TITUS SERIES: SETTING THE CHURCH IN ORDER

• Core Message: The health of a church depends on a strong foundation in the gospel. Right belief (grace and truth) must lead to transformed living.
• Big Idea: “The gospel doesn’t just change what we believe—it changes who we become.”
• Titus 1:1-4 (NLT) 1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. 3 And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him. 4 I am writing to Titus, my true son in the faith that we share. Mayooooo God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace.
• Context of Titus
  • Author: Apostle Paul, seasoned leader who endured hardship but remained gospel focused.
  • Recipient: Titus, a trusted, faithful leader sent to fix struggling churches.
  • Setting: Crete, a morally corrupt culture influencing the church.
  • Mission: Restore order—appoint leaders, correct false teaching, and promote godly living.

• Through all the wounds, disappointments, and betrayals, Paul never lost sight of what mattered most: intimacy with Christ and the mission of the gospel.
• Whenever a church was in trouble, Paul sent Titus.

Why It Matters Today

• Modern culture mirrors Crete:
  • Truth is questioned.
  • Morality is blurred.
  • Churches can drift into imbalance (truth without grace, or grace without truth).
• Titus calls the church back to clarity, structure, and spiritual maturity.

• God’s Saving Grace: Salvation comes by grace, not effort.
• Sound Doctrine: What we believe shapes how we live.

“How we understand the person and character of God the Father affects every aspect of our lives… His holy character has something to say about economics, politics, athletics, romance – everything with which we are involved.” RC Sproul, “The Holiness of God”

• Godly Living: Genuine faith produces visible transformation.
• Example: Like a blueprint for a building, doctrine provides structure, and godly living is the visible result.
• One of the dominant phrases throughout the letter is “good deeds.”
• Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 

Titus 1:1–4 Key Points

• 1. Authority of the Messenger
  • Paul is both a servant (fully surrendered) and an apostle (divinely sent).
  • Leadership in God’s kingdom begins with humility, not status.
  • Matthew 20:26 “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”

• 2. Purpose of the Gospel Ministry
  • Produces faith (God brings salvation).
  • Produces knowledge of truth (deep understanding).
  • Produces godliness (changed lives).
  • Faith is the doorway into salvation, the gospel must be proclaimed or preached so that people may believe, but Paul also reminds us that salvation ultimately belongs to God.

• 3. Promise Behind the Gospel
  • Titus 1:2 “This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began.”
  • Eternal life is certain, not wishful thinking.
  • Biblical hope is not uncertainty. In today’s modern language, hope often means wishful thinking. But in Scripture, hope means confident expectation.
  • God never lies; His promises are secure.
  • Salvation was planned before creation.

• 4. Proclamation of the Gospel
  • Titus 1:3 “And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.”
  • God chose preaching as the primary method.
  • The message is entrusted, not to be altered.
  • God chose proclamation, the gospel is a message, and messages must be declared.

• 5. Grace and Peace
  • Grace: Receiving what we don’t deserve.
  • Peace: Result of being reconciled with God.
  • Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve. Then Peace is the result of our reconciliation with God. Grace produces peace, because of God’s grace in Christ, sinners are forgiven. Because we are forgiven, we are reconciled, and because we are reconciled, we experience peace with God.

• A healthy church is built on truth, not trends.
• Leadership must be rooted in surrender to God.
• Doctrine and lifestyle are inseparable.
• The gospel must remain central for the church to endure.

Paul lays the foundation for everything that follows in this letter and he does this

As the church we must never forget this foundation, the mission of the church is not programs, it is not popularity, and it is not cultural relevance.

The mission of the church back in Crete and still today is to proclaim the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.

When the gospel remains central, the church remains strong.

Central Challenge

• “Are we becoming the kind of people the gospel is meant to produce?”
• Paul lays the foundation for everything that follows in this letter and he does this

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I come before You today recognizing that I need You. I confess that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. Thank You for loving me and for sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins and to rise again so that I could have new life.

Today, I place my faith in Jesus alone. I turn away from my sin and surrender my life to You. Be my Savior and my Lord. Change my heart, renew my mind, and help me to live a life that honors You.

Thank You for Your grace that I do not deserve and for the promise of eternal life. From this day forward, I choose to follow You. In Jesus’ name.

Amen

Señor Jesús, admito que soy un pecador. Sé que el castigo por mi pecado es la muerte física, espiritual y eterna. Reconozco que no puedo hacer nada con respecto a mi situación. Pero yo sé que viniste a pagar el castigo por mi pecado. Confío solo en Ti como Aquel que murió en mi lugar. Me arrepiento de mi pecado y confío en Ti como el único que puede ponerme en una relación eterna con el Dios vivo. Deseo ser Tu hijo. Deseo vivir como Tu hijo. En tu nombre. Amén.

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