Good morning, my friends. How are you today?
I hope you are well, enjoying a good week with some nice weather
change and that sort of thing. If you have your Bible, you can
open the Titus Chapter 1. Titus Chapter 1, we're going to
continue in our Series this morning in the book of Titus and
so we're going to look at verses 9 through 14 today.
Last week we saw the need for elders and Pastors in the
churches in Crete. So we saw that they were facing
All sorts of issues. And and one of the answers for
that was to put men in charge of these churches, who could lead
through understanding sound Doctrine, knowing sound
Doctrine. Holding tightly to sound
doctrine that men of character men of Godly character.
Not just some character, but Godly character could lead these
churches into health. And that was what was laid out
before us is that God wanted pastors Elders in these churches
to be able to lead And so one of the things the passage revealed
to us is that character outweighs character is greater
than Charisma a man's character especially as it pertains to a
pasture is far more important than his Charisma than his
giftedness, or his attraction. Or those sort of things are
things that we might weigh in a worldly sense.
God does not look upon. It's very similar to what God
Said to the prophet Samuel and he instructed Samuel to go
choose for him to go and anoint the next king which was going to
be David. I'll hit speaks through Samuel
there. Any says, God is not concerned
with the outward appearance of man, but what is on the inside
of a man is what God is, first and foremost concerned with.
And so we see that as, as it talks, there about elders and
the kind of men Elders, should be the kind of pastors the kind
of men that should lead a local congregation and so we scratch
the surface there of their responsibilities.
We said that they were to hold fast or hold firm to God's
trustworthy word. This is what verse nine reveals
for us so that they may be able to To give instruction in sound
Doctrine and then to rebuke those who contradict it.
So, they are to be men who hold firm to God's word.
They were to be men who are holding firm and such a way that
they're able to teach God's word and then not only to teach it,
but to refute, those who contradict God's word.
And so in today's text, we'll see how that works within the
life of the church Works to promote Health in the churches.
I want to talk to you today about how we build Healthy
Church. Let's look at verses 9 through
14 here in Titus 1. He must hold firm, that he there
again is the elders must hold firm to the trustworthy word as
taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound
Doctrine, and also, to rebuke those who contradict it.
For there are many, who are insubordinate, empty talkers,
and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.
They must be silenced since they are upsetting whole Families by
teaching, for shameful gain. What?
They ought? Not to teach one of the cretans,
a prophet of their own said, cretans are always Liars.
Evil beasts lazy gluttons. This testimony is true therefore
rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith, not
devoting themselves to Jewish myths.
And the commands of people who turn away from the truth of the
point that I want to lay before you today that I want to see
here in God's word is this, we build a healthy Church by
holding fast to, and teaching sound Doctrine.
The build a healthy Church by holding fast to and teaching
sound Doctrine. Let me pray for us.
Heavenly Father. We thank you for your word.
We thank you for, for this word here in Titus 1 9, through 14.
As we've received it, Lord, help us to be faithful to it today.
As we read it, as we seek, to understand it, as we seek to
apply it to our lives. Father, help us to know what is
your will In this passage? Father help us to live it out,
please by the power of your spirit.
Lord, I pray that you would open our hearts and Minds to receive
your word. Today, to be transformed by Your
Word to be changed into the image and likeness.
This of Christ through it as only your spirit, through your
word can accomplish and father, I pray that you would use my
feeble words, my finite abilities today to impact your
people in Christ's name, I pray. Amen, amen.
So Paul begins this section with, this is why I left you in
Crete. He lays out in verse 5, the the
goal of sending Titus to the island of Crete.
He says so that you may put what remained into order and
establish. Elders.
And every town put what remained into order and establish elders
and every time what the implication here is that things
are not in order, but there are not Elders in every church that
there are things are disorderly. There are problems in the
churches. But why Elders?
What we looked again, we looked at this last week but I just
want to remind you of a passage, Ephesians 4, 11 through, 16 says
this. It says that Jesus gave the
apostles and the prophets and the Evangelist, the Shepherds
and teachers to equip the Saints for the work of the ministry.
Tree for building up the body of Christ until we all attain to
the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
to mature, manhood to the measure and the stature of the
fullness of Christ. So that we may no longer be
children who are tossed to and fro by the waves and carried
about by every wind of Doctrine by human conning by craftiness,
in deceitful schemes. Rather speaking the truth in
love, we are to grow up in every way into him.
Him, who is the head into Christ from whom the whole body joined
and held together by every joint with which it is equipped?
When each part is working properly makes the body grow so
that it builds itself up in love.
It's Ephesians four passages saying so many parallel things
to what we see in Titus 1. So the elders are a gift from
Christ for the church there to be pacesetters there to be
pastors. They are exist for the sake of
Healthy churches, healthy leaders lead to healthy church.
