Pure Church: Pure Leaders

Number of weeks, taking a section at a time. Last week we went, well, this little letter of Titus is all about growing or building a pure church.

That's the big theme that we're taking through this letter. And a key verse for this, I think, is in chapter 2, verse 14.

Just have a look at it there as a simple reminder. Chapter 2, verse 14.

It says there that Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

So God's desire is that he would not only save and rescue his people, but his desire is that he would purify them, that he would make his church pure.

And the first major step in that process is to have pure leaders. And that's what we're going to look at this morning.

And as we do, we're going to ask four questions about leaders and how that all leads to a church or leads to a church that's going to purity.

The first is, why do we need leaders? What do leaders do? Who should be a leader? And how do we appoint leaders?

So four simple questions to look and unpack this section. So question one, why do we need leaders?

Well, as we've seen in recent years in Ireland and our experience of it is that we've had very poor leadership.

Political leaders, religious leaders have been the cause of so much damage and hurt.

So in response, people will say, well, you know what? We don't really need leaders. We're better off without them.

Even the church is better off without leaders. The rejection of Croke Park 2 and the protests at Thatcher's funeral in England all prove that, well, leadership is not always welcomed.

However, God in his wisdom has given his church leaders, which is always for our good and for our best.

In fact, it's not only essential to have leaders, it is an absolute priority.

Look at verse 5. This is the first command that Paul gives to Titus.

The reason I left you in Crete was so that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.

So the church needs straightened out.

It's become very messy, higgledy-piggledy.

There's all sorts of things going on that ought not to be happening.

There's impure teaching and it has all led to impure living.

And the way to straighten it all out, the way to put it right is, as it says there in verse 5, is to appoint elders in every town as I directed you.

You see all over Crete, where he is, there are these small house churches that have been established in little towns and villages.

But they're in great danger of becoming impure.

They're beginning to drift.

And the way to put them right and the way to have them as God intends them to be is, first of all, as it says there in verse 5, is to have elders or leaders in place.

Leaders who are going to put down solid foundations that will build a church towards purity.

So the first question, why do we need leaders?

The answer is very simple.

To establish a pure church.

So question number two.

What do leaders actually do?

That's something that my friends often say to me.

So what do you do?

Kind of like, I mean, I know you do stuff on Sunday, but what do you do the rest of the week?

The smart answer is, oh him, well he doesn't do very much.

Well, whatever our opinion, we are told what leaders should be doing.

Look at verse 7.

It says there, since an overseer.

Now he's changed the word there in verse 5 or verse 6, it talked about an elder.

An elder and an overseer are the same.

Sometimes it's translated as bishop.

Elder, overseer, bishop, they're all the same thing.

An elder is kind of looking at his character.

An overseer describes more the work of an elder.

So verse 7.

An overseer is entrusted with God's work.

So the overseer, the leader, is given the responsibility primarily of taking care of God's church.

He doesn't own the church, but he has been entrusted with looking after it.

He must oversee it.

That's his responsibility.

And how do the elders do that?

Well, look down at verse 9.

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught.

Hold firmly to the trustworthy message.

The trustworthy message is nothing less than the gospel.

It's the gospel.

It's the gospel that Paul has heard that has been passed on to him.

And now Paul is passing it on to Titus.

And Titus is now passing it on to the church.

And the church is to pass it on to the people.

So this trustworthy message is nothing less than the gospel, the good news,

that whole body of teaching that is being passed down to each generation.

And Titus is to hold on to it, have a firm grip upon it.

He's not to let it go.

In other words, he's to make it the pattern of his teaching and the pattern of his life.

The gospel, the word of God has got to remain central

because the gospel is what directs a church

and the gospel is what's going to correct the church.

So the primary responsibility of the overseers or elders

is to make sure that the gospel, the good news of Christ,

informs the life of the church

and also shapes the people of the church.

This is how you ultimately care for the church.

This is how you oversee the church.

And that's why we together, as we are even now,

spending time under the gospel, under the word,

because it's what informs us and what shapes us.

Now with that gospel word, the elders have got to do two things.

Look at the rest of verse 9.

He must hold firmly to it, hold on to it,

make it priority, make it central.

And here's the reason.

Look at the second part of verse 9.

So the purpose of teaching sound doctrine,

which is the same as the trustworthy message,

is to encourage people,

is to support people,

is to build people up in their walk with Christ.

It's to encourage us in what Christ has done for us,

not what we can do for him.

So let me right now encourage us all in the gospel.

Have a look at chapter 3, verse 4.

These are great verses.

This is a wonderful summary

of the heart of what the gospel is all about

and where we need to keep coming back to,

to remind us of what Christ has done

and not what we can do.

