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Straightening Things Out in the Church
Titus 1:1-16
Jonathan and I just returned from the synod meeting of our sister church in Australia. There, elders and pastors from 3 classes discussed important matters, like how to build ties with other true and faithful churches. Besides us, they had delegates from Canada, Korea, Indonesia, South Africa, and the USA. They discussed how they could help CGC by sending ministers. We also discussed joint partnership in missions. And yes, we heard about their internal challenges and how they dealt with discipline and appeals. How the moral landscape in Australia was changing - with hostilities against the gospel. These were things at stake. And we saw how they set them in order for the sake of the gospel and Christ’s kingdom. Likewise our own elders work for the propagation and protection of the gospel - how to remain a true and faithful church. And there are challenges. In our midst, people do struggle to live the gospel. Some have promoted their own idea of the gospel - they say they believe in Jesus, but live for themselves. That’s why elders are needed - not only to propagate but to protect; to straighten things out in church. As we call a third minister, and more elders and deacons next week, we want to explore Paul’s instructions to Titus. In so doing, we see his burden for the churches and leaders. What he wrote is precious for us in our endeavor. We see it in 3 divisions - firstly, listing out burdens for the church; secondly, measuring up men for eldership; thirdly, straightening out problems in the church.
Firstly, listing out burdens for the church. Why did Paul write to the church in Crete? Several reasons. The congregations were immature - infested and fascinated with unsound doctrine. The culture around them was hostile to the gospel. The Cretians were reputed to be always liars, evil beasts, and slow bellies, verse 12. So Paul wanted Titus to “set in order things that are wanting” (v 5). To straighten them out. You see, there were issues that needed fixing. So we see what was at stake for Paul - what he was burdened by. In the first 3 verses, Paul said he was a servant and apostle. For what? For the sake of the faith of God’s people. Why? So they’d know the truth and lead godly lives. And have confidence they’ll live forever. And this truth was preached - God commanded Paul to do this.
We see from these verses, Paul was burdened for 2 things. Godliness and the hope of eternal life. As he preached the truth, he wanted them to be godlier and focused on heaven. Dearly beloved, why do you come to church? Tradition? Obligation? To study the Bible to argue? To be satisfied with more knowledge? No. Paul’s aim for us, as ours should also be, is to be godly. That’s why Paul preached - the aim of more knowledge is godliness. Godliness and truth go together. There’s no godliness that can be gained without truth; and there is no truth rightly received that does not lead to godliness. In fact, they affect one another. Ephesians 5:25-26 that “Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” But Paul didn’t only desire godliness, he taught to give them hope of eternal life, verse 2. What a wonderful thing. He wanted to comfort them. Assure them that they’d have eternal life as God promised. God doesn’t lie. If we truly believe and repent, we're assured of eternal life. And the more we grow deeper in faith, the more assured we are, fueled with greater desire to live for Christ. So dearly beloved, the more you grow in knowledge and grace, are you growing in godliness and a hope in heaven? Why not? Or do you grow only in knowledge but an unchanged character?
