16.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• An overseer must be holy. (This is the fifth qualification that is found only in Titus 1:5-9.)
• To be “holy” is to be pure and devoted to God.
• God made us his holy nation, and now we must walk in holiness.
• To walk and grow in holiness, we need the example of holy leaders.
• Holiness makes us humble, loving, and joyful like Jesus.
• An overseer must be disciplined. (This is the sixth qualification that is found only in Titus 1:5-9.)
• To be “disciplined” is to be strong from within,
• so that you can say “No” to your own passions and desires.
• A disciplined person controls his own bodily desires, to the glory of God.
• We grow in holiness and discipline through day-to-day obedience.

16.2 Titus 1:7-8 (ESV)←⤒🔗

^7. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,

^8. but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

© NET Bible

16.3 – 1 Peter 1:13-16, 22←⤒🔗

^13. Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

^14. Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance,

^15. but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct,

^16. for it is written, 'You shall be holy, because I am holy.'

…

^22. You have purified your souls by obeying the truth in order to show sincere mutual love. So love one another earnestly from a pure heart.

© NET Bible

16.4 – 1 Peter 2:9←⤒🔗

^9. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

© NET Bible

16.5 Holiness: A gift of grace←⤒🔗

Christ will come again. That is our “hope” (Titus 2:13). That is what we must prepare ourselves for. As we have also read in 1 Peter 1:13, “therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

In Lesson 15 we saw that we can prepare ourselves for Christ’s coming by living self-controlled, upright, godly, holy, disciplined lives. In this lesson we will think about the words “holy” and “disciplined.” These are the last two qualifications of an elder that are found only in Titus 1:5-9.

Being “holy” is a lot like being “upright.” In Lesson 15 you have seen that being “upright” means living in a way that is right in God’s eyes. You have also seen that we can only be upright by God’s grace. God forgives our sins, gives Christ’s upright life to us, and then trains us to live in an upright way.

Being “holy” means being pure and devoted to God. Like uprightness, holiness is also a gift of grace. God gives holiness to his people! How? Firstly, the blood of his Son purifies us from our sin. Secondly, he gives us his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to devote our lives to God.

16.6 What this means for overseers←⤒🔗

As the church of God, we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own” (1 Peter 2:9). What a wonderful gift!

With this gift comes a responsibility. As God’s holy nation, we must walk in holiness. As Peter writes, “like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

Later in the same letter, Peter speaks a special word to elders. He commands them to lead the church by their own example (1 Peter 5:3). God’s holy nation needs holy leaders. Otherwise, how will they walk and grow in holiness?

16.7 What holiness looks like←⤒🔗

In Lesson 15 we looked at the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:10-14). The Pharisee thought that he was a holy man. So, he did not want to come close to “unholy” people. He stood “by himself,” far away from the tax collector (Luke 18:10, ESV).

But that is not true holiness. In 1 Peter 1:22 Peter explains what true holiness looks like: “You have purified your souls by obeying the truth in order to show sincere mutual love. So love one another earnestly from a pure heart.”

If you want to know if a man is holy, then see if he loves his fellow believers. Does he love them “earnestly” (with all his power)? Holiness does not make us proud and private like the Pharisee. Holiness makes us humble, loving, and joyful like Jesus!

16.8 Disciplined←⤒🔗

There is a good reason why “holy” and “disciplined” are found right next to each other in Titus 1:8. Without discipline no one can be holy. If we want to grow in holiness, we need to be disciplined.

The word “disciplined” means “strong from within.” This word describes someone who can say “No” to his own passions and desires. He has the strength to do what is right, even when it is hard.

Does this sound like something you have already learned? You may be thinking of Lesson 6, where we looked at the word “self-controlled.” There we saw that a self-controlled person is careful with his thoughts, words, and actions. He continually brings himself under the control of the Spirit.

The word “discipline” is much like the word “self-control.” But discipline is especially about our bodily desires. A disciplined person is not a slave to his own body. He controls his body in a way that glorifies God. For example:

• He eats and drinks in healthy ways (Proverbs 23:20-21).
• He sleeps enough, but not too much (Psalm 127:2; Proverbs 20:13).
• He stays away from sexual temptations (Proverbs 5).
• He is willing to suffer pain in his body for the sake of Christ (1 Peter 2:21; 1 Peter 4:1).

By ourselves we do not have the strength to control our bodies to the glory of God. But God has given us his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings strength and discipline into our lives (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Timothy 1:7).

16.9 What this means for an overseer←⤒🔗

Paul said to Timothy, “Keep a close watch on yourself” (1 Timothy 4:16, ESV). This is a commandfor every elder. Before an elder can look at other people’s lives, he must look carefully at his own life. He must discipline his own body, so that he may become holy in all his conduct (1 Corinthians 9:27; 1 Peter 1:15).

An overseer must be an example in holiness and discipline, and he must continue to grow in holiness and discipline. So, before we end this lesson, it will be good to answer one question: How do we grow in holiness and discipline?

The answer is simple: through day-to-day obedience.

Every day you have a choice to make. Will you obey and serve yourself, or will you obey God and serve the people around you?

For example, let us say it is a Saturday. You want to sleep late, but your wife has asked if you can take her to town. So, you get up early and make breakfast. You help your wife to pack her things and then you take her to town. You wait for her patiently and then you take her home with a smile.

This may seem like a small thing. But by doing it, you have put your wife’s needs above your own needs. You have obeyed God. You have grown in holiness and discipline! That is how we grow: step by step, choice by choice, day by day.