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What makes a Pastor – Position or Responsibility? – Titus 1:5-9

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Good morning church! Last week brother Saju gave us a wonderful start to the book of Titus (Read). He shared how Paul and Titus shared a very close friendship in the gospel. It’s a beautiful picture of gospel centered relationships that we need to invest in with other members of the Gathering. He also highlighted key themes that we’ll be looking over the next few weeks:

  1. Proper leadership
  2. Proper handling of error
  3. Proper Christian living
  4. Importance of finding our hope in the Gospel.

Today we’ll be looking at the need and qualifications for proper leadership in the church! Let me begin by asking you all a question. When you think about the word “elder” or “pastor”, what thoughts come in your end? What do you expect from an elder? What does an elder do?

Some common expectations are:

  1. He needs to be a charismatic speaker – magnetic personality who speaks with eloquence and passion.
  2. He needs to be an entertainer – should really know how to tell good jokes during the sermon, should add timely illustrations and stories to keep the congregation’s eyes glued on him.
  3. He should have strong leadership skills – when he talks and walks, you know he’s a leader!
  4. He needs to be good at administration – He needs to be very good at planning events and activities.
  5. Or do we need an elder at all? Can we function as a healthy church without biblical eldership?

That was sort of the place where the church at Crete was. Let’s look into our text:

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife,[d] and his children are believers[e] and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer,[f] as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound[g] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. (v5-9)

Paul starts out by saying that he left Titus in Crete to set into order what was lacking. Why does he say that?

  1. The church at Crete was possibly a young church. By young I mean they consisted of believers who were recently converted. The gospel spread far and wide so that in each town they had a church gathering together. So they were growing numerically but they didn’t have elders in place to guide and strengthen the churches
  2. There were false teachers who were teaching wrong doctrine and confusing the church. We see that in the following verses v10-16. If we see something common in the church in Ephesus and also in this church in Crete, the common issue they were facing was “false teachers”. And not only were there false teachers in those days, but we find many false teachers even today. That’s why all the more a need to have good godly elders to confront false teachers and protect the flock of God.

So for Paul this was something so essential and crucial which is why he left Titus there to appoint elders in every town.

Let me ask you was the requirement for elders merely an organizational requirement? Where they had a lot of members and now they needed elders or is it part of God’s design and gift for the church so that these elders can set the pace and lead the church to love, serve and obey Christ?

The answer can be discovered by the definition. Who or what is an Elder? Just to clarify these terms as brother shared last week: Pastor/Elder/Overseer/Bishop mean the same thing. They are used interchangeably in the Bible. Some churches have a hierarchy. Like Pastor, Sr. Pastor, Bishop…biblically there isn’t a hierarchy. They just are different terms used for the leader of the church. The word “Elder” simply means someone whom Christ has called and appointed over you to model what it means to love, serve and obey Christ! Now it doesn’t mean that the elder has to be 60+ to be an elder. But he has to be someone spiritually mature whom you can look up to which is why we come to the qualifications:

A) Shepherding his family well

6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife,[d] and his children are believers[e] and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.

The first thing we see here is the qualification to be “above reproach”. What does that mean? It means that the believer should be blameless, unaccused. So someone who has a bad reputation in public cannot be a candidate for eldership. The next thing being mentioned here is that he needs to be “the husband of one wife”. Firstly, I think from this verse it’s pretty clear that elders/pastors are a responsibility for men because God has given the primary responsibility of spiritual leadership in the home and the church to men. Secondly, being a husband to one wife means being faithful to his wife. He is known for loving and honouring his wife. It obviously means that he doesn’t entertain any thought of infidelity or extra marital affairs but it also means that he speaks honourably of his wife. I know it’s a common thing in the world to make wife jokes. You find it all over the internet. However, the way you speak about your wife reveals a lot about how you value her. Therefore, he needs to be a person who loves and cares for his wife not only while talking to others but also while talking to her. That’s one of the reasons I think this qualification is in there is because we can pretend outside of home but our spouse knows us well. Can’t pretend before her. If I’m being a hypocrite, my wife knows. All our sins and weaknesses get exposed in marriage.

Can a person who is single who meets all the other qualifications become an elder? Yes, but it’s going to be a slow process for him. It’ll take a longer period of scrutiny to be able to see his life and then appoint him as an elder.

Then it says “his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination”. Now the actual Greek phrase actually can mean “has faithful children”. I would go with this explanation because it’s not up to the father to save his child. Salvation is completely based on grace through faith. And we know faith is a gift from God. (Eph 2:8,9) So the responsibility on the father is to ensure that his children are faithful and trustworthy. The other reason why I feel this means faithful children is because of the next phrase which says “not open to charge of debauchery or insubordination”. Debauchery means excessive indulgence in the pleasures of this world. Insubordination means being unruly and disobedient. Why is the elder being held responsible for the actions of his children?

  1. Because it’s his primary responsibility as the leader of the home
  2. Because he’s setting an example for what a godly family looks like
  3. Because caring for your family shows how you would also care for God’s church.

