Titus 1 – Leadership and Protection

4 September 2011

Westminster Presbyterian Church – Vancouver, WA

I. Paul's Pastoral Bent (vv 1-3)

A. The Apostle's pastoral aim - “for the sake of”

1. The faith of God's elect: knowledge, godliness, unto the hope of eternal life

2. The salvation that God promised back in eternity (before times eternal)

B. The Apostle's preaching ministry

1. God's eternal promise – as it were, hidden in eternity

2. Made manifest at the right time (NT concept of mystery)

3. Divine command: Jesus commanded Paul to do this

II. Positive Leadership – Paul's call wasn't the day-to-day operations of the local church (vs 5)

A. Titus was to set up the ordinary operations of the local churches on Crete

B. The leadership of the church: Elders/Bishops (vv 6-9)

1. In the NT, “bishop” and “elder” any synonymous and used interchangeably (along

with the term “pastor”) - 1 Tim 3, Acts 20:17, 28

-Episkopos (ἐπίσκοπος) – bishop or overseer

-Presbyteros (πρεσβύτερος) – elder

-Poimen (ποιμήν) – shepherd or pastor

2. The elder is the model for every Christian man

3. But, not just for men, elders are our model

III. Protective Leadership – elders are more than mere example; they are shepherds

A. Attacks on the sheep

1. They're going to come (Acts 20:29-30 – from outside and inside)

2. The elders/overseers are to protect the sheep (vv 9 & 11)

-Acts 20:31-2 – Paul's engagement (tears) and his trust (God and his word)

B. False teachings engineered for success (vv 10-12)

-The nature of Cretans – lazy; the nature of the false teaching – don’t worry about works

C. Elders to rebuke sharply (vs 13)

1. Two errors: not addressing sin at all; addressing the sins of other people/groups

2. The NECESSITY of Christian living (vs 16)

Titus 1 – Leadership and Protection

4 September 2011

Westminster Presbyterian Church – Vancouver, WA

Worksheet for the younger saints

I. Paul’s Pastoral Bent (vv 1-3)

-To whom is Paul ministering? For the sake of whom?

-God does not ________. Therefore, we can ___________ what he says.

-Who commanded Paul to preach?

II. Positive Leadership (vv 5-9)

-What did Paul commission Titus to do and where?

-Make your parents repeat those big Greek words to you many, many times.

-How (as younger Christians) are the elders of the church YOUR model? Write down a couple

ways:

III. Protective Leadership (vv 10-16)

-God’s people are likened to __________, and the elders are likened to _________________.

-Temptation to sin is more powerful at our points of weakness. Where are you weak, and where are temptation harder to resist? Write a couple ways: