Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

As we continue with our worship of the Lord Jesus Christ this morning, I want to invite you to open up your Bibles to Titus 1:10-16 with me as we study the Word of the Lord together.

10 For there are many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from the circumcision party.

11 It is necessary to silence them; they are ruining entire households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly.

12 One of their very own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

13 This testimony is true.

For this reason, rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith 14 and may not pay attention to Jewish myths and the commands of people who reject the truth.

15 To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled.

16 They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works.

They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

( Titus 1:10-16)

As we consider this text this morning, let us go to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to speak to our hearts and minds so that we can be better equppied to do the work He has called us to.

Let’s pray together.

Last week, when we looked at Titus 1:5-9 we talked about how the church needs Godly leaders to be healthy.

If a church is going to function the way that God wants the church to function, then one of the things that we need to be thinking and praying about is that God would equip the Church with Godly men to help lead and guide the church.

Without these men in place, the church is left in a place of undoneness.

It is not functioning on all cylinders, if you know what I am saying.

Can the church survive this way?

We would have to say yes, to a certain extent.

Jesus has promised to build his church and we know that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Jesus takes care of HIs church.

We know that nothing is ever going to destroy the universal church.

However, all throughout the New Testament we see Jesus issue warnings to the local church about real threats and dangers that could spring up in them.

We often think about dangers coming from outside of our church as we face persecution and what not, but that really is not the most dangerous thing we see spoken of.

The most dangerous thing that we see in the New testament is the threat of what can come from inside of the church.

Body:

This is what Paul is talking about here with Titus.

He is talking about The threat of False Teachers.

We see this warning issued over and over again throughout the New Testament.

When the church started to reach lost people and people where coming to place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, there was this opposition that the early church faced with all kinds of false teachings.

Let me just name of some of the most common of what we see in the New Testament:

Following Old Testament Laws

Not Eating Certain Foods

Having “Insider” knowledge

All Material Things Are bad.

We could go on, but I think that you get the idea.

The early church was filled with all kinds of false teachings.

There was a threat to the core message of the Gospel.

All of these things were attacking what Jesus Christ had done through his death, burial, and resurrection.

All of these things were basically teaching that there was another.....a better....way to get to heaven and be made right with God.

It is to this kind of threat that Paul is riting Titus telling him how to handle this situation.

This was also part of what was left undone.

The churches at Crete needed Godly leaders so that they could combat false teaching in their area.

Let’s look at the text together.

10 For there are many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from the circumcision party.

(Titus 1:10)

Remember what Paul said right before this as he was talking about the qualifications of a Godly leader.....9 holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.

A Godly leader had to be able to hold onto the faithful message as taught....meaning he had to be one who knew the Gospel and was willing to teach and preach the Gospel so that…that is the purpose cluase here....he could encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it…why?

Why is this so important?

verse 10 tells us why.... FOR THERE ARE MANY REBELLIOUS PEOPLE.

We could replace the word “For” with Because and it might help us see what Paul is trying to say here.

Godly leaders were necessary because the local churches they were facing some false teachers.

They were empty talkers and decievers.

Paul even tells us what group they belonged to…there were from the circumcision party....meaning that this false teaching had as its origin with some Jews.

This was not uncommon.

The Jews were a source of many of the false teachings in the early church.

They were the ones who were telling the Gentiles that they needed to start following the Old Testament Laws if they really wanted to be God’s people.

Now, we are not told exactly what they were teaching here at Crete.

It really doesn't not seem to be anything like following Laws to be made right with God....because we do not see Paul’s normal response given to Titus here…but seems to deal more with material gain, as we will see as we walk through this text.

What is the response that to this false teaching?

Look down at verse 11 with me.

11 It is necessary to silence them; they are ruining entire households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly.

(Titus 1:11)

There are three things that we need to see from this single verse:

False Teachers Must Be Silenced.

They cannot be allowed to continue to have a stronghold in those churches

2. False Teachers Ruin Local Churches.

This is what is meant be the phrase, “they are ruining entire households...” When we hear households we think of families.

We think of those who live under my roof.

In some extenent that was also true in the New Testment.

However, I think what Paul is referring to here is not family but the churches who were meeting in the homes of people.

It was not until much later that the church actually started meeting in buildings.

These false teachers seem to be going from house church to house church and were just wrecking them because of their teaching.

3. False Teacher were doing it for the Money.

This tells the reason why there were doing what they were doing.

It was not that they were trying to teach false doctrine for the sake of teaching false doctrine to mislead people.

They did not care about that.

They were only thinking about one thing…they were thinking about their own pocketbooks.

They wanted to gain money.

What comes to my mind are those get rich quick commercials… you know what I am talking about?

Those guys who are on late night TV and are saying.... “Are you tired of being in debt and living paycheck to paycheck?

Are you tired of going to work everyday in a deadend Job wishing that you could do something that you love?

Guess what?!! Now you can!!!

And I Will teach you how in my 9 week program.

You can go from making 500 dollars and week to making 10,000 a week.

All you need to do is order my book “How to make money quick” and you will be on your way to being a success.”

And if you call within the next 10 mins you will save 10% off of your first order.”

You know what I am talking about?

To our ears that sounds sooo good.

That guy seems so nice.

He seems to have my best interest at heart.

He is only wanting what is best for me....but deep down we ALL know that is not true.

That guy does not care about me or you at all....he only wants ONE thing.... HE WANTS TO GET RICH....and HE will.....

You wont....BUT HE WILL…and YOu will help him.

That is what goes through my mind as I think about these verses.

That is what these false teachers were doing to the local church.

They were preaching a message not to help the church…but to fill their own pockets.

This is what Paul has to say about these people....look at verse 12...

12 One of their very own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”(Titus

1:12)

That is the testimony against them.