Closing Concerns for Handling Controversies

Transcript

GR 2291
05/03/2020
Closing Concerns for Handling Controversies
Titus 3:8-15; Romans 16:17-19
Gil Rugh

We’re going to the book of Titus in your Bibles. A letter of Paul to Titus and we’re going to finish this short book in our study together today. Just three chapters and I encourage you take time to sit down and read through the book in one sitting a few times. It’ll help fix in your mind some of the things that we have studied together as we’ve gone through the book. Remember the emphasis in this little letter is on the godly living that has to characterize those who are true believers in Jesus Christ. We are to conduct ourselves consistently with the character of God manifesting His character as we live in an ungodly unbelieving world. That means we must not allow ourselves to become conformed to the conduct and ways of a world that does not know the Lord.

That includes recognizing proper authorities manifesting that we submit to the authority of God in our lives. And we manifest that submission to His authority by submitting to other authorities as well. He talked about that in chapter two, those opening verses about the character of different ages, different sexes and then the responsibility to function consistently with what God has appointed and ordained for us. But that doesn’t just involve individual responsibility within a physical family or in relationships among believers, but as chapter 3 made clear, as we come into here, we’re subject to rulers and authorities. We conduct ourselves in a respectful, honorable way in all of the relationships God has brought us into. So key practical areas, and then that moves out into things that we would all agree on and are careful to observe in what we would recognize as clearly sinful conduct.

But it’s interesting to me in this short letter Paul’s concerned that for example in chapter 3 verse 1, “remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed.” That’s part of the good deeds that are to characterize us, and that theme of this letter of Paul to Titus and to the churches at Crete. There have been two key theological sections and one we just finished in chapter 3, the preceding one was in chapter two. Chapter 2 verses 11-14 and chapter 3 verses 4-5 down to verse 8 where we’re going to pickup and you’ll note verse 8 picks up, “this is a trustworthy statement.” Some of your translations may say, “this is a faithful saying,” the same idea, this is something worthy of our consideration, something to pay attention to. Paul used that expression several times, four times in his letters to Timothy and then he uses it here in Titus. A trustworthy statement of faithful sayings, things that we must get hold of, that’s what he talked about in the preceding sentence. Remember verses 5-7 are one long sentence, that great theological statement. Verses 4 - 7 begins with, “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us,” and went on to tell us it wasn’t on the basis of our works but on the basis of His kindness, mercy, love, grace, the same kind of idea in chapter 2 verses 11-14. We have that great theological statement, one long sentence reminding us the foundation for conduct is what God has done for us in Christ, and what He has provided for us in Christ who came to this earth, suffered, and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, was raised in victory over death and sin and Satan.

It was not just to rescue us from our lostness and eternal destiny in hell, it was to provide for us new life, make us new within, so that our conduct and behavior could change in the here and now, and so that has been an emphasis. In chapter 2 verse 11 he had said, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the (now) age.” So you see that salvation that He brought to us teaches us something, it teaches us that we are to live new lives in new ways and have our attention focused on the hope that we now have of the ultimate blessing of the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Now note verse 14, He “gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” He didn’t purify us and cleanse us from our sin so we could continue to live in sin, He set us free from slavery to sin to live new lives.

As we have stressed and as Paul stresses in this letter it’s not that you try to clean up your life and live the way you think God would want you to live and try to keep the Ten Commandments. First, you come to Him in faith and recognize what He has provided for you in the salvation that’s found only in Christ, and you trust Him and that brings you cleansing, newness. So when you come down into chapter 3 as he emphasizes the theological foundation again for our conduct, verse 4, “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness,” but it was by mercy. And it brought us a washing, that’s not baptism, that’s picturing the spiritual cleansing of regeneration that will make us new. And that work of the Spirit brings about that process provided for us in Christ when we place our faith in Him, so it’s a renewing by the Holy Spirit and then we have that hope.

