Hebrews 1:8-14 - All Praise for the Divine Son!

Hebrews 1:8-14

8 But to the Son He says:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

10 And:
“You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

11 They will perish, but You remain;
And they will all grow old like a garment;
12 Like a cloak You will fold them up,
And they will be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not fail.”

13 But to which of the angels has He ever said:
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”?

14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

This praise for the divine Son of God continues as He is described as the far greater than mere created angels.  The Son of God reigns on the throne of the universe whose kingdom this all is!  He is holy and righteous altogether and therefore hates sin and the disobedience of lawlessness.  He is anointed (the meaning of the title Christ) by God His Father (Isaiah 61:1-3) according to the promise to the House of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6, 33:15-16) as the long awaited Messiah.  To this same Son the LORD spoke creation into existence (Genesis 1:1, John 1:3, Colossians 1:15-16) and therefore it belongs to Him to rule sovereignly over.  We are the work of His hands and our purpose and design is to thankfully serve and follow Him in response to His grace and love for us.  This entire world and surrounding universe of countless stars and galaxies will all be rolled up (Isaiah 34:4, Matthew 24:29, 2 Peter 3:10, 13, Revelation 6:14) and done away with in the end and we will all be forced to face Him with accountability for our acceptance or rejection of the Son of God (John 12:48) and His gospel of hope.  This eternal Son of God sent by the Father of all creation never changes because He is God in the flesh come to rescue us from sin’s penalty which we all have earned as sons of Adam (Romans 3:23, 5:12, 17) by inheritance at birth.  He rules at the right hand of the Father in authority and power over us all while He sends angels to minister to we who are called to inherit salvation from this penalty of our sin.  They do not have the power or authority to do what only God is able to and therefore Jesus Christ is no mere created being as an angel but the eternally existing Son of the Most High and Almighty LORD God who reigns in heaven on high.  Do we acknowledge and serve Him with our lives as willing sacrifices (Romans 12:1) of worship?  

Hebrews 1:1-7 - The Divine Son Revealed

Hebrews 1:1-7

God’s Supreme Revelation (John 1:1–4)

1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

The Son Exalted Above Angels

5 For to which of the angels did He ever say:
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”?

And again:

“I will be to Him a Father,
And He shall be to Me a Son”?

6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

7 And of the angels He says:
“Who makes His angels spirits
And His ministers a flame of fire.”

God revealed Himself in His Son, the divine Jesus Christ.  These truths of His identity and work to bring salvation through the cross of substitutionary atonement to pay for our sins are now revealed in God’s Word come to us (John 1:1, 14) to see for ourselves and to be further explained here.  No longer do we need the prophets of old to hide the mystery of the Messiah in veiled statements that applied to both the historical and national state of Israel, but also of the future Deliverer as the Branch of the house of David to bring the physical human person of the divine Jesus Christ as Messiah to all the children of Abraham through faith alone in Christ alone by grace and nothing else.  Now God the Father has spoken clearly on most points  to us through His Son and given His Spirit as spiritual interpreter and teacher (John 14:26) those who repent from sin to turn in accepting (John 1:12) faith to Him.  The Son is the heavenly heir of all things in heaven and on earth, of the entire universe of creation.  Through Him all has been created (Genesis 1:1, John 1:3, Colossians 1:16-17) as the Living Word of God who Himself is the very image and substance of God, the express image (χαρακτήρ, charaktēr, the exact figure stamped to be seen as the same as the original) of the nature of God yet in a separate person of equal divinity.  This person shows us the infinite brightness of the glory of God in the person of His Son come to live among us as Immanuel (Matthew 1:23), “God with us.”  This Savior holds up everything by the power of His word because He is the Word of God incarnate who has purged us of our sins once and for all to give unending life in Himself, impossible to be lost or taken away or even forfeited by us.  He proved and sealed this promise by rising from death to life as proof of our own resurrection in the spirit now (John 5:24) and the body at the end of time (John 11:25, Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53).  He is no mere created being as an angel, but the divine God Himself, for no fallible creature can redeem His creation by dying as a completely perfect and unblemished sacrifice as the Lamb of God alone could do.  No created angel was ever called the Son of God whose Father was the Almighty in Heaven.  The faithful angels worship the Son of God and the fallen angels fear Him even thought they know Him (James 2:19, Jude 1:6) because they cannot repent and be delivered from an eternal death of suffering as we who had a choice in Eden’s Garden had to trust and obey God.  These angelic creatures then were merely God’s servants to minister the message of the Messiah and wage heavenly warfare against the rebels until they are thrown into the lake of fire, forevermore to be kept from deceiving and destroying (Revelation 12:9, 17) God’s children.  We who have believed God and received the Lord Jesus Christ (John 20:31, 1 John 5:13) through the gospel of His reconciling work on the cross and proven in the resurrection have this certain hope that brought us past the veil (Hebrews 10:19-20) and into Christ who lives in us.  The mystery of old is revealed (Ephesians 1:9, 3:9, Colossians 1:27) in Him, for the divine Son has come and been revealed to His children, called and chosen! 

