Good morning everyone...Welcome kids to go to class…welcome online as part of extended spiritual family

It is so good to be together and be talking about some pretty important topics together. For instance we are in the middle of this series called Watch out for Wolves where we are actively looking at what Scripture says about wolves in sheep’s clothing and how you and I should be ready and respond when we see these types of things. Well, this morning I want to tell you we are taking a little bit of a turn where we will be encouraged not just to recognize false teaching, but to actually say something about it.

However before we get into that there is a booklet that I want to introduce you to. This is a booklet that was written by a man named J.C. Ryle who lived in the 1800’s, so this booklet is pretty old. However, in this booklet called, Warnings for Churches, Ryle claimed there are 8 symptoms of false teaching. Now, these symptoms are not necessarily exhaustive, but they are pretty accurate to say the least. Im going to put these up on the screen so you can see what it is that Ryle said about false teachers back in the 1800’s, because I think what we will see is that the same things are still true today… 1. There is an undeniable zeal in some teachers of error–their “earnestness” makes many people think they must be right. We see this in the passion they share these false teachings…Many people will assume that because you are passionate, you must be right. We know that is not true simply with the debate on the murder of the pre-born. Passion does not mean truth… 2. There is a great appearance of learning and theological knowledge–many think that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe to listen to. This comes from those who would tout their theological education…Essentially this is an appeal to authority, which is a logical fallacy. Ryle would say that education is not the same as truth…we see that in the “what is a woman debate”… 3. There is a general tendency to completely free and independent thinking today–many like to prove their independence of judgment by believing the newest ideas, which are nothing but novelties. We see this in the idea of being progressive simply for the sake of being progressive. Something like, I finally unlocked the secret of Scripture…listen to me… 4. There is a wide-spread desire to appear kind, loving, and open-minded–many seem half-ashamed to say that anybody can be wrong or is a false teacher. So the idea that we must be so inclusive and loving and kind that we might even embrace someone that is heretical because we don’t want to offend of exclude anyone. Of course this also leads to progressive christianity being open and inclusive of all walks of life no matter how far from the Gospel they really are. There must be exclusion as some point… 5. There is always a portion of half-truth taught by modern false teachers–they are always using scriptural words and phrases, but with unscriptural meaning. We see this so clearly in much of the current false teachers. We also see this in Scripture when Satan tempts Jesus. Satan used partial Scripture, and Scripture out of context in order to attempt to twist what God really said. They will take on a likeness of the Gospel while make changes that are not Scriptural. That is why context is so important as you listen to different teachers… 6. There is a public craving for a more sensational and entertaining worship–people are impatient with the more inward and invisible work of God within the hearts of men. Isn’t it interesting to see that this same characteristic was alive over 100 years ago. This is very much the current age as well. We must be entertained in order to hear the Gospel. I have long said, some entertainment is not horrible, some “seeker sensitive” is not horrible, but you can only be as seeker sensitive as you are theologically deep. If the theological depth is not there, then this is not teaching worth your time or my time, no matter how fun it is. Just like you cannot eat candy every day for dinner, you can not entertain every day for preaching… 7. There is a superficial readiness all around to believe anyone who talks cleverly, lovingly and earnestly, forgetting that Satan often masquerades himself as an angel of light. This is a repeat of the idea of the smooth easy talking speaker who is winsome with charisma, but does not share the truth and reality of the whole Gospel. Finally 8. There is a wide-spread ignorance among professing Christians–every heretic who speaks well is surely believed, and anyone who doubts him is called narrow-minded and unloving. We see this playing out as you attempt to correct false teaching and you are called narrow-minded, or you are called a pharisee. I can remember some years ago being told that the book “The Shack” which is not theologically sound, should be accepted because others appreciate the book. To reject this book was to reject their relationship with Christ. Folks, the only book that should be tied to your relationship with Christ, is the Word of God…

You see, the things that we face today and the things that we are surprised by even today, are actually things that have been seen and people have been warning the church for hundreds, really thousands of years because that is what Scripture is warning us about as well. Well this morning I want to help you see what your role is in holding false teachers accountable. You see, it is not only pastors and missionaries that are called to expose false teachers, but it is your job as well. So this morning I would like to look at how we should be...

