WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.200 Well, folks, it's really wonderful to be with you this evening. 00:00:05.339 --> 00:00:11.460 And as we turn to Titus chapter 1, we're coming to the second half of that very short letter. 00:00:11.460 --> 00:00:15.220 But it's a letter that repays your attention. 00:00:15.780 --> 00:00:19.820 Because in this short letter, which is just two pages on my NIV Bible, 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:26.440 there are some gems, some nuggets of truth about the gospel, about Jesus. 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:31.000 Unfortunately, Graham didn't give me those nuggets to preach on tonight. 00:00:31.060 --> 00:00:37.219 And it would be unfair of me to skip ahead to Titus chapter 2 verse 11 or Titus chapter 3 verse 3. 00:00:37.219 --> 00:00:41.280 But when we come to this second half of Titus chapter 1, 00:00:41.859 --> 00:00:49.180 it becomes obvious that the Apostle Paul has not been commissioned by the Crete tourist board. 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:54.060 He hasn't been commissioned to tell Titus what a wonderful place he is going to, 00:00:54.060 --> 00:01:00.900 the beautiful beaches, the azure blue sky, the wonderful food, the very pleasant temperature and climate. 00:01:01.760 --> 00:01:10.439 Nor has the Apostle Paul been hired to create a congregational profile to attract a prospective minister. 00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:18.620 You know, the profiles that highlight we have a worshiping community of friendly, welcoming people 00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:21.840 who are eager to learn the Bible, eager to grow in faith. 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:25.200 That is not what Paul is doing here. 00:01:25.460 --> 00:01:28.060 What he is doing is saying to Titus, 00:01:28.240 --> 00:01:34.100 I've got some things that you need to know as you commence your work in Crete. 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:36.380 Titus, there are problems here. 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:39.280 Let's read chapter 1 verse 10. 00:01:40.659 --> 00:01:42.180 And we'll read to the end of the chapter. 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:45.080 For there are many rebellious people, 00:01:46.240 --> 00:01:47.859 mere talkers and deceivers, 00:01:47.980 --> 00:01:49.980 especially those of the circumcision group. 00:01:49.980 --> 00:01:57.420 They must be silenced because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach, 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:00.659 and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 00:02:01.079 --> 00:02:03.320 Even one of their own prophets has said, 00:02:03.980 --> 00:02:09.740 Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. 00:02:10.340 --> 00:02:11.879 This testimony is true. 00:02:11.879 --> 00:02:19.659 Therefore, rebuke them sharply so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths, 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:23.039 to the commands of those who reject the truth. 00:02:23.379 --> 00:02:25.780 To the pure, all things are pure. 00:02:26.139 --> 00:02:32.259 But to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. 00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:36.280 In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:41.199 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. 00:02:41.580 --> 00:02:47.979 They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good. 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:50.219 Welcome to Crete, Titus. 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:54.039 There are problems in the church. 00:02:54.900 --> 00:02:57.920 There are problems with the culture. 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:01.179 And the problems are people. 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:05.759 And that is who you, Titus, are called to minister to. 00:03:06.279 --> 00:03:09.739 And that is who we are called to minister to. 00:03:10.079 --> 00:03:12.259 We're called to minister to real people. 00:03:12.799 --> 00:03:15.179 And real people tend to have real problems. 00:03:15.739 --> 00:03:22.659 And real churches, as opposed to ideal churches, are also churches with problems. 00:03:23.299 --> 00:03:26.959 So the Apostle Paul is giving us an honest assessment. 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:31.540 He's giving this young man an honest assessment of what lies ahead. 00:03:31.760 --> 00:03:37.379 And as we read the Bible, the Bible does exactly that time and time again. 00:03:37.860 --> 00:03:39.060 This is the truth. 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:40.840 This is the whole truth. 00:03:41.080 --> 00:03:43.360 This is nothing but the truth. 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:47.560 And as we read the Bible, there's no sugarcoating here. 00:03:47.980 --> 00:03:49.780 There's no euphemisms here. 00:03:50.420 --> 00:03:52.819 I remember my cousin got a job one time, 00:03:52.819 --> 00:03:56.060 and he told me that he was a petroleum transfer engineer. 00:03:56.060 --> 00:03:58.199 That sounded really sophisticated. 00:03:58.680 --> 00:03:59.879 I said, what does that mean? 00:03:59.939 --> 00:04:00.920 He says, I pump gas. 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:05.939 You know, we have the capacity with language to describe things in a way that makes them sound good. 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:07.979 The Apostle Paul does not do that. 00:04:08.379 --> 00:04:10.580 He tells us what we need to know. 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:12.980 He tells us what we need to know about ourselves. 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:15.659 He tells us what we need to know about the church. 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:21.519 And he tells us what we need to know primarily and powerfully about the gospel. 00:04:22.680 --> 00:04:26.180 Imagine that Paul is a consultant, 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:29.459 that he has been sent or he has been commissioned 00:04:29.459 --> 00:04:35.860 to give an assessment of the prospects of gospel work on the island of Crete 00:04:35.860 --> 00:04:43.939 and to assess the work of the gospel thus far with the church of Jesus Christ on that particular island. 