Teach Them to Wear the Gospel Well

Titus 2:1-15[1]

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, January 30^th, 2010

There is a connection between believing the gospel and doing good works. In Titus, Paul tends to teach it this way; Sound Doctrine Brings Good Works. Genuine faith in Christ leads to obedience. Belief in Christ brings a different behavior. In chapter one we considered the grace of God and the knowledge of the truth, the qualifications for elders, and then learned that ungodly men must be silenced in the church. Today we come to chapter two where Paul tells Titus – essentially – teach them to wear the gospel well. We're going to cover the entire chapter and there is a lot here, so let's jump in.

Titus 2:1-15

1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,

4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,

5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.

7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,

8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

9 Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,

10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Let's pray. Teach them to wear the gospel well through godly character and good works; for we have God's grace. We see here the message of the book in bold print: sound doctrine brings good works. 

Titus is commanded to teach the church how to live in a way that makes the gospel look good and honor God. Let's look at that first…

The Pastor's Job, (1, 7-8, 15): To teach what 'accords with sound doctrine'. Maybe if I said it this way: "Teach and show the church how to live in such a way that the gospel is brought honor by your behavior, and their lives are fruitful." Or even simpler: "Teach them to wear the gospel well." Titus was told to do this boldly, directly, and with authority. "Declare, exhort, and rebuke with all authority", Paul says to the young pastor. Regardless of how a man sees himself as a pastor he must consider these words in this pastoral letter, and lead in a manner that befits the office! Before the church can wear the gospel well the pastor must teach the gospel and godly living well! Here again we see God's order of authority in the church. And between 'teach' in v 1 and with all authority in v 15 we have the reminder of living the example in verses 7-8. Teach and live with integrity and honor, wearing the gospel well yourself so that your witness is intact. That's the work given to young Titus here; teach, live, and lead with godly character and authority in the church.

Older Men, verse 2. What is old? Based on what I've read, 'older' generally meant past child-bearing and child-raising age; roughly 60 years old (as Paul's instructions to Timothy on care for widows says, 1 Tim 5:9). These men were to carry themselves with sobriety, dignity, and a demeanor that garnered respect among the church. These aren't necessarily elders in the church, but older men are to live godly and self-controlled. We will see this one a lot, so let's consider it: self-controlled. This is not letting the passions and desires rule you, but rather living by wisdom and purpose. Many of these desires are God-given, but still must be reigned in and ordered. Paul compares this in 1 Corinthians to the strict regimen an athlete must inflict on himself in order to be ready to compete. These men must be the rock of the faith community; sound in faith, steadfast in their love for Christ, family, and the church.

Older Women, verses 3-4.  These women also must be self-controlled, not loose talkers or drinkers. Here we have women who's primary, daily responsibilities are dramatically decreased; so Paul urges the role of teaching the younger women how to live on these godly older ladies. How else would the younger women learn these things? From teaching and the example of the godly older women. Ladies, you are to grow in godly character and self-discipline so you can teach godly character to the younger women! This isn't for the chosen few, this was to be normal among God's people.

Younger Women, verses 4-5. Ah, the controversy this could bring! Rather, let's drop all that and receive God's truth from God. The primary responsibilities of the married younger woman are to her husband and to her children. This is God's wise plan, and it is hard work to keep a home and raise children. You, young ladies, are to be submissive to your husband, and live for him and for your children. It is NOT the time in life to be selfish; it is the time to live for others and work hard. God has a reward for you; but don't miss the reward of a godly witness and ministry NOW as you live your role faithfully before Christ. Your role in that home is critical to any society, wives and mothers; don't let that beautiful calling be spoken down to by this foolish culture.

Young Men, verse 6. Teach the young men to be self-controlled – stop. Short telegraph here, huh! I have to chuckle here; it's almost like, 'the boys gotta reign it in', and that's it. It is fascinating why he has so little to say for the young men, until you consider that, without self-control, any learning is wasted anyway, for the young man will live a wasted foolish life otherwise. In the highly visible, immediate-success era we live in, young men in entertainment and sports with incredible talent and skills flame out all the time. The most gifted cornerback to come out of the draft in the past few years couldn't stop fighting in bars, and after a big game was found in Las Vegas cashing $30,000 and throwing it like rain down onto the dance floor, which – as you might guess – caused a bit of a disturbance. Self-control, young men; we aren't animals; we don't have to live by base urges.

