Beacon Sunday Service: February 23, 2025

Go ahead and uh stand back up with me. And I'm gonna read today's passage, which is Titus chapter 2, verses 7 to 8. Titus chapter 2, verses 7 to 8, and it reads, in all things, show yourself to be a model of good works, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in word, which is inappropriate irreproachable, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. Let's pray together. Father, we pray for just your help to understand these words. I pray, Father, that you would really feed your sheep and help us really to live and move with great conviction, with great passion and love, with great humility, that you would use us as your light, as reflections of the glory of Christ and the beauty of Christ, and would you continue to grow and advance your kingdom in the way that you best see fit?

So we pray that today's message really would contribute just to this building, and I equip your saints with your word. Amen. So in the first century, those who believed in Jesus were a minority fringe group of society, and so for most of the early days in the church, they were known as the followers of the way, and that's what they called themselves. And then the world around them gave them the name Christian. And the term Christian literally meant little Christ, and it was a laughable label. It was a label that was intended to insult, offend, and mock. And for much of the first century, Christians were a very misunderstood and a very mistreated group of people. And so they were very easy targets for all kinds of derision, all kinds of hatred.

And they were the often the scapegoats to society's woes. And Jesus had told them on numerous occasions that this would happen. So this wasn't something that was alarming to those in the church. And Matthew chapter 10, verses 21 to 22 reads, brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all because of my name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. So Jesus had been hated, he had been rejected, and it is after all the very nature of darkness to hate the light.

So the world hated Christ, so it cannot but hate all of his replicas, his little Christs as well. And that's the logic that Jesus had communicated to his disciples as he foretold of his death. Okay. So John 15, 18 to 20 reads, If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you a slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. So in context, what was happening in this early church? Why were these little Christs so misunderstood and mistreated?

Why were they so despised? And they were despised first for what they believed, and then they were despised for what people falsely thought they believed. So first, Christians were monotheists, meaning they believed in only one God. And then the Gentile world around them was almost universally polytheistic. So the belief that there is only one God who was a creator of everything and only one God deserving of all worship, that was very backward, bizarre, narrow-minded, and absurd. So it was laughable. And it was also treasonous and revolutionary. Because the emperor was to be esteemed as a God. So understandably, Christians were despised by the Gentiles and by most all polytheists. Now the Jews, who were monotheists themselves, also despised these little Christs.

The Jews believed that Christians were heretics and blasphemers. The Christians were preaching that the long-awaited Messiah had already come in the person of Jesus. And so the Christians were preaching that Jesus was the only way to be restored to God, but they had rejected and killed him. So the Jews had murdered their own Messiah on the cross like a vile criminal. So what was also super offensive to the Jews was that now in Christ, the heathen, barbaric gentiles were on spiritually equal footing with the Jews, the chosen peaceful people of God, and their oppressors, who were idolaters and dirty pork eaters, they would not be subject to them as they had thought. But the Gentiles would be their brothers and their co-heirs.

So Gentiles too could and would be descendants of Abraham. And so Christians were also saying that the keeping of the law can no longer save you. Sacred acts like circumcision no longer had any value. So the Christian message was extremely offensive to the Jews. And the Jews persecuted the Christians, and they were emboldened in doing so because they thought that they were doing God a favor. So this is also what Jesus had foretold would happen.

But an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. So Christians were despised by the gentle Gentile world because of their monotheism. Christians were despised by the Jews because of their views on circumcision, the law, the identity of Jesus. So first, Christians were despised because of what they believed. But second, they were despised because of what people incorrectly thought that Christians believed. They were despised because of misconceptions and then the misunderstandings that the world had of Christians. So remember, they were a small but growing fringe group, and church gatherings at the time were extremely exclusive. Believers were members of the ecclesia, those who had been called out from the world.

And then until a person repented of his sins, professed faith in Christ, and then was baptized, he was not allowed into the ecclesia and into the sacred gatherings of the church. So that because the groups of the group's exclusive nature, there were rumblings and murmurs amongst those of the world as to what took place when these guys gathered. Christians are weirdos. So what's going on in there? Some believed that Christians engage in homosexuality. Since they exercised brotherly love toward one another, they thought that Philadelphia, brotherly love, was code for homosexual practices. Some believed that Christians engaged in cannibalism because whenever they gathered together, they ate of flesh and drank of blood.

