Titus

Titus 3:12-15, Grace for All of It!

/ Melissa / Leave a comment

All by grace, and grace for all!

  1. Grace for sending and going (v. 12-13)
  2. Grace for staying and serving (v. 13-14)
  3. Grace for greeting and loving (v. 15)

Grace: “of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of Christian virtues” (Strongs).

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I’m old enough to remember a world without internet, without cell phones, or social media. I remember the first time I logged into Prodigy (pre-internet) and was allowed to have a pen pal from overseas. It was amazing to have a letter back in days instead of waiting weeks (or months) for snail mail to arrive and return. I remember when we upgraded to AOL and the “You’ve Got Mail” era. I can’t imagine what the mail system in Paul’s days might have been like, but they had to plan ahead a LOT better! God built the desire to be connected into us when He created us, and you do what you have to do to stay connected to the ones you love.

Do you remember those world wide web map images? You know the ones where major cities are lit up and connected by jumping arcs? This is the image of the gospel network that that I have in my head as I read these closing verses. We see sending and going, staying and serving, greeting and loving. It’s all by grace! And there’s grace for all of it! God’s grace is lived out as we devote ourselves to God and to good works. Devoting ourselves to good works is the theme of this text (or the whole chapter); in many ways, it’s the theme of the whole letter. Yet, another theme emerges that ties it all together: Grace. So we’re going to look at how grace is connected to each aspect of Paul’s closing remarks.

But first, we have to define grace. When I say, “There’s grace for all of it,” I want to be clear we are NOT using this word as an excuse for failure or a defense to neglect good works; we don’t get to ignore God’s commands and then say, “Well, there’s grace for that.” Grace certainly includes forgiveness for sin and failures, but it’s much more than that. I wrote out the Strong’s Concordance definition on the board because I think it encompasses the full riches of God’s grace really well: Grace: “of [or related to] the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of Christian virtues.” Or a condensed version, “to be committed or commended to the protecting and helping favor of God.” Grace is not only God’s salvation and forgiveness (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense), but also His empowering strength to do what He calls us to do.

I copied a map of Paul’s missionary journeys from the back of my Bible, then I drew lines for Paul’s letters (where he was and where the letters were sent to). [show map] Imagine if we were to add more lines for Titus’ travels, then Timothy’s, then each of the other travelers and apostles that went out, just like Paul did. Then you add each of the saints’ lives and ministries, through the years and centuries.

Transition: The gospel gives birth to this beautiful network of gospel servants. Let’s take a sneak peek into the lives of those mentioned here, and God’s…

I. Grace for Sending and Going

    Titus 3:12 “When I [Paul] send Artemas or Tychicus to you [Titus], do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing.”

    We have to start with “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect … By the command of God our Savior, who entrusted and commanded Paul to preach the gospel abroad to the Gentiles, bringing them … Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior”(Titus 1).

    Paul had vision and had to make a lot of decisions that involved a lot of peoples’ lives! God transformed his zeal from persecutor of the church to passionate proclaimer of Christ. In many of his letters, Paul writes of various men and women as co-laborers, partners, fellow ministers, beloved brothers, and so on. When Paul said, “Go there” or “Come here,” his partners listened. They had a common goal—to tell the world about Jesus. By grace and through the Spirit’s power and guidance, Paul became a logistics coordinator. He made plans, but he held those plans loosely in order to follow the Spirit’s direction.

    In this text, we see Paul having made the decision to spend the winter in Nicopolis, on the West Coast of Greece. He wants Titus to finish this task of organizing and setting up the elders in the churches on Crete and sail to Nicopolis before winter hits. Titus was given a deadline, and it came with significance. Paul knew from experience that sailing in this area in wintertime was dangerous that time of year. Acts 27-28 recounts Paul urging sailors not to leave Crete, being ignored, setting sail, and ending up shipwrecked in Malta.

    Nicopolis means “Victory City!” What a base! A city that was created to boast Augustus’ victory over Marc Antony in the first century was now being used as a gospel headquarters, likely to debrief and train Titus and others on how to share the victory of Christ over the curse. This was a chance for one-on-one discipleship, exhortation, and even refreshment in the Word.

    Application: We all make multiple decisions every day—I’m sure Paul understood “decision fatigue” well! There’s grace for that too! Strength from God to do whatever He calls us to do. As we walk in the Spirit, we can make decisions, being confident that God’s grace is sufficient for each one, from what color of curtains might reflect the beauty of the gospel in our homes to what city we should be living in to “spread the unsearchable riches of Christ broader in the world and deeper in the church.” Decisions about what activities to participate in; how busy will you allow your family calendar to be? Decisions about menus and bills, doctors and care plans, schooling and jobs. There is grace for big and small decisions, and we can rest in God for all of it!

    Maybe you’re in a season of traveling—either for work or for caring for family members. We’ve been there. The drive between Greenville and Ohio is familiar and not short! God’s grace is there for every mile. I wonder if Paul had Ezra and Nehemiah in mind during his travels; these books reference “the hand of our God upon” His people at least 8x. In Ezra 8, Ezra is getting ready to return to Jerusalem from exile with a group of Israelites; he begins his journey by proclaiming a fast and praying: “that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.” Why? He had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him.” He didn’t want to ask the king for protection because he wanted the king to see God’s rescuing hand on the people, and God listened and delivered them from ambushes on the way! When Nehemiah recounted “the hand of my God that had been upon me for good,” the people responded by strengthening their hands for the good work of rebuilding! “Let us rise up and build!” (Neh.2:18). God’s good hand of grace is on ALL those who seek Him, and He uses testimonies of that grace to strengthen our hands for good works.

    Next, we look at Titus. Titus did the good work God thru Paul had called him to do. And now it was time for him to say goodbye. You know, I’m sure a lot of these believers truly loved Titus as a spiritual father and brother. Seeing him leave would have been very hard. Being told that someone else will be taking Titus’ place, and that they would need to submit to new eldership, was probably hard news. Thankfully, God gives Grace for Transitions!

    Paul said he would send Artemus and/or Tychicus, so one or both would be replacing Titus. Now, Artemus is not mentioned anywhere else in Scripture, though tradition lists him as one of the 72 disciples that Jesus sent out in Luke 10, which just heard preached these last two Sundays! Tychicus we know more about—He was Asian and worked with Trophimus and Onesimus; he waited for Paul in Troas with a group of coworkers (in fact, he was likely in the room when Eutychus fell out of the window and was brought back to life by God through Paul in Acts 20). Paul referred to Tychicus as a “dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord” And in both Ephesians and Philippians, Paul is clear that Tychicus was an encourager. So, he wasn’t leaving the church stranded. He was sending faithful men to continue the gospel work.

    God does this today too. Sometimes, you’re the one actively moving on. More often, you’re on the passive end of seeing others being moved on. But regardless of who is moving (or being moved, rather), there is grace for transitions. When your elder changes—whether they step down from being an elder or move to a different state or ministry, or when you change shepherding groups and the elder assigned to you or your family is new, how do you respond? Each shepherding group has its own dynamic, and every elder has his own personality. We can respond humbly and submit ourselves willingly to all of our elders. In fact, we must! Discipleship is part of sanctification, and even these changes are sovereignly ordained to grow us.

