1.  The beginning of any venture requires an almost absolute purity. It could be a nation, an organization, a business, a ministry like a church plant or a new movement. There is nothing more important than everyone being on the same page and agreed about the basics. There is room for mistakes and room for errors. There is even room for some kinds of sins. We see that when we read that the prostitute Rahab was not only saved but welcomed into the community of Israel. You can imagine what it would have been like if Joshua had been told that every single sin in the camp had to be…

1. The people have crossed and it could not be better for them given the morale of the Canaanites. “Now when all the Amorite Kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts sank and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.” Where have we read that before? Just earlier, when the two spies had gone into the land and stayed with Rahab she told them that “a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country…

1. Forty years ago, Moses sent spies into Canaan and you remember their report? “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large…The land we explored devours those living in it…We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Only two of those spies disagreed and are here alive today – Caleb and Joshua. The other ten died with the generation wandering in the desert. In fact, forty years after that first inspection Joshua sent two spies into the…

1.  Begin with reality. Max DePree, the former CEO of Herman Miller and author of “Leadership Is An Art” has said many times that a leader’s first responsibility is to define reality. He is right. Have you seen the picture of the bicycle that was left leaning against a tree in Washington State and, decades later, it had become part of the tree and was in the trunk seven feet off the ground. When problems are unaddressed or change is resisted organizations can become like that. We simply work around things over time. Most unreality starts with the leadership not accepting change. The auto industry is a good example. RIM/Blackberry…

In the 1970’s, Dr. Francis Schaeffer, the founder of L’Abris, produced a ten part film series titled “How Should We Then Live?” If Paul picked a title for the lesson this morning it would be this question. For it is a recurring theme not only in these chapters but in the entire book of Titus. All through the letter to Titus is the counsel to focus his teaching and preaching on encouraging people not only to believe correctly but to live good lives. In fact, in one form or another he mentions this six times. “Live godly lives; be eager to do what is good; devote yourselves to doing good,…

Last week we looked at what Paul wrote to Titus about the ever present threat of false teachers. We finished with concluding that while there are many defenses against false teaching the best antidote is true teaching. If all you do is react against their sometimes subtle and often blatant distortions of the truth you will find yourselves caught up in their nets. So, Paul begins this chapter with the best antidote possible to lies and that is “teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.” 1.  Sound means healthy and the word here is one we see often in Paul’s letter to Titus. Some have said that Timothy may…

1. Last week we looked at the personal qualities who disqualifies themselves from Christian leadership. Remember the list? Obstinate Angry Lack of self-control An abuser Greedy But, we also looked at the list of the personal qualities of one who is qualified for Christian leadership: Hospitable Loves the good in everything Prudent Respectful and Reverent Decent Self-mastery Able to correct another This morning we are looking at people who plagued Paul wherever he went and for his entire ministry as well as the ministries of those who followed after him. Paul and his disciples were not only persecuted by authorities and Jewish leaders in cities where he established churches. He…

1. Even though it is Paul’s shortest and most personal letter with none of the theology or doctrine we have come to expect in his writings it, from my perspective, has more about the personality of Paul concentrated in one place than any of his letters. It is here that we see what a master of persuasion he is without being a manipulator. He clearly knows those to whom he writes and their love for each other. Like his letter to the church at Philippi he is loving and grateful for their love and support for him. Like his challenge to the Christians at Rome he talks straight about what…

Billy Graham used to say he preached with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Given what we read in the newspapers today it is so tempting to put names to people that Jude leaves nameless – but obvious. I suppose in every era we could do that but since he doesn’t, I won’t either – as much as I would like to do that! Before we jump into the book and discover what Jude means by “contending for the faith” I think it is important to realize there are two book-ends that hold everything together here. They are what give the book consistency and give…

1.  Peter understands the importance of reminding people. As we said last week, most people don’t need instructing as much as they need reminding. This is the basis of natural law. We assume people are born with a basic sense of right and wrong. Paul even talks in Romans about the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish Law but they do “by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.”…