might care for the flock.

That is all bound up in the titles.

But that then leads us to a second point of discussion we need to have about elders and that is:

2) THE JOB

What is the job of an elder?

Well as we consider the point being made in the book of Titus
It is clear that Paul has in mind here
A man who will hold the church straight.

Years ago Hannah went to the orthodontist to get braces.
They straightened her teeth.

• But she was also told that if there was not a deliberate focus on keeping her
teeth straight that they would naturally return to the previous state.
• So, she has to wear a retainer every night when she sleeps.
• The retainer didn’t straighten the teeth, but it does keep them straight.

AND THIS IS WHY TITUS IS TOLD TO APPOINT ELDERS.

• Titus would come and “set in order what remains”
• And then “appoint elders in every city”
• So that the elders would then keep the church on her appointed path.

THERE IS CERTAINLY AN AUTHORITY ISSUE IN PLAY HERE.

Paul told Timothy about this:
1 Timothy 5:17 “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

Paul there speaks of “elders who rule well”

That Greek word is PROYSTAY-ME
It can be translated “rule” or “manage” or “lead”

1 Thessalonians 5:12 “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,”

There it is translated “have charge”

1 Timothy 3:4 “He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity”

There it is “manages”

AND THIS IS THE JOB.
As we said a moment ago,
• All authority trickles down from God and the church is no different.
• Everything God establishes He establishes under authority and this also goes for the church.

God has placed leaders in the church who have authority.
They rule, they manage, they lead, they have charge.

The church is called to submit to and honor such men.

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

1 Corinthians 16:15-16 “Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints), that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors.”

AND LOOK, I AM AWARE
That just to read those verses of Scripture actually offends some people in the church who think it is a foolish notion.

The very idea that God would place leaders in the church
To whom the congregation is supposed to submit
IS AN UNPOPULAR TRUTH.

But it is not unpopular because it is wrong or unbiblical.
It is unpopular because we live in an individualistic culture
That hates the notion of submission.

Everywhere you look in our culture PEOPLE HATE SUBMISSION.

Tell people they are to submit to the governing authorities and see what kind of response you receive.
• They’ll start throwing up all sorts of examples of governmental waste and corruption and emphatically declare that I don’t have to do what they say.

Tell wives in our culture that they are supposed to submit to their husbands
• Women all over the place will rebel and right and kick and stomp.

Kids in our culture no longer feel the need to submit to their parents,
• They think their parents are idiots and don’t know what they are talking about.

Workers no longer feel the need to submit to their bosses,
• They just want a paycheck, but they don’t want their boss telling them what to do.

Our society doesn’t like to submit to the police,
• Instead they disdain them and mock them and rebel.

YOU SEE THE PATTERN EVERYWHERE.

The reason people hate submission is not because it is unbiblical,
But because we are sinful culture that rejects the authority of God.

This world is full of “liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons”

THE CHURCH IS CALLED TO BE DIFFERENT.

• God said we have to be in subjection to the governing authorities.
• God said that children have to obey and honor their parents.
• God said that wives have to submit to and honor their husbands.
• And God said that the church must submit to and honor their leaders.

Leadership is just part of it.
Authority is just part of it.
AND THE CHURCH SHOULD BE THE CHIEF EXAMPLE.

NOW CERTAINLY
We also understand God’s ordained form of leadership.

When God gave headship to husbands
Over their wives he also commanded them to “love their wives as Christ loved the church”

When God gave authority to parents
Over their children he also commanded them to not “provoke their children to anger but to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

When God gave the government authority
Over the society he also commanded them to “reward good behavior and punish evil behavior”

And this is also true among elders
Who rule or manage or oversee the church.

1 Peter 5:1-3 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.”

The leadership of an elder is not a dominating type leadership.
• Just like a husband is told not to dominate his wife.
• Just like a father does not provoke his children.
• So an elder does not lord his authority over the congregation.

He IS in a leadership position.
He DOES have authority from God.
He IS to oversee and to manage.
And he will stand before God and give an account of his leadership.

Elders are called to shepherd.
The church is called to submit.
And that very relationship is a testimony to the world.

We’ve obviously got a lot more to say on this subject,
But we’ll have to leave it there for this morning.

But hopefully you’re beginning to see
God’s revealed plan for elders in the church.

download here

The Ministry – part 5
Titus 1:1-4 (3c-4)
February 9, 2025

Back to our discussion regarding the ministry.

We are looking at Paul’s ministry
As a model for what our ministry should look like.

#1 HIS CREDENTIALS
Titus 1:1a

He was “a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ”

This was his authority and the letter he wrote now becomes our authority.