Philemon 1:8-25 - Forgiveness and Freedom

Philemon 1:8-25

The Plea for Onesimus

8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ— 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, 11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.

12 I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. 14 But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary.

15 For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

Philemon’s Obedience Encouraged

17 If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me. 18 But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing with my own hand. I will repay—not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides. 20 Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord.

21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 But, meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you.

Farewell

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers.

25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

The plea for forgiveness from one once a slave of sin to the owner of a slave set free in Christ is the uplifting account here.  Forgiveness and freedom are foremost a spiritual issue as Paul explains and appeals to his brother Philemon on behalf of the converted slave Onesimus who heard the gospel through the apostle and was then seen as his son because he was the spiritual offspring of him.  Do we treat the disciples we make as our own children like Paul the aged one did, or do we just point him to Christ and neglect the rest of the great commission and take time to teach them all things (Matthew 28:20) that we were taught?  Paul labored in love over each one (1 Corinthians 4:17, Philippians 2:22) as if a natural father to them to ensure they grew up well from milk to solid food (Hebrews 5:12-13) and encouraged them to yearn for the word of God (1 Peter 2:2-3) as a way of life to continue their sanctifying spiritual growth.  He therefore wrote to Philemon, the owner of Onesimus, with his concerns and desires for this new brother in Christ as a prisoner of Jesus Christ and a slave to His righteousness.  Evidently, Paul had borne witness of the gospel to the runaway slave Onesimus while in prison (perhaps whom he had encountered while in jail himself) and the man came through repentance and faith to salvation there in Paul’s care.  He pointed out to Philemon that though this slave seemed unprofitable by escaping, as a fellow brother and believer in Christ he was coming back as a most profitable man for both Paul and Philemon in the Lord by Paul sending him while remaining a slave himself for Christ’s sake.  He pleaded therefore that the master would see the new birth of freedom in Christ and receive the man back to serve in the gospel with him instead of punishing or keeping him as a mere house slave after this wonderful work of God in him.  Paul sent him as a gift of his heart for this new child of the Lord and pleaded for his acceptance with open arms, willingly and joyfully.  Paul pointed out that this appeared to be God’s providential work to allow Onesimus to escape to be found forever in the Lord Jesus that he might return to Philemon as a beloved brother for both spiritual and other gain.  He asked for the child of God to be accepted back as if Paul himself was coming to stay as an equal and servant of the Lord and not mere help.  The apostle reminded him that he owed his own life to him and to therefore treat this man the same.  This acceptance would then give Paul refreshing joy.  This letter then was a hope of acceptance by love as the slave was accepted in Christ by grace and returned to serve the Lord together and not under compulsion anymore.  Paul then asked for a room for himself as he planned to come out of prison himself and come to stay with Philemon soon.  He ended this magnificent plea with greetings from other brothers in the Lord, both prisoners and co-laborers in the gospel of Jesus Christ who sets men free (John 8:36)!  This is the plea for us to do likewise with grace and forgiveness as we minister to one another and make disciples wherever we find ourselves, knowing that we are the Lord’s (1 Corinthians 7:22, Ephesians 6:6-8) willing slaves.  This is forgiveness that sets men free, an example of Forgiveness and Freedom for us to set men and women free through the gospel and receive them as brethren no matter their station in life. 