    Life is full of transitions, and they often involve sorrow, and even deep grief. But there is Grace for developing a Gospel Perspective about this, a heavenly perspective, about God’s sovereignty. Ultimately, God is the One actively moving His people where He will, and we get to see it and grow in grace because of it. I think some of the people in Crete probably felt about Titus like my son (and some of your kids) felt when the Farmers and Hansens left this last time. He came to the car after their last game of Gaga ball and said, “Well, I said goodbye,” and promptly burst into tears. Transitions are hard, but God’s grace gives us an eternal perspective. This life is short, and we must stay on mission for His Kingdom. We remind ourselves that one day, all of us in the faith will be together again, in Heaven, and we will never run out of time. There is grace for loving each other in separate corners of the world and longing to see each other again. And there’s grace to be faithful wherever God sends you or plants you.

    Next, we meet Zenas and Apollos.

    v13,”Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing.”

    This is the second time we’ve seen the phrase, “Do your best.” It has the idea of being diligent, or “make every effort.” We must recognize our best still demands God’s grace! It’s not a demand for perfection. Only Jesus, our Good Shepherd, can truly see that we lack nothing (Psalm 23). But the Lord graciously allows us to be used in this ministry to one another.

    Now, this pair is likely the ones carrying the letter, and they probably had other letters from Paul to deliver to other cities. So it’s important they have what they need to keep on mission. They don’t have time to be distracted. All we know of Zenas is what we see in this verse: he’s a lawyer—either he was an expert in Jewish law OR an expert in Roman law, since the Cretans were devoted not only to Jewish myths, but also human (Roman) laws (1:14).

    Apollos, on the other hand, is a fairly well-known teacher of God’s Word. It’s possible they would not have only carried the letters but also been the ones to read them aloud in the church gatherings. This makes sense to me, when you read Acts 18. Apollos has a vast knowledge of the OT, is a bold teacher, a humble disciple, and he has experience refuting Jewish opponents in Achaia, proving thru debate that Jesus is the Messiah; this makes him a good candidate for refuting Jewish myths in Crete as well. His ministry was evidently so fruitful that the church began to divide—“I am of Apollos; I am of Paul” (1 Cor. 1:12; 3:4-9, 21-23).

    The fact that these two men were paired up seems intentional to me. It’s almost as if Paul is modeling this older and younger mentorship that he’s commanding the church in Crete to practice even in his choice of letter carriers. Or maybe they were paired up to refute both Roman and Jewish false teachers. Whatever the reason, Titus was told to show these two men hospitality: you, Titus, make every effort to get them back on the road; give them whatever they need—clothes, a bed, food, encouragement. Titus had a chance to model hospitality in front of the church by how he treated these mission partners.

    Transition: Along those lines, we come to our next point. Now, it’s the church’s chance to practice hospitality and the Spirit’s fruit of good works too. While the leaders were transitioning, the people didn’t have that option. So, God gave

    II. Grace for Staying and Serving

      v14,“And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”

      Our people are those with a common faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and a common love for one another. The NIV says, “Our people must learn to be devoted to good works.” Learning implies being taught. This connects us back to the instruction and rebuke of the elders (1:9-10), of the older men and women (2:1-6), and ultimately, the training of our good God and Savior Jesus Christ (2:12). It means we’re not going to get it right initially, or independently, or even intuitively. We have to grow in this. We’re not born knowing how to be good. One, it’s a work of the Spirit to regenerate us—giving us faith and new life. And then it’s a work of the Spirit to train us to renounce ungodliness and grow in being zealous for good works. This takes time! And consistent reminders.  

      We need each other and we need the Word—which is “breathed out by God Himself and profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We need the Church, working together as God intended it. It means we’re going to mess up—a lot! And we’re going to have to learn repentance and forgiveness. It’s not an overnight process, but a lifelong one. Thankfully, there is grace for all of it! Grace to give and receive correction; grace to repent and to forgive; grace for learning and devoting.

      Next, we see grace for good works. Especially, good works that meet urgent needs. Who is in urgent need around you? Keep your eyes and ears open. Who is caring for sick kids or aging parents? Who are the widows or foster parents? Our shepherding groups and elder communities are set up in a way to be the first line of support on these immediate needs. And if you have an immediate need (or concern), the first people you should call is your elder and shepherding group leader. We have to be aware of needs in order to try to meet them. And God’s grace is sufficient to meet all of our needs.

      God’s grace is also there for when others are better suited to meet those needs. We are not going to be able to meet every need we hear about. While some of us need to be encouraged to be more aware and active, others of us need to learn to set up boundaries. None of us are the Savior; there is only one of those—and His name is Jesus. And by His grace, He saved us and trains us to do these good works. If you’re not sure how to set those boundaries, this would be a great conversation to have with your elder or elder’s wife, your shepherding group, or some women who you know are serving the church well but also don’t seem completely overwhelmed. This is part of that learning to devote ourselves. We want to be profitable and productive in the good works God has created for us to do (Eph. 2:10).

      In order to be devoted to good works, we must first be devoted to the One who created them. Even though the emphasis of the chapter is on good works, our works do not save us; God saved us by His good kindness and mercy, and He is the One causing us to obey and live godly lives, filled with the fruit of good works for God’s glory and mankind’s good.

      Devotion to God produces devotion to God’s people. We must first be devoted to God, and then He works in us to learn to be devoted to God’s people. And we do the good works He designed for us to do. My good works are not for you to do; and your good works are not for me to do. But we do have to actually do them. This word “good,” describing our works, means “beautiful,” and that’s what the body working together is–it’s beautiful!

      What are these good works? A lot of them are not grand or great, but the routine and regular sacrifice and service of daily life. Good works like the ones we’ve discussed all thru this letter. Let’s review…

      Chapter 1:

      • Paul’s teaching for the furtherance of the faith of the elect was a good work, which led to others’ good works, including ours! (3)
      • Titus’ good works include putting the church in order, appointing elders (5).
      • The elders’ good works include loving their families, being hospitable, living self-controlled, disciplined lives, by holding firm to the Word, and instructing and rebuking those in the church, and refuting false teachers (8-16).

      Chapter 2:

      • We see the good work of teaching older ones in the church, modeling good works and self-control (1-10).
      • The older men’s good works include acting their age and exhibiting self-control by having healthy faith, love, and steadfastness (2).
      • Likewise, the older women’s good works are exercising reverent behavior, controlling their tongues, managing their homes well, loving their families, submitting to their husbands, and training the younger women to do the same (3-5).
      • The younger men’s good works involve self-control in all circumstances (6).
      • The bondservants’ good works are to serve their masters well, adorning the gem of the gospel to shine brightly to their masters and everyone watching their acts of service (9-10).
      • Renouncing ungodliness and worldly passions is a good work; training for self-controlled godliness is a good work (12).
      • Actively waiting for Jesus to come back is a good work (13).

      Chapter 3:

      • Reminding one another to be obedient and gentle and ready for good works is in itself a good work (1-2).
      • Giving the gospel is a good work, going and coming, sending and staying, all of it is part of God’s network of good works that brings Him glory and meets the needs of God’s people (12-14). This is profitable, helpful, useful, and worthy good works.
      • And learning to be devoted is a good work (14).

      Every one of these good works is done by grace. And the product is fruitfulness. We saw this last week in verse 8; after talking about the grace of God’s salvation, Paul writes, “The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things (stress these points)….” Why? “…so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.” So, having a fruitful life of good works requires practice, patience, humility, discernment, teachability; it requires reaching out to ask if there is a need, and reaching out when you’re the one in need.

