Text: Titus 1:10-16
Exegesis
- Theme: Opposing False Teachers
- Topic: Why Titus and the elders he appoints must rebuke those in Crete who oppose the truth
- Truth: Those who oppose the truth in Crete are destructive to the church and to the cause of Christ.
- Thrust: Titus and the elders that he appoints must teach sound doctrine and rebuke those in Crete who oppose the truth in order to safeguard the church.
Exposition
- Theme: Opposing False Teachers
- Topic: Why church leaders must rebuke those who oppose the truth
- Truth: Those who oppose the truth are destructive to the church and to the cause of Christ.
- Thrust: Church leaders must teach sound doctrine and rebuke those who oppose the truth in order to protect the church.
Exhortation
- Type: Truth oriented
- Take Home Message: False teachers ruin good churches.
- Trailing question: Why should we guard the church against false teachers
- Teaching outline (the sermon proper):
A. Take-off (intro)
We must allow differences in the church. That is part of our strength. God honors unity within diversity. But when it comes to the truth of the Gospel, we must be careful to make clear-cut distinctions between what is allowable in terms of orthodoxy and what is already considered heresy. Of course, we must not be quick to brand as heresy anything that is different from our beliefs. We must learn to distinguish between essential truths and our interpretations or applications of it. Most of us have theological systems of belief but these do not necessarily coincide with the biblical truth. We must be careful not to assume that what we believe is equal to the truth. However, there are essentials of the faith that all Christians agree with. In these we are united, and we cannot tolerate deviations from it. If anything is contrary to this body of truth, we must be courageous enough to confront it together. But we must do so with humility and respect, knowing fully well that we may not know all the truth.
In Paul’s letter to Titus, he is very specific in his concern. He is identifying a group that he describes as “opposing the truth.” The truth here, of course, is no other than Jesus Christ. There are those in Crete who are opposing the simple gospel about Jesus Christ and they are coming up with their own gospel. Paul commands Titus not to tolerate it. He must rebuke those people, and even appoint elders who can do the same thing. These elders must know the difference between the genuine gospel (sound doctrine) and falsehood. They must also rebuke those who oppose the truth, because “False teachers ruin good churches.”
B. Teaching outline (body):
First, they ruin the members of the church (vv.10-11). Whole households are split apart because of false doctrine. Instead of being united, families are torn apart by endless debates and disagreements about trivial matters that do not really pertain to salvation. Instead of focusing on Christ, we focus on words and terminologies. Second, they ruin the testimony of the church (vv.12-14). The church becomes identified with worldliness. We lose our saltiness. We become just like everyone else. Our character remains unchanged because the truth cannot penetrate our hearts while we are fighting one another. Third, they ruin the ministry of the church (vv.15-16). Because of petty arguments and endless theological discussions, the church forgets its true calling, to testify about the coming kingdom of God in and through Jesus Christ. Instead of using our resources to do good, we end up using them for fruitless talk.
C. Touchdown (conclusion)
False teachers ruin good churches. We must be courageous enough to refute them and stop them from spreading their influence. The church has a lot of work to do. Engaging in endless debates about theology may stimulate the mind, but it will not result in the Gospel reaching the ends of the earth. Let’s unite on the essentials. Let us be loving in case we have disagreements, because we are all growing toward the truth. But most of all, let us rebuke those whose only desire is to show off. Theology is for understanding more of God and His ways, in order to be more like Him.
Subscribe to our daily devotional. Click this.