Philemon 1:1-7 - A Prisoner’s Joy

Philemon 1:1-7

Greeting

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, 2 to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon’s Love and Faith

4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, 5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

Here is a prisoner’s joy being expressed as a prayer of thankfulness for God’s grace in himself and in others.  Paul considered himself a prisoner of Christ and in Christ, and this seems to be written from Paul’s first Roman Imprisonment as Colossians 4:7-17 indicates.  This means the prisoner in Christ has two meanings; first, that Paul was imprisoned for Christ and His gospel, and second, that Paul felt he was captured by the love and grace of Christ to suffer willingly for His sake and could go nowhere else as a sort of metaphor for imprisonment in a good sense. He and Timothy wrote this letter to Philemon as a much loved friend and co-laborer in the gospel and to the two brothers in whose house was a church.  He prayed peace and peace onto these men in their common Lord Jesus Christ with an outpouring of thanksgiving for their lives displaying their own love and faith for the Lord and others there as they did share their faith in Christ.  The apostle prayed that this testimony would be empowered by their lives to become effective for the kingdom of God to salvation for all who heard and believed (Romans 1:16, Ephesians 4:16) as they loved what they spoke and taught and demonstrated it with their manner of life (2 Timothy 3:10).  Because of the witness of their lives, Paul rejoiced for and with them and wrote to acknowledge them.  He specifically stated that they had refreshed the hearts of many of God’s saints in Christ by the outworking of their sincere love in Jesus Christ their Lord.  May we so love and pray to encourage others in the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord as well to share a prisoner’s joy! 

Titus 3:9-15 - Rejection and Acceptance

Titus 3:9-15

Avoid Dissension

9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.

Final Messages

12 When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey with haste, that they may lack nothing. 14 And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.

Farewell

15 All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with you all. Amen.

We are called to reject that which is unnecessarily divisive and unproductive to spiritual well-being.  We are called to accept others in the Lord in fellowship to help them and to do good for them.  Some things to reject include these in verses 9-10; we are to refuse to engage in foolish arguments and tracing of familial roots to prove worthiness.  This was primarily with the Jewish leftover habit to prove who was of what lineage of a certain tribe to show how important or spiritual they were, just as some do today in physical and national genealogical pursuits.  This is mentioned because of the pride it engenders instead of the inheritance in Christ which is of the new Adam and not down the ages from the old Adam who left us a legacy of inherited sin.  The genealogy of Jesus Christ is an exception because it proved He was the promised Messiah as the Branch of King David as promised.  We are not Him and have nothing to prove that is profitable or useful.  This also includes striving about points of the Law or even scripture in general at the expense of fellowship or witness to the grace of gods in the gospel.  So we are to avoid unnecessary wrangling over doctrine by genealogies, arguments, and heated disagreements.  The correct approach is reasoning over the scriptures as we speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and persuade (Acts 17:17, 24:25, 28:23, 24-25) with the aid of God’s Spirit guiding our tongues (James 3:1-3) and emotions.  Those who continue to argue and cause disruptions to divide God’s people and their constructive fellowship (Hebrews 10:24-25) are to be rejected from the gathering together that they do not spoil the body with their warped sinful beliefs and intentions.  These condemn themselves as it is written here and are not to be allowed to damage others with them in this divisive behavior, but avoided or put out of the church if they do not repent and will not be restored to godly fellowship.  Who we are to accept are those like Artemas and Tychicus who labor with us in the gospel or Zenas and Apollos who Paul instructed Titus to help in return for their like-minded labor in the gospel.  The ruling principle is to teach others to keep up good and godly works that are pleasing to the Lord and spiritually beneficial to one another in the church.  This includes meeting urgent needs of the flock with unselfish humility and congenial care for their affairs.  May we do so that we also can greet each other with the right hand of fellowship (Galatians 2:9) as we love one another in actions and words without useless division over arguments of our pride to prove ourselves.  This is our guide for acceptance and rejection according to scripture in the body, the church, by our approach with godliness and not of our fallen nature. 