      TRANSITION: Speaking of reaching out, let’s read our final verse, as we see…

      III. Grace for Greetings and Loving

        v.15, “All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.“

        Greetings were a significant part of Greco-Roman culture. They often included a physical embrace or kiss on the cheek, and it signaled to anyone watching an expression of peace, concern, and respect. It wasn’t just a polite formality, but a joyful reception, a happy hospitality and mutual affection. The word “Greet” occurs 60x in the NT, in nearly every book! We see the greetings going both ways, first from Paul and “all who are with him” to “Titus”; this “you” is singular! It was likely meant to be a personal encouragement to Titus in this very challenging assignment he had been given on Crete.

        Application: Our elders need this same encouragement. I thought it might be a fitting way to end this study by having us each write a letter to our elder, so I brought some cards in the back that you can pick from (or maybe you have a card at home). Tell him how you are praying for him, how he can pray for you, and how God has been at work in you thru His Word, either from Titus or Luke, or elsewhere. Bring that card back next week for our final session, and I think it would be amazing to leave a basket of notes to our elders on the table at their next elders’ meeting.  😉 Let’s greet our elders with encouragement as Paul did Titus.

        Next, the greetings broaden to “all those who love us in the faith.” Even in this greeting, Paul was instructing Titus to only greet those who were actually joined in the faith and loving Paul and the body of Christ by being devoted to God and good works.

        Faith is always a gift of God! It is God’s divine persuasion in His people that Who He has revealed Himself to be is true and trustworthy. We cannot muster up even one ounce of faith; it is 100% a work of grace by the Spirit of God. Furthering this faith was the whole reason God called Paul to be an apostle! I praise God that my faith has been furthered by this letter to Titus. I have been challenged and convicted, encouraged, refreshed; and I have to believe that the Church at Crete experienced all these same things as a result of this letter.

        In fact, as their faith grew, so did their love for one another; this love is once again phileo—the same love that we are to have for our husbands and children (2:4) and that God had for mankind (3:4) when He appeared to save us. And it is precisely because of God’s love for us that we can love one another. “Love” is present tense, so it’s an ongoing love. God’s grace grows mutual affection for one another, despite differences of backgrounds and personalities, preferences, ages, genders, nationalities. By God’s grace, He unites us as one body with Himself! “Our people” are “God’s own people” (3:14; 2:14).

        CONCLUSION: We opened the letter with “Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior” (1:4). In chapter two, “the grace of God… appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us” to adorn the gospel by clinging to sound doctrine and living in a way that fits with that sound doctrine. And in chapter three, it is “by His grace” that we are “justified,” becoming “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Now, we close this letter with “Grace be with you all.”  

        How big is this grace and love in faith? There’s grace enough that the very saints Saul persecuted and killed welcomed the apostle Paul as their beloved brother as he entered Heaven’s gates. That’s the grace of the gospel!

        By grace, He allows each of our gospel interactions to be added to this gospel network map that we talked about at the beginning (our letters and phone calls, texts and person-to-person gatherings). Each of our lives are woven together with one another, interconnected by grace and for the gospel’s furtherance. Paul’s purpose is our purpose too. God is positioning to share the grace of Jesus with the world, as we continue to learn to devote ourselves to good works by His Grace. All by Grace, and Grace for All. There is grace for all of it!

        Let’s Sing of that Amazing Grace now…

        “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
        That saved a wretch like me
        I once was lost, but now I’m found
        Was blind, but now I see.

        “T’was grace that taught my heart to fear
        And grace my fears relieved
        How precious did that grace appear
        The hour I first believed.

        “Through many dangers, toils, and snares
        I have already come
        T’was grace that brought me safe thus far
        And grace will lead me home.

        “When we’ve been there ten thousand years
        Bright shining as the sun
        We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
        Than when we first begun.”

        Let’s pray. God of Grace, We cannot even begin to comprehend this marvelous, merciful, matchless grace. And yet, You richly and freely pour it out upon us—in salvation, and every day after! Grace for travelers, coming and going; grace for staying and serving; grace for seasons and decisions; grace for hospitality; grace for seeing and meeting needs (especially urgent ones); and grace for the needs we’re not able to meet; grace for learning and devoting our lives to doing good; grace for greetings. We praise You, God, that there is grace for all of it, all along the way! As we wait for Your glorious appearing, may we be zealous of Your good works, walking by faith in the precious redeeming blood of Your Son, In Whose Name we pray, Amen.

        Titus 2:1-10, Adoring God and Adorning the Gospel

        / Melissa / Leave a comment

        The title of our Titus study is Living the Truth: Belief and Behavior that Adorn the Gospel. That word “adorn” comes from this week’s text in Titus 2:1-10. Verse 10 says, “that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” It’s one of several purpose statements in this section, but it captures the essence of all of them. The word “adorn” in Greek is “kosmeo”—the same word we get “cosmetics” from. It’s the idea of putting in order or arranging in a way that makes it more beautiful or attractive. And that is God’s intent even as He calls Titus to put the church in order—that the doctrine of God might be beautiful and attractive to those who see it lived out.

        The female body is considered the most beautiful and by far the most painted, sculpted, and sketched subject in all of human history. And yet, we spend countless hours, great effort and expense adorning our bodies, trying to make them more attractive. We do this on a regular basis, but I want us to think of the image of a bride getting ready for her wedding day. She wants every detail to be perfect. Think of the care it takes to fashion a wedding gown or veil. Many of these are still sewn by hand, adding to their intricacy, value, and beauty. And that’s just the dress—there’s makeup and hair and nails, flowers and rings. All kinds of ways that the bride is adorned. This is what Jesus is doing for us, by His grace. He’s preparing His bride by arranging the Church in an order that makes it so beautiful—to God and to man. And at the same time, we adorn the doctrine of God our Savior—the gospel—the good news that Jesus came to rescue us from our sins and transform us by His grace. It’s the good news that Jesus is coming again to share His glory with His purified people.

        But as we wait for the glorious hope, we cling to this gospel—doctrine—the teachings of Jesus and His prophets and apostles, the elders of His Church—on Who He is, and how to follow Him. The gospel is beautiful. In fact, it cannot BE more beautiful; YET it can be displayed as either dull or dazzling. So, we adorn this gospel. How? We adorn the gospel by how we speak and how we live.

        Main Idea: Our words and walk must reflect the worth of the Word of God.

        I want us to see this passage, not as a list, but as one big idea: God’s word is valuable. And if that big idea is true, then how we speak and how we live matters because it reveals what we value.

        I want you to feel the sweet mentoring tone in this section. Paul speaks as a loving father to his son, who is becoming a father. And it’s like we get a little glimpse into the spiritual delivery room, as Titus looks down at these little infant churches, newly in his care, and then quickly looks up at Paul, as if to ask, “What do I do now? How in the world am I supposed to teach them how to be mature, responsible human beings?!” And Paul smiles at him, and puts his arm around him, and says, “Ok, son, this is what you’re gonna say.”

        Our words and walk must reflect the worth of the Word of God. We’ll come back and look at our words and our walk. But first, we have to get a grasp of

        I. The Worth of the Word of God. Adoring God and His Word.

          V1: “But as for you [Titus, in stark contrast to the false teachers from last week], teach what accords with sound doctrine.” This word “teach” is literally “keep speaking.” And what is Titus supposed to keep on the tip of his tongue? Everything that fits with sound doctrine—this is healthy teaching and practices for healthy souls. If it’s consistent with Scripture, keep saying it; if not, don’t. It’s that simple.

