I.
Introduction
a.
Last time we
learned a little bit about our author
i.
His calling
ii.
What drives him
b.
This time we’ll
learn a little more about Titus and his mission
II.
Verse 4
a.
This is addresses
to Titus
b.
Paul calls Titus
his “true child in a common faith”
i.
Paul was clearly
involved in the conversion and spiritual development of this young man
ii.
Paul took Titus
under His wing—an apprentice
iii.
Paul considered
this bond as real as if he were Titus’s biological father
c.
Paul’s salutation
i.
Generic, yet
heart-felt
ii.
Two-fold wish
1.
Grace—favor
2.
Peace
a.
Not simply a
feeling
b.
This is a legal
reality
3.
Grace is the
root/basis for peace
4.
Some manuscripts
add mercy—Grace’s natural companion
iii.
From
1.
God the Father
2.
Christ Jesus our
Savior
3.
All spiritual
benefits derive from the Father and are granted through the work of Christ
III.
Verse 5: Titus’s
mission
a.
Paul left Titus
in Crete
i.
Clarification
1.
I misspoke
previously when I said that Paul had never been to Crete
2.
Based on this
phrase, Paul seems to have been there, but he was not the first person to bring
the Gospel there
3.
We do not read of
Paul visiting Crete in Acts, so he must have
been there after the ending of Acts
ii.
Paul rarely
stayed anywhere long
iii.
Paul did not,
however, neglect the Christian communities he had visited—he left his
representatives in his place
iv.
Paul left Titus
to organize the churches on the island
of Crete
1.
Notice towns—Crete was known to have close to 100 cities
2.
Elders
a.
Grammatically,
this word refers to those who are older
b.
Since the OT,
however, it had referred to the rulers of the people—those who guided and made
decisions
c.
These people
usually were the older people, but that wasn’t a necessity
3.
Notice that
elders are appointed
a.
They did not hold
a vote
b.
Surely Titus did
not impose elders on the people unwillingly, however
IV.
Verses 6-9: The
criteria by which Titus was to choose
a.
Keep in mind that
this list is not simply for elders
i.
This is the type
of character God desires from all Christians
ii.
Elders are
supposed to be models of character for others to follow
b.
Keep in mind that
this list is not exhaustive—just because it’s not on this list doesn’t give
elders a pass
c.
Verse 6
i.
Above reproach
1.
Literally means
unable to be accused
2.
This is not
requiring perfection, but is simply saying that elders must not be notorious
for sin, but must be known as men of character
3.
An elder must be
one who, if someone came up to you and accused him of a terrible sin, you would
trust the elder’s character over the accusation
ii.
The husband of
one wife
1.
Literally, a man
of one woman (sidenote: man)
2.
People have taken
this many ways
a.
Polygamy
b.
Mistresses
c.
Divorced and
remarried
3.
An elder must be
faithful to his one wife
4.
This is not
necessarily stating that a man must be married to be an elder
iii.
His children are
believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination
1.
Some commentators
put a comma here—the last clause would refer to the elder and not the children,
but I think this phrasing is correct
2.
Believers
a.
Literally,
faithful
b.
Some have taken
this as emphasizing that they are members of the faith, as the early Church
would have had many converts whose children never converted
c.
Others have taken
this to emphasize that they have not rebelled against their parents religion
d.
The result is
basically the same
3.
Not open to the
charge of
a.
Debauchery
i.
Literally,
wastefulness
ii.
Refers to wild,
loose living
iii.
Living
hedonistically
iv.
The Prodigal Son
b.
Insubordination
i.
Rebellious
ii.
Referred to
horses that wouldn’t wear a yoke or soldiers that wouldn’t stay in rank
4.
I do not believe
this is saying that a man can’t be an elder if he has a child that rebels
against the faith—parents can’t make their kids have faith—but if a man’s
family is in disarray and all of his children demonstrate a poor upbringing,
this would be a cause to question a man’s qualifications
5.
In summary, a
man’s family, especially his children, manifest what type of a leader he will
be
6.
1 Timothy 3:4-5:
“He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children
submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how
will he care for God’s church?”
7.
Brian Bill: “A
man whose children believe. An elder
must be above reproach in marriage and in his parenting. A father must be actively involved in the
faith development of his children.”
V.
Verse 7
a.
Overseer (bishop)
i.
Episkopos—one who
guards, supervises, and helps
ii.
Elders and
overseers were different words for the same office
1.
Paul uses the
terms interchangeably
2.
The term elder
emphasizes their ruling function
3.
The term overseer
emphasizes their guiding and organizational function
4.
The term pastor
refers to the same office as well
a.
Pastor means
shepherd
b.
1 Peter 5:1-2:
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the
sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be
revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,
not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful
gain, but eagerly.”
b.
God’s steward
i.
Oikonomos—manager,
administrator, director, or trustee
ii.
This word comes
from the word oikos, which means household
iii.
The Oikonomos was
the person who managed the house and made sure that everything and everyone was
in order
iv.
Elders must
remember that they do not own the house of God, but are simply stewards or managers
of God’s house
v.