4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? (! Tim 3:4,5)

If we as elders find our families in a bad condition after a few years with unsubmissive children, I think it’ll be more effective if we step down from the eldership because not only is it calling us to disciple and love our children during that season but it’s also about the responsibility of being a role model for the church. Being an elder is not a position, it is a responsibility! Shepherding our families well is a pre-requisite to be qualified as an elder.

B) Symbolized by a godly life

7 For an overseer,[f] as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. (v7,8)

The starting of v7 once again reminds us that elders are God’s stewards. We are called to manage and supervise God’s house for which we will need to give an account for. Would you entrust your home or property to a thief or a careless person? Absolutely not. How much more important it is for us to have the right people with integrity to be taking care of God’s house which is his people?

  • He must not be arrogant: does what pleases himself, he is self-willed. He is his own boss. He only does what he wants to do
  • He must not be quick tempered means he shouldn’t be prone to anger. Not someone who is always flaring up and getting angry
  • He must not be a drunkard: shouldn’t be devoted to wine
  • He must not be violent: He shouldn’t be quarrelsome, always ready to fight
  • He must not be greedy for gain: greedy for money.

What Paul is trying to say is that the person who aspires to be an elder shouldn’t have a lifestyle characterized by these qualities. If these qualities are what characterizes him, then he is not qualified or fit to the lead the church! I think the “greed” part alone is enough to disqualify many pastors today.

Instead he should be characterized by the following qualities:

  • But hospitable: generous to guests, a lover of hospitality…very essential because the elder will need to be hospitable and approachable when visitors come. And not just that but when the elders are being approached by members of the church.
  • Lover of good: promoter of what is good. He is someone who delights and promotes good works. Whatever helps, benefits and edifies people is what he will support and encourage as the leader.
  • Self-controlled: in control of his desires and impulses. His life isn’t marked by excess or lack of control of his desires.
  • Upright – he makes fair and impartial judgments. Not biased when judging a matter or sharing advice.
  • Holy – Reverence and purity are very important to him. His lifestyle is one worth imitating.
  • Disciplined – curbing and restraining himself in order to do what God has called him to do. The lifestyle for an elder contrary to some entertaining pastors in the world may seem monotonous. It seems like they do the same thing over and over again. Same pattern. And there is a reason for that. There is a reason why biblical elders don’t party all the time. You won’t find them chasing after the latest movies and keeping up with the latest trends and TV series. In fact you’ll find them have a linear kind of life. While they are ministering to people, they will have exciting experiences but if you were to just look at their week, it’ll probably seem unadventurous. The reason for that is this discipline puts them in a place where they can love God and love people the way God calls them to. There’s a reason why Daniel prayed three times a day. There’s a reason why Jesus frequently went away to the mountain to pray. With discipline…it may appear boring to the world but it sets you up in the best place to hear and do what God tells you to do. One quote that I think of comes to my mind. It goes like “There is no discipleship without discipline”. Having a disciplined life in itself is not the goal, it’s the starting ground to open up your heart to receive from God what He wants to grant you. Discipline is not boring, it’s for your joy! That your joy may be full! For an elder, discipline allows him to prioritize his relationship with God and ministry to people.

C) Skilled handler of the Word

9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound[g] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

We spoke a great deal on character qualities but the elder also needs to be competent with the Word of God. Firstly he needs to hold fast to the “trustworthy Word”: which is the gospel. He needs to be convinced by the truths of the gospel as covered from Genesis to Revelation. He knows he can’t add or delete anything from the gospel but understands the power and the beauty of the gospel is expressed only when he presents it as it is! Last year when the whole demonetization thing happened, there were a lot of fake notes that were going around and being seized. The difference between an original 500 Rs. Note and a counterfeit 500 Rs. Note is very marginal. There might only just be one small difference. Now as ordinary citizens, how can we know it is fake? Not by studying the fake note but by studying the original. Thoroughly study the original note and you’ll know the fake when you see it. The same idea it is with the elder. He needs to know the gospel, live out the gospel, preach and teach the gospel day in and day out and even if he encounters false teachers some day, he will know how to refute and respond to them. Why because? The goal is to become like Jesus. The more Christ’s church hear and listen to pure sound doctrine, the more it becomes into Jesus. What you believe, is what you become!

Even though today we learnt how God desires godly, qualified leaders to look after His church, I don’t want us to go back home today thinking, “Oh this was a message for those who are elders and want to become elders…it isn’t for me”. You would miss the point then. When you look at this list: shepherding your family well, having your life symbolized by godliness and being a skillful handler of the Word….do you think Christ exempts you from pursuing that? Is it meant for some spiritual elite? No, in God’s kingdom there is no elite club but these qualifications are also to be viewed as what Christ desires from your life. Elders are pace-setters and role models but this is what God wants from all of us. He wants holiness, self-control, discipline, lover of good, blamelessness, uprightness. He doesn’t want you to be arrogant, violent, greedy for money, quick tempered. Or maybe it’s in your family life where you’ve not been a good steward. Would you repent and turn away from this today?

