Introduction To Titus - Dustin Hawkins

As Chad mentioned, we're in Titus. We'll be reading

from Titus chapter 1, verses 1 through 4 in your

Titus 1:1–4

New American Standard Bible. No doubt it says

salutation as the heading there. This is God's

holy, inspired, and inerrant word. Paul, a bondservant

of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ. 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, which God, who cannot lie,

promised long ages ago, but at the proper time

manifested even his word in the proclamation

with which I was entrusted according to the commandment

of God our Savior. To Titus, my true child in

a common faith, grace. and peace from God the

Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Let's pray.

Gracious Heavenly Father, as we begin a study

of the book of Titus today, I must confess that

I feel wholly inadequate to do it justice. Lord,

and I'm tempted to believe that Titus must have

felt the same way as he ministered on the island

of Crete. So God, I ask now that as we open your

word and as I attempt to expound upon it, that

God, you would enable me, by your Holy Spirit,

to do an adequate job of expositing this passage

of Scripture. Lord, We are grateful for your

word. And as we consider your word this morning

here from the book of Titus, we ask that it would

have its intended effect on our hearts and our

minds. Holy Spirit, we ask that you would work

within us as we read and expound upon it. As

we sit under the ministry of your word, Lord,

we pray that you would edify your saints and

draw sinners to you. Help us to apply this truth

to our lives as individuals and our corporate

life as a church. For your glory and your praise,

we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Please

be seated. It has been some time since I last

had the privilege of preaching. I've become very

accustomed to Sunday school with the young people,

and no offense to you older folks, but it's a

very comfortable setting to visit with those

kids on Sundays. And there are times when we

get the opportunity to preach, all four of us,

certainly Kyle has the lion's share, but when

Josh and Nicholas and I have the opportunity

to preach, We're no doubt all grateful for that,

but also, I don't know if the other two feel

this way, but if I go for an extended spell without

preaching, I do feel like I need to knock the

rust off just a little bit before I can really

get into a passage and attempt to exposit from

it. I will tell you, I've been reading the book

of Titus off and on, probably for... probably

about nine months, thinking that this is where

I would go next. I had a nice little outline

all set up for this book and had fully intended

to make my way entirely through these first four

verses. But as I started to prepare and rehearse

my message, I noticed that I was going to be

quite long -winded. And I was fearful that you

all would not come back next week if I took too

long this week. So I have... kind of whittled

this down into two parts, and I'm excited for

what's here. In the same breath, I am a little

anxious about preaching it. We're beginning a

short study in the letter or epistle of Paul

to Titus, and I am intentionally referring to

it as a short study so that I keep myself from

being too long -winded. This is one of three

pastoral epistles in the New Testament, all three

of which... were composed by the Apostle Paul.

Many of you already know 1 and 2 Timothy would

be the first two of these pastoral epistles.

And that's important for us to take note of because

Paul takes a very similar tone with Titus to

the tone he takes with Timothy, whom he also

refers to as a true child in the faith. There's

a lot about this letter, and I think at the outset

of the series in it, that we should probably

cover things that are important to our understanding

of this epistle. So at the outset of our study,

what I first want to do is I'd like to establish

the context of the letter. This is a practice,

this is a principle of Bible exposition, a proper

exegesis, to make sure you understand the context

of the passage you're reading. Being that Titus

is such a short book with merely three chapters,

and those three chapters, none of them are very

long, it is going to be, I think, a little easier

for us to keep the context in mind as we're studying

it. because a short letter lends itself to that

very idea. We're going to attempt to establish

the context of the book of Titus, and today will

be more like teaching rather than preaching,

I do believe. But what we'll need to do is perhaps

frame our thinking. around some questions. Now,

I want to be clear, I don't intend to answer

each and every one of these questions directly

or in a certain order, but I want to use these

questions as a way to, again, order our thinking

about the letter, something to give us a framework

to work from. So, I'll begin with this. What's

the immediate context within which the letter

has been written? Who are the people involved?

Where are they located? What is the setting?

And what is going on around them? Also, we need

to observe, and we'll see evidence of this throughout

this letter, that while this letter is theological,

while it is doctrinal, it is not abstract. It

is not ethereal. And what I mean by that is that

this letter does not exist. somewhere outside

of the real world. Quite frankly, this letter

written by the Apostle Paul to Titus as he's

ministering on the island of Crete is profoundly

applicable. It was profoundly applicable to Titus

in the first century when Paul wrote it, when

Titus read it, when it was passed around the

congregations that were located throughout Crete.

and it is profoundly applicable for us today.

