Problems In The Church That Must Be Stopped
Titus 1:10-16
Jesus is patient, forgiving, compassionate and merciful and for that we are thankful. But scripture proves that there are some things that He will not tolerate. In John Chapter 2, as the Passover drew nigh, Jesus and His disciples went to Jerusalem. Upon arriving at the Temple Jesus found some men selling animals and money changers in the Temple. This infuriated the Savior and He made a whip of small chords and drove these people form the Temple. He poured out the coins of the money changers and threw over their tables. He said "take these things away!" ..."make not my Father's house a house of merchandise". Jesus made it clear that there were some things that are not to be tolerated in the Father's House.
Since the foundation of the church, there have been certain individuals who have caused great trouble. There are some who would love nothing more than to see the church destroyed. Others want complete control and will cause great turmoil when they don't get their way. Some work against the plan of God and seek to mold the church into their own likeness. One of the greatest problems throughout church history is the rise of false prophets. Jesus knew that this would be an issue. He warned us of this in Matthew 7:15, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
Almost 2,000 years later the troublemakers in the church are still with us. Here in Titus 1:10-16 Paul focuses on rebuke and confrontation of those troublemakers. In the previous passage Paul instructs Titus to "ordain Elders in each city". He also reveals to Titus that he is in Crete to "set things in order". In verses 5-9 Paul describes the qualification of faithful ministers who serve the Savior. Here in verses 10-16 Paul now addresses the troublemakers who need to be stopped immediately. These types of people are still in the church today. They cannot be avoided or ignored... they must be confronted and stopped.
We need to know who and what needs to be stopped as well as how to stop them. Fortunately the answers are found in our selected text. I would like examine these verses and preach on the thought... "Problems In The Church That Must Be Stopped".
- The first of those problems that I would like to consider is:
I. The Infiltration In The Church That Must Be Stopped
To "infiltrate" is to enter or gain access to (an organization, place, etc.) covertly and gradually, in order to acquire secret information. The FBI has brought down organized crime families, gangs, and other groups by sending in agents to "infiltrate" these organizations and gain valuable information.
Satan does the same thing with false prophets, he will use these individuals to infiltrate the church and cause as much harm as possible. And they have been very successful. Consider if you will:
A. The Position They Hold - v10a "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision"
There was an abundance of false teachers on the island of Crete. Paul says that there were "MANY unruly and vain talkers". He was especially concerned about those of the "Circumcision". Here he refers to Judaizers. This group believed that Salvation could be earned though works, rituals and ceremonies. They offered a Jesus plus works theology. When one attempts to add to Christ they actually subtract from Christ.
They taught that salvation required physical circumcision as well as adherence to Mosaic Law. Much like the Pharisees, this Judaizers were known for putting on a show of outward holiness. But inside they were corrupt and spiritually dead. Some of these individuals had infiltrated the church and worked their way into positions of influence. These false teachers were very personable and persuasive. They taught just enough truth to deceive the immature believer. Though they had worked their way into leadership positions in the church, Paul says that they are "insubordinate". They would not be held accountable to anyone... even today, this a tell-tale sign of all false teachers.
- Because of the positions they held, they were able to influence many in the church, Consider:
B. The Division They Create
Paul tells Titus that these false teachers "subvert whole houses". They were causing entire families to turn from the truth. This caused great division in the church. Because there were many of the false teachers, their influence in the church spread like cancer.
Why would someone do such a thing? What was their motivation? The answer is found in verse 11:
C. The Compensation They Desire - v11 teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
These unruly and vain talkers were not motivated by genuine concern for spiritual matters. They were in it for what they could get out of it! 1 Timothy 6:4-5 says these people “suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”
False teachers do what they do for "filthy lucre’s sake” They are always in it for the money. (1 Tim. 6:5; 1 Peter 5:2).
"Filthy lucre" is dirty money. I can't think of a more dishonest way of attaining wealth than to pervert the gospel and prey on the weak for personal gain. What we are seeing was not just a problem in Crete. Paul, John, Peter, Jude and Jesus all spoke of false teachers infiltrating the church.
Peter said - “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1-2)
John said - “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” (2 John 7)
Today, in 2016 false teachers are still infiltrating the church. This is evident when you listen to the heresy that is propagated on the T.V, Radio and Internet. But this issue is not limited to New York, Los Angeles and Houston Texas. It is happening in churches all across the land. Many men (and women) have infiltrated the church and worked their way into positions of power and influence. They are charismatic and personable. Often they share just enough of the truth to make you think that they are legit. But upon closer examination they are preaching "another gospel" entirely. They are doing great damage...Just as the Judaizers in Crete, they are causing division in the modern church. Entire families and whole assemblies are under their spell. What is their motivation? The same that it has been from the beginning. Filthy lucre.. money, power and prestige. They are in it for what they can get out of it!
In this chapter, Paul is drawing a contrast between the Elders who needed to be appointed in the church at Crete and the false prophets who had worked their way into positions of influence. Though the false prophets were motivated by "filthy lucre", the Elders were not to be "given to filthy lucre". The motivation for church leaders should be to reach people for Christ. We should want to see lost people saved and saved people strengthened. We should not do what we do for money, rather it should be done for God's glory!
That is not the case for the false prophet. They are in it for the money and when the money dries up, they will move on! Paul says that these insubordinate, vain talkers who have infiltrated the church must be stopped. These troublemakers could not be allowed to continue their evil schemes. They could not be ignored, they must be confronted and stopped!