Now, why did Paul have this burden? Why was there so much at stake? We read Paul left Titus in Crete to straighten things out. And such language shows there were problems - people weren’t growing in godliness or Christian hope. They weren’t fueled to live for Christ. But why? Was the truth not preached? Sure, sometimes it's the preacher’s lack of emphasis on repentance. Sins aren’t pointed out. Holy living’s not commanded. But sometimes it’s us - we’ve an intellectual faith but no conviction to be holy. We say we believe, but live as we please. But the reason for this was verses 10-11 - it says there were false teachers teaching things they ought not. This was the source of the problems. And Titus was supposed to deal with these people. So he needed support. These weren’t easy people to deal with. They’re described in the worst possible way - verse 10 - unruly, vain talkers, and deceivers. Verse 11 - they destroy families by their teaching. Verse 12 - they were liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. So Paul strengthened Titus. He called him in verse 4 “my own son after the common faith.” This proved Titus was not like the false teachers. Instead, he was like Paul. He had the right pedigree - like Paul’s own son. He described in 2 Corinthians. He was close to Paul (2 Corinthians 2:13), he could comfort others (7:6), he was known and loved by them (7:13-14), he was honest (12:18). He was also a preacher (8:23). So because of this, Paul was confident he had the same burden to teach people toward godliness and hopefulness. He also needed support because of the tough task ahead. In verse 5, he was to ordain elders. He needed authority. So Paul said he appointed him to do this. The word “appoint” means to authorize. Titus was authorized to ordain elders. And similarly dear congregation, the elders have presented men for your approbation. In so doing, we do what Paul called Titus to do - to ordain them to office and authorize them to minister. Why? Not because we have a quota to fill, it’s for the well-being of the church - to have men burdened for your godliness and your upward march. And we believe these men have those burdens. But burden is not enough. There must be qualification. If they’re to focus on your godliness and hope, they too must grow in godliness and hope.
Secondly, measuring up men for eldership. So Paul’s way of dealing with the situation was for Titus to ordain elders. Verse 5 - “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.” And Paul gave Titus qualifications. As we look at them, we see why they were included. They’re not just a checklist. There are clear contextual reasons why they’re here. We know from Acts 20 that elders are shepherds of the flock - to watch and protect. And they’re ordained here because of many unruly and vain talkers, verse 10. Hence, what these unruly people were, the elders were the opposite. Paul lists down family qualifications. Verse 6 - “If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.” So if he’s married, he can only have one wife - not a polygamist as many pagan men were. Considering his children, he must rule his family well. They can’t be accused of unruliness or wild living - they respect his rule. Because if a man can’t rule his family, how can he care for the church? His children must be faithful or “believing.” This does not refer so much to their salvation but their faithful attendance of church. They identify as believers and raised in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Yes, it’s true that sometimes children turn away - but not due to the negligence of the elder, but the hardness of that child. Which is why, “blameless” is used. In terms of family, he’s been blameless - if there’s any accusation against his family, he can’t take the blame. But importantly, this qualification was given because false teachers had affected whole families. They didn’t care for the families of the church. So elders were needed to minister and bring calm. How Christians who have continually rocky family lives help to calm issues in the families of others?
After this, in verses 7-9, Paul listed down positive and negative qualifications. And these have a context. We look at the negative first. Verse 7 says, “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre.” So he’s without blame. Again, this doesn’t mean he’s without fault. But when he’s at fault, he asks for forgiveness. No one’s faultless, but we can be blameless. No one should be able to say - you sinned against me, and never tried to make it right. And that’s why he’s not self-willed - doing what he wants to do - being a cowboy, lone ranger, or Indian chief. The Greek word refers to arrogance - a stubbornness, always clinging on to your own will or ideas, not listening to others. But an elder is willing to be subject to others - to the plurality of brothers in the eldership. And he’s not soon angry - doesn’t have a quick temper, isn’t easily provoked. And he’s not given to wine. Not that he never drinks, but that he’s never drunk - his faculties aren’t impaired. Because if they are, it may lead him to fight. And that’s why he’s also not a striker. A striker is someone who’s always wanting to fight. According to a bible dictionary - a striker is a “bruiser, ready for a blow, a pugnacious, contentious, quarrelsome person.” Yes, we’re natural fighters in our sinful nature. But somehow we’ve brought that contentiousness into our Christian experience. In some circles, people actually praise such contentiousness. We use the reason that we must contend for the faith to contend for every small little thing. But a lover of contention is not spiritual. And many of us haven’t learned that yet. And lastly, he must not be given to filthy lucre - he’s not greedy for gain. It was customary to give an honorarium for preachers - and yes, some preached for money. But it doesn’t only refer to money, but also reputation - like how Diotrophes desired the preeminence. An elder does not desire to be exalted.
