Beware of False Teachers

Transcript

GR 747
9/21/1986
Beware of False Teachers
Titus 1:10-16
Gil Rugh

We're going back to the Book of Titus in our study together today. Titus and the first chapter. Paul moves in to this letter to Titus, the main part of the letter in v. 5 where he reminded Titus why he had been left at Crete. He was to set in order what remained and appoint elders in every city. So, working with the churches that had been established there, getting things in proper order and appointing godly leadership for those churches. And then went on to talk about what the qualifications are for a man who would be appointed as an elder in the church. And what really is to be there is the evidences of maturity. Now there is to be a man who has been walking with God, in whom the character of Christ is being developed and seen. One who has maturity in his relationship with Christ.

Then in v. 9 he focused on the fact that the elder must be one who has a good grasp of the Word of God. One who is holding fast to the faithful Word, because part of his responsibilities would be to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict? So elders give godly leadership to the body, a key aspect of their responsibility would be to ground saints in the healthful teaching and protect the saints from false teachers. This issue of false teaching and false teachers is now going to be developed by the Apostle Paul.

We find as we study the Bible, Old and New Testament alike, that Satan has developed a plan of counterfeiting. And it's his intention to reproduce a counterfeit of what God has given as genuine. And as God sends spokesmen and leaders to instruct and teach His people, Satan sends his representatives as false teachers and false leaders. This causes people to be led astray from the truth of the Word of God and even believers to be confused about what God has said. Throughout the Old Testament we find that false prophets came up among the nation Israel and had a disturbingly effective ministry in leading the people of God away from the path of God. This gets attention throughout the New Testament as well. Look back to the Gospel of Matthew and the 7th chapter. I'd like to look at just a few passages in the New Testament that draw our attention to false teachers and false leaders.

In Matthew chapter 7 Jesus has talked about the contrast that there is between the broad way that leads to destruction and the narrow that leads to life. And God sends His representatives to tell people about the narrow way and the way to life is very narrow. Verse 14, "and there are few that find it." Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but by Me." The only way you can have eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and the glory of heaven is through personal faith in Jesus Christ. Now every other way, every other teaching becomes part of the broad way that leads to destruction. Then Jesus gives a warning in v. 15. "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." So there is a warning. There are going to be false prophets. They are going to come in disguise. Disguised as sheep, but they're really not sheep. They really don't belong to God. And through their disguise they are going to get their way in among the flock, and then they're going to bring havoc and destruction to the flock of God.

He talked about "by their fruits you shall know them," beginning with v. 16. This is a subject Paul is going to get to in Titus chapter 1 as well. But then in v. 20, "So then, you will know them by their fruits." There is evidence in their life, what they teach, how they live. Then note the strong warning here in v. 21. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day (judgment day), 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; department from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'" I'm often asked if I think these false teachers really know they are false teachers. And I have to say in light of the Word of God, some of them know it but many of them do not. Many of them are going to be shocked and dumbfounded when they come to stand before Jesus Christ in judgment, and He says 'I don't know you; depart into hell.' 'We did many miracles; we cast out demons in the name of Jesus.' And Jesus says, 'I never knew you.' Strong warning. I won't be able to tell just because a person casts out demons, just because a person does miracles that they truly belong to Christ. There will be many in hell--you note, "many" in v. 22--"many will say to Me on that day." And in v. 23,
"I will declare to them, 'I never knew you.'" So, believers are warned and put on guard about false prophets. Jump all the way over to 2 Peter, toward the back of your New Testament.
Second Peter chapter 2. Now this ought not be surprising to us. Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said that they ought not to be surprised that the servants of Satan come in disguise, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. So what do you expect from his servants? They will do the same. So Peter writes in 2 Peter chapter 2, v. 1, "But false prophets also arose among the people," talking about the situation in Israel through the Old Testament, "just as there will also be false teachers among you." Note that. There will be false teachers, and note where they are for their danger--"among you." That's the danger. Among you, those who profess to belong to and serve Christ there will be false teachers. ". . .who will secretly introduce destruction heresies." "Secretly introduce destructive heresies." Now how are they going to do that? By not telling anyone? Obviously not. They are introducing it into the body, secretly. How? In a way that we wouldn't suspect or clearly recognize. They are going to be subtle. They are going to work their destructive heresies in among believers in a way that believers may miss. But you note the end result of the heresy is destruction, "even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves." Many of these teachers, the end result of their teaching is they are denying Jesus Christ, and the effect of the finished work of Christ as a provision for sin.

