The Basics of Faithful Ministry

Well, as is made clear throughout the entire letter, faithful leadership in the local church

is vital to not only having but maintaining a healthy congregation.

And if you think back to the earlier studies in the letter, you'll remember that Titus was

temporarily left in Crete for the purpose of setting things in order so that the churches

in Crete would flourish rather than dissipate and ultimately dissolve into whatever error

or maybe just extinction, that by emphasizing the right things, setting things in order

structurally, doctrinally, the church would continue to grow and glorify the Lord.

And the first step in the process of doing this, as we reflect back on chapter one, is

to appoint elders, elders in each congregation that would faithfully lead and teach and protect

the church.

Titus was to seek out men of blameless character who were committed to the gospel message, who

were capable of teaching it well, and willing to confront those who contradicted.

That's really the three categories that we find repeated throughout the letter.

Sprinkled throughout the letter are these instructions that promote what we might call the basics of

faithful ministry.

And such is our text for this morning, verses 8 through 11, really laying the groundwork.

It's not everything that is involved in faithfulness and ministry, but it is not less than these things

for sure.

And the fact that this text has church leaders as its primary audience, we need to remember,

doesn't make it okay to disregard it if you are not in some sort of church leadership or ministry

vocation or whatever it may be.

And let me give you a few reasons why you need to care about pastoral instructions in the scriptures.

Okay?

Just three things.

There's probably more, but I typically think in threes.

And so I'm going to give you three.

Here's the first reason.

It's in the Bible.

And that's the most important reason, isn't it?

It's in the Bible.

And we know that all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for us.

That's what Paul says very plainly in 2 Timothy.

All scripture is given by God and is profitable.

And he goes on and describes the way that it is profitable.

So that if we convince ourselves that there is a portion of scripture, no matter how intriguing

it may be or not, if we convince ourselves that there is a portion of scripture that is

unnecessary or useless to us, we make God a liar.

And we end up rejecting the one thing that he said in the Psalms he has exalted as equal

to his own name.

Now, that's not to say that all scripture is equally impactful, because it's not.

Certainly, as we come to issues specifically related to the gospel of Jesus, that impacts

us in a way that reading through the genealogies of the Old Testament just simply does not.

But that doesn't mean that they're not profitable.

Maybe not equally impactful, but they are equally profitable for knowing God, for knowing his

plan of salvation, and for knowing his desires for his people.

And this passage is really no exception to that.

It may be directed to Titus and to the elders, but it is profitable for each and every one of

us.

Okay, so that's the first thing.

Why should we care about this text?

We care first because it's in the Bible.

Secondly, pastoral instruction is a means by which God builds up his people.

So think about this for just a moment.

The issues of this text are not detached from God's general desires for every Christian.

They're inextricably linked to it, actually.

And this is logical for us, isn't it?

Titus was to preach the gospel.

Why?

Because the people must know the gospel.

Titus was to insist on godliness.

Why?

Because the people must pursue godliness in their lives.

So by examining God's instructions for pastoral leadership, we find a greater understanding

of God's desires, actually, for us.

Because when we come and we read this passage, we say, why is it necessary for Jared to do

some of the things that he does?

And when we begin to answer those questions, then we can personalize it and say, oh, I need

to know the gospel.

Oh, I need to live in godliness.

And these instructions are important for that.

Thirdly, if we don't concern ourselves with the qualities and duties of pastoral leadership,

we will inevitably fail at calling qualified men to fulfill the task, right?

How many churches have you been a part of or that you have heard of that in the absence

of pastoral leadership and in the search for someone who will just come and care for the

congregation?

Does not think about what is necessary biblically for the man that will lead, but they look for

all the wrong things.

And in their sincerity of heart, they appoint men who are unqualified for the work that God

has tasked for pastoral leadership.

And what is the inevitable result of that?

The church fails.

The church fails.

It fails.

Leadership's important.

And we need to care about these instructions for those reasons, at least.

Well, the instruction of verses 8 through 11, really, if we think about it, is a practical

outworking of the qualifications of a pastor given in chapter 1.

In fact, set your eyes on chapter 1 and verse 9 and look at the similarities here.

Paul says that as a part of the qualifications of a pastor, he must hold firm the trustworthy

word as taught, apostolic doctrine, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine

and then also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Okay?