Now, why were the qualifications given? The context. As we read verses 10-11, the false teachers were unruly. They hadn’t received the knowledge of the truth unto godliness. They were contentious. But the elders were different - they were burdened for godliness. They weren’t strikers. So it would’ve been a clear difference. While others fought fire with fire, the elders fought fire with water. And many of you haven’t learned that. You fight reproaches by retaliating, instead of giving a soft answer. We fight by tearing each other down, instead of giving your cloak, or traveling the extra mile. And these false teachers wanted gain - whether financial or influence - while elders only thought of the church. So these qualifications were given to set up clear distinction so we can measure and compare.
And that’s the same for the positive qualifications. In verses 8-9 it says, “But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” He should love strangers - that’s the literal meaning. It’s in his nature to make others comfortable rather than uncomfortable. He cares for their needs. There are those in our church who scare people from church, rather than welcome them. He must also be a lover of good - not just men but things. He promotes virtue. He’s not a lover of controversy, but loves to see people love God, loves to see people repent, serve, prosper spiritually. He’s also sober; he must be prudent and sensible. He’s also just, having a sense of right and wrong - and wisely addressing sins and injustices. He’s also holy - not so much without sin - but rather he’s devout. He’s constantly involved in religious exercises, eager to have spiritual conversations, delights in Bible study, prayer meeting, and other church meetings. And he’s temperate - controlling his lusts.
But lastly, he upholds the Word of God - that by sound doctrine he can exhort and to convince others. Meaning, he must so handle the word to comfort others. That’s what exhort means - to give instruction and comfort. But he must also convince or convict - to correct by rebuke. After all, like Paul, he’s concerned for godliness and an upward hope. He does this by teaching the mind, comforting the heart, and pressing on the rebellious will. Beloved, what do we see here? We see a man who loves the church. He’s found regularly in her ministries. He loves people wanting to put them at ease; he doesn’t delight in controversy for controversy sake, but loves to promote virtues. He’s sensible and makes wise judgments, and keeps himself from sin. And this drives him to use the Word to minister to others positively, but also negatively in rebuke. He doesn’t resort to it immediately, but he’s not afraid to do it either. This is not the general characteristic of men - we gravitate toward uncle-hood.
But to be clear, these are the qualities that an elder must possess - it’s not may or good to have, or he’ll grow into them one day. It’s must. You see, God knows the men whom he has chosen for eldership. And he expects us to find them. And he’s given us a measurement. And when we identify men according to that measurement, we haven’t chosen or elected anyone to eldership, we’ve simply identified the ones that God has already chosen. For example, if your boss told you: “I want to hire a man for a certain job. He must be 175 tall, 75 kg, salt and pepper hair, brown eyes, have a goatee, have a 120 I.Q., be a graduate, and be at least 35 years old.” And if you found such a candidate, did you choose or did your boss choose? Your boss! The church doesn’t choose - God prepares and chooses men for the church. Now it’s true that we don’t always look for these criteria. We’re enamored by false teachers. In Acts 20, Paul warned that false teachers would emerge from inside the church and even draw away disciples. That happens because we aren’t always wise. It’s easy to deal with an outside aggressor, but from the inside? A diseased sheep can destroy a flock as much as a wolf.
And that’s why Titus had to straighten out problems in the church. That’s the third point. Remember again why elders had to be ordained was because there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, verse 10. In these verses, we see their character and management. First thing we learn is that they were many. And that made their presence dangerous. They’re unruly - stubborn - this is why elders have to know the Word sufficiently to convict and drive their stubbornness away. And that’s why elders need to rule their homes well. These men are like children, unwilling to submit to control. They profess to know God, but they’re not meek. They’re vain talkers. John Calvin says of the original Greek word - that it “is contrasted with useful and solid doctrine, and therefore includes all trivial and frivolous speculations, which contain nothing but empty bombast, because they contribute nothing to piety and the fear of God.” Verse 14 says they’re given to Jewish fables, commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Now, we may struggle to understand what this means. What does this look like? As Reformed folk, we’ve generally been catechized to discern truth from error. But still, there are things that creep in.
