BIBLE SHORTS

Part 8: Titus 1

Scripture

Titus 1

¹ Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, ² in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began ³ and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

⁴ To Titus, my true child in a common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

⁵ This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—⁶ if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. ⁷ For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, ⁸ but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. ⁹ He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

¹⁰ For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. ¹¹ They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. ¹² One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” ¹³ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, ¹⁴ not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. ¹⁵ To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. ¹⁶ They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Sermon Recap

Pastor Josh opened with the old "Be Like Mike" commercials from the 90s, when an entire ecosystem of products promised that if you drank the right drinks, ate the right cereal, and wore the right shoes, you could be like Michael Jordan. He used that to raise the question underneath the whole sermon: who are you becoming like? Titus is a personal letter from Paul to Titus, full of specific instructions, but Pastor Josh noted there's a church at Crete listening behind Titus. For them, the implied theme is who they're following and whether that's who Christ calls them to be like.

The first section is Paul's introduction, which is unusually long. Paul describes himself as a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, secure in his identity, his purpose, and his hope of eternal life promised by a God who never lies. Pastor Josh pointed out that this intro is three times longer than the ones in 1 and 2 Timothy, even though Titus already knows Paul well. The reason is that Paul wants the whole church at Crete to hear it and understand that his authority comes from God. The question for us is whether we have that same security in the gospel. Pastor Josh described his seven-month-old daughter Stephanie, who plays happily with her toys but reaches back every so often to check that her parents are still there. That security is what lets her explore. Do we live with the same confidence in the God who holds our future?

The second section is about appointing elders who hold firm to the gospel. Paul lists qualifications centered on being above reproach. Pastor Josh explained that elders are called not only to teach the gospel but to live it. Their lives should show they've been changed by it, the way Zacchaeus went from a greedy tax collector to a generous giver after meeting Jesus. Their lives should also reflect the gospel through their marriages and their hospitality, which Pastor Josh described not as a clean house with snacks out, but as using what you have to welcome people into the family of God. He was honest about his own gaps, including past addictions and the impatience that fatherhood has exposed at three in the morning. The question he kept returning to: does your life reflect the gospel you claim to believe?

The final section warns about false teachers whose message is empty and whose character is distorted. Pastor Josh turned it back on the listener: who are you letting into your life, and who are you becoming like? He shared his own struggle with mentors, including a youth pastor who once told him he had decided early on not to invest in him. Some people taught him truth but bore bad fruit. Others said hurtful things but loved God and their families faithfully. Sorting that out takes discernment, time, and a community that loves God and loves you. He closed with three encouragements: know the Bible well enough to recognize God's voice, build relationships where you can actually see how people live, and preach the gospel to yourself every day.

One Thing: Become like those who hold firm to the gospel.

Discussion
Questions

Connecting

Who was the famous person every kid wanted to be like when you were growing up?
What's something a brand or commercial once convinced you that you absolutely needed?

Considering

In Titus 1:1-4, how does Paul describe himself and his purpose, and why might he go on so much longer here than in his other letters?
In verses 6-9, what's the common thread running through the qualifications Paul lists for elders?

Confessing

Does your life reflect the gospel you say you believe? Where is the gap most obvious right now?
Who have you been letting shape you, and are you okay with becoming like them?

Committing

What is one relationship you could build this week where you actually see how someone lives out their faith?
What would it look like to preach the gospel to yourself first thing each morning this week?

Next Steps

As part of our annual theme, Deep & Wide, we invite our church family to go deeper in relationship with God so that we can be the greatest blessing to one another and the world around us. Each week, we will follow up from the sermon with simple, practical steps to help us receive God’s blessing and apply the truths of the gospel more deeply into our lives.