Slaves, verses 9-10. We don't have slaves today in this culture, unless you count minimum wage workers. But let's consider this admonition as useful for all who work, our lives are also to be submissive, respectful and we are to be faithful, trustworthy laborers. A man or woman who works hard, humbly receives instructions and corrections without a lot of mouthing off is a blessing. Joseph, from the book of Genesis, is an extraordinary example of such character for us. Now in summary we come to two questions; why and how.

Why: because we are a witness to Christ. Here Paul employs one of the most beautiful phrases in Scripture; "so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior". Here we get back to the roots of why we live godly lives; to be a godly witness. The church needs to see it and the world needs to see it – the church living godly lives. And this is where I get this phrase 'wear the gospel well', because Paul says adorn the doctrine'; put it on with honor and dignity. Father, help us to do so! We have Christ in us, church; we are the gospel witness to a dying world; to deny Him by our works is such a DISgrace! So we are taught to honor Christ by our good works. To represent Christ well as a body, that's why we live godly lives. And in a godless world it is hard, but God is our Savior, God is One with Jesus, and has offered us rich, free grace. Let's see about that in verses 11-14. Here's…

How: by God's grace in us, verses 11-14. This bears reading again, for it is so very rich! For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

It is a saving grace. This grace, and here Paul clearly speaks of the person of grace – Jesus Christ – is a saving grace. We who were far from God were brought near through God's choice to offer His Son on that cross! This grace is free to all men; not every person will be saved, church – this isn't a watery universalism – but rather, this grace if for all people, not just Jews, and not just Greeks in our area; it is for all people!

It is a cleansing grace. When we receive this grace we renounce – publicly reject, and part association with – ungodliness, and we turn to live a holy and upright life. Because grace is free many have mistakenly assumed that they can keep their own course of sinful, selfish living; that's not the Christian gospel. The call to believe and follow Christ comes with a call to renounce disobedience to God, our Creator, and to walk a life worthy of Christ!

It is a hopeful grace. It points us to the return of the One we love and believe in! We sing of this, we pray for this, we hold this as our hope – He will come to rescue His church, and resurrect our bodies! I like what Larry Osborne says in Sticky Teams[2] about His church's doctrine on the return of Christ; "We like to say we're on the welcoming committee, not the planning committee." That's good wisdom!

It is a costly grace. "Who gave Himself". This, the sinless, righteous, Son of God came to Calvary to suffer my indignity, shame, beatings, nakedness, humiliation, pain, and death. I have disobeyed God, as have you – like sheep, we've gone astray. But Christ thought it right to come and die for us, all who would believe, from every tribe, tongue, and nation. He shed His own blood, though innocent. And with this great price He purchased pardon for sinners.

He paid the debt in full; with resurrection power and new life in us, we can, by this saving, cleansing, hopeful, costly grace – we can live new lives, godly lives.

We, having received the gospel, can live to adorn the gospel of grace. Church, by His grace, - old men, women, and young men and women – we can wear the gospel well.

This young pastor is told: Titus, Teach them to wear the gospel well through godly character and good works; for we have God's grace. For the sake of the good name of Christ in us, let us wear the gospel well.

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[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.

[2]Copyright © 2010 by Larry Osborne, published by Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI

Unfit for Any Good Work

Titus 1:10-16[1] 

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, January 23^rd, 2010

You'll often hear the phrase, "Opposites attract", and mostly when folks are talking about marriage, or relationships which should lead to marriage. In Titus 1, there are opposites; there is the godly man, described (in the qualification for elders) in verses 5-9, and the ungodly man, described in the rest of the chapter, verses 10-16. These opposites do not attract. This is really one flowing section of this book from verses 5-16. All of this has to do with Titus' command from Paul to "put what remained in order".  Let's read these verses.

Titus 1:9-16 (to get context I'll read verse 9)

9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.

11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

12 One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."

13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,

14 not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.

15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Here is the message for today from this text: Ungodly men must be silenced in the church, for the gospel and the people of God must remain pure in the church.  This is how you get a church in order and ready for good works: you exalt godly men into leadership, and you silence ungodly men and false teachers. They must be rebuked, and if they repent, taught good truth in order to mature in the gospel. These ungodly men are unfit for any good work. Shall we pray?

This is a discipline section of Scripture. It is about correction, reproof, and training in righteousness in the church (2 Tim 3:16). The people and the gospel must remain pure in the church; that purity requires correction by courageous, godly men. False teachers and divisive church-goers must be rebuked; their lies make people unfit for any good work. Just as sound doctrine brings good works, then false doctrine makes people unfit for any good work. Lies and false gospels erode fruitfulness in the church. Thus, these ungodly men must be silenced.