So chapter 3, verse 4.

This is a reminder to encourage us

that when the kindness and love of God,

our Saviour, appeared,

he saved us,

not because of righteous things we have done,

but because of his mercy.

He saved us through the washing of rebirth

and the renewal by the Holy Spirit

whom he poured out on us generously

through Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

These are great things.

These are wonderful things

that he intervened into our lives.

He took the initiative out of his kindness,

saved us,

and is renewing us and changing us day by day.

That builds me up

because I know that I mess up

and I need this Saviour every day.

So he's got to encourage the church

in the gospel.

Well, second, in the last part of verse 9,

it says there,

so that he can encourage others

by sound doctrine

and refute those who oppose it.

So again, the other reason

is not just to encourage,

but the reason to teach the gospel

is to refute.

It's to tackle a false gospel.

It means that we are to confront

and correct everything

that is in opposition to the gospel

and God's word.

And that's what the rest of chapter 1

is making clear.

There's a lot of impure teaching going on

and it's led to all kinds of impure living.

And he's got to confront it.

He can't just let it go on.

He's got to correct it.

Otherwise, the church is going to fall apart.

And we'll be looking at that more next week.

So these are the two things

the elders must do.

They've got to keep the gospel,

the word of God, central.

It's got to be informing

and shaping the church.

And the way he does that

is by encouraging people in the gospel

and by challenging a false gospel.

So what do leaders do?

Well, simply this.

They nurture people.

They build people up

towards purity

with the gospel.

That's what leaders ought to be about.

Which brings us to question 3.

Who should be a leader?

Well, it's all about character.

Not letters after the name.

It's all about character.

Not the letters after someone's name.

Which I'm very thankful for

because I don't think I've got any letters

after my name.

But character.

That's what's important.

Chapter 1, verse 6.

An elder must be blameless.

And the same is repeated in verse 7.

An overseer, an elder,

is entrusted with God's work.

He must be blameless.

Now, I do not stand before you,

and Ralph, who's also an elder,

isn't sitting before you,

as blameless.

Are we?

No.

Just ask our wives.

We're not perfect.

We're not saying we are perfect.

None of us are perfect.

It simply means we are to be without blame.

In other words,

there is to be nothing in an elder's life

that disqualifies them from leading.

And the way to test

is to look at an elder's family life

and to look at his public life.

Examine their family life

and their public life

to see if there is anything

that disqualifies from leading.

Now, before we jump on the back of an elder

and start pointing fingers,

let's remember that the details here

that are following in verses 7 through to 8,

this is actually the expectation

for all God's people.

What we expect to see in a leader's life,

we should also expect to see

in every single Christian.

In fact, a very helpful exercise

if you wanted to do this through the week

is to read through verses 7 and 8

and find the equivalent

for every other person

in the life of the church.

And you can find the equivalent

in the letter of Titus.

So what's expected of a leader,

you will also find is expected

of every single person in the church.

But back to our question,

who should be a leader?

Well, let's look at their family life.

Verse 6.

An elder must be blameless,

the husband of but one wife.

Now, this does not mean

an elder must be married,

but if he is married,

he must only have one wife.

And not just legally.

He must have one wife practically.

In other words,

as a husband,

he must be devoted

and loyal

and faithful to his wife.

He doesn't have eyes

for another woman,

real or virtual.

He's a one woman man

who loves his wife,

who delights in her,

who wants to spend time with her

and gives himself

in sacrificial service

to his wife.

So men,

listen up.

If you are married

or you anticipate

on getting married,

are you the husband

of one wife?

Not just legally,

not just because it says so

on the piece of paper,

but practically.

Or are you withholding

your affection and love

from your wife?

Are you giving your devotion

to someone else

or to something else?

The husband of but one wife.

Men,

husbands,

love our wives well.

Well,

we're not only to look

at his relationship

to his wife.

We are to look

at his relationship

to his children.

Look at the rest

of verse 6.

The husband of but one wife,

a man whose children

believe

and are not open

to the charge

of being wild

and disobedient.

Well,

that's a hard one,

isn't it?

Does it really mean

that an elder son

or daughter

must be a Christian,

that they have

to be believers?

Seems to say that.

Well,

I struggled with this

and had to do a lot

of reading

and thinking about it.

And to understand

it correctly,

let me,

let's look at two things

to try and understand it.

First of all,

and I'm no Greek scholar,

okay?

So you check it out

for yourself

if you're a Greek scholar.

From what I've read

and from looking

at those who do

know the language better,

they tell us

that the word here,

believe,

in verse 6,

a man whose children

believe,

also means faithful.