#2 HIS CALLING
Titus 1:1b-2a

“for the faith of those chosen of God and knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life”

His calling was:
• Evangelism
• Edification
• Encouragement

So is ours.

#3 HIS CONFIDENCE
Titus 1:2b-3a

“which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word”

He knew the sovereign God of the universe made a promise to His Son
And God keeps His promises.

Paul therefore was confident that his ministry would be successful.
And we are confident too.

#4 HIS COMMISSION
Titus 1:3b

“in the proclamation with which I was entrusted”

God commissioned Paul by entrusting him with the gospel
And commissioning him to proclaim it.

We understand that commission as well.

As part of the church we are “the pillar and support of the truth”
• We are stewards of the gospel
• We have been entrusted with true doctrine
• And we also have been commissioned to proclaim it.

His commission is our commission.

TONIGHT let’s move forward and see the 5th reality of Paul’s ministry.

#5 HIS COMMANDER
Titus 1:3c

“according to the commandment of God our Savior”

Sort of like we did this morning, there are a couple of words (or phrases)
I want us to specifically focus on here as well.

1) “COMMANDMENT OF GOD”

We recognize very quickly that this is not a suggestion.
• This IS NOT a recommendation.
• This IS a commandment.

This is a commandment directly from God.

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

We have God who has issued us a command.

That really is just as simple and important as it sounds.

We have marveled during our Sunday night Scripture reading through Leviticus as we repeatedly see the phrase, “just as the LORD had commanded Moses”

• We have recognized all those intricate commands about anointing the priests, selecting the offering, and sacrificing the offering.

We know that these commands were so serious
That one’s life depended on it.

Leviticus 8:35 “At the doorway of the tent of meeting, moreover, you shall remain day and night for seven days and keep the charge of the LORD, so that you will not die, for so I have been commanded.”

And certainly that rang true in tonight’s Scripture reading
As we looked Nadab and Abihu who
“offered strange fire before the LORD”

And God incinerated them from the inside out.

And no sooner did God kill them
Then did a warning get issued to Aaron their father.

Leviticus 10:6 “Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, so that you will not die and that He will not become wrathful against all the congregation. But your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, shall bewail the burning which the LORD has brought about.”

Leviticus 10:9-10 “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations— and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean,”

Do you suppose that being careful to obey the LORD was a little more urgent after that?

You know it was.

I don’t know when this modern-day mindset of “optional obedience” became so popular, but it is extremely dangerous.

When God gives a command He expects obedience.

So look at that statement again:
“according to the commandment of God”

What if your boss gave you a piece of information and entrusted you to carry it to a client across town and told you to take it? Would you?

• Yes, because he’s my boss and I could get fired for not doing my job.

What if your spouse entrusted you with a check and told you to deliver to a certain person? Would you?

• Well yes, because that is my spouse and I certainly desire to please them.

What if your parent gave you an important document and asked you to deliver it? Would you?

• Well yes, because they are my parents and I am called to do what they say or honor them.

What if the government gave you a license and required you to present it publicly before you travel? Would you?

• Well yes, because they have the power to alter my plans if I don’t do what they say.

You are catching my point aren’t you.

AND YET
• This is not the commandment of your boss
• This is not the commandment of your spouse
• This is not the commandment of your parent
• This is not the commandment of the government

This is “the commandment of God”
• The One who sits enthroned above the circle of the earth.
• The One who calls the earth His footstool.
• The One in whom you live and move and exist.
• The One who ordains your days.
• The One who is responsible to meet your needs.
• The One who will judge the living and the dead.

We are talking about a commandment from God here.

As we consider this even further, I want to call your mind back
To one of the words we looked at this morning.

We finished off this morning sort of examining the issue
Of being “entrusted” with the gospel.

I want you to understand that being “entrusted” is no small thing to God.

Matthew 24:45-51 “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

You see a reference to a man being commissioned to feed the household.
• If he does what he has been commanded then he will be rewarded.
• If he fails to do what he has been commanded he will be judged.

You ask what that has to do
With preaching or being entrusted with the gospel?

But that is precisely what Jesus is talking about.

Do you remember Matthew 13 and all the parables of the kingdom?
• The soils
• The wheat and the tares
• The leaven
• The mustard seed
• The treasure in the field
• The pearl of great value
• The dragnet

Jesus did all sorts of teaching to the disciples about the kingdom.
He enlightened to the truths of the kingdom.

And then He said:
Matthew 13:51-52 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Do you understand the reference?
• You have been entrusted with the truth.
• He has given you the gospel.
• And you are commanded to be faithful by proclaiming it.

In Matthew 25 Jesus gave the parable of the talents.
Do you remember the outcome for those who obeyed versus those who disobeyed?

Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’”

But the one who disobeyed:
Matthew 25:26-30 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

IT IS NOT A SMALL THING TO DISOBEY GOD.

We have here an expectation that we will be faithful to go and make disciples by proclaiming the truth He has entrusted to us.

Paul certainly understood that requirement.
We love his perspective in 2 Corinthians 5

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

That is tremendous perspective isn’t it?

Because God has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation.
Because God has commanded us to proclaim His gospel to the world.
WE DO IT.

This command for Paul was primary.
This was not some secondary or auxiliary ministry.

Paul knew why he was here.
• He was on a mission
• He was on a journey
• He was in a race
• He had a task

AND SO DO WE.
It is just imperative that we view our ministries in the same way.

Don’t treat your ministry from God
As some sort of optional, auxiliary, secondary ministry.

This is your ministry in your family.
This is your ministry at your work.
This is your ministry in the community.
This is your ministry in our church.

It is “the commandment of God”

The second phrase we want to pay attention to tonight here is:

2) “OUR SAVIOR”

And you have to love this from Paul.

When he mentions that God has given us a command
He doesn’t come at this with a threatening tone,

Though he most certainly could have
as the Scriptures we have read already have made clear.

Paul comes at this with an eye to obligation or perhaps even gratitude.
We are not being commissioned to serve a heartless tyrant.
We are not being commissioned to serve a ruthless dictator.

The One we are being commissioned to serve is “God our Savior”
• He is the One who took on human flesh and dwelt among us.
• He is the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf.
• He is the One who laid down His life on a cross.
• He is the One who daily intercedes on our behalf.
• He is the One who is returning to rescue us from the present evil age.

That is who has entrusted us with the message of His gospel
That we might proclaim it to the world.

Do you sense an obligation there?

Romans 1:14-15 “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”

Paul saw his ministry
Not only as one of submission to the God of the universe,
But also as a debt that he owed to the Savior of his soul.

Remember when Paul was warned not to go to Jerusalem?
Acts 21:8-14 “On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

That was a man who felt an obligation to the One who saved him.
• Paul saw himself as enslaved to Christ.
• Paul saw his life as intertwined with Christ.
• Paul saw himself as a man owned by Christ and indebted to Christ.

Have you heard him reference being bought with a price?
He believed that.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and 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 up for me.”

And in the book of Titus
This will be an appeal he will make to Titus and to us.

Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

And that brings up an entirely new set of motivations for us.

Certainly we are commanded, but we are also indebted.
We have been called to make known the One who saved us.

Jesus said it like this:
John 20:21 “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Perhaps we would have a different feel
If our Lord had not first been a missionary in order to save us.

• Perhaps we would feel less obligated had He not left His home to come to ours.

• Perhaps we would feel less obligated had He not suffered among evil men to find us in their midst.

• Perhaps we would feel less obligated had He not died upon His mission field to save His own.

But Christ did come.
Christ did suffer.
Christ did die.
And Christ said that just like the Father sent Him, so He has sent us.

THIS IS THE MINISTRY.

And it is the ministry we all signed up for
When we agreed to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.

Don’t make that secondary in your life.
THAT IS PRIMARY.
• Don’t abandon it.
• Don’t neglect it.
• Don’t retire from it.

You have a ministry, fulfill it.
You have “the commandment of God our Savior”

Paul’s Credentials, Paul’s Calling, Paul’s Confidence, Paul’s Commission, Paul’s Commander

#6 HIS COLLEAGUE
Titus 1:4

Here we address who the letter is written to.
• It helps us understand who Paul’s example is for.
• And we begin to understand why Paul wrote.

Paul was in the ministry.
• He was already traveling calling sinners to repentance.
• He was already teaching the saved to be like Christ.
• He was already encouraging the hearts of the weary.

• He was obeying the command
• He was valuing the treasure
• He was proclaiming the truth out of gratitude to Christ.

SO WHY THE LETTER?
Because Paul’s mission was not a one-man effort.
Paul was recruiting others to join him.

He writes “To Titus, my true child in a common faith;”
• He will go on to say, “For this reason I left you in Crete…”

Paul had an expectation for Titus.
He had a plan for him.
• It is a missionary strategy.
• It is a missionary cooperation.

Just like Paul had told Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:1-2 “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

That is the goal isn’t it?

That is why we read this letter.
• Paul is calling out support.
• He is calling out those who will join the work.

• If Titus would go to Crete then Paul could go somewhere else.
• If Timothy would work in Ephesus then Paul could go somewhere else.

If you and I will work in Spur, others can work where they are.

So Paul recruits laborers to join.

SO WHY TITUS?