Exposing False Teachers: a call to accountability

You and I are actually called to expose those teaching around us that is harmful to the faith, as well as that which is harmful to those who cannot yet defend themselves. That is one reason we partner with Lifeline Coalition in Freeport in order to attempt to protect the pre-born children and give them a chance to live their lives. However, there are evil people around us that are being controlled by, or at least manipulated by the unholy spirits of Satan. They will teach that abortion is healthcare, or that it is reproductive justice that they are fighting for. These arguments sound great on their face…well that is until you realize that they are murdering a pre-born human baby. They will hide and deceive in the way that they speak. I was in a conversation online earlier this week about a pornographic book that is being forced in many libraries around the country, and will soon be found, if they aren’t already, within the school libraries of Illinois. My argument is that pornographic materials should not be accessible to minors from the school. Listen, they get enough of this stuff online, they do not need to be spoon fed this material at school where younger and younger children will see this. Well, one person said this was a novel for young adults aged 12-18. You see, they attempted to change the conversation from minor to young adult. I reminded this person that a minor is anyone under the age of 18 years old. This is the conduct of a false teacher. Now, many false teachers do not realize they are false teachers, they simply do not have the truth. That is why it is important to expose these false teachings for what they are…evil. The time for burying our heads in the sand and pretending everything will just get better is over. It is time to stand up for what you believe in.

So…what does Scripture tell us today. Let’s open up our Bibles to Titus. Whiles you are turning there, let me give you a little context for this letter that Paul wrote to Titus. This is a pastoral letter from Paul to Titus. This was intended to offer encouragement and wisdom as Titus experienced ongoing opposition from both the ungodly and from legalists within this church. Paul instructed Titus to complete his assigned job of establishing overseers (elders) for the churches under his care. Paul told Titus what type of men these leaders should be, and how all believers should live in relation to each other as well as in relation to nonbelievers. Christian behavior is based on the fact that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,” and therefore those who believe in Christ are to “live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” as they await his return. Overall Paul is showing in this letter what a life pleasing to the Lord looks like. So, open to

Titus 1:10–16 ESV

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. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Now this section come right after Paul has instructed Titus on how to choose the men that will lead the church in Crete, as well as any other churches that Titus is overseeing. After Paul shares those qualifications, he warns Titus of these false teachers, and tells him to rebuke these teachings. Now to be clear these are things that the leaders need to be rebuking, but as I have said before, these characteristics from Paul for Elders, are truly characteristics for all Christians, Elders are simply held to a higher level of accountability. So, that’s what we are going to look at this morning.

I. Confronting False Teachers (v. 10-14)

There is false teaching all around us. The question is, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to stand for the Gospel, or do we hold our reputation higher than God’s reputation? You see, in this passage that we just read Paul is telling Titus that there are false teachers that have already invaded the church. Paul is describing the urgency in addressing this because this teaching is turning families away from the true Gospel. In context here what Paul is telling Titus about is a teaching that seems to have come from those that were Jewish and had become Christians. Maybe this teaching was coming from confusion... However, Paul says that those teaching this were rebellious liars didn’t he. So, maybe this teaching was actually coming from malice, and it was harming the church. Essentially what seems to have been taught is that salvation comes from Jesus, plus something else. In other words, God’s grace, through Jesus’ sacrifice was not good enough and there were some works that needed to be added in order to experience salvation. Well, that isn’t true, is it? If that’s true, then that would turn many people away because they are trying to clean up their lives, and then keep falling short...Now, maybe today you have experienced some teaching like that. You were told that you have to clean up your life before you can come to Christ when the reality is that you can’t clean up your life without Christ, Amen?