Let me say also one thing here…there is only one person on the face of the earth who has perfectly exhibited these qualities. He is our chief Shepherd – Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus, none of us perfectly display these characteristics. The truth is that in the eyes of Holy God, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. We all deserved judgment for our rebellion against God. We all pointed a clenched fist toward God. In His love, He sent His only Son Jesus to absorb the wrath that He was going to pour on us. Jesus died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice. He was buried and rose again on the third day. He is the only reason why we were accepted and saved. So that should make us run to Jesus helplessly seeking His grace and mercy to empower us to serve Him. It’s amazing how Christ uses us in our weakness to still accomplish His purposes!

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Building Strong Relationships and fulfilling God’s Purposes – Titus 1:1-4

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When we started with 2 Timothy you must have heard from us that 2 Timothy was the last letter of Paul, and here you see another letter from him again. The fact is, though Titus appears after 2 Timothy in the Bible, it was written much earlier than that.

As per the narrative in the book of Acts, Titus would have been written in the mid-60’s A.D, which is around the same time as 1 Timothy. So, if we have to place these three letters in chronological order, then it would be 1 Timothy, Titus and then 2 Timothy.

In today’s sermon, I want to give an introduction to the Epistle of Titus.

And in my introduction, I want to talk about two things mainly.

1. Paul relationship with Titus – What can we learn from that?
2. Paul’s purpose of writing this letter – What should we expect from this book?

Starting with Paul’s relationship with Titus:

As per Galatians 2:1-4, during one of Paul’s missionary journey he meets Titus who is a young Greek man, a worshipper of other gods, hears Paul preach about Jesus. And as he heard the message of Jesus, his heart responded to the gospel, and he believed in Jesus.

Titus was a total stranger to the gospel and worshipped other gods.

It is almost like the stories of most of our brothers who’ve come from a different religious background.
Titus then traveled with Paul in his missionary journeys, helped in the work of sharing the gospel. We see how he served Paul faithfully in 2 Corinthians 7 when Paul sent him to Corinth to reduce the tension in the church and in 2 Corinthians 8 where he was sent to collect money for the poor.

We see how he served Paul faithfully in 2 Corinthians 7 when Paul sent him to Corinth to reduce the tension in the church and in 2 Corinthians 8 where he was sent to collect money for the poor.
Titus served Paul diligently.

In our passage from Titus 1:4 Paul addresses Titus as his true son in a common faith, mainly also because he was like a spiritual son to him since Paul had led him to Christ.

It was kind of interesting to read some of the things mentioned about Titus.

Like, in 2 Corinthians 2:13 Paul talks about Titus and says how his presence brought rest to Pauls’ heart.

In 2 Corinthians 7:6 – Paul’s writes about Titus saying “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus” – Titus brought comfort to Paul and other believers

In 2 Corinthians 8:23 Paul writes “As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

After Paul was released from the Roman prison where he had been for two years, he and Titus traveled to the island of Crete. They preached the gospel there and taught the people about God and the good news of Jesus (Titus 1:4-5). And soon there were enough believers to start churches in several towns.

And soon there were enough believers to start churches in several towns.

Soon after that, we see Paul leaves Create and Titus continues to teach the new Christians.

It was at this time, probably after several months, Paul writes a letter of encouragement to Titus. That’s the letter we are reading.

As I read about Pauls & Titus’s relationship, I learnt a crucial lesson.

I realized that Godly relationships are much deeper than any other relationship in the world.

And I say that because this kind of relationship is not just limited to staying together, eating together, having a good laugh, playing and having fun. But it is also where you and I hold each other’s hands and participate in building God’s kingdom – by spreading the gospel, planting churches and bringing Glory to the name of the Lord, which is the ultimate goal of every individual – To bring glory to Gods name.

Once when Jesus’ mother and brothers came to meet him while he was ministering to a crowd, they sent word and called him out. To which Jesus replied

“Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” – Mark 3:34-35

In these verses, we see Jesus valuing the company of those who do the will of God above every other relationship, even his immediate family members.

Paul & Titus’s relation was much beyond the natural family relationships. Paul was a spiritual father to Titus who led him to the Lord, took him alongside on missions, poured into his life what he received from the Lord, Paul set himself as an example for Titus to follow.

Titus on the other end was a true son to Paul, who served him, brought him comfort and rest just by his presence.

But above everything else they were together in laboring for the Kingdom of God, preaching the gospel and planting churches.

From the example of Paul and Titus, we see how important it is to invest in such a relationship, a spiritual relationship of a new found brother & sister & father & mother who’ve put their faith in Jesus and walk in obedience, doing the will of God.

And this kind of relationships doesn’t happen automatically, but it takes an active participation from each one of us.

Remember, In our last bible outreach we spoke about Community – This is what we meant by that.

A family together in the Lord, doing the will of the Father of bringing glory to His name.

And I realize this is where we want to head as Gathering Community Church – A Family together on a Mission.

Now, when we talk about family – we also know that managing a family is not an easy task.

