A Watchful Church
Pm October 18th 2009
Titus 3:9-15
Introduction
As we began this series five Sunday nights ago, we set out to go through this book in order to find out what a true biblical church looks like, and at the very beginning we learned what five calls of the church are, then we learned what an obedient church looks like, the we found out what a sound or healthy church is, we were also reminded a couple of weeks ago that we are a church saved by Grace, last week we learned that we are to be a careful church, careful to perform our Christian duties, careful to remember our former condition, careful to remember our salvation, and careful to remember our mission, why we are here. Today to close out we will see that we need to be a watchful church.
A security guard worked at Drug Company for fifteen years. At first he was always very alert and watchful for thieves. But as the years passed he became relaxed and lazy. Sure enough one evening the company was robbed of thousands of dollars of drugs while the guard slept. The next day the company fired him immediately for not watching.
Today from this passage as the Apostle Paul wraps up the book of Titus, he will close with some general rules to follow in the church, and to watchful of certain things, so that they don’t hurt the church, to tonight let’s learn what we as a church need to be watchful of.
Read Scriptures: Titus 3:9-15
I. A Watchful Church, watches out for things that will divide us.
Vs. 9 “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.”
There are many things could divide us as a congregation, there will be times when we don’t agree on things, there will be times when controversy may arise in the church from various places and about various things.
I heard of a church that was undecided on the color of the carpet in the sanctuary, so they split the two colors they were undecided over right down the middle, and you sit over the color that you voted for.
As long as we are alive, there will be things or issues that we will have to decide on as a church, the thing that Paul is telling Titus, and us as well watch out for those things, and understand that they have to potential to split us wide open. Paul says that is “unprofitable and useless” for Kingdom of God.
II. A Watchful Church, watches out for people who will divide us.
Vs. 10-11 “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”
Divisions are cliques are not of God, unity is of God. When someone has a divisive attitude or spirit, we must be watchful of them in the church, a person who is divisive should never be given a position of any kind of authority in the church, because by there nature they want to cause division.
Paul says, warn that person once about being divisive, if they don’t listen warn them a second time, and if they still don’t listen, Paul says have nothing to do with them.
What does that mean, does if mean that they should not be allowed to come to church services anymore, does it mean that we are to take there name off of the church role if they are a member.
I would submit to you no, what he does mean is if they have any position of authority such a Sunday School teacher, a Deacon or serve on any committee, not to sing in the Choir, to relieve them of that authority or representing the church in any way, because quite frankly when someone is bent on destroying the work of the Kingdom of God through the Church, then there is no evidence of true salvation.
III. A Watchful Church, watches out for each other.
Vs. 12-13 “As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need.”
Unity is of God, and bearing with each other, and helping each other and brothers and sisters in Christ is God’s will for our lives.
When a brother or sister has a genuine need, and we have what they need, we don’t need to pray about or think about, we are given a biblical mandate to help, to get involved with each other’s lives.
A watchful church watches out for each other.
IV. A Watchful Church, watches out for the ministry of the Church.
Vs. 14-15 “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives. Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.”
God expects us to take care of the ministry in this community through this church. Paul says “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good”.
Doing good, by not being lazy, if the community looks at our church, which is us, and says man that is a bunch of lazy people, they don’t even take care of there own stuff.
A couple of weeks ago, Lynn was working in the office and some unknown man calls the office and says, “I have been passing though you town going to work on the other side of Opelousas from Baton Rouge, and I just noticed that you have a church sign in the weeds, if I wanted to come to your church I would have never seen the sign if wouldn’t have been looking hard at it, you would think that someone in your church could make sure that the weeds don’t over take the sign.”
Then Lynn called me and told me about the call, and I immediately felt convicted, so being out of town, I called Mr. Louis and asked him if he would take is tractor up there and de-weed the sign and he did.
The point is, it is our responsibility to take care of this ministry, and we need to be watchful of it, by what we do, and what we say.
Conclusion
Are we a Watchful Church? Are we watching out for things that want to divide us? Are we watching out for people who want to divide us? Are we watching out for each other? Are we watching out for this ministry.
Listen if you don’t have anything else that you need to pray about tonight, I will ask you those of you who can to come to the altar and lift up this ministry, lift up the church, so that nothing or nobody can bring division among us.
