We welcome you to Stone's Hill today!

A typical Stone's Hill service has:

* music (so feel free to sing out);

* some announcements (things that are upcoming that you can be a part of);

* a message out of the Bible (God speaks to us through his Word);

* and an opportunity for you to respond to the message (either immediately in the case of a decision that needs to be made OR in the future as you live out the message in your daily life.)

So relax and enjoy your morning! We're so glad you are here!

MESSAGE TEXT
Titus 1:1-16
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INTRODUCTION
“Dear Titus” - It’s a very short letter to a church leader named Titus to whom Paul is passing the baton.
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John Stott, in his commentary on Titus, says that Titus can easily be divided up into the three primary areas of Christian living: the church, the home, and the community (world). The forty-six verses of Titus (25 sentences or less) lay out an incredible blueprint for a dynamic life in those three key areas. We could call it the “Titus Three”. A blueprint is vital because it provides a clear and concise plan for the project. A blueprint lets you know where stuff goes and ensure it’s compatible with other things. In other words, it keeps everything orderly. Titus is like a blueprint that is scalable to our day.
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Titus 1 focuses almost entirely on the church itself and the need for leaders to lead in the church. Titus 1 is a blueprint for the type of leadership that is necessary for a healthy and thriving church.
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Titus 2 focuses on the people of the church and how both men and women should live in their homes and communities. Titus 2 is a blueprint for living out our roles and gender-based assignments.
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Titus 3 focuses on what it means to live as a Christian outside the church in the community and more specifically in the workplace.[1]Titus 3 is a blueprint for public engagement.
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Things were disordered all over the island and in the fellowships. A church without qualified leaders guiding it is disordered. A home without a bible influencing it is disordered. A community without a believer engaging it is disordered.
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Augustine makes the argument that we have disordered loves. We love the wrong things too much. Paul saw a crisis in three areas: church, home, and community. It was a church that needed godly men, sound doctrine, and courageous leadership. Paul left Titus there to put things in order (Titus 1:5).[2] And in this letter, Paul is going to redefine everything: He’s going to restate, reclarify – the spiritual life blueprint. Paul is going to restate true leadership. He’s going to restate what it means to be a godly man and a godly woman. He’s going to restate the home. He’s going to restate relationships. He’s going to restate sexual purity. He’s going to restate the Christian’s testimony. He’s going to restate the gospel. And do we ever need all those things reclarified and restated. Paul wants Titus to help the believers on Crete, to raise the bar, to dial it up a notch, to straighten the crooked.
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PROPOSITION
We respect good leadership. We do best under good leaders. But, we also resist good leadership . Bad leadership doesn’t mean we get rid of all leadership though. One bad parent, coach, umpire doesn’t mean we get rid of all parents, coaches, or umpires. There’s a better way to lead.
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BACKGROUND
Titus, the Man: Titus is mentioned 13 times in the New Testament (2 Cor 2:13; 7:6, 13, 14; 8:6, 16, 23; 12:18 [2 times]; Gal 2:1, 3; 2 Tim 4:10). Titus was a faithful follower of Jesus. In Titus 1:4 (niv) Paul refers to Titus as “my true son in a common faith.” His way of saying “You’re just like me in many ways.” Titus was a courageous servant. He was a spiritual trouble-shooter. He’s mentioned several times in 2 Corinthians because that was a troubled church. Titus was a friend. And Paul needed a friend. Paul had been betrayed by many, but Titus remained a faithful companion.
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The Island and Church of Crete: Crete is an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Greece. It is one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea and in Paul’s day was an important commercial weigh station for the seagoing trade. During the days of Titus, the island of Crete held up to a million residents with a hundred famous cities along the coast. Because of its location, it would have been a melting pot of all kinds of religious and philosophical views. Crete was one of the most immoral places in the ancient world—sort of the Las Vegas of the Mediterranean, except it was an island and the Mediterranean hub for piracy. Imagine trying to plant churches among the cast of the Pirates of the Caribbean. This large island in the Aegean Sea is about 156 miles long and 8 to 35 miles wide, depending on where you were on the island (and over 3,000 square miles). Back in the first century, these island people had a bad reputation. They were notorious for untruthfulness and immorality (1:12-13).
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Paul the Church Leader: When Paul landed on the island of Crete, he found a Christian community but it was disordered. He began the work of shaping them into a powerful influence on the island. Paul had to leave the island, but there were still things that needed to be done (appointing elders in every city would have been a very time-consuming task – Titus 1:5). In order to accomplish this, he placed Titus in charge and wrote him this letter to help him organize and administrate the church in his absence.
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Purposes for Composition: While this is a personal letter, it is rich in principles that are relevant to every worker and leader. Paul intended for Titus to take care of several unfinished tasks referred to in the body of the letter as involving organizing the churches, refuting those that jeopardized the community, and instructing in doctrine and conduct for the church community.
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SERMON POINTS
Leaders, spouses, workers, and friends - but especially church elders, must consider three vital qualifications to lead...
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Connection: Do you care about me as a person?
Character: Can I trust you?
Competence: Will you do a good job?
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How’s your leadership?
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CONCLUSION
Three summaries of the incarnation dot the pages of Titus, providing a framework within which the Christian can view the work of God in the world and in individual lives (Titus 1:1–4; 2:11–14; 3:4–7). All three passages involve the manifestation, or appearance, of God in Christ, rooting the Christian faith in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ultimate Servant-Leader. Invite Him to lead your life today by being his "Bond-servant".