Preached on Sunday, March 21, 2010
from
Titus 1:12-14

Theme: This passage describes the doctrinal faithfulness that must characterize an overseer of God’s household.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

[podcast]http://www.bethanybible.org/audio/032110.mp3[/podcast]

About 600 years or so before the time of our Lord, there lived a great philosopher from Crete (or, at least, legend has it he lived). His name was Epimenides; and he figures very prominently into this morning’s passage.

The ancient myth about him was that his father sent young Epimenides out one day in search of some lost sheep. It happened that he wandered into a cave that was sacred to the god Zeus, fell asleep inside, and woke up fifty-seven years later with long hair and a flowing beard—and with an astonishing knowledge of natural history and medicine, and a powerful gift of prophecy.

However much the story about Epimenides was exaggerated, he was nevertheless highly revered in ancient times as one of the seven wisest of men—and he was particularly honored by the people of Crete as ‘their own prophet’. Later in life, he was sent for by the people of Athens during a time of plague, in order to help purify the city and pave the way for new legislation. In order to appease a god that they didn’t know, Epimenides recommended that hungry sheep be released into a grassy field; and wherever one of the sheep laid down to rest rather than eat, that they build an altar there to the god they didn’t know ¹. That’s what they did—and even when Paul arrived in Athens in Acts 17 several centuries later, he could still see an altar with the inscription: “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17:23).

Very little that Epimenides was reputed to have written has survived to our time today. But there are a few lines that have survived from his poem Critica. And it’s important that you know about these few lines, because they’re quoted from twice in the New Testament². In them, Epimenides spoke rather unflatteringly of his own people—the Cretans. And it was this poem—already known and respected by the people of Crete; and written by a sage that the Cretans had already claimed as their own esteemed prophet—that the apostle Paul chose to quote from in his New Testament letter to Titus.

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Now; with that little bit of background in mind, I ask you to turn your attention to the first chapter Titus.

Paul had written to his ministry colleague Titus, and urged him to establish good, strong pastoral leadership over the various new churches on the island of Crete, because there had been many false teachers who had arisen to trouble those churches and oppose the message of the gospel. He was very concerned that these false teachers be stopped from bringing further harm to the young and growing churches on Crete. And so, one of the things that Paul stressed was that Titus make sure each of those churches had a godly pastor leading them that was well-trained in handling the Scriptures, and who was committed to proclaim biblical truth;

. . . holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain (Titus 1:9-11).

So; that was Paul’s immediate concern—that the mouths of those who were teaching false doctrine and bringing harm to the churches be stopped. And as we saw last week, Paul’s method for doing so was to have the pastors of those churches—along with the believing people within those churches—confront false doctrine, faithfully and head-on, with the sure word of Scripture. Nothing silences the spread of false doctrine more effectively than confronting it with the word of truth!

But stopping the mouths of the false teachers was only part of the job. The kind of environment in which those false teachers could spread their doctrines also needed to be dealt with. And it was this second concern that motivated Paul to quote from that ancient poem of Epimenides. He goes on to speak of the cultural atmosphere that existed on Crete, and wrote;

One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth (vv. 12-14).

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Now; I hope you’ll allow me to step back from this passage and share with you about something that happened to me the other day. I had an unexpected meeting with some dear Christian friends—and in the process, received an answer to one of my prayers about this morning’s message.

I was driving around a few evenings ago to take care of some errands. And as I drove, I was praying about this morning’s message. I was struggling very much over how to help connect the significance of the message of this passage to the needs of our church family today; and I was asking God for His guidance.

I pulled into a grocery store; and while inside, I ran into some good friends that I hadn’t seen for some time—missionaries who had served for several years in a very poor and undeveloped part of the world. And as we chatted away and got caught up, I began to pick-up on something in them that I have seen a few times in other missionaries. I asked them about it; and they admitted it, confirmed that they too had seen the very same thing in other returning missionaries, and gave me permission to share it with you. What they shared with me was—I believe—an answer to my prayer.

With missionaries who have been away for some time in a third-world country—particularly those who had grown close to the people there, and who had labored hard to help meet their needs—there’s a profound disillusionment and disappointment with the American church once they return. It apparently takes getting away from the Americanized-form of Christianity for a good chunk of time to get a sense of how much a product of popular culture it has become. It has grown to be characterized by many of the negative aspects of American culture—a pursuit of material prosperity, an over-infatuation with youth, a love-affair with comfort and affluence, a willingness to turn away from doctrines and biblical statements that the unbelieving world finds offensive, an eagerness to pattern itself after business models and the entertainment world, and an unwillingness to labor in prayer or to commit to the work of the Lord. In some of the life-style choices they make and beliefs they hold to, many people within the American-style church culture have become almost indistinguishable from the unbelieving world around them.

I was pleased to find that this missionary couple still attend a church; but they admitted to me that it’s gotten to be a little hard to do. And my conversation with them truly broke my heart—particularly because I’ve seen other missionaries have the same experience they had.

As I drove home, I thought of Paul’s warning in Romans 12:1-2; where he wrote,

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . (Romans 12:1-2a)—

and of the reason Paul gives for that warning;

. . . that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (v. 2b).