It exists in the real world of ministry, as it

were. It's addressing real churches in a real

place facing real problems. It's intended to

aid Titus as a minister and to help him order

the churches on the island of Crete and, as I

mentioned, That makes it extremely applicable

for us today. It helps us to do those same things,

to accomplish those same goals. So the first

thing I want to do, and this is pretty simple

because the letter literally starts off with

Paul's name, is I want to look at the author.

The author, of course, is the Apostle Paul. Of

course you know Paul. formerly known as Saul

of Tarsus, was once a Pharisee and a persecutor

of the church. Paul was not merely a persecutor

of the church. He was the best at it. Paul was

a good persecutor of the church. He violently

opposed Christianity until the risen and glorified

Lord Jesus. confronted him on the road to Damascus.

Turn with me, if you would, to Acts chapter 9.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

I think it's easy for us oftentimes to simply

mention a passage or say where something happens

in the Bible, and without going back and making

sure that we understand it and reading about

it, refreshing our memories, perhaps we're doing

ourselves a disservice in that. So look at chapter

9 of the book of Acts and begin in verse 1 with

me. Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder

against the disciples of the Lord, went to the

high priest and asked for letters from him to

the synagogues at Damascus so that if he found

any belonging to the way, both men and women,

he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he

was traveling, it happened that he was approaching

Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed

around him, and he fell to the ground and heard

a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you

persecuting me? And he said, Who are you, Lord?

And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

But get up and enter the city, and it will be

told you what you must do. The men who traveled

with him stood speechless, hearing the voice

but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground,

and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing,

and leading him by the hand, they brought him

into Damascus. And we'll stop there, but that

helps us to remember this radical conversion

of Saul when he was changed by the grace of our

Lord Jesus Christ, called by the Lord Jesus Christ.

After his conversion, Paul became one of the

most significant and prolific missionaries in

the early church. You remember that much of the

first third or so of the book of Acts, perhaps

even just a bit more of the book of Acts, deals

primarily with the twelve. And quite frankly,

Peter is really the star of the show. But not

long after Saul's conversion, when he becomes

Paul, the story shifts dramatically to him. Paul

goes on to have some of the greatest ministry

in the history of the church. We might even say

that Paul was the most dynamic missionary in

the history of the church. Certainly God. used

him mightily. He traveled throughout the Roman

Empire preaching the gospel and planting churches.

This man who once was breathing threats against

the church. This man who was once going and finding

men and women who might be found in the way,

who wanted to, under the authority of the high

priest, bring them back to Jerusalem in order

that they could continue their persecution of

the way. This man who once hated Christianity.

became its most prolific minister. Paul not only

ministered as a missionary throughout the Roman

world, but he wrote roughly half the New Testament.

Now, some people like to split hairs when people

say that because Paul certainly wrote half the

books of the New Testament, perhaps not half

of the volume of the New Testament, but he was

prolific as an author of the New Testament. Letters

that he wrote were used to instruct churches

and church leaders in both doctrine and practice.

We could say that Paul was quite astute at establishing

orthodoxy and flowing from orthodoxy, Paul explained

orthopraxy, how we do church. Understanding,

right understanding precedes right practice.

was a master of this skill. This pastoral letter

to Titus, as we described it earlier, contains

instructions on the order, the government, and

the protection of the church. To say that Paul's

post -conversion contributions to the early church

were substantial would be a gross understatement.

Paul was used mightily by God. His New Testament

writings, including this one, were all composed

under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Oftentimes

when we're reading the Bible, we have a bit of

a tendency, and I don't think it's intentional,

but we often think only of the human author of

Scripture. But that simply is not the case, and

we see how God, through the Holy Spirit, was

using Paul in such a mighty way. As he composed

these books, this particular letter being a good

example of this, Paul would go on to write, or

did write, in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17,

2 Timothy 3:16

that all Scripture is inspired by God, 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. Those are the words of Paul. in what some

might argue is a circular argument, writing under

the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and claiming

that he was writing under the inspiration of

the Holy Spirit. Paul, the human author, this

once persecutor of the church, now this prolific

minister of the gospel who was carried along

by the Holy Spirit as he wrote these letters,

including this letter. As the human author Paul

merely introduces himself with two descriptors.