That's something that must be true of a man before the church calls him to fulfill the

task.

And why?

Because when we get to chapter 3 and we find the specific instruction for what Titus and

the other elders are supposed to do, what is it that they must do?

They must know the gospel.

They must defend the gospel.

They must instruct according to the gospel and to godliness and to sound doctrine.

And they must rebuke those and deal with those who cause and stir up division contrary to

the truth of God's word.

So this is really just a practical outworking of what should be true in the character of church

leadership.

And again, the passage doesn't describe everything that a pastor must be and do, but it does give

us the essence of faithful ministry, to believe the gospel, preach the gospel, confront those

who reject it.

And there's three basics of faithful ministry that I'd like to point out for you here in

these verses as we work through it, okay?

Here's the first thing.

Paul says, affirm what is profitable.

Affirm what is profitable.

Would you look with me at verse 8?

The saying is trustworthy.

And I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be

careful to devote themselves to good works.

These things are excellent and profitable for people.

Now, this isn't difficult to understand, is it?

It's very straightforward.

It's simple.

Titus was to affirm as a matter of first importance the things that are excellent and profitable.

for people.

Which is the pastor's task.

The pastor's task is to focus on what is good and beneficial for the people under his care.

And this concern, in contrast to the false teachers in chapter 1, is not to build a following

that serves personal ambition or gain, but it is to be consumed with the care of souls in the congregation.

Do you see that?

It's very simple to see.

Titus, do the things that are good and profitable for the people.

And of course, a sure sign of a false teacher is that their priorities are self-exalting.

It's not hard to see that when you look around at maybe certain churches or certain celebrity pastors or ministers,

whatever the case may be.

A sure sign of false teaching is self-exalting people.

But it's also not uncommon to see pastors who are orthodox in their teaching,

orthodox in their theology,

at some point become consumed with self,

self-consuming in their priority of ministry.

So that rather than focusing primarily on the care of the people,

they use the church to build their platform.

Being seduced by the false gold of ministry success and whatever it may be,

it's actually quite easy to fall into that.

It's a temptation.

It's a reason we pray for our pastors, right?

Because it's an easy thing to fall into.

It's an easy thing to desire.

And without realizing it,

you begin to lead and to preach and to teach

and to focus on those things that serve your own ambition

rather than what is profitable for the people.

And eventually these church leaders will abandon the things that are profitable

in order to focus on what is profitable for them.

And Paul makes it very clear here

that the things that are excellent for people

and why they are profitable for people

are the gospel of grace.

It's all founded in the gospel of grace.

So first he says,

Titus is to affirm the truth of the gospel.

Look again at verse eight.

The saying is trustworthy, he says.

Now the saying that is trustworthy

is the gospel creed or hymn

that we've studied in verses four through seven.

So there's a flow here.

That's why we read all 11 verses.

Here's the exhortation.

Then he goes through this gospel creed

and he says this saying, this creed, this hymn,

whatever it was and however it functioned in the church,

it is trustworthy.

And what is it that the creed is about?

The message of God's grace.

It's trustworthy.

Which doesn't mean that it's merely worth considering.

It is a statement that affirms its absolute truth.

The gospel is the truth of God.

Preaching it must be a priority of every church leader.

And it must be the central focus of everything that the church is

and everything that the church does.

So that pastors then in their primary responsibility

is to saturate the people with the gospel,

which is not the ABCs of the Christian life,

as some people seem to think,

but it is the A to Z of the Christian life.

It is the beginning and the end.

It is everything.

It is everything that is useful,

not only for conversion,

but as we have studied all throughout this letter,

useful for sanctification,

useful for glorification.

The gospel is the thing.

And we must be saturated in it.

Second, he says,

Titus was to affirm the behaviors

that naturally flow from the message of salvation.

So he says, the saying is trustworthy.

The gospel is truth.

This gospel of grace is the true thing.

And then he immediately says,

look back at verse eight.

He says, and I want you to insist on these things.

Well, what is these things?

Well, it includes the gospel message,

but then it also includes the godly conduct

that's emphasized in verses one and two.

That's what begins the whole thing

is godliness, holiness, Christ-likeness in the world.

And these behaviors involve both actions and attitudes

showing that the work of God in salvation,

it penetrates the deepest recesses of our hearts.