So we're gonna be potentially cannibalistic today. There were also suspicions that Christians were plotting a rebellion. Christians wouldn't participate in all the national festivals, since those festivals usually involved some kind of idolatry or sacrifice to idols. So because of this, some people held to the notion that Christians were very unpatriotic. Christians did not worship the emperor as God, and they spoke of a different kingdom and a king who was above Caesar. And because of their unwillingness to acknowledge Caesar as Lord, it was assumed that Christians were irresponsible citizens, who refused to pay taxes, and ultimately who were plotting to overthrow the Roman government. So Christians were seen as hostile to Rome, as hostile to all things civil, as a threat to human progress.

And by law, if you held such a position, that was regarded as treason. And the Christians were often accused of treason, and they were jailed and punished for treason. They were accused of being, and the Greek word is kakopoyom, evildoers. And so at the height of the persecution, the apostle Peter wrote the following to the believers in Asia. By keeping your conduct excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing which they slander you as evildoers, they may, because of your good works, as they observed them, glorify God in the day of visitation. So be subject for the sake of the Lord to every human institution, whether to a king as a one in authority. So early Christians were hated because of what they believed, as well as things people assumed they believed.

And they were persecuted and they were often the scapegoats for things that went wrong in society. And they were despised and they were hated from all sides, all the nations. And what was both shocking and alarming to the world around them was that this little fringe group kept growing. No matter what abuse was heaped on them, these little Christs kept multiplying. So more and more were people were turning to Christ, even at the risk of imprisonment, torture, and death. So Acts chapter 11, verses 19 to 21. So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that had occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except the Jews alone.

But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus, and the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. So a large number believed and turned to the Lord at Antioch, and this was such a strange thing that took place here. They were a growing threat.

So then just a few verses later in chapter 12, we have the account of Herod executing the Apostle James, and for the next several decades of persecution of Christians amped up in the Greco-Roman world. And then there was an official government-sanctioned persecution in 64 AD under Emperor Nero. So more Christians were arrested, tortured, crucified, thrown to the animals for sport in the Colosseums. They were hoisted on these giant stakes, and they were set on fire as human light poles to line up the streets of Rome. And the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul were both likely executed in this wave of persecutions in 64 AD. So for much of the first century, those who were part of the church of Jesus Christ, they were under a lot of duress.

You can imagine this, right? And their responses did vary to just degree. They were filled with joy and they continued to preach the gospel and to make disciples. But understandably, the amping up the house, the amping up of the hostilities, caused many to fall away. So persecution, it tipped the scales and caused some to abandon the faith and then to go back to pursuing the world, 1 John 2.19. Some people like Demas decided Jesus is not worth all of this.

And Demas wasn't the only one. Many close to the Apostle Paul, they all scattered and they deserted him. So 2 Timothy is a very lonely letter. And many people, when abandoning and walking away from the faith, rarely do so quietly, right? They leave bashing the faith, bashing Christians, and cursing God. Why? Because you have to justify what you do. And human beings are experts at justifying everything they do wrong and then vilifying everybody else. That's just hardwired in us. So during this time, the pressure from the Jews was very strong on Christians. And in the following decades, there would be a revitalized push for the adherence to the Mosaic law and for things like circumcision. And the Jews and the Judaizers, they wanted these rebellious, ignorant, dumb Christians to conform.

And Paul wrote extensively that Christians were never to return to enslavement under the law. And that's what Galatians is about. He wrote that these Judaizers who are pushing for you to return back to Judaism, ultimately are doing so because they're cowardly and blind, and they want to avoid being persecuted, and that's Galatians 6.12. As many as are wanting to make a good showing in the flesh, these are trying to compel you to be circumcised. Why? So that they won't be persecuted for the cross of Christ. So Satan has always preyed upon man's desire to fit in and to be accepted. Man, nobody likes to be on the outside. Okay. So it's no surprise there was constant pressure for people to conform.

There was persecution, a ton of pressure, and over the next several decades, many drifted back towards Judaism. They weren't abandoning Christianity altogether.

You're less hated when you blend in.

Hostilities and persecutions were amping up. There were opponents persecuting believers from outside the church, but there were also many opponents, many false brothers who had sneaked into the churches of God, who are also opposing and attacking the church from within. And these guys were like cancers in the church, looking to ruin people's faith. So Titus chapter 11, these guys were upsetting whole families, entire church clusters, teaching things they should not teach. So these opponents, these false brothers, these rebellious men, Paul wrote, these dudes have to be silenced. And Titus chapter 2 contained many instructions on how to go about silencing such men. So chapter 2, it contained instructions on how the older men of the church, we covered that a couple weeks back, the younger men of the church, how the women of the church, how the leadership of the church, how Christian slaves, everybody was to silence and put to shame all opponents.