Verse 7, “so that being justified by His grace,” declared righteous, not by our works but by His grace, “we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” As verse 13 of chapter 2 said, we’re “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” So as Paul has come along now in chapter 3 and reminded again of the foundation for the proper conduct in the opening verses of chapter 3, be subject to rulers, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle and so on, the foundation for that is godly living. If we’re not carrying it out, we’re denying the salvation that He has provided, so we want to be careful that our lives are characterized… We have people who claim to be… well, the expression they use today to make it broad enough is ‘people of faith,’ which means nothing. Because even the atheist is a person of faith, they believe there’s no God, they believe there’s no higher authority than themselves, and so on. So we are all, every one of us, people of faith. The only saving faith is the faith that is directed toward Jesus Christ, placed in Him for the recognition there is nothing I can do to make myself acceptable to God. I must come and receive what He has provided for me to enable me to be acceptable in His presence as a holy God, so Paul begins verse 8 by saying, “this is a trustworthy statement,” and that refers to the sentence he has just made in verses 4 to 7. We need to know it, it is something faithful, something to believe. Maybe I should take you back to Timothy, come back to 1 Timothy, I’ll just run you through these four places and you can look at them in further detail on your own.

First Timothy chapter 1, chapter 1 verse 15, “It is a trustworthy statement,” there it is, it is a faithful saying, and as he’ll mention on other occasions, it deserves full acceptance. We as believers ought to pay attention to this and take it into our lives, Christ Jesus came into the world. Why? “To save sinners,” and Paul said that’s made a great impact on me, I see myself as the foremost, the chief of sinners, you couldn’t get any worse than me. And you know, that’s one thing that happens when the Spirit of God brings His conviction to a heart, you see yourself clearly for the first time as God sees you. I’m a sinner, I am totally unworthy, undeserving, and in light of that, you cast yourself upon the mercy of God and His provision in Christ. Lord, I can’t bring anything of my own doing to make myself acceptable to you. I’m just claiming in faith what you provided for me in Christ, that He loved me and died for me, I’m trusting Him and Him alone as my Savior. Christ Jesus come into the world to save sinners. If you could be saved by your baptism, the sacraments, and all the other, He wouldn’t have had to come into the world. He came into the world to do what only He could do, so that’s the first of those trustworthy faithful sayings, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

Come to, chapter 3 verse 1, still on 1 Timothy, “It is a trustworthy statement,” this is something to be believed, “if any man aspires to the office of an overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.” It moves us into the realm of our conduct again, the arrangement that God has provided for His saved people in this church age, conducting themselves properly as a church. We sometimes run roughshod over this. Well, wait a minute, this is part of believing God, it’s a statement to be believed, the structure that God has provided. Remember Titus was left in Crete to appoint elders in every city, this is part of God’s plan, part of God’s organization. He has a structure for His world with governing rulers, He has a structure for His people, the Church, and that is something to be believed and put into practice

Come down to chapter 4 verse 9 of Timothy, this is again, “It is a trustworthy statement,” a faithful saying, again he says, “deserving full acceptance.” And preceding that, we’ll just take verse 8 which is the middle of the statement, “bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” So that fits with the end of verse 7, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” We have a great emphasis in our society on being healthy, exercising, eating right, we have a concern for the air. Sometimes on my way to church I pass people out running and doing their thing and I think they have great concern for the health of their physical body and no thought for their spiritual condition and their eternal destiny. Godliness is profitable for everything.

We’ll spend hours a week doing exercises, we pay to belong to an exercise club or whatever or have the exercise equipment. And let me make a disclaimer here, I walk a treadmill, you know, how do you think I keep this body so healthy (chuckle). But you know, you have to keep things in perspective, you know, how many hours a week would I devote to discipline to keep this body healthy compared to what I would do for nourishing myself spiritually and being concerned for godliness. You know, I want to be careful that I keep things in perspective. I’m not against doing to keep things healthy but that’s of minimal importance. You know in a 100 years it won’t matter what my physical condition was, I’m not saying it’s not good to take care of yourself but I am saying compared to what is of eternal value is nothing, not only a 100 years but in a 100 million years godliness will matter. My physical body shortly after my death the process of decay will have accelerated to great extent, dust to dust. So these faithful sayings, good to go back and review, you can even get a whole book written on just the faithful sayings of the pastoral epistles.