Imagine looking after and managing our own families – providing for them, protecting them, loving them, caring for them, and above everything else protecting their heart and discipline them in the Lord, leading them to Christ.

Just as we need help and guidance from the Lord to look after our earthly families, we also need help & guidance to manage and look after the church family.

And that is what I believe is the purpose of this letter is.

In this letter, Paul lays down some of some of the essential components of a healthy church family.
As a church, if we have to grow healthy and united then we have to hold on to the principals that that govern the Church. We need to have a structure in place that holds us together.

If you want our church family to grow healthy and make an impact in the world then you need to read the rest of the sermon very carefully because it is not just the responsibility of the leaders but also a responsibility of every single member of the church to contribute their bit.

In Titus 1:1-3 Paul opens up the letter by introducing himself as someone who is appointed by God our savior to lead and encourage the Church (us) to recognize and pursue the knowledge of the truth which leads to Godliness.

Paul is the perfect guy to help us understand what a healthy church should be and how it needs to function to remain a healthy church.

In the whole letter, Paul’s focus is on the church, and there are three areas which he talks about which I believe are the important pillars of the church.

1. Proper leadership (1:5-9)
2. Proper handling of error (1:10-16;3:9-11)
3. Proper Christian living – especially new believers (2:1-10; 3:1-2)
4. The importance of finding our hope in the Gospel (2:11-14;3:3-7)

We will look closer into all these aspects as we preach on them in the coming weeks. But what I want to do today is to whet your appetite to keep your hearts open to learn and apply these family principles in our church life.

1. Proper leadership

Just as important it is for a family to have a leader, in the same way, the church needs good leadership as well.

I don’t know what style of church leadership you’ve been exposed to before coming to the Gathering but

I want to share some scriptural references to what we believe church leadership should look like and why they are important.

i) Plurality of Elders

I want to talk about a plurality of elders, I don’t know if you have heard that term before. It basically means having more than one elder governing the church and not just one person leading the whole church. We see that model in the scripture wherein Titus 1:5 Paul instructs Titus to appoint ‘elders’ in every town, he doesn’t say ‘elder’ but ‘elders’.

When I say the word ‘elder’, ‘pastor’, ‘bishop’, ‘overseer’ … all are same.

Many churches today have a single pastor leading the church, but seems to me that this model misses the mark of the New Testament teaching on this topic.

As you see in Titus and several other portions of the New Testament, the early church had, I believe, multiple elders. We will talk about this in detail as we go through the passage on elders but I want to say that the reason the scriptures teach multiple elderships is that

(1) Biblical accountability – It is important to have mutual accountability if elders have to protect themselves from falling into sin. In addition, sharing authority among a number of men can keep one man from wrongly lording it over the congregation

(2) Balance – No one man has all the gifts that are necessary to build up the church. Having a plurality of elders serves the church by bringing men with different gifts into the church’s leadership.

(3) Wisdom – There is more wisdom to be found in a multitude of counselors (Prov. 11:14; 24:6).

(4) Burden sharing – Caring for the whole church is a burden God does not intend one man to bear alone. Even the most faithful, gifted leader needs help from other godly men in order to pay careful attention to himself and to all the flock

What is the application for us:

At the Gathering, as of now there are two elders, Jinson and me, and soon once Jeff comes down with his family we would like to install him as the third Elder.

As a church, it is important that we recognize this biblical model and refrain from elevating one elder above the other. We are equal and we serve in equal measures, being accountable to each other with our life and message.

In India, and also in our churches today, the usual tendency is to hero worship our leaders based on their style of talking, their ministry qualifications, their personality.

That is not how the church should like.

ii) Elders are role models & not just people in authority

In Titus 1:6-8 Paul lists down the qualifications of the person who should be appointed as an Elder. It says “if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers[e] and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.”

Looking at that list, we should realize that the main the task of the Elder is more to do with being a role model to the rest of the church.

We need to remember that leaders are not above the church, the church is above the leaders.
Which means tomorrow if I fail to be a role model to you guys, If I fail to live a gospel-centered life and harbor an unrepentant heart, then I don’t deserve to be an Elder. Eldership is not positional, it is a Responsibility.

Someone from the Gathering asked me the other day “Saju, when Jane was sick and was admitted in the hospital we saw another side of you for a couple of days. We saw you weak and disturbed.” He said “don’t you think as a leader you should show your stronger side even in hard times so people don’t look down on you”

My answer was “No, I don’t think I should pretend as everything is fine when everything is not fine”.

As church, we should know that the elders are no different from others, we go through the same problems as you do, we are equally vulnerable to fall into sin as you are, we need savior Jesus just as you need him.

But, here’s the difference. As Elders we ought to set an example to you by continuing to trust in the Gospel, in the saving grace of Jesus, in continuing to serve Christ, his church even in our darkest moments.

Elders are your role models – don’t make them your idols or place them above Christ in your Life. Pray for them, encourage them and give them a helping hand to lead the church well.

A healthy church needs healthy leaders.