It pervades all of our being

so that if we are truly saturated in the gospel of grace,

we're truly saturated in the teaching of the word of God

as it relates to the person and the work of Christ.

The Holy Spirit in this work of renewal

pervades the deepest recesses of our hearts.

It consumes our whole being

so that the natural overflow of the gospel

is godliness and Christ-likeness.

Do you see?

Do you see?

It's all connected together and it's necessary.

And Paul says, preach the gospel

and insist on the behaviors

that accompany the gospel message

that are part and parcel to the Christian life.

And we must do that.

Why?

Because they're excellent and profitable for people, he says.

But what is it that makes them excellent and profitable?

Why is it that the gospel and these behaviors are profitable?

Well, he tells us here.

The purpose of insisting on these things in verse eight,

keeping them before the people,

is that in having the wonders of God's grace

constantly in mind,

believers will be concerned with displaying

the kind of goodness and righteousness

that shows that they have been grasped

by the transformative power of God's spirit.

Do you see that there?

Just set your eyes.

I know it's distracting this morning.

Just set your eyes with me, please, on verse eight.

The saying is trustworthy.

I want you to insist on these things.

Why?

Why?

So that those who have believed in God

may be careful, concerned,

intent on devoting themselves to good works.

Bill Mount says,

this provides yet another illustration

of the dominant theme in Titus,

that right theology and right practice

are inextricably bound together.

An understanding of the full plan of salvation

leads believers necessarily

into a daily living out

of their commitment to the Lord.

That's the theme of the whole book.

Preach the gospel, Titus.

And if you see that the behaviors

have gone awry in the church,

it's probably because the gospel

isn't being emphasized in the right way.

And by the way,

watch out for the false teachers

that are teaching something

contrary to the gospel.

And here's how you'll know they're doing that.

It's gonna show up in their behavior.

All of these things are linked together.

But the order of this process

cannot be lost in our understanding.

Too many people start with the good works

and then they hope that their efforts

will curry enough favor with God

that he will find them acceptable.

That's where we get this backwards sometimes.

We think that God will find me acceptable

so long as I do the good works.

But what Paul describes here,

the order of it is the exact opposite.

You can do your best

and you can try your hardest,

but it will never be enough

to atone for your sin.

It will never be enough

to bring you into a right relationship with God.

It can't because you can't.

This is why Jesus comes.

This is why God sends his son.

Through his death on the cross,

Jesus, who is the sinless son of God,

takes the wrath of God set against sinners.

His sacrifice was a perfect atonement for sin.

And it is granted eternal life and forgiveness

to all who will believe and follow Christ alone.

The good works in these verses

are not our efforts to earn God's favor.

They are the product of knowing that in Christ,

we already have God's favor.

That's the significance of the order.

That's the significance of our witness

so that in the way that we live our lives,

we don't presume as if we are earning something from God.

We do it as an act of worship to God.

And what is all of that based on?

The gospel of his grace.

We have to begin there.

Titus was to insist on these things

because this is how God's spirit

does his work of regeneration and renewal.

Notice what he says in verse A.

So that all those who believe in God

may be careful to devote themselves to good works.

This is a work of the spirit

that he does in those who believe.

These things are profitable

because as we preach the gospel to ourselves day by day,

God's grace remains our motivation

and source for good works.

Okay, so that's the first thing.

We'll move on.

He is to affirm what is profitable

and what's profitable,

the gospel and its accompanying behaviors.

Secondly, avoid what's worthless.

Avoid what is worthless.

Verse nine,

but avoid foolish controversies,

genealogies, dissensions,

quarrels about the law.

Why?

For they are unprofitable and worthless.

So just as important as affirming what is good,

a faithful pastor must recognize

and avoid those things

that are worthless for the church.

In fact, knowing what things to avoid,

meaning to shun or to turn away from,

is critical to being able to focus on the gospel

and its implications in life and ministry.

You can't have one without the other,

which is a reminder

that there's always going to be distractions in our life.

Always.

There's always going to be things

that pull us away from the basics of the truth of God,

that pull us away from basic godliness

and Christlikeness,

and it's imperative

that we avoid getting caught up

in unprofitable speculations.

That's the genealogies.

Arguments about tradition.

That's quarrels about the law.

And contentious battles over issues

that are secondary to core biblical doctrine.

That's the dissensions, the strifes.

