Sermon Tone Analysis

*There's something Rotten in the Church.*

[Titus 1:10-16]

Paul wrote to Titus instructing him to appoint elders – leaders.

These men had to know God's faithful Word and be able to encourage in sound doctrine and particularly be able to refute those that oppose.

Why was it essential that the elders be so adept in handling God's Word? grounded in sound doctrine?

- because there were many false teachers around.

The church was 30 years old yet it was assailed by false teachers.

If that was the case when the wood was green, how much more now that it is dry!

Today the church is still plagued and riddled with false doctrine.

A particular problem then were those of the circumcision, Judaizers, those who insisted on the keeping of ceremonial requirements, keeping the law.

Still today a large section of the church is taken in by legalists, yes even the evangelical church.

Paul always uses extremely strong language in regard to such men.

No diplomacy here – but it is the truth.

We are church family, as Christians we think that we should speak well of each other – listen to the description Paul gives [OHP1] – this is the church!

So much for diplomatic and gracious language!

There was something rotten in the church that needed to be addressed.

What was it?

(Tit 1:10, 14) – Judaism!

Legalism – those who sought to impose outward requirements and rites for salvation, for right relationship with God.

Paul has not one good word to say about such and some of the strongest language in the NT is used against them.

It was a problem in the early church – from very early on , an incident some 15-16 years after the resurrection is described in (*Acts 15:1** */Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”/)

- and may I say that it is one of the most difficult errors to deal with in the church today.

The most difficult spiritual opposition that you find in the church is not from without, from the satanists, atheists – it comes from within, from religious (Tit 1:16 "profess to know God").

Legalism is hard to deal with because it sounds so pious and righteous – particularly dangerous to immature, zealous believers, they want to please God and are susceptible to this teaching that exhorts them to great effort to win God's approval.

But it is in fact diametrically opposed to the Gospel.

What did Paul and Barnabas do when legalists came?

(*Acts 15:2* /Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue/.)

- they debated, refuted (cf.

v.9).

Scripture makes clear that by the Law no man is made righteous (*Psalm 143:2** */And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no man living is righteous.

/*Romans 3:20** * /because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

/*Galatians 2:16** */nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since /by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified/;/* Tit 3:10-12 */For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”

Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”

However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.”/)

Faith and Law are mutually exclusive, incompatible – it's either one or the other.

No one can keep the Law – circumcision became such an issue that Paul and Barnabas went to the church officials in Jerusalem.

Peter said: (*Acts 15:9-11** */and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are./”).

Salvation, righteousness is by faith alone, by grace alone.

Legalism upsets whole families – it should not be taught (Tit 1:11).

It is man made requirements (Tit 1:14).

Elders are necessary because of the great amount of worthless spiritual peddlers, talking empty rubbish, heresy; who deceive people, leading them astray.

Here, as in Timothy, where there is mention of appointing elders,  it is in the context of heresy.

From very early days the church was under assault by false teachers - people who spread error - there were may of them.

Men who used religion to their own advantage, to get a following, make a livelihood - and they are not confined to the first century!

Elders are a protection to the flock from such men.

*The Nature of Legalists: * Calls them /rebels/, /empty talkers/, /deceivers /– these words describe and expose their heart.

*Rebels  (Tit 1:10) * / Rebels/:they want their own way they are not submitted to God's God's way of salvation is by faith alone, by grace alone, by Jesus' righteousness – what He has done, not what we have done.

God said that Jesus' work was sufficient, but these men had their own way, not God's – they said that you had to be circumcised as well.

They were not submitted to God's way, so they are rebellious - not submitting to Christ’s lordship; they seek to promote themselves and their own teaching.

This unruly type was particularly characteristic of Crete – and still today men want to do it "my way" – because there is reason for pride – the Gospel 's genius is that there is no place for pride

*Empty talkers  (Tit 1:10)* /Empty talkers/: (talking idly, worthless words, evil talkers - i.e. using impressive language with little or no solid content of truth) they were religionists – it was religion, not life – mere words and philosophy, no reality, no power, no ability to set free from the power of sin (cf.