Both of us churches in Crete in the church at Ephesus faced
similar difficulties. That Elders were to address in
Ephesus as well as in Crete there were pressures of
worldliness and persecution outside the church.
Those things were infiltrating the church that were coming into
the church, they're putting pressure on the members within
the church but it was happening outside the church persecution
worldly pressures The second thing we see in Ephesus and and
in Crete, here are the false teachers exist.
These false teachers false teachers have deceitfulness
about them. They're deceitful for a purpose,
though. They're deceitful for selfish
gain and that's happening. Inside the church that there are
false teachings being perpetuated.
That would benefit the self-proclaimed pastors.
Of these places the self-proclaimed teachers within
these places and either a monetary way or some other
physical way. But they were teaching what they
ought not to teach for shameful gang.
The problems within churches are really the same today.
We talked some about this last week I want to bring this back
up with this week as the context is still largely the same here.
In Titus 1, we to face outside pressures of worldliness, we
Face outside pressures of persecution and in Inside at
least Christianity as a whole. Maybe not within this local
church, we Face false teachers. And the answer to these issues
is the same today, it's Godly Elders, its pastors, who would
hold firm to the word of God, so that they may give instruction
concerning God's word, give instruction in sound Doctrine
and then be able to rebuke those who contradict it.
Now, the command to give instruction in sound Doctrine to
refute those who contradict it are Or the health of the
church's members will see. Things are not, they don't exist
as a separate thing that Elders are called to do.
Those things are an Elders mission for the sake of the
health of the church members pastors are to be spiritually,
healthy men, so that they may lead the congregation into
spiritual health. Also, that's the picture in
Ephesians 4, right? It says that they would equip
the Saints for the work of ministry that they would build
one another up into the image and likeness of Christ that they
would have change attained maturity in Christ that they
would no longer be children who are tossed to and fro by the
wind of cunning speech and unsound Doctrine deceitfulness
and it's the picture here in Titus.
Also this becomes more clear as we get into chapters 2 and 3
which we'll get into in a couple of weeks.
The point of the passage is not that pastors, build healthy
churches. It's not that this falls on
pastors to build the healthy churches, whether the pastor's
lead the charge. So that the pastors and the
members partnering together for the sake of the Gospel, build a
healthy church. This is the language throughout
the New Testament. Is that here is Paul will write
in all of his letters. And all of his Epistles, there
will be a layout of sound Doctrine.
Take the book of Romans, one of his longest works, the longest
work 16 chapters, chapters 1 through 11 are sound Doctrine.
It's all pertaining to Salvation how it comes.
It's pertaining to sanctification how that takes
place in our lives and then chapters 12 through 16 or go do
this now. Here's how it works.
It's Found in the life of the church Ephesians is the same
way. We chapters 1 through 3 sound
Doctrine chapters four through six, go do the skill live.
This go be this kind of people in Titus because it's a Pastoral
Epistles, it's a letter to a pastor, it's mixed in and so
we'll see it as we go throughout the letter that hears sound
Doctrine and here's sound living, here's healthy Doctrine.
Here's the healthy word of God, the trustworthy word of God, and
here's a healthy way to live it out.
Here's the fruit. Cool way to live it.
Here's what it ought to produce in your life and so tie, this is
a book that holds up the gospel and godliness and says, here are
how these two things work together and here in chapter 1,
he's tasking pastors with the role of teaching sound doctrine,
that leads to Godliness. And again, in Chapter 2 3, this
becomes even more evidence. The point of the passage is not
the pastor's build healthy churches, apart from the church,
Reach the point of the passage is that pastors build healthy
churches as they partner hand-in-hand with the members of
a local church and then it's not above the membership.
It's in partnership with the membership that we build a
healthy church. So I'm going to lay this out.
We build a healthy Church by holding fast to and teaching
sound Doctrine. That's my main thought for you
today. And so what I think this passage
reveals what I believe that we see here is that a healthy
Church must do three The things I'll go ahead and lay these out
for you and then we'll walk through them so that you know
where I'm going today, the first thing they must do is rely on
sound Doctrine. The second thing they must do is
refute unsound Doctrine rely on sound Doctrine, refutes unsound
Doctrine and the number three, that must refer reproduce sound
Doctrine. All right, I get bonus points
this morning for having three points.
That all begin with the letter R.
Okay, this is good stuff. Rely on sound Doctrine, a
healthy Church Must rely on sound Doctrine.
Titus 1 verse 9 partay, he must hold firm to the trustworthy
word as taught. Last week I went into a little
bit more detail and so again just kind of a synopsis, The he
refers to the men who are chosen to be Elders in the local
churches, it's a plurality of Elders in a local church and
that plurality of Elders, must hold firm to God's trustworthy
word as taught that is their mission.
It is their identity. It is their primary
responsibility. They are to know God's word
intimately. And so they may teach God's word
Faithfully if an elder does not know God.
Word intimately, he cannot teach God's word Faithfully.