Church discipline varies a little throughout the New Testament. It isn't simply the most well-known passage on the subject from Matthew 18 that addresses it; but let's begin there.

In Matthew 18 there is an orderly, four-step process for a sinning brother. Correct them privately, then with two witnesses, then before the church, and finally, if they don't repent, remove them from the church.

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul, in one fell swoop, hands a man over to Satan through a letter, single-handedly and authoritatively removing this immoral young man from the church. He later repented and was restored (2 Cor 2).

In 2 Timothy 2 Timothy is taught to correct his opponents gently, hoping God will grant them repentance and knowledge of the truth.

Here in Titus 1 the young pastor is taught to do two things with these liars in the church; 1) silence them and 2) rebuke them sharply. In chapter three he is taught to warn a divisive person twice, then have nothing more to do with him. However it is done, correction, reproof, and even up to removal of unrepentant sinners is a necessary work in God's church. Pleasant? No. Fun? Better not be. Necessary? Yes. I see three results from such discipline in the church:

 

1.     Sheep are corrected and protected. Anyone remember what wolves do to sheep?

2.     The gospel is kept pure and bears fruit in and through the church. Gospel is the power.

3.     God's name is glorified by and among His people.

 

Ultimately though, we can simplify it in context with Paul's own words: "Put what remained into order". So the church needs to be put in order by exalting godly men to leadership and silencing ungodly men and their lies; for they are unfit for any good work.

Since Paul described the elders/pastors, then described these ungodly men, let's look at the contrast a little bit. We'll call the elders, 'godly men'. I've summarized and combined some of the characteristics for brevity's sake, but I think we'll see the dissimilarity.

 

Godly Men Ungodly Men

Be above reproach insubordinate

Faithful husband and father empty talkers and deceivers

Hold firm to trustworthy word upsetting whole families

Able to teach truth and refute liars teach lies for shameful gain

Hospitable, self-controlled, lover of good liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons

A lover of good defiled and unbelieving

Upright, holy, and disciplined detestable and disobedient

Not arrogant, quick tempered, or violent unfit for any good work

Not a drunkard (I passed this last week!)

Not greedy for gain

 

I think a good summary contrast can be found simply with the first and last lines:

Above reproach. Good and godly men who know and love the truth, and love God's people.

Unfit for any good work. Ungodly men who teach lies, tear the church apart, for greedy, selfish gain, who are unfit for any good work.

Who would you want leading the church?

Who would you want influencing the church?

Do we want good character, faith, and good works, or ungodly lies and ungodly, selfish behavior? What should reflect our church? This is an easy, rhetorical answer, but it is not as easy to get and maintain order in the church, because it is not easy to rebuke or to be rebuked! Being on either end is something most of us avoid diligently, and for similar reasons.

1.     It's hard to rebuke people. Maybe because we have a shallow love; we love them too much (in our minds), but really not enough! Too much to risk hurting their feelings, but not enough to do what's best for them (Prov 27:5). We love a false peace more than real, fought-for peace. We love growing numbers more than the gospel accuracy. Maybe a paycheck? Several reasons can hinder us, but the bottom line is REBUKING PEOPLE IS NOT COMMON and it is HARD. It requires courageous, godly men. These men must love God, the gospel, and God's sheep – enough to wound them to save them.

2.     It's hard to be rebuked. This one is simpler. I'll throw out two reasons; we don't believe in absolutes, and we have pride.

Absolutes, you say? Yes. Listen again to the tone of Paul's writing…

They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.

Folks, here is what Paul was thinking; "My gospel is right, and their lies are wrong." Today, that sounds arrogant, doesn't it? Honestly, do you find that offensive? Many of you may, because you're steeped in a culture with no moral compass, no absolute foundation! We have witnessed, in two generations, the swift erosion of truth in this humanistic culture. When people base their lives on evolutionary chains and cosmic accidents, there are no absolutes; there are only pragmatism and selfishness. What we believe is what works, and what is best for me. That's how we toss morals and the gospel out – because God's already out the window. So when somebody dares to say God is right (and I know it) and you are wrong, we get offended. This is easily demonstrated with the swift change in social attitudes toward homosexuality in the last 20 years. In 1991 such behavior was frowned upon as wrong, perverted, and shameful (largely). Now it is celebrated, and the fact that I'm even talking about it as sin makes many of you (30 and under) very uncomfortable, as if I'm homophobic or evil for even thinking it might be an issue. God calls it sin – wrong. And God is right.

You see, we stand on the shifting sand of humanistic thinking, even in the church, too often! When there are no absolutes, then absolutes offend.

And then there is simple pride. We're independent, free, and self-made; and we often think we did someone a favor to even come to church – maybe our mother or the pastor. So how DARE you rebuke me!

You, judge me? It rises in us, doesn't it?

What about you – how you do receive reproof? Are you grateful, or resentful? Would you consider it, pray about it, and get back with the brother or sister, or would you huff and puff, and leave, talking bad about the leadership?

It's hard to rebuke people. It's hard to be rebuked. It's humbling; but humility is good, so good for the believer! Brothers and sisters, let's confess the gospel truth, and let's remember what benefits come from such reproof among us…

1.     Sheep are corrected and protected. Anyone remember what wolves do to sheep?

2.     The gospel is kept pure and bears fruit in and through the church. Gospel is the power.

3.     God's name is glorified by and among His people.

There is a contrast between godly men and ungodly men. These opposites do not attract. For the love of the church, for the love of the gospel, and for the love of God, ungodly men must be silenced in the church. The gospel and the people of God must remain pure in the church. We must exalt godly men into leadership and rebuke ungodly men, so the church can be 'put in order'. Otherwise, this church will soon be 'unfit for any good work.'

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[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.

Grace... PJ

Qualifications for Elders

Titus 1:5-9[1]

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, January 16^th, 2010

Here is the situation in Crete: Paul had planted churches, but things were by no means established. Paul had laid a foundation with the preaching of the gospel; now the foundation needed to be sealed and the building completed. Matthew Henry put it this way: "This was the business of evangelists (in which office Titus was), to water where the apostles had planted. "[2] From what we read in the rest of the book, there were Jews there who were interested in turning things away from the cross and back to law and tradition, and others of ungodly character who wanted to wreck the work of Christ. So Paul left the young Titus there, as the representative of the apostle himself, to put things in order. How do things get in order? You appoint godly leadership. Godly leadership comes from godly men. Here they are called elders and overseers – same office, different terms. Elders must have godly character, godly homes, and good gospel knowledge. The church needs gospel-preaching men to get started. The church needs gospel-centered men of character to prevail.

How can the church prevail if men can't preach the gospel accurately and defend it against error?

And how can the gospel thrive if their lives undermine their preaching?

Let's read this text and spend time contemplating God's Qualifications for Elders.

Titus 1:5-9

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you--

6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.

7 For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,

8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Let's pray.

First a few implied things about these elders from this text, and also from 1 Tim 3:1-7, and other texts throughout the New Testament…

They are men. This is so well assumed that, in our culture, it might be missed. Let the record state that it is clear; men are to lead in the church and that because they lead in their homes. This is God's plan, and it will be the plan this church abides by. Paul wrote these words in 1 Tim 2:12-13, before giving the qualification for elders in chapter three. "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve".

They are appointed. Titus was functioning as an apostle's representative, but let's call him, for sake of clarity, an elder himself. Elders, according to what we see in Acts, Timothy, and Titus, appoint elders, and the church confirms that these godly men should lead.

They are leaders. These aren't men who test the wind of the congregation and try to do what they think will succeed; they are men who lead. They do it graciously, humbly, in a godly manner, but with no apologies. They lead. They preach the gospel (feeding the sheep well), shepherd the flock, and they make disciples. They 'oversee', with authority from God. Their authority is gospel-based; it is Bible authority under Christ, the head of the church. These men set doctrine, they teach and preach truth, refute error, oversee the teaching of the church.  Leaders don't poll opinions on every thing; they lead.  Hebrews 13:17 tells the church to submit to such leaders. "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you."

These things are implied in this text, and supported in many others. Now let's consider these qualifications by means of what these men are to be and not to be.

Elders are to be:

Above reproach. Both inside and outside of the church, there must be no accusation that sticks to this elder. He is above accusation because he is a trustworthy, godly man.

Be the husband of one wife. This is to be taken with what the rest of the Bible teaches about marriage and divorce, and not further based on some cultural ideas. But no leeway is to be taken here either; this is clearly a man who is faithful to his wife, and has been long enough to be beyond question. This is a moral, faithful man in his marriage and sexuality.