In verse 1, you can look there with me real quickly.

In verse 1, Paul describes himself in this way.

Paul, very straightforward, easy to understand.

A bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus

Christ. First, Paul refers to himself. as a bondservant

of God. Here Paul acknowledges his relationship

with God, that of a slave to his master. The

Greek word here, you've no doubt heard, many

expositors use it before, doulos, which does

not mean servant. It does not mean someone who's

here if you want them, but rather it means that

they are a slave. A word that we're a little

scared of in today's culture, no doubt. But a

word that drives home the point Paul is making

here. With regards to his relationship to God,

Paul is a slave to God. He is a man under authority.

But at the same time, this man is operating with

authority. It may sound self -deprecating for

Paul to refer to himself as a slave. And in a

certain sense, it is. It shows a certain amount

of humility for Paul to refer to himself in that

way, to say that he's a bondservant, that he's

almost stuck, that he's somehow obligated to

God. It does almost sound like he's being humble,

but in the same breath, He's expressing the fact

that he is a man under authority who expresses

and wields authority. He also refers to himself

as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul has been

sent by Christ. Now, we think of the word apostle

with a capital A oftentimes. As being a very

lofty and grandiose term, we think of it as this

wonderful position. This position that resulted

in authority and resulted in these folks being

remembered throughout all of church history.

And no doubt there is an element of honor that

should be given to them because God chose them

as apostles. Paul here being our particular example.

The word apostle just means sent one. You see

it throughout the New Testament. In certain places

you'll see the phrase an apostle of Jesus Christ,

an apostle of Christ Jesus, an apostle of the

church. And what it means is simply that they

are someone, someone who has been sent. They

are a messenger. Apostles are envoys. apostles

are sent. Think of his conversion in Acts 9.

Paul was not only confronted by the risen Lord,

he was called and sent by him. These two descriptors

here employed by the apostle reveal something

of Paul's relationship to God and they emphasize

this authority, his authority. to write this

letter to Titus as he ministers by extension

of Paul's authority in Crete. Calvin says in

his commentary, this extended and laborious commendation

of his apostleship shows that Paul had in view

the whole church and not Titus alone. For his

apostleship was not disputed by Titus, and Paul

is in the habit of proclaiming the titles of

his calling in order to maintain his authority.

Accordingly, just as he perceives those to whom

he writes to be disposed, he deals largely or

sparingly in those ornaments. Here his design

was to bring into subjection those who had haughtily

rebelled, and for this reason he extols his apostleship

in lofty terms. He therefore writes this epistle,

not that it may be read in solitude by Titus

in his closet, but that it may be openly published.

It's important for us to understand that when

Paul uses these descriptors for himself, when

he writes this letter to Titus, the intention

is not for Titus to read the letter and file

it away and keep it as some way to encourage

himself when he's experiencing difficulties in

ministries. He is not writing this letter with

the intention that Titus alone will be his audience,

but rather that this letter will be shared with

the entire church. And boy, has it ever been

shared with the entire church. Here we are, 2

,000 years later, reading it today. This tells

us that Paul wants to make sure that not only

Titus understands his apostleship, his authority

to write this letter, Titus knows this. Titus

has ministered with Paul, as we'll see in a moment.

They are not unfamiliar with one another. Rather,

there's a very important reason for him to establish

his apostolic authority. Because the people in

Crete need to know that Paul has this authority.

And, as I mentioned a moment ago, by extension,

he is lending some of that authority to Titus

as he ministers to them. During our study, we'll

see what's happening in Crete that would require

Paul to utilize these descriptors in establishing

his apostolic authority. Second, this one's rather

on the nose as well. Let's consider the recipient

of the letter, the one to whom it is addressed,

Titus. Titus was a trusted companion and co -worker

of Paul. Unlike Timothy, Titus was a Gentile

convert to Christianity. You remember that Timothy

was the son of a Jewish mother and a Gentile

father. And there's actually some Pretty famous

passages that we could turn to if we wanted to

learn more about Timothy. One that deals with

circumcision, which of course is important to

the book of Titus, wherein Paul actually has

Timothy circumcised in order to, I guess you

could say, contextualize Timothy as a minister

among the Jewish people. And yet we know of stories

about Titus where the exact opposite happens.