Elders, do not exist in a vacuum.
They do not exist above or outside.
The congregation Godly Elders are gifts from Jesus Christ to
the body of Believers within a local church, they are Christ.
Stewards they were his under Shepherds.
They report, they report to the master.
They are not the master. These men are to say what God
has said in his word, nothing more and nothing less.
They hold it up for the People to see and they teach how to
live it out. This is the way it's been going
on throughout the history of God's people.
You look back in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah Ezra stands
before the congregation as they're they're coming to a time
of repentance and add azra stands up and he reads from the
law, he reads from God's word and then it says that he
expounds on it or he teaches what it means, and then you get
this picture there. Are of how the people the other
Elders, the other teachers there went from person to person and
they taught how we ought to apply these truths to our life.
The same thing that's been going on for centuries for Millennia.
This is how God moves his people in a direction.
This is how God transforms his people.
That's how he calls them to repentance, how he calls them to
faithfulness, how he creates new Believers.
It's through the proclaimed word, he does it through.
Is Spirit. But an elder is Christ Steward,
he's not a steward of himself, he's not a steward of his own
life, only, he's not a steward, just simply of his ministry.
That's not his identity. As identity is, he's an Under
Shepherd of Christ Jesus. He's held accountable to him.
First and foremost. Before Christ went to the Cross,
he's with his disciples in the upper room and he tells them
about the coming. Holy Spirit, he tells him how
the spirit will be with them as a Helper.
And Jesus says this, in John 14, he says the helper the Holy
Spirit whom the father will send in my name.
He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance.
All that I have said to you, the Holy Spirit was going to be with
these early apostles. as a helper to teach things that
Christ had not yet taught which are the things we read now, in
our new testament, And to bring to remembrance things that he
had taught, he was with them as a helper, it was those disciples
who then went out full of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the
word of God, as they had received it from the spirit of
God. And those words became the
foundation for the church that is that by the preaching and the
receiving by faith. The Gospel of Jesus Christ,
people became members of God's of Christ's body of the church
and so Elders. Today, do the same thing that
these early Apostles, did they must commit themselves to know
God's word alone. It's the only tool available for
training in righteousness. It's the most important tool.
An Elders tool bag. All scripture Paul writes in
second. Timothy 3:16 all scripture is
breathed out by God and profitable for teaching.
Profitable for reproof profitable for correction
profitable for training in righteousness.
All scripture is breathed out by God, that means that it's his
words from his mouth. That the man of God, may be
complete equipped for every good work.
So, an elder commits himself to the word of God because the word
of God is the only thing profitable for teaching for
reproof, and for correction, and for training in righteousness,
not only in his own life, but in the lives of the congregation in
Titus 1:9, the B part says, so that he may be able to give
instruction in sound Doctrine. So we must hold fast to the
trustworthy word as taut, so that he may be able to give
instruction in sound Doctrine. Remember that give instruction
has in mind. The kind of teaching that
instructs the mind, the kind of teaching that impacts the heart.
The kind of teaching that invites the will it's the kind
of teaching that invites a life change.
It's not just here's a fact, two plus two equals four.
It's here's a fact about God and here's what this means for your
life. Or here's what this calls you
to, here's how this changes you It's the kind of teaching that
shapes, our person is kind of teaching that forms the whole
man. Not simply their mind.
If we have only grasp a knowledge of God without a love
for god, without a love for his people, then we do not really
know God at all. This is what John lays out in
his Epistles. We may know some things about
God, but we do not know. God and Elder must be able to
teach the church under his care to rely on God's word, as he is
relying on God's word. The word sound here.
Give instruction in sound Doctrine means healthy.
It means to be healthy but before we receive the Gospel of
Christ, we are spiritually unhealthy and in fact, we are
spiritually dead. As Paul writes in Ephesians 2.
Colossians 1 Jesus makes known to Nicodemus in John chapter 3
But when the gospel is taught Faithfully God, by his spirit
makes spiritually dead men rise to spiritual life.
He regenerates them by his Spirit, through the power of His
word. Paul writes.
In Romans, 1:16 says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel for it
is the power of God for salvation to everyone who
believes I'm not ashamed of the Gospel.
It's the power of God for salvation to everyone who
believes we use the phrase Also around here a lot and we do it
for good reason. We are tasked with teaching
sound Doctrine, which we find in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel were gospel, just means good news.
What's the good news about a specific message, about the
message of Jesus Christ? And so at every level of
ministry, both inside the church and outside, we are tasked with
proclaiming heralding, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
But I must ask, what is the gospel?
If we went around the room today and I asked you to give a
60-second summary of the Gospel. Could you do it?
Let me show you four. Basic parts, the gospel of
Christ. God man, Christ and response.
God man. Christ and response.
There's a track. There's actually a book called,
what is the gospel by Greg Gilbert?
He lays these things out really. Really.