I watched a part of the teaching of one today. Very effective. Marilyn came out and said to me, 'Who is that?' Very effective, very deceptive, because they deny the Deity of Jesus Christ. That cult is a very attack on the person of Christ, but they are very effectively working their teaching even among believers leading them astray.

"Many will follow their sensuality," note that many again. "Because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words." Greed will become a key issue. That will come out in Titus chapter 1 as well. Note the similarity in these passages on false teachers. Note who gets exploited. "They will exploit you!" That's a disturbing thing.
Not that false teachers exist; we expect that, but believers are taken in by false teachers. That's the tragedy. That they are exploited and milked by these who are introducing destructive heresies.

First John chapter 4. Just after Peter into John. First John chapter 4, v. 1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God." Don't believe everything you're told, everything you're taught Test it, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. That's a warning. I test the teaching; I test the teacher. How? I put it to the test of the Word of God. It's not how good is he? Not, How much do I like him? Does what he say measure up to the Word of God.

Jude verse 3. "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.' This is a call for believers to battle! "For certain persons have crept in unnoticed." You see that? They work their way in among believers unnoticed. "Those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." Isn't it amazing that unbelievers and false teachers are able to work their way in among believers and begin to disseminate their heretical teaching among believers.

Over in Revelation chapter 2, Christ addressing His churches. And writing to the church at Pergamum, after speaking of some good things, (this church has even suffered martyrdom because of the faith) he says in v. 14, "But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam." V. 15, "Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolai tans. Repent therefore." It's a serious matter, that they would tolerate and allow false teaching to exist among the body of believers. He calls upon them to deal with it. Down in v. 20 to the church at Thyatira, after talking about their great works and deeds in love, he says in v. 20, "But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray." Now how can a church of Jesus Christ tolerate a false teacher, here a prophetess, when that false teaching is leading believers astray?

So God intends that His people be pure. That the Church of Jesus Christ maintain its doctrinal purity. Now as part of this, He has raised up the position of elder to lead and maintain the purity of the body. Turn back to Acts chapter 20. In Acts chapter 20 Paul calls for the elders at Ephesus to meet him at Miletus, down on the coast south of Ephesus. And then he tells them in Acts chapter 20, v. 28, "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Now note this . . ."I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you." Again, "among you," in among believers, "not sparking the flock; and from among your own selves," among those who profess to be believers, "men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert." Now here you a key responsibility of the elders, to guard the doctrinal purity of the body, to be on guard for false teachers and false teaching, to defend the flock against false teachers and false teaching. And the great danger does not come from those who don't profess any relationship with Christ, does not come to us as believers from the Muslims or Hindues or those who are outside the realm of a profession. The great danger for us is those who profess to know Jesus Christ, profess to believe His Word, but are really the agents of Satan in disguise. And they are reeking havoc among believers. They have sapped the strength and life and real biblical vitality from the church of Jesus Christ in this country. And they are gaining impact in other places as well.

