Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20010225.htm

TITUS: ADDRESSING WEAK CHURCHES IN DETERIORATING CULTURES
Part V: The Need For Church Leaders To Assert Productive Living
(Titus 3:1-15)
  1. Introduction
    1. A morally declining culture eventually sabotages one's productivity: the decline not only in good character, and from this the failure of human institutions (marriage, family, church, business and government) weakens motivation in living. That incentive drain in turn stifles personal productivity.
    2. This tendency is not only noted by Paul in his letter to Titus who ministered in a declining culture, but is countered as the end result of the discipling of such people as follows:
  2. The Need For Church Leaders To Assert Productive Living, Titus 3:1-15.
    1. Paul noted the Cretans among whom Titus ministered were culturally inclined toward deceptive, abusive, uncontrolled behavior, Titus 1:12. They thus tended to live lives that inhibited valuable productivity.
    2. Hence, in review, Titus was to lead in countering errant social relations & attitudes producing this decline:
      1. He was to appoint elders whose solid ministry of the Word (Titus 1:1-4, 5) would counter false teachers who deceptively, abusively or without self-control opposed God's truths, Tit. 1:5-16.
      2. These leaders would then teach people the correct roles that Crete's typically deceptive, abusive and uncontrolled tendencies had marred, making the institutions of church, home, marriage, business and government realigned to healthy order, Titus 2:1-10 (in brief review).
      3. Accordingly, once the roles were taught, these leaders were to advocate responsibly, reverent living in these roles by believers, showing how God's grace "child-rears" believers where their cultural heritage is amiss to live this way, Titus 2:11-15 (in brief review).
    3. Well, after the errant social relationships and errant attitudes in believers of such errant cultural backgrounds had been corrected, the leaders were to call the discipled to productive LIVING, Tit. 3:1-15:
      1. Paul urged Titus to remind his listeners on Crete's culturally decadent island to be subject to their government, to their masters, husbands and parents as to those over them in the Lord, Titus 3:1a.
      2. Having reminded them of correct social relationships, Paul urged Titus remind the people to be PRODUCTIVE in every good WORK in such social relationships: they were to be peaceable, considerate of one another and humble before all men, Titus 3:1b-2.
      3. His reasoning is profound -- it comes from a review of the productive extent of God's salvation:
        1. As once unsaved and godless in their decadent culture, all believers know they once lived unproductive lives: they were foolish, disobedient, deceptive and enslaved to lusts and pleasures, spending their lives in malice, envy and hatred in total unproductiveness, Titus 3:3.
        2. However, God's grace in Christ saved them not by their works, but by His great and costly mercy of regeneration in Christ, Tit. 3:4-6. This was done to make them heirs of the hope of eternal life, 3:7.
        3. Thus, the price of the believer's salvation implies he cannot logically continue to live an unproductive life, but that he owes God GOOD WORKS in response to the lavish salvation poured out upon him! Hence, Titus was to stress believers devote themselves to good works, 3:8.
      4. Paul then identified and contrasted some unproductive with productive works as follows, 3:9-11:
        1. Spending time in foolish controversies, genealogies, arguments and quarrels about the Law of Moses were unprofitable and worthless. They were typical of what believers were to avoid, 3:9.
        2. Men who were divisive in the body were to be removed from the Church's fellowship after the first and second admonition: such were perverted, sinful and self-condemning in their divisions, 3:10-11.
        3. Conversely, making every effort to house worthy traveling teachers was a good work to do, 3:12-13.
        4. Paul again emphasized the need for believers to focus on such productive acts in life, 3:14-15.
Lesson: Though we are saved by grace APART FROM works, we are yet saved UNTO good works, Eph. 2:8-9, 10. Hence, Church leaders must urge believers to LIVE OUT good works!

Application: What we DO with our TIME and OPPORTUNITIES as believers is VERY IMPORTANT to the Lord Who spent so much to SAVE us from UNPRODUCTIVE living! We are NOT to live COMPLACENTLY, but as PRODUCTIVELY as God gives us the opportunity to live!