Titus 3:1-8 - Subject to Grace

Titus 3:1-8

Graces of the Heirs of Grace

1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 

4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

If we claim to have believed and received Christ as our Lord and Savior, then we must carefully pursue doing the good works which God has prepared for us (Matthew 5:16, Ephesians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 15:58, Colossians 1:10) before we entered this world and certainly before we entered into His grace in this new life by His calling.   This means being subject in this grace to those put in authority over us.  We are not to live in disobedience or hate of these rulers, but are to speak well of our leaders or not at all if all we can do is malign them and bring disgrace on our Lord by our bad works.  We are called to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) with gentleness and humility as we recall our own past apart from Christ’s grace that trans us from being like those we now would criticize and judge; they have their judge (John 12:48, Romans 14:4, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, James 4:11) and it is not us.  God and His word are our judges.  Humility should stop our mouths from verbally judging and condemning others, especially those put over us to govern.  We should rather pray for them that they might know that Jesus has died to deliver them as well.  We are therefore to not unearth the old hate and foolish sinful practices we have been delivered out of.  When we meditate on the kindness of God our Savior and His righteousness imputed to we who have none of our own, then we see the mercy of grace which we are subject to and can subject ourselves under the rulers He has put over us for divine sovereign purposes.  By His mercy God has washed us clean from the stain of sin on our souls and regenerated us into new creatures (Galatians 2:20) by the wonderful work of His Spirit!  This Spirit God has lavishly poured out on we sinners in Christ to justify us by the free gift of grace has make us heirs of guaranteed life forever spent with Him and assured us of this inheritance inn his righteousness alone.  Because we know these truths, we should be motivated not by fear of losing what we cannot, but by the thankful boundless joy of salvation to do the good works prepared for us as outlined in scripture that validates them.  This is the eternal profit of our inheritance to do good because of the unmerited good done for us in Christ as we are subject to grace to serve! 

Titus 2:1-15 - Sober, Righteous, and Godly Living

Titus 2:1-15

Qualities of a Sound Church

1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: 2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

6 Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

9 Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

Trained by Saving Grace

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

We are called to live lives that are sober, righteous, and godly.  This means having a sound mind that is self-controlled and sensible according to scripture and not society or worldly philosophy of the times.  To live righteously means we are to be upright and just or fair in dealing with others and not slanderous or irreverent in word and action.  Then to live godly means these things and more, imitating Christ and those who follow Him as our examples of acting and thinking as the Lord does with God-fearing piety as we aim to imitate Him.  Sound doctrine then is speaking with these character traits in mind as we are self-controlled in lives lived in worship as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-12) with reverence for God in all we think, say, and do in love.  This also means we live by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) and not by what we see those around us do which contradicts scripture as we patiently endure all things (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4) in following Christ as we have been called to do.  We are to teach this doctrine to other disciples of Christ as Lord in the respective roles we find ourselves in by God’s design to not malign His name as we seek to live lives worthy (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12) of our calling.  If we then pattern our lives after God’s word then this pattern of good works, which is a result of our salvation and not the basis of it, will show others how to worship and honor our Lord in turn.  Both our words and lives are discipleship tools given for us to wield with fearful awe of the responsibility entrusted to us by the Lord Jesus Christ.  We live our doctrine of integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, and sound speech to put to shame the slanderers who falsely accuse us of ungodliness when we live and speak rightly and righteously while we hold fast these words of life (2 Thessalonians 2:15, Philippians 2:14-16) to hold out and offer to others.  We serve to be well-pleasing slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18, 22-23) with spiritual fidelity to the doctrine we have learned to honor and glorify God with lives reflecting Him as we strive to be holy as He is (1 Peter 1:16) as ambassadors of the gospel we bring.  This is what God’s grace brings to us, salvation that leads to denial of ungodliness and worldly desires (1 John 2:15-17) as we seek to please God for this free gift of life earned by Jesus Christ on the cross for us.  This is why we are called to live lives that are sober, righteous, and godly as we await His return and hear, “well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21).”  We certainly do wait anxiously for His glorious return which is our certain hope which drives the way we live until that time.  We remember and ruminate over why He came and died for us to redeem us from our hopeless state under the penalty of our sin and strive zealously to put to death all remaining sin in ourselves (Romans 8:13) as we allow Him to purify us as His called and chosen people, the children of God in Christ which is the mystery of the ages (Romans 16:25, 1 Corinthians 2:7, 10, Ephesians 1:9, 3:8-9, Colossians 1:26-27) revealed to us in His work of redeeming grace!  Let us then respond with lives that willingly live soberly, righteously, and godly for His glory and our good and speak them to other believers as we have been entrusted to do (Matthew 28:20) in making followers of Jesus Christ. 

