Bible Passage: Titus 1:5-9

Pastor: Joel Jenswold

Sermon Date: July 14, 2024

Bulletin July 14, 2024

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

About 60 miles off the coast of Greece in the Mediterranean Sea is a beautiful island called Crete.  Today tourists flock to Crete for its stunning beaches.  Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul made a stop on Crete.  He wasn’t there for the beaches.  He was there with a young co-worker named Titus.  They were there to spread the good news about Jesus.  They were engaged in Gospel ministry.

We don’t know much about Paul’s work there.  Here’s what we do know.  When Paul needed to move on, he left Titus there to continue the work.  One of the things in particular that Titus was to do was appoint elders, also called overseers, in the cities where there were now Christian churches.  We would call elders and overseers “pastors” today.

That is really what Paul is writing about in our text today.  He is following up with Titus.  He is encouraging Titus to finish this work of appointing elders in the churches.  In our text, Paul writes about the qualifications for the elders. Titus wasn’t just supposed to grab the first person he could find.  He wasn’t to take the first volunteer who threw up his hand and said, “Sure, I’ll do it.”  There was care in the selection of elders.  There was a “vetting” process.  You see, they were being entrusted with gospel ministry.  And the gospel is very special.  And so the ministry of the gospel is very special, too.  Paul’s words today remind us that gospel ministry needs to be Ministry Fittingly and Beautifully Adorned.

Constraints of time won’t allow us to go into depth on every qualification Paul mentions.  We notice in Paul’s list both positive and negative qualifications for elders.  There are things the elder-pastor SHOULD be and things he SHOULD NOT be.  He SHOULD be blameless.  That doesn’t mean sinless.  Then no one could ever be an elder!  But blameless means the man is not open to known and obvious accusations.  He should be a one-woman-man.  He should not be on his fifth wife, nor should he be a womanizer.  He should have believing children, not wild rebellious sons.  When Paul wrote to Timothy he explained why.  If a man cannot manage his own household, how can he manage the household of God?  He must love strangers.  He must love good things.  He must be a man of moderation, self-control, and discipline.  There should be an overall decency and piety to his life.

He SHOULD NOT be arrogant.  How can a man be Christ-centered if he is self-centered?  He should not have a quick temper.  Gospel ministry requires much patience.  Gospel ministry and a short fuse do not work well together.  He must not be a man who is known to always have a bottle in his hand.  A minister of the gospel must not be a champion guzzler.  He must not  be violent.  A pastor who punches holes in the wall, or worse, punches people when angry should not be a spokesman of the Lord of love.  Finally, the elder-pastor must not be eager for dishonest gain.  The minister who has questionable “side-hustles” for extra cash diminishes the Gospel ministry.

So we see in Paul’s words the requirement that the Gospel ministry be carried out by ministers who adorn this ministry with a conduct and character befitting the noble work they do.  In our text Paul says the elder is God’s steward (v. 7).  A house-steward was a servant who was entrusted with the goings-on in his master’s house.  The house-steward did not own any of it; he managed it.  The minister of the Gospel is just that.  A steward.  A trustee.  None of it belongs to him!  It’s all God’s!  The precious Gospel he brings is God’s gospel!  The life, death, and resurrection belong to Jesus!  The means to bring this news to souls is God’s.  The Word.  Baptism.  Holy Communion.  It is all God’s.  The souls in this world who need to hear this good news.  All God’s!  The servants who serve the king at Buckingham Palace do not show up in tattered jeans and stained tee shirts.  No!  They dress the part!  They are servants of the king.  The elder-pastor is a steward, a servant of the King of kings and Lord of lords.  His conduct and character ought to match.

All of this so that nothing can get in the way of the work of the ministry.  He [the elder] must cling to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he will be able both to encourage people by the sound teaching and also to correct those who oppose him. (v. 9)  The Gospel ministry must be about the GOSPEL.  The minister is to show up on the scene and bring broken, hurting souls one thing.  He must bring Jesus, Jesus, only Jesus!  His own conduct and character cannot become a distraction.  He must also expose sin and oppose opposition with the Word of God.  His own conduct should not hand the trapped sinner a weapon to use against him.  “Who are you to talk about my sin?  Look at your life, buddy!  Why would anyone listen to you?”

Now, this text certainly speaks to the PUBLIC ministry of the Gospel and to public ministers of the Gospel.  But there is a personal application for us all.  For we all are Christ’s witnesses and ambassadors in this world.  We all are involved in PERSONAL Gospel ministry.   For us too, we don’t want our character or conduct to be a hindrance to the Gospel.  If every time I speak the name Jesus to my neighbor, my breath smells like 80 proof, am I giving the best confession?  How seriously will your co-worker take your confession of Jesus if they routinely hear you using profane or vulgar language?  How willing will that friend be to listen to your call to repent of sin if you yourself are not dealing with a glaring sin in your own life?

We should also say today that the conduct and character of the one speaking the Gospel adds nothing to the power, the efficacy, of the Gospel.  The Gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16), not the speaker.  But because the Gospel is so special and so glorious, the ministry of the Gospel is, too.  It is a ministry that deserves our best.  It is a ministry that deserves to be beautifully and fittingly adorned.

Amen.