So I'm gonna read the passage again. In all things, show yourself to be a model of good works, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in word, which is irreproachable, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. So this is the default strategy for the silencing of opponents. And the word for opponent here is not necessarily like in reference to an enemy.

It's more general than specific.

Ha ex anantias. So this is a more broad and inclusive word. This is simply referring to anyone standing on the other side, on the opposite of believers of sound doctrine. So this included the hostile persecutor, this included the false teacher, this included the deceived churchgoer, this included the accusers and the apostate, but this also included the friendly family member or the friend who simply didn't share the faith. So it's a pretty broad, inclusive word. So basically meant anyone who is in the wrong, that's the opponent. So here's the default-based strategy in silencing all people who are of the contrary. Jesus had taught this default strategy, Matthew 5.16. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Paul exhorted this: never pay back evil for evil to anyone, respecting what is good in the sight of all men, if possible, so far as it depends on you, being at peace with all men. So in verse 21 of verse Romans 12, Paul even went as far to say, overcome, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. So the strategy for the Christian is never to fight fire with fire, but to fight fire with fire thou seeing love.

Be subject for the sake of the Lord to every human institution, whether to a king or a president, as the one in authority. So hopefully the context of this helps make things more sense to you. But let's continue to read. Verse 14 to 16, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do not do good. For such is the will of God, that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish men, act as free people, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as slaves of God. So here, okay, what is the will of God for the believer in this life? It is not God's will to remove all evildoers out of your life. Amen.

Every person that has ever injured you, caused you harm, persecuted you, slandered you, or even greatly violated or abused you, has been ordained there by God, whose will is perfect, whose will is good, who makes no mistakes. Every person.

They are there on purpose in your life, so that you would silence them for the glory of God, not for anything vindictive, not for the sake of revenge or payback, nor for any personal gain, but in the hope that they too would see your God-honoring response, and perhaps through you be restored to God. So God is glorified even through the silencing of any and every opponent in the life of the Christian. So the desired outcome is to silence and put to shame every opponent, whether he is outside the church or somehow he has sneaked into the church. How? What's the default strategy? And Paul writes to Titus by modeling good works. Okay, so even in times of injustice and unjust suffering, sometimes even in the face of unrighteousness and abusive suffering, the apostle Paul continues, or Apostle Peter continues.

Servants, be subjects to your masters with all fear, and this is fear of God, not the fear of man. Not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are crooked. Now people start feeling comfortable when they read this passage. For this finds favor if for the sake of conscience towards God, a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unrighteously. For what credit is there if when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure. But if when you do good and suffer for it and you endure, this finds favor with God. This is a nice verse until you're suffering. Right? You're like, no, not in this case. This is not a little toothache. This is suffering, right? This is not a call for universal pacifism.

This is not a call to always submit yourself to real and legitimate abuse. This is not a call for Christians to submit at all times to every master, to every government office, every abusive situation in the name of Christ. Okay. So this is the general. Wisdom is needed in the specific. Are you guys following? This is for the general. Wisdom is for the specific. I've actually heard of delicate situations where this section of 1 Peter had been used to exhort wives that were abused and their children who are also being abused to return and submit to their abusive husbands. So there needs to be wisdom exercise in extreme cases like this. Right? So many situations call for case by case like wise and prudent discretion.

So this is not a call for a Christian to be a universal doormat. Okay. So, and it's also not a call to stand by passively while laws are being passed on behalf of evil. And especially as believers living in a democracy, we can push for changes of laws, right? We can combat different abuses. Amen. But in the what we have to remember is that the Christian's goal is not to make this cursed world a better place. Are you guys following? That's not the Christian goal. In the order of priorities, the proclamation of the gospel always comes before we push for any kind of social or judicial change. We cannot ever legislate sin out of a human heart. We can curb the abuses, we can't legislate it out of the human heart.

We cannot legislate sin out of society. God has to intervene. True change always comes through changed people. And people are only changed when they encounter the gospel of Jesus Christ. So in carrying the gospel to the dark places in the world, Christians will likely suffer. So Christians knowingly will submit to abuse for the sake of the gospel, not for the sake of furthering enabling somebody's sin. You need to make that distinction, right? I will gladly, not gladly, I will endure suffering with perseverance for the gospel's sake. I'm not going to endure suffering just for the sake of letting that person enjoy his sin. Okay, you're you're following the reasoning, right? So this is the general.

We need wise counsel in the case of this specific. So here's the point of today's passage. Opponents are many. They are outside the church. They are inside the church. At times they are hostile and abusive. At times, Satan will plant a friendly church person inside a church to destroy the church by attrition, like a cancer. But at all times and in all things, every Christian, especially those in any kind of influence like Titus, is to have the default setting of the modeling of good works. So how do we put to shame all opponents by modeling good works? And here's a visual of today's passage. So hopefully this helps you see Paul's line of thought a little bit more clearly. Okay. The words in all things actually goes with the instructions that were given to the younger men in verse 6.