2.Proper handling of error

The second pillar of a healthy church which Paul elaborates in this letter is the proper handling of error.

In Titus, at several occasions, you will notice Paul is instructing Titus to rebuke, correct & discipline the people in the church time and again, which implies that Paul is not just satisfied with the fact that church happens every church Sunday. He is most concerned with whether people have the right understanding of the gospel.

I read a quote from Timothy Keller’s book called “Center church” where is talks about being a gospel centered church and this is what he writes

“A Gospel centered church is theologically driven and not program driven”

Many churches today are more interested in the program model, the number of people that attend the church and are less concerned about their theology. This is where false teachers come in and corrupt the sheep.

Every time Paul would visit the churches he planted, he would drive away people who either propagate or teach false doctrines.

A healthy church needs to keep a watch on their theology and lead the people into the right understanding of the truth.

3. Proper Christian living

The third pillar of a healthy church is proper Christian living (in Titus, Paul specifically talks about the new believers).

The Createn believers had a bad reputation among others.

Titus 1:12 Paul writes “One of the Cretans,[i] a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” And Paul tells Titus to rebuke them and correct them.

Paul emphasizes in this letter how important it is for us to live a Godly life and how important it is for our words and actions to complement our faith in Christ.

It is the responsibility of Elders to rebuke you, correct you and help the church live a Godly life.
And therefore as a church, we should be willing to accept corrections, whether with regards to theology or behavioral issues. And the elder ought to do it with love and patience.

This is a mark of a healthy and growing church where the people of God willing submit themselves to the leaders which God has appointed over them.

4. Find our hope in the Gospel

The fourth and the final pillar of a healthy church, which Paul mentions in this letter is to find our hope in the Gospel.

In Titus 2:11-14 Paul writes

For the grace of God has appeared (through Christ), bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

The mark of a healthy & growing church is where people have put their hope in Christ and in his saving grave and not in some experiential make belief. We don’t come to church to enjoy good music and listen to godly talks to make us feel good and get some motivation for the rest of the week.

We come to church to cherish the Gospel – to find our hope in the Gospel – By Gospel I mean to remind ourselves that it is because of the grace & mercy of God that sinners like you and me can have confidence that a holy God will accept us in his presence. Two important words for us to remember is grace and gospel.

Paul says that “God our Father loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace” (2 Thessalonians 2:16). And he urges us not to shift from the hope of the gospel (Colossians 1:23). So the grace of God and the good news of Christ crucified for sins and raised from the dead are the reasons that sinners like you and me can hope in God and have a confident expectation that the future will be good for us.

I like a statement Jeff made yesterday when we were having our lunch together. I hope I’m saying it rightly.

He said “What we truly deserve is death and anything outside that is purely Gods grace and mercy”

It is because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for a penalty of our sins that we can now have eternal life in a bountiful measure.

A healthy church family is where this truth of the gospel is experienced, as well as lived out in full measure.

And with these initial thoughts, I want to invite you to come with an open mind and open heart to learn and study from the Epistle of Titus.

Let’s pray.

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Finding Comfort in Christ in Times of Loneliness – 2 Timothy 4:9-22

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In life, there are many moments when we experience loneliness. The strange part is that we can be in a city like Mumbai that has 23 million people and still feel isolated!

We experience loneliness when our friends and companions abandon us. We can be alone when our family rejects us. We can be lonely when we are confronted with really tough situations like an illness, financial issues, job problems or conflicts within the family.

We can also feel lonely during our struggle with sin.

During all these moments we feel like we are all alone. We feel like no one can understand us, help us and be there with us. And because we don’t deal with this in the right way, it can often lead us to find comfort in the wrong places.

That’s why I think it’s important for us to pay attention to the Word and understand what God is trying to tell us today.

I hope this passage will not only provide the answer but also offer encouragement to us right now if we are experiencing a time or season of loneliness.

2 Timothy 4:9-22

9 Do your best to come to me soon.

10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.

12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.

13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.

14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.

16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!

17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.

20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.

21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.

22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

Sometimes when we think about Paul we only think about the number of churches he planted, the time he spent preaching and building up the church and the number of letters he wrote to encourage the church (13 out of 27 letters in the NT are written by Paul), the miracles he performed in his lifetime but we forget how his whole life was marked by persecutions and suffering.

In fact, the Lord told Ananias, the brother who laid his hands on Paul to give him back his eyesight (Acts 9) “for I will show him how much he must suffer for my name”.

Even when we come to the last part of his life, we see the same theme of suffering being played out. We read last week how Paul talks about his life being poured out as a drink offering and sacrifice for the church.

He knows that the time of his departure has come and he’s expectantly waiting to receive the crown of righteousness from his loving Savior – Jesus.

He’s a few months away from his impending execution and in this passage, he talks about a different kind of suffering – suffering emotionally.

Paul is experiencing a great deal of emotional suffering due to abandonment and loneliness during his last few days. And this is probably more intense and painful than physical suffering. He is experiencing emotional suffering due to two broad reasons:

1) Some companions deserted him – V10 talks about Demas who loved the present world and went to Thessalonica.