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:48.439 He begins first here with his diagnosis, 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:54.860 and then he moves very quickly on to his prescription or his treatment 00:04:54.860 --> 00:04:59.160 to deal with the problem that is before him. 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:02.180 So let's look together at these verses, 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:08.860 and we will be referring a bit more broadly to the context here 00:05:08.860 --> 00:05:12.400 to understand how this fits with the rest of the letter 00:05:12.400 --> 00:05:15.260 and with the rest of the pastoral epistles. 00:05:15.879 --> 00:05:19.480 Now, the pastoral epistles are 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. 00:05:19.900 --> 00:05:22.480 And these three letters belong together. 00:05:22.620 --> 00:05:24.740 They're not just together in the Bible. 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:25.900 They are sequential. 00:05:25.899 --> 00:05:29.620 But they have features that hold them together. 00:05:30.459 --> 00:05:32.759 Just a couple days ago, I was in Amsterdam, 00:05:33.060 --> 00:05:34.519 and we were visiting the museums. 00:05:34.779 --> 00:05:35.259 The Van... 00:05:35.259 --> 00:05:39.259 Well, I can't say the way they say Van Gogh. 00:05:39.419 --> 00:05:42.179 So as an American, we always call him Vincent Van Gogh. 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:43.779 So the Van Gogh Museum. 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:47.899 And as you look at these beautiful pictures, 00:05:48.819 --> 00:05:50.159 as you look at the pictures, 00:05:50.259 --> 00:05:53.519 you can see the signature on the bottom of them that says Vincent. 00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:53.680 Vincent. 00:05:54.139 --> 00:05:56.560 That tells us that he's the artist, Vincent Van Gogh. 00:05:57.219 --> 00:05:58.180 But more than that, 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:00.019 you don't necessarily need to see the signature 00:06:00.019 --> 00:06:01.419 because you see the style. 00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:05.539 You see the color or the brush strokes or the composition. 00:06:05.779 --> 00:06:06.799 And you can just look at that and you say, 00:06:07.039 --> 00:06:11.500 that fits with what I know about this particular artist. 00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:14.259 And as we look at these pastoral epistles 00:06:14.259 --> 00:06:16.379 from which we're drawing our lesson today, 00:06:16.859 --> 00:06:19.680 we'll see that the Apostle Paul has techniques. 00:06:20.259 --> 00:06:21.139 He's the artist. 00:06:21.139 --> 00:06:25.300 He's the author and techniques that draw these three letters together. 00:06:25.599 --> 00:06:31.000 The content, the audience that he's writing to younger men in ministry. 00:06:31.579 --> 00:06:34.060 But also there's a technique that he has 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:37.399 where in five different places in these three letters, 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:40.839 he has a phrase that he uses again and again. 00:06:40.979 --> 00:06:42.199 And you only find it here. 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:47.219 And we see this in Titus chapter 3 at verse 8. 00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:48.420 He says, 00:06:48.779 --> 00:06:51.159 this is a trustworthy saying. 00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:55.519 And this little phrase knits together these three letters 00:06:55.519 --> 00:07:00.240 and he's highlighting for us lessons of life, 00:07:00.779 --> 00:07:02.419 lessons of the Christian life. 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:06.339 And not wanting to spoil the end of the story, 00:07:06.339 --> 00:07:09.839 but if I read the rest of chapter 3 verse 8, 00:07:09.939 --> 00:07:12.939 that sets the scene for chapter 1 quite nicely. 00:07:13.479 --> 00:07:14.679 Because Paul is saying, 00:07:14.779 --> 00:07:16.060 this is a trustworthy saying, 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:19.019 and I want you to stress these things 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:22.419 so that those who have trusted in God 00:07:22.419 --> 00:07:27.639 may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. 00:07:28.299 --> 00:07:32.579 These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. 00:07:32.579 --> 00:07:35.719 So this is a letter about doing good. 00:07:35.859 --> 00:07:38.519 Paul is highlighting this fact. 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:39.359 And he says, 00:07:39.479 --> 00:07:40.979 if you want to understand, Titus, 00:07:41.039 --> 00:07:45.180 what your message and what your ministry is focused on, 00:07:45.620 --> 00:07:48.459 it's to, by the grace of God, 00:07:48.719 --> 00:07:52.360 is to produce a group of worshiping disciples of Jesus 00:07:52.360 --> 00:07:56.219 who are devoted to doing what is good. 00:07:57.039 --> 00:07:59.039 When we turn to chapter 1, 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:01.259 we see a very different story. 00:08:01.259 --> 00:08:03.519 We see a very different description. 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:05.839 We see a people who are described 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:10.839 as those who are unfit for doing anything good. 00:08:11.139 --> 00:08:15.620 So how can we understand Paul's intention or his goal 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:18.920 or the goal that he's setting for Titus? 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:21.019 How can we understand that goal 00:08:21.019 --> 00:08:23.579 in light of what he's saying here in chapter 1? 00:08:24.099 --> 00:08:28.199 How can you end up with people that are eager, 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:32.139 who are equipped, who are zealous for good works 00:08:32.139 --> 00:08:34.779 when you begin with a group of people 00:08:34.779 --> 00:08:36.519 who are detestable, disobedient, 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:39.740 and unfit for doing anything good? 