This is where Paul comes to in Titus chapter 1. That's why elders have to be those who hold fast to the Word. It's going to be their responsibility to disseminate sound teaching and to stand against false teachers. You note the connecting word "for" in v. 10 of Titus chapter 1. So he says elders must hold fast the word, exhorting in sound doctrine, refuting those who contradict. "For," and here's the reason--because there are false teachers threatening the life, vitality and stability of the church of Jesus Christ. There are many, there's that emphasis on that word again, "For there are many," not just a few. Not just a couple of isolated ones. "For there are many rebellious men." And he's talking here about teachers who are in rebellion against Jesus Christ. Characteristic of the life of a false teacher is rebellion. Rebellion against God, rebellion against the Word of God. He's in rebellion against the Church of Jesus Christ and the leadership in that church as well. This word was used of rebellious children up in v. 6 at the end of the verse. The elder cannot have children who are accused of rebellion, a refusal to submit to authority. These men would not submit to the authority of the Apostle Paul or the other apostles, nor do they submit to the Word of God for their authority.

They are described as "empty talkers," and this is a key element. Empty talkers. Now we need to understand what this means. It speaks but accomplishes nothing. It's empty. It's devoid of significance. That does not mean it's not eloquent. That does not mean these are not great orators or captivating speakers. In fact, that becomes one of the great strengths of false teachers. They are captivating speakers, eloquent. They have no real power from the Word of God, yet they are able to captivate people by their speech.

One page or so back in your Bibles, 2 Timothy chapter 4. Paul tells Timothy in v. 3, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine," healthful teaching, "but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." And let me tell you, I believe we've really almost come to that day today. Multitudes of people, multitudes of professing believers are having their ears tickled. They are hearing what they really want to hear, and they are piling these teachers up in heaps. The health and wealth preaching that so pleases the ears of the listener. That's what I more like to hear, that God wants me healthy and wealthy. Preach it, brother and we find all you have to do is turn the set--here's one, and here's another, and here's another. All saying the same time--all just what you want to hear. That's what he's talking about, empty talkers. They're saying what people want to hear, and they may say it very well; but it's not the message of God.

He further describes them in Titus chapter 1, "deceivers." Deceivers. They are 1 reading people astray. They're involved in a ministry of deception. They are professing to know God but have no messages from God, and they are liars. They are deceptive. One of these was just exposed recently. I was watching the tape of an interview this past week. He had great meetings supposedly healing people, doing the miraculous, getting direct messages from God. It was in the papers as well. Then someone monitored the radio frequency that he was using and found out that he has a transistor in his ear, and his wife talks to him back stage reading from cards that they have assembled on the people in the audience, and all of a sudden the voice of God becomes the voice of his wife behind the curtain. Deceivers, deception. That's their character. Empty talkers. Rebellious men. The tragedy of it is, much of their audience is believers, who are hearing what they want to hear and allowing themselves to be led astray. Paul's particular battle was with those of the circumcision, the end of v. 10. "Especially those of the circumcision." Paul's ministry was plagued by who Judaizers. The Judaizers were a particular problem to Paul professed Christ, and that's great. 'The message of believing in Christ is superb, but I hope you realize there's more than just the message of Christ and His death and resurrection. That you must wed that with the Law and the teachings of the Law, many of them requiring circumcision. And other teachings of Judaism, the myths, and the study of genealogies and the great insights that supposedly came out of that. What they did was take the truth of Christ and wed it to Jewish teachings, traditions, and the Law and say 'Now here is the complete message. Here is everything God has for you.' Remarkable. That was the burden that continued to come into Paul's ministry. He'd go somewhere to preach the Word, and these Judaizers would come in afterward and say 'That's fine. That's a partial message. Now let us complete the message for you.' Paul had to write the whole letter to the Galatians on that one theme, attacking the Judaizers. We read Colossians and we find the Judaizers is our problem. Get into chapter 2 and pick up with v. 16 where he rebukes them. Why did he even pay attention to those kind of teachers? You get into 1 Timothy chapter 1, what's he got to do? The Judaizers want to teach the Law and they don't even understand the Law themselves Paul says. And you note the danger. It's even come up here. People tell me they have been praying for me for years, because when I get the additional things that I need, then my ministry is really going to take off. So you're telling me that the finished work of Christ is not enough for me? You're telling me that the Word of God is not enough for me? I hope by the grace of God never to get what you're talking about! Because the Word of God tells me that ought to be adequate, but you listen to the theme of so much of the teaching that goes on today geared to believers and what are they telling you? 'Now here is what else you ought to have as a believer! That's great that you've trusted Christ! That's wonderful you've been saved! But you know there's more to the Christian life than that! God has more for you than that!' We haven't changed anything from the message of the Judaizers and those of the circumcision. We've just dressed it up a little more differently we’re gullible believers, and they can't get in line fast enough or give their money quick enough.