Titus 1:10-16 - Elders Keep the Body Healthy

Titus 1:10-16

The Elders’ Task

10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. 

12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. 

15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

Elders are appointed over the flock to use God’s word in grace and firm love to correct those sheep who wander off as a good shepherd does with faithful watchcare.  Sometimes they also need to use the staff of church discipline when the defiant roam about the flock with the aim to disrupt with false and empty talk which word is used to describe idolaters here in a with deceitful manner with the in to scatter the sheep just to promote themselves and gain by dishonesty.  They lie to their advantage to gain position or outward appearance or even monetarily.  The Judaizers were such a group in the time of Titus who used religion to divert the flock from the truths of the gospel as revealed in Jesus Christ and the message of grace over works.  These people were out to protect their position of power over the people with religious constraints as they spoke empty words to draw sheep out of the truth and into the deception of their subversive stories.  Paul command that elders should be keepers of the flock and stop such talk of false teachings.  The example of those who maligned Cretans as evil and lazy liars proved the empty rhetoric of these wolves among the flock and how they needed to be sharply corrected that they turn back and then adhere to sound teaching according to scripture for the good of all the flock.  Even now there are some who intertwine fables with truth from dubious and non-biblical sources, often pointing the blearing sheep to parrot their tall tales and return to earning God’s favor as they wander off from the grace of Christ.  The bottom line seems to be found in the last two verses of this chapter.  Purity is a matter of a cleansed heart (Romans 2:28-29, Philippians 3:3, Colossians 2:11) that acknowledges the truth while a defiled one refuses to believe the truth proclaimed in scripture because those with this mindset have only a verbal confession of Christ but lack a cleansed heart and conscience bathed in grace.  Such deceivers only deceive themselves and others (2 Timothy 3:13) because they cannot comprehend grace apart from their own efforts and so their works only end up exposing their denial of Christ’s work and disqualify themselves in their sinful words and behavior.  Good works should be based on the grace In Christ and His work in us and according to the teachings of the Bible, not extrabibical tales that scatter the faithful.  This is accomplished within the flock under the guidance of the elders who know the scriptures and can minister them to the church under the authority and wisdom of the great Shepherd of the sheep (Hebrews 13:20) who makes us complete and completely acceptable in Himself, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Elders then as under-shepherds are tasked to keep the body healthy with sound doctrine as the foundation for the flock to stand on as they graze on truth and grace in the peace of salvation in Christ’s work. 

Titus 1:1-9 - Elders Minister God’s Promised Word

Titus 1:1-9

Greeting

1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, 3 but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;

4 To Titus, a true son in our common faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

Qualified Elders

5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

Paul was a special minister of God’s word, the gospel, along with the rest of the twelve as eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ our Savior.  These apostles appointed elders (bishops, overseers) to oversee the continuation of the teaching of the church as Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:20) in the process of making His disciples.  This charge was based on God’s eternal promise and sovereign plan to give certain people the faith to understand and repent of their sinful rebellion against His word and to acknowledge the truth that leads to the godliness found in Christ’s righteousness and not our own.  We agree with God that our calling is based on the Son’s work and righteousness and receive Him and His word worked for us by faith as we trust in Him alone and not our efforts to earn salvation or a place with our God in heaven.  This message of hope is the good news of God’s grace in Christ which had been laid out before time and the universe of all creation was started.  It has now been revealed and the mystery of Christ in us (Colossians 1:27) is told through preaching and teaching by those who are gifted to do so, first the prophets of old, then the apostles commanded to explain it all by the Savior, and now overseers as under-shepherds appointed in local churches to continue teaching the established truths unveiled to us through them.  This is done with the hope of promised eternal life in and with our Lord Jesus Christ the Son and our Father in heaven as testified to us by the presence and witness of His Spirit now living in every saint of God, each made holy in Christ as chosen and called to do and to be in His holiness which we are unable to work our way to obtain apart from Him.  Such was the testimony of Paul to Titus here who was reminded of these foundational truths and given grace, mercy, and peace with God in our Father and in the Lord Jesus the Christ who saves us from the wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 1:10) on sin to come at the day of final judgment on the world who reject Him and His gospel (John 12:48, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10).  For this reason, it is written, we are to be appointing overseers to keep the flock in order to follow Christ as we are called to, but with wisely chosen men of tested and proven faith who are able to serve the Lord and the sheep wisely and faithfully.  These servant qualities and qualifications are measures of comprehending the teachings of Christ by application in their own lives that they may be good stewards of the word over the flock and able to guide them into the guiding and corrective principles of the word of God as in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and other places, especially when the young converts argue against the principles of scripture.  This means these elders need a firm grasp of God’s word to teach them with patience, humility, and authority.  May all who are so called be faithful and hold fast to the doctrine of Christ and may all under their guidance take heed and willingly submit to the word of God as ministered to them with honor and obedience (Hebrews 13:7-9, 17, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 1 Timothy 5:17) as the scriptures tell us.  Remember that these elders are shepherds given to guide and protect us (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-2) as they minister God’s word faithfully to us. Elders are appointed over us in the church to Minister God’s Promised Word for our good and Gods glory.  May we follow Him in them together. 