And someone might be tempted to say, well, Paul

is not really being consistent here. But you'll

remember when Paul took Titus with him to Jerusalem

during an important moment in the early church

when the apostles were addressing whether or

not Gentile believers needed to follow Jewish

ceremonial law. in order to be saved. Turn with

me now to Galatians chapter 2. Galatians chapter

Galatians 2 · chapter mention Galatians 2 · chapter mention

2. It's a famous incident in the church, in the

early church, the council at Jerusalem. Galatians

Galatians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, I'll read verses 1 through 5 to you.

Then after an interval of 14 years, I went up

again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus

along also. It was because of a revelation that

I went up, and I submitted to them the gospel,

which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did

so in private to those who were of reputation,

for fear that I might be running or had run in

vain. But not even Titus. who was with me, though

he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

But it was because of the false brethren secretly

brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our

liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, in order

to bring us into bondage. But we did not yield

in subjection to them for even an hour, so that

the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

Again, I want to point back to Timothy. Timothy

was circumcised in order, even though he was

half Greek, half Gentile, in order that in the

setting that Timothy would minister, he would

be able to minister in a way that was more effective.

Titus, on the other hand, is not even the slightest

bit Jewish. He is fully Greek. He is Gentile.

And so... Paul does not feel compelled for Titus

to be circumcised for that very reason. There

is no need for contextualization in this instance

because the gospel has been proven to be effective

in the life of Titus. Paul intentionally brought

Titus. a Gentile believer who had not been circumcised

as a living example that salvation comes through

faith in Christ alone, not through the ceremonial

requirements of the Mosaic Law. You see, at the

Council of Jerusalem, there was a question that

needed to be answered. What impact does the ceremonial

law have on salvation? And while the law was

there as a tutor, while the law is there as a

way to point us to Christ, the ceremonial aspects

of the law had been fulfilled in Christ and the

gospel was now able to be applied to all peoples

regardless of these superficial or outward changes.

And later Titus became one of Paul's most dependable

ministry partners. Certainly, they had to be

close. How awkward that exchange must have been

for Titus standing there. Paul entrusted him

with difficult assignments. Paul used him and

gave him assignments wherein he addressed serious

problems in the Corinthian church. Turn back

to 2 Corinthians with me. Again, I think it's

helpful for us to look at these passages because

they are good reminders. of why Paul is writing

what he is writing here. 2 Corinthians, and if

you look to chapter 7, look specifically at verses

6 -7 first. What does Paul write here? But God,

who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the

coming of Titus. And not only by his coming,

but also by the comfort with which he was comforted

in you. As he reported to us, your longing, your

mourning, your zeal for me so that I rejoice

even more. 2 Corinthians, of course, is written

to the church at Corinth after 1 Corinthians,

wherein Paul in that polemic is quite harsh with

the Corinthian church where he calls out sin

and Titus who had been left there to minister

as a trusted minister of the apostle Paul. had

no doubt come to Paul by the time he composed

the second Corinthians and heard, Paul heard

that there had been change in their hearts and

he was comforted by his coming. Look at verses

13 and 15, same chapter. For this reason we have

been comforted and besides our comfort we rejoice

even much more for the joy of Titus because his

spirit has been refreshed by you all. For if

anything, For if in anything I have boasted to

him about you, I was not put to shame. But as

we spoke all things to you in truth, so also

our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth.

Titus is a valued ministry partner of the Apostle

Paul. Look at chapter 8, beginning in verse 16.

But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness

on your behalf in the heart of Titus. For he

not only accepted our appeal, but being himself

very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord.

And then in verse 23, As for Titus, he is my

partner and fellow worker among you. As for our

brethren, they are messengers of the churches.

a glory to Christ. In this letter, Paul refers

to Titus, his trusted ministry companion, his

partner, his co -laborer in the gospel. He refers

to him, if you scoot down to verse 4 in Titus

Titus 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1, he refers to him in this way, he says,

to Titus, my true child in a common faith. Grace

and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus

our Savior. Titus, my true child in a common

faith. May I just say that it's difficult for

us, I think. It's difficult for us. It certainly

is for me. Perhaps I should only speak for myself.