1) HE IS A “TRUE CHILD”

Titus was selected because
He is a genuine, fruit-bearing, believer.

Paul wasn’t interested in recruiting people who were not genuinely redeemed.
• He needed Spirit-filled men, not empty religious people.

IT IS ONE THING TO
• Attend church
• Sing songs
• Know how to be moral people in west Texas.

IT IS ANOTHER THING TO
• Ask people to get up out of the pew,
• Go out the doors,
• And proclaim Christ to the world.

You can do the first without a relationship with Christ,
But it’s hard to do the second without Him.

Titus was selected because he was “a true child”

I certainly can’t speak for anyone else, but I know this about myself.
• I grew up in church.
• I was raised in a believing family.
• I attended all the functions.
• I was baptized at 8 years old.

But it wasn’t until I was truly saved at 19 years old
That the Spirit of God moved in
And I had any inclination of sharing Christ with anyone.

And I know this.
True gospel ministry is not something that the flesh desires.
• The flesh doesn’t like evangelism
• The flesh doesn’t like exhorting a brother.
• The flesh doesn’t like dealing with others in their burdens.

IT TAKES A TRUE BELIEVER TO BE A TRUE MINISTER.

And if you are a true believer…the church needs you!

It matters.
Titus was also selected

2) HE HAD A “COMMON FAITH”

That is to say his doctrine was accurate.
Titus knew the gospel.
Titus understood the truth.

It did no good to commission a man
Who does not know the Lord to do mission work
And it does no good to commission a man
Who doesn’t know the truth.

We showed that Paul Washer video this morning as an example.

I am probably not quite as rigid as the point he makes in that video.
• I am eager for new believers to participate in missions.
• I know those recently converted can immediately go and share what they
learned.

However, I do whole-heartedly agree with the necessity of training as well.
• You must know the gospel if you are going to go.
• You must have an understanding of the truth.

If any of you ever end up going with me some day to Africa
To visit these churches in Tanzania or Kenya

You will immediately become aware of how hungry they are for the truth.

They will ask you question after question after question about the Scriptures and about true doctrine.

You must know it. You must understand it.

Titus was recruited by Paul because of his genuine conversion
And because of his understanding of the faith.

Now, don’t try to breathe a sigh of relief here.

DON’T SAY, “Well I guess I’m off the hook. Since I don’t really feel qualified with a knowledge of the truth, it’s probably best I don’t go.”

If you are unqualified because you don’t’ know the truth
THEN GET TO STUDYING.

Let me read it again:
Hebrews 5:12-13 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.”

It is time to grow up and learn the truth.
• Have your senses trained to discern good and evil.
• Learn the gospel and the faith handed down.

When you stand before God on that final day
And He asks why you did not participate in His mandate to take the gospel to the world, “I didn’t know enough” will not be a valid excuse.

START LEARNING!

I’ve told you of several men in our church going through leadership training.
• We have it for men.
• We have it for women.
• We have it for those who want to be elders.

Those who have participated in it can tell you what it is.
IT IS SIMPLY LEARNING DOCTRINE.

• There are overviews of books of the bible.
• There are doctrinal truths to consider.
• There are qualifications to examine.

BECAUSE EVERY BELIEVER
NEEDS TO BE TRAINED TO BE A MISSIONARY.

You may not be an elder.
You may not be a deacon.
But God commissions us all to take the gospel to the lost.

We are accountable to learn it.

Titus was selected because he was truly redeemed
And because he knew the gospel accurately.

MAKE THAT YOUR AMBITION.

And then this opening section closes with a statement of grace to Titus.

“Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.”

Paul uses that phrase all the time.
He loves to offer both “grace and peace”.
We need and desire both.

Both of those are found in abundance
When you walk in obedience to Christ.

It is when we walk in disobedience
That “grace and peace” seem the farthest from us.

But when we obey the Lord,
Even to undertake the task of missions
HIS grace is sufficient & His peace passes all understanding.

Paul enjoyed it in his ministry.
• Paul offered it to Titus.
• And it is available to you as well.

So tonight, we just sort of wrap up this opening segment in Titus.

And we recognize what ministry is.
• Evangelism
• Edification
• Encouragement.

We know how to fulfill it.
• We proclaim the truth that has been entrusted to us.

We know who it is for.
• True believers who have an accurate understanding of the gospel.

We know why we do it.
• We are commanded by God and we obligated by our Savior.

We know why this letter has been preserved for us.
• Because it is expected that we will join in the mission.

I just encourage you to embrace your ministry.

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

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The Ministry – part 4
Titus 1:1-4 (3b)
February 9, 2025

As you know, we have started our study of the book of Titus
And we are dealing with the issue of ministry.