You see, why it’s important for Titus to clear up this false teaching. What is really interesting though is the way that Paul says to deal with this false teaching. Paul says, when you encounter false teachers, silence them! Thats actually important because Paul is telling us as believers to put God and others in front of ourselves. That seems to be pretty standard for the believer, but this is one of the most important ways to do that. Now the way that Paul says to silence these teachers is equivalent to putting a dog in a muzzle. Like, you strap their mouths shut…Ok, so clearly Paul is not actually advocating that we assault people and start muzzling people or duct taping their mouths…but that is the intensity that Paul is communicating. Paul also said that when we hear these things we should rebuke them sharply. Maybe even harshly, pointing out the folly of this false teaching so that they and others can see the truth.

How do you do that though? Well, the only way to destroy the dark is with light. In the same way, the only way to silence lies is with the truth. We know the Gospel is the perfect truth and false teaching is a rejection of the Gospel. In other words, Use the truth of the Gospel to silence the lies. Now that takes boldness though doesn’t it? I think that is Pauls point in this section is that as beliers we need to be bold because we actually have the truth, and we want people to hear the truth. The goal is silencing the lies, is not to hurt people or to drive people away. The goal of silencing the lies is so that they may be sound in the faith. In other words, you stop the lies so that people can grow in the truth. This takes being courageous in your heart. This takes being bold in your actions. This takes being firm in your speech. Finally, this takes being knowledgable in the Scripture. Here’s the thing though…In order to use the truth of the Gospel, you have to know the truth of the Gospel. You have to grow in your Scriptural knowledge, and that is why it is so important for you to be reading your Bible for yourself every…single…day.

That’s not all that Paul talks about in this passage though is it? No, besides calling out and confronting false teachers, Paul is also calling Christians to right living by showing what is faulty living. So, next we need to focus on...

II. Living Godly Lives (v. 15-16)

See we can call people out all day long, but if we are not ourselves living lives that are pleasing to the Lord then it’s only a matter of time before we get called out ourselves, right? I mean, yeah…we are going to sin, Im not saying we are going to actually be sinless here on Earth like other false teaching will. However, our goal should be to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. See this passage tells us that the minds of those that are unbelievers are defiled by their unbelief. That means that no matter what they do, nothing can change until they have a different view of God…their sin has separated them from God, and they have not recieved Jesus’ forgiveness so they will always be defiled. To this group of people there is nothing that is pure. To the lost everything is defiled by their unbelief.

You know, I watched a little video earlier this week that really made a powerful point. Imagine we are in a line. This line is the massive line on the way to God’s throne for final judgement. You know when you’re in line alot of times you start talking to those around you. Well, imagine you are around Paul…Dude…that would be so exciting. Well, you start chatting Paul up and you’re like, Hey Paul…whats up dude…how are things. Well Paul responds the way Paul does. Paul is excited to get to know other believers and so he starts to share about who he is. He says, I am so excited to get to see Jesus again, you know because he and I met on the road one day. Anyway, Im so excited to talk about everything I did to share the Gospel. Like, I was beaten and tortured just so that I could get in front of Caesar and share the Gospel with the leader of the free world at that time. I had rocks thrown at me, I got to attend some pretty amazing revival meetings in this really small towns and new groups of believers were drawn together. Oh, then there was this time that I was in jail and me and my buddy Silas starting singing and praying and suddenly God broke open the doors to the prison…It was so cool I got to lead the prison guard and his whole family to the Lord.

Well, hey, thats alot about me…I can’t wait to hear what you did for the Lord…Then you have to respond and you’re like I attended church for an hour on Sunday, even when gas was expensive…well, most Sundays. Hey, I gave a few dollars in the offering plate every once and a while. Paul’s like…no, I mean what did you do to sacrifice for the Lord…like, how did you express your gratitude for his sacrifice…What was it like to share with others...Then you realize that maybe you never actually sacrificed because maybe you don’t actually understand what Jesus sacrificed for you…or maybe you’ve never actually recieved the gift that Jesus’ death offered to you.