- As we move deeper in the text we also see that:
II. The Deception In The Church That Must Be Stopped
- Once a false teacher has infiltrated the church and worked his way into a place of influence then he will begin his task of deceiving others. Verse 12 shows us that:
A. Deceivers Must Be Identified - v12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. 13 This witness is true.
One of the Cretan's own prophets had proclaimed that "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts and lazy gluttons. They were controlled by their own passions and desires. They were self indulgent with no self discipline or control. The people of Crete were so characterized by lying that “to Creatanize meant to lie.” This was not the case for every single Cretan but it characterized their society. This was especially the case for the false prophets. It seems that you didn't have to look real hard to notice that these troublemakers were not genuine. It is not difficult for us to identify false prophets in our day either. Simply look at them under the magnifying glass that is the Word of God! If they do not cling to the Truth of the Word...if they do not preach the Whole Counsel of God.... then they are not genuine.
The Apostle John said - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
This shows the importance of studying God's Word for yourself. If you do not have a solid biblical foundation in your life then it will be easy for you to be carried away with strange doctrines from false prophets.
- So, what do we do when there are obvious deceivers in the church? The answer is found in verses 13 & 14:
B. Deceivers Must Be Confronted - Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
Paul tells Titus exactly how to handle these deceivers. He says "rebuke them sharply". Not only are they to be rebuked in a stern manner... they are to be corrected by the Word of God. Remember the instruction given to the elder back in verse 9 - He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
We mentioned earlier that false doctrine is like a cancer that spreads in the church. When possible, a surgeon will take a sharp scalpel and cut away the diseased tissue that affects the body. In the same manner, spiritual surgery can only be performed with the sharp sword that is God's Word.
The goal in confronting the deceiver is to stop the danger to the church. It is to prevent the cancer from spreading. But another desired result is that those who are deceived "may be sound in the faith". This is a redemptive work. Many of these people once knew the truth but had turned from it. Paul indicates in this verse that we are to love others enough to point out their error with the hope that they will recover.
These deceivers were teaching Jewish myths and man made commandments. These teachings turned people from the true Gospel. These lies must be confronted and rebuked sharply. Many naive and immature people have been deceived and as a result are deceiving others. We must have enough concern and compassion to reach our to the, rebuke them and correct them. But there are others who are blatantly deceptive, they are seeking "filthy lucre" and they are corrupt and wicked... they too must be stopped!
- This brings us to the final thing I would like to consider this evening.
III. The Corruption In The Church That Must Be Stopped
This world is filled with corrupt political leaders and corrupt business leaders. Many people have fallen prey to corruption, greed and selfish behavior. Unfortunately corruption seems to be at an all time high in the church. Many deceivers have infiltrated the church and are constantly spreading corruption. Because of this, there have been many scandals in the church in recent years. These people bring shame and reproach on the name of Christ. When you examine the actions of these troublemakers it is clear that they do not know Christ, much less represent him. Paul says that they "profess to know God but their works are abominable".
- Consider the fact that:
A. They Live Wicked Lives - v15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure;
Inner purity produces outer purity. Likewise, the opposite is true, inner corruption produces corrupt works. Remember what Jesus said in - Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
These individuals say one thing and do another. They ware walking contradictions. In many ways they are like the Pharisees. Jesus said that the Pharisees were like whitewashed tombs. They appeared to be beautiful on the outside but "on the inside they were full of dead man's bones". (Matthew 23:27)
- Not only do they live wicked lives ...
B. They Have Evil Minds - but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
How a man thinks, affects what he does. Paul says (of the false prophets) that “their mind is defiled". This means... their thoughts, their desires, their purposes are “defiled.” He also says that "their conscience is defiled". This means that their morality, discernment and judgment is defiled. Their idea of right and wrong does not come from God. Rather it comes from within their own corrupt minds. Because of their evil minds and their wicked lives, their theology cannot be trusted.
- They live wicked lives, they have evil minds and we see in verse 16....
C. They Tell Dangerous Lies - v16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Their lives and actions deny the Christ that they profess to know. These false prophets lie to themselves and as a result they lie to others. Paul says that they profess to know Christ, but in their works they deny Him. They trust in their own works, they trust in their own wisdom, they trust in their own righteousness.
The Judaizers taught that if you observed all the ceremonies... kept all the traditions... fulfilled all the “commandments of men”... then you would purify yourself. They taught that you can clean the inside by what you do on the outside. The Bible says you have to clean the inside by coming to Christ, and letting Him clean the inside and that takes care of the outside.
And in the church today is a crowd that believes that they can observe all the ceremonies, follow all the rituals, keep all the traditions, fulfill the "commands of men" and make it to Heaven. These are dangerous lies that are being propagated in the church as we speak.
As was the case in Crete, THESE LIES MUST BE STOPPED! These people must be silenced because they do great harm in the church and to the cause of Christ. It is imperative that we are able to identify false teachers. We must know what to look for and how to respond when we encounter them. God has a plan for His church and there are things that He will not tolerate.
Just as Jesus cast that den of thieves out of the Temple... just as Paul rebuked many False Prophets...just as Titus set things in order in the Church at Crete, there are some problems in the church today that must be stopped.
1) The Infiltration In The Church Must Be Stopped