Lesson 12
The Foundation of Our Faith-The Books of I & II Timothy, Titus, and Philemon
God's Messenger and God's Message
August 17, 2003
Focus Thought
No matter the condition of the city or country, God has a messenger and a
message for every place.
Scripture Reference
I Corinthians 1:21
II Corinthians 7:6-13
II Timothy 3:13-17
I Peter 5:1-4
III John 3-4
Expositional Passage
Titus 1:4-15
4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace,
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the
things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed
thee:
6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not
accused of riot or unruly.
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not
soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy,
temperate;
9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able
by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they
of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things
which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are
always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be
sound in the faith;
14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from
the truth.
15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and
unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Focus Verse
Titus 1:9
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able
by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
LESSON OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
I. THE MESSENGERS FOR CRETE
A. Paul
B. Titus
C. The Elders
II.THE MESSENGERS OF CRETE
A. The Gainsayers
B. The Characteristics of the Cretans
C. The Response to the Cretans
D. The Testimony of Truth
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
In 1962 the United States Supreme Court ruled that the following
non-denominational prayer was prohibited in public schools: "Almighty God,
we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg thy blessings upon us,
our parents, our teachers, and our country." Many have viewed the ruling as
unconstitutional, but from that day forward prayer was forbidden in public
schools.
In 1963 the same high court also banned Bible teachings in government
schools. Then, in 1980 the court ordered public schools to remove the Ten
Commandments from student view. Yet, many of the same public institutions
distribute condoms and teach about "alternative lifestyles" in their social
approach to sex education.
David Barton and the Wallbuilders of Aledo, Texas, have documented the
horrible and rapid decline in the Standard Achievement Tests relative to
math, verbal, and total scores since 1962. Moreover, they have documented
the social deterioration in other areas as well. Graphs reveal unsettling
increase in rapes, murders, arrests, unmarried couples living together,
single-parent households, pregnancies among unwed girls under fifteen years
of age, pregnancies among unwed girls fifteen to nineteen years of age,
sexually transmitted diseases, and other social ills.
If ever a generation needed true messengers to proclaim God's message
to a lost world, it is this generation. It is a day when the ministers of
the gospel of Christ must preach God's Word without fear or favor!
"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (I
Corinthians 1:21).
I. THE MESSENGERS FOR CRETE
Crete was the largest of the islands in the Mediterranean Sea. From
east to west the island was about 250 miles, and from north to south it was
about fifty miles at its widest point. Crete was known as the "isle of one
hundred cities." We do not know how many churches were on the isle of Crete.
A. Paul
What a unique man of God Paul was! He was a zealous warrior for the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Philippians 3:3-16 reveals
his religious pedigree.
Paul received his new-birth experience following his amazing encounter
with the Lord Jesus on the way to Damascus. He was going to bind and
imprison all those who were of the so-called heretical sect of believers who
followed Jesus Christ. But the Lord Jesus spoke to him, giving him a
marvelous revelation of who He really is (Acts 9). Saul of Tarsus, as he was
called, found out that day on the Damascus road that the Lord God of the Old
Testament was manifested and revealed in Jesus Christ.
Saul, who became Paul, was baptized in Jesus' name (Acts 22:12-16) and
received his personal experience in the Holy Ghost. We know that he spoke in
tongues for he wrote to the Corinthian church, "I thank my God, I speak with
tongues more than ye all" (I Corinthians 14:18). Indeed, Paul was a man of
God with God's message.
B. Titus
Titus was one of Paul's converts (Titus 1:4). He also was a Greek who
traveled with apostle Paul to Jerusalem. Paul demonstrated his deep trust in
Titus by sending him to the Corinthian church to work out certain issues
that existed in that congregation. Titus was such a comforting asset to Paul
that he specifically mentioned him to the Corinthian church (II Corinthians
7:6-13).
"Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted
us by the coming of Titus; and not by his coming only, but by the
consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest
desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the
more. Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the
more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you
all" (II Corinthians 7:6-7, 13).
That Paul chose Titus to look after the troubled situation in Corinth
indicates that Paul considered him a capable, wise, and tactful messenger of
God. Tradition declares that Titus became the bishop of Crete and died
peaceably at a very old age.
