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,
verse 4,
so just go back
a couple of pages
to 1 Timothy chapter 3,
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,
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,
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.
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.