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:44.179 Well, it's been said, I'm not a builder, 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:47.299 but I've been told that if you want to build high, 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:49.100 you need to dig deep. 00:08:49.419 --> 00:08:55.159 If you want to establish a well-functioning church of Jesus, 00:08:55.159 --> 00:08:58.659 if you want to establish Christians, disciples of Jesus, 00:08:58.659 --> 00:09:02.059 who are well-established and growing in their faith, 00:09:02.199 --> 00:09:06.199 we need to make sure that the foundation is dug deep. 00:09:06.419 --> 00:09:09.179 We need to establish what the problem is 00:09:09.179 --> 00:09:13.699 and then to understand how the gospel comes to solve 00:09:13.699 --> 00:09:15.860 and to address that problem. 00:09:16.519 --> 00:09:17.980 So what's the problem, Paul? 00:09:17.980 --> 00:09:23.320 Paul, what's your diagnosis of the Crete situation? 00:09:24.220 --> 00:09:26.600 Well, it's all about people. 00:09:26.940 --> 00:09:29.779 That seems to be the crux of the matter here. 00:09:29.980 --> 00:09:33.360 From Genesis chapter 3 onwards, that's the problem. 00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:35.519 We are the problem. 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:37.460 People are the problem. 00:09:37.800 --> 00:09:40.800 What we think, what we say, what we do. 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:47.719 You see, Paul is not unwilling to say the negative things 00:09:47.719 --> 00:09:51.319 that are necessary to get us thinking, 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:55.159 understanding the right way of believing, 00:09:55.339 --> 00:09:56.199 the right way of living, 00:09:56.319 --> 00:10:00.139 the right way of doing what is right and good. 00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:04.539 Rebellious people, mere talkers, deceivers. 00:10:05.219 --> 00:10:08.399 They belong to the Jewish or the circumcision group. 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:12.240 But the problem here is that these are the people 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:13.759 that are in the congregation. 00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:16.699 These are the people that are part of the church. 00:10:17.139 --> 00:10:19.799 And these are the people that are taking a leading role in the church 00:10:19.799 --> 00:10:20.620 and they're speaking. 00:10:21.459 --> 00:10:25.139 They must be silenced because they are ruining whole households 00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:29.419 by teaching things they ought not to teach 00:10:29.419 --> 00:10:33.019 and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 00:10:33.019 --> 00:10:39.500 So problem number one is this group of professing Christians. 00:10:40.439 --> 00:10:42.740 They are professing Christ, 00:10:43.139 --> 00:10:49.199 but what they are speaking is that which is contrary to Christ. 00:10:50.340 --> 00:10:54.179 And Titus, young man, is being sent on a mission 00:10:54.179 --> 00:11:02.100 to sort out the problem with these disobedient, malicious talkers. 00:11:02.100 --> 00:11:05.800 So you see, what we believe is important. 00:11:06.540 --> 00:11:11.180 If we believe the truth, that is for our own individual benefit. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:15.460 But it's not just for our individual benefit only. 00:11:15.879 --> 00:11:18.480 If you believe the truth concerning Jesus Christ, 00:11:18.560 --> 00:11:22.440 that's for your benefit and for the benefit of everyone connected to you, 00:11:22.920 --> 00:11:24.620 your family, your friends, 00:11:25.019 --> 00:11:26.980 the people that you go to school with, 00:11:27.420 --> 00:11:30.399 study at uni with, work alongside of, your neighbors. 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:34.559 So possessing the truth is of eternal benefit for the individual, 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:40.819 but is of a collective benefit for everyone connected to that individual. 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:43.220 The opposite is also true. 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:46.259 If you do not have the truth, 00:11:46.699 --> 00:11:48.639 if you do not believe the truth, 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:50.500 if you do not receive the truth, 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:54.399 that is for your eternal danger. 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:57.840 Not only are you at risk, 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:01.399 but you might inevitably put other people at risk. 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:04.139 So you either have the truth or you don't have the truth. 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:06.879 You are either a benefit and blessing to others, 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:10.279 or you might be a curse to others. 00:12:10.600 --> 00:12:12.740 And that's what Paul is saying here, 00:12:12.740 --> 00:12:16.699 that these are people who themselves are deceived, 00:12:16.700 --> 00:12:20.759 and they in turn become deceivers of other people. 00:12:21.560 --> 00:12:26.640 This is why it's so important to know what the truth is. 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:29.500 Wherever I go, 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:30.940 it was Amsterdam, 00:12:31.520 --> 00:12:32.759 streets of Edinburgh, 00:12:33.300 --> 00:12:35.200 you will see people with, 00:12:35.340 --> 00:12:37.020 you don't need to know the language, 00:12:37.180 --> 00:12:39.980 but you'll see people with their stands of literature, 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:43.960 and they're distributing literature that will tell you about the kingdom. 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:45.879 They'll tell you about Jehovah. 00:12:46.259 --> 00:12:48.139 They'll tell you about the new world. 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:49.899 The only problem is, 00:12:49.920 --> 00:12:51.960 is that they don't really know who Jesus is. 00:12:52.580 --> 00:12:55.159 The Jehovah's Witnesses have a zeal, 00:12:55.539 --> 00:12:56.820 but they don't have the gospel. 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:01.879 So what they're doing is not just bad for themselves, 00:13:01.879 --> 00:13:03.639 but it's potentially bad for others, 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:07.800 because they're sharing something that isn't right and isn't true. 