It's difficult for us to really fully grasp.

what Paul means when he refers to Titus as his

true child in a common faith. I don't know if

you're aware of this or not, but Christianity

in the 21st century is much easier than it was

in the first. Maybe not throughout the world,

but certainly here in southeastern Illinois and

southwestern Indiana. We certainly have not experienced

the same difficulties and trials that Paul and

Titus have shared as they co -labor in the gospel.

That phrase, my true child in a common faith,

tells us that their relationship was not merely

professional. When I worked for an employer for

several years, I developed friendships over that

course of time. I developed relationships in

that place. I spent four nights a week with the

same group of guys for six years, and I became

friends with them. And though it was difficult

when I left that setting, it was not the end

of the world for me. I think about some of those

friends from time to time, and I do miss them,

some of them more than others. Some of them I

don't miss at all, to be honest with you. And

I'm sure many of them feel the same way about

me. I think about them, and while I miss them,

I don't feel a sense of great loss. You know

what I mean? Can you imagine what it was like

in the time of the apostles? There was no means

of communication other than writing letters that

had to be carried by someone, sometimes great,

vast distances, right? When someone left and

was sent, say, to, oh, I don't know, the island

of Crete, it's not as if Paul could simply ring

up Titus at that point. It's not as though...

Paul could get on Facebook and find a post and

see what's going on in Titus' life, right? It's

not as though it were easy for people to communicate.

We know Paul, for instance, was shipwrecked multiple

times, and we know that their lives were constantly

in danger due to persecution. When someone was

sent, there was the very real possibility that

they could die, and you would not know for weeks.

Months? Maybe even years. Here's this man, Titus,

whom Paul considered a true child in the common

faith. And their relationship was not just based

on working together. Their relationship was not

merely professional. Titus was a spiritual son.

to Paul. Someone Paul loved deeply and someone

Paul trusted completely. Their connection was

intimate and familiar, but it was not based on

some superficial common interest. Rather, their

relationship was rooted in their mutual love

for the gospel of Jesus Christ, their common

faith. Now, I do think there's a point to be

made here in the way of application. And I'm

not suggesting that all of us should be as close

as Paul and Titus were. But I am suggesting that

aiming for relationships like that within the

church is not a bad idea. Many of us, myself

included, have a tendency to leave this place

on Sunday mornings. And I'm talking about this

place. I'm talking about Grace Fellowship Church.

Many of us have a tendency to leave this place

on Sunday mornings. And unfortunately, I would

venture to guess, there are weeks that go by

when we think nothing of it again until the next

Sunday morning. And I don't say that to come

down on you. I'm preaching this to myself. But

I am saying that we... Share a common faith.

We have been joined to Christ and to one another.

If you are in Christ and the person sitting on

either side of you is in Christ, you are inextricably

linked to them. You may not minister. alongside

them in the same way that Paul and Titus ministered

for the sake of the gospel in the first century

church, it's unlikely that any one of us will

have as profound an effect on the world as what

Paul and Titus had. However, you have a common

faith. You have a common... with the people who

are sitting right next to you, those little souls

that will go out into that parking lot when we're

done here and climb into your vehicle with you

and will ride with you back to Mount Carmel,

back to Richland County, back to Bone Gap, back

to wherever you're going. Those souls are not

merely flesh and blood to you. They are not just

your physical children, parents. They are like

spiritual children to you as well. And I would

challenge you as a point of application. And

again, preaching to myself. I would challenge

you. How strongly do you feel that bond? How

impactful is it on you to know? that you have

been bound to those people, whether they're the

folks you're sitting next to now or the children

that you'll go home with when we're done, how

much does it affect you to know that you share

a common faith with them? The faith that brings

about eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And I'm not trying to stir up your emotions.

I'm not trying to whip up some reaction in you.

I'm trying to make you think deeply. About what

this relationship was like between Paul and Titus.

Because it should inform the relationships we

have with other believers in the church. Paul

trusted Titus completely. He loved him deeply.

Paul loved Titus so much and trusted him so much

that he was willing to send him to Crete. And

that's really our third point, the setting of

this letter, the island of Crete. Crete, anybody

like geography? I do. I love geography. I'm not

suggesting that I'm really good at it, but that

was always one of my favorite. I always enjoyed

all of the social sciences and especially geography.

Crete is an island in the Mediterranean Sea.

I don't know about you, but when I think of the

Mediterranean Sea, I think of crystal blue water.

I think of white sandy beaches. I think of beauty.