          V5: “that the word of God many not be reviled.” We value the word of God too much to live in a way that would allow someone to speak spitefully or disrespectfully of God.

          V8: we have “sound speech” (logos, literally “healthy words). And we have another “so that”—“so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say (lit., no evil word) about us.”

          Finally, in v. 10, we see “so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.”

          As Titus speaks to the people in the churches, he’s not just preparing the elders, but in reality, the whole household of God, to live out the gospel appropriately and attractively. As they did this—as WE do this—instead of households being led astray, our faith will be furthered, our knowledge of the truth will grow, and we will live in a way that is fully pleasing to the Lord. We’ll be accomplishing those good works that God created for us to do before He even created us (Eph. 2:10).

          II. The Words and Walk of God’s People. Adorning the Gospel.

            I love the familial language in this passage—God intentionally designed the Church to work like a well-managed household. Within a household, there are roles and duties. And you don’t get to choose which role you serve in; it’s assigned; these are God-ordained roles. There’s a male father, a female mother, children (young men, young women), and possibly some household help. Each person has a purpose and specific ways in which he or she contributes to that household. And remember, I said our one big idea for today is that God’s word is valuable. So, we want to look specifically at how each of these roles reflects the value they place on God’s word. How we live (our “orthopraxy” or our practices) directly results from what we believe (our “orthodoxy” or doctrine).

            A. Older Men, v2 “Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.”

            1. They’re serious, respectable, and mature. They act their age. We want to be around men who have proven themselves in how they think, how they speak, and how they act; men who have lived long enough to stand in awe of God and know He’s worthy of respect.
            2. Sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older men have learned true, healthy doctrine—their faith clings to truth, and they pass that on to the younger generation, just like Paul did to Titus. They have a healthy love for the people of God. They’ve learned to use their spiritual gifts in the body by having an agape love that is patient and kind, not envious or boastful, self-sacrificing and rejoicing in the truth. And they’re sound in steadfastness—they have a hopeful endurance about them. They’re neither grumpy old men nor simply sentimental. They’ve weathered the storms of life and their spiritual skins have grown thick, still holding to the anchor of Jesus as their hope.

            B. Younger Men

            While we’re talking about men, let’s jump down to vv. 6-8. “Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”

            This section is short and sweet. As a boy mom, with 3 boys, I completely get why the one thing Paul tells Titus to teach the young ones is self-control in all things. But what I love here is how? “urge” or “encourage” ; ‘parakaleo’ means coming alongside; it’s a word used of the Holy Spirit, our “Comforter,” the one who “calls us close.” It’s this arm around the shoulder, side by side, encouraging mentorship going on. It’s John Gardner, taking my son aside at a funeral and asking him, “Do you see your mom’s sad? How can you help her? Are you being respectful?” It’s my dad, looking around and inviting men he knows to gather around his kitchen table and talk about a book of the Bible. When an older man calls a younger man to come alongside and learn self-control from him, and the younger man listens, and learns, that’s reflecting he values the Word of God.

            And Titus does this by modeling it. It’s not just words, it’s that life on life discipleship. Titus is told to mirror Christ in his good works and in his teaching… he’s to show integrity, dignity [seriousness], and sound speech that cannot be condemned.  “Follow me as I follow Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Who else uses selfie mode on your phone’s camera as a mirror? As we adorn the gospel, reflecting its beauty, what kind of mirror are we using? A compact mirror or a full-length version? What if we used the word of God like that? Would our teaching and tongue and tone reflect a beautiful gospel? Or does it look like a distorted mirror in a funhouse?

            C. Older (and Younger) Women

            Okay, so I want us to look at this text as one chunk to the older women. This is how Calvin saw this passage, based on the “to be” phrase throughout. It’s a grammar thing, and I think it makes sense because in order to train the younger women, the older women would have had to learn and practice the whole list first. And younger women, that means this whole list is for you too, as you train to become older women in the body of Christ.

            v. 3-5, “Older women likewise are:

            • to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.
            • to be teachers of what is good, and so train the young women
            • to be lovers of their husbands
            • to be lovers of their children, 
            • to be self-controlled,
            • to be pure,
            • to be working at home,
            • to be kind, and
            • to be submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 

            Let’s look at a few key ideas here and how the way these women live adorns the gospel.

            • To be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.

            Reverent has the idea of “befitting a holy person or thing,” like a priestess in the temple—I have the image of Anna in the temple when she sees baby Jesus for the first time; she’s waited her whole life for her Savior, and she recognizes Him when He comes. Reverent has the idea of someone in the presence of God. She lives in the Word of God, letting it sink down deep, and then she submits herself to it and is changed by it! And she glows with the glory of God, living like she was on that mountain with Moses, her face shines. I want to be that kind of woman. Don’t you? Let’s practice the presence of God. This isn’t just studying God’s Word. You can go to all the Bible studies in the world, but if you’re not willing to submit yourself to what God says to do, your life shows that you don’t actually value God.

            Older men and older women are both told to be “sober-minded” or “not given to much wine.” These ideas are parallel. The reality is, the greater the age, the greater the aches and pains. Wine would have been what they had to ease their pain—physically and even life’s heartaches. [Psalm 104:15 tells us the LORD gave “wine to gladden the heart of man.”] Even a good gift can be abused though. The culture around them (and let’s be honest, around us too) gives into one more glass and one more glass, and as their bodies loosen up, so do their tongues. And they begin to speak maliciously—gossiping, putting others down. This word “slanderers” is “diabolous” (accuser, the same word used of the devil himself). As Christ followers, our words and conduct reveal who we are serving and what wisdom we are following—we are to be servants of God not wine—and our speech is to reflect heavenly wisdom, not devilish.

            • To be teachers of good and this teaching has a focus—SO THAT they can train the younger women.

            This is not calling every older woman to lead women’s Bible study! (Some of you are relieved by that.) In fact, there wasn’t a formal lecture or classroom setting available to them. This isn’t necessarily deep theological training. This is the practical life stuff, and a lot of this is domestic. How in the world do I get that stain out? How do you get your bread to rise so beautifully? How do I figure out what my priorities need to be? It’s personal, one-on-one discipleship. If you don’t have a spiritual mom or grandma in this church, look around this room, your small group, your shepherding group, and think, “Who do I want to be like when I grow up?” Invite her over for coffee. Older ladies, you do the same, “She reminds me of me when I was her age. What would I tell my younger self?” Invite her over for tea. Dig in the garden, bake bread, play with the kids. Just do it together. And talk about Jesus while you do it.

            This training word literally means, “to make of sound mind” or “restore to one’s senses.” This is helping someone hold to their duties, admonishing, earnestly exhorting, curbing our affections. This is discipleship! We need one another to help us think rightly! Don’t get me wrong, we need the weekly teaching and preaching of our elders, but God designed us to need discipleship too. This is a special role reserved for the older women of the faith. [Several commentaries actually said that one reason this kind of instruction was to be given thru the older women instead of thru the elders was actually to protect both parties from forming attachments that could lead to sinful relationships and harm the gospel. Every church needs mature women in the faith to do this.] As we age, we never retire from usefulness in the church. If anything, it’s the exact opposite. As we mature in the faith, our role is not just useful but essential, critical to the life of the body. This is what you’ve trained for—to train the younger women!