A conformity to the values and priorities of this world keeps us from being a distinct people in the midst of it; and it makes it hard for our lives to prove to this world that God’s will is good and acceptable and perfect. And thinking about it all made me pray later that evening, “Lord; is there anything about this world’s culture that I have become conformed to in such a way as to be displeasing to you? Is there some negative aspect of the world in me that makes it harder for me to hear the truth of your word as I should; or that makes me more open to false doctrine—and I don’t even realize it?”

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ; the fact is that, even as Christians, we can become so unwittingly conformed to the ungodly, worldly aspects of the culture around us that we become an easy breeding-ground in which false doctrine can take-hold and grow. And so, it’s not enough that biblical leadership stop the mouths of false teaching from the outside. It must also exhort God’s people to sever themselves from the things that make them vulnerable to false teaching from the inside!

That, I believe, is what Paul is stressing in this morning’s passage—that one of the tasks of strong biblical church leadership is to help the people of God separate themselves from the sinful influences of this world; so that they can be strong in sound doctrine, and properly adorn the message of the gospel before the watching world.

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Let’s look closer at Paul’s instruction instructions to Titus regarding the protection of God’s people, as it’s found in this morning’s passage. And let’s note, first . . .

1. THE CULTURAL SITUATION (vv. 12-13a).

Paul quotes from that ancient poem of Epimenides—a line that every Cretan would have known by heart—and said, “One of them, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’”

You’d be surprised how many have said that, while Paul may have been under the influence of the Holy Spirit in other things that he had written, he surely must have stepped out of the Spirit’s influence when he quoted that! It sound so unkind! But there’s really no reason to doubt that he spoke by the Holy Spirit when he did so. And what’s more, it’s easy to forget what it is that made Paul’s point so effective—that is, the fact that he himself isn’t the one that originally said it! The most esteemed of the Cretan philosophers—a man they revered as their own prophet—was the one who said it first! All Paul did was quote it and say, “This is true”; and even the Cretans themselves would have had to agree with it.

Some others have had a problem with Paul referring to Epimenides—heathen philosopher—as a ‘prophet’. But then again, the Bible quotes the words of the high priest Caiaphas who oversaw the murder of our Lord—that “it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish” (John 11:50); and then adds, “Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation” (v. 51). God could certainly have spoken truth through a heathen prophet as easily as through a hostile high priest. Always remember; if He chooses to, God can even speak truth through a donkey (Numbers 22:28-30)!

Now; think about what Epimenides said about the people of Crete—which Paul simply affirmed as true. He said, first of all, that Cretans were “always liars”. Back in Epimenides day, the people of Crete boasted that they were better than everyone else; because they alone possessed the tomb of Zeus. But Epimenides said it was ridiculous to make such a claim, since Zeus was supposed to be the the one who ever lives. Hence, he affirmed that the Cretan people had built themselves upon a lie. But even more, they had grown to have a world-wide reputation as a community of liars. A popular way to insult people in ancient times was to say that they ‘lie like a Cretan’. In fact, the ancient Greeks had a verb, “kreitimadzo“; which was slang for ‘lying one’s head off’.

Another thing that Epimenides said about his own people was that they were “evil beasts”; which meant that they were so controlled by passions and fleshly lusts that they lived like wild animals—greedily gratifying their own pleasures, and not caring what they did or who they hurt in the process. One ancient writer said that Cretans considered highway robbery to be an honorable profession. Historians who have studied the natural history of Ancient Crete have noted that there was a surprising absence of wildlife on the island of Crete; but Epimenides was famous for having said that the fact there were no wild animals on Crete really didn’t involve any loss, because the Cretans themselves seemed more than happy to do the job.

Finally, note that Epimenides said that the Cretans were “lazy gluttons”—or, as it can be translated, “idle bellies”. They had a reputation for having a hatred for any other kind of physical labor than eating and drinking. One ancient writer reported that Cretan soldiers followed after a particular Roman military leader, not because they were favorably disposed to him, but because “they were devoted to his riches as are bees to their honeycombs”.³ He is said to have rewarded their service to him with drinking-cups and mixing bowls.⁴ They also had a legendary reputation as drinkers; and ancient archaeological digs of Cretan settlements among the Philistines have revealed a large number of wine cups and beer mugs.⁵

Now; people who live in a cultural environment like that certainly needed to hear about Jesus! And praise God—the gospel did, indeed, come to the people of Crete; and many people believed on Jesus, and many churches were formed. But it was just such a cultural environment that moved Paul to urge Titus to establish godly, biblical leaders over those churches; because the pressure on the believers there would have been tremendous to conform to the very worst aspects of the Cretan culture—and thus bring dishonor to the gospel that they preached!

And let’s not forget the tremendous pressure applied to you and me with respect to the very worst aspects of our own surrounding culture! Let’s not forget that the ungodly world around us is constantly seeking to make us conform to its priorities and values and sinful ways of living!

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So; that’s the cultural situation in which the ancient churches in Crete existed. And it’s not hard to see the danger such churches faced in such an environment—and how easy it would have been for false teachers to spread their doctrines within them because of it!