Who is this Demas?

Demas was a companion of Paul. 5 years back during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, Demas was with him in jail. (Col 4:14) All those prison letters like Ephesians, Phillippians, Colossians, and Philemon were written with him.

In Philemon 24 he refers to Demas as a fellow worker. It’s sad that after watching Paul so closely and seeing his devotion to the Lord, Demas still deserted Paul and left the ministry.

And it says that he loved the world! In our sin, many of us do not see our love for the world as a competing God in our life. If you are harboring a secret love for the world, then it’s eventually going to dictate your course of life and decisions in times of inconvenience, trouble, and suffering.

That’s what happened to Demas. The second imprisonment was possibly more intense and harsh than the first. And Paul himself was awaiting execution, so Demas didn’t want to associate himself with him and jeopardize his own life.

Demas’s life should be a warning for us because he was someone who was so involved in ministry yet loved the world. Eventually, his love for the world took over him. We need to repent of competing idols in our hearts.

2) His other companions went to serve in other churches – Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. (v10)

If you read through the book of Acts, you’ll see that these missionaries always did ministry as teams. They joyfully went to new areas with the gospel and even gladly faced persecutions due to the gospel.

Sadly, Paul’s last few months were spent alone without key members of the missionary team. And it wasn’t always due to desertion like Demas but sometimes it was due to the call to continue ministering to different churches.

In spite of Paul’s imprisonment, Crescens and Titus had to go to Galatia (modern day Turkey) and Dalmatia (Croatia).

To give you an idea on how bad was the emotional suffering, let’s look at v14-16

14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.

16 At my first defense, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!

Some commentators say that it’s possible that it’s the same Alexander from 1 Tim 1:20. If you remember he was a false teacher at Ephesus who was excommunicated and put outside the church.

He now vented his personal malice in accusing Paul before the Roman judges. Probably charging him for starting a political revolt and starting a new religion.

We don’t know for sure if it was the same Alexander but in any case, it’s clear that he caused a great deal of harm.

Paul still leaves the response to the Lord. Rom 12:19 says Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Coming back to v16 in 2 Tim 4, Paul says that during his first defense (the preliminary hearing before Caesar Nero)…remember Nero is a king who was known for his cruel behavior toward Christians.

He would burn Christians alive to be used as a torch at night, have dogs tear them to death, crucify them not because of public justice but because of personal cruelty.

So when Paul’s companions got to know that he was going to have this preliminary hearing, they deserted him. Nobody wanted to have anything to do with Paul because it would bring severe persecution.

Just imagine how lonely Paul would’ve felt at that point. He spent his whole life for people but was left alone when he was before Nero. But Paul forgives them and explains how he responded to that moment of emotional turmoil and loneliness:

1. Strengthened by Christ’s presence

17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me,

I think that word “but” is crucial here because it contrasts with the previous verses that talk about the companions that left Paul alone.

Even though everyone deserted Paul….yet the Lord remained faithful!! Jesus doesn’t disappear when His children are in trouble or danger. He stands by them! He stands with them!

How does God’s presence strengthen us?

It gives us tremendous boldness to know that the Lord and Judge of the entire universe is standing right beside us. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to Jesus (Matt 28:18).

No matter how powerful may be the person standing in front of you, the course of your life is determined by the Sovereign Lord who rules and sustains the entire universe.

In Matt 10, Jesus tells the disciples that in those days 2 sparrows were sold for a penny. Sparrows were the smallest of birds and pennies were of the lowest value in the Roman world. Yet not even a single sparrow falls to the ground apart from the will of the Father.

If God’s in control of a little sparrows life, isn’t He in control of the life of His children who are more valuable than sparrows?

He is the Lord who has numbered the hairs on your head. Do you know the number of hairs on your head? Does your family know the number of hairs on your head? What about your best friend? Believers in Christ have nothing to fear with Jesus by your side.

Illustration: A fearful child always finds security in the presence of the parent.

But how do we experience God’s presence?

We experience God’s presence by trusting, obeying, embracing, loving, receiving and talking to Jesus by abiding in the Word and prayer. It’s not a passing feeling.

We learned a few weeks back how God communicates with His people: through the preaching of the Word and the study of the Word. The closer your life is in line with the Word, the more assured and aware you will be of the reality of God’s presence.

I know some of you are probably listening to this and thinking “this is so basic. I know I have to read the Bible and pray. Give me something new”.

It is basic but could we honestly ask ourselves if we’ve addressed our problem of isolation and loneliness with being reminded of the presence of God? What if you weren’t created to experience loneliness? What if God intended that all of life be spent with Him?

2. Directed by Christ’s purpose

v17. so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.

There is a clear purpose to the Lord being there with us. Yes, God loves us and He cares dearly for us. However, I don’t want us to end up with a man centered theology. We are not the end goal.

Glorifying God’s name is the end goal! Paul realized what God was doing through His life. If God is Sovereign and governs everything in all the universe, then even the struggles, pain, suffering and other issues were meant to bring glory to God through your life!