Well, there's a track out here in the lobby, in our little box
of tracks that Exists called what is the gospel lazy's things
out very well that you might take them and learn it and use
it to evangelize your neighbor. But let's deal with the first
one. God, one more.
Evangelizing somebody, when we're talking about the gospel,
the first thing we need to understand is that we're talking
about God. And something very specific
about God. We are saying that he is the
creator of all things and that we are accountable to him.
He's the creator of all things and we are accountable to him
Paul again. In Romans 1 through 4 lays the
gospel out, beautifully, and Romans 1, Paul, and forms the
church that they are not autonomous that they don't exist
in vacuums either. They're not on their own.
They didn't create themselves that they aren't self-reliant.
They're not self accountable. They're created by someone and
they're accountable to the one who created them and because God
created you, he knows what is best for you.
And so, God, commands, you to worship him alone.
This is what Paul's revealing in.
Romans 1, Jasper, talk about some of these things this
morning and Sunday School in Romans 1:21 we read this.
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give
thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and
their foolish Hearts were darkened.
So we see in the gospel message that there is a God, he's the
creator of all things of Heaven and Earth and everything in it.
And what we also see is that man does not honor him.
Man does not worship Him. Man does not give thanks to him.
And so it brings us to the second part man.
Are our problem is that we have rebelled against God.
This is the problem in the world.
Today there is a God who created.
There is a God who issued commands there is a God, who is
to be obeyed and to be worshipped and we have not
obeyed him. Nor worshipped him mankind, did
not honor God, they did not give thanks to him as they should
have. They exchanged Paul writes.
In verse 23, the glory of the immortal God for images,
resembling more Man, and birds and animals and creeping things.
What you read in Romans 1 is devastated.
You read the most pitiful sight that you can behold.
That mankind, considers its creator, that mankind thinks
about its creator. But then chooses to cheaply
trade him for the worship of created things, including
themselves, as images of man, So what we read about in Romans 1
is that mankind, finds creation, more glorious, mankind finds
creation, more satisfy more valuable than God.
This is the height of insult in Rebellion against God.
It's it reaches, its results or are horrific Romans 6:23 reveals
to us the results of this for the wages of sin is death.
Rebellion against God is sin against God.
Worshipping created things as sin against God, choosing to
suppress the truths about God choosing to not acknowledge God
choosing to live your life. Apart from God is sin.
The wages of this is death. He said, well Kyle, I thought
you said the gospel was good news.
How many of, you know before you can have good news?
You've got to know the bad news first.
God created. God is the only one worthy of
worship and Mankind has rebelled against God and chosen to
worship creation, rather than God.
And so we get to Christ in the gospel, God's solution to
humanity, sin is the sacrificial, substitutional
death, and resurrection of his own son, Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:21, but now, The righteousness of God has been
manifested apart from the law. The law shows where your sinful
the law shows that you don't measure up the law, shows you in
all the ways that you fail and rebel against God.
And yet God. But now the righteousness of God
has been manifested apart from the law.
In other words, there is a way for human beings to be counted
as what Gilbert says in his book.
By the way, in other words, there's a way for human beings
to be counted righteous before. God instead of unrighteous to be
declared innocent instead of guilty to be justified.
Instead of condemned, it has nothing to do with acting better
or living a more righteous life. It comes apart from the law.
So how does it happen or Romans 3:24?
Right? After we read that, that all
have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
We get verse 24, which says, we are justified by his grace as a
gift. Everybody say grace is a gift.
Grace is a gift. Through the Redemption that is
in Christ Jesus. So the sacrificial death and
Resurrection through the sacrificial death and
Resurrection because of his blood and his life Sinners may
be saved from the condemnation that our sins rightfully
deserve. Now we're getting into the good
news. But there's really one more
question. Right of Salvation is made
available through Christ but but how is this good news for me?
How do I become included in this promised salvation?
How do I take? Hold of it.
Let's get you to response. So God created.
Man rebelled chose to worship God rather than or it starts
chose to worship creation rather than God.
God, sent his own son. Jesus Christ to be the atonement
for sin. And now, you're left with a
response. What is your response part of
this response? What it does is it shows us how
you can be included in the salvation by faith in Jesus
Christ. Romans 3:20 to the righteousness
of God comes through faith, in Jesus Christ.
For all, who believe, the righteousness of God, that means
the right standing, the Perfection of God comes through
faith. Jesus Christ doesn't come
through your good works. Doesn't come through your
ability to muster up the strength to do, whatever it
comes through faith, in Jesus Christ for all who believe, What
it takes to have faith in Jesus, is to humble yourself, not exalt
yourself. You're not working up to some
great faith. You're bowing down and humility
to God. Saying, God, I am imperfect.
I have sinned against you. I'm in need of your son.
Jesus to save me for my sins. I put my faith in him alone that
I might be saved. This is what salvation looks
like. So how does the Salvation become
good news for me and not just for someone else?
