Titus | Week 3

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

Titus 1 · chapter mention Titus 1 · chapter mention

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

Titus 1:9

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

2 Timothy 3:16

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

Titus 1:9

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

John 3 · chapter mention

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.

Romans 1:21

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

Romans 6:23

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

Romans 3:21

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?

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

Romans 3:20

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

Romans 4:5

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

Titus 1:9

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.