Sermon Tone Analysis

*Looking for a Few Godly Men in God’s Word (Titus 1:9)*

/Preached by Pastor Phil Layton at Gold Country Baptist Church on June 8, 2008/

www.goldcountrybaptist.org

Our theme for three weeks now has been the few good men God is looking for to lead His soldiers, the few /godly/ men that the Scripture refers to as elders or overseers or pastors.

These men do not have different *requirements* of character, or a higher “*rank*” or superiority, but there is a higher *responsibility* and a different *role*: leading and feeding, the oversight of shepherds, who must not only tenderly and loving lead and guide the flock, but who must also be willing to use the rod and the staff.

These men must drive away whatever threatens the flock from the inside or outside.

Titus 1:9 says this of the man of God, the elder, he must be:

*holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

(NASB)* \\ \\

The Reformer Martin Luther said: “A preacher must be both shepherd and soldier.

He must nourish, defend, and teach; he must … be able to … fight.”

/That’s the clear message of Titus 1:9./

 

/And that’s the clear example of our Lord.

Turn to Revelation 19/

 

The imagery of soldiers, and armies, and warriors is an image that begins in the first scroll of Scripture written by Moses and continues until the final scroll of Revelation.

The first time the word “warrior” appears in the Bible, we read in Exodus 15:3

“the *LORD is a warrior*, the LORD is his name.

Pharaoh’s chariots and his *army* He has cast into the sea”

 

Psalm 24:8 (NASB95) “Who is the King of glory?

The Lord *strong and mighty*, The *Lord mighty in battle*.”

This is how Jesus is described in Isaiah 42:13:

“The Lord will go forth *like a warrior*, He will arouse /His /zeal *like a man of war*.

He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise *a war cry*.

He will prevail against His enemies.”

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, *A victorious warrior*”

 

This is the image we are to look forward to seeing of Jesus when He comes again, not this time as “gentle Jesus, meek and mild” or the sanitized safe picture we have of Jesus – Rev. 19:11 says He comes glorious and victorious and valiant as an invincible warrior on a white horse with His mighty army and He “makes war”:

 

14 And the *armies which are in heaven*, clothed in fine linen, white /and /clean, were following Him on white horses.

15 From His mouth comes *a sharp sword*, so that with it He may *strike down* the nations, and *He will rule them with a rod of iron*; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

… 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and *their armies* assembled to make *war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army*.

20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

21 And *the rest were killed with the sword* which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Why am I beginning our message in Revelation 19, when our passage in Titus 1 doesn’t seem to have much to do with the Second Coming?

I’m concerned many have a wrong or low or incomplete view of who God is, and as a result, we have an inadequate view of what it means to be a man or woman of God.

Why is it important we know Jesus is a mighty soldier, a warrior-commander who goes to battle?

Because He’s our Commander whose orders we must follow and it’s important we know that although Jesus was meek and calls us to be meek, that doesn’t mean /weak/ - we must remember He’s always been a /warrior/.

-         He is merciful AND mighty.

Both lamb and lion of Judah.

-         He came the first time more as a Servant and as a Shepherd, but He comes again especially as Sovereign Master of the Universe before whom all will bow.

-         He was Kind, but He was and is the King of Kings.

-         He is loving to all His children (and even extends long-suffering to enemies to repent), but He’s also Lord of Lords

-         He is a patient gracious forgiving Savior, but for those who have not bowed to Him before that day, He comes treading the fury of the fierce wrath of the Almighty for all unrepentant sinners in the hands of an angry God.

This aspect of our Lord is not emphasized enough in the modern church’s sentimental or superficial or shallow views of our Lord, but Christ the Man, as fully God, is also a warrior.

And those who are Christ-like will join in fighting the good fight, keeping the faith as Paul says.

We serve meekly, but not weakly.

God is not looking for wimps (there’s plenty out there).

He’s looking for warriors, spiritual ones, prayer warriors, and shepherds as well as soldiers.

The Bible calls us to stand firm in this war, to be strong in the Scriptures.

Christ calls all His saints to go to battle spiritually, with weapons that have divine power to demolish strongholds of our spiritual adversary.

We are to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ our Commander.

Christianity is not a playground, it’s a battleground.