How is it good for news for you and not just the people sitting
next to you? How do you become included in
it? By believing in Jesus Christ.
By believing in Christ but trusting him by trusting nothing
else by trusting Jesus. To save you Romans 4 verse 5 to
the one who does not work, meaning to the one who does not
stand on his own. Good works.
But believes in him, who justifies the ungodly?
His faith is counted as righteousness.
One who does not work, but believes in him, who justifies
the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
It is the gospel message as first proclaimed by the apostles
and the prophets, as the church Finds Its found dacian.
Its belief in Jesus Christ, through the gospel message,
which unites us to Jesus Christ re not unite, Sinners to Jesus
Christ, reconciling them to God once and for all time, And it
creates a body of Believers that spans the space of time and
place a people for God's very own possession of people who are
once far off, but have now been brought near to God through the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what Paul is getting at
in Ephesians 2 Ephesians 2. 1 through 10 is just Ephesians 1.
1 verse 2 through 10 is just this great layout of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ and Ephesians 2 after verse 10 verses 11 through
like 18, Paul is laying out. Here's how it's made of a new
people. And this is what he says, so
then you are no longer in verse 19.
So then you are no longer strangers, and Aliens, but you
are fellow citizens with the Saints.
And the members of the household of God Builds on the foundation
of the Apostles and Prophets Christ.
Jesus himself, being the Cornerstone and whom the whole
structure being joined together. Grows into a holy Temple in the
Lord. In him, you are being built
together into a dwelling place for God by the spirit.
It's about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you become the body of
Christ. You become his people and like
bricks being laid on a foundation with Christ.
As the Cornerstone, you were being built into a temple of
God. Healthy churches.
Hold fast to Healthy churches, rely on sound doctrine.
That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ
alone, according to scripture alone for the glory of God
Alone. We must rely on that sound
Doctrine. Always if we hope to build a
healthy church, again, we build a healthy Church by holding fast
to, and teaching sound Doctrine. And that gets us to the second
point of what healthy churches, Deuce healthy churches, refutes
unsound Doctrine, they have their ear to the ground.
They're listening, they're observing they're watching,
they're testing everything that they here, which is proclaimed
to be from God, to make sure that it lines up with God's
word. They're the bereans that we meet
and acts. Who tested everything that Paul
said, to make sure that it was actually.
As scripture says, now, we get into the point of having Elders
who hold firm to teach sound Doctrine.
It's to protect the church from false teachers.
In Titus 1:9 the C part there, the final part said so that he
may be able to rebuke those who contradict sound Doctrine.
Who are those, who contradict it?
Well it seems here in Titus 1, it's a collection of many Paul
says from outside. And inside the church especially
including the circumcision party, which were the judaizers
once we wanted to mix Christianity and Judaism.
Titus 1 10 through, 14 says this for there are many who are
insubordinate, many, who are empty talkers and deceivers,
especially those of the circumcision party.
They must be silenced since they are upsetting whole families by
teaching for shameful. Gain.
What they ought not to teach one of the cretans.
Paul says, a prophet of their own said, cretans, are always
Liars, evil beasts. They're lazy gluttons.
Paul says, in verse 13, this testimony is true.
Therefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the
faith. Not devoting themselves to
Jewish myths into the commands of people who turn away from the
truth. You see false teachers are
threatening the health of the church, they're teaching for
shameful gain, what they ought not to teach and as in doing so
they're upsetting whole families and so they must be silenced.
Now upsetting whole families might even have in mind,
upsetting whole churches as churches would have been meeting
in homes during this era. But whether they're upsetting
whole families are whether they're upsetting whole church,
has the false teachers must be stopped and Paul is very strong
about what it means to stop them about what must happen.
He says, they must be silenced idea of silencing something here
in the Greek is the same for muzzling a rabid dog.
It's these teachers are like ravenous wolves.
They're dangerous to the sheep and so they must be muzzled.
They must be silently less, they harm anyone else other false
teaching. So they destroy someone else's
faith. Paul goes on to say, rebuke them
sharply why? Because they're always Liars.
They're evil Beast. They're lazy gluttons.
There are rough Bunch with the total disregard for God and his
word and so they must be rebuked sharply.
Now did rebuking someone sharply, I don't think means
what you might originally have in mind, whatever connotation
originally comes to mind. Like, when I initially read
this, I think of some of the Facebook post.
I see these days More of a ranting and raving what Paul has
in mind hear what Paul has a my own.
He says, rebuke them sharply. He has in mind, the surgeon with
a scalpel. Surgeon takes a scalpel in his
hand and with precision and focus.
He removes the tumor. With that scalpel.
The surgeon doesn't enter the operating room with a butter
knife. He's not weak.
He sure. He doesn't enter the operating
room with a machete, he's not bombastic.
He's gentle and bold. It's the right tool for the
right problem at hand, and Paul wants Titus.
In these Elders to guard the church.