We are all ministers.
We all have a ministry.

It is true that our ministries may be diverse
In regard to size and scope and audience,
But we each have a ministry to which we are called to be faithful.

Here in the opening verses of Titus
We are gaining some clarity regarding the basics of ministry.

• We are certainly examining Paul’s ministry,
• But in reality his ministry was meant to be an example for Titus
• And ultimately us as well who now possess this great letter.

In this opening segment there are 6 main points that we take away from Paul’s ministry.

#1 HIS CREDENTIALS
Titus 1:1a

“Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ”

Paul identified himself as one with authority.
• Commonly the Old Testament prophets were recognized as God’s servants, a title that would have been recognizable to the Jews on Crete.
• And certainly the New Testament reveals to us the apostles as those endowed with God’s authority.

Paul didn’t just speak, he spoke the words of God
And as such this letter came with authority.

Titus was not a prophet, nor an apostle,
But he would stand upon Paul’s authority every time he read this letter.

WE DO THE SAME.

Our credentials are that we have the words of God
Preserved for us in the Bible
And the words of God deserve to be proclaimed and obeyed.

#2 HIS CALLING
Titus 1:1b-2a

“for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life”

Paul’s ministry was clear.
• Evangelism
• Edification
• Encouragement

And as we said, that is our ministry too.
• It may not be behind a pulpit…
• It may not be on a foreign mission field…
• It may be primarily in your living room…
• It may be primarily amongst a co-worker…

But the ministry is the same.
• We seek to evangelize the lost.
• We seek to edify the redeemed.
• We seek to encourage the weary.

THAT IS THE CALLING.

#3 HIS CONFIDENCE
Titus 1:2b-3a

“which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word,”

We discussed this Sunday night as we recognized
How important confidence is in the ministry.

Those who have no confidence
Typically either neglect their ministry or they distort it.

• They either fail to participate out of fear of failure or reproach,
• Or they seek to twist what God has called them to do to try and be more successful by their own ingenuity.

A LACK OF CONFIDENCE IS A PROBLEM.

Self-confidence is also a problem
• Since it stinks of pride which comes before destruction,
• And it was Jesus who told us that “apart from Me, you can do nothing.”

So we don’t want self-confidence, but we do want confidence.

WHERE DOES TRUE CONFIDENCE COME FROM?
The sovereign character and promises of God.

Paul taught us that God “cannot lie”.
• It is totally against His nature to do so and therefore impossible.
• It cannot happen.

And that is good news
Because we know that God made an interesting promise.

God promised eternal life to those whom He had chosen.

And according to Paul, He made this promise “long ages ago”
• Literally that phrase means “before time began”

There were no humans there before time began.
There were no angels before time began.
But there was God and He was making a promise.
But if God was the only One who was He making a promise to?

The answer: HIMSELF

It was a promise from the Father to the Son before time began
Of a redeemed bride who would honor, worship, and adore Him
For all eternity.

You see Jesus reference this several times in both John 6 and John 17
As those whom the Father had given Him.

So before time began God promised Jesus a redeemed bride
And since God cannot lie, we have no doubt that it will occur.

And that promise was “manifested” to us in God’s word.

THIS WAS THE SOURCE OF PAUL’S CONFIDENCE.
• He knew that his preaching would result in the salvation of the lost,
• He knew his preaching would result in the sanctification of the saved,
• He knew his preaching would result in the satisfaction of the elect,

Not because he was such a good preacher, but because the Father had promised the Son that He would accomplish it.

Since God cannot lie, we know it will happen.

You can have confidence in that as well.
You can know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Well THIS MORNING let’s move forward again.
It is about time we started talking about the methods
Paul would use to fulfill this ministry calling he had been given.

WE NEED TO KNOW THIS.
What method are we to use to fulfill the calling to evangelize the lost, edify the redeemed, and encourage the weary?

#4 HIS COMMISSION
Titus 1:3b

“His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted”

As we look at this commission, I want us to focus in on two words here:

1) “PROCLAMATION”

It is no surprise to us that Paul reveals the method
Through which he was to fulfill his calling was preaching.

Paul was commissioned to proclaim the word.

More specifically he would proclaim,
• The promise that God had made to the Son before time began…
• The promise to save a bride for His joy and glory…
• The promise to sanctify them and grant them eternal life…
• The promise which God had revealed through His word…

Paul was commissioned to go and proclaim that message.

I’M GOING TO HOLD BEFORE YOU THAT THIS IS OUR COMMISSION TOO

NOW,
No one is going to miss the fact that
The book of Titus talks a lot about methods.
And repeatedly laid before us is the call to “good deeds”

• We saw it in our intro to the book:
• 6 times in this letter Paul talks about the importance of “good deeds”.