2 Timothy 4:9-22 - Forsaken but Not Abandoned!

2 Timothy 4:9-22

The Abandoned Apostle

9 Be diligent to come to me quickly; 10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. 12 And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.

14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. 15 You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.

16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.

The Lord Is Faithful

17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!

Come Before Winter

19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick.

21 Do your utmost to come before winter.

Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren.

Farewell

22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.

Paul the aged (Philemon 1:9) apostle ends this personal letter to his disciple whom he saw as a son in the faith with final words of hope.  He mentions many by name who have forsaken and left him but points out faith Luke as having stood by him still and not forsaken him.  He also warned Timothy of one who was violently opposed to the gospel and to steer clear of him who did such harm and likely was still intent on doing so to hinder the proclamation and ministry of the gospel as all minions of the adversary (Revelation 12:17) are committed to do.  We see one example of loving the world more than the Lord and His work in the man Demas, as well as several others who also forsook the faithful apostle and Luke to go elsewhere.  One other, Tychicus, he sent to Ephesus to likely minister to the church there.  He asked Timothy when he came to Paul to bring Mark who had previously left him but had reconciled later with him (Acts 15:37-38, Colossians 4:10) as well.  We find that disagreements can be reconciled but a lack of commitment cannot endure for the long haul in service to the Lord as some had forsaken the Lord and His servant while others had not abandoned either, just as we are forsaken by men but never abandoned (Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5-6) by the Lord.  We know that those who harm us do harm the gospel of the Lord and will be repaid for the evil they do by the Lord and not by us; it is never our task to enact vengeance, for that enforcement of divine justice belongs to the Lord alone (Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30-31).  Above all, we should not wish ill will on any who abandon and forsake the work of God which we are engaged in as Paul wrote here in verse 16 with forgiveness and grace.  May we do likewise according to this godly example, for we know and are convinced that the Lord will never abandon or forsake us, but strengthen and empower us to the end that we may finish the work prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10) to complete just as He promised to complete the work of sanctification (Philippians 1:6) in us.  We then use Paul’s words as our compass, “the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever.”  Let us there greet and encourage one another until the work is done and He returns.  We truly are forsaken by some but not abandoned by God!  Amen. 

