Sermon Audio from January 26, 2025 (Festival of St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor) on Titus 1:1-9
Pastor Joe Polzin
God's Trustworthy Word
- Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, today and every year on January 26, we do celebrate the festival day for St. Titus pastor and confessor. In the Lutheran church, we do observe these days, especially when they fall on Sundays, commemorating faithful Christians because it's a good and helpful thing for us to do. We remember those who have gone before us in the faith Christian men and women from the Bible as well as from history who demonstrate to us a faithful way of what it means to live life well with Jesus. So who was Titus? Well, as his official title indicates he was a pastor. He was a confessor, one who confesses the Christian faith. But if I were to ask you to think of a pastor from the New Testament, from the Bible, I would guess that most people would probably first think of maybe the Apostle Paul or Peter, maybe others would think of Timothy, the young pastor who was taught the Christian faith by his mother, Eunice and his grandmother, Lois. But I would maybe go out on a limb to say not many people would first think of Titus or maybe even know much about him, even though a book of the Bible bears his name. But that's another reason why days like this are helpful because we can spend a little time learning about or maybe being reacquainted with the cloud of witnesses that does indeed surround us saints who like us are holy because they have been made holy by the blood of the land. Someone asked me after the early service who decides who becomes a saint. And I said, Jesus does because we are all his saints. We are all holy ones by the blood of the land. Well, speaking of Titus specifically, he was a loyal companion to the Apostle Paul on many of his journeys. In fact, if you read how Paul refers to Titus throughout the various mentions of him in the New Testament and what Titus was assigned to do, you get the impression that Titus was part of Paul's inner circle of trusted confidence. He was very often the one whom Paul went to when he had a challenging task that he needed to make sure was done, especially if Paul couldn't do it himself in person. Titus was a Greek, not a Jew, who was likely converted to Christianity by Paul himself. He came with Paul to the Jerusalem Council, what we hear about in Acts 15, where it was decided that a Greek convert like Titus didn't need to first observe Jewish customs before they could become a Christian. Titus was the one who delivered Paul's letters to the Corinthians. And he was Paul's man on the ground during all the chaos and strife that took place in Corinth. And while Titus was there, he helped collect the offerings, the relief offerings that were being collected for those who were suffering in Jerusalem. Titus may have even been by Paul's side during his imprisonment in Rome. But the final assignment given to Titus, his biggest task out of all of them was the one that we hear Paul talking about as he's writing to Titus today. And again, it shows Paul's ultimate trust in Titus because he left him on the island of Crete so that Titus could begin to bring order to the Christian churches that were so badly disordered. And Titus acting as a leader over the whole area was to appoint elders in every town. And elder is what the New Testament calls pastors, also known as overseers or shepherds. Now to understand the importance of Crete and why Paul would send Titus there, all you have to do is look at a map. Crete is this giant island in the middle of the Mediterranean that almost looks like a bridge connecting the Asian continent to the European continent. This was an important location in the ancient world for trade and for politics and military. It was a nexus of people and culture and goods. If Christianity was gonna have any success spreading in those early days, Crete would have certainly been seen as a strategic linchpin. No wonder Paul gives Titus the task that he gives him because Titus is the person that Paul would most trust to get it done. Now Titus faced opposition in his task from all sorts of people and groups who were trying to stop the spread of the gospel. The biggest threat came from within, came from a group called the circumcision party whom Paul would go on to talk about in his letter to Titus following our epistle reading today. These were the people that said a person must first do works of the Jewish law in order to become a Christian that you had to be circumcised, that you had to follow dietary laws, that you had to observe strict Sabbath worship. And Paul told Titus in his letter to rebuke them sharply so that the purpose of that people wouldn't turn to their own works or think those are the things that saved them, but instead to turn only and rely only on the grace offered through Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Titus was opposed by the general culture of Crete, the great Roman speaker Cicero once said that Crete was so backwards that they regard robbery as honorable. And the Greek poet Epimenedes, who himself was from Crete, called Cretean's liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. Paul even quotes that later in his letter. But this was Crete's reputation. To be from Crete meant that you were known as a person living contradictory to anything moral or good, and everybody knew it, including the Creteans. This then is the setting for Titus' calling. It makes sense why the majority of Paul's letter to Titus is filled with detailed, even repetitive encouragement for the Christians there to live in God honoring ways. We can appreciate how monumental a task this was. That Titus would have to spend all of his efforts addressing this backwards and debased culture, not to mention dealing with all the people who were opposed to the gospel. But his task was to organize the churches and appoint pastors so that they could begin the work of faithfully shepherding the people that so badly needed shepherding. So to help him with this task, Paul gives Titus a list of qualifications for the pastors he's supposed to appoint. A list that we consider still helpful and influential and authoritative today. A pastor must be above reproach. The husband of one wife. His children must be believers. A pastor must be sober, subordinate, God steward, not arrogant, or quick-tempered, or violent, or greedy for gain. Rather, he is to be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. And most of all, a pastor 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. Now I don't know a pastor alive who reads this list and doesn't feel very small. We know pastors are not less sinful than anyone else. Still, the standard to which pastors and church workers and even leaders in the church are, the standard is high for a reason. They have an important task to complete. Not for themselves or for their own glory, but in service to Christ and his church. And the task that Titus was given and one that we still face today is to do this work in the context of a sinful world. Therefore, pastors and church workers and leaders must be above reproach and they must hold fast, steadfast, to God's trustworthy word in order to shepherd his church. I don't know about you, but I hear a lot of similarities