Fathers of submitted, faithful children.  This word "Believers" here can be taken to mean faithful (as in trustworthy, dutiful), or as being a believer in Jesus Christ. If taken the first way, and in conjunction with Paul's instructions to Timothy, then children need to be submitted, obedient, and respectful while they are in the pastor's home; he leads an orderly, godly house. If taken the second way, men can only be elders if all of their children are Christians. Since God alone saves through the gospel, and the pastor can't save his children any more than he can his church attenders or even members, I see this as faithful. These children must be respectful, obedient

Able to teach sound doctrine. A pastor must know the gospel and preach the gospel well. All else stands or falls here. To have godly character and be unable to teach the gospel right is of no use to the church in it's protection! Men must be mature and sound in their grasp of the gospel. Church, never compromise here!

Able to refute those who contradict it. Specifically in the context of this book, false teachers were at work – and there is enough warning about them in other books of the New Testament to assure us that they will be at work until Christ returns. These men must have the knowledge and courage to refute lies that creep into churches.

Hospitable. Back to the home. I wonder if this requirement is questioned enough.

Lovers of good. Their lives aren't about only what they don't do or seek, but what they do seek – good, and they love what is good.

Self-controlled. A strong theme throughout this book. In a godless, immoral culture, a man must be able to control his passions and desires. Elders are required to live and walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh.

Upright. Righteous, good and godly.

Holy. This man is set apart to God, seeking the things of God.

Disciplined. A man can't lead or serve effectively if he can't manage himself.

Elders are NOT to be:

Arrogant. There isn't a place for arrogance in the kingdom of God, in the church, or especially in the leadership. Remember the promise that elders will give an account to God? 1 Pet 5:1-4 calls for humble, submitted men as well as godly men.

Quick-tempered. Much damage is done by quick-tempered men, and God wants no such damage done to His sheep.

Violent. No pugilists, no men who stir up fights and need to prove their manhood by beating up other men are needed as elders.

Greedy for gain. Elders will make decisions about money of the church; greed must not enter in here. Let the talk, actions, and the direction of the man clearly show that he serves Christ and the church for God's glory, and not simply for money.

So there is a bit about what elders are to be, and not to be.

How can the church prevail if men can't preach the gospel accurately and defend it against error?

And how can the gospel thrive if their lives undermine their preaching?

Elders must have godly character, godly homes, and good gospel knowledge.

Men, this is attainable for us; it isn't unreasonable. These aren't spiritual giants; they are simply godly men in the church. But Christ calls and uses ordinary men to do extraordinary things for His glory in the church.

Has He called you to serve Him this way?

Has He convicted you, young men, to set these standards as a way to live your Christian life? Let me answer that one – yes, He has.

The church in Crete needed such leaders to build rightly on the gospel foundation Paul had laid. This church, and all of the church, needs godly leaders to build rightly on the gospel foundation the apostles gave us in the Scriptures.

Let's close in prayer to our Lord.

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[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.

[2] From the Matthew Henry Commentary on Titus, accessed via E-Sword Software

Knowledge of The Truth

 Titus 1:1-4[1]

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, January 9^th, 2010

There is a connection between believing the gospel and doing good works. In Titus, Paul tends to teach it this way; Sound Doctrine Brings Good Works. Genuine faith in Christ leads to obedience. Belief in Christ brings a different behavior.

When the gospel is preached and people repent of their sin and turn to Christ to be saved from God's wrath, God calls those people out of our godless behavior! To profess faith in Christ and remain in your sin is not how one is saved from God's wrath; it is not enough to profess faith, for one must also possess faith. The behavior, the works, the choices and actions of this person give testimony either of faith in Christ or of the lack of it. Simply put, when believe the gospel, righteousness will begin to bleed out of their lives, because the Holy Spirit of God has come to dwell in them! Could we tell the difference, we who are in church with this professing Christian? Their lives give evidence! We could see the light of their faith in Christ through their actions. Jesus worded it this way in His Sermon on the Mount, Matt 5:14-16. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The situation here in this letter is that Paul is writing to Titus to give this young pastor instruction on leading and establishing the churches on the island of Crete. Paul was writing to equip and encourage young Titus to equip the saints for the work of ministry. In Paul's brief letter to Titus, he gives him instructions about…

-       Leadership in the churches

-       False teachers in the churches

-       Godly living to adorn the gospel

-       Things that are excellent and profitable for people

-       Being devoted to good works

Of course there is the greeting and the closing on either end of these brief but direct instructions, and that is where we are today, in Titus 1:1-4. Here's the message I see in this greeting text: The authority, motivation, hope, and leadership of the apostle Paul was based in the grace of God; and the grace of God comes through the knowledge of the truth. Let's read this text, Titus 1:1-4

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness,

2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began

3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Shall we pray?