I think of a wonderful vacation spot, though

I hate travel, so it'll never happen. Kind of

weird to be that way. Crete is in the Mediterranean

Sea. It is south of mainland Greece. It is the

largest of the Greek islands, and it is, as I

read, not that I knew this already, but it is

the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean.

It had a long and famous history stretching back

many centuries before the time of the New Testament.

In fact, I did read that Crete was home to one

of the earliest advanced civilizations in Europe.

By the first century, however, the island had

developed a very poor moral reputation in the

wider Greek and Roman world. Ancient writers

frequently described the Cretans as dishonest,

greedy, and morally undisciplined. This poor

reputation was so strong, the Greek language

actually developed a verb based on their name.

I am going to attempt to pronounce it for you.

Please do not laugh. I believe it's kritizo.

And that word means to act like a Cretan or to

lie or deceive. Later in this very chapter, Paul

quotes. one of Crete's own poets, Epimenides.

And he writes this in verse 12. Cretans are always

liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. Now I said

that Crete was a beautiful island with... Blue,

clear water, beautiful white sandy beaches, beautiful

terrain, a wonderful vacation spot, but I cannot

imagine that that was helping the tourism industry

in Crete when even one of their own referred

to them as liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons.

We often joke, Ashley and I have joked, I have

joked and Ashley pretends to laugh, when we've

been to certain islands in the past. Again, travel

is not my favorite thing. But when we've gone,

I always make mention of the fact that we are

on island time. And I do not mean that for myself

because I'm uptight. And I cannot help it. Ask

my children. They can verify. I really don't

care for sitting still for too long a period

of time. In fact, standing up here right now

for as long as I have makes me want to stomp

my feet. It's difficult for me to sit still.

And when I go to an island, I really, really

struggle because when I look around, everyone

saunters when they walk. They are so much slower

than I am. When I'm walking to a place, I like

to get to the place I'm going. I know many of

you are probably the same way. At least I hope

you are because it makes me feel better about

myself. After service, just lie to me and say

that you're like me. That will make me feel better.

Island time. Here's Crete. An island. An island

full of liars, deceivers, evil beasts. Lazy gluttons.

Now, I don't mean to throw all island -dwelling

people under one broad brush, but in the same

breath, it is something that seems to stand out.

Sometimes things are the way they are. Today,

we even use the word Cretan ourselves, right?

You've called someone a Cretan before, or at

least you know someone who has. And this is why.

because of their moral inactivity, because of

their unwillingness to be truthful, because they

have no ethics. Crete was known in the Roman

world also for piracy, for supplying mercenaries,

and for political instability. Crete sounds like

Chicago at this point. The island's cities were

fiercely independent and difficult to govern.

That sounds like southeastern Illinois. In other

words, Crete was not exactly known as a place

where moral discipline and social order flourished.

The Bible doesn't tell us exactly when or how

the churches in Crete were first established,

but it is possible the gospel reached the island

through Jews who were present. For the apostles

preaching at Pentecost, you remember what Luke

writes in Acts chapter 2, verse 11 in particular,

Acts 2:11

he says, Cretans and Arabs, we hear them in our

own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.

Perhaps there were men of Crete who had been

in Jerusalem at Pentecost and heard Peter's sermon,

who were pierced to the quick. who were then

filled with the Spirit, who then returned to

the island where they began to establish churches.

Perhaps some of them did carry the gospel back

home to their island. Apparently, Paul and Titus

spent time on the island helping to establish

and support the churches. And again, we don't

really know the timeline for that. Regardless,

though, the work on Crete was not yet complete.

As Paul explains to Titus in verse 5, For this

reason I left you in Crete, that you would set

in order what remains and appoint elders in every

city as I directed you. The churches existed

in Crete, but they still needed more. They needed

biblical leadership. They needed doctrinal stability.

They needed correction of false teaching and

instruction in godly living. Titus had the difficult

but essential assignment to help turn young,

vulnerable congregations into healthy, stable

churches. And he had to do that in the midst

of a corrupt and morally compromised Think about

that for a moment. Think about the assignment.

And I would encourage you to read through Titus

this week. It won't take you very long. But think

about the assignment that's being given here

to Titus. And how this assignment must be accomplished

in the midst of corrupt and compromised people.