No book in the New Testament concentrates more
On the importance of good works than Titus.

This letter hinges upon the command of Jesus:
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

So it would be very easy to say, “No, the method in the book of Titus is not preaching, the method is good works!”

It would be very easy to say, “The method through which we are called to evangelize the lost, edify the saved, and encourage the weary is to do good deeds in their midst.”

Beyond that:
• We know that good works are vitally important.
• We are going to be called to participate in good works.
• A church without good works is in a terrible condition.

So obviously we are NOT SAYING that
Good works aren’t an important method of our ministry,
Or that we have not been commissioned to good works.

HOWEVER:
It is very important that we keep all things
In their proper order and for their proper purpose.

Paul will also be very clear in this letter to Titus
What is the purpose of those good deeds.

He says it several ways, but perhaps the most clear is when Paul speaks about young women, saying:
Titus 2:5 “[encourage the young women] to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

The good deeds given as the responsibility of young women
Comes with a purpose and that purpose is
“so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

That statement brings great clarity to the purpose of good deeds.

We might throw in what Paul says to bond-servants:
Titus 2:10 “not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.”

Again, their good deeds come with a purpose and that purpose is to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.”

So we learn that good deeds are meant to
Protect and adorn our proclamation of the word of God.
Good deeds serve to supplement the doctrine we preach.

And in their role, they are very important.

BUT DO NOT REVERSE THE ROLE.

Your works are meant to adorn your preaching,
But they are not designed to supplant it.

People do not just need to see your good deeds,
They must hear the gospel and then see your good deeds.

And I fear much of the “humanitarian” type ministries of the church today miss this point.

I hear people say things like, “We do everything we do ‘In Jesus Name’”

But let’s be honest for a second about that.
What does that mean?

I know what it likely means to you.
• It means that you are doing the things you do for Jesus’ sake.
• You are doing them to highlight Christ’s love and compassion.
• You are seeking to emulate Christ’s behavior towards the least of these.
• In submission to Christ you are doing the things Christ called you to do.

And there is nothing in the world wrong with that.
In fact, that is a noble calling and a noble purpose and a noble motive.

BUT let’s consider the person you are doing the good deeds for.
Let’s consider the recipient of your generosity or compassion.

You go to some foreign country
• Where they may have never even heard the name of Jesus,
• And even if they have, they don’t really know anything about Him.

And you drill them a water well “in Jesus Name”.

What are they supposed to do with that?
They don’t even know who He is.

Or let’s bring it closer to home.

You go and pay a water bill for someone in Spur,
Or you go and mow someone’s yard
And you tell them you are doing it “In Jesus’ Name”

Surely they have heard about Jesus.
Surely they know who He is.

BUT DO THEY?
In America what version of Jesus do you suppose they’ve been told about?

Do you suppose they know the Biblical Jesus or one of the many distorted versions of Him?
• Have they been told about the Jesus of the gospels or the Jesus of
Catholicism?
• Have they been told about the Jesus who demanded righteousness and then
fulfilled righteousness?
• Have they been told about the Jesus whose greatest concern was not your
poverty, but your sin?
• Have they been told about the Jesus who paid the penalty for the unrighteous
on the cross? And who bids you leave sin and follow Him?

• OR do they only know about the Jesus who doesn’t care what you do so long
as you are true to yourself?
• OR the Jesus whose only goal is to make you healthy, wealthy, and happy?

DO YOU SEE MY POINT?

Doing good deeds, even “in Jesus Name”
Is not enough and it is not sufficient.
Those good deeds are only effective after the truth is proclaimed.

And so while Paul will certainly emphasize
The importance of good deeds throughout this letter,
It was NOT good deeds that he listed as his primary mission.

Paul’s primary mission is “proclamation”, good deeds come later.

People must hear the word of God.

Now think back for a moment to the calling that Paul revealed on his life.

Evangelism – “for the faith of those chosen of God.”
Edification – “the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness”
Encouragement – “in the hope of eternal life”

But the question we are dealing with now is:
HOW DO YOU ACCOMPLISH THOSE GOALS?
What was he supposed to do?

Was he supposed to go out and feed the poor
And just hope that it motivated the lost to salvation, the redeemed to godliness, and gave the hope of eternal life to the weary?

It would have to be a pretty spectacular lasagna to accomplish all that.

No, Paul’s tool was God’s word, and Paul’s method was to preach it.

And listen, Scripture speaks volumes on this.

Consider the calling to EVANGELISM.
And consider the word as your tool.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

1 Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

2 Timothy 4:1-5 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

And there are many many more texts we could reference to make this point,
But I think this is enough.