2 Timothy 4:1-8 - Preach the Word!

2 Timothy 4:1-8

1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Timothy was urged, even commanded, by the apostle Paul to preach the word of God the Father and of Jesus Christ His Son.  He will judge the world in righteousness (Psalm 9:8, 98:9, Acts 17:31) at His return before gathering we the wheat into His eternal barn of New Jerusalem.  Since we know these things will certainly come to pass, how can we not proclaim the gospel of grace that delivers from so great an eternal death (2 Corinthians 1:10) of fearful unending torment (1 John 4:18)?  Surely God has called and chosen the ones He is drawing to Himself apart from our efforts, yet He commands us to be part of the calling as He draws men and women out of the darkness into His marvelous light of forgiveness based on Christ’s work of grace alone to deliver them!  Because we know our part in this salvation of others, we proclaim His gospel from the whole counsel of God’s Word at every available opportunity as we aim to explain God’s plan and work from the beginning of time which had been hidden until His Son came among us as Immanuel and reason from the scriptures () to all who will hear as we challenge them to see their sin and accountability to their Creator and teach them the necessity of turning from their sin to Him who died in their place to set them free at last.  Yes, we suffer in the world as the adversary and reluctant people kick against the goads of the Spirit’s conviction of their conscience but we persist in the face of opposition because we know that the stakes are eternal and our knowledge of who He is calling is veiled.  The charge to us is as to Timothy, to always be ready to explain the gospel especially as we see so many false religions and teachings passing as Christian wolves in outward appearance as sheep that they might have their eyes and ears opened to follow the Shepherd of their souls (1 Peter 2:25) into peace with God once and forever.  So many choose teachers that pander to their comfort and desires or who make their feeble efforts seem to earn the right to justify themselves to God, yet we have come to know that only through Jesus Christ is there truth.  All else is a fable meant to give empty comfort and keep the truth at bay from what we say as God has revealed the mystery (Romans 16:25, 1 Corinthians 2:7, Ephesians 3:9, 6:19, Colossians 1:26-27, 1 Timothy 3:16) of His salvation in Christ to us.  Knowing the battle for the souls of men and women, we are called to watch and pray while we suffer opposition to bear witness of God’s work in His Son that they may believe and receive Him to be reconciled with God in the only way possible (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).  We should be ready and willing to pour out our temporal lives for this work as we fight the good fight for those He is calling and run the race for the prize of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3: ) to be crowned in eternity with His righteousness, that of the Judge of all who rewards all who look forward to His coming for the final judgment to end evil and the presence of sin and bring the consummation of all things to bear on all creation for His glory and our good!  If we truly love and yearn for His appearing, we also will preach the word as faithful Timothy has given us example. 

2 Timothy 3:10-17 - Sound Doctrine, Sound Living

2 Timothy 3:10-17

The Man of God and the Word of God

10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Timothy was a faithful disciple who imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1) as demonstrated in the life of Paul the apostle before his watchful eyes as he ministered the gospel with him.  This man set the example for us to follow just as he did with his mentor so that we find and serve with another older in the faith to learn biblical doctrine and how to live it out faithfully to the Lord.  We also learn to imitate the purpose of serving Christ in the gospel and those we make disciples of ourselves (2 Timothy 2:2) as we learn vibrant faith and patience in suffering adversity and health issues as we love others unconditionally while refusing to give up the work for the gospel because the lives of souls and God’s glory are at stake.  We learn through afflictions that the Lord does deliver us through the persecution and trouble as we remain faithful to Him and the good works we have been created and called (Ephesians 2:10) to do.  We are assured that suffering is part and parcel of following Christ if we do so in a godly manner of faithfulness.  All who desire to rightly live for Him will absolutely suffer some sort of affliction to some degree, some more than others.  We are not promised a safe life and pleasant circumstances and are certainly not promised to be kept from suffering for living godly lives.  Quote the contrary; we suffer (Romans 8:17, Philippians 1:29) because our Lord suffered, and we are no better than He to expect anything less.  The false teaching that we are to have happy lives based on health, wealth, and trouble-free circumstances is unbiblical and harmful to our spiritual health which is eternally more important than the temporal physical.  Those who teach otherwise are promoting evil instead of good and are deceiving those who buy into self-serving teachings.  We are reminded to join Timothy in learning the truths of scripture and living them out with complete assurance and confidence in the verity of the tried and proven doctrine according to scripture by the faithful teaching of true Christ followers who discipled us.  We acknowledge that all of scripture from Genesis to Revelation is breathed out by God who moved godly men to write down His words to us for life and godliness.  His word keeps us on track though sound doctrine, alerting us when we stray form it, correcting us when we realize our errors and turn to follow rightly once more, and to learn the true living righteousness in Christ.  This is how we become all we should be as Christ followers and obtain all we need to serve in the good works sovereignly prepared for us by the Lord before our feet even left the womb and walked this earth.  These instructions and exhortations are to make us men and women of God according to the word of the Lord given us to follow sound doctrine that enables sound living for His glory, honor, and praise.  If we have based our lives on sound doctrine then we have sound godly living as a result.