*Colossians 2:21-23** */why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”

(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?

These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence./) - religion – it doesn't work!

*Deceivers  (Tit 1:10)*  The message they spread is worthless, without real substance.

But people are fooled by it - they deceive people, corrupting their thinking, filling their minds with what is not true, leading them astray.

Particularly dangerous, as Paul knew from his experience with the Galatian church, were Jewish legalists who taught the necessity of coming back under Judaistic law, that a man had to be circumcised in order to be saved.

This was a lie that corrupted many earnest believers.

Paul advocates strong and unequivocal action to put an immediate stop to this corruption.

False teaching is dangerous because, not only are those holding to it in error, but they they also corrupt others, fooling them into believing a lie!

They influence others, deceiving others, ruining whole households (Tit 1:11)

*Greedy motives  (Tit 1:11)* Their motive in teaching these things is not pure - it is out of self-interest - to make money.

There is much money to be made out of religion - if one man can get a large following, all supporting him and giving generously because they are giving to God, it is possible to extort large amounts.

Today we see many "big name" preachers, healers, who have gained vast wealth by their tele-evangelism and large crusades and mega-churches.

And, as in Paul’s day, the message they are preaching is, in most cases, worthless.

Heresies of Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copland, Yongi Cho, Kenneth Hagin, Rodney Howard-Brown et al.

Bringing under the legalism of tithing [vision from God that never came about, building fund that disappeared].

*Defiled mind  (Tit 1:15 read)* - These men were empty talk, they spoke of strict purity but they were defiled.

They contaminated the church because it was full of innocent believers – gullible – to them everything was pure, unsuspecting that error might be spoken in church.

But these men were defiled – to them even the pure (like the Law of God) was defiled because their minds and conscience was defiled.

They took the law and turned it into a set of human rules – this is what Judaism has done – made a satanic religion out of God given precepts.

This is what legalists do in the church – they defile it.

Take pure innocent believers and twist their innocent hearts so that they think that they have to keep a certain set of standards to please God.

We don't rely on ourselves pleasing God but on Jesus having already pleased God.

The pure are innocent and unsuspecting of evil.

But one who is corrupt and defiled, unclean; sees the dirt and the innuendo because that is where he lives.

The clean, however, are unsuspecting since they have no motive that is impure.

Cleanness, purity, are associated with believers - the two are intrinsically linked.

On the other hand the defiled, sin-stained, are not believers – the false religionists are so polluted in their thinking and conscience that they cannot conceive the existence of a pure motive - to them, nothing is clean - they suspect ulterior motive in the purest of deeds.

Their whole mind is polluted, corrupt, defiled (cf.

*1 Timothy 4:1-3** */But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth./).

The clean and the defiled are worlds apart - there is no comprehension one of the other’s motives and actions - there can be no fellowship, no understanding, between them; they are utterly different (cf.

*2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1** */Do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you.

And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” says the Lord Almighty.

// //Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God./).

Those regenerated, who believe, will embrace purity, what is clean, and will separate themselves from their former unclean associations.

*Hypocrites  (Tit 1:16)* These men profess to know God but their actions prove otherwise – they are play acting, they are hypocrites!

- they put on a show of knowing God but their lives don’t match their profession.

They are written off in the strongest possible language: "They profess to know God, but by /their/ deeds they deny /Him/, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed."

They profess to be Christians, to know God, but their deeds deny what their mouths say.

If we don’t live according to what we say we believe, then we do not really believe it at all.

Our actions must be consistent with our Christian faith.

We cannot claim to be a Christian and still remain impure (Tit 1:15;).

The legalists tut, tut about all the moral failures of others and say people should be doing this and that.

But, you know, when you look at their lives, the failure of their religion is evident – where is the Christian love, they tend to be the most uncharitable, mean and ungenerous people you have ever met.

No self-giving, no self-sacrifice on behalf of others – their lives betray their lack of faith – Pharisees upset by Jesus doing good.

Faith will be seen in action.

The one who has been saved by grace and that he has received what he doesn't deserve, will overflow with gratitude and praise to his Saviour.