            • V.5-6, We’re called to be lovers: husband-lovers, children-lovers, home-lovers

            Notice, it doesn’t say the women have to be married; it’s that same mentality we saw with the elders—their values about marriage reflect biblical teaching: one man, one woman,  faithful till death. If you’re married, notice the order here…our husbands come first, before our kids, before our homes. This love is the “phileo” love, the familial, friendship love. You surprised? It’s not just attraction or even the self-sacrificing kind (that falls more under the submission, we’ll get to in a minute). It’s showing affection with a tender touch, welcoming him as a friend, working hard to be interested in him & his interests, and that includes making it possible for men to develop male friendships—send them out for coffee or pizza, and pray for them while they’re out. We need older women to help us love these very different-from-us creatures. God designed it to be possible.

            Next, it’s the same affectionate love for children—biological, adopted, or spiritual children, like Paul loved Titus as his “true child in the faith.” Loving our kids well can be hard, messy maddening, heartbreaking, and sometimes completely overwhelming. When we hit that wall, we don’t need another book or YouTube. We need older women in our church to be right up in our business, praying with us, holding us, reminding us that they’ve been there, and that God’s grace is too glorious for us to give up on our families. He will get us through!

            Let’s skip ahead to that “home-lovers” as JB Phillips paraphrased this “working at home” bit. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a career or work outside the home, but it carries the idea of being a good household manager. We’re busy at home; not busy-bodies around town. We need to learn to love the homes God has given us, to manage them well, to maintain them, and to make them a priority for the glory of God. And if we can’t work outside the home and be this, we need to reevaluate our priorities. One of the best exercises I ever did was to write down my top 10 priorities and then put that list in the order that I was realistically living it out. My priorities were completely out of whack and I had to quit a job I loved because my husband, my family, my home, had to be more important than I was making it.

            • To be self-controlled, pure, … and kind

            When we fix our minds on the word of God and value it as our supreme authority, we beg God to grow this fruit of self-control and kindness in our hearts, and in our homes. We remember that Jesus was kind and tenderhearted to us, forgiving us, and we can be kind and forgive too. We need to be pure in what we put in front of our eyes. When you’re watching TV or scrolling Instagram, and you find yourself comparing your husband in a critical way, or you find yourself cheering for a relationship that isn’t biblical. Don’t get your marriage advice from the world. Turn off the TV, stop scrolling, and call a grandma. Fix your mind on things that are good and pure and true, and commit again to being faithful to God’s word and your marriage vows and not let your heart wander.

            • To be submissive to their own husbands

            In a believing household, placing ourselves under the authority of our husbands should be joyful, because it also means placing ourselves under his provision and care and affection. If your husband isn’t saved, 1 Peter 3 tells us “this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands” and your submission may be what wins your husband over to Christ. It’s hard, but it’s holy work.

            In my experience, when I submit to my husband, it actually makes him a stronger leader. When I try to lead, I’m stripping him of the respect I vowed on our wedding day; I’m acting like Eve instead of Mary. This isn’t being a doormat; it’s honoring the God-ordained roles He created you to serve in. If this is weighing on you, I’ll say it again, “Call a grandma!” You don’t get to be one of those cute old couples sitting in Cracker Barrell without a lot of years of sacrifice and love before that point. When I let the word of God change my heart towards my husband through prayer and active obedience, it’s always worth it.

            So, what’s your place in God’s household? Older or Younger—probably a little of both for most of us. Are you humbly submitting to it? And reflecting that you value the gospel by your speech and behavior?

            D. Our final group is Bondservants, v. 9-10

            “Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.”

            In Ancient Greek comedies, the term slave and thief would have been interchangeable. It was so common it became a societal joke. And yet, the gospel is for everyone, regardless of status or occupation. These bondservants heard the good news and received Jesus. He changed them from the inside out! They were free from sin, but they were still slaves on earth. Now they needed to reflect that change to their masters. They had to be taught to do this in very countercultural ways! Serve humbly, no matter what because Jesus humbled himself, submitting to the will of the Father in EVERYTHING for us. Be pleasant to be around. Being under God’s authority doesn’t give you the right to act like you’re superior to your master; don’t argue; don’t talk back; don’t mock. That doesn’t reflect the beauty of the gospel that you treasure. Show you can be trusted in everything. You don’t need to steal anything; the King of the Universe is your Father now! Stop this petty theft—a few extra pieces of food here, a couple of coins there, a few extra minutes on the time clock this day, etc. Your reward is in heaven. But serve Jesus now by serving your earthly master well.

            CONCLUSION: I want to go back to the bridal picture we started with and think about the ring. John Stott writes, “The verb kosmeo [adorn] was used of arranging jewels in order to display their beauty. And the gospel is a jewel, while a consistent Christian life is like the setting in which the gospel-jewel is displayed; I can ‘add lustre’ to it (REB).” (185) God chose to set the jewel of His gospel in the setting of His Church so that we might radiate His glory. Have you seen the splendor of the gospel and accepted the treasure of Jesus as your Savior? If not, come, repent of your sin and believe in Jesus—trust this beautiful doctrine of God our Savior that is free for all. And then, sisters, take care of the setting of the gospel—take care of how you live in the church, in your home, in your community, and may your words and walk reflect the immeasurable worth of God’s Word among your sisters today.

            Sing “I Love to Tell the Story” OR “May the Mind of Christ, My Savior”; and Pray

            Titus Toolbox: An Introduction to Studying Titus

            / Melissa / Leave a comment

            Our goal for women’s Bible study is to equip you to enjoy God’s Word and to be transformed by the truth of it. While not the primary source of teaching at Heritage (that would be the pulpit ministry during our Sunday gatherings), Women’s Bible study is a wonderful gift. And we’re thankful for the opportunity to gather and read and discuss and grow in our understanding of God’s Word together.

            The number one thing we want you to do with Bible study is value God’s word so that you can submit to it and be transformed by it. The Word of God is a means of grace to His people. Other means of grace (or, how you get grace) are prayer and the Church. So, that’s why we are practicing this with other sisters. Because God graciously uses all of His people to help one another grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Truth, so we can live godly lives. And that is what the book of Titus is all about! Grace and Truth lived out.

            TOOLBOX ILLUSTRATION: If we were gathered around my kitchen table instead of here today/tonight, you’d notice that we’re in the middle of a minor renovation, building in a pantry and bookshelf. I’m really thankful for a handy husband who is still eager to learn new skills, especially from his dad (who’s a retired construction superintendent). Bryan’s dad didn’t really teach him the trade as they were going up, but it’s important to Bryan now to say, “Dad, I need to know how to do this. Can you help me?” And it’s fun to watch the two of them teach our 3 boys the different tools and how to use them. They’ve been running around with tape measures measuring everything! So, I brought a toolbox here (visual aid) and it’s filled with tools (or objects that represent those tools) that I’ve found helpful over the years in studying and working to understand God’s Word. Some tools are more helpful in specific types of Scripture, and some are helpful for all of Scripture. And just as in construction, these tools take a little practice.

