Titus lesson 3 continued
Titus · JD McCulley · Jul 30, 2023
Titus, No. 11
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492619328640

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

All right, well we are in the book of Titus. We are in lesson three. Last week we rounded off the final answers to question nine. We went through five of the negative vices an elder must not be guilty of and we explained each of them. We saw a pattern consistently through those vices that The qualifications for an elder that we see here in the book of Titus, we find parallel verses for those of us as believers.

Not mentioned as qualifications, but consistent with the character. I think that's what's interesting is that God is consistent this way. He's not asking elders to qualify for something different in the sense of character. The character for a believer is the life of Christ. It's the character of Christ. It's just that these believers, as being qualified for elders, are at an additional level of quote-unquote, maybe there's a better word for this, but maybe spiritual appraisal or spiritual scrutiny, potentially, it's necessary in order to understand where a believer, a man, being considered for this position, where he qualifies in terms of his maturity with the Lord Jesus.

And it's quite clear that there are vices that can prevent a man from functioning in the way of leadership that God has intended. And so we looked at those vices Today, we're going to look at question number 10. It says, list the six positive qualities you must have and explain each. So if someone wants to read Titus 1, 8 through 9 for us, we'll go ahead and look at those first positive qualities, and then we'll look at the last verse in verse 9 here. Therefore, though I might be Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, yet for love's sake, I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul, the aged, by now also a prisoner of Satan.

Oh, I'm sorry, I got the wrong book. Okay. I was in filing the book wrong. Okay. So it'd be 8 through 10 on 1, right? 8 and 9. 8 and 9. 8 and 9. Okay. know somebody else. No worries. I'll go ahead and pick this one up. So an elder must be hospitable. Okay, so one loving what is good to sensible just, devout, and self-controlled. So those are our six, right?

Verse 9 says, holding fast the faithful word, which is the result, and we'll talk about the outcome of these positive qualities and what the responsibility is for the elder with regards to the body in verse 9. So verse 7 lists all those negative characteristics that we talked about to avoid, and verse 8 lists positive qualities to be sought so the elder can teach, sound doctrine, and repeat false teachers.

We're not talking about this just yet, but these qualities are necessary for the teaching of sound doctrine and the refuting of false doctrine. Oftentimes we jump into an apologetics course and it's like, how do I defend the faith? There's some characteristics of who you are in Christ that precede even being able to refute false teaching and to promote sound doctrine. You can't necessarily promote it without knowing it, right? So knowing the sound doctrine has at least six positive effects in this verse. And we can look at Timothy and flesh that out a little bit further.

But the first is the elder must be hospitable. So what does hospitable mean? Does it mean that you hold a lot of potlucks? Yes. Yeah, very well should. So the word here, it's this desire to treat guests and strangers with, we're cordial to them, and we have a generosity towards even those that are guests or strangers to us. It literally means a loving friend of strangers. I found that interesting.

1 Peter 4 and 9 says, be hospitable to one another without complaint. Guess what? That's not an elder qualification. That's in 1 Peter, so that's for all of us. not just Mike and Roger, right? Be hospitable to one another without complaint. So here you have a quality for an elder, a characteristic of loving a friend of strangers.

I remember coming to Holly Hills, and I've seen this in other churches, but it was very distinct in Holly Hills where you'd have an individual come out, you know, come into the church off the street, and I was kind of like, I don't know how I'd handle that. You know, I'm not sure I would necessarily entertain this person very long. I'd maybe find a really positive way to move them on down the street or something like that. Well, that's why I wasn't qualified.

But yet, I watched Bern, I watched Mike, and I specifically remember one time Mike talking to this gentleman, and even including him in class and things like that. But afterwards, he drove down, we were leaving church, and they parked over, and here's Mike filling this guy's gas tank. And the whole crew of ours in the truck was just looking at Mike, and so I pull in behind him, and I wait until the guy gets his gas full, and then I pull up and ask Mike to fill mine up too. I thought, if you're going to be that hospitable, brother, go ahead and fill up my truck.

No, but the thing about relationships and for elders in a situation something like that is that the first inclination is, this person doesn't belong or this person isn't, you know, this doesn't feel right to the situation at church. It's like, there's something going on here. But the elder who has this quality and the believer who is generous without complaint looks at that situation as the Lord has brought this right here. And because I am in Christ, I have the ability to treat this person as Christ treats this person. He does that life living through me.