Come over to 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 11, “It is a trustworthy statement: for if we died with Him, we will also live with Him.” Note the order, you die with Him, you live with Him; that’s being identified with Him by faith in His death, so you can be identified with Him in His resurrection and the ultimate resurrection and glorification of the body. If we endure, we will also reign with Him. The perseverance of the saints, those that God has saved, caused to be born again, born from above, are now His children, partake of the divine nature, as Peter writes. We will endure, it doesn’t mean we never stumble but we will endure. Those who do not endure… John writes in his first epistle they went out from us because they never were really of us because if they had been really part of us, had been born again, been part of God’s family, they would have remained with us, so some people. Well, I know I’m saved, I’m not living for the Lord anymore or I’m not identified with believers any more, but I know I trusted Christ. How do you know? God says if you don’t endure you don’t belong to Him, you’ll never reign with Christ. If we deny Him, He will deny us; if we are faithless, note this, He remains faithful, He cannot deny Himself. He is faithful to His word, what He has promised what He will do.

And then where we are back in Titus chapter 3 is the fifth of these faithful sayings in the pastoral epistles, “This is a trustworthy statement,” and here he’s referring to the sentence that ran from verse 4 down through verse 7. These things we ought to have, God says these are things I want you to be trusting and living in light of, “concerning these things I want you to speak confidently.” Concerning these things, the things he’s been talking about, not just in that preceding sentence in verses 4 and following but this letter. Speak confidently, you insist upon them, these are things you say to be believed. You know, sometimes people misunderstand and can think that the teacher of the Word is being arrogant. Titus is not arrogant when he forcefully and firmly teaches the word of God. It would be arrogance to do otherwise, but the authority for this does not come from the teacher or the preacher. It comes because its God’s word, so when he says this is a trustworthy statement it’s a statement to be believed and practiced. Concerning these things, I want you to speak confidently; we don’t back off because it’s not where the tide of the world is, it’s not what people want to hear, it’s not what will make us more popular. We see this back in chapter 2, he talks about what older men are to be, what older women are to be and do, the same for young women, the same for young men, where Titus is an example for slaves. Well, I don’t think we ought to lie or steal or be immoral or murder, but some of these things, you know, not everybody agrees on. Well, it doesn’t matter whether everybody agrees on them, it only matters what God agrees on and what really matters is do I agree with God. And He said… So Titus you have a responsibility, this is a trustworthy statement and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently.

This is not some timid…, you know, I don’t want you to be offended and, you know, you can take this as you choose but… No, you can’t, this is what God says, this is what we must do as God’s people, “so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds,” there is our contrast to evil deeds. “These things are good and profitable for men,” this is for their benefit. I realize the world’s not interested but we still proclaim it and it is a required expectation for God’s people “that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds.” To do those things which are consistent with the character of God, what he talked about in the opening verses, to conduct themselves toward rulers and those in authority properly, to behave as we should, to conduct ourselves properly in our roles as men and woman. Do not be consumed with the lusts of world, the boastful pride of life, and so on. We must be careful, those who have believed God. You know, the Bible addresses itself to all people, this is the realization, basically only the people of God, it is written to them, the Old Testament basically to Israel, the New Testament to the Church. But it could be shared with everyone, these are universal truths in that sense. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I’m glad that was for me, obviously, but we as believers are those who are committed, we believe God. Those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds and that means I’ll conduct myself properly. Some of those good deeds will what? Verse 2, “malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.” That would be…, we’d go back to chapter 2 and the other things he’s written and then through the rest of the word of God for us. We want to be careful, to engage in good deeds, these things that are useful, profitable, they’re good.

Come back to 1 Timothy chapter 4, 1 Timothy chapter 4, we just read this verse, verse 8, “for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable.” There’s our word, it is useful for all things because it transcends this physical life and will be worthwhile and of value in the life to come. Second Timothy chapter 3 a verse that many of you have memorized, verse 16, all scripture is inspired, God breathed, and profitable, useful, that’s why we spend our time in the scriptures, it’s profitable. So you come back to chapter 3 of Titus, “These things are good and profitable.” We want to be teaching the church, ought to be about those things that are useful for believers, profitable, what God has for them.