            TOOLS:

            • Bible (Scripture Journal) – The Bible the living, inspired Word of the eternal God. These Scripture journals aren’t necessary, but they are helpful for note taking and highlighting in ways you might not want to mark up your Bible permanently.
            • Workbook – see appendices for different questions you can ask of Scripture. And we’ve tried to be really thoughtful in how we’re asking the questions in our workbooks. Especially for those who maybe haven’t done a lot of Bible studies, we want to give you a framework to come to Scripture with good questions and ask God to help you answer them about the Word He’s given you.
            • PRAYER (object lesson: phone, represents us calling out to God) – John 17 tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, guiding us as believers into all truth. In Proverbs 2, it tells us that God has storehouses of wisdom that He is ready to pour out on the righteous. And in James 1, He tells us that He loves to give wisdom generously to those who ask. So, always start by asking for wisdom as we approach God’s Word. We tried to model this as we wrote the workbooks this time as well. There are prayers that you can use as launching points at the beginning and end of each week’s lesson.

            WORKBOOK QUESTIONS ON PAGES 2-3 (AND MORE TOOLS):

            (Q1) What genre is the book of Titus? (What type of literature is the text?)

            TOOL: READ AND REREAD (AND/OR LISTEN) – There’s value in reading things over and over again. And in our day and age, we have several solid translations that we can use. The Bible App is really helpful for listening (6.5 minutes to listen to the whole book of Titus).

            (A1) As we read through Titus, we notice a few things… it’s a letter. So, we know we’re in the EPISTLES or LETTERS GENRE.

            TOOL: ENVELOPE – Now, the original letters were probably written on scrolls, so no actual envelope, but the letters contained the features that would be on our modern envelopes. It includes who wrote the letter, who the letter was to, where it was sent from, and when it was written. Now, some of this is in the letter itself, and some we have to do a little research for.

            (Q2) Who wrote the book? (A2) Paul. Now, we’re not going to look too deeply into Paul in today’s lesson because our study next week covers chapter 1:1-4, so Amina will cover Paul’s background next week. But we’re just getting the main ideas here and working on our toolbox.

            (Q3) When was it written? Did you read the letter before coming tonight? Good! Did you find a date in the letter to Titus? Me neither!

            TOOL: STUDY BIBLE/COMMENTARY 

            • We would recommend the ESV Study Bible or the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible. If you don’t own a study Bible, that’s ok. Because most of this information can be found online for free; if you’re not sure of authors to trust, ask an elder or one of the other teachers here at Heritage for recommendations.
            • Crossway and The Gospel Coalition (TGC) have some really good resources and free courses on their websites to help with this.
            • The Bible Project has free videos on YouTube that cover every book of the Bible (some of their newer videos should be viewed with discernment, but the book overviews are very helpful).

            (A3) Short answer: between AD 62-66.

            When we compare these resources, it seems likely that this letter was written sometime after Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome (released AD 62; see Acts 28, so most of the events in Acts have taken place, including all 3 missionary journeys). Since Paul wants Titus to join him in Nicopolis by winter, it’s likely that Paul’s either already in Nicopolis or visiting some churches on his way there. And we know Paul was imprisoned in AD66 until he died a martyr under Nero in AD68.

            It’s believed Paul wrote Titus in between writing 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, so there’s a lot of similarities in the Pastoral Epistles. You might want to take your Scripture journal and read thru all 3 letters and see what similarities you can find.

            (Q4) Who was Titus written to?

            (A4.1) A little self-evident by the title and Titus 1:4, Titus is clearly the immediate recipient.

            Not to give away too much about Titus, but we know he was an uncircumcised Greek who trusted Jesus Christ as His Savior. The fact that he was uncircumcised will be valid as he refutes the Jewish circumcision party at the end of chapter 1.

            Titus traveled with Paul on several of his missions, and clearly had some administrative gifting, or he would not have been tasked with the contents of this letter.

            (A4.2) Titus is written in a way that is calling out certain activities and calling for other activities, so it’s also written to the churches Titus is pastoring. It was important for these young churches to know that Titus wasn’t just taking this task upon himself of his own volition (like some of the teachers in his day). But rather, God thru Paul was authorizing Titus to set up elders in the network of house churches. Where? on the isle of Crete (1:5). Those elders were to have authority over the churches. Just as our elders do today. It was the way God designed the Church to function.

            (A4.3) As part of the Church, this letter is also for us today. But, before we get to US-NOW, we need to first understand what was going on with THEM-THEN.

            TOOL: CONTEXT (object lesson: umbrella, since we have several tools or resources we can use under this tool of CONTEXT)

            TOOL: WHERE IN THE BIBLE? You might look and see if the word “Crete” or “Cretan” is used anywhere else in Scripture.

            • BIBLE INDEX (often at the back of your Bible)
            • Strong’s Concordance (a big book that lists every word in the Bible and groups them together for every time they’re used in their original language)
            • BlueLetterBible.org or BibleHub.com (both of these are free websites and have their own apps now).

            WHAT WE FOUND OUT ABOUT CRETE: So, we search Crete, and we see it mentioned in Titus, of course. And we believe Paul actually spent some time in Crete, even though it’s not mentioned in his missionary journeys because Titus tells us there’s an unfinished task that he needs to do.

            • Acts 27 multiple times, so we read that story. Paul is on his way to Rome to be imprisoned, stops on the island of Crete, and ends up being shipwrecked on the nearby island of Malta.
            • Acts 2. Jews from Crete are mentioned among those at Pentecost (AD33, after Christ had died, risen, and ascended to heaven, and the disciples were gathered in Jerusalem, waiting). Those at Pentecost witness the filling of the Holy Spirit and the disciples speaking in tongues. They understand the gospel in their own language, repent and are baptized, and begin devoting themselves to the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. This is the beginning of the Church! And they must have taken the gospel back to Crete and started a network of house churches.

            But then we see even further back—is Crete mentioned in the OT!? Let’s see.

            • Deuteronomy 2:23, “… the Caphtorites from Crete invaded and destroyed the Avvites, who had lived in villages in the area of Gaza” (AMP).(This is when Israel is wandering around the wilderness and about to enter Canaan, the Promised Land. And the LORD uses various people groups to wipe out Canaanites to give the land to the Israelites! These original people of Crete (or Caphtor) are actually the ancestors of the Philistines (“the people from the sea”). [Note: Archaeologists have recently linked DNA from a Philistine tomb to DNA on the island of Crete!]

            This little island wasn’t called Crete until about the 15th c. BC. Before that, it’s actually called Caphtor! And that’s confirmed by the map during the Patriarchs time in the back of my study Bible: Crete (Caphtor). So, then we have to search for Caphtor and see if that opens up anything else.

            • Genesis 10:14 mentions Caphtorites or Caphtorim—a descendant of Ham (son of Noah). So that’s around or before the 25th c. BC.
            • Caphtor pops up again in Amos, Jeremiah, Chronicles.

            And we don’t want to go down any rabbit holes, but it’s good to do a general overview and then ask, “Does this help me understand the text I’m studying?” Some will, some won’t. Keep the bits that INFORM your TEXT. The rest may come in handy as you study something else though. 😉

            What we conclude is that God is sovereign (and has been since before Creation) over every human, every people group, every island and continent, including those on the isle of Caphtor (or Crete)!

            • Acts 17:26, “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.”

            TOOL: Maps – The history of the world is marked by lines on maps, and depending on the time period you’re studying, those lines might be different than they are today.

            • p. 3 Workbook (Find Crete).
            • Most Bibles have a few maps in the front or back, especially a good study Bible.
            • Online maps
            • Google Earth or other satellite images or pictures online to see what it looks like today.