And that's an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to conform them to the image of Christ. And so generosity to another, loving a friend, being a loving friend of strangers, is not at the natural inclination of a human. It's actually quite opposite. And we find that a lot of the characteristics of Christ being conformed in us are the opposite of the way that our flesh would think. Thoughts on that? Yeah, Mike? What do you guys think?

Does this include non-believers? Yeah, I think it's evident that we're talking that believers are definitely within this. So how about non-believers? So what we say is don't be hospitable to a non-believer. Doesn't seem to fit, right? It's not who we are.

You have to explain to my kids what gypsies are. They're people that, in their culture I think, they learn how to beg and get other people to support them. They're very, they're not out front about it. So they got, they walked in the back door and they picked four of them and they spread out really quick and they started hitting people up for money. And, you know, Roger and I talked about it last week, after that happened. And Roger said, hey, you know, I think, you know, if we're going to support somebody, they ought to be a believer. And, you know, a stranger that comes in, there's one reason why you go talk to them, just to kind of get a feel of where they are and who they are.

So I don't know. I really don't know the answer to that. I don't even go to state high school. In this case, we're not worried about the support for them. We're worried about the hospitality to them. The hospitality. Hospitality. That's it. I was going to say hospitality. Yeah. So what comes to mind is, yeah, and I think this is, whether believers or not believers, and who you show the hospitality to.

It comes up in Hebrews 13, 2. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. And I always think of that verse that, you know, when a stranger comes in, you know, it doesn't have to be a believer. I think this is hospitality to all. Now there's a whole complementary, you know, set of verses where, you know, we're to be at peace with all men if possible. I think in Romans there's, you know, there's a whole bunch of these that I think, but that doesn't mean, you know, which, I had the job of doing that in the last church when people come in.

You can show hospitality. You don't just hand them money and say, you know, great, we'll meet all your needs. There are things, because we're supposed to be also good stewards. Good stewards, discernment, yeah. God has given us too. It's like going to fill the car up or we'll go get a bunch of groceries for you or whatever. Not that we're going to give you money that we don't know you're going to go buy drugs or do whatever. It's not unloving to just not hand out money. What was the passage in Hebrews you mentioned there?

It's Hebrews 13.2. 13.2, thanks. Yeah, but that's, yeah, I've always thought about that, you know, when you entertain strangers, you may be entertaining angels. Yep.

So, which gives you, you know, the, if you're judgmental or whatever and things like that, there may be, you know, It's not our job to know that. It's not our job to know who the stranger is completely. That's the point. There is discernment in terms of money and things of that nature. JD, I thought of one more verse.

Galatians 6.10, Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. So I'm not sure if doing good and hospitality is the same thing. Yeah. No, I think it really is. I think it ties together. And that verse is for you, if you're not an elder, too. Or not, right? Hebrews 13, 2, Galatians 6, 10. Those are both really good supporting passages there. Okay, let's look at the second one. The second one is loving what is good. So this is characterized by a love for all things good. It definitely includes good men. and women, right? We definitely want to surround ourselves with those that are good men and good women, which includes the body of Christ, right? But it also could include other things. What else could it include?

Thinking that you have to distinguish between what the world says is good and what God's word says is good. And they're not necessarily the same thing. more like the world's art. What did you say? He's trying to turn his mic on. Turn my mic on. Where are you? I need you here. Well, I can hear easier from here.

I was asking, do we determine good from the world standpoint or good from the biblical standpoint? And there are a lot of things in the world that are considered good that we wouldn't necessarily agree with, you know. So, like in culture, if you really like, there's nothing wrong with symphony music and, you know, all of the arts, but are they good from a biblical standpoint? Yeah.

Let me give you a contrast so we can think through this. So 2 Timothy kind of goes on the opposite scale, right? So 2 Timothy 3, 2 and 3. For men, and this has to do with unbelievers, for men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, Irreconcilable means they don't want to make things right with people. They don't care. They're malicious gossips. They're without self-control. They're brutal. And then finally, haters of good. And it goes on, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. So just to kind of get that contrast, I think what is good is a person. It's Christ.

What is defined by good? Everything that the Lord did in His Son, from the eternal covenant to your position in the heavens and your future reign with Him in the Millennial Kingdom and your presence with Him face to face in the new heavens and the new earth, the access, all of that in Christ is what is good. And it bears fruit in your life as you remain in the vine, right? As you abide in him, these are the fruitful outcomes of your life, and they're him as a person rather than an individual fruit.