But no big deal, it doesn't really change the meaning of either verse 6 or 7. But the younger, so the younger men would be sensible in all things. The show is directed specifically to Titus himself, but generally to all believers and especially to those who are in any kind of leadership. So what does it mean to be a model of good works? First, Titus was exhorted to model good works by purity of doctrine. Basically, the opponents are silenced by the content of the Christian's belief. Okay. So basically, the operative word here is not doctrine. Are you guys following? The word that's operative here is purity. More than any kind of verbal profession or any kind of signature on a doctrinal statement, what you actually and what you really believe is lived out visibly in your life.

Amen.

So here's a question. Do you believe that God is sovereign? Does that belief show? Do you believe that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil? Why do you believe it? Oh, well, it says in 1 Timothy 6. Okay, do you believe that the money, love of money is a root of all kinds of evil? Amen. But does that belief show?

Do you believe that we're supposed to love our enemies and to bless those who curse us? Do you believe it? And if you believe it, does that belief show? Do you believe that Jesus is Lord? He is worthy of all of our allegiance. You are not your own, you were bought out of price. Amen. So he is to be honored in all that you do, amen. Especially in your free time. Does that belief show? Or is your free time your own? That's what you actually believe. The operative word is purity there. Purity in doctrine is not accuracy in doctrine. It is consistency in how that doctrine is lived out. Are you guys tracking with this? Second, Titus was exhorted to model good works through his display. Okay? Through his being dignified.

And this was a quality that was also written about for older Christian men in the church in chapter 2, verse 3. But Paul repeats it here. Literally, the word dignified is semnas. It means seriousness. So this is like a bit broader and more general, but Christians were supposed to live in a way that commands respect from people. Not through a tone of speech, but through the respectability of life, through grace and consideration, through a gentlemanliness, through a gentle womanliness. Live out what you believe, but live it out in a manner that is warm, gracious, that is humble, meek, like who? Like the Lord. So you can accurately believe, okay? Is the wrath of God coming? You can accurately believe that.

And you can passionately live out that belief that all unbelievers are destined for eternity in hell. Do you believe this? That's good. But that belief, if you really believe it, will cause you to live with a sense of urgency to get the message of the gospel out. But being dignified in that belief means that you're gonna approach a hellbound person with urgency and with conviction, yes, but with a great posture of humility and love. Not with like a self-righteous tone of anger or like manipulative threat. If you don't do this, you're gonna go to hell. That is not dignified. We don't go on the street corner and we scream, turn or burn, you're going to hell, turn or burn. That's passionate. It's not inaccurate.

That's not what we do. We go to the sinner with tears in our eyes because we've prayed for them and we plead with them. Please be made right before God. There's no other name outside of Jesus in whose name we can be saved. There's no other way. Third, Titus is exhorted to model good works through being sound in word. If you guys are using any translation aside from the LSP, it actually reads sound in speech. So the LSB is not necessarily wrong in this, it's a different take on it, because the grammatical construction of this phrase is a little awkward. It literally reads, healthy in instruction. Or healthy in directions. Okay. So this is in reference to the sound of argument and flow of thought in the information that is being presented.

Make sense? What is being said here is you're speaking with clarity and meaning. Know your content. Interesting, huh? Greek scholar William Mounts, he wrote this may refer to a healthy, persuasive, well thought out and attractively delivered presentation of the Christian gospel. So basically, Titus was to present and articulate well what he believed. That's what's meant by sound and word. So this is the default strategy. Okay? In all things, show yourself to be a model of good works with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in word, which is irreproachable, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. Or in summary, by early church father and archbishop of Constantinople, John Chrysostom, this is what he says.

Let the luster of thy life be a common school of instruction, a pattern of virtue to all, because the heathen cannot see our faith. They ought to see our works, then hear our doctrine, and then be converted. So why do we employ this kind of strategy? So those on the opposite, the opponent, those on the contrary, that they would be put to shame. So who are the opponents specific to Titus' context? They are opponents from the outside. Jews, unbelieving Gentiles. They were opponents from the inside. False teachers who claim to know God, but by their deeds they deny him. And then factious and rebellious people who somehow found their way into the church, but are not any more Christian than anybody else.