            Crete is an island in the Mediterranean Sea—about the same size as Long Island, NY. It has a huge mountain running from E to W and is rich in agriculture, art history, beaches and quarries. It’s gorgeous! This particular island was known for having many towns, being a central port; it was very wealthy, and was conquered multiple times over the years. How do we know that?

            TOOL: History Books – not every part of Scripture gives us specific details about who and where and when, BUT when it does, we must assume it to be important—at least important enough for God to include it in His preserved Word for us. So, if history and places are important to God, we should work to make them important to us. Some of you are really good with history. This does not come naturally for me, so I have to really work at remembering what happened when and where and how it all connects (usually using large pieces of paper to draw out timelines), but it is worth the work.

            • Bible Timelines
            • History books written from a biblical worldview
              • Story of the World—available at the library or Hoopla!
              • Mystery of History
            • Solid secular history books (I really like the DK publishers for history and science—just edit the parts about evolution, obviously).

            CONTEXT: Being Greek, Titus would have known the histories and mythologies that centered around this island. But being a Christian, his whole life and understanding of how the world works had been totally transformed by the truth of God!

            APPLICATION: The book of Titus is here to help us understand and experience the total transformation of the gospel in our own lives, even as we fight our own cultural myths and superstitions! Many of us adapt how we act based on cultural myths or  superstitions. (E.g., “Step on a crack, and… do you avoid stepping on cracks because of this little rhyme? And there are far more serious myths out there, and we can be tempted to change our behavior because of them.)

            Note: I was an English major in college, and I am really glad I took Classical Medieval Literature with Dr. Karen Silvester in college—and that I kept my notes for over 20 years! 😉

            WHAT WE FOUND OUT ABOUT CRETE’S HISTORY/MYTHOLOGY (TIMELINE):

            • 7000 BC (if the world’s that old), Recent archaeological discoveries have dated the inhabitants of Crete as one of the most ancient civilizations.
            • 2700BC, the Minoans (under King Minos), founded the first European civilization on Crete (Caphtor). They were the head civilization in the Mediterranean (or Aegean) region.
              • They built elaborate palaces, with beautiful fresco murals; each palace had its own port, and the greatest palace Knossos has been discovered, restored and partially rebuilt as a tourist attraction that’s still around today!
              • Minoans were known for their cruelty. The Minoans, like many ancient cultures, viewed bulls as sacred. Legend of Minotaur (Minos and taurus, half-man/half-bull). The Minotaur was kept in an elaborate labyrinth under the palace, and it was a brutal beast that ate children. Talk about rule by fear! Minos didn’t want to sacrifice his own country’s children, so he ordered that the king of Athens send 7 boys and 7 girls to be sacrificed to it every year! And allegedly, King Aegeus complied, putting names of all the children into a bowl to be drawn each year. UNTIL his son Theseus found out when he turned 18! His name had been kept out of the drawing all this time, and he decided to volunteer to go to Crete and slay the Minotaur, which he did with the help of King Minos’s daughter (a tragic, love at first sight story). These are the kind of brutal tales that Titus would have grown up hearing. And the people on the island of Crete would have known them too.
            • 1600BC, the Mycenaeans (from modern day Greece) conquered the Minoans and took over the island and the title of “head civilization.”
              • After a nearby volcanic eruption sent ash into the area and destroyed the crops on Crete, many of the Minoans were weakened, died of starvation, or disappeared (likely fleeing to the mainland).
            • 1200 BC, Mycenaean’s fall to Troy (in modern Turkey)
              • Battle recounted in Homer’s Iliad.
              • Trojan horse story, the soldiers hidden inside a horse as a gift to Troy – the Mycenaeans from Crete are the ones who did that (according to the myth).
            • 800 BC, Crete ruled by various Greek city-states (lots of civil wars, to say the least).
              • New alphabet developed.
              • Homer (blind Greek poet) lived and wrote down the stories of the Greek gods, including a description of Crete in The Odyssey, Book XIX: “There is a country, Crete, in the midst of the wine-dark sea, a fair land and a rich, begirt with water. The people there are many, innumerable indeed, and they have ninety cities. Their speech is mixed; one language joins another. Here are Achaeans, here brave native Cretans, here Cydonians, crested Dorians, and noble Pelasgians. Of all their towns the capital is Cnosus [Knossos], where Minos [legendary king of Crete, during whose rule the labyrinth was built] became king when nine years old—Minos, the friend of mighty Zeus….” Continues to talk of the “strong wind,” “a harbor hard to win,” and elaborate feasts and clothing.
            • 700-501 BC (exact dates unknown), Epimenides
              • Poet/prophet who lived at Knossos
              • Quoted by Paul in Titus 1:12, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” [The original poem was to reprimand Crete for making a burial tomb for Zeus and to promote Zeus’ immortality:

            “They fashioned a tomb for thee, O holy and high one
            The Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies!
            But thou art not dead: thou livest and abidest forever,
            For in thee we live and move and have our being.” — Epimenides, Cretica ]

            • 500-400 BC, Jews arrived in Crete from Egypt and Palestine
              • Maccabean Revolt
              • End of OT, before and during the 400 years of silence before Jesus comes to Earth.
              • They were religiously Jewish, but culturally, many or most of them “hellenized”, which means they acted like the Greeks.
            • 200-118 BC, The Ancient Greek historian Polybius in his Histories wrote, “Now it would be impossible to find, except in some rare instances, personal conduct more treacherous or a public policy more unjust than in Crete.”
            • 106-43BC, Roman statesman Cicero (around the time of Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, and Pompey) wrote in his Republic, “How many… have thought it exceedingly pious and agreeable to the gods to sacrifice men. Besides these religious discrepancies, the rules of life are so contradictory that the Cretans and Aetolians regard robbery as honorable.”
            • 69 BC, Crete came under Roman rule in 69BC.
            • AD: The year of our Lord – Jesus’s coming is the lynchpin between BC and AD. When Jesus comes, everything changes!
            • AD 33, Jews from Crete at Pentecost in Jerusalem
            • AD 54-65, Nero was the Roman ruler
            • AD 62-66 Letter to Titus written
            • Lots of other battles and victories over Crete; but today, Crete is part of Greece.

            MYTHOLOGY: The word “myth” (or “mythos” in Greek) simply means “story.”

            Mythologies are groups of stories that different people groups collect and pass down as they try to make sense of the world. Every culture has them—and they almost all involve a creation narrative, a supreme god (or ruler over all), and the meaning of life (Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here?) And a lot of them have warriors fighting over mankind, including slaying snakes, dragons, and demons—or the warriors are the serpent gods. So many of the mythologies have underpinnings of the true story, but they miss it by so far! The great deceiver continues to twist the stories of creation and authority and purpose.

            It’s important for us to know what the common lies are so we can combat them with the truth, as Titus did by the grace and power of the one true God—the one true God who created the universe and man, who is sovereign over all, and by His life and death and resurrection, He gives meaning to all of our lives! (And slays the Great Dragon, Satan, to rescue His beloved—us!)

            • In Greek mythology, chaos produced the first being—Gaia (Earth).
            • Cronos (son of Gaia) fathered Zeus, presumably on the island of Crete.
            • Zeus seduced MANY women and fathered COUNTLESS children, including Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Perseus (who killed Medusa) and Hercules. Are all these names coming back to you?
            • Zeus was the Greek’s supreme ruler—the Father of the gods. He was thought to be generous, but also known to be a seducer and liar. And the Cretans took their cues from this god.
            • Apparently when two of the goddesses fought about who was the most beautiful, they asked a Cretan to judge and he chose one; the other goddess called him a liar and cursed all Cretans to never be able to tell the truth again.
            • Remember, these are MYTHS because they didn’t know the truth of Jesus yet!