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:09.959 In the United States, 00:13:10.059 --> 00:13:15.240 there's a group of law enforcement agents called Secret Service. 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:20.740 Now these are men and women who are charged with protecting two things. 00:13:21.319 --> 00:13:23.579 The one that we know about more predominantly 00:13:23.579 --> 00:13:25.879 is that these are the people that protect the president, 00:13:26.719 --> 00:13:28.139 the Secret Service. 00:13:28.539 --> 00:13:32.879 But the Secret Service is also charged with protecting the United States currency, 00:13:33.659 --> 00:13:34.439 dollar bills, 00:13:34.659 --> 00:13:35.000 tens, 00:13:35.439 --> 00:13:35.879 fifties, 00:13:36.019 --> 00:13:36.319 hundreds. 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:39.400 And the way that they train their agents 00:13:39.400 --> 00:13:43.120 is that they train the agents so well 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:44.680 with the original, 00:13:45.180 --> 00:13:46.900 authentic bills. 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:50.640 They spend no time training them with counterfeits. 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:54.440 Because if you know what the genuine article looks like, 00:13:54.820 --> 00:13:56.460 if you see a counterfeit note, 00:13:56.760 --> 00:13:58.660 you might not know why it's a counterfeit note, 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:00.360 but you'll know it's not the real thing. 00:14:01.060 --> 00:14:02.060 It doesn't feel right. 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:03.220 It doesn't look right. 00:14:03.640 --> 00:14:05.820 It doesn't have the right color or the right texture. 00:14:05.820 --> 00:14:08.379 So if you know the truth so well, 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:12.820 when you're confronted with something that's slightly wrong or completely wrong, 00:14:12.820 --> 00:14:15.360 you might not be able to put your finger on it and say, 00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:17.400 well, that's what's wrong there or that's what's missing. 00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:17.800 But you'll say, 00:14:17.900 --> 00:14:19.180 whatever they're saying, 00:14:19.640 --> 00:14:23.820 whatever they're preaching or speaking is not the truth. 00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:26.700 So there's problems in the church. 00:14:27.379 --> 00:14:34.360 And these are people that are speaking and teaching that which isn't right and that which isn't good. 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:36.879 They're doing it for the wrong reason with the wrong motivation. 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:40.559 But then let's look at the wider culture. 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:45.360 Because you think, well, if there's problems in the church, what about the culture? 00:14:45.439 --> 00:14:47.500 Is the culture open to the gospel? 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:52.620 Even one of their own prophets has said, 00:14:52.620 --> 00:14:58.060 Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. 00:14:58.539 --> 00:15:05.419 Again, this is not the tourist brochure that you want to publicize your idyllic Mediterranean destination. 00:15:06.299 --> 00:15:09.120 This testimony is true. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:14.039 This is what the people are like of the country, of the culture. 00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:15.620 This is what they are. 00:15:15.740 --> 00:15:18.320 They're promoting that which is false. 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:19.519 They like to lie. 00:15:19.940 --> 00:15:23.720 They're promoting that which is evil rather than that which is good. 00:15:23.720 --> 00:15:28.899 Rather than being active and rather than being energetic and rather than being productive, 00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:34.100 they're much more ready to eat and to laze about. 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:38.279 Titus, that's your target audience. 00:15:38.279 --> 00:15:41.480 Titus, these are the people that you're sent to preach to. 00:15:41.699 --> 00:15:44.860 These are the people that you are sent to proclaim the gospel to. 00:15:45.379 --> 00:15:46.860 And you might say to yourself, 00:15:47.139 --> 00:15:51.240 If this is what the church is like, and if this is what the culture is like, 00:15:51.699 --> 00:15:53.019 why bother? 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:54.480 Why bother? 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:59.679 What possibly can be achieved in such a circumstance? 00:16:01.339 --> 00:16:03.139 Well, let me give you just a little insight. 00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:06.600 I came to this country 27 years ago to study history, 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:08.420 and I'm still a student of history. 00:16:09.820 --> 00:16:11.840 We often think of our own age. 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:15.899 If you're a Christian here today, you might think to yourself, 00:16:16.180 --> 00:16:18.960 we are living in a tough time. 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:23.080 The cause of Christ doesn't seem to be that strong. 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:25.360 The church doesn't seem to be that strong. 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:28.300 The culture doesn't seem to be that receptive. 00:16:28.700 --> 00:16:30.759 Those who are outside are many. 00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:32.620 Those who are inside are few. 00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:35.360 Those who are outside are vocal. 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:38.639 And maybe those who are inside might be a bit timid. 00:16:39.820 --> 00:16:44.340 Let me just give you an insight into what England, Scotland, Great Britain 00:16:44.340 --> 00:16:52.100 looked like at the beginning of the 18th century, 200 plus years ago. 00:16:52.100 --> 00:16:58.019 At the beginning of this century, England could be described as a moral quagmire 00:16:58.019 --> 00:17:00.240 and a spiritual cesspool. 00:17:02.300 --> 00:17:03.560 Scotland was no better. 