Get into all these things, well, you know we want to reach the world, so this bridge as we appeal to them where they are, what we do. (I won’t say those of you sitting here this morning are sinners because there’s only four or five.) But we hear the word, it’s profitable for us. Sinners hear it, they can be saved. For us as believers, we take it in, we’re constantly learning and evaluating our life and allowing the Spirit to bring us into greater conformity to the Word, that’s the process of maturing. So engaging in good deeds, that’s what’s good and profitable for us, that will enable us to grow, enable us to mature, and we’ll have a conduct. It doesn’t mean the world will appreciate it. We have books written on martyrs and those because of godly living were unacceptable in an ungodly world, our Savior was the example. Which of the good deeds are you condemning Me for and Jesus said if they’ve rejected Me they’ll reject you. So we don’t expect the approval of the world, we’re looking for the approval of God with the conduct that is pleasing to Him.

Note the contrast, “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” They’re not useful, they’re not good, they’re useless, they’re worthless, they’re not good, they’re not profitable. So certain things here, you know, he’s pulling together because you’ll remember back in chapter 1 we appoint elders Titus said. You are to appoint elders and we would do it following the instruction of the word in the church in every city and the character of the men. Why? They must be, verse 9 of Titus 1, “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” Why? Because “there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers,” and especially Jewish teachers in their context that they were battling against, and we talked about that mixture of Jews who profess to have become believers in Christ but they’re still teaching the Law. What they’re teaching is just bringing confusion and they’re not really believers at all. Down in verse 16 there in chapter 1, “They profess to know God,” and that’s what we have to be careful of, a profession is not enough, “but by their deeds,” their works, “they deny Him.” They’re “detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

So you come back to chapter 3 verse 9, he’s back to pick that up. All this emphasis is on the sound doctrine and the godly lifestyle. Now in this don’t get drawn in to those things that direct you away from that. Now be careful, this doesn’t mean that we’re not open to discuss the word of God and work through to be sure that what we understand is correct and we want to be corrected where we’re in error, but these people, they drew the church into these controversies, these Judaizers. And, well, the Old Testament is the word of God, we don’t think you’re interpreting it right… And it brings you into endless, bottomless controversy, it can go nowhere because it’s being driven by men who don’t understand the truth and by their very blindness to the truth and misuse of the word of God they demonstrate they’re unbelievers.

That’s what he said in verse 16 of chapter 1, verse 15 he called them those who are defiled and unbelieving, their mind and their conscience, that’s defiled, it’ll go nowhere. And also we want to be careful and this is where the church has to be careful. We’ve searched out the truth, we’re not open to those who come in and we’d just like to talk about this and would you be open to this opinion. No. I’ve had some come to talk to me in my office and, well, can we get together again? I said, “There’s no point to it, you’re closed to the truth, so we could go on in this endless controversy and it would just tie up my time and distract me. And if it’s allowed to get into the church then you have these controversies and we’ve had them over the years and they end up dividing the body.” They’re unprofitable and worthless. I realize there are men… the seminary I attended was torn apart by it. I never realized that the false teaching could come in and be so destructive. Leading professors and bringing them into confusion and this is serious business. You’re dealing with the devil and his representatives whom Paul wrote to the Corinthians they disguise themselves as angels of light and even Satan does that, so this is what is written. He’s laid the clear foundation of sound doctrine. He’s laid the clear foundation of proper conduct which as we’re seeing in the book of Romans, justification and sanctification. We’re going to talk more about that in Romans 8, then I’m going to give some examples when we finish chapter 8 because this is where our battles come from.

There has to be finally you put a stop to it. No, it’s error, it’s sin, it’s wrong, it has to be dealt with, avoid these foolish controversies. I have people…, how many conversations have I been in and down to recent times. Well, you have to be open to consider this, there are good people, I think, that hold this, I think so-and-so’s views on this. I spent a portion of this past week reading books of those espousing such views because part of my responsibility is to be aware and be aware of where the error is. But this can’t be allowed to persist. Sooner or later when you do draw the line, sadly, many of the sheep have been lead astray and then they’re allowed out into what? A world of confusion. “Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” When error is recognized as error, it must be shut down. Oh, they’re narrow. Yes, we are and we’re no broader than this book and we’re not going to be any wider and it has to be properly interpreted. Not everybody that can throw out a verse…, you only have to watch TV and politicians begin to throw out verses to establish their view that has absolutely nothing to do with what they’re talking about.