            The term “Cretan” is actually still used today as a derogatory term! I actually laughed out loud when I heard the word “Cretan” used as a joke between Randall and Mike Wazowski (the one-eyed monster in the Monsters Inc. cartoon—a cuter version of the Cyclops, perhaps?)!

            Randall: ‘Wazowski! Where is it you little one-eyed cretin?’
            Mike: ‘Okay, first of all it’s “Cretan”, if you’re going to threaten me, do it properly.’

            (Q5) “What is the central theme of the book?”

            TOOLS: KEY WORDS (object lesson: COLORED PENCILS)

            As you read the book again and again, asking the Spirit for wisdom and insight, certain words or themes may stand out to you. Colored pencils can help illuminate these repeated words and ideas as key truths to study more in depth or find connections to one another. So, choose a color for each word or idea and try to be consistent with that color throughout the whole book.

            (A5) LOTS OF KEY WORDS:

            • Truth: This was a big deal, in contrast to the lies of Zeus and other teachers in Crete.
            • Authority: Paul and Titus needed to establish the authority of Jesus Christ as God Himself, and consequently the authority of His Word as the true and living Word of God, as well as the authority of His apostles and elders to the Church.
            • Grace
            • Godliness (or good works)
            • Teaching
            • Jesus as God and Savior
            • Hope

            CONNECT CONTEXT AND THE GOSPEL: In their context, they would have been raised looking at the gods determining their fates with no benevolence. It was hopeless! But the gospel gives hope from the One true God who elects us to hope in a beautiful eternity with Him. Their gods were full of wrath at anyone who didn’t please them; there was no grace in Zeus, for sure! His generosity was only placating the people for his own lusts. But our God, though full of wrath towards sin, is also full of grace and uses His grace to save us and sanctify us, making us His very own people (2:14) out of His great kindness and love for us (3:4-5).

            (A5) As the Women’s Bible Study Teaching Team studied Titus, various themes emerged. But, as you can tell by the title, we landed on Living the Truth, with a subtitle of “Belief and Behavior that Adorn the Gospel.”

            OVERVIEW OF TITUS (see Table of Contents, page 1)

            Chapter 1: Paul writes in the first few verses, which you’ll study for next week, that God’s purpose in making him an apostle was to further the faith of God’s elect—all those chosen by God from before the foundation of the world to be His special children—and to further their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. How we live matters—and what we believe matters. But it starts with knowing the Truth, which can only come from the one True and Living God who cannot lie. Then, as we grow in knowing the Truth, that truth transforms our hearts and lives from the inside out. Faith and Truth lead to godly living.

            As we continue, we’ll see Titus’s task to establish elders in the network of churches in every town in Crete. This is where we need to know and live the truth in regard to our leadership here at Heritage. God has graciously provided elders who are fit for godliness and fit for managing God’s household, as they walk worthy of the gospel—not perfectly, but  beautifully, in their homes and in our community. We’ll see a contrast between godly leaders and those who are self-professed leaders who stir up strife and division and are “insubordinate” and “unfit for any good works.” Ouch! We’ll have to really dig into the truth of God’s word and fight the lies of the cultural myths that surround us today—just as the Greeks and Jews on Crete had to fight the myths of their own days. We’ll compare these two groups in what they teach, how they use their tongues, what their tempers are like, and where their trust lies; and I think we’ll find that godly submission is actually a beautiful place to live.

            Chapter 2: Value of Teaching Godliness to every age and stage, male and female, bond and free. As we value God’s Word and teach it to one another, it becomes more and more beautiful and valuable to us! And it’s all based on the beauty of the gospel of grace and glory.

            Chapter 3: We’ll see the value of living the truth in good works and in devotion to God and God’s people among the world. Are we stressed out by our past sins and failures? Or present distractions and divisions? Or are we stressing God’s Kindness thru Gentle Reminders, Gospel Foundations, and Good Works for God’s Glory? Doctrine (3:1-8) informs duty (3:8-15); what we believe, and how that affects how we live. i.e., the good news produces good works  – in the Church, in our homes, and in the world.

            FINAL WEEK: We’ll wrap up with a meal and time of sharing all God has taught us of Living the Truth by Grace. Titus 3:14 says, “Our people must learn to devote themselves to good works!” It’s not a command to “Just do it”—it’s a command to keep learning to do it. And that’s why we’re here—to learn together to devote ourselves to good works, as we devote ourselves to God’s good and kind gospel work in each of our hearts.

            PRAYER: Dear God, we thank you for each of these ladies and pray that these tools would be helpful and not overwhelming. Help us as we learn to devote ourselves to good works and further our faith in the knowledge of the truth. We pray that we would be transparent in our small groups, and that you would transform us from the inside out by your grace. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

            A Working Structure of Titus

            / Melissa / Leave a comment

            Titus 1:1-4 True Child of the True Faith (Crete was known for its gods and lies)

            1. Know God’s Truth (Election, Eternal Hope, Sovereign Savior, Promise Keeper)
            2. Live Godly Lives (Hope, Obey, Serve one another and God)

            Emphasis: To further the lived out faith and truth of God’s people à Faith and Truth Lead to Godly Living

            Titus 1:5-16 Fit for Godliness—Task to Choose and Train the Elders (Crete was known for its many cities as well as its violence, seduction, and lies; myths of both Jews and Greeks—Zeus)

            1. Fit for Managing God’s Household
              • Teaching – encouraging, rebuking
              • Tongue – godly
              • Temper – hospitable
              • Trust – Truth of God
            2. Unfit for Anything Good – Time to Clean House
              • Teaching – false
              • Tongue – lies
              • Temper – violent
              • Trust – myths, humans

            Emphasis: How we manage our households speaks louder than our message sometimes.

            Titus 2:1-10 The Value of Teaching Godliness (Who to teach, what…, how…, and why…)

            1. Value of the Word
            2. Value to the Church

            Emphasis: TEACH + impact on view of God’s word – appropriate and attractive

            Titus 2:11-15 On Grace and Glory

            1. Grace Appears, v. 11-12, 15 (To Save, To Teach)
            2. Glory Appears, v. 13-14 (To Hope, To Redeem, To Purify)

            Titus 3:1-11 Stressed Out or Stressing God’s Kindness?  Or Distracted v. Devoted?

            1. Stressed Out (Our Past Sins and Failures; Our Present Distractions and Divisions)
            2. Stressing God’s Kindness (Gentle Reminders; Gospel Foundations; Good Works for God’s Glory)

            Emphasis: What to Stress / Insist Upon because of God’s kindness and love. Also, seems like I. and III. Go together and II. And IV. Go together.

            Titus 3:11-15  Our Devoted People

            I.   Devoted to Good (3:12-14; Help Gospel Partners; Provide for People in Need; Lead Productive Lives)

            II. Devoted to Grace (3:15; Grace-filled Greetings; Love in the Faith, because devoted to God; context: 3:4-8)

            Emphasis: Devoted to doing good (6th/final time “do good” is used in book—1:8; 2:7,14; 3:1,8,14).

            “Our people must learn to devote themselves to good works!”