The Word of God is clear not only about authorities in general but also about the authority that God has vested in the Church. Paul exhorts Titus as a minister of the Gospel to exercise his God-given authority and to let no one despise him.

The grace of God is the foundation of spiritual life – past, present, and future. This, by no means, implies the modern notion of letting go and letting God. On the contrary, the grace of God appears training us in righteousness.

The exhortations Paul gives in Titus 2 are not simply a list of commands that we are to put into practice. Rather they are descriptions of the type of people the grace of God is in the business of creating. God is working these things out among His people; it is His power at work; it is not a matter of human striving and determination but of God’s working and striving.

The Word of God is very clear that the world is a place with authority structures that have been put in place by God Himself; it is also clear that we are called upon as His people to submit to those authorities he has placed over us.

That Christian women may be as stately pillars, fit for the temple of God.

That Christian men may be as sailors, equipped with sea-legs, to endure the tossing and turning of the sea.

Paul’s exhortations to various members of the Cretan community begin with Titus as the leader of that community and call him to live an exemplary life before the people of God.

Paul urges Titus to appoint elders in the churches because of the very real danger posed to households by false teachers. We must learn to recognize and deal with such false teachers using biblical wisdom.

Having learned in the previous sermons what the offices in the church are and what type of man is called to serve in the office of elder, we are now in a position to learn why the elder board exists. What is the calling placed on elders in their position?What is their purpose?