So he says "those of the circumcision." You know what Paul says in v. 11? "They must be silenced!" Hope you note this! What the Word of God says about false teachers! "They must be silenced", muzzled. Their mouths have to be stopped ought to put an end to that! The Word is a call here, this is a battle! Paul says we're going to battle here. These false teachers have to be stopped! How are you going to silence them? The end of verse 9. You have to have elders who are going to what? "Exhort in sound doctrine, and refute those who contradict." Exhorting, and challenging, and teaching in sound teaching, healthful teaching. That establishes the saints in the Word! So that every new teaching that comes down the pike doesn't sway them this way, wash them that way. And then they must refute those who contradict. They must stand against false teaching and false teachers. That's why elders have be holding fast. That doesn't mean only elders do it. But the responsibility for leadership in this area comes to the elders as we saw in Acts chapter 20.

The reason they have to be silenced, "because they are upsetting whole families." You see what happens? This false teaching has an impact. You know, if seems like we as believers like to be non-conflict oriented. Now we do get into conflict, but we don't know what we ought to be conflicting about. We battle over things that the Word of God doesn't speak about, and we're passive where the Word of God does speak. It says these false teachers have to be silenced because they are upsetting whole families; destroying, overturning whole families. What happens is this false teaching is absorbed into the life, taken into a family, and that family is overturned then. The influence in that family is destructive. That's a serious matter. We as believers want to sit back and say “We ought to be careful, they profess to believe in Christ. They profess to believe the Word.' We want to be careful, 'Judge not lest you be judged.' And every servant stands or falls before its own master, so I'm very uncomfortable when you start to talk about these wretches. We shouldn't say things like that.” When God says 'silence them,' 'refute them.' They are overturning whole families. It's interesting this emphasis on families. The Bible never makes allowance for false teaching. We sometimes thing that grace means you're free to do anything. Grace means that now you're finally free to do and be what God wants you to be and do, and He enables you to do it by His grace. The church is to be the pillar and support of the truth, according to 1 Timothy 3:15. That means there is no freedom for teaching error or false doctrine in the church. So there are limits and constraints on freedom.

Back in 2 Timothy chapter 3 Paul talks about the impact of false teaching in the home and how it gets there. He says in v. 1, "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come." Then he describes the character of men in the last days. And in v. 5 he says they will be "holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power." Again, we're dealing here with those who profess godliness, and they have a form of godliness but they deny its power.
"Avoid such men as these." Paul's going to come to this in Titus as well. God's solution is very simple: Christians ought to have nothing to do with them. It boggles my mind that we are involved as much as we are. God says "Avoid them." I'm to have nothing to do with them. Then note the next verse, v. 6, "For among them are those who enter into households," same thing he's talking about in Titus. They upset whole families. These false teachers bring their teaching into the home; they upset whole households, "and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." Here you see a pattern of how Satan often works. It's not the only way he works, but God says it's one of the key ways false teachers work. How did Satan begin in the Garden of Eden? Where did he begin? He began with a woman, and he deceived her and then through her works in the husband. Affected the whole family, didn't it? That's what God says here about false teachers. It's not an issue, Was Paul anti-women or not? It's God speaking through Paul. Down at the end of this chapter we're told all Scripture is God- breathed and so is profitable. Now here we're told that false teachers often work by getting into the home through the woman. That still goes on today. Much of this false teaching, this corruption of biblical Christianity, has had its greatest impact among the women, and then through the women into the home. Paul's word of warning is very clear. We are to be on guard against that. Much of what is written, much of what is promoted, is geared toward the women today. I take it that says something about the great influence of the women as well, because through the woman, if the woman is caught up in this, it will affect the whole home. So whole families are overturned. We ought to be sensitive to how often Satan gets into the home. We need to be very careful in that area.