Bob? Yeah, the translation really reads loving of good men. Yep. Which really pertains to loving of good men. I presume that's women and children too. But anyway. loving the good things. Well, actually, I was looking at the Greek on that one, and where Zodiatis has it, it's kind of interesting. Because kind of the focus, is it about loving the good person, or you loving good? I think the way, you know, looking at New American Standards, is loving what is good. So, kind of the flip side of that is that word, and it says, or in Zodiacs, it combines not only liking to be kind, but actually doing good. So I think the perspective, at least, from what Zodiacs' word is, it's not as much the good person, it's you loving and being kind and good.

It's your action. It's not the object. It's you being kind and loving, and doing good. So it's not that we're judging the person, it's you, the person, is the action. I think you're right. It's not about the object, it's about the action on your part. Or your attitude, maybe. Both. Actually, both attitude and action, right?

I have a quote here from Francis Schaeffer. If we do not show love to one another, the world has a right to question whether Christianity is true. Just one of his perspectives. And he's he's the apologist. Right. That was really the foundation of Francis Schaeffer's work was to be an apologetic or to provide a sound apologetic to unbelievers. And he said. We can get into all of that, but if love doesn't exist, then an unbeliever has what what's different about you. And by love, we mean a much different type of love, a godly type of love, agape love, as opposed to a worldly or a fleshy type of love.

Constable says we must have an affinity for things that are worthwhile. Interesting way to put it. Yeah, I mean, I don't want to brush over the fact that in a number of different Sources the the term here continues to talk about characterized by a lover of all good things And it's not the things that's the focus. It's the it's the surrounding yourself with the things that are good the people The situations. I mean so far as you can right? I think that that's Um, yeah anything else on that thoughts It's looking at jd on the strong goes on to say much like is that loving goodness is maybe a more direct translation.

So that really relates to the individual court. I think you're on the right track. I do too. I think that's right. What's the third one? This is my favorite. Sensible, self-controlled. Sensible. All right. wisely keeping self-control over one's passions and desires. It's interesting, this word has the most emphasis in Titus. This word.

In Titus 2.2, it talks about the older men being sensible.

In Titus 2.5, it talks about the younger women being sensible. 2.6, younger men, and 2.4, it describes the ministry of the old women to the younger, as being encouraging, same word, sensible. The new King James has sober-minded.

Sober-minded is another really good way of translating that. The Amplified adds the word discreet. Discreet. Oh, that's a good word. That's a really good one. Going to Zodiatis again on that word is discreet, sober, temperate, of a sound mind. The last part of it is self-disciplined in one's freedom, self-restrained in all passions and desires. That's a good one. Read that one more time for us. Discreet, sober, temperate, of a sound mind, self-disciplined in one's freedom, self-restrained in all passions and desires. So that self-restraint in your freedom is something that we talked about last week. And we were talking about it with addicted to much wine. We also kind of talked about a little bit with aftersorted gain, you know. So yeah, I think that there's definitely a wisdom factor, right? There's a wise factor. And how does a Christian become wise? How does an elder get to a place where they're sensible? Not what does it look like, but how did they actually get there?

What do you think? I think it has to do with the process that goes on of conformity to Christ. These we're really talking about the characteristics of the Lord Jesus himself. And so as we're conformed to his image through a process that takes maybe your whole life, you begin to see things as he sees them. And they are sensible. They make sense. When you're confronted with a situation where there's more than one answer or way to go, There's a dependency on the Lord's viewpoint, and you know what it is, and you know that's the right way to go. It mentions something that's key, I think, knowing his thoughts and seeing it the way he sees it.

1 Corinthians 2.13 says, again, not in the elder section of Titus, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit. Combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. I love that phrase How do we get to a place? where We're not speaking in human wisdom But we're speaking as those taught by the spirit combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words happens here and then it flows out into a sensible phrase or sentence or advice or whatever that interaction involves. I always hate to puff up Mike with compliments, but one of the things, first coming here was, just read the Bible to know it. you know, don't get into a huge study every time and dissect every verse into things, but just read it.

And that's, you know, what I try to do every day is one chapter and, you know, it's just reading it to know Him and it's a personal time, it's intimacy with Christ. It's with His Word and time with Him. Then you know who He is and you know who you are in Christ. And that's where you get that sensibility. That's where the conforming happens. You know, the combination between the Holy Spirit and the Word and time with Him is where you get this sensibility or Christ's life is time with Him. Time with Him.