He wants them to protect God's people with unsound Doctrine.
His goal is healthy leadership with a healthy Church body.
There are times when a dog must be muzzled before he can be
trained. There are times when a tumor
must be removed for the man to be made healthy.
We live at a time. We're calling out false teachers
is considered judging one another, in a way that goes
against Christ's, teaching in The Sermon, on the Mount.
But Christ, neither Christ, nor the old Tessa, sorry, New
Testament. Neither Christ, nor the New
Testament Church knows anything of this sort of conflation of
thought. False teachers cross was about
this. His apostles were about this.
The early church was about this false teachers must be silenced
less they lead others astray. It's not a matter of opinion,
it's that they're teaching things that go against the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. But teaching things that are
contrary to truth. But even further than that, they
must be rebuke that they may be sound in the faith. anytime you
read Paul when it comes to church discipline, when it comes
to rebuking false teachers, Paul has a mind restoration, he has
in mind reconciliation with god, he has in mind, saving someone's
soul from Hell Fire. Not only of The Souls of the
hearers of these false teachers at stake, Paul is saying The
Souls of the false teachers are at stake, rebuke them sharply
that they may be sound in the faith.
They're unsound now, Titus rebuke them sharply that they
may be sound. The false teachers here in Titus
1 or certainly guilty of perpetuating false beliefs about
Christ. About his atonement about his
salvation about Works about sanctification and many other
issues. It's highly likely that these
teachers were teaching Jewish myths concerning genealogies,
perhaps, trying to figure out a way to deny that Christ is the
promised Messiah. Certainly what Jews today do?
They certainly perpetuated, the commands of people who turn away
from the truth. In other words, what they were
doing is they taught a Works based salvation.
You must not only believe in Christ, but you must be
circumcised observe. Holy days.
Avoid eating certain foods and other Old Testament ceremonial
laws and in doing. So they turned away from the
truth and they caused others to turn away.
Also, False teachers are easy to spot.
Paul gives us their identity here.
They are greedy. They live Godless lives there.
You're either adding to God's word or they're taking away from
God's word. The three easy marks of a false
teacher. Some false teachings that are
prevalent and our day. And when I say in our day, I
mean, our culture even here, a Works based Christianity.
There are many people out there and maybe even in here.
Who believed that? Because I'm a good person.
I will make it to heaven. I can just simply do enough.
Good things be moral enough, I'll be in heaven.
I have heard preachers Proclaim such fall.
Settees at funerals more times than I care to remember.
The kind of man or woman. You are has nothing to do with
whether or not you were saved. It's where your faith is.
For your salvation. And if you're saying that by my
good works, I will make it to Heaven.
You are saying that you Are the Messiah.
Bad news is you will never be good enough to inherit God's
Kingdom on your own. Your righteousness is as filthy
rags. You Must Believe In Christ and
do these things to be saved is another way that this is, this
works based Christianity is perpetuated again.
Churches are perpetuating this even in our community, some
Churches at baptism to belief in Christ.
You must be baptized also or you're not truly regenerated.
Others have added a baptism of the spirit to belief in Christ
which I will say the scriptures know nothing of However, you are
Justified before God by faith in Christ alone, not your works.
Baptism is an outward showing of this inward Faith.
It's me identifying myself publicly as a Christian, but it
is not. What saves you?
There's nothing scripture. Makes it clear.
There's nothing that happens. It's washing no dirt off of.
You scripture says Christ has done that.
You are already clean because the spirit regenerated you.
You are saved by faith in Christ which leads to Good Works.
You're not saved by your good works, Ephesians 2 1 through 10.
On the second false teachings that we see in our community is
cultural Christianity. Cultural Christianity.
Is this idea of saying that you believe in Jesus, but you
produce no spiritual fruit thereof, but that's okay because
he believes in Jesus. He say again, scripture has no
understanding of such Christians.
A Christians life in scripture is meant to be observable.
There is fruit from True belief, which is meant to be seen.
Namely there is a dependence on God.
There's a pointing others to depend on him.
Also, especially those who are closest to the professing
believer. It's very close to that.
I'm a good person. So I will be in heaven, but it's
it's different. these people will say that they believe in
God, but rarely if ever engage in Bible reading rarely if ever
pray to the father, And the fellowship of Believers is not
important for them. They have fruits.
But it's bad fruit from the flesh, they do not have the
fruit of the spirit, present in their life and so they're easily
discernible. The problem is they're the
hardest people to reach for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to reach
unto real salvation because they have convinced themselves or
some church culture, convinced them that they are saved.
Because I made a profession of Faith or a prayer walk denial,
maybe as a child got baptized and have lived like hell since.
But because of that, one moment. They're Christians, I'm telling
you scripture knows nothing of that sort of Christian.
He must be transformed. A third one that I see is
Progressive Christianity. This one's coming quickly at
warp speed. I'm afraid that we are not
shouldn't say afraid. my concern is, That it's going to sweep
Mini. Mini away.
