Titus 1:10-16: The Opposition
I.
Introduction
a.
Last time we saw
i.
How important it
is to choose good elders
ii.
Subsequently,
what type of character they must have
b.
This time we will
see the opposite—the opposition
II.
Verse 10: The
Circumcision
a.
“For”
i.
This is a segue
ii.
Verse 9—Pastors
must be able to teach God’s people and to rebuke those who oppose the truth
b.
Why? Because there are many people out there who
lead others astray
c.
Keep in mind that
Paul is here describing both those who are leading others astray, as well as those
being led astray
d.
What do the false
shepherds—wolves—look like?
i.
Insubordinate
1.
Rebellious
2.
Same word as 1:6
3.
Used in reference
to a horse that refused to be bridled or a soldier who would not obey his
superiors
4.
False shepherds almost
always have trouble accepting authority—they only respect their own opinions
ii.
Empty talkers
1.
Matarologos—empty
or vain words
2.
They talk and
they talk but they never really say anything
3.
Gill: “Vain
talkers, who deliver out in their discourses empty, trifling, superficial, and
frivolous things; which have no solidity and substance in them, nor do they
tend to edification; only great swelling words of vanity, vain jangling and
babbling about things to no profit.”
iii.
Deceivers
1.
Refers to
self-deceivers who lead into their own delusions
2.
They are
constantly taking advantage of those with a narrow mind
3.
They have an
evangelistic zeal that points people more towards themselves than God
iv.
Circumcision
1.
“Especially”—there
were many types of people for which Titus should watch, but the Circumcision was
worth of specifically noting
2.
We encounter the
Judaizers throughout the New Testament, especially in the book of Galatians
3.
They were Jews
who had accepted Christ but tried to impose the ceremonial law on the Gentiles
4.
It’s important to
keep this in mind in order to understand the rest of this chapter
III.
Verse 11: Our
Response
a.
What is the job
of elders? To silence them
i.
Paul is not
calling Titus to take civil action
ii.
Titus must use
Biblical reasoning to defeat them
b.
Why? Because they were upsetting whole families
i.
Upset—overturn,
destroy, subvert
ii.
Their false
teaching was not simply attracting a random person here and there, but was
leading to the damnation of whole families
c.
We see their real
motivation here
i.
They are teaching
for shameful gain
ii.
This is why Paul
stresses that an elder not be greedy
iii.
It makes me think
of televangelists like Jim Bakker and Paul Crouch—the prosperity Gospel
iv.
Paul tells Titus
that he will recognize false teachers by the fact that they are really looking
to further their own fame and wealth
IV.
Verses 12-13a: The
Cretans
a.
Paul reminds
Titus of his mission field
b.
This shows that
Paul was warning Titus about false teachers and those who would easily be led
astray because of their corrupt character
c.
Paul describes
the Cretans with not-so-nice words by referencing “one of their own” who said
that they are liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons
d.
The Cretans were
known to be extremely lazy, given to extravagance (gluttony and drunkenness),
and barbaric
e.
They were best
known, however, for being liars—to be like a Cretan was a proverb used to
described people who lied
f.
This quote is
from Epimenides of Gnossus, who was a semi-mythical character born about 650
years before Jesus
i.
Paul calls him a
poet
1.
Poets were often
regarded as prophets because they were thought to communicate messages from
muses
2.
Legend has it
that he had fell asleep for 57 years, after which he awoke with the gift of
prophecy
3.
He was considered
one of the seven wise men of Greece
ii.
Paul actually
quotes him another time: Acts 17:28
iii.
Paul references him
here especially because he happened to be from the island of Crete
iv.
Paul, having
interacted with the Cretans somewhat briefly, came away with the same
impression
g.
Is Paul being a
racist/bigot here?
i.
No, Paul is
simply trying to warn Titus about the special circumstances in which Titus was
called to organize the churches
ii.
All pastors have
to deal with sinners, but Titus had to deal with sinners, but Titus had to deal
with people who were renowned around the world for multiple sinful lifestyles
iii.
It would be like
an older pastor warning a younger pastor about the special caution necessary when
ministering in Las Vegas or Los Angeles
iv.