But that happens in the church and that’s why elders are responsible to guard the truth. You understand where we were in chapter 1, we don’t want to forget that when we get back here, the elders have a responsibility for this. One of my greatest disappointments is how quickly people just write the elders off. I have letters written that say how much we appreciate the elders and their godly leadership, then something comes up they disagree with. Oh, I don’t agree with the elders on that. Whoosh! The elders have a serious responsibility, that’s why we have to have godly men who are capable of handling the Word and will protect the flock. That’s part of what he says that we are to teach and live by. You know, he just says, well, I know I shouldn’t murder, I shouldn’t be immoral, I shouldn’t steal. Well, so we should live in light of what he says we should do, not just know what we shouldn’t do.

“Reject a factious man after a first and second warning.” A factious man, we get the word ‘heretic’ from this word translated ‘faction,’ in fact, we just carry it over into English, it’s just the Greek word carried over into English. It was somebody who does bring a division. He has his own sect, so you can talk about the sect of the Pharisees or the sect of the Sadducees, their own group. This is a person coming into the body of Christ but they’re making their own group. Well, in Paul’s day, he had to deal with letters and traveling teachers, now we have the internet that can disperse any kind of error and false teaching, and then we have the multiplicity of books, and sadly, publishers are concerned about the money that comes in and so they become peddlers selling the word of God.

Many years ago, we were on the radio, and I addressed a conference of broadcasters and I said, “This is a serious issue you must face, you have a business and you’re paying bills but if you begin to sell and peddle the word of God you have become promoters of false doctrine and false teaching. Very difficult because the popularity has to be broad and that’s what churches that want to grow do, we want to be broad enough to reach a lot of people. Well, wait a minute we are called to a narrow ministry, He said I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me, anyone here who is factious and teaching differently is rejected and exposed as a false teacher, on their way to hell.

We are not looking for popularity, that’s where we want to be careful, we are not selling things. We try in our bookstore to be discerning. That doesn’t mean we don’t allow for doctrinal differences where there are clear foundational things that may come into the hermeneutics. We want to recognize those and that’s why we’re blessed to have people that work in the bookstore that can help you. Recognize there are good things here, be careful of this. We want to become discerning. We’re not saying in every detail if they don’t dot their i and cross the t exactly like we do. No, I recognize there are differences among godly people but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a position and this is where we are as a church and this is why we are where we are. So “reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and sinning, being self condemned.”

Even these controversies about the Word, you know part of what happens and this is why I appreciate, for example, our elders. I’ve referred to two other pastors as well as other believers, we have weathered men in that position. They have been tested, they have been through trials, they have been through battles, they have demonstrated their firmness on the Word. That’s part of what we look for when we are looking for new elders, men that have maturity, who have weathered through the battles and conflicts, that are not carried away by every wind of doctrine and teaching that come along. But when the sheep reject that, they reject the shepherds God provides. But they think, well, I’m praying about it. Well, wait a minute you’re already rejecting what God says, what’s there to pray about? Lord, bless me as I go my own way in rebellion against You. That’s what Israel thought they could do and why they’re consistently rebuked by the prophets. You reject Me, you disobey Me, and then you come and think I ought to jump when you say jump.

I could put some of the prophetic teaching in current pictures. “Reject a fractious man after a first and second warning.” We have had to do that, but there’s consequences, they have been friends of mine. That’s why Paul’s writing to Titus with a letter that is for the churches and we’ll see in the closing remarks it is for the churches. You reject a factious man after the first and second warning. We have to know the Word and know it thoroughly, its good for me. I am sometimes involved in these conversations and often it’s younger people. Well, I’ve come across this I’ve been reading this book, and I’ve listened to him and he’s wonderful. Really, as in error. No, No, I don’t think you’ve thought it through. Finally, I get to the point I say, you know, I guess the conversation’s over. What can I say, where do we go from here, there’s no place to go. You want me to read every book, I’ve read at least some of his books, I haven’t read everyone of his books, but I’ve read his books, I know his theology, I know what he’s saying. What do you do? You end up drawing a line. When one of my most trusted professors drew the line at the seminary I attended, they fired him. I said, “Well, what do you mean you fired him?” He’s been a professor there for almost forty years, you fired him, and he stood for the truth. I wrote a letter to the president of the seminary, what you’ve done is a disgrace, you’ve abandoned the truth and you know it and you are guilty. It comes we have to stand, “reject a factious man after a first and second warning.”