It's extremely popular. It's in Vogue, it's being held
out by The world's largest denominations.
Less and less pastors and churches, are devoting
themselves to holding fast to and teaching God's word alone.
The church instead is adopting worldly culture.
It's synchronization, it's synchronizing, Christianity and
worldliness. It's saying we can wed these two
things together, so that we can reach more people.
But if you soften the gospel that man has rebelled against
the holy God and is in need of repentance and that comes
through Christ alone and now our response is faith alone for our
Salvation. If you soften that or if you
cheap in that by mixing Christianity with worldliness,
there is no salvation There's inclusion in a visible church
but there is no salvation. There's no inclusion in an
invisible Church. You understand what I mean?
You might look like a Christian outwardly, you might participate
with people who proclaimed to be Christians, but there is nothing
on the inside of you that is spiritually alive.
You're just as dead as you were, but now, you've been made
comfortable in your deadness and so churches, and whole
denominations are adopting. The world's beliefs, regarding
sexuality in marriage embracing, the likes of transgenderism,
homosexuality, they're denying God's word concerning men, women
and marriage is churches. Put into leadership men and
women who are in clear Rebellion, to God's word.
Individual Christians are becoming more and more influence
by the world's teaching. On individualism marriage,
gender identity, Fame, power money doubts about God, Etc.
Worldliness is creeping in. But it's because pastors and
churches have not taken God's word, seriously.
Fathers haven't taken seriously, the training of their sons and
daughters for godliness. Discipleship for knowing god for
following him. Now we can't look out there and
be so overwhelmed that we can't change the culture.
He changed the culture by loving your wife by loving your kids,
teaching them the gospel, he changed the culture by holding
fast to in the local church, God's word, instructing people
with sound Doctrine, you hold fast to Sound Doctrine by
refuting unsound Doctrine, calling it what it is and hopes
that those people will repent and give their lives to Christ.
It's no wonder. The world is in the shape that
it's in Christians and churches are chiefly trading, the worship
of God for idolatry all of this seems to lack or stems from a
lack of biblical knowledge. It's a Devotion to your own
feelings, over a Devotion to God's word and so we must
recover a Reliance on sound Doctrine.
So that we may be able to refute unsound Doctrine.
It begins with pastors. Yes.
But the mission to rely on sound Doctrine.
The mission to refute unsound Doctrine, is for the entire
congregation. You two need to have your eyes.
Open, your ears, open your mind, open your heart, open to
understand what's infiltrating your life.
And does that Accord with sound Doctrine?
Or does it? Not the only way you'll do that
is if you know God's word But together, you and I together,
we'll build a healthy Church by holding fast to, and teaching
sound Doctrine. This is how it happens.
God's word is our foundation. When remind you of Ephesians 4
13 through 16, which I read earlier, until we all attain, to
the unity of the faith of knowledge of the Son of God to
mature, manhood to the measure and stature of the fullness of
Christ. So that we may no longer be
children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by
every wind of Doctrine by human cunning by craftiness and
deceitful schemes. Rather speaking the truth in
love, we are to grow up in every way into him.
Who is the head in? Christ from whom the whole body
joined and held together by every joint with which it is
equipped. When each part is working
properly, makes the body grows so that it builds itself up in
love. We all we we grow up Building a
healthy church is a team sport, Pastor set.
The pace and equipped the members to join in the work of
ministry, toward one another, for the building up of the body
of Christ. And there are three,
tried-and-true means of Grace for believe for believers to
grow in Christ likeness. The first is a commitment to the
study of God's word. Commit yourself to study God's
word. The light, Pastor.
Aw Tozer said this, he said Satan's greatest weapon is man's
ignorance of God's word. Again, just observe the world.
We live in today. And so you must brothers or
sisters, I can't plead with you enough to make time each day for
the reading of God's word for your commitment to it.
Your Devotion to know God, you want to know God and know his
will for his life, you have to read his word.
You will not know it apart from that. and I encourage you don't
just it's not terrible, but people come into my office
frequently needing counseling. Well, the call you won't believe
what's going on and just lay things out.
And we just begin to talk about spiritual disciplines at some
point in the conversation. Okay, how's your Bible reading?
Well, you know, I've got the Bible app on my phone and I've
got the little widget on there. That shows me a verse each day
and I read that every day. Is that all?
Yeah, that's it. But I've done it for like 40
days in a row. Okay.
But that's a random verse generated by a Bible app.
For each day, largely meant to make you feel good about
yourself. I have the same app on my phone
and see them each day. but what's your not getting in that
typically Our truths about God, you're not going to know God
through Reading one verse a day. It's just not going to happen.
It's not enough. It'd be like watching the movie
one second. At a time per day.
You're not going to know anything about the movie.
