Sermon - Advent Midweek 1 - 2021 - Titus 1

14th Century Icon of Titus from Kosovo

Crete, like most countries, had problems. St. Paul even quoted a famous Creten poet from the 6th century BC, saying: “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” Paul, speaking in the Holy Spirit, confirmed that “This testimony is true.” 

Not only did the Island of Crete have problems as a whole, but the fledgling Christian church had issues as well. “There are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.” These were Christians who believed that it was necessary to follow the Old Testament Jewish levitical laws, such as dietary restrictions and circumcision.

In response to this problem, St. Paul put St. Titus in charge of the churches on Crete. Titus was a Greek convert to Christianity, and was held in high opinion by Paul. Titus was there at the Jerusalem council when the early church confessed that Jesus had fulfilled the old testament levitical laws and that those Jewish restrictions weren’t necessary for Christian living. Therefore Titus was well suited to put the churches in order on Crete and fight against the Circumcision Party.

How did St. Paul intend to resolve these issues? Through preaching! Titus was to appoint pastors in every town. Paul lists the qualifications necessary to be a pastor, but among the qualifications the most significant one is the last one listed: “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” The problems of Crete were to be resolved by the word of God. Likewise today, the troubles of this world are to be resolved by the true, pure teaching of God’s Word.

Now we may not be Cretans with their precise problems, but we do have our own sets of issues today. Apparently Cretans had troubles with lying, being evil beasts to each other, and lazy gluttony. As Americans, like the Cretans, we too have problems with gluttony. Our gluttony is related to our hedonism, where life is all about pleasure and comfort. This hedonistic lifestyle causes us to despise suffering and pain, so much so that we become murderous towards those who are either suffering or preventing our pleasure. Physican Assisted Suicide is being legalized across the country and the abortion of babies has been legal for decades. Moreover, we have a strong anti-authoritarian streak, which lends us towards chaos and treating others with disrespect and rudeness. On top of those things, we have for a long time now been confused about the roles and distinctions between men and women, so much so that now many young people don’t even know if they’re boys or girls.

We have problems! Not just our country at large, but many of these problems plague us in the church in different ways. Our love of pleasure and hatred of pain has changed preaching, the liturgy, and the life of the church. Our confusion about the distinctions between men and women has influenced many of our practices. Our anti-authoritarianism has pushed us away from listening and respecting God and His spokesmen. We have problems, but now the challenge for us is to address those problems.

We may at times wonder what we’re going to do today to fix our problems. It’s often suggested that we play politics, or that we just elect the right people and change the right laws, but that’s rarely helped us in recent decades. It’s often suggested that we rebrand or refocus, but that’s just conceding failure and succumbing to the culture. The solution is simple, maybe not easy, but it is simple; the troubles of this world are to be resolved by the true, pure teaching of God’s Word.

The preaching of God’s Word was enough for Paul, Titus, and the Cretans, and it’s sufficient for us too. As Christians we are servants of God; for what purpose? “For the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth… in hope of eternal life, which God... manifested in His Word.” God has sent His Word to us for the sake of our faith and our knowledge of the truth. What truth? The truth of the hope of eternal life! How do we know this truth? Through His Word. 

God’s Word changes the world. That’s a fact. The evildoers in this world are empty talkers and deceivers. They talk a whole lot, they have the appearance of godliness, but ultimately they don’t bring you God’s Word and they even lie, therefore they’re empty talkers and deceivers. Those people must be silenced, we must stop up our ears to their lies because their lies can shipwreck the faith of entire households. When they’re silenced, God’s Word must be heard, and His Word will change lives.

To give an example of what kind of change the Word of God can have upon the world, just look at us sitting here. God’s word has changed our lives and filled us with the hope of eternal life! All of us are here on a weeknight, by choice, because God’s Word has changed our lives. All of us are living proof that the Word of God can change lives!

When you’re faced with the evils in this world, you don’t have to just sit and wring your hands in misery, groaning and complaining about how bad things are. Instead, turn to the Word of God. Apply God’s Word to the evils around you. Particularly, apply God’s Word to the problems closest to you, because those are the issues that you can actually fix. Before you even start in your own household, start in your own heart. Rebuke your own heart sharply so that you may be sound in the faith. Diligently apply God’s Word to your own heart so that His Word can change you.

Once your own heart has been changed, apply the Word to your household and your closest neighbors. Probably that’s as far as you’ll ever get in this life, and that’s okay. Because if the Word of God rules over each of our households, then combined God’s Word will have changed the world.