Remember—Titus
was supposed to find men of character—how much more difficult would this be and
how much more careful would Titus have to be doing this in such a sinful place!
V.
Verses 13b-14:
How do we react to them?
a.
Paul tells Titus
to rebuke them sharply?
i.
Rebuke—to expose,
to refute, to show fault, to convince
ii.
This word carries
the idea of public reproof—Paul wants Titus to rebuke these people out in the
open so that everyone would see that they were false teachers who were
spreading lies
iii.
Sharply—cuttingly
b.
Why? So that they would be sound in the faith
i.
Notice: the
rebuke was for their own good!
ii.
Sound=healthy;
the way it’s supposed to be
iii.
There is a
surgical metaphor here—Paul is calling Titus to perform spiritual amputation
here
iv.
In order to have
sound faith, they must cut off the:
1.
Jewish myths
a.
Paul is not referring
to the Old Testament here
b.
Paul is referring
to the thousands of extra “fences” and interpretations of the Law that the Jews
had piled up around the Law
2.
Commands of
people
a.
The Jews
preferred man’s Word to God’s Word
b.
This is the same
thing for which Jesus often rebuked the scribes and the Pharisees
c.
Mark 7:13—Jesus
tells them that they make void the Word of God by their tradition
v.
Paul wanted Titus
to make sure the Cretan Christians were being instructed with the Word of God
and not the Word of man
VI.
Verse 15: A Quick
Refutation
a.
Paul is not
saying that anything we do is okay, so long as our hearts are sincere
b.
Paul is
specifically referring here to the ceremonial and dietary restrictions that the
Judaizers were trying to impose upon the Gentiles
c.
Paul tells them
that no food or drink is more pure than another—the heart is the real issue
i.
All actions flow
from the mind and conscience
ii.
If a man’s
mind/conscience is sinful, nothing he does can be good
VII.
Verse 16:
Evidence
a.
Paul backs up his
assertions in Verse 15 with evidence
b.
The way these
Judaizers lived demonstrated that they were not true followers of Christ,
despite their profession of faith
c.
Clarke: “Their
profession and practice were at continual variance. Full of a pretended faith, while utterly
destitute of those works by which a genuine faith is accredited and proved.”
i.
Detestable—abominable;
abhorrent, disgusting
ii.
Disobedient—really
means unbelieving and unwilling to be persuaded; they just won’t heed the truth
iii.
Unfit for good
works—not able to pass the test; rejected
d.
Titus needed to
be vigilant to protect Christ’s sheep from men with character like this
VIII.
Application
a.
There are wolves
out there who destroy souls
i.
The Bible often
warns us about them
ii.
Paul warns the
Ephesian elders in Acts 20:28-30: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to
all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the
church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves
will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves
will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
b.
Sometimes elders
must sharply rebuke those who are leading others astray
i.
The good shepherds need to make sure the sheep
know who the wolves are, and sometimes this means that they need to do so
ii.
It is good to
give people the benefit of the doubt, but we must not be afraid to call a spade
a spade
iii.
Men like Joel
Osteen and Rob Bell are false teachers!
c.
Leaders must be
able to submit!
d.
Purity begins in
the heart, as does corruption
i.
Both will
manifest themselves in behavior
ii.
Things are not good
or evil—people are
iii.
Matthew 15:18-20:
“But what comes of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a
person. For out of the heart come evil
thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness,
slander. These are what defile a
person. But to eat with unwashed hands
does not defile anyone.”
iv.
We must make sure
out hearts are right with God, or else our lives will never glorify Him
IX.
Conclusion
a.
Elders and
aspiring elders
i.
Last time I
encouraged you to personalize and emulate the list
ii.
This list is just
as important
1.
Make sure this
doesn’t describe you
2.
Examine your
hearts as you read this passage
3.
Ask God to
cleanse you from any of these traits you may have, even in the slightest way
b.
Congregation
i.
Pray for your
leaders
ii.
Hold your leaders
accountable
iii.
Submit to your
elders, but don’t be blind sheep—blindly following the wolves into destruction
iv.
Be Bereans!
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