You probably won't even know anything about the movie
watching one. Second, two seconds of the movie
per day for 40 days in a row. You're still going to be trying
to figure it out, especially if they take Random clips from the
movie, they don't show them in succession, right?
Know what in the world. Am I watching what the world's
going on? And yet will read our Bible that
way and think I know God Oh, you have no idea who God is.
You're scratching the surface. You have to make time each day
to read God's word. You have to read books of the
Bible. Verse by verse, we're in Titus.
Now start with Titus, read verses 1 through 4 the first
section, right? And then the next day, read five
through nine if you want, which is the next paragraph.
And then after that read 10 through 16, which is the next
paragraph, but read something in succession, It and seek to know
the Lord, if you've never read a gospel before, read the Gospel
of John, commit to read the Gospel of John.
Read it daily. Paragraph by paragraph if you
want but read it and pray as you read because the goal of Bible
reading is not just Bible intake.
It's to commune with God is to have conversation with them,
it's to know the Lord and so as you're reading you're saying
Lord. Help me to know you open the
eyes of my heart. God, I filled my mind with
garbage and I need you help me. And then make notes about what
you're reading, meditate on what you've read, think about it
throughout the day, pray it throughout the day.
That you might really know God. The second thing is dependent
prayer. She goes kind of getting into it
in my last one but dependent prayer, pray to God for
illumination that he would reveal sound Doctrine,
especially as you're reading, but not only as your reading.
Pray for the knowledge of God, pray for your own salvation,
pray for the Salvation of others, pray for your own
sanctification that you would grow in Christ likeness.
Pray, that God's kingdom would come to your life and to your
home. And that you would be about his
kingdom and not building your own kingdom.
Pray the Lord's Prayer daily. Pray for transformation.
The holy spirit will show you how to apply sound Doctrine to
your life and show you how to live a life of godliness.
Pray for the leaders of this church, pray for the members of
this church. Pray that God would build a
healthy church here and that we would all be joined together in
it as a team sport. Pray for the regular fella.
Sorry participation in the regular fellowship with the
Saints as the third tried-and-true method, Hebrews,
10:24 325. Let us consider how to stir up
one another to love and good works.
Not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but
encouraging one, another and all the more as the day draws near
the day. There is a day of Christ
returning says, don't neglect to meet together.
Consider how to stir one another up to love and good works.
So commit to gathering with the body of Christ.
This is one of the ways that God grows you is through the
Fellowship of the saints. Were you meet together and study
God's word? You pray together, you worship
together. You talk about your life, you
share a prayer request and therefore you're sharing burdens
and joys. There's plenty of opportunities
around here to do that. There's Sunday school.
There's home groups, there's biblical manhood and Womanhood,
There's Sunday mornings. You can form your own little
bible study group, outside of this, where you say, hey let me
get a few guys to get, let me get a few ladies together.
Let's read through Titus of the next few months.
Don't simply show up. Be present when you're here.
Be in the moment with us worship.
God seek Him alongside of us. And then share those teachings
with others. That we might have fellowship
with the Saints with new Saints, the ones that Christ saves by
the proclamation of his word and the power of His spirit.
All of this is about being dependent on God alone for your
salvation. It it's about being dependent on
God, alone for your growth in Christ likeness So that you
might be rooted and grounded in sound Doctrine.
So that you may be able to refute any unsound doctrine.
That comes your way tries to infiltrate your home or your
heart that you might reproduce sound Doctrine in the lives of
your family, your friends, your church family, those who are
outside of the Church of Christ wants to bring near through the
gospel. The sound Doctrine does not
exist for the puffing up of our heads.
The end, the goal the desire to end of sound Doctrine is that we
would know God. And therefore fellowship with
God, we be in communion with God. let's get this back to the
Catechism question, what is the chief end of man?
Chief, end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
The only way to do that is through sound Doctrine, knowing
God's word seeking to abide in it to obey it.
We build. We will you and me.
Through Christ. We will build a healthy Church
by holding fast to, and by teaching sound Doctrine.
And then would you stand to your feet this morning?
We're going to sing a song now. It's a new song but this one's
called, oh God. And the point of this song is
about yearning for God Alone. Whether you're in the valleys
are on the mountaintops, it's about knowing that God is near
to you and devoting yourself to him.
And so I invite you now in response to the message today to
sing this. With a heart full of wanting to
know the Lord closely. Let me pray for you and then
we'll sing. Heavenly Father we thank you for
your word today. Lord, we love you so very much,
father. Would you guide us in sound
Doctrine so that we might grow into Two mature, men and women.
Full stature of Christ. We might follow him all of our
hearts, father. Would you save anyone in here?
Who does not know you? You call them out of this world,
call the mental life with you, grant them faith in Christ
Jesus, by the power of your spirit.
Or did we sing now our greatest desire is to be near to you,
father. God, we love you.
In Christ's name. I pray.
Amen. In Christ's name.
I pray. Amen.