And the goal, the so that is to put them to shame. So the goal of our lives is to put all non-Christians to shame. Amen. Now some people might get excited about that. Yeah, let me put, let me put these foos to shame. But let me explain something here. Okay. There's a subtle difference between shaming someone and putting someone to shame. Make sense? Shaming someone, putting someone to shame. The shaming of a person is rooted in the desire for a person's harm. Harm to his reputation, harm to his dignity. That's a desire to shame. Putting someone to shame is rooted in a desire to silence something being spoken that is incorrect or false. Shaming is punitive. You want the destruction and the punishment of this person.

Putting to shame is corrective. Shaming seeks to tear down. Putting to shame seeks to always get to a building up. The motivation behind shaming is pride, self-righteousness. The motivation on putting to shame is love. So love was always the motivation Paul had in combating his opponents. And we see this in his exhortation to Timothy, chapter one, verse three to five. As I exhorted you when going to Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, so that you may command certain ones not to teach a different doctrine, nor to pay attention to myths, endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation, grow like cancer, rather than furthering the stewardship from God, which is by faith. But the goal of our command is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and an unhypocritical faith.

It didn't matter that these certain ones, they were stubborn, they were foolish, they're arrogant. They had even shipwrecked their own faith. If you just keep reading in chapter one.

Amen.

While we were cursing him, he laid down his rights, whatever glory was due, and he gave himself for us, and he calls us to do the same. So here's some questions. Who are the opponents that are in your life? Try to think a few. Who are the opponents in your life? If you're thinking of a brother or sister in Christ, that individual is not an opponent. You are not on the contrary with that person. Your immaturities or his or her immaturities, or both, likely are in need of some repentance and some adjustment.

But another Christian is never your opponent. Amen.

No genuine Christian is your opponent in the context of this passage. The opponent is the person standing on the contrary to you. It doesn't matter whether they're hostile to you and heaping abuse on you. It could be a best friend that you love. That person is an opponent.

He is an opponent nonetheless.

So here's that question. Around and toward that opponent, is your doctrine pure? Not just accurate, but unhypocritical and pure. How are you living out your belief in the light of that opponent? They are watching you. Are you living out your beliefs with grace and dignity with warmth and love? Or are you the one in the way? What a shame. If you're the reason, they can't believe in the same God. Not because of doctrinal things, but because you're mean. You're a gossiper. How are you doing in your presentation of the gospel? Do you know how to share the gospel clearly?

Or is it come to my church so that my pastor can preach the gospel to you? That's flattering. That's not evangelism. Come to church is not evangelism. Come to this cafe night that we have. Come to our softball tournament where a bunch of churches are getting together. That is not evangelism. It's friendly invitation. But are you able to clearly articulate and respond and answer hard questions with humility and grace, but with clarity and conviction? So are you sound in word? And then how are you doing in your love for that opponent? So I'm going to close with a quote from Paul Washer. All your reform theology and good doctrine will be annulled if you do not outlove those who oppose you.

Powerful quote. All your reform theology and good doctrine will be annulled if you do not outlove those who oppose you.

No other reason. Who is your opponent? Are you a model of good works to that person? Or are you an obstruction to their coming to the faith? They're very like heavy stuff. Let us put all of our opponents to shame. Amen. To the glory of God, not to the glorification of ourselves. When we engage non-Christians, we don't engage them to be proven right. We engage them because we've all been proven wrong. And we need Christ.

And there will be seasons where persecutions and abuse are heaped on you. There are seasons where we're misunderstood, where we're hated, not only because of what we believe, but what people think we believe.

But we are to always love all opponents. And remember that the opponent is never in the church as a Christian. They might be a goat in the Christian or in the church, but a Christian, you're always united with them. They're never on the other side. So important things to remember.

And before we take communion, um, just I'm gonna just ask you to just reflect. How are you doing? And if you say, I'm not doing well, well, the communion table is for you if you're a Christian. And if you're like, ah, I'm doing well. May the Lord remind you that you're only doing well by his grace as you take of his cup and of his bread. So let me pray for us. Father, we pray that you would just continue to sharpen not only our theology, but our practice. Help us to offer up our lives as a pleasing sacrifice and as an aroma to the person of Christ. And as we take of just the communion, help us not to do it as a religious formality, but help us to really appreciate that all of our restoration, all of our being made whole and being made new, it's all possible because Lord, you are broken, beaten.

Your blood was shed on our behalf. Help us never to take that for granted. Lord, we believe. Help our unbelief. And would you be honored and magnified just in our lives and in this church? Pray this in Jesus' name. So go ahead and uh when you're ready, come up and grab the both uh bread and the cup. Um it's the pieces of bread, so you have to you're gonna have to grab the bread and the cup. Um and I'm gonna just have you hold on to it and wait.