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:10.360 Thomas Carlyle from Scotland described his country's condition as stomach, 00:17:10.539 --> 00:17:12.660 well alive, soul extinct. 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:18.580 In London, a famous judge and politician, Sir William Blackstone, 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:22.580 visited the church of every major clergyman in London. 00:17:23.120 --> 00:17:24.540 And this was his diagnosis. 00:17:25.660 --> 00:17:25.960 He said, 00:17:26.040 --> 00:17:31.519 I did not hear a single discourse which had more Christianity in it than the writings of Cicero. 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:34.240 Cicero is a pagan Roman author. 00:17:35.080 --> 00:17:39.100 In most sermons he heard, it would have been impossible to tell just from listening 00:17:39.099 --> 00:17:44.379 whether the preacher was a follower of Confucius, Muhammad, or Christ. 00:17:45.559 --> 00:17:47.899 The culture was no better than the church. 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:51.919 The drunkenness was rampant. 00:17:52.679 --> 00:17:57.599 Gambling was so extensive that one historian described England as one vast casino. 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:02.480 Newborns that were unwanted were left exposed in the streets. 00:18:03.219 --> 00:18:08.119 97% of the infant poor who were in workhouses died as children. 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.979 Popular sports included bear baiting, cock fighting. 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:14.539 Public executions were, 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:20.000 tickets were sold as if to a theater. 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:23.539 The slave trade was booming. 00:18:25.139 --> 00:18:30.059 And Bishop Barclay, again a famous philosopher and religious figure of the time, 00:18:30.059 --> 00:18:34.859 he said that religion and morality in Britain had collapsed 00:18:34.859 --> 00:18:40.419 to a degree that was never known in any Christian country. 00:18:41.459 --> 00:18:43.759 What a remarkable state of affairs. 00:18:44.179 --> 00:18:47.379 The beginning of the 18th century. 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:48.979 And you say to yourself, 00:18:49.099 --> 00:18:50.379 well, what happened? 00:18:50.959 --> 00:18:54.439 What happened in such a place at such a time? 00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:59.100 Was God able to do something in that setting? 00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:04.600 Well, what God did remarkably was raise up a generation of preachers, evangelists. 00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:07.980 Men who went proclaiming Christ. 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:11.100 The church did not welcome these men. 00:19:11.580 --> 00:19:12.940 George Whitefield, John Wesley. 00:19:13.380 --> 00:19:16.140 The Wesley brothers, John and Charles Wesley. 00:19:16.660 --> 00:19:19.259 In the United States, you had figures like Jonathan Edwards. 00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:20.859 It was called the Great Awakening. 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:22.960 The church was asleep. 00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:26.279 The source of the gospel was sleeping, dozing. 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:30.980 God raised up at the right time when religion, 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:33.319 Christianity was at its lowest ebb. 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:37.980 God raised up a generation of preachers, evangelists, 00:19:38.180 --> 00:19:42.240 with a zeal for the good news of Jesus Christ. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:47.039 J.C. Ryle, who was a figure at the end of the 19th century, 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:50.680 in writing of his colleagues of the previous century, he said this. 00:19:51.339 --> 00:19:51.700 He said, 00:19:51.819 --> 00:19:58.440 It may suffice to say that dueling, adultery, fornication, gambling, swearing, 00:19:58.980 --> 00:20:03.700 Sabbath-breaking, and drunkenness were hardly regarded as vices at all. 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:08.220 They were the fashionable practices of people in the highest ranks of society, 00:20:08.220 --> 00:20:11.319 and no one was thought the worst for indulging them. 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:14.140 And then these new preachers come along. 00:20:14.900 --> 00:20:15.960 And Ryle went on to say, 00:20:16.120 --> 00:20:18.960 Strange and paradoxical as it may seem to some, 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:23.000 their first step towards making men good 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:26.720 was to show them that they were utterly bad. 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:31.519 And their primary argument in persuading men to do something for their souls 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:35.740 was to convince them that they could do nothing at all. 00:20:35.740 --> 00:20:40.559 The apostle Paul is saying to Titus 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:43.920 and is telling him that these people, 00:20:44.259 --> 00:20:46.740 these people are not good people. 00:20:47.140 --> 00:20:49.700 These people do not do good things. 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:54.620 They are not characterized by an inherent or an intrinsic goodness, 00:20:54.620 --> 00:20:55.980 but quite the opposite. 00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:01.319 These are men and women who promote what is evil rather than what is good, 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:04.240 who delight in the lie rather than the truth, 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:06.980 who would prefer to do nothing rather than something. 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:09.779 And he gives them this devastating summary 00:21:09.779 --> 00:21:15.279 that they are disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:19.059 Their minds, their consciences, their actions, 00:21:19.059 --> 00:21:26.000 they are completely unfit and ill-equipped for doing anything good. 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:32.920 What a stinging condemnation that Titus is given by Paul 00:21:32.920 --> 00:21:35.160 and what we are given of ourselves. 