This warning is common in the pastoral epistles.

Think of 1 Timothy 1.

He tells Timothy,

charge certain persons

not to teach any different doctrine,

nor to devote themselves to myths

and endless genealogies

which promote speculations

rather than the stewardship from God

that is by faith.

1 Timothy 4.

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.

Rather, train yourself for godliness.

2 Timothy 2.23.

Have nothing to do with foolish,

ignorant controversies.

You know that they breed what?

Quarrels.

Worthless ones.

Foolish ones.

Now, we must acknowledge here

that this is not a call

for us to avoid controversy.

It is a call for us to avoid

a certain kind of controversy.

Because the fact is,

not only for a pastor,

but for any Christian,

we must be willing to engage,

engage in certain controversial issues

as they relate to gospel fidelity

and defending the word of God.

And to avoid controversy at all costs

would necessitate failing

to affirm what's good

and what's profitable for the people.

The particular issues at work in Crete

had to do with myths

and traditions and speculations

derived from Judaism.

We see that in chapter one.

You can go back and read that later.

But the primary reason

given for avoiding such things

is that they are unprofitable.

They're worthless.

They're not helpful.

They're not edifying.

They're not actually doing anything good

for the people or for the church.

Are they intriguing?

Maybe.

Are they fun to argue and debate?

Perhaps.

Are they helpful?

Not at all.

They're not.

And loved ones,

this is what we must do

if we're going to discern

whether or not any given issue

is worth our engagement.

We must determine,

is this profitable

or is this worthless?

And you don't have to go very far

to find illustrations for this.

Just yesterday,

I was sitting on the couch

flipping through YouTube.

And in a five-minute

flipping through YouTube,

there's two different videos

that fit this description perfectly.

One was a sermon from a church

I'm not familiar with,

maybe a Calvary Chapel

or something like that somewhere.

I can't remember exactly where it was.

And the sermon was steeped in speculation

relating to the book of Revelation.

And the title of the sermon

was about Russia invading the rest of the world.

It's just,

it's unhelpful speculation.

It's unhelpful.

That's not helping anyone.

That's hurting the cause of Christ.

That's not helping it.

I'll go a little bit further.

Here's another video.

It's a girl who has determined

a secret code

in the genealogies

of the book of Genesis.

And in discerning

all the meanings of the names,

if you put them in just the right order

and you say just the right words

and then you spin around three times

and blow up in the air,

all of a sudden,

you have this mystical knowledge.

And that's really what,

look, this stuff is everywhere.

It's everywhere.

Sometimes it's subtle.

Which is why Paul has to warn even Titus

and just remind him,

don't get caught up in this stuff, Titus.

Don't get caught up in the foolishness.

Don't get caught up in

the speculation

and the arguments

over things that are just

dumb and unhelpful,

which any of us

can be guilty of doing.

If it means standing firm

on the word of God,

defending the gospel of grace

through Jesus alone,

urging believers to live in godliness,

then it's profitable

and we must enter the fray.

We must.

But if it's needless speculation

about the nature and timing

of Christ's return,

then it's unhelpful.

If it involves traditions

and commands of men

or matters of conscience

that spur disunity,

we must avoid it.

If it leads to foolish argumentation

or quibbling over non-essential issues,

we must refuse to be carried away by it.

If we're to be a faithful church,

we must be wise

about what is profitable

and what is worthless

and ultimately dishonoring

to the Lord.

we remember,

as is a common statement,

the main things

are the plain things

and the plain things

are the main things

in the scripture.

We need to remember that.

Don't consume yourself

with pet doctrines

or act as if every point

of disagreement

is necessary

to express

because it's not.

Not only will you exasperate

the people around you,

you'll lose the profitability

of the gospel

because you're not avoiding

the things that really

must be avoided.

Third and finally,

address those

who cause division.

Affirm what's profitable.

Avoid what's worthless.

Address those

who cause division.

Verse 10,

as for a person

who stirs up division,

after warning him once

and then twice,

have nothing more

to do with him.

Knowing that such a person

is warped,

sinful,

sinful.

He is self-condemned.

This is the hardest part

of the whole thing,

isn't it?

If you're just a normal person

that doesn't particularly

enjoy confrontation.

There are those weird people

out there,

maybe you're one of them

that enjoy just to fight

all the time.