Come back to Titus chapter 1……I watched this man supposedly healing someone in a wheelchair, an elderly lady who has come and put her life and soul in this man's hands, hoping that through him the power of God might come to her life, really believing that he has a message from God because you're so-and so. And you've come here with this problem. They are deceiving that poor person. She doesn't know that he's just gotten the message through a radio signal that someone broadcast to him because they had gotten that information from her before the program began. We say, How can a man do that? How can you sleep at night? When you're such a dishonest person, abusing and using people? God answers very simple: They do it "for the sake of sordid gain," the end of v. 11. You know what? There's money in it. There's money in it. You say 'Oh, I don't think that's why they do it!' I really don't care what you think! You shouldn't care what I think! The Word of God says they do it for what they get out of it. Why else would a person be so deceptive? Now they may be self- deceived, Matthew chapter 7 said that. Some may think they're doing God's work. But at the root level there is gain for them and they do it for the money, and that constantly becomes an issue. You look around and see the income, how it's spent, what's done with the money. When we were overseas one of the people within China that talked to us referred to the fact that many people in your country have raised huge amounts of money for many Bibles. But says, living here having a ministry among believers, I'm not sure where all those Bibles really are. Says, I haven't seen them. I wonder what is done with a lot that is done under those guises. But oh, just wrap us up as believers and we get sucked right into it. We don't really have any idea what happens.

"Sordid gain." Paul says 'You think I'm talking, I'm anti-Crete? Let me tell you, one of their own prophets said this, Epimenides. A man who lived about 600 years before Christ, a man who was revered and respected among the Cretans as a religious prophet, even worshipped him after his death. You know what he said about the Cretans? "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." Now that's an evaluation of one of their own accepted religious leaders. "Always liars." Thus to speak like a Cretan is to be a liar. Where in those days if I said to you, Boy you sound just like a Cretan, you know what I'd be saying? You sound like you're lying because Cretans were such noted liars. In fact, one person wrote that the Cretans are so low that for them highway robbery was honor. That's the way people viewed them. This man was pretty much on target.

"Evil beasts." That's getting pretty strong. It means they are brutal, crude, lude people. The level which they functioned. They'll do anything. "They are lazy gluttons," and I have to say I really like The King James Version here. "They are slow bellies." There's something about the sound of that, isn't there? Slow bellies, right out there where you can watch it go. "Lazy gluttons" gives you the idea. One of the commentators went on an excursion to tell preachers about their bellies, which I didn't take to heart too much. "Lazy gluttons." You know what they're saying? Their life centers in the material things. Self-satisfaction, self is the focal point. That's the idea of a lazy glutton. It's an easy way to satisfy self. Let me tell you, could be an easy way to make a lot of money today. If you're going to work to make a million dollars, to become a millionaire, why here's the way to do it. Be a lazy person. All you got to do is talk well. Not a bad life.

What's Paul say about this? "This testimony is true." What a thing to say! That they are always liars, they are evil beasts, they are lazy gluttons, and it's true! Paul says that accurately describes them. Some people think I say harsh things about false teachers. I want you to keep Titus chapter 1, vs. 12 and 13 in mind. If I say they're always liars, evil beasts, or slow bellies? I'm just reflecting what the Word of God says about false teachers.

"For this cause reprove them severely that they may be sound in the faith." "Reprove them," that's the same word translated "refute" in v. 9. The elders are to refute those who contradict; reprove them severely, harshly. A word that comes to mean from "cutting something off." They have to be dealt with sternly and firmly. Reprove them. That becomes a personal thing. Sometimes we don't want to talk about personal things, we become divisive. But who? We're dividing ourselves from the false teachers. That should be a problem? "Reprove them severely, “harshly, in spite of what being an understand and gracious believer is. Paul's going to talk about that later on in this same letter. Right now he's dealing with false teachers. They have to be dealt with firmly and severely.