C. The Elders
Elders who are sound in the faith, loyal, and faithful, are invaluable
to the cause of the kingdom of God. These leaders are to bless and
strengthen the work of God in the church. Apostle Peter gave pertinent
direction in his admonition to the elders in I Peter 5:1-4.
On the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:11, it is clear that Cretans where
present for the initial outpouring of the Holy Ghost. They evidently carried
their Spirit-filled experience back to the isle of Crete and influenced many
of their own countrymen with the gospel of Christ. When one considers this,
it is not surprising that Titus could ordain as elders on the isle of Crete
seasoned leaders who were not novices.
Paul stated to Titus that he left him in Crete in order that he might
set things in order that were lacking in the churches on the island. Missing
in the structure of the church were church elders.
The qualifications for occupying the office of an elder were much like
the "quality control" standards that many companies set for the betterment
of their products and the reputation of their company. The kingdom of God
deserves good leaders who maintain only the highest standards of
righteousness and quality of character.
Elders were to be blameless. (See Titus 1:7-9.) The word "blameless"
means that these leaders were irreproachable individuals of unimpeachable
character. Moreover, an elder also was to be the husband of one wife, and he
was to have his children under control.
The elders chosen by Titus and ordained for that purpose were to be
men who would be "stewards" of the things of God. In other words, they were
to faithfully administrate and manage the work of the church. They were to
be faithful, responsible, and accountable to their overseers.
"Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (I
Corinthians 4:2).
II. THE MESSENGERS OF CRETE
The Cretans were from an ancient Grecian bloodline. The early
inhabitants of the island worked as agriculturalists in the interior and as
fishermen on the coast. They were somewhat rude, turbulent, and independent.
Among these people were the usual defects of the Greek character in its less
cultured condition. Some of their defects were falsehood, both in the form
of exaggeration and in that of treachery. To this lifestyle was added the
gross forms of licentiousness and a propensity for insolent brawling.
A. The Gainsayers
Considering the culture of the Cretans, it is clear why Paul wrote to
Titus with instruction regarding the kind of elders the churches on the isle
of Crete needed in order to protect the work of God and advance the work. He
warned him of gainsayers, which were disputers who talked against the truth.
However, sound doctrine stops the mouths of gainsayers.
1. The unruly. Apparently some of the islanders were unruly. The word
"unruly" translates from the Greek word anupotaktos, which means,
"unsubdued, i.e. insubordinate (in fact or temper): KJV-disobedient, that is
not put under, unruly" (Strong's Concordance).
Submission is a vital principle of Scripture. The idea of submission
recognizes and interacts with God's principle of authority. From the very
beginning God established the idea of authority and submission as
fundamental structures of society that provide for law, order, and mutual
progress. Counter to the ideas of authority and submission is the human
tendency toward anarchy. But clearly, God desires decency and order (I
Corinthians 14:40).
Some people never seem to learn the value of submitting to the
leadership of a pastor and other authorized leaders of church government.
Instead, they want to go their own way. But the apostle Paul exhorted the
Thessalonian church, "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are
unruly" (I Thessalonians 5:14). An insubordinate attitude stems from pride
and self-importance. Obviously, unruliness or insubordination is a serious
matter that we should carefully avoid in ourselves, for it will destroy a
person's soul.
2. The vain talkers. These people have a lot to say, but there is no
soundness to their words and conversation. The words "vain talkers"
translates from the single Greek word mataiologos, which means, "an idle
(i.e. senseless or mischievous) talker, i.e. a wrangler: KJV-vain talker"
(Strong's Concordance).
Paul indicated that there were vain talkers among the inhabitants and
churches of Crete. But he knew that Titus could deal with the problem by
placing the right kind of elders in position to lead the church with sound
doctrine and a positive approach to life.
The age in which we live is conducive to vain, empty talkers. But the
best antidote to such empty, meaningless dialogues is to preach the gospel
of truth-the clear and certain sound of true doctrine. That which is real
always is the best answer to that which is false, empty, and vain.
3. The deceivers. If the deceivers were a paramount cause for concern
in the day that Paul wrote his instructions to Titus, how much more
concerned ought we to be in our day? The spirit of deception abounds in the
earth, but we do not have to be deceived. Jesus warned His disciples, "Take
heed that no man deceive you" (Matthew 24:4). Caution and vigilance are
vital.