For most of us,

this is the difficult one.

You can handle

preaching the truth,

affirming what's right.

It's not very hard

for you to avoid

contentious matters.

But when it comes to

actually actively

addressing error,

it's much more difficult

for us to do,

isn't it?

And in this final portion,

Paul presents

an inevitable situation

and the only proper

response to it.

The situation involves

an individual

actively causing

division in the church,

specifically by

affirming doctrines

and behaviors

that are contrary

to the trustworthy word.

This isn't division

of personality necessarily.

This is not

simple things

that are really

inconsequential

in the big picture

of the health

of the church.

These are things

that are actively

dividing the church

in relation to the gospel

and the behaviors

that flow from it

that he's just discussed.

And the only proper response

to such a situation

is to follow

the biblical process

of church discipline.

Because it's not enough

for a pastor

to affirm the truth

and avoid distractions.

It is basic

to faithful ministry

that a pastor

leads the church

in the critical practice

of discipline

when it's necessary.

Because a church

cannot be healthy

and fruitful

while tolerating

individuals

who trouble the people

with false doctrine

and sin.

Such a person

must be confronted

and they must be confronted

for their own good.

They must be confronted

for the health

of the church

and they must be confronted

for the witness

of God's people

to the world

which in the beginning

of this chapter

in those first two verses

is the central issue.

Is our witness

to the world.

I'll save a fuller discussion

for church discipline

for another day.

You'll be grateful for that.

But let me just

touch on it

as we consider

Paul's instruction here.

There's two categories

that we think of

when it comes to church discipline.

You don't have to remember

these words

but it will be helpful

for you to remember

the category.

First is formative discipline.

We would call it

formative discipline.

You are under

formative discipline

right now.

It is that daily process

whereby

through the word,

through prayer,

through discipling,

God shapes us

and he molds us

and he chisels us

and he builds us up

into the Christians

that he would have us to be.

He makes us more and more

like the person of Christ.

It's not corrective

in nature necessarily.

It's just constantly

we're learning

and we're growing

and we're maturing.

It's formative discipline.

If you remove

certain elements

what we might would call

the ordinary means of grace

even.

If you move

certain elements

it's going to stunt

that growth.

We need the formative discipline.

We need preaching.

You need it.

Not necessarily for me.

You need it.

You just need it.

You need good preaching.

You need discipleship.

You need people around you.

Iron sharpening iron.

You can't live in isolation.

It will stunt your growth.

You need the formative discipline.

You need the ordinances.

You need to witness baptism

as we witnessed it last week

to be reminded of the gospel.

You need communion.

You need to prioritize

of every Sunday in the month

that first Sunday

must be your priority

because that's the day

when we gather around the table.

It's formative.

It's helpful to us.

It's profitable for us.

So that's part of it.

That's not what Paul's

dealing with here though.

Here he's dealing

with corrective discipline.

And corrective discipline

which is the formal process

of confronting a person

in error or in sin.

To modern sensibilities

comes across as harsh

and unkind.

We're not conditioned

by our culture

to think that this is

an appropriate thing.

But the Bible's

not unclear about this.

It's not unclear

about it at all.

And as a church

we need to be careful

to observe it

and to remember it.

Three things

I want to point out

to you about it

that not only are true

about it in this text

but are true about it

throughout the New Testament.

I'll make them simple for you.

The first thing

I want you to see

the people

that are to be disciplined.

The people

that are to be disciplined.

Verse 10

As for a person

who stirs up division.

A specific type of person

is mentioned here.

Not only holds

aberrant beliefs

but is deliberately

troubling the congregation

regarding those beliefs.

That's significant

to what Paul's addressing

and to why he's urging

this type of discipline.

These people

are pot stirrers.

You know what I mean by that?

They throw things out there

just because they like

to see the conflict

that ensues

as a result of it.

They're pot stirrers

by nature.

Their actions

cripple the church.

It leads people

away from the gospel.

It leads them away

from holiness.

And it's not just

that they hold

diverse views

on secondary issues.

As described

in chapter 1

they're insubordinate

to the truth.

They insist

on worthless

and harmful ideas.

They upset

entire families

through their errant doctrine.

They prove themselves

in verse 11

to be warped

and sinful

and their behavior

condemns them

before God

and before the church.

And Paul says

you cannot tolerate this.