"That they may be sound in the faith." You'd like to see these false teachers come to salvation and healthy faith. But even so we want the body to be healthy in their faith. Sound within the faith necessitates the elders and the body with the elders to stand against false teaching, that the body might be healthy in the faith. What does it mean to be healthy in the faith? "Not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the faith." That means we avoid such men as these. Paul told Timothy, 'You don't pay any attention to them.' But you know what happens? They become the authority and the leader in the life. We have people in this congregation who listen to these teachers regularly. 'Doesn't matter what the elders say. Doesn't matter what the elders teach. I believe they're alright.' Well, we can see again where we begin to move then against what God has established. That false teacher becomes the leader and the authority in the life. What the Word of God says, what the leaders of God, what the church of God says? Doesn't matter, I like him, I support him, I'm following him. All I can say is you're in rebellion against the Word of God. Nothing personal. If you can say it's nothing person to be in rebellion against God. But it is. It's a serious matter.

Then we come to a verse that's perhaps the most familiar, the most familiar broadly speaking, in all of Titus. "To the pure, all things are pure." How many times have you heard that quoted? Again, people don't have any idea where it comes from; don't have any idea of the context. I've heard people use it to excuse any kind of conduct. They're doing something that is clearly wrong, immoral. "To the pure, all things are pure." Does that mean it's alright to be immoral? If I'm a pure person, whatever I do is pure, right? If I decide I want to kill you, "to the pure, all things are pure." Did you ever have a pure murder? A pure lie? Pure adultery? I mean, obviously we make nonsense out of Scripture. What's the context? What's he talking about? He's talking in the context of Judaizers. He's just talked about Jewish myths and commandments of men in v. 14. The Judaizers wanted to take the message of the Gospel and mix it with the Law and all their instructions about what you could eat and drink. These external physical things, food and drink, became a key element for them. Paul is saying food can't make you pure; and food can't make you impure. You aren't made pure by what you eat or drink. The Judaizers were saying, 'You'll really be what God wants you to be when you observe these dietary laws.' That doesn't have anything to do with purity. If you're pure on the inside, then all the food you eat is pure. If you're pure on the inside, then all the drink you drink is pure. And the other side is true. If you're not pure on the inside, doesn't matter what kind of food you eat or don't eat. You're still an impure person. Now isn't it amazing that believers can get confused about that? They're still confused about it today, by the way. Some people say you should eat and drink certain things and not eat or drink certain things, because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and you will defile the temple if you eat or drink or do that. Let me tell you, you cannot defile the temple of God by that way. I used to not smoke because people said if you smoke you defile the temple of God. I still don't smoke, but I know that's not the reason. Now I'm not saying you ought to eat everything. There are certain things I don't care to eat. Travelling outside the country I found a few more things to add to that list!

So that doesn't say you have to eat everything or you have to drink everything. There are other principles that guide us, both for health and diet in our freedom in the Word. And as far as becoming pure or losing that purity before God, it's not that way. Christ talked about this back in Mark chapter 7, quickly. Mark chapter 7, v. 14, Jesus said: "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which going into him can defile him." Note what Christ said. There is nothing outside the man which can defile him. That means, no matter what I eat that won't bring spiritual defilement to me. Not the food itself. Now there can be another problem there with whether it is of faith or not But the foot itself is not the issue. No matter what I drink, it cannot defile me He says there is NOTHING outside the man which he takes in that can defile him. "The things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man." You know what? The disciples asked Him about this. They are confused. You know what He said?
V. 18, "Are you too so uncomprehending?" How can you be so dumb? Let Me give you a brief anatomy lesson. "Do you not see that whatever goes into the man from outside", down into the stomach, and then you complete the process, eliminate it Christ said. He says that ought to tell you something, shouldn't it? That doesn't defile the man. That doesn't make any spiritual impact in your life. That doesn't make your decisions for you. That doesn't yet in the heart, not the physical organs, but in the decision center. So how do you say defilement comes by what you eat? And Jesus is talking about that living under the Law! So, that whole issue is resolved clearly.