We talked about this on Tuesday. We're studying Hebrews on Tuesday. And we're in chapter 3 and verse 9 and 10, I think say it really well, where your fathers tested and tried me and saw my works 40 years. Therefore, I was angry with that generation and said, they always go astray in their hearts because they have not known my ways. And we spent half an hour talking about the difference of knowing what God's works were and knowing what his ways were. And I think that wisdom we're talking about comes from knowing God's ways.

And like Courtney's saying, you don't know that unless you're somewhat acquainted with him in his word. And, you know, how does God do things? Do I know what they are? Do I know how he thinks about something? He's a God of love. He's not a God of of retribution, you know, he is a lover, that's what he is, and I know that he operates based on love.

Well, as you know that, you know what his ways are and they correspond to what your ways become over time. Yep, there's a couple thoughts there, and I think really connect with both those comments. JB Stoney says, hence in every age arises the question, an anxious one to the man of God, where shall wisdom be found? The answer is seek and acquire God's mind. And then you can determine what suits him. But do not expect to reach or catch a glimpse of his mind by studying your own mind or sensibility. His thoughts are not your thoughts, nor his ways your ways."

What do you think about that? It's interesting because, you know, Cornelius Van Til was an author, a Reformed author that I used to read a lot with presuppositional apologetics. I was very, very interested in learning that way of thinking. I think it makes a lot of sense in a lot of respects. But one of the things Cornelius Van Til said regularly was, thank God's thoughts after him. And that always stuck with me because the question begs the person right away, what does God think about this? And you've already started on the right foot because what's the tendency from a flesh based life? Well, let's see, what could I do here? How could I get to the place where I want to be in this situation?

That's not what God does. He gives you the mind of Christ so that you may be sensible. It's his sensibility. And so when we're dealing with things that don't make sense in the world and are frustrating and it doesn't feel good, this doesn't have anything to do with your feelings. This has to do with the way the Lord sees the situation and what he's doing. And you can know what he's up to, to a degree. You can't know all the ins and outs of the circumstances or the relationships that you're caught in, but you can know what God is doing.

And that is a far different source of wisdom than it is for an unbeliever who has absolutely no objective truth in which to base any thinking whatsoever outside of what the Lord has given him, and he rejects it even though he receives it. Gravity is an example. Logic is an example. I would say too that for a reformer to say something like that is really surprising because if you're law-based, then you're always looking up the rules.

And the rules are designed to make you more pleasing to the Lord than you were before you found the rule. Where grace is, wait a minute, I'm totally pleasing to him now, and I live under his grace. And how does grace function in this environment? If you left, think God's thoughts after him at that without understanding you're in the operating system of grace now, not law. Then thinking God's thoughts about who you are in the stewardship of the church today.

There's a lot of information in the scripture that God tells us about ourselves and tells us about himself that is applicable to you as a church age believer. But it's very easy to take the law and try to mix it in with the grace. And then you've got what God says.

What about the Ten Commandments? Are those his thoughts for you? What do you think? I think I stumped you guys. I think the Ten Commandments could be characterized under the heading of God's works. His personality and the person of Christ is His ways. And they line up together. But His ways have to do with the fact that He is a blesser. And He doesn't wait for you to deserve it. He blesses you anyway. Well, we're told as New Testament believers that the law is what to us? Holy. Righteous. Good. Righteous and good.

We're also told, though, that if If you want to move out from the dominion of sin, then you have to live under grace. That's what grace is all about, so that you would not be a slave to sin and sin shall not have dominion over you because you're not under law, you're under grace. That's what grace is designed to do. And if you don't know what that looks like, Romans 7 will explain it to you.

Laws mentions about 15 or 16, 17 different times in that chapter alone. Any other thoughts on sensibility for the elder? Knowing his ways. We spend our lifetime learning that. And that's not to be discouraging. That's actually your eternal opportunity, right? We have the opportunity to learn His ways on into eternity. It doesn't just end here and we all of a sudden arrive. Even being conformed to the image of Christ, we're still continuing to learn of His ways on into eternity.

Good example, we had the Tangs with us all week. We were learning their ways. Did you like what you saw? Because we need to judge them real quick. We're going to have to have a discussion about that. Bob says, see me after the meeting. But they learned our ways too, how we do things, you know. Sure, yeah. They'll be seeking counseling after that. Okay, cool.