Jeff Strite: “Now
notice whose flock are the elders shepherds of? (God’s) The flock doesn’t
belong to the Elders…it belongs to God.
Thus, Elders will be held accountable to God for how they lead/protect
His flock.”
c.
Above reproach
i.
It seems like
Paul is being repetitive
ii.
Verse 6 was
referring to general character, but Verse 7 is referring to the way in which he
fulfills his calling
d.
Paul gives us a
list of things that disqualify a man
e.
Arrogant
i.
I like the
KJV—self-willed
ii.
Authades, which
means overbearing, arrogant, or stubborn
iii.
AC: “Not one who
is determined to have his own way in every thing; setting up his own judgment
to that of all others; expecting all to pay homage to his understanding.”
iv.
This word
describes someone who is self-absorbed and thinks they always know best; they
always impose their will on others and have to have their own way in everything
f.
Quick-tempered—he
must not become angry easily, quickly, and often
g.
A drunkard
i.
Literally, given
to wine—ruled by alcohol
ii.
A man who cannot
abstain from drinking too much certainly can’t manage the house of God
h.
Violent
i.
His anger must
not manifest itself in physical ways
ii.
This word also
referred to being harsh with one’s words
iii.
He must be gentle
i.
Greedy for gain
i.
He must not love
money
ii.
You cannot serve
God and mammon—someone who loves money cannot faithfully manage the house of
God and serve the body of Christ
VI.
Verse 8
a.
Paul gives us the
opposites
i.
These are the traits
he must have
ii.
These actions
demonstrate that a man has the proper attitude and a servant’s heart
b.
Hospitable
i.
Literally, loving
strangers
ii.
Elders are the
face of the church and supervise the charity of the church
iii.
They must have hospitable
hearts—loving those in need
c.
A lover of good
i.
They do not live
in this way because they begrudgingly obey God
ii.
They must
sincerely love the path and the things of God—they must love His word, His
ordinances, and His people
d.
Self-controlled
i.
Sophron, which
means wise, prudent, temperate, discreet, or sober
ii.
Elders must not
be characterized by moodiness or fits of anger or violence, but are in control
of their thoughts, words, and actions
e.
Upright
i.
Dikaios, which
means right, righteous, or upright; it refers to someone who is in accord with
God’s standards or in proper relationship with God
ii.
An elder’s life
must be defined by adherence to the principles of God’s Word
f.
Holy
i.
Hosios, which
means holy, pious, or devout
ii.
An elder must be
thoroughly and completely devoted to God
g.
Disciplined—temperate
and self-controlled
VII.
Verse 9
a.
He must hold firm
to the trustworthy word as taught
i.
Hold
firm=antecho, which means to be devoted to or to pay attention to
ii.
This would seem
to go without saying, but an elder must be a firm believer of the truth—the
Gospel
iii.
As taught—he must
not be innovative and develop his own ideas of truth, but he must hold to the
Gospel as it has been handed down by the Apostles
iv.
Why? Because the function of an elder includes
teaching (1 Timothy 3:2)
1.
So that he may be
able to give instruction in sound doctrine
a.
He must be able
to teach the people of God
b.
In order to this,
he must know and firmly believe sound (healthy) doctrine
2.
To rebuke those
who contradict it
a.
Literally,
opposers
b.
The elders are
called to be apologists, battling against heresy in the church and the lies of
the world outside of the church
c.
We’ll see more
about this next time
VIII.
Application
a.
Eldership is
essential to the proper functioning of Christ’s church
i.
This was Titus’s
main role in managing the churches of Crete
ii.
Without
leadership, the Church would become corrupted and go astray
iii.
Christ gave
elders to the Church for her benefit (Ephesians 4:11)—Christ would not have
given something that isn’t necessary and beneficial
iv.
God wants His
people to submit to the elders that He has given them—Hebrews 13:17: “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.”
b.
Because of the
importance of the elders, and because God wants us to follow and submit to
them, elders must be chosen very carefully
i.
Notice that Paul
prefers character to gifts
ii.
Perhaps this is
why elders were appointed
iii.
1 Timothy 3:6
says he must not be a new convert
iv.
In 1 Timothy 5:22
Paul tells Timothy not to lay hands on anyone hastily
v.
This is a very important
decision, and it has eternal consequences
c.
Elders are God’s
servants
i.
They are
examples, shepherds, teachers, and managers
ii.
The eldership is
not a glamorous position of power, but is a calling as a servant of God’s
people
d.
The guiding
principle of an elder’s character is to be self-control
i.
JG: “A man that
rules his own spirit, and has the command of his temper and passions, is fit to
govern in the church
of God
ii.
Proverbs 25:28:
“A man without self-control is
like
a city broken into and left without walls.”
IX.
Conclusion
a.
Charge to elders
and aspiring elders
i.
Personalize this
passage
ii.
Strive to mirror
this type of character
iii.
Make it easy to
submit
b.
Charge to
everyone else
i.
Thank God for
your elders
ii.
Pray for your
elders
iii.
Submit to your
elders
iv.
Make it easy for
your elders to lead and give an account to God
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