00:21:35.319 --> 00:21:38.019 Because what we see here is the Bible is holding up a mirror. 00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:40.359 And it says, what do you see in the mirror? 00:21:40.940 --> 00:21:44.240 Do you see a man or a woman who is basically good? 00:21:44.619 --> 00:21:47.680 Who basically thinks good thoughts, lives good lives, 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:49.440 has good feelings in their heart? 00:21:49.579 --> 00:21:51.980 Or do you see what the Bible says? 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:55.160 That you and I are not good people. 00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:57.380 Our hearts are not good. 00:21:57.640 --> 00:21:59.560 Our consciences are not good. 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:05.259 Our actions, our desires, our motivations in and of themselves are not good. 00:22:06.340 --> 00:22:11.880 That is the reality that the Bible presents to us here in Titus, 00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:16.600 but from the beginning to the end, that we are not good. 00:22:17.040 --> 00:22:19.180 We are not good in and of ourselves. 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:22.259 We are not equipped or enabled to do what is good. 00:22:22.259 --> 00:22:25.839 Something has gone terribly wrong in Crete. 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.599 Something has gone terribly wrong in Edinburgh. 00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:32.920 Something has gone terribly wrong in my life and in your life. 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:37.000 But is this a counsel of despair? 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:41.819 Is this simply, there's no hope? 00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:43.279 There's no light. 00:22:43.799 --> 00:22:44.839 There's no peace. 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:45.680 There's no joy. 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:49.120 There is no reason to continue. 00:22:50.340 --> 00:22:54.700 Now, of course, when we divide up a letter like this, 00:22:55.299 --> 00:22:59.220 we have to realize that the letter was written as a unit, as a whole. 00:22:59.779 --> 00:23:03.740 That we have before us a portion of that whole. 00:23:04.259 --> 00:23:09.920 And the key lesson here is that in and of ourselves, we are not right. 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:11.380 We are not good. 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:12.920 We are not pure. 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:17.080 We need something else. 00:23:17.880 --> 00:23:21.300 Not from within us, but from outside of us. 00:23:22.840 --> 00:23:27.480 Christianity has been contrasted with every other world religion in these terms. 00:23:28.500 --> 00:23:35.700 Other world religions and world philosophies will suggest primarily that the problems are outside of ourselves. 00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:39.100 Whereas the solution is within us. 00:23:40.059 --> 00:23:43.940 Whereas Christianity is absolutely clear on this point, 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:48.620 that the problems are within, and the solution must come from without. 00:23:49.460 --> 00:23:54.660 I am the source of my problems, but I am not the solution to my problems. 00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:57.580 I can't solve what's broken. 00:23:57.900 --> 00:23:59.819 I can't fix what's broken. 00:24:00.120 --> 00:24:03.640 I can't solve this problem, and neither can you. 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:08.480 Titus, you are not going to Crete with an educational program. 00:24:08.920 --> 00:24:12.320 You are not going to Crete with a self-help program. 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:14.320 I'm okay, you're okay. 00:24:14.820 --> 00:24:17.600 You're not going with the power of positive thinking. 00:24:18.660 --> 00:24:25.100 Titus, you need something that radically deals with the radical problem of the human heart 00:24:25.100 --> 00:24:31.220 exemplified in the lives of these people on the island of Crete. 00:24:31.220 --> 00:24:39.700 Now, as we see this diagnosis, so Paul quotes from one of the poets. 00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:50.000 The particular poet here is a person called Epimedes of Crete, who wrote in the 6th century BC. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:53.440 It's interesting that Paul is aware of culture. 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:55.000 He knows the poets. 00:24:55.160 --> 00:24:56.740 He knows the culture of the Greeks. 00:24:57.099 --> 00:25:02.380 And he has no hesitation of bringing these cultural icons into his discussion. 00:25:02.900 --> 00:25:05.380 So he says, look, even their own people say this. 00:25:05.819 --> 00:25:08.480 Even their own prophets, their own poets say this. 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:21.980 And there are at least five places in the New Testament where Paul draws on the writings of non-Christian authors to amplify and to underline his point. 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:27.099 So Paul is saying, even the Cretans themselves can diagnose the problem. 00:25:28.039 --> 00:25:28.920 But what's the solution? 00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:33.880 Well, first of all, to those who are speaking the falsehood, you need to rebuke them. 00:25:34.320 --> 00:25:45.240 You need to tell them to be quiet so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. 00:25:46.360 --> 00:25:50.480 Now, this word myth is an interesting word in the New Testament. 00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:55.059 And again, this word appears in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. 00:25:55.740 --> 00:26:01.079 And it's a word that, you know, we could substitute the word fable or a story. 00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:04.620 Something that has been devised by people. 00:26:05.120 --> 00:26:06.480 It might be entertaining. 00:26:07.120 --> 00:26:09.140 It also might be designed to deceive. 00:26:09.660 --> 00:26:11.319 But it's not true. 00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:21.480 Now, many scholars will suggest that the whole of the New Testament is in this category of myth or story. 