Power in the Pulpit | Titus 1:10–16

What are false teachers like?

Arrogant

Smooth talkers

Deceivers

How to respond to false teachers and false teachings

Boldly rebuke them.

The goal is they will be sound in the faith

Evaluating false teachers

Hear their words and watch their actions

Intro: For years a guy named Bernnie Madolph was an experienced investor that people trusted. They would give him money and because he was “experienced” and a smooth talker people trusted him even seasoned investors. Then in 2008 with the calaspe of the economy people were wanting to get a return on their investment and they realized he had lied and cheated them out of billions of dollars. You see he was good at his job and he beleived in what he was doing He messed alot of people up financially.

That can happen in the church and does happen in the churches all the time. You have people that are convincing and know enough of the truth to convience people who dont know the truth. Noone questions them and people fall for their words. As we see in this text this morning there was a major need in the early church to be a kind of watch dog. But the problem is that people dont like to be that watch dog. Often times they dont want to confront people just want things to go away and they dont want the ship to be stirred so no one says anything.

We must have men who understand the word and know the word and will fight for truth. We need men who will not compromise on the Word of God and they know what the Bible says and they protect God’s people from false people. This text this morning Paul is telling Titus that the faithful men that he is to appoint are to be bold and able to confront false teachings.

Paul is telling Titus what these false teachers are like. And we must also understand what false teachers are like if we are going to stand boldly and confront them. Look at verses 10 through 13. The first sign is the decievers are insubordinate. This means they are not going to submit to the authority of anyone or the church. They are not going to submit to the Word of God. In other words they are arrogant. People who are decievers are arrogant they are usually cunning. These type of people will say all the right stuff but then there is something just a little off. There is a moto going around that goes like Im not going to submit to anyone. No one has authority over you. Paul says that they are insubordinate , then they are empty talkers, or smooth talkers. this carries the understanding that they are saying a lot of words and they are elegant in their speech but there is no truth to the words. These people can talk and they probably know enough truth to where it sounds ok but if you dont know the truth well you will get washed away in that stream. They are deceivers. It seems so easy from the outside to know when these people are there but when you are in it, it is so hard. These people are fully convinced they are right, and what they are doing in nessecary. They beleive it and if they believe it then it makes it easier to convience others to believe it. We must know what to look for and know how these people will lead astray. Also something that needs to be said is I have seen this play out in the church where people are really keen and knowledgeable about tradition in the church but they are not as curtain about God’s Word. You see therre is a problem when we know more about what grandmaw and grandpaw taught than we know about scritpure. I have seen more fights in the church over hanging on to traditions that were probably good but they have been taken out of context. You see Paul is warning Titus that some of these people are going to come from the circumcision party. They are mostlikly the people who where teaching that you must become Jewish before you could become a Christ Follower. They were trying to force the traditions of the past and interject them into the church. We see that all the time when we get in fights over tradtinoal things that are not backed by Scripture. If you do not have men who know the truth then these things slide in under the rug. And after years and years then the people of the church are decieved. what are we to do if that happends? how are we to respond to false teachers?

Look at verse: 11They must be silenced They must be rebuked sharply. THe word silenced means to muzzle. the word rebuke means to boldly cut up. These people are to be confronted and they are to be silenced. Why? because they are upsetting whole families. in this time these people were going from house to house teaching one or two and then it would go through like a fire. They were teaching what out not be taught. That means they were not teaching sound doctrine. they were teaching other things. and it would work its way into a family and mess up the good deposit. What does the look like today? That looks like listening to a preacher on TV who is just a little off. He doesnt say everything just right and there are some red flags but man he is entertaining. People will say I just love to hear…. he tells the best stories. They might be entertaining and tell great stories but if their theology is not sound and tight then they will lead you astray. becareful who you listen to. If they come into the local church they must be confronted. its one thing to watch it on tv but its another to allow this false teaching into the church. they must be rebuked. They must be confronted. How? Its hard to tell someone who is a person of influence that they are wrong and off on somethings. Thats right, but we must be humble enough to question and confront because it is serious.

IN our society we hate making waves and causing conflict. It is easier to just sit back and not say anything than it is to bring something up. But, the long run its aweful and not growing or God glorifying. We think that rebuking someone is going to run them off. And cause trouble. Thats because we live in world that if you disagree with me you hate me. If we get confronted we have so much pride that we cant take it. We need to remember what the goal is. The goal of the rebuking is found in verse 13 rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith.

The goal is being sound in faith. James 5:19-20 not having everyone like you. These men that Titus is to appoint they are to be men who hold firmly to the trustworthy word as taught, so they might be able to give instruction. The goal is to help others teach what is right. They goal is not to win an argument. Or to throw around authority or power the goal is to stand firm on the word of God and help others understand the truth and to live by the truth.

How is this done?

We must understand the truth. you must be in your word and growing in your understanding.

when we see wrong teaching we should understand the severity of knowing the truth.

we confront in love with the goal of helping them understand the truth. This is not confronting in a big group setting. This is not calling all your friends and telling them whats about to happen. This is you lovingly going up to someone one on one or with another faithful brother or sister and raising an issue.

Might be something like hey the other day you said…. could you explain that to me more? and then help them understand the break down and teaching them.

We must go into these situations knowing the weight and need, but also doing it with love!

Then we must be able to discern who is a true follower and who is not. Paul then says to the pure all things are pure. That means that when you are truly trusting in Jesus then there are no food restrictions or traditions that you must keep, becasue you are truly following Jesus as saivor. But then when the one is deceiveing others they are most likly u