So; authority, purpose, hope, and leadership. Let's begin with…

Paul's Authority. Paul was this man's Greek name; his Jewish given name was Saul, and he was of the same tribe as the earlier Saul, king of Israel. But his mission was to Gentiles, so early on in his work he began going by Paul. This first line is like handing us his business card: "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ". Servant in some of our translations is rendered bondservant. This was the lowest, most menial serving person in Paul's culture and time, and was often rendered 'slave'. Now when Paul puts it as bondservant of God, he is introducing himself as one who was in complete, willing, submission to God, His master. He had no will, purpose, or plan of his own; he lived for God. As for apostle of Jesus Christ, it simply means one sent out by Christ to preach the gospel. But when Christ sent the apostles out he prefaced it with "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore…" Jesus sent His apostles out with His authority to preach HIS gospel message. An apostle is like an ambassador of a sovereign nation; our ambassador to Ireland is the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mr. Daniel Rooney. As President Obama's ambassador, he doesn't tell the Irish government what he desires and requires; he communicates the desires, positions, and policies of the President of the United States of America. His role is simply to represent, to speak the message of the President. Paul's role was to speak the message of Jesus Christ, and specifically to the Gentiles. He is the willing servant of God and he is sent out by and to preach of Jesus Christ. That is Paul's authority; serving, humble representative authority.

Paul's Motivation. Paul describes it here as being "for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness". As Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, God would, through this preaching, call men and women to faith in Jesus Christ. These people he calls, "God's elect". He said a similar thing to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:10: "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory". What Paul is saying is that he preaches the gospel of jesus Christ knowing that God will, through the preaching of the cross, call men and women to Himself, those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. God's work is to save people; Paul's work was to preach the gospel. Here is how that works…

1)   The gospel has saving power. Rom 1:16 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.

2)   The gospel preached gives faith to those God is calling. Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

3)   Not all who hear the gospel believe, but only those God has chosen. Here is an example of this from Acts 13:44-48 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

You see, Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel; those whom God called through this gospel responded in faith; they believed in their sinfulness, their need of Christ, and that He paid the price for their sin on that cross! Their election happened long ago, before times eternal, Ephesians teaches us. Eph 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Those who did not simply weren't called to faith in Christ – they rejected Him. Beautifully, we aren't privilege to knowledge of who God's elect are; we simply preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God. This election is God's work, as is the regeneration, the bringing of dead sinners to life to see their sinfulness and God's holiness.  When people reject God's word that doesn't guarantee that they're not called to Christ; we only know that for sure when people die rejecting Christ. But do you see what motivated Paul – that God would, by His grace, call people to faith in Christ through the preaching of the gospel. He gave the knowledge of the truth, and God did the work. He preached in the authority and power of God. And his motivation was to see God save people through the message. Next we have

Paul's Hope. Quite simply, eternal life with God in heaven. "in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;" Paul preached knowing that all who repent of sin and believe in Christ will avoid the wrath of God – death and hell, for eternity – and live forever with God, counted righteous through the blood of Christ shed on that cross. For himself, and for the elect God saved, that they would live forever with God in heaven, according to His promise! This promise was first spoken between God the Father and God the Son before creation; it is plan A. And it was fulfilled when Jesus came, died, rose, ascended, and sent the apostles to tell the good news of eternal life through faith in Christ. Jn 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

So, authority, motivation, and hope. Now briefly, for we'll see more of this as we go along, we see

Paul's Leadership. This man went around preaching the gospel, but he always took faithful young men along with him, training them to preach and teach God's gospel. Titus was one such young man. "To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior". We're not sure when Paul picked him up and took him along, but we know from this letter that he is a trusted, faithful representative of Paul just as Paul is a representative of Christ; same gospel. This is what he means by 'my true child in a common faith'. Titus believed and was trained, taught, equipped, and mentored in gospel ministry on an 'as we go' basis. Timothy was similar, and told to do the same thing himself. 2 Tim 2:1-2 "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." Paul was always equipping the next generation of gospel preachers, and he looked ahead even further (four generations).

And all of this by grace, church. Grace and peace to you, Titus – and to all of the church of God in Jesus Christ. Paul knew that He was saved and called by God's grace, He was empowered to preach by the grace of God, and he was fully confident that this grace which has called him to faith would see him safely to be with God! GRACE: God's good power and love, giving us what we never deserve; life, love, and adoption as sons and daughters.

So we see the authority, purpose, hope, and leadership of the apostle Paul. And all of what Paul did centered around the knowledge of the truth.