It's the same word.

In fact,

through the pastoral epistles,

which is 1 and 2 Timothy

and Titus,

it uses the word

interchangeably,

believe or faithful.

So in that case,

verse 6,

would be that

an elder's children

are to be faithful,

meaning they are to be

submissive and obedient

to their parents.

So,

it could have that meaning.

But if we look back

to 1 Timothy chapter 3,

1 Timothy 3:4

verse 4,

so just go back

a couple of pages

to 1 Timothy chapter 3,

1 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

and verse 4.

Paul here is giving

the same instructions

to Timothy

about elders.

We've been reading

about it in Titus,

but here he's giving

the same instructions

to Timothy

about elders.

But look what he says here

in 1 Timothy chapter 3,

1 Timothy 3:4

verse 4.

He must manage

his own family well

and see that his children

obey him

with proper respect.

Do you see the difference?

He's not saying here

that they must be believers.

He says they must obey him

with proper respect.

And here's the reason,

1 Timothy 3,

1 Timothy 3:5

verse 5,

if anyone does not know

how to manage

his own family,

well how can he take care

of God's church?

So I don't think

Paul is saying

one thing to Timothy.

He's not saying to Timothy,

well look,

it doesn't matter

if your children

aren't believers,

if you have any.

That doesn't matter.

But to Titus,

he says something

completely different.

Well your children

have to be believers.

I think he's saying

the same thing,

but in different ways.

An elder's children

must be faithful.

That is,

his children

must not be

undisciplined

and disobedient

or reckless

in their living.

How can we manage

a church family

if we cannot manage

our own family?

And if our own children

are out of control,

how can we ever

lead God's children?

But as we said,

these things are not

just about leaders.

They do apply to leaders.

But this is something

for us all

as fathers.

And again,

we just talked about

the men,

so let me now again

address the fathers.

If you have children

or if you plan

on having children,

this is what

we are called to.

We must not

abdicate

our God-given

responsibility.

It's too easy

an excuse

for a father

to turn around

and say,

well that's the wife's

responsibility.

They're at home

most of the time.

That's what they do.

And it's not

the school teacher's

responsibility.

And it's not

the church's

responsibility.

As a father,

and I speak as a father

with two children,

we have responsibility

to lovingly

discipline

our children

so that they learn

obedience

and respect.

So watch a father

with his children

and you will know

if they are fit

to be an elder.

So,

who should be a leader?

Well,

look at their

family life,

their relationship

to their wife

and their relationship

to their children.

if they have a wife

and if they have

children.

Second,

we must look

at their public life.

And again,

this applies

to us all.

Verse 7.

Since an overseer

is entrusted

with God's work,

he must be

blameless,

not overbearing,

not quick-tempered,

not given

to drunkenness,

not violent,

not pursuing

that dishonest

gain,

rather,

he must be

hospitable,

one who loves

what is good,

who is self-controlled,

upright,

holy

and disciplined.

Now,

he's listed here

five negatives

and they are

contrasted

by five positives.

I've put

holy and disciplined

as one couple.

So,

five negatives

contrasted

by five positives.

And we've listed them

and you'll see

on the screen

side by side

so you can follow.

Let's go through them

one by one.

First,

he says,

they should not

be overbearing

but

hospitable.

So,

we must not

be pushy

and arrogant

so that it

becomes

uncomfortable

to be around

people who are

like that,

who are pushy

and arrogant

and always

wanting their

view and not

listening to

others.

Instead,

he must be

welcoming of

others,

warm and

open home

and open life,

putting people

at their ease.

Not overbearing

but hospitable.

Second,

not quick tempered

but self-controlled.

He must not

lash out

verbally

or physically,

crushing people

with his words

or breaking

with his fists.

Instead,

he must be

one who is

measured

and can

in his

every response,

listening

carefully

and can

in what

he has to

say

and what

he has to

do.

Third,

not a

drunkard

but

holy

and

disciplined.

In other

words,

he must be

one who

is not

dependent

on

alcohol

or

known

for getting

drunk

instead,

he must

be

separate

from,

that's

what it

is to

be

holy,

is to

be

separate

from.

So he's

to be

separate

from this

kind of

behaviour

and

disciplined,

not being

mastered

by unhelpful

habits.

So not

a drunkard

but

holy

and

disciplined.

Fourth,

not violent

but

upright.

he must

not have

a temperament

that is

like a

hurricane

or a

volcano

which

destroys

and erupts,

hitting

his wife

or lashing

out at

his children.

Not

violent

but

upright.

