Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

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According to a 2015 survey conducted by the Evangelical Leaders these are the Top 5 priorities for Americans when looking for a church.

(List).

Wow!

Is anyone surprised?

Shocked?

I think 4 & 5 are connected so that would increases that number to ____ %.

Would any of those matter to you if you were looking for a new church home?

Perhaps this is your first time at MBC and you’re looking for a church home – perhaps some of those are important for you today.

If 4 & 5 are a priority to you (Sermon & Pastor), let me just say “I’m a really great guy” and “I hope this sermon won’t be like pulling teeth for you” (Haha).

In all seriousness finding a good home is a very important.

Need

All too often the search for a church is driven by personal preferences instead of biblical priorities!

When considering what church you will visit, belong to, and be committed to it’s vital that you know God’s design for His church and the biblical priorities that must be the foundation of a good church.

This brings us to the heart of our current series through the book of Titus.

In our journey through Titus we’re discovering “The Essential Building Blocks of an Effective Church” – we’re looking at the essential priorities that make up the foundation of a church that enable it to fulfill it’s mission – and so let’s review the first two essential building blocks from our time in Titus.

· Building Block #1: “Gospel- Centered Ministry” (Four Reasons gospel is essential)

· Building Block #2: “Godly Leadership” (Appointing qualified elders to shepherd)

· Building Block #3:

Preview

Take your Bible and turn to Titus.

Titus Chapter 1.

If you don’t have a bible feel free to follow along with those provided in the pew.

You’ll find it in the NT – after the gospels, past Ephesians-Colossians, and 1-2 Timothy.

This is God’s inspired Word, penned by the apostle Paul to his dear friend Titus who was left on the island of Crete to set things in order in the churches.

Today we pick up where we left off – Titus was instructed to appoint godly leaders (elders) and today we see “why” that was such a priority in Crete.

In we’re going to see “A Serious Problem” that required “A Serious Response” – which will highlight the third essential building block of an essential church and its implications for our lives today.

(Read ).

I) A SERIOUS PROBLEM

A Group of False Teachers were destroying the Church (1:10-16)

Last week we considered the second essential building block—godly leadership—the appointment of elders who could encourage God’s people with sound doctrine and protect God’s people from false teaching.

Now we see “why” this was a pressing priority in the churches in Crete and must be a priority for us as a church.

highlights “A SERIOUS PROBLEM” on the island of Crete.

A group of false teachers were impacting the churches on the island.

The destructive impact of these false teachers couldn’t be ignored.

The appointment of godly elders who could encourage God’s people with sound doctrine and protect God’s people from false teaching was a dire need because these young believers were gullible and susceptable.

Therefore reveals “how” Titus (and the prospective elders) must address the serious problem of false teachers who were destroying the churches.

Let’s take a closer look at the “Serious Problem” and the “Simple Solution” outlined in today’s passage as we discover the third essential building block of an effective church.

A) The False Teacher’s Identity (1:10-16)

We begin with “A Vivid Description of the False Teachers” – “A Vivid Description of the False Teachers” in Crete.

In Paul painted a vivid portrait of the false teachers causing havoc in the churches on the island of Crete.

Through Paul’s pen God painted a vivid portrait of the false teachers that Titus will have to confront.

1) A Group of Jewish “converts” (1:10)

First, we not the false teachers “Identity” (1:10).

Many of the words used to describe the identity of the false teachers are also found in 1 Timothy.

It seems that the false teacher’s Titus had to confront in Crete were similiar to the false teacher’s Timothy had to confront in Ephesus.

You can do a comparison study on your own by reading & 4.

- Paul informed Titus that there were “many, especially those of the circumcision group” (1:10).

There were group(s) of false teachers impacting the churches in Crete—the most dominant were the Jewish legalists—those identified as “the circumcision group.”

The “circumcision” was a group of Jewish converts who insisted that Gentiles (non-Jews) had to be circumcised if they were to be regarded as true believers of Jesus Christ.

Circumcision was the OT covenant sign that Israel was God’s chosen people and many believed that it was still necessary in the NT as a sign of being a child of God.

Paul strongly opposed this legalistic teaching in Galatians and addresses the problem here in Titus.