You cannot just

let this go.

You must deal

with this

in the church.

Titus chapter 1

Titus 1 · chapter mention

in verse 16

they profess

to know God

but they deny

him by their works.

not just the way

that they live

in the world

but the way

that they live

in the church.

They profess God.

They profess Christ

but they do not

display Christ.

They are detestable

Paul says.

They're disobedient.

They're unfit

for any good work.

That's strong language.

So Paul's not

dealing with

he's not saying

just nitpick

people to death.

He's not saying

scrutinize

one another's lives

and find

every possible thing

that you can find

that's wrong

with everybody

in the church

and if they don't

listen to your opinion

about it

you better bring them

before the church

and get them out of here.

That's not what Paul's saying.

He's addressing

a specific type

of person.

We need to remember that.

Two.

The process of discipline.

How does this process

actually work?

After warning him

verse 10

once

and then twice

have nothing more

to do with him.

Jesus is the one

that gives these parameters.

Matthew 18

If your brother

sins against you

go and tell him

his fault

between you

and him alone.

That's the first step.

If he listens to you

you've gained your brother.

And what a wonderful

thing that would be.

Isn't that the intention

of all of this?

We see error

in somebody

whether it's doctrinal error

or whether it's

a particular sin

and we say

hey let's grab coffee

this week

or maybe we meet together

on a different thing

and you just

you kind of gently

spur them along

and just say

hey I noticed this thing

or you said this

the other day

I think you really

need to think about this

I think you're in error

I think you're in sin

and I think

nine times out of ten

that's what the Lord

uses to restore someone

right?

That's the first step.

Jesus says

that's what you do

and then he says though

he said

but if you won't listen

they're unrepentant

go back

but this time

take one or two others

with you

so that every charge

may be established

by the evidence

of two or three witnesses.

Now why is that all about?

It is not only

for accountability

it's to make sure

that I'm not just

nitpicking somebody

to death right?

Because that could be the case.

There's a protection here right?

That there's just not somebody

that's just cantankerous

that's just giving everybody

a hard time.

So now you go with

probably leaders

in the church

at this point

you go with

with a couple of others

it establishes the witness

there is record

but then it lets

the offending person

know

okay there's a seriousness

to this

because it's not just Jared

who has a problem

with what I'm doing

there's actually

significant people

that I respect

in the church

that are actually

they actually think

the same thing

I need to think about this

something the Lord uses right?

But then Jesus says

what if he doesn't listen?

What if he still

is unrepentant?

He says

we continue on

in Matthew 18

if he refuses

to listen to them

tell it to the church.

This is the point

at where Paul is

in his instructions

to Titus

you bring it

to the congregation

now why would you do that?

Because it lets

the offending party

know

this is serious

and the whole

congregation then

is to woo

that person

persuade them

in whatever way possible

to repent

believe

alter course

turn from their error

and what if they don't

listen to the church?