Over in Romans 14 Paul says that all things are all right. Chapter 14, verse 14,"nothing is unclean in itself." Again, that doesn't mean you have to eat food that may not be healthy for you. We don't drink water that hasn't been purified; it would make us sick physically. But it's not a matter that you'll be spiritually defiled if you drink that water. Spiritual defilement is not the issue there. We believers need to be careful. We've gotten into a lot of this with health things today. I believe you ought to be healthy, especially since I just took off a few pounds (same pounds I put on this year, but at least I feel good about it). We sometimes say, Well, can you be a fat Christian? No, that's sin. Baloney! Tell me where in the Word of God it says that man who is 5'10" ought to weigh 160 lbs. Now I just pulled those figures out, I don't know if they're right or not. Where in the Word of God does it say that? And if I weigh 260 lbs, who are you to say it's sin? Where did God say that 260 lbs was sin? Doesn't, does it! Now keep your nose out of my business, if you don't mind. Now maybe you're concerned about my physical health. I'm not saying it’s healthy to be 100 lbs over what medical research says I ought to be, but I'm concerned that we make that the issue of sin. Not the issue of a spiritual life. Let me tell you, some great preachers have been fat men! Charles Haddon Spurgeon was one of the greatest, real butter-ball that he was! Now if he didn't eat so much and smoke so much he might not have died at 57 either, but that didn't mean God didn't use his life and his ministry. So we need to be careful that we don't fall back on the same thing that was resolved 2000 years ago by Christ. These false teachers made that the focal point. And we've wandered a little bit, but that's alright.

Titus chapter 1 to wrap this up. These false teachers, very simply. "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed." I hope that anybody who quotes "Judge not, that you be not judged" will also follow that up with Titus 1:16. That's a pretty stinging denunciation. Let me tell you about these false teachers, Paul says. They are detestable, they are disobedient, and not only that, they are worthless for any good thing. "Oh-h, how could you say that! They profess to believe. They profess to trust" Well, their deeds reveal what they are. Their life is a testimony. And the Word of God, you're not saved by what you do; but what you do testifies to your salvation. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold new things have come." There will be a transformation of life that began on the inside and now works its way out. Ephesians 2:8,9, and 10 says we're not saved by our works but by God's grace through faith, unto good works. So their life testifies to that fact. That word 'worthless' is the word that means you put something to the test. It would be used of trying metals, putting them to the test to reveal the purity. Well here, they have been tested and found to be unusable, unfit, worthless for any good deed. Back in 2 Timothy 3:17 the inspired Scriptures of God equip and make the saints adequate for every good deed; but these false teachers are worthless for any good deed. A good deed must be one that comes out of a purified heart based upon a relationship of faith in the living God.

I wonder how we're doing? We talk about professing false teachers. You can be sitting here in this auditorium and be a professing believer. Has your life really been transformed? Be honest. You profess a relationship with God. Can you say your life is characterized as being a new creation? Old things have passed away, new things have come? Do you really see that change? We need to be careful that we're not self-deceiving, lest we get up there some day and stand before the Lord and say 'Lord, Lord, I've set in that auditorium for years! Lord, Lord, I went in those believers' homes! Lord, Lord, I did this or that.' He says, 'I never knew you.' It's not those who profess, it's those who have really come to believe. That's the issue.

Are we a congregation that is willing to stand and take a stand for the faith of the Word of God? Are we intimidated by false teachers? Are we so concerned about fitting in that we are afraid to take a stand against those who teach contrary to the Word of God? I trust we'll be bold to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict, because the only praise, the only word of commendation really matters comes from the One who is the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ. Let's pray together.