Come back to Romans chapter 16, Romans 16, Paul has written this exhaustive letter, then what’s he say in verse 17 after unfolding the gospel in the greatest concentrated detail we have anywhere in the bible? He says, “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned.” Turn away from them, don’t give your ear to everyone, and I would say to the less mature and to the younger, pay first attention to those mature teachers who have taught you. That’s why Paul rebukes the Corinthians, I shouldn’t have to be defending myself against you. “I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching, which you learned,” the biblical teaching, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.” Now this doesn’t mean the Roman believers weren’t pretty solid, “the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I’m rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good.

You know, that’s why I want to be careful for myself though I would never get off the track. I sat under men that I respected and thought “wow” I want to model them, and for some reason when the time came to stand, they weren’t there. So you never get to the point where you say, well, that wouldn’t be me. That’s the thing that scares me about getting off-track, once you get off-track you never know where you’re going to end up. Well, it’s not that major. Well, wait a minute, where are you going with this? Now I’ve diverted from truth, I’m going this way, because I’m not going with the truth anymore, now it’s just a matter of time until I get out here where I never thought I’d be.

I’m concerned for you Paul said, why is this even being tolerated in the church? One of the signs that something’s wrong is it hasn’t been dealt with, that’s what Paul had to write to the Corinthians about, that’s a major problem, you didn’t deal with it. He doesn’t say, well, just keep your eye on it, there’s going to be some varieties, just be aware of when it really gets bad, when it really gets bad. You know what one thing I learned early in my ministry, not early enough? I didn’t get out front of some things the way I should of, by the time I really took hold of it, too many of the sheep had been infected. You can’t stop it but you want to get out front of it as much as you can and deal with it. That’s what Paul’s dealing with in these letters.

Come back to Titus. Again, he’s firm just like he was, Paul has no tolerance for those who are promoting error. Such a man, whoever it is teaching this way, is perverted, is sinning, he’s self-condemned, you’re just bringing the condemnation he’s brought to himself to the fore, it’s an error, and he’s perverted. Earlier he called them unbelieving in verse 15 of chapter 1, they’re defiled and unbelieving. God only sees the heart. I’m always asked, well, I’m not comfortable calling them unbelievers. Well, don’t call them unbelievers, just call them believers who are false teachers. God will deal with their eternal destiny, I am responsible to deal with their present activity.

I may have an opinion from what I can tell what they’ve written and so on, I may say I don’t think they’re truly believers, but that’s my opinion, but regardless of whether believers or not, what they’re teaching is false, contrary to the word of God, and cannot be tolerated. You know, I can get pushed into, well, you’re not a judge of their hearts, you can’t see their heart. No, but I can see what they’re teaching, I can see what they’re practicing, that’s what I’m responsible for. Paul under the inspiration of the Spirit and the direction of the Spirit of God says you reject a factious man after a first and second warning and the man has brought it on himself because he’s perverted and self condemned. So now, that’s the end of the letter, and you say, well, you always want to end on something positive, don’t you?

Verses 10 and 11 end the body of the letter reject a factious man after a first and second warning knowing that such a man is perverted and sinning and being self-condemned. Now be careful here, I want people to view our church as narrow biblically but not opinionated, what my opinion is. And I have some problems with this, some are pastor friends, I think they mistake their opinions for the word of God, that’s sin. When I’m preaching my opinion as though that’s binding on you then I become a promoter of error, a teacher of error. I want to be careful what I’m teaching is what the word of God is teaching. If I want to give you my opinion and sometimes I might say, well, my opinion in light of what I know would be this, but I hope you understand that’s my opinion. That’s not what the word of God clearly says, so there’s certain things I do or don’t do because I’m uncomfortable. There’s room for my personal opinions.

I don’t do certain things because I don’t believe and you know we’ve been in the gray areas, but I want to be careful about saying that’s what the word of God requires. That’s what it clearly teaches so be careful here distinguishing between opinions and here’s what the word of God says. Some of what I was reading this week as far as I can tell the person is very opinionated, has degrees from elite universities as well as from some conservative evangelical schools but from what I could read he was offering his opinions and they should be accepted because of who he is. They’re just his opinions and you corrupt the word of God when you put your opinions on the same level as the word of God.