You see that if your calling is to evangelize the lost;
If your calling is to call out the chosen
Then the tool you want to use is the proclamation of God’s word.

Paul actually told Timothy that this would “ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

He later told Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist”
And this was done by being faithful to “preach the word”.

If you want to be faithful in evangelism
Then you must be faithful to proclaim the words of God.

Consider the calling to EDIFICATION
And again consider the word as your tool.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

What is it that works in those who believe?
It is “the word of God”

Remember what Peter taught?
2 Peter 1:2-3 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

Peter said that God has given us everything we need “pertaining to life and godliness”
And this comes “through the true knowledge of Him who called us”

We teach the word to those who believe
Because it is the knowledge of Christ in His word
That will lead men to godliness.

Even the method of Jesus:
Ephesians 5:25-26 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

How does Jesus sanctify His bride?
He washes her “by the washing of water with the word”

So how are you going to fulfill your ministry
Of taking the redeemed and pushing them to godliness?

What good work that you will do is going to accomplish that in someone’s life?

What benevolent gift are you going to give to make someone look more like Jesus?

And I might even throw one other thing in here.
• Even people who already have access to the word of God.
• Even people who you might be tempted just to attach a bible verse to your benevolent gift.

Consider this point:
Acts 8:26-31 “But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”

There was a man who had a bible and was reading it,
But still needed someone to explain it to him.

The Bible is meant to be proclaimed and explained
By those who know it and understand it.

Ephesians 4:11-12 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;”

• If you want to see the lost saved…
• If you want to see the saved be sanctified…
Then God’s word must be proclaimed.

Or consider your calling to ENCOURAGEMENT
And again consider the word as your tool.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

Paul took the truth, revealed in Scripture and told the Thessalonians to use those words to “encourage one another and build up one another”.
• The Thessalonians were heavily persecuted
• They needed the hope of eternal life,
• Nothing could supply that like the revealed truth of God’s word.

And you know this:
Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

It is through “the encouragement of the Scriptures”
That “we might have hope.”

Have you not seen the encouragement of the Scriptures in your own life?
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

This list could truly go on forever if we started down the path of quoting Bible verses that gave us hope in times of despair or uncertainty.

Now someone might say, “Yes, but don’t you think a good deeds is encouraging?”

Like when someone loses a loved one and you take them a meal?
Doesn’t that act of love lift their spirits?

IT ABSOLUTELY DOES.
• There is absolutely encouragement in knowing that people care about you.
• There is absolutely encouragement in having a temporal burden like food
removed from you.

We aren’t saying that good deeds can’t encourage.

But we’re not talking about just any old routine encouragement are we?
We are talking about “the hope of eternal life”.

We are talking about the type of encouragement
• That takes a person completely out of the burden of the moment
• And lifts their hopes to the reality that God has created something better for those who love Him.

Again, that better be a tremendous lasagna.

Only the truth of the word of God does that.

So while good deeds are important, necessary, and commanded,
Don’t misapply the purpose.

Good deeds adorn the gospel, they don’t replace it.

If Paul truly wanted to fulfill his calling
Of evangelism, edification, and encouragement

Then first and foremost he must be one
Who proclaimed the revealed truth of God.

God’s word is the power that is needed
To accomplish everything you have been called to do.

Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”

And nothing can stop it.
2 Timothy 2:8-9 “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.”

We love the history of the Reformation and the great work which God did through simple men.

I love the quote of Luther regarding his work to reform the church.
“What is Luther? The teaching is not mine. Nor was I crucified for anyone … How did I, poor stinking bag of maggots that I am, come to the point where people call the children of Christ by my evil name? … I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything.”

Luther: 'The Word Did Everything'

He knew where the power came from.
• It was not his boldness or charisma
• It was not his charity or compassion
• It was not his good deeds or tireless efforts
• It was the word.

When Spurgeon spoke of missionaries he wrote:
“…there is not enough preaching by ministers and missionaries. They sit down interpreting, establishing schools, and doing this, that, and the other. We have nothing to find fault with this; but that it was not the labor to which they should devote themselves: their office is preaching, and, if they preached more, they might hope for more success.”
(Spurgeon, Charles Haddon: “Spurgeon’s Sermons – Volumes 1-2”; [Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49516, Fifth Printing – October 2007] pg. 332)

He understood that the greatest power we possess
• To rescue sinners from bondage,
• And see men put aside the flesh in sanctification,
• And see men rescued from the pits of despair

Is to give them the power of the word.