Well, let's look at the fourth quality. What's the fourth? Just. What does just mean? means characterized by proceeding from accepted standards of morality or justice. He should be a man of integrity, sticks by his word, and who practices what he preaches. His conduct is righteous and is just. I've got my dad.

He definitely pointed me to the scriptures plenty, but he also pointed me to Vince Lombardi. And one of the things that Vince Lombardi says is, watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. This set of verses talk about habits, and they also talk supremely about character. Now, Vince Lombardi has not authorized scripture, but I think what he's saying here is that the character of the man is just. behind the scenes, and before others.

He practices righteous attitudes, actions, and thoughts towards his fellow man based on what he knows of God's justice and how God's... Christ is just. We have the mind of Christ. He's tapped into that. He understands that. Tapped in is probably not the right way of saying it, but Justice is being one that is moral and just in his actions and his treatment of even decisions, discipline in the church. He's just in how he understands and carries out that action or that discipline.

Bob, did you have a question? adjective which describes all of us right I mean we're there's no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus so you know that righteousness we hold but I think the interpretation is for the elder that he's capable of justice for what it's worth. Anyway. No, I think you're exactly right. I do, because what might be just to the world might look a little different than what it looks like for the elder in this case.

He has a sensibility that the world does not have in performing that justice. And so right and wrong in the court of law is not the consideration. The consideration is what pleases the Lord. It's a whole different level of thinking with regards to justice. Do you agree? I struggle with that and I think I read it in Sit, Stand, Walk. Law would have us look at what is right and what is wrong in any circumstance. But what is the life of Christ? What pleases Him? What glorifies Him? That is to be our barometer in grace.

Sorry, I keep going back to Zodiates and all these, and his definition was, they are people related to God and who, as a result of this relationship, walk with God. So, again, it's kind of the foundation of all that's been said. It's somebody who is just and somebody who is walking with God. They aren't, you know, self-judging or, you know, judging out of the flesh. They're walking with God. They see the individual as God would see them in a just fashion.

Yeah, Miles said, we're not only pardoned, but justified, made righteous, and this not merely by that which he has done, or by what he has procured or bestows, but in what he is. He's pardoned you based on who he is. Your righteousness is because of him. Your justice and your ability to carry that out, in this case for the elder, is completely based on what is in Christ.

It's not his fanciful thoughts on the subject. Although I've got them, we've got them, right? Pretty easy to rush right into that. But in what he is, Miles says. I really thought that was interesting. We're getting here. We've got a couple minutes. I think I can fit in number five. Number five is devout. So this is really closely related to just. Has the idea of holy, pure, having the characteristics of moral purity. Unpolluted with wickedness.

How do you get set apart to God? How do you get set apart to God? When you first set apart? Salvation. Salvation. And what do you set apart from? All that I was and that. all that you were in Adam. Sin. You died to it. As an elder, what is Paul talking about with being devout as an elder, meaning one set apart to God? The root meaning of this is different or unique. Holy Bible, holy, unique. Bible, book, unique book. You are, in this case, the elder is being told that they are devout, which makes them different, which makes them unique, based on the character of purity, moral purity.

2 Corinthians 5.17, popular verse, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things passed away, the old new things have come. That's the only realm in which devout purity and moral integrity exists, is in the new creature.

Guess what? That's not just for the elder. That's for you, too. And then finally, I'll just quote Miles here again. The only way to show respect for God's real purity is by realistically setting oneself against sin. That's a stinger. Say that again. The only way to show respect for God's real purity is by realistically setting oneself against sin.

I think it was Maxwell, another author, who said, the old man must be dethroned. Guess what? That's going to be related to something that happens the moment we walk out this door. Where does the old man belong? somewhere other than with me. He set the cross dead. He's put down and you're to put on a new self. And all of these characteristics that we talked about for the elder have synonymous verses related to the believer. And so put on a new man. You know, that's where Paul ultimately would have us go and put off the old. And that's what Setting oneself against sin is putting off the old, putting on the new.

Let's pray. Father, how we thank you for just your clarity in the book of Titus with regards to leadership and the type of men that you've set apart for shepherding the flock and overseeing the flock. And so, Lord, we just continue to pray for our elders, that they might have the mind of Christ, that they might think your thoughts after you. and recognize just the opportunity that they have to depend upon you ultimately for the very role that you've placed them in. Father, we thank you for your love and for your grace and for this day. In your name we pray. Amen.