between Titus' day and our day. After all, the gospel is still opposed by all sorts of people who tried to dismiss Christianity as backwards or simple-minded or just plain fiction. And we live in a world and in a culture that tries to convince us that we're very much our own gods and therefore anything is permissible for you if it makes you happy or brings you fulfillment. Not to mention there are teachers in the church who don't hold firm to the trustworthy word. As they teach false doctrine and preach what itching ears want to hear. And so the sober task of a pastor and all Christians is to hold firm to God's trustworthy word. But that becomes difficult. Especially when God's word conflicts with our culture's notion of what's right and wrong or what's permissible. Or when God's word seems too harsh to our modern ears or when God's word makes us uncomfortable. Because if we take it at face value, then it might mean that we might have to seriously consider some changes or modifications in our lives and the way we want to live them. You see, that's part of the burden of being a Christian. And that's part of the burden of being a pastor and overseer of God's flock. As Christians, we are not free to believe. And as a pastor, I am not free to preach or teach. Whatever we think is right, whatever we think would make us the happiest or most popular. Whatever we think would be the most attractive. We are all bound by what God's word says. A pastor must hold fast to it to instruct and sound doctrine and is called to correct those within the church who contradict it. But that's not typically an enjoyable process. For the one who's doing the correcting or for the one being corrected. And by the way, pastors also need to be corrected at times as well because we are all fallible. It's not easy for any of us as Christians, whether that's as a parent or as a teacher or as a boss or as a friend or as a pastor. It's not easy to hold fast to what we know is right and true because God's word tells us it's true, especially when it's an unpopular opinion. There are so many churches and Christians, unfortunately, that have chosen to move away from what God's word says. Whether it's on the topic of marriage or life issues or gender identity or the proper stewardship of time, talents or treasure or about the importance of church itself. And so they move away from the word with albeit very convincing arguments all in the name of reason or logic or love or acceptance or self-fulfillment. And you know what? They're right in a way. It would be easier to change what we believe about God's word. There are so many things in God's word that make it difficult in our Christian vocations as parents, as teachers, as bosses, as friends, as a pastor that makes it more difficult and less socially acceptable. And so like water filling up behind a dam, the pressure to yield to our culture's way of thinking about things or the way that we want to think as sinful human beings, that pressure is great. And I'll be honest, it's not getting any easier. But that's why we are encouraged today to hold fast and firm to the trustworthy word as taught. Because it is trustworthy. Our standard cannot be found in this world. Nor is our standard found within ourselves. We are fallible. No, our standard is found in the truth of God's word, which does not change. But it is the best way for us. Because ultimately our good, the good that we need, can't come from ourselves and it can't come from a fallen world. No, the good, our eternal good can only come from God and His perfect will for our lives. God's word tells us that we are sinners. I am a sinner and you are a sinner and that we are not okay just the way we are. We're very often going to slip into thinking and acting in ways that are contrary to God's will for our lives. And so we all at times need to be gently and lovingly called back by Him. And that's why He gives His church pastors, yes, but also mature and thoughtful brothers and sisters in Christ who will lovingly and humbly call a wandering Christian back to God's word, back to His way of living life. And doing that in the most God-pleasing way as if God Himself would do it. You see, God loves us too much to allow us to stay where we once were, which was lost in sin and dead in trespasses. So the Father sent His Son Jesus, His only Son to die on a cross for us and rise again and save us from sin, save us from ourselves, save us from this fallen world. If we aren't sinners, then we don't need saving, but we are sinners. And God knows that. And that's why He speaks to us through His word and through pastors and through fellow Christians to call all of us throughout our lives continually back in repentance after we reflect on God's word. And when we repent, there is no uncertainty. God is always ready to announce to us His pure and 100% forgiveness. You know, that's one of the most joyful things about being a pastor, but it's also your Christian joyful responsibility as well that we get to announce to others and to each other that our debts have been paid in full by the blood of the Lamb. Sometimes the accusation gets leveled at Christians that we hate or reject other people in this world who maybe aren't Christians or who don't agree with us about what God's word says. And I'll admit, unfortunately, that message does get sent out to others in the world. And we should be very mindful of that as the church. But we don't hate or reject people. God doesn't. We believe that all people are in need of Jesus and what He offers, including us and including them. And we won't compromise what God has told us through His word, that is truth. And it's only through God's word that we have the good news to share with them, to begin with good news about Jesus. So while we might disagree with others about very fundamental things in life, we always see them as God sees those who may be far from Him. We love them, we care for them, we want what's best for them. But what's best for them is not telling them what sinful humans may want to hear, but telling them what God knows we need to hear and has told us in His word, which is that we are all sinful, that we all need to repent of our sins and that we all have forgiveness and life found for free in Jesus. Today, this is what I would like you to remember about Titus, that Titus and those early Christians had the odds stacked against them, much like we might feel today. The sinful world and our sinful nature are opposed to God saving purposes in Jesus and frankly, they always will be until Jesus returns. But thankfully, the success of the gospel does not depend on us. Instead, it depends on the power of God's trustworthy word. If God's word wasn't trustworthy, then Titus' mission on Crete almost 2000 years ago would have most assuredly failed. And if it failed because of how important Crete was, I'm guessing there's a good chance that we wouldn't even be here today in this church. But you see God's word is trustworthy. And it is powerful according to His will. And Titus did the Lord's work faithfully, remaining steadfast in the word of God to a very old age, well into his 90s. And so we pray that the Lord would keep us and all Christians steadfast in His trustworthy word. In Jesus' name, amen. And now may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, amen.