Claim To Know God

I. EXORDIUM:

Do you claim to know GOD?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To enumerate the characteristics of those who only claims to know GOD but GOD does not know them.

IV. TEXT:

Titus 1:16 (Amplified Bible)

They profess to know God [to recognize, perceive, and be acquainted with Him], but deny and disown and renounce Him by what they do; they are detestable and loathsome, unbelieving and disobedient and disloyal and rebellious, and [they are] unfit and worthless for good work (deed or enterprise) of any kind.

V. THESIS:

Those who claim to know GOD are: (1) their actions does the opposite, (2) they are detestable, (3) disobedient, (4) unfit for good works.

VI. TITLE:

Claim to know GOD

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: Apostle Paul

B. Date written: 64 A.D.

C. Purpose: To counsel and exhort Titus, a young pastor, relating to his ministerial duties and doctrines, with special maintenance of good works

D. To whom written: Titus, a Gentile

E. Main theme: good works

F. Keywords: good works

G. Key verses:

Titus 1:5 (Amplified Bible)

1:5 For this reason I left you [behind] in Crete, that you might set right what was defective and finish what was left undone, and that you might appoint elders and set them over the churches (assemblies) in every city as I directed you.

Titus 3:8 (Amplified Bible)

3:8 This message is most trustworthy, and concerning these things I want you to insist steadfastly, so that those who have believed in (trusted in, relied on) God may be careful to apply themselves to honorable occupations and to doing good, for such things are [not only] excellent and right [in themselves], but [they are] good and profitable for the people.

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Their actions deny Him

"but deny and disown and renounce Him by what they do;"

Isaiah 29:13 (Amplified Bible)

29:13 And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but remove their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear and reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition [without any thought as to the meaning],

Isaiah 48:1 (Amplified Bible)

48:1 HEAR THIS, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel and who come forth from the seed of Judah, you who swear allegiance by the name of the Lord and make mention of the God of Israel—but not in truth and sincerity, nor in righteousness (rightness and moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation)—

Jude 1:4 (Amplified Bible)

1:4 For certain men have crept in stealthily [gaining entrance secretly by a side door]. Their doom was predicted long ago, ungodly (impious, profane) persons who pervert the grace (the spiritual blessing and favor) of our God into lawlessness and wantonness and immorality, and disown and deny our sole Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Faith without action is dead, you can't prove your faith without any action on your part like a changed life will do.

B. They are detestable

"they are detestable and loathsome,"

Detestable means abominable, idolatrous.

Ezekiel 11:21 (Amplified Bible)

11:21 But as for those whose heart yearns for and goes after their detestable things and their loathsome abominations [associated with idolatry], I will repay their deeds upon their own heads, says the Lord God.

Ezekiel 37:23 (Amplified Bible)

37:23 They shall not defile themselves any more with their idols and their detestable things or with any of their transgressions, but I will save them out of all their dwelling places and from all their backslidings in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them. So shall they be My people, and I will be their God.

They would rather worship gold and silver idols instead of GOD.

C. They are disobedient

"unbelieving and disobedient and disloyal and rebellious,"

1 Samuel 15:22 (Amplified Bible)

15:22 Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Ephesians 5:6 (Amplified Bible)

5:6 Let no one delude and deceive you with empty excuses and groundless arguments [for these sins], for through these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of rebellion and disobedience.

1 Timothy 1:9 (Amplified Bible)

1:9 Knowing and understanding this: that the Law is not enacted for the righteous (the upright and just, who are in right standing with God), but for the lawless and unruly, for the ungodly and sinful, for the irreverent and profane, for those who strike and beat and [even] murder fathers and strike and beat and [even] murder mothers, for manslayers,

They are disobedient to GOD's Words because they can't and will not obey it because they don't believe it's GOD's Words in reality.