Have you received God's grace? Have you believed in Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and grant you eternal life with Him in heaven? This isn't a game; this is life. Church, how many miles would you walk to preach Christ and get the response Paul got? Let's pray.

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[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.

Is Wisdom Gained in Vain?

 Ecclesiastes 1[1]

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, January 2^nd, 2010

Folks, life is hard. Some have put it this way; life is hard, and then you die. Now we live in the wealthiest, most blessed nation in the world. America is unrivaled for natural resources, beauty, and opportunity – and even here, life is hard! Imagine what people in most third-world nations call "hard"! But all people around the world have this in common; life is hard, and then we die. We face personal loss, sickness, death, pain, perplexing situations, injustice, and wickedness. National and international challenges of poverty and war mar the joy of many every day. Sin has its devastating effects on this earth, and we all feel the sting of it. Today many are praying and working to prevent another African genocide, this time in Ivory Coast, where the former President, voted out of office November 28^th of last year, refuses to concede power, and is threatening to 'liberate' the followers of the newly elected President[2].  A little closer to home, Ciudad, Mexico – just across the river from El Paso, TX – endured it's most terrible year in memory, seeing 3,111 people slaughtered in the drug war violence. That's up from 2,643 in 2009.[3]

It is natural to sometimes look to the heavens and wonder, "Why, God? Of what use is this earth? Why do we labor, study, serve, give, go, dream, build, and love if it all comes to nothing in the end?" All the incredible engineering feats that Rome developed were neglected by the hordes of barbarians who over-ran that nation; people camped in squalor and filth within sight of great stone buildings, bridges, and aqueducts left behind by the Romans. No wonder people have questioned the heavens, "Why learn, grow, save, and build only to see it squandered by those who don't care?"

I have friends from high school that I've reconnected with (thanks to Facebook), and I recently found out that five out of our grand graduating class of 49 have fought or are fighting cancer. Three have succumbed, and have passed on. One lady has recently endured a double mastectomy, and this past week found out that her seven-year-old son has a mass behind his sternum. Truly, for some of us, life is hard. The poet Steve Taylor said it this way in the 80's: "Life unravels like a cheap sweater; but since I gave up hope I feel a lot better![4] " There, what a bright thought for the New Year, right?

If you think that Christians never struggle with such thoughts, I believe you're fooling yourself, or you're naïve at best. And if you think the Bible is all happy, victory, excitement, fun, and love, well – this morning is a reality check for you. The Bible chronicles the revelation of God our Creator, and of man as well. Of God we see glory, holiness, wisdom, goodness, and power. Of man, we see, well – much chasing after the wind. It is an honest book; but before too much gloom fills the room, let me say it is a book of hope and joy as well! Turn with me to the book of Ecclesiastes today, and let's gather some wisdom from one who asked such questions, and who left us with answers as well. Let's read chapter one of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.

6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.

7 All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

8 All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has been already in the ages before us.

11 There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.

14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I said in my heart, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge."

17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.

18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Let's pray. Father, may the good truth of the gospel encourage us today, and may our faith in Jesus be strengthened, and our joy be made more full. Let us see You today in this text, Lord; and let us come to see ourselves as well. And Lord, help us to see Christ, the Savior of all who believe. In His Name and for His glory I pray, amen.

Now a more challenging book doesn't exist in the Bible! One Christian joked that Ecclesiastes is a lengthy Prozac ad. I will acknowledge that it is a tough read, but it is God's Word; it is a worthy read, and it requires us to think. Today I want us to look for the gems here, and take away the main message of this book. The question posed in this sermon is, "Is Wisdom Gained in Vain?" The answer is my theme: There is vanity; but take joy in your work, and fear God, the Creator and Judge of all. So vanity, joy, and fear.

Let me explain that one of the reasons Ecclesiastes is difficult to interpret is because of the many styles of writing employed. In this book there is poetry (both parallelism and contrast), there is irony, and there is dark humor; some of this is hard to grasp in English with hundreds of years between Solomon's culture and ours. For example: he writes that "there is no remembrance of former things", yet we read his "former writing" thousands of years after he penned those words. Ironic? Yes! So of course it isn't a blanket statement that should be taken out of the context of the book, nor out of the context of the other 65 books of the Bible. And dark humor, such as this line from 9:9: "Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun." He jokes about getting old and dying in chapter 12. "The grinders cease because they are few", and "those who look through the windows are dimmed". He's talking about his teeth getting old and falling out, and his eyesight failing. So there is poetry, contrast, irony, and dark humor. Having said that, let's hit the first theme…