00:26:21.899 --> 00:26:24.419 We have our story, our story of Jesus. 00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:26.740 Other cultures have their story. 00:26:27.399 --> 00:26:29.359 Other religions have their story. 00:26:29.859 --> 00:26:34.000 But what Paul is saying here is not that we have one myth and they have another. 00:26:34.460 --> 00:26:38.639 But he says that there is something that is true and something that is false. 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:41.580 Something that is real and something that is fake. 00:26:42.320 --> 00:26:45.420 And the Bible constantly makes this distinction. 00:26:46.280 --> 00:26:46.840 The truth. 00:26:49.060 --> 00:26:50.240 The good. 00:26:51.100 --> 00:26:52.000 The light. 00:26:52.580 --> 00:26:53.280 The right. 00:26:53.759 --> 00:26:55.080 As opposed to the wrong. 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:56.640 The light as opposed to the darkness. 00:26:56.780 --> 00:26:58.000 The good as opposed to the evil. 00:26:58.180 --> 00:26:59.920 The truth as opposed to the falsehood. 00:27:00.259 --> 00:27:05.160 The Bible has no problem in distinguishing right from wrong and good from evil and light from darkness. 00:27:05.160 --> 00:27:08.880 And what Paul is saying here, we need to know the truth. 00:27:09.220 --> 00:27:10.380 We need to teach the truth. 00:27:10.660 --> 00:27:15.860 And if somebody else is speaking that which isn't the truth within the fellowship, they need to be silenced. 00:27:16.259 --> 00:27:19.620 They need to stop spreading the falsehood. 00:27:19.900 --> 00:27:26.700 And they need to be made to embrace or to understand, to become sound in that which is true. 00:27:27.860 --> 00:27:30.340 Verse 15 is very important here. 00:27:30.339 --> 00:27:34.059 To the pure, all things are pure. 00:27:34.539 --> 00:27:39.199 But to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. 00:27:39.919 --> 00:27:43.740 In fact, both their minds and their consciences are corrupted. 00:27:44.699 --> 00:27:48.980 So Paul says, Titus, you've got two, there's going to be two types of audience here. 00:27:49.439 --> 00:27:51.439 You're going to have men and women who are pure. 00:27:52.299 --> 00:27:53.819 They have pure minds. 00:27:53.919 --> 00:27:54.740 They have pure hearts. 00:27:54.740 --> 00:27:58.200 That's not something that's intrinsic to them. 00:27:58.559 --> 00:28:05.740 But their hearts and minds have been made pure through, as we'll see in chapters 2 and 3, through Jesus and through his gospel. 00:28:06.339 --> 00:28:08.120 And there are those who are corrupt. 00:28:08.599 --> 00:28:09.620 Their minds are corrupt. 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:10.700 Their hearts are corrupt. 00:28:10.700 --> 00:28:19.960 And the difference between these two groups is not education, is not upbringing, is not sociopolitical class. 00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:24.539 But the difference between the pure and the corrupt is faith. 00:28:25.420 --> 00:28:28.500 Those who believe and those who don't believe. 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:30.980 Those who believe the gospel are pure. 00:28:31.240 --> 00:28:33.480 Those who don't believe the gospel are corrupt. 00:28:34.100 --> 00:28:37.500 Because the gospel makes the impure pure. 00:28:37.660 --> 00:28:39.559 The gospel makes the unclean clean. 00:28:39.940 --> 00:28:43.600 The gospel makes the corrupted incorruptible. 00:28:44.140 --> 00:28:47.980 That's the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:28:47.980 --> 00:28:49.460 That's what God can do. 00:28:49.960 --> 00:28:53.360 So God can raise up George Whitefield or John Wesley. 00:28:53.640 --> 00:29:02.779 God can raise up godly preachers and evangelists to go to England and Scotland to the new colonies with the message of the gospel. 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:12.420 So this spiritual cesspool can be transformed not because of educational advancement, not because of social engineering, 00:29:12.420 --> 00:29:16.840 but because of the power of the message of Jesus Christ. 00:29:16.839 --> 00:29:25.379 So tonight, if you're not yet a Christian, this is God showing you in a mirror what he sees. 00:29:26.059 --> 00:29:29.759 You see, we're good at covering up. 00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:31.959 You wear a nice suit. 00:29:32.059 --> 00:29:33.359 You wear a nice jacket. 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:34.859 You can look the part. 00:29:35.579 --> 00:29:37.079 But God sees the heart. 00:29:37.539 --> 00:29:38.480 God sees the mind. 00:29:38.599 --> 00:29:39.699 God sees the conscience. 00:29:39.700 --> 00:29:42.799 And without Christ, we are not pure. 00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:44.200 We are not good. 00:29:44.340 --> 00:29:45.600 We are not right. 00:29:46.080 --> 00:29:49.660 But with Christ, you see, that's the key. 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:51.799 Jesus is the key here. 00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:54.299 And faith in Jesus is the transformation. 00:29:54.960 --> 00:29:57.059 That the corrupt can become pure. 00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:58.960 That the evil can become good. 00:29:59.140 --> 00:30:05.319 That those who are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good can become. 00:30:05.319 --> 00:30:10.119 Listen to this in verse 14 of chapter 2. 00:30:10.779 --> 00:30:12.299 Or talk of verse 13. 00:30:12.419 --> 00:30:17.679 While we wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 00:30:17.899 --> 00:30:28.599 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. 00:30:28.599 --> 00:30:58.579 That's the gospel. 00:30:58.599 --> 00:31:00.179 His righteousness. 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:04.159 This word good works. 00:31:05.139 --> 00:31:10.579 We probably better understand what good works don't do rather than what good works do. 00:31:11.199 --> 00:31:19.000 Because Martin Luther, the great reformer, 500 years ago, 95 theses down the door of the Wittenberg Church, 00:31:19.939 --> 00:31:23.419 made it quite clear that we are justified not by good works. 00:31:23.699 --> 00:31:25.480 We are not saved by what we do. 00:31:25.859 --> 00:31:27.579 We are saved by what Jesus does. 00:31:27.579 --> 00:31:35.099 But having been saved, the Apostle Paul is absolutely insistent that those who are saved, 00:31:35.259 --> 00:31:39.740 those who are made pure, those who have faith in Jesus, 00:31:39.740 --> 00:31:44.179 are now a people who are eager to do good works. 