Another famous saying by Spurgeon:
“Suppose a number of persons were to take it into their heads that they had to defend a lion, full-grown king of beasts! There he is in the cage, and here come all the soldiers of the army to fight for him. Well, I should suggest to them, if they would not object, and feel that it was humbling to them, that they should kindly stand back, and open the door, and let the lion out! I believe that would be the best way of defending him, for he would take care of himself; and the best ‘apology’ for the gospel is to let the gospel out.”

6 Quotes Spurgeon Didn’t Say

That is another way of speaking of the power of the word of God.
LET IT OUT.
• Proclaim it and see the lost saved.
• Proclaim it and see the saved be transformed into Christ-likeness.
• Proclaim it and see the weary encouraged.

If we are serious about our calling
Then we must acknowledge the tool that will fulfill it.

Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”

So you see the importance of the word “proclamation”

There is one more word in this segment that I want us to focus upon.

2) “ENTRUSTED”

Paul said, “the proclamation with which I was entrusted”

The reason you need to grasp that word is because
It gives us great insight into the value of the word of God.

When Paul speaks of God’s word he speaks of it
As a precious treasure that must be guarded.

THAT IS TO SAY,
We don’t just proclaim God’s word,
But we defend it and make sure that it is proclaimed accurately.

A distorted proclamation of God’s word won’t help anyone.
We have plenty of that in our world already.

• We need those who will rightly divide the word of truth.
• We need those who will preach the whole counsel of the word of God.
• We need those who will study to show themselves approved.

Jude 1:3 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

Most people today read that and think Jude wants you to go into apologetic training through scientific research, but that is not Jude’s point.

He wants you to study harder and learn more thoroughly
“the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

He is not calling you to study science, philosophy, reason, and archaeology to better argue with a non-believer.

Jude is calling to you study the word even more
So that you can spot a distortion and correct those who malign it.

Wasn’t the one of Paul’s points to Titus?

Paul said elders must know the word for this reason:
Titus 1:9-11 “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”

Listen to how Paul spoke to Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”

2 Timothy 1:14 “Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”

And because Timothy had been entrusted with such a treasure,
He was to fight to preserve it.

2 Timothy 1:18 “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,”

2 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

What we are discussing here is your perspective on the word of God.

Understanding this will help you better appreciate
Why Paul was so eager to proclaim it.

It was Paul’s love for the word that prompted his commitment to it.

He saw himself as one who had been entrusted with
The greatest treasure humanity had ever received, the very words of God.

1 Corinthians 4:1 “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”

Colossians 1:25 “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,”

Ephesians 3:1-3 “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.”

Ephesians 3:8-10 “To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.”

That is not nearly all, but again, you get the point.

It wasn’t just that Paul recognized the usefulness of the word,
He recognized the value of the word and the mandate to protect it.

Think about that word “entrusted” for a moment.
In the Greek it is PISTEUO, most familiarly translated as “believe”

It is the word we use when we talk about what you must do with Christ.
• You must believe in Him, more than that you must entrust yourself to Him.

When we call a sinner to salvation
We DON’T JUST ask him to believe that Jesus was real or that He really did die or that He really did rise from the dead.

Satan knows all of that.

What we are asking is for that sinner to entrust his soul to Christ’s care.
• We are asking him to forsake his own works and goodness in exchange for
Christ’s works and Christ’s goodness.
• We are asking him to trust in Christ’s atoning death.
• We are asking him to trust that Christ was successful as proven by His
resurrection.
• We are asking them to “deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow
Him”

1 Peter 4:19 “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.”

That is the same word Paul uses here
Of what God did to Paul in regard to his word.

God entrusted His word to Paul.
• Paul understood His mission to defend it, preserve it, and to proclaim it so that he might fulfill his mission.

AND CHURCH WHAT A GREAT PICTURE FOR US.
God has commissioned us on a great mission.
• He has called us to the evangelization of the lost,
• The edification of the redeemed,
• And the encouragement of the weary.

For this mission God has entrusted us with the tool you will need
To penetrate the sinners heart, remove the saints filth, and uplift the weary soul.

That tool is the word of God.
• So cherish it.
• Protect it.
• Defend it.
• Adorn it with your good works.
• But most of all use it!

1 Corinthians 4:2 “In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”

That is your encouragement this morning church.

You cannot fulfill your calling
Without a commitment to the proclamation of the word of God.

God has given it to you.
God has entrusted you with it.
He intends for the church to use it.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

Here is your practical encouragement for the week.

When you go to the lost for evangelism,
• Don’t just tell them to believe in Jesus,
• Take the word and make sure they know who Jesus is.

When you call the redeemed to sanctification,
• Take the word and make sure they know what God’s word calls them to be.

When you go to encourage the weary,
• Give them the Scriptures so that their hope transcends the temporal
encouragements of this life.

You have this tool.
God has entrusted it to you.
Use it.