The reason why God strengthens you with His presence is so that you may show unbelievers how valuable and treasured God is.

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor 12:9)

God is active in stripping away every ounce of self-dependence from His children so that unbelievers may see Christ being reflected in and through them!

So it’s time we aligned ourselves to that understanding. Some of the greatest testimonies that have convinced unbelievers about the truth of gospel have not always been success stories and miracles.

It’s been stories of faithful people who have persevered in sufferings, pain, illnesses, financial issues, conflict yet not departed from the faith.

They hold on and have this indescribable peace which can only be explained through the presence of the Lord Himself in their lives.

I don’t think Paul used this tough circumstance to crib over the people who deserted him. He used that as an opportunity to witness as he experienced the presence of God. Would you consider desiring the presence of God not for quick fixes to your problems but so that the world may see how beautiful and wonderful Jesus is?

3. Secured by Christ’s protection

So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

What Paul meant by being rescued from the lion’s mouth was being kept safe from death after the preliminary hearing before Caesar. But we know that he was going to be executed soon.

So what did he mean by the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his kingdom….what he means that in Christ, his assurance of His eternal home is in absolutely safe and certain hands.

Even though he knew he was going to be executed soon, it doesn’t change his future.

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)

What if we reminded ourselves of this truth about God’s love that protects us and brings us safely into the heavenly kingdom…don’t you think that eliminates the isolation and loneliness when you realize that it’s not just Christ’s presence right now but He has graciously granted His eternal presence to us!

I just want to close by saying being isolated and lonely was also a product of the Fall. When God created Adam and Eve, the intention was to enjoy total, free and uninterrupted fellowship with them. However, when they sinned they hid themselves from God.

They isolated themselves and went away from God’s presence. Jesus Christ came into the world to rescue us from our isolation. He did it by giving up His life for us…for our sins. Jesus Christ paid the price for our reckless and rebellious life.

He died and shed His blood and on the third Day he rose from the grave and brought us back into an unending, real, fulfilling relationship with God. We got an entry back into God’s presence!

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Sermon

Fighting the good Fight, Finishing the race and Keeping the Faith – 2 Timothy 4:5-8

[audioplayer file=”http://thegatheringcommunity.in/wp-content/uploads/2-Timothy.mp3″]

Last Sunday we looked at 2 Timothy 4:1-4 where Jinson shared the importance of the preached word in the life of the church. We learned the goal of preached word and how to prepare our hearts to receive it.

Here are the three applications from the sermon.

– Value the preached word of God
– Pray for the elders who preach the word of God
– Prepare our hearts throughout the week especially on Saturday to hear the word of God.

I hope and believe that all of us who’ve heard the sermon last Sunday have prayed for me and also prepared their hearts to hear God’s word this morning. If you’ve not done so then, I will encourage you to do so as we pray now.

Our passage for this morning is 2 Timothy 4:5-8, let’s turn to our bible and read.

We see that verse 5 starts with a word of encouragement.

After emphasizing the importance of preaching the word, Paul is now encouraging Timothy to remain sober minded, endure suffering, continue to work as an evangelist and to fulfill his ministry call.

The reason Paul sends encouragement is, of course, because of verse 3 & 4 where he writes

“the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

But “As for you” … Always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

What Paul is essentially saying is don’t let anything or anybody bother or distract you from pursuing Gods calling and purpose in your life.

As we progress in our Christian life serving God and serving people, we will come across people who will reject our teaching, follow their passions and turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.

Sometimes, they will be our closest friends, our family, the people whom you love the most, people you disciple. They might say things that will hurt our feelings, maybe some of us may even have to go through persecution and affliction.

Paul’s encouragement to us is to remain sober minded (sensible & composed), endure suffering (not shaken or moved), continue to do the work of an evangelist (share the gospel faithfully), fulfill your ministry (follow your calling).

The enemy uses circumstances like these to destroy Gods calling and ministry over our lives. And therefore it is important that we recognize them and take Paul’s instruction and encouragement seriously so that we don’t stumble and deviate from pursuing God.

In verse 6 Paul goes on to say “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.”

I love Paul; because he is a fantastic role model to me.

When I read verse 6, I get this sense of Paul saying, guys, what I am asking you to do is something I have already lived and followed.

When Paul using the term ‘being poured out as a drink offering’ he is referring to the old covenant act of sacrifice called the ‘drink offering’ which was first recorded in Genesis 35:14

“And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with God, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it.”

‘Drink offering’ is also mentioned in other parts of the old testament law.

The pouring out of a drink offering is a metaphor for the blood Jesus spilled on the cross. Jesus himself used that language to describe his death in Luke 22:20 when he instituted the new covenant.

He said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

By that definition what Paul meant was that his life had been offered as a sacrifice in the service of God and his people. I wonder how many Christian leaders today would be able to say that about themselves.

Isn’t he an excellent role model for us to imitate and follow.

I love King David, Abraham, Moses, Solomon, Joshua – and all the other heroes of faith from the old testament but if there is someone whom I’d like to look up to as a role model in the new covenant, that would be Paul.