00:31:44.180 --> 00:31:51.779 Is this your testimony that not only have you met with Jesus, but Jesus has changed the way you think? 00:31:52.299 --> 00:31:53.879 Jesus has changed the way you feel. 00:31:54.299 --> 00:31:56.099 Jesus has changed the way you live. 00:31:56.480 --> 00:31:58.019 Jesus has changed the way you act. 00:31:58.299 --> 00:31:59.579 He's changed the way you react. 00:32:00.019 --> 00:32:01.759 He's changed the way you deal with your family. 00:32:01.879 --> 00:32:03.740 He's changed the way you engage with your friends. 00:32:04.019 --> 00:32:07.339 He's changed your motivations, your desires, your interests, your goals. 00:32:07.339 --> 00:32:14.439 goals. And you now have the ability. You now have the desire. You now have the eagerness or the zeal 00:32:14.439 --> 00:32:20.059 to do what is good and what is right and what is holy and what is pure. 00:32:21.679 --> 00:32:28.399 You see, we need to be a people who know the truth. We need to be a people who speak the truth. 00:32:28.639 --> 00:32:35.480 But we need to be a people who live the truth. People want to see something genuine. We can say 00:32:35.480 --> 00:32:42.819 it, but do we show it? We can believe it, but do we live it? Do we live lives that are characterized 00:32:42.819 --> 00:32:50.640 by good, characterized by purity, characterized by truth, characterized by love? Or do we find 00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:58.460 ourselves in this category of those who are simply mere talkers? If we're going to reach the city of 00:32:58.460 --> 00:33:06.620 Edinburgh with the gospel of Jesus, mere talk is insufficient. Speaking is inadequate. We need 00:33:06.620 --> 00:33:13.039 to speak and we need to live. There needs to be an integrity of life that demonstrates the reality 00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:21.019 of the gospel in our hearts and in our lives. As you read through this letter to Titus, notice how 00:33:21.019 --> 00:33:29.940 often he focuses on what is good, doing what is good. If we give Martin Luther credit for being the 00:33:29.940 --> 00:33:35.779 great preacher of justification by faith alone, that there's nothing that we can do. It's only about 00:33:35.779 --> 00:33:42.420 Jesus. We can give credit to another reformer who reminds us of the work of the Holy Spirit. 00:33:43.480 --> 00:33:50.759 John Calvin reminds us that when the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of the believer, something happens. 00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:56.960 When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your life, one thing is for sure, you will never ever be 00:33:56.960 --> 00:34:03.559 the same again. Your hearts will be changed. Your lives will be changed. Your actions will be changed. 00:34:03.799 --> 00:34:10.119 Not because of you, but because of the Holy Spirit. So the gospel focuses our minds and hearts on Jesus. 00:34:10.659 --> 00:34:16.679 But when Jesus comes to be the center of our lives, the Holy Spirit gives us strength where we previously 00:34:16.679 --> 00:34:21.659 were weak, gives us guidance and direction where previously we wandered, gives us truth where 00:34:21.659 --> 00:34:27.759 previously we had falsehood, gives us purity where previously we were corrupted, and enables us to be 00:34:27.759 --> 00:34:35.319 a people who know what's good and who do what's good. This is the gospel. This is the power of the gospel. 00:34:35.559 --> 00:34:41.819 This is the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers, where you and I know what's right, 00:34:41.820 --> 00:34:49.800 know what's true, and do what's good. And when we have that powerful combination of the truth of the 00:34:49.800 --> 00:34:57.120 gospel and the reality of the gospel in our lives, that people see it, that people hear it, they put two 00:34:57.120 --> 00:35:02.660 and two together, and they conclude that there must be something about these people. There must be 00:35:02.660 --> 00:35:09.640 something about their Jesus. There must be something about his message that changes them from the before 00:35:09.639 --> 00:35:16.900 to the after. Titus chapter 1 verses 10 to 16 is the before. This is what we look like without the 00:35:16.900 --> 00:35:23.639 gospel. Titus chapter 2 and Titus chapter 3 is the after. This is what the gospel does in the lives of 00:35:23.639 --> 00:35:30.480 people. And it's the same people, but they are different because they've come to know and to embrace 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:34.799 the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray. 00:35:34.800 --> 00:35:43.980 Father, we give you thanks for your goodness, your grace, your love, your mercy. We thank you for your 00:35:43.980 --> 00:35:50.660 gospel concerning your son Jesus. We thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit to take that which is 00:35:50.660 --> 00:35:59.440 corrupt and to transform into what is pure, to take what is false and to transform into what is true, 00:35:59.440 --> 00:36:05.860 and to take what is evil and to transform into good. We ask, O Lord, that we would demonstrate the 00:36:05.860 --> 00:36:13.059 reality of the work of the gospel in our lives, that we would be eager, zealous to do what is good, 00:36:13.320 --> 00:36:18.659 that we would be equipped to do what is good, that we would speak and act in a way that we commend our 00:36:18.659 --> 00:36:25.780 Savior Jesus. For any Lord tonight that are not yet committed to Christ, who do not yet have that faith, 00:36:25.780 --> 00:36:32.240 might they see that picture of what sin really looks like, of what evil really looks like, about what 00:36:32.240 --> 00:36:38.019 the corruption of the human heart looks like. And might you convict them of sin, but more importantly, 00:36:38.160 --> 00:36:45.220 might you convert them to Christ, where they see Jesus as all that is pure, all that is good, all that 00:36:45.220 --> 00:36:51.980 is right, all that is lovely. And may they find themselves attracted to Him. For those of us who can 00:36:51.980 --> 00:36:59.000 testify that we know Him, that we've come to meet with Him, may our lives be filled with joy, 00:36:59.460 --> 00:37:06.139 filled with peace, and filled with love, as we give you thanks in the name of our Savior Jesus. Amen.