The spirit of anti-Christ that abounds in the earth is a spirit of
deception. The beloved apostle John cautioned of the spirit of antichrist:
"Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist
shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is
the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they
had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went
out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us" (I John
2:18-19).
The church on the isle of Crete was troubled by those who were unruly,
vain in their conversation, and deceptive. Through their negative influence
they were creating discontentment, subversion, bitterness, and scorn. Paul
noted that the chief instigators of this divisiveness was fostered by
Judaizers: "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers,
specially they of the circumcision" (Titus 1:10). It is important to contain
and deal with negative influence because it can spread in a family or a
church and it can destroy many.
Paul understood the power of negative influences. He warned the
Corinthians in his first epistle to that church to purge sin from their
midst. "Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?" (I
Corinthians 5:6).
Judaizers were "early converts to Christianity who tried to force
believers from non-Jewish backgrounds to adopt Jewish customs as a condition
of salvation. Evidence of this movement within the early church first
emerged about a.d. 49, when 'certain men came down from Judea and taught the
brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you
cannot be saved"' (Acts 15:1)" (Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary).
The Judaizers went from house to house teaching and corrupting
unstable individuals. Their words were contaminating and contrary to faith.
Paul stated that the mouths of these fellows must be stopped. Thank God for
ordained elders who are knowledgeable and sound in the faith and who have
the courage and the ability to skillfully use the Word of God to end the
damage negative influences could have on honest-hearted believers.
B. The Characteristics of the Cretans
Many commentators believe that Epimenides was the prophet and poet the
apostle Paul referred to in Titus 1:12. (See Adam Clarke; Jamieson, Fausset,
and Brown; and others.) Apparently, he visited Athens in 599 b.c. and said
of the Cretans, They "are always liars, evil beasts, and slow bellies."
1. The first charge against the Cretans was that they were liars. The
practice of falsehood was ingrained in the Cretans' culture and behavior;
however, that did not make it right. We are to be agents of change as the
people of God. We have a life-changing message from God, who is the source
of all life.
Incorporated into the sin of lying is the horrible influence of
deceit. The light of the Scriptures condemns falsehood and deception,
whether it is in word or by deceitful action.
2. The second character flaw described by Epimenides was that the
Cretans were "evil beasts." What else can one expect when individuals are
deprived of understanding, judgment, and reason? Absent the influence of the
Holy Spirit in a person's life, the natural or fleshly man inevitably turns
to his sensual lusts, appetites, senses, and sight-much like the beasts of
the field.
"But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed,
speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish
in their own corruption" (II Peter 2:12).
3. The third character flaw mentioned was that they were "slow
bellies." Apparently, they were lazy, idle, and gluttonous. Jamieson,
Fausset, and Brown Commentary defines slow bellies as "indolent through
pampering their bellies."
"Mere gormandizers. Two vices seem here to be attributed to them,
which indeed commonly go together-gluttony and sloth. An industrious man
will not be likely to be a gormandizer, and a gormandizer will not often be
an industrious man. The mind of the poet, in this, seems to have conceived
of them first as an indolent, worthless people; and then immediately to have
recurred to the cause-that they were a race of gluttons, a people whose only
concern was the stomach; compare Philippians 3:19" (Barnes' Notes).
"For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any
would not work, neither should he eat" (II Thessalonians 3:10).
C. The Response to the Cretans
After writing the description of the Cretans, Paul confirmed the
matter by saying to Titus, "This witness is true" (Titus 1:13). Paul knew
that the characteristics of the Cretans revealed their need for messengers
from God to bring to them the life-changing message of the gospel.
1. Rebuke them sharply. Paul's response to Titus, relative to the
serious matters concerning the Cretans, was to "rebuke them sharply."
It is true that kindness, grace, and mercy should characterize the
apostolic ministry. God has called us not to judge the lost, but to reach
out to them with patience and love that they might be saved. Still, it is
evident that there are occasions in which strong verbal and disciplinary
action is both appropriate and necessary.
For example, consider the strong action of the apostle Peter when
Simon the sorcerer offered money to purchase the power of bestowing the Holy
Ghost upon people. The apostle Peter said to him, "Thy money perish with
thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with
money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not
right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray
God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I
perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of
iniquity" (Acts 8:20-23).