We are to put to death, not our physical enemies, but to put to death our own sinful lusts, we are to mortify the enemy within.

We are are called more than conquerors through Him who loved us so.

And our passage in Titus 1 describes the few good men, the few godly men our Lord calls to lead by example in the Lord’s army, to lead the charge, which all soldiers are to follow.

-         No retreat, no surrender, no defection, no turning back

-         Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war

-         These few, the humble, God’s spiritual marines, these few men the text calls elders or overseers, are to wield the sword of the Lord, which is the Word of God.

-         To keep their weapon in the scabbard while the battle is raging would be treason.

In fact, Titus 1 (as we’ve been seeing the last two weeks) gives several areas where if these men fail seriously and repeatedly in their duty, it can lead to a dishonorable discharge.

-         These elders must be soldiers who /hold fast/ to the Sword of Scripture and who /handle properly/ the Sword, in our day of spiritual warfare against the Word of God and the church of our Lord.

But it’s not for them only; they are to lead by example in the Lord’s army of how we ALL should aspire to handle the Word.

Elders teach, they equip, they lead the charge, but all soldiers (all of you) are to follow in the fight

Just to review the context briefly, Paul is writing to Titus who he left on the island of Crete, and v. 5 says there are some things in the church that need to be set in order.

First and foremost and the focus of chapter 1 is getting a few godly soldiers called elders or shepherds leading and feeding each church.

His recruits must be:

/Verse 6 – Be Faithful in the Home/

/Verse 7 – Be Free from Vices/

/Verse 8 – Be Following after Virtues /(that’s all review)

/Verse 9 – Be Firm in the Word           /

 

How is a man of God to stand firm and be strong in the Word in the midst of a spiritual warfare zone like Crete (or California)?

*I.

**HOLDING FIRM TO BIBLICAL DOCTRINE*

* *

Look at the text of verse 9 again:

*holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching*

 

That word translated “teaching” in verse 9 (or some Bibles render it as what “has been taught”) is the word that the KJV translates as “doctrine” all 29 of the other times it occurs.

Doctrine or teaching consistent with the faithful Word or message must be held fast.

Several translations use the word “firm” for this grip on the Word and doctrine - “he must hold firmly” or “a firm grasp of the word”

 

This word for “hold” has the sense of cleaving to, strongly adhering to, or holding firmly to God’s faithful word.

It can express a strong attachment to someone or something with devotion or an ardent, loving loyalty, an unwavering commitment.

This word only occurs one other time with this sense in the N.T., when Jesus says (Mt 6:24, Lk 16:13):

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or *he will hold to* *(cleave to, holding firmly to, devoted to)* one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and mammon.

The OT equivalent is used when our LORD says about Job:

"there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil.

And *he still holds fast* his integrity, although you [Satan] incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause."

(Job 2:3)

 

How could Job hold fast under such spiritual warfare?

Job says:

"I have *not departed from the command* of His lips; I have *treasured the words* of His mouth more than my necessary food."

(Job 23:12)

 

Job held fast to his integrity because he held fast to the trustworthy word of God [treasuring it and desiring it more than his food] and so too must those who feed God's flock from God’s truth.

The Civil War General Ulysees S. Grant said.

‘Hold fast to the Bible as the … anchor of our liberties; write its precepts on your hearts and practise them in your lives.

To the influence of this book we are indebted for the progress made in true civilization, and to this we must look for our guide in the future.’

The church’s shepherds and teachers must (and all of you must)  continue to cling tenaciously and uncompromisingly to the faithful Word even in the face of opposition and the temptation to abandon it for something more "palatable" or "ear tickling" (2 Tim 4:3-4).[1]

Acts 2:42 tells us that right after the church was born on Pentecost, all the believers were “*continually devoting themselves* to the doctrine of the apostles” – similar word and concept, to adhere and attach themselves with strength, even in the face of opposition

Titus 1:9 uses this word “hold fast” implying sense of opposition.

The soldier of God must cling to the sword of Scripture, adhere as if glued firmly to and so to hold on tightly and tenaciously.

2 Samuel 23:9 And after him was Eleazar … one of *the three mighty men with David* when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and *the men of Israel had retreated.*

\\ 2 Samuel 23:10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and *his hand stuck to the sword*.