Jesus says

let them be to you

as a Gentile

and a tax collector

let them be to you

as an unbeliever

so that if we understand

church membership

the right way

the way we're supposed

to view that

in the Bible

it's not that the church

declares that a person

is a Christian

or not a Christian

that's not the authority

we have

that authority belongs

to Christ

and to Christ alone

but in so far

as a person

makes a credible

profession of faith

and their life

matches that profession

the church says

you are one of us

we welcome you

to the table of the Lord

we welcome you

in baptism

we rejoice with you

we will enter in this

covenant relationship

together

church discipline then

is the congregation

itself

looking at a person

and saying

we hear your profession

but we can no longer

in good conscience

hold your profession

as credible

you're unrepentant

you're in error

you're denying the gospel

therefore

it will be necessary

unless you repent

for us to dismiss you

from our fellowship

not to cut them off

completely

so that you never

see them again

and you're hateful

towards them

no

it's to just treat them

that now you're an unbeliever

you can't come to the table

now

this is for believers

it's not for you

to lead in the church

it's not for you

to teach in the church

you're welcome to attend

but you gotta stop

with what you're doing

that's the thing

Jesus is setting forth here

and this is the process

that Paul is instructing

Titus to follow

after warning them twice

allowing ample time

for repentance

give them over

to the discipline

of the congregation

and at that point

they are to be dismissed

from the church

and their influence

is to be removed

and the elders

of the church

are to take the lead

in this

but according to Jesus

it is finally

the congregation's

responsibility

to excommunicate

someone from the fellowship

that is to treat them

as an unbeliever

it's not my job

to determine

who belongs

and who doesn't

it's our job

to do that

we do that together

it's our responsibility

taking ownership

of our own congregation

okay

that was longer

than I anticipated

so first

we have

the people

to be disciplined

we have the process

of corrective discipline

thirdly

we have the purpose

of it

what is the

what's the whole purpose

of all of this

we go back

to verse 10

after warning him

once and then twice

what's that all about

why not just say

hey

you're

you're a reprobate

you can't come here anymore

the process

was established

by Jesus

and carried out

by the apostles

to protect the church

teach the church

and then to turn

the sinner

from the error

to the grace of God

it's

this process

is not about judgment

it's not about condemnation

Christ is judge

it's about restoring

someone you love

and striving

for the purity

of God's people

because sin and error

must be confronted

but its purpose

is to see the individual

restored

to grace

and to carry out

such a practice

with the spirit

of pride

or vengeance

is to sin

against God

and it is to risk

destroying one

for whom Christ

died

so the church

must take it serious

but they must also

have the right intention

and spirit

or you shouldn't do it

Galatians 6

and verse 1

brothers

if anyone is caught

in any transgression

you who are spiritual

should restore him

in the spirit

of gentleness

humbly keeping watch

of yourself

lest you too

are tempted

to Timothy 2

and the Lord's servant

must not be quarrelsome

but kind

to everyone

able to teach

patiently

enduring evil

so that this discipline

process is a long

process in many occasions

patiently enduring evil

correcting his opponents

with gentleness

God may perhaps

grant them repentance

leading to a knowledge

of the truth

and they may come

to their senses

and escape

from the snare

of the devil

after being captured

by him to do

his will

that's the intention

to restore them

not to condemn them

so error

cannot be ignored

divisive people

must not be tolerated

and a faithful minister

in a faithful church

will deal with the problems

as they come

now we'll finish this way

why is any of this important

any of this stuff

in verses 8-11

even really in the

chapter itself

why do we care so much

this isn't the

edifying types of

or encouraging types

of text

that just

we leave the service

and we just feel so good

we learn today

about what it takes

to point out

and enter into

controversy in the church

when it's necessary

right

that's not the kind

of service

that when you

call your parents

later today

and they say

how was church today

you say

oh man it was just

you wouldn't believe

how awesome it was

so what's really

the point of all of this

the foundation

of all of this

the purpose

of all of it

the reason we care

is because of

the preservation

and the proclamation

of the true gospel

if we do not care

to affirm

what's profitable

avoid what's worthless

and contend

with those

who would reject it

we will lose

the gospel

we may not lose

our church

we may grow

we may become

richer

as a congregation

we may have

more successful

ministries

but we'll lose

the gospel

we won't be healthy

we won't glorify

God

that's the point

of all of this

how can we glorify

God as his people

well we need

certain things

set in order

we need certain

structures

we need faithful

leaders

we need the gospel

to saturate

everything that we do

we need to avoid

the things that would

distract us from that

we need to contend

with those who would

come in and divide

the church

as it relates

to heretical doctrine

and to sinful

practices

why?

because we want

to declare

and display

the message

of salvation

for the glory

of God

that's what this

is ultimately about

it's not just

having structure

for structure's sake

it's about glorifying

God

it's about faithfulness

to the truth

it's about giving

the gospel

and displaying

the gospel

so that God

might actually

bless us

and use us

for his glory

in this life

that's what this

is about

that's why we care

that's why we don't

skip it

that's why we have

member meetings

so that we can

further progress

in this

caring about

these things

caring about

the things

of God

and of the church

and though this text

may have been

aimed particularly

at Titus

and the elders

it's certainly

profitable

for all of us

to consider

there's all kinds

of implications

here for the

congregation

not the least

of which

is the command

to believe

share and defend

the gospel

and to live

as a gospel

light in the world

and if our church

is going to do

these things

it will be

necessary

to guard

against those

who reject

the truth

abound in

unrepentant sin

and stir up

worthless controversy

these things

are fundamental

to what it means

to be a faithful

minister

they're fundamental

to what it means

to be

a faithful

healthy

God glorifying

church

and we need

them

to be