What a sharp rebuke! Interestingly, however, Peter's rebuke elicited a
positive and desirable response from Simon. The sorcerer responded with
humility, accepted the rebuke, and asked for prayer. Though sharp rebukes
are not the most desirable way to deal with people, on rare occasions it may
be beneficial to the person in error.
2. Make them sound in the faith. The reason Paul called for a sharp
rebuke of the Cretans was that they might be saved. He desired to make them
"sound in the faith." They needed to be rooted and grounded in the things of
God (Colossians 2:6-8).
Many people today are not rooted and grounded in truth and
righteousness. Only if they are willing to receive correction with a spirit
of humility can they hope to know the truth of God's Word and begin to grow
and flourish in the kingdom of God. True freedom in Christ Jesus comes
through knowing truth.
3. Reject Jewish fables and other untruths. Traditions of men will not
lead a person to true Bible salvation. Paul urged Titus to reject all the
false interpretations of the law of Moses that emphasize the external and
literal but ignore the internal and spiritual meaning and purpose of the
law. These corrupted distortions are only fables, and they cannot bring
salvation.
Paul dealt with these matters further in his writing to Timothy by
warning, "But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto
more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is
Hymenaeus and Philetus; who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the
resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some" (II Timothy
2:16-18).
Paul warned of a day that we have come to see fulfilled in our day:
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears:
and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto
fables" (II Timothy 4:3-4).
D. The Testimony of Truth
"For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the
truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater
joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (III John 3-4).
The real testimony of truth is seen within a person's behavior and
actions-not in his profession. A person may profess to believe that
something is true, but his actions demonstrate the true testimony of his
belief. He cannot only profess truth; he must submit to the truth, obey the
truth, and love the truth.
Suppose a person were to run into a room and urgently announce that
the building is on fire and urge all present to evacuate. The true test of
belief in the person's announcement has little if anything to do with what
the people say. They may acknowledge the person's warning with words and
admit that they believe that his words are true-that truly the building is
on fire. Still, the only true indication of their belief is their
action-whether or not they act to evacuate the threatened building.
Many of the islanders in Crete professed to be religious; however,
their works-their deeds and actions-spoke louder than their words. Their
works denied God, were abominable, disobedient, and reprobate.
As Paul put it, "They profess that they know God; but in works they
deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate" (Titus 1:16). The word "abominable" translates from the Greek
word bdeluktos, which means, "detestable, i.e. (specially) idolatrous:
KJV-abominable" (Strong's Concordance). The word "reprobate" translates from
the Greek word adokimos, which means, "unapproved, i.e. rejected; by
implication, worthless (literally or morally): KJV-castaway, rejected,
reprobate" (Strong's Concordance).
Some of these Cretans had crossed over the line; they were past
feeling. They were "unprincipled scoundrels" who were past repentance. (See
Ephesians 4:17-19.) They were detestable and idolatrous; but even worse,
they had persisted in their abomination to a point of rejection by God, so
that they became what we often call reprobate. They had reached a place
where no amount of preaching or influence by the saints of God could restore
them to true fellowship with Jesus Christ and His church. How sad!
How much better that a person submit to the truth, obey the truth, and
love the truth. Only then can he be saved by the grace of God.
CONCLUSION
If ever a generation of people needed a true messenger of God to
deliver God's message to the lost, it is this generation. The apostle Paul's
description of "other Gentiles" in Ephesians 4:17-19 surely describes also
the people of our generation. "This I say therefore, and testify in the
Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of
their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life
of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto
lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." Only a response of
faith to the true message of the gospel can save such a people!
There is a great need in this perilous hour for true messengers of God
who have His message burning in their heart. The preached Word of God is the
only hope for this lost generation.
REFLECTIONS
. What does it mean to be "sound in the faith"? Discuss.
. Discuss what it means to be "in the faith."
. Discuss the need in this age for true messengers from God to proclaim the
gospel of Jesus Christ.
. What does it mean to be reprobate?
. Discuss the correlation between being reprobate and being past feeling.
To get out of a hard situation,
try a soft answer.
Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turneth away wrath:
but grievous words stir up anger.
YBIC, Thomas And YSIC, Linda.
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