Now that's why it's so important for us to know

the context of this letter. Because it demonstrates

just how immensely applicable this letter is

for us today. Do we not live in the midst of

corruption and moral compromise? I hate to admit

this. But you know where the first place my mind

goes when I hear the word island anymore? I'm

sure you can guess. Right? We live in a culture

that is compromised in the same ways as the Cretan

culture of Paul and Titus' day. And we have...

a duty to do the same things that Paul will instruct

Titus to do here in this letter. We see all the

same types of activity going on in the world

around us, don't we? I mean, when was the last

time you heard anyone tell the truth? When was

the last time? You heard someone talk, and I'm

not talking about the people you can stand across

from and have a conversation with. I can't remember

with whom I was having this conversation, but

I told someone, and I think it was maybe at a

fellowship meal here not terribly long ago, that

the only people I trust in the world are the

people I can touch. In other words, the only

people I trust at this point in my life are the

people who are close enough to me who see me

on a regular enough basis that I can give them

a hug, shake their hand, or kiss them. You know

what I mean? Those are the only people I trust.

Because every time I turn on Facebook or YouTube

or any other one of those godforsaken social

media platforms, I listen to people talk and

they take different positions. Different positions.

And there are people... who will tell you something,

even though they know they are lying. And they

know that you know that they're lying, and yet

they do not care. Amen? That's the world we live

in today. And I don't mean to be bleak. I don't

mean to make you feel depressed. This is a good

sermon. Let's enjoy it. But it doesn't change

the fact that we live in an age of compromise.

We live in the age of deceit. This is a post

-truth world that we live in. And they manipulate

everything. I love silver. I love silver. And,

I don't know, within the past few years, I really

started paying attention to the markets and the

futures. And it wasn't too long ago that the

price of silver ran up to over $120 an ounce.

Previously, the historic high had been around

$50 an ounce. And I remember when it shot up

that high, and then within just a few weeks,

it had collapsed. Actually, once it hit $120,

it collapsed pretty quickly. The point here is

that that market moved the way it moved, not

because of some change, some institutional change,

some system... that had changed, but rather because

that market was being manipulated. Now you take

that instance and you can apply it to virtually

anything else in the world right now. And there

are people who are manipulating things, people

who are lying about things, people who will tell

you that they know what's best for you while

they have every intention of the world to see

your demise unfold. Just like Crete. That's our

culture today. So this book, this letter from

the Apostle Paul to Titus is applicable for us.

But I want to tell you something. The cultural

malignancies that we see around us in the secular

world, guys, those malignancies are in the church.

Now, I'm not suggesting they're in this church,

but I am suggesting that they exist and persist

in the church writ large, especially in the United

States of America. How many churches are ordered

rightly? Is our church ordered rightly? How can

we know? Are many Christians' lives, and I say

this with a certain sense of fear, are many Christians'

lives marked by godly living? Is yours? Is your

life marked by godly living? Because you're going

to see what the gospel produces here in the book

of Titus. And you're going to see that when Titus

starts applying these principles, when he's encouraged

to apply these principles from this letter, from

Paul, that people's lives are supposed to be

changed by the gospel. We're supposed to be different

once we have the gospel. So I ask, is your life

as a Christian, is my life as a Christian marked

by godly living? Now this letter is remarkably

applicable for us today. It demonstrates the

urgent need for the gospel in churches and communities

across our land. The gospel rightly understood

and applied doesn't merely save individuals.

It has the power to transform churches and it

has the power to transform, just so you know,

the gospel rightly applied has the power to change

any church. lest we think that somehow we're

special. It has the power to change any life.

Any life. And it has the power to impact entire

cultures. It produces sound doctrine. It produces

godly character, healthy churches, and lives

that are devoted to good works. I believe that's

why Paul, before addressing these specific problems

in Crete, Starts by explaining the purpose of

the gospel. And we're not going to get into this

now because I've already gone too long. But read

with me there. Verse 1. After he introduces himself

as a bond servant of God and apostle of Jesus

Christ, he says, 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, which God, who cannot lie, promised long

ages ago, but at the proper time manifested even

his word and the proclamation with which I was

entrusted according to the commandment of God

our Savior. Lord willing. We will pick up there

next week, and we will expand upon the gospel

that is described so well here by the Apostle

Paul. And we'll see that this gospel comes from

a God of order, that it contains the hope of

eternal life, that it was promised by God, and

He is a God who does not lie. And what a stark

contradiction that will be. to the world around

us, just as it was to Titus' world around him.