A case in point is the Reformed Church in the Netherlands. Our hosts were originally Dutch, and they said how in 50 years, the church there went from Bible believing to Bible denying. Why? And how? Because of acceptance in the name of love! Oh, the church is so unloving! You’re not accepting of the sexual minority, you’re not accepting of the downtrodden. Brethren, we must love sinners to point them to Christ. But we can’t love sin. We must love godliness. And if elders are not sharp enough to discern that, there will be a decline. But how do you deal with these things? Sure, dialogue is important. But not always possible. Paul commanded this way of management. Stop their mouths. Make them shut up. Since these men, by nature won’t stop themselves because of their stubbornness, they must be silenced. The word for “stopped” literally means to muzzle or gag. Why not work with them to convince them? Change the heart to change the mouth by changing their mind? Beloved, sometimes a person may not change their minds. We won’t win them all. But it’s enough that they’re made to stop talking. Otherwise, they’ll subvert whole families - it’s enough just to stop them.
But why do they do that? What’s their underlying spiritual problem? Verses 15-16 help us to understand - “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” What does this mean? Now, bear with me - it’s not easy to explain the context and apply it to ourselves. There’s Christ’s standard of holiness. It’s inward, biblical, right. But people don’t like it. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees stressed an outward holiness. You’re clean if you do certain ritual washings before you eat - if not, your hands are impure. But for all their purity, they plotted to kill Christ! They were defiled inside - but still had the audacity to hold their own morality. The Pharisees were never happier unless they were unhappy. But to Christ’s disciples, those who were really pure, there’s nothing impure about unwashed hands. So the inward character of these men that the elders had to watch out for was a hypocrisy. Inwardly impure, but accusing others of impurity. But if they were pressing on in the Word to grow in godliness they’d have true purity - and this is why elders are ordained - to emphasize true godliness.
Dear congregation, how do we apply this sermon? Very clearly, we must pray for our elders and elders to be. That we'd have the right pedigree. That we’d be burdened for the church - for the godliness of the congregation, for her upward prosperity. To teach and at times to discipline. To be discerning - to watch out for the natural tendencies of Christians to latch on to their own righteousness. And we ought also to pray for ourselves. The qualifications listed are not to be the aspirations of only a few men who are called to be elders, but these are the qualifications all men in the church - all people in the church should aspire to.
Because when we look at these characteristics, they remind us of the Lord Jesus Christ. He loved all who came to him - the downtrodden - he opened his arms and gave them rest. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. We do no more when we point people to the Lord Jesus. But yet our Lord, who knew the hearts of all men, strongly rebuked the Pharisees, for he knew them. Our Lord was never sinfully angry - he was patient even with that rich young ruler who couldn’t follow Jesus - he loved him. But our Lord drove the money changers from the temple, when the zeal of the Lord consumed him. Our Lord Jesus refused to turn stones into bread to fulfill his hunger, but he ate and drank and did all to the glory of God; and he welcomes us to partake of that great marriage supper of the lamb - where one day, those who are truly inwardly made clean by him, will gather around his table praising him for the salvation that they have in him. Dear officers of the church - let us shepherd our church so all are there.
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- Listing Out Burdens for the Church (1:1-5)
- What was at stake (1:1-3)
- Who was in need (1:4-5)
- Measuring Up Men for Eldership
- Family qualifications (1:5-6)
- Positive and negative qualifications (1:7-9)
- Straightening Out Problems in the Church
- Their character and management (1:10-14)
- Their underlying spiritual problem (1:15-16)
- Listing Out Burdens for the Church (1:1-5)
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2024, Rev. Mark Chen
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