Paul is a great example to follow …

  • If I want to learn what it means to love Christ
  • If I want to learn what it means to serve the people of God faithfully
  • If I want to get to live a life led by the Holy Spirit
  • If I want to learn how to endure suffering
  • If I want to find out how to raise leaders
  • If I want to learn about church planting

Paul would be the perfect guy.

But one of the main reason why I’d like to follow Paul and his example is also because of his next statement in verse 7 where it says.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished my race and I have kept my faith.”

Because that is exactly what I want to say to my children and my loved ones at the end of my life.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished my race and I have kept my faith.”

It is important that we all look at our aspirations for life. Would you like to live life in such a manner and leave a legacy for your children and your next generation? Or Are you happy being mediocre? Live life as it comes.

Here’s encouragement from Paul in Colossians 3:1-4 –

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

Now that we know that Paul is a good example to follow what did Paul mean when he said: “he fought the good fight”?

Firstly, It is a deeply moving affirmation of Paul’s unwavering faith and unyielding love for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, it also reminds us that Christian life is a struggle against evil – within ourselves and in the world.

Let me highlight the three broad areas of battle in our Christian life that needs to be won over.

1. The battle to abide in the love of Christ

In John 15:9 Jesus says “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
How did the Father love?

John 3:16 – For God the Father so loved the world that he gave his one and only son Jesus, to die for us, on our behalf, for the penalty of our sins, so that whoever believes in him will not perish in hell but have eternal life in heaven.

Abiding also means enduring – to remain. The original Hebrew meaning says “to hold on.”

Jesus is saying “hold on to my love.”

Brothers & sisters, holding on to Christ’s love is a battle, and we have to hang on to it at all times

… whether in pain and suffering
… joy and happiness
… riches or poverty
… good health or bad health
… job or no job
… life partner or no life partner
… in guilt, in condemnation, in being insulted
… Also when we are highly exalted by men

Whatever situation you can think of – Abiding or Holding on to Christ’s love is one of the greatest challenges of living a Christian life.

The enemy will do anything to kick you out from the place of ‘abiding in the love of Christ.’
And that is why we need to daily and continuously remind ourselves the gospel.

The second area of battle that we need to find victory is

2. The battle to walk in obedience to God’s word

The following verse in John 15, verse 10 Jesus says “ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”

Obedience to God’s word proves our love for Him, demonstrates our faithfulness to Him, glorifies Him in the world, and opens avenues of spiritual blessing for us.

When we obey God’s word, we can live a life of joy, without shame, rooted deeply in the Lord and confident in our eternal hope.

And most importantly – When we obey God’s word, God is glorified.

The enemy would never want us to live this kind of life and therefore

… he will convince you that reading and meditating God’s word is boring
… he will distract you with every possible hindrance to keep you from reading your bible
… he will cloud your mind with worldly worries and won’t allow you to see the truths of life
… he will fill your minds with doubts to stop you from applying and walking in God’s word
… he will disengage you from making radical decisions for your life when God’s word inspires you

He will use our own people against us … our family, our friends, our near and dear ones.
But, we have to fight … Paul says it’s a good fight. It builds us, makes us mature in our faith.

The third area of battle is

3. The battle to disconnect ourselves from the world

James 4:4 – Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

One of the significant progress that needs to happen to us as we grow in our Christian life is to see the world as it is described in the God’s word.

In 1 John 2:17 John writes don’t you know that “the world and its desires are fading away, along with everything that people crave”

The world and its desires are the enemies of God; everything people crave for, everything that some of our parents told was important in life, the money, the possession, a house, accumulating wealth, accumulating treasures, accumulating shares, accumulating mutual funds .. are enemies of God.

I am so sorry to disappoint you … But this is what Gods word means when it talks about the world and the things of this world.

… the more you are in love with the world, the less you are in love with Christ.
… the more you desire the things of the world, the less your desire for the things of God.
… the more you hold on to the world, the lesser your grip on heavenly things.
… the more you trust your job and business as your provider, the less you trust in God’s provision.
… the more you find your security in your money and your job, the less you trust in God’s sovereignty and abilities.
… the more you rely on your worldly wisdom, the lesser you make of God’s divine wisdom.

“The world is an enemy of God because it takes away His glory.”

It’s a battle, and we have to fight … It’s not going to be easy on us … People will mock at us … Make fun of us … Rebuke us … Throw stones at us …

But we have to finish the race with perseverance, boldness, and with a never give-up attitude – Holding on to our faith just as we did when we first gave our lives to Christ Jesus.

And when we are on our deathbed we will be able to look into the eyes of our loved ones as say “I fought the good fight, I finished the race and I kept my faith.”

The greatest reward will be to receive the crown of righteousness from our good Lord as Paul describes in verse 8.

“Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

As I conclude, I want to encourage you to make much of your life as a follower of Christ. Fight the good fight of abiding in Christ’s love, walking in obedience to his word and separating yourselves from the world and all its desires.