Vanity. Now we read, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity" all through this book. This word shows up in 27 verses, from chapter 1:2 through chapter 12:8; this is a constant bass drum beat of the book. That word vanity is hard to define; most scholars agree that Solomon meant something like a vapor, or smoke. It is wispy, hard to grasp, and easily blown away on the wind. In fact, he also often uses the phrase, "striving after the wind" (v 17) as well. What is a vapor to this man who looks back on his life, and looks at death? Well, wisdom. He says in chapter 1:17-18 that gaining wisdom is vanity, and much vexation. But in 2:13 he writes, "Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness." And he commends wisdom many more times than he disdains it as a fleeting vapor. "Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun." Other things are targeted for his drumbeat of vanity…

Pleasure. Self-indulgence, labor, leadership, wealth, and honor, just to name a few. Here is a good way to take in all of this vanity, this striving after the wind: our lives are brief, and we are gone before you know it. That's the reason things look like a vapor – we quickly pass. Death is faced and looked squarely in the eye here. We need to learn from this, church; we sanitize it in nursing homes, hospitals, and clean, distance-holding funerals. But death comes to us all, and is a natural part of this life. We can't avoid death any more than a young boy can keep his little boat floating in the tub once mom has pulled the plug; the water will drain, and the boat will hit the bottom. None of the things of this earth – intellectual gain, physical strength or beauty, wealth, power, pleasure, or things we build – can help us stay past the demise of this earthly body. We will pass. Thus, all is vanity, a vapor – brief, temporal. Now…

Joy. Joy, you ask? Yes, joy! If the constant bass drum beat in Ecclesiastes is vanity, then the snare drum beat that comes often to offset the bass drum is JOY. Read with me from chapters two, three, five, and eight. Here are a few of these verses…

Ecc 2:24-25 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?

Ecc 3:12-13 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil--this is God's gift to man.

Ecc 5:18-19 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil--this is the gift of God.

Ecc 8:15 And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

See this thought sprinkled throughout this book; take joy in your work and relationships here on earth. It makes the fleeting, brief time here better! Rejoice that we can work, rather than bemoan the fact that we have to. Now today we hear a lot about passion; we should seek to work where we have passion, do things we're passionate about. This is unrealistic; often work is work, and just needs to get done (this is why many pass on a job while they wait for a management position that they're passionate about). But we can choose to take satisfaction and joy in our work. This mindset helps life be better, despite the many pains, griefs, and losses we will encounter along the way. If you have to take a trip, you might as well make it joyful rather than miserable, right? Enjoy life, he writes, though it is fleeting and may sometimes seem useless; it is not. So vanity, joy, and lastly…

Fear. Remember that a theme throughout the wisdom literature (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes) is The Fear of The Lord. Here in Ecclesiastes it is associated with the judgment of man, which is only accomplished only by God.

Ecc 3:14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.

Ecc 5:7 For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

Ecc 7:18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

Ecc 8:12-13 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

Ecc 12:1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them";

Ecc 12:13-14 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Our take away? All will face the judgment of God; we should fear Him now and seek a way to pass before Him then. But – how? This is the subtle gospel message in this book of Ecclesiastes; God judges sin, and all of us are sinners (8:10-12). Our only hope of standing before God through His judgment is in Christ, church!

Rev 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Folks, we fear God because He judges all mankind, and all mankind is guilty of sin. We inherit the sin nature from Adam, and we add to it, and personalize it, making our own guilt just! Who can be saved from God's wrath if this is true? Only those whose names are listed in God's book of life; and our names are only recorded there when we believe in Christ. You see, when we acknowledge our guilt, repent of our sins, and believe in Christ – the Way, the Truth, and the Life – we are saved, and our names written in this book!

There is vanity; but take joy in your work, and fear God, the Creator and Judge of all. So vanity, joy, and fear. Folks, life is hard, and then you die. But along the way, those who have true wisdom do not live in vain, because they fear the Lord and believe in His Son. And there is, for this church, hope beyond this life! With that, we can take heart and enjoy all that we can while we live in this sinful world.

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[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.

[2] As reported here, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-30/ivory-coast-leader-s-supporters-plan-to-seize-opponent-s-base.html

[3] Said horror detailed at http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/01/01/mexico-border-city-record-drug-killings/

[4] From the song, Whatever Happened to Sin? Written by Steve Taylor © 1982 Birdwing Music/Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co., Inc./C.A. Music (ASCAP)