You see, even those that claim to know Christ…if there is not a saving relationship and a saving faith, then everything is defiled. That may be some of you here today or listening online. Maybe you would go to God and say, Lord, didn’t I talk about you at work sometimes…didn’t I attend church enough…I gave money to, and the Lord is going to say, get away from me I never knew you. The amazing thing is that this doesn’t have to be the end of the story. You see, Jesus did sacrifice his life so that you can have life. Jesus accepted the torture so that you could experience life. Jesus literally walked this Earth and never even disobeyed his mom and dad all so that you, who disobeyed your mom and dad daily could have a relationship with the God of the universe. Jesus’ body was broken so that your life would be saved, but you have to make a choice. Are you going to seek the Lord, or are you going to bury your head in the false teachings of the world. Are you going to receive the Holy Spirit or are you going to be led by the unholy spirits. See you don’t have to have it all figured out…none of us do…you just have to take that step of faith to say, I want to start my life today. Forgive my sins and rule my life.

Of course maybe that’s not the case for you…maybe you you have already commited your life to the Lord. You wake up every day and you look to live a life pleasing to the Lord. See, that is what Paul is calling us as Christians to do. Christians are called to live holy lives. If you are living a holy life with Christ, then all things are pure, because Jesus has already paid the price for you. Now we get to live a life of gratitude until the day you meet the Lord in glory. What an amazing gift that we have already received.

So you see, even these words that were written hundreds, or even thousands of years ago are just as relevant today. You and I need to be aware of those things that are happening around us, both within and outside of the church we need to be able to stand for Gospel truth without shame or ignorance. last night at the Beast Feast it was brought up that Satan is really good at marketing. I saw that because lately Christians are being called hateful while standing for Biblical values. Christians are being fired becuase the marketing is being ramped up that Christians are evil and hateful…So how do we withstand that marketing campaign? How do we have the strength to ignore that junk and just focus on the Lord…Well we need to spend time in the Word, not just for our own growth, but because we are in the middle of a Spiritual war and you need to be training every single day for that battle because you don’t know when those attacks are coming. You have to be able to discern what is true and right.

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

You need to be able to discern what is good and acceptable teaching so that you can be prepared to refute that false teaching whenever it pops up…even if it happens in this room. Listen, sometimes its hard, especially today when anyone that disagrees with the current culture gets called all kind of hateful things. However, you must be prepared to live a life for the Lord and not for yourself. Are you living a life that is a testimony for Christ…or are you living a life your yourself…you cannot do both.

This morning I am going to close us in prayer and I want to ask you to think about your relationship with the Lord…Do you need to be retrained so you get be ready for the battles when they come? Do you need to join the battle to begin with? Maybe you have a neighbor or a loved one that doesn’t know about you and you need to take the time make an introduction…Maybe you need to recommit your days to spending time with the Lord first…instead of with the time you have left over at the end of the day. Whatever that level of commitment is that you need to make, please do not leave this room without having that conversation with the Lord…and if you are wiling send me a message so i can know how to be praying for you!

Lets pray (for God's guidance and strength in discernment and godly living)

In a moment we are going to take communion and I want to ask you to begin thinking about those who live in unbelief…those who live with no commitment, maybe even some in this very room. Think about those who live in unbelief…and how you can live as a testimony for Christ in their lives...

Now Im going to ask the Elders to come up and prepare the table for communion. Please take the elements and begin to pass these elements to the congregation this morning as I share about Jesus’ final meal.

Talk about the final meal with Jesus and the apostles. Share about how after the meal they went to the garden and Jesus simply asked them to take watch and pray. They were called to pray for many things, I would imagine for courage and wisdom and humility for themselves about what was coming. You see, Jesus knew, but they did not. Jesus twice caught them all sleeping when they were specifically asked to pray. Are you left sleeping this morning when Jesus has asked you to pray? This morning as we prepare to receive these elements I want to ask you to think about that one person that does not have a relationship with the Lord in your life. Maybe its family, maybe its a coworker, whoever it is, as we take these elements I want you to remember those that are outside of the faith and living in unbelief. I want to ask you to make a commitment to the Lord to live a life that points that person to the Lord…That’s not all though…Ask the Lord for an opportunity to share your faith with this person that you are praying about. Ask for the courage to stand and the wisdom to share the Gospel truth with this person and leave the results to the Lord.

Read:

Luke 22:14–23 ESV

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

The polluted minds and consciences of unbelievers B. The transformative power of the Gospel in renewing lives C. The call to live as true disciples of Christ