The circumcision group were Jewish “legalists” that added the work of circumcision to the finished work of Jesus.

We also know that the Jewish legalists in Crete were promoting “Jewish myths (1:14).

The false teachers were capturing the hearts and minds of the believers in Crete by teaching “Jewish myths”—legendary stories and accounts of supernatural beings, events, and cultural heroes of Judaism—and while we don’t know the exact content of these teachings we know that in some way distorting the gospel or distracting people from the truth of the gospel.

The Jewish myths were simply tales and not God’s truth.

Rebellious (1:10)

The false teachers were rebelliously disobedient.

They were unruly men who refused to submit God or be obedient to the gospel message.

It’s very likely that this term reveals that these false teachers were coming from within the church as opposed to from outside the church.

The false teachers were coming from within the ranks of those professing the Christian faith and yet they would not submit themselves to God’s truth.

Mere talkers (1:10)

The false teachers engaged in idle discussions, babbling on and on, and yet their words are void of truth and lacked God’s authority.

The words they spoke were vain, empty, and possessed no value to those who heard them.

Their speech was empty and senseless; it led to nowhere.

Deceivers (1:10)

The false teachers misled people with their empty, meaningless, and idle words.

The false teachers led people down the wrong path through their deception.

· Group(s) of Jewish legalists (1:10, 14)

· J. Hampton Keathley -“Paul’s use of the term circumcision to refer to the Jews calls attention to the kind of issues that were at the heart of the false teaching facing the Cretans—some form of Judaistic religious works added to faith in Christ for salvation and or sanctification.”

2) Reputation (1:12-14a)

Secondly, Paul’s letter reveals their “Reputation.”

In the midst of Paul’s description of the false teacher’s in Crete he inserted a quotation from one of the most well-known philosophers from Crete to highlight the ungodly reputation (character) of the false teachers.

In this letter we have a quotation of one of Crete’s very own philosophers who said “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, and lazy gluttons.”

The quote is attributed to a well-respected philosopher Epimenides (ehp ih MEN ih deez) who once wrote about the general reputation of his own people.

Epimenides did not speak well of his countryman when he had said that Cretans are always “liars, evil brutes, and lazy gluttons.”

Of course this was not true of every Cretan but in general the people of Crete had bad reputation – and what was true for Cretans was true for the false teachers impacting the churches in Crete.

Paul’s affirmation of Epimenides statement was not meant as an insult on the people but as condemnation of the false teachers.

The three infamous characteristics of most Cretans were true of the false teachers on the island.

(Cities reputation)

Liars (1:12)

The Cretan’s were known to be“untruthful” in their very nature.

–The expression “to Cretize” mean “to lie” – and in fact in the Greek language the word “cretizo” means “to lie.”

Also there was an ancient expression “to play a Cretan with a Cretan” that would be used to express “out tricking a trickster.

Like the Cretans, the false teachers did not speak or teach the truth.

In fact the phrase “To Cretize” became an expression that mean “to lie” and the phrase to “play Cretan with a Cretan” mean to “out trick a trickster.

The false teachers (Jewish legalists) spoke falsehood to the families in Crete.

Evil brutes (1:12)

Secondly, the Cretan’s were by nature “ferocious” people In Like the Cretans, the false teachers were likened to ferocious animals that were very dangerous.

Lazy gluttons (1:12)

The Cretans had a reputation of being “lazy gluttons” – the Greek term “glutton” means one of with large belly due to their laziness (lack of hard work).

Like the Cretans, the false teachers had a disdain for hard work but rather were earning money by deceiving people with their false teaching.

Paul’s quotation of Epimenides likened and linked the reputation of the Cretan people with the Cretan false teachers.

The false teacher’s spouted lies, their dangerous influence likened them to be evil brutes, and their desire for dishonest gain proved they were lazy gluttons.

3) True Spiritual Condition (1:16)

The false teachers were impacting the churches by distorting the gospel.

Secondly, we discover that the false teacher’s distortion of the gospel revealed their true spiritual condition.

The false teachers distorted the truth of the gospel by adding circumcision and asceticism to the gospel, and this distortion of the gospel reveled their true spiritual condition.

In we find the final assessment of the false teacher’s true spiritual condition.