So we end on that note, now just some closing remarks. “When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.” Titus was left there to wrap some things up but that won’t be done. Paul doesn’t have the confidence that these churches are ready yet to stand on their own so when either Artemas or Tychicus… We don’t know any more about Artemas, it’s the only place he’s mentioned in the scripture. Tychicus is mentioned several times, we won’t go through the scriptures where they are, you can follow the references to his name. He was sent by Paul on different occasions, so Paul wants Titus to come to him, but don’t come until one of these men I send as your replacement, because the situation there requires a mature godly person to put things together, so they’ll be ready to stand on their own with their own elders and so on. I want you to come to me at Nicopolis on the western side of Greece where he’ll be wintering. It doesn’t give the reason why these adjustments. Paul’s making a decision that I need Titus here with me, one of these men can pick up and complete what I started and he has carried on, and now can be passed on.

“Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them.” Zenas and Apollos probably brought this letter because that’s how letters get transported, effectively you send a messenger with them. They may have brought the letter, we don’t know. I might say Tychicus carried the letter, we just don’t know, but since these two are mentioned and they’re to be sent on their way a number of the commentators suggest that could be. Whatever, they are men again Paul’s familiar with, Apollos is well-known, Zenas the lawyer is not to us, but Apollos is mentioned a number of places in connection with Paul’s ministry and particularly in 1 Corinthians, but also in Acts. He’s an eloquent teacher and when he had further proper instructions then he taught the truth clearly.

Now believers… part of their good deeds is they help these teachers who are tied with Paul and involved in ministry, and then verse 14 that reminder of the theme, “Our people must learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so they will not be unfruitful.” We’re involved in doing good things in helping people. Now these aren’t broad social programs, these are primarily like verse 13, men that are key, Paul’s letters are getting carried out by these men, the establishing of these churches in a biblical way is being conducted by these men. That’d be a delight, John wrote about these in his epistles, but you don’t help false teachers on their way, so there’s discernment in this and the ministry they have. Again , you know it’s important, this is what the letters about, so he comes back to it. We won’t go back to the half a dozen references where he emphasizes good deeds, good deeds, good deeds, because it’s an outflowing.

We are those now who love the Lord, love His word, love His people, and we’re involved with them and he says, “All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith.” Paul felt that bond with believers wherever they are. And all those believers that are with me…, he doesn’t go into the names here because maybe they wouldn’t be known so that wouldn’t be helpful to the congregation there so he just says, “All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith,” in our common faith in Christ, because that’s the dividing line, true believer and not believer. “Grace be with you all,” that enabling power of God that enables us to live day by day.

We’ve been saved by grace but that saving grace is an ongoing provision for us manifest in the presence of the Holy Spirit as we were talking about and have been talking about in Romans chapter 8. Who dwells in us, who intercedes for us, that’s all provision of God’s grace because remember everything necessary for life and godliness or a life of godliness has been provided for us in the salvation we have in Christ, so this grace is the realm in which we live and each have God’s enabling grace and provision of grace. It’s a way of saying He’ll meet your every need and provide for you in every situation.

The sufficiency of all we have in Christ and the Word which has been entrusted to you, and remember once we get moved off from a sound, faithful handling of the word of God we are out here in the realm of feelings, emotions, men’s ideas. The more we’re away from the Word and the less we’re in the Word, the less careful we are with the Word the more vulnerable we are, and that’s Paul’s frustration with the Corinthians remember. You’re still carnal, you’re like immature babies, you should have grown beyond this, look at how you behave, look at how you don’t behave, there’s no excuse for it. So we’re not saying we’re perfect, we’re growing, but we want to be careful, we want to honor the Lord. The church is the pillar and support of the truth, it’s the place where the truth has to be taught and taught truthfully, and then we have to implement that truth in our lives personally. We are involved in the study of the Word personally and we want to live it out and when the two are put together, God’s justification and His sanctification, then the work that He and only He can do to prepare us for glorification will be accomplished.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the riches of Your words. Thank you for this precious small letter of Paul to Titus, but it’s a letter from You through Paul to Titus, and by Your grace it has been preserved and passed down to us and it is a living word. Alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword and, Lord, by the ministry of Your Spirit it pierces into the innermost regions of our persons, so that we might take it to heart and mind and allow ourselves to be conformed by the Spirit to these great truths. May we grow and continue to grow as we put that what we’ve been taught by Your Spirit into practice even today. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.





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