Now; the enemy of our souls is sly. He will certainly, if he can, seek to cause God’s people to turn from a life of personal holiness and to embrace the sinful aspects of the culture around it. And sadly, he is very often successful in that tactic. But I believe that, very often, he seeks to ensnare God’s people through their over-reaction to the sinful aspects of the culture around them—and to trap them, in the other direction, through legalism.

I believe that this is one of the temptations that the devil was bringing upon the churches in Crete. You’ll notice, in verse 10, that Paul refers to the false teachers as of the “circumcision”—that is, those who were of strong commitments to Judaism that were seeking to bring non-Jewish Christians under the yoke of the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament.

I believe you can see hints of this in Paul’s letter to Timothy, and under a similar situation. Paul had written to Timothy; saying,

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust (1 Timothy 1:3-11).

False teachers were creeping into the church and trying to bring Christians—not into sinful practices—but rather under restrictive rules and regulations because of the sinful practices of those around them. In 1 Timothy 4:1-5, Paul warned;

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:1-5).

If the devil can get you and me to seek God’s acceptance on the basis of following all the religious rules and regulations of men, then he’s successfully gotten us to quit trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice to make us holy in God’s sight. I believe this is why Paul says what he says in verses 15-16;

To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work (Titus 1:15-16).

I really don’t believe the devil cares one little bit how he goes about it. If he can draw us away from Jesus and destroy our testimony through getting us wrapped up in sinful practices and worldly habits, he will. If he can draw us away from Jesus and destroy our testimony by bringing us under the burden of legalistic, man-made religious rules and regulations, he’s willing to do that too. It doesn’t matter to him how he gets it done—just so long as the result is that we’re not walking in dependent fellowship with Jesus any longer, and are spoiling our testimony for the liberating power of the gospel as a result.

And this brings us, next, to consider Paul’s exhortation to Titus of . . .

2. THE PRESCRIBED SOLUTION (v. 13b).

Paul, having affirmed that the evaluation of Epimenides of the Cretans was “true”; then goes on to say, “Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” Paul wanted Titus to set up godly leaders in the church who would know the word of God well, and who would be able to exhort the people of God resolutely to soundness in the faith.

When Paul speaks of rebuking the people “sharply”, I don’t take that to mean that a pastor should be shouting at people and shaking his finger at them. He wrote to Timothy that

. . . a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correction those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

But I do believe he means for the pastor to be resolute in his biblical exhortation of God’s people, uncompromising in his rebuke, and very clear about what needs to be done. The word that Paul uses—here translated “sharply”—is one that comes from putting two words together; the preposition “for”, and the word for “to cut”. Thus, to rebuke “sharply” is to rebuke—not by screaming and shouting at someone harshly, but rather, in such a way as that people make a clear brake from something and sever themselves completely from it. It’s certainly a matter of rebuking someone earnestly; but even more, rebuking in a decisive manner that brings about the good of the one being rebuked. It has a good, positive objective in mind. Paul used this same word in 2 Corinthians 13:10; when he wrote, “Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction.”

* * * * * * * * * *

The goal of such a rebuke was so that the people of God would be “sound in the faith”—that is, that they would believe rightly upon, and live faithfully according to, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul wanted good, godly leadership to be established over the churches in Crete; so those pastors would be faithful to open the word of God to the people and “rebuke them sharply”; so that they would be sound in the faith.

And this leads us, finally, to . .

3. THE DESIRED OUTCOME (v. 14).

Paul says that ‘soundness of faith’ means “not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.”

Paul was not speaking wrongly of his own kinsmen, the Jews. He was, after all, a Jew himself. He loved his kinsmen according to the flesh deeply. But he had no toleration for the “myths” and “fables” that even his kinsmen developed to offer as alternatives to a simple, sole faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

And neither did he have any toleration for “the commandments of men”—that is, spiritual rules and regulations created by men who have rejected the truth of the gospel. In Colossians 2:16-23, he wrote;

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh (Colossians 2:16-23; emph. added).

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Dear brothers and sisters; you have been redeemed by Christ alone; and you are complete in Him! It’s the task of the leadership of the church to faithfully instruct you to not let yourself become conformed to the negative, sinful aspects of the culture around us—neither in the form of embracing its sinful practices, nor in the form of placing yourself under its Christ-rejecting, pseudo-spiritual, man-made religious rules and regulations.

As the writer of Hebrews says, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).

Pray for me, and for the leaders of the church, that we will faithfully do our job.

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¹See Diogenes Laertius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Book 1.

²The few lines that have survived from this poem, portions of which are quoted in Acts 17:28 and Titus 1:12, read as follows:

“They fashioned a tomb for thee, O holy and high one—
The Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies!
But thou art not dead; thou livest and abidest forever,
For in thee we live and move and have our being.”

³Plutarch; cited in William Hendrickson, Exposition of The Pastoral Epistles (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1957), p. 354.

⁴Ibid.

⁵Werner Keller, William Niel, trans., The Bible as History, 2nd Revised Ed. (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1981), p. 180.