Instead,

he must

deal with

people with

gentleness,

bringing

peace

into a

troubled

situation

and

bringing

calm

where

there's

upset.

So not

violent

but

upright.

And

fifth,

not

pursuing

dishonest

gain

but

love

what

is

good.

he's

not

out

to

make

as

much

money

as

possible.

Being

in the

business

that I

am

in

and

I

talk

about

my

role

as

an

elder

and

a

teaching

elder,

it's

not

here

to

make

as

much

money

as

possible

and

to

get

as

much

out

of

people

regardless

of

the

effects

of

others.

Instead,

he is

to be

one

who

is

other

centered,

generous

with

his

resources,

always

looking

for ways

to support

those in

need

practically

and

financially,

not

pursuing

dishonest

gain

but

loves

what

is

good.

So

let me

say

this,

watch

a man

in his

public

life,

examine

his

public

life,

and

you

will

know

if

he

is

fit

to

be

an

elder.

So

who

should

be

a

leader

within

the

church

of

God?

Well,

one

who

lives

a

life

of

purity.

Question

four.

How do

we go

about

appointing

leaders?

Well,

it's

very

clear that

we

should

not

self

appoint.

In

fact,

whenever

you

are

in

churches

and

situations

where

leaders

self

appoint

themselves,

well,

then you

end up

in all

kinds

of

trouble.

And I

think there

are two

very

helpful

principles

here

to help

us understand

how we

can

appoint.

First,

there's the

responsibility

of the

elders.

elders.

While

there's no

set manual

within

scripture

that you

can look

up and

find kind

of like

elders,

section

3.5D,

elders,

and you

read all

about it,

it's not

like that.

But what

we do

have are

very clear

principles to

apply,

and I

think this

section here

in Titus

is a very

clear

principle.

In this

case,

Titus

obviously

qualifies

as an

elder,

and he's

been given

the responsibility,

go back to

verse 5,

of appointing

elders in

every town.

So this is

his first

task,

this is his

calling as

he goes to

these churches,

these new

little groups,

these house

churches,

he is to

appoint elders.

And plurality,

not just one,

it's always

plurality,

when we look

through the

Bible it's

always more

than one,

so at least

two,

that would

lead the

local church.

So he's to

appoint them,

he's not to

appoint people

who he likes,

or people who

he just happens

to get on

with,

or people who

will do

what he

says.

No,

the people

that they

must appoint

are those

who are

accountable

to the

whole church

family,

it's not

done in

isolation.

Which brings

us to the

second,

and the

two work

together,

the

accountability

to the

church.

You see,

the qualifications

that we've

just looked

through are

to be used

by the

church to

test those

who would

be leaders.

Elders are

accountable to

the church,

they are not

separate from

the church.

So I stand

before you

this morning

as one who

has got a

responsibility,

but I am

also accountable

to people

like you.

You are

to hold

me and

Ralph

accountable to

what we've

just been

looking at.

That is

your role,

and it's

serious.

So in

practice then,

when elders

put a man

forward,

he must

first be

tested by

the church

because he

is accountable

to the

church.

And if

when the

church

examine and

look at

his family

life,

his relationship

to his wife

and his

children,

and look at

his public

life,

and see

that those

things are

all in

place,

then it's

something to

support and

to encourage.

The church

does not

appoint people

they like.

They do

not appoint

people to

bring in a

certain kind

of change

or to do

things differently

just because

they like

it.

Rather,

we appoint

those who

measure up

to God's

standard of

purity.

So how do

we appoint

leaders?

Well,

we appoint

leaders with

pure motives.

So four

very simple

questions.

Why do we

need leaders?

leaders?

Well,

because we

need a

pure foundation.

We need to

establish

something solid.

What do

leaders do?

They nurture

people towards

purity with

the gospel.

Who should

be a leader?

Those who

reflect a

pure life.

And how do

we appoint

them?

Well,

all of us

have a role

and responsibility.

And we

must do

so with

pure

motives.

And if

we have

these things

together in

place,

then it

begins to

move the

church

onwards,

keeping it

pure and

growing each

person in

a life of

purity.

Remove

this,

and a

church will

digress into

impurity.

needless to

say,

this is

serious.

And so I

ask that you

would pray

for your

leaders.

Pray for

them.

They face the

same kind of

struggles,

the same kind

of issues

as you.

We sin,

we fail,

we mess

up.

And so we

need you to

pray that we

would live up

to what God

has called

us to be.

But pray

also that God

would raise

up leaders.

Leaders for

this church,

leaders for

Kinsale,

leaders for

wherever the

next church

plant may be.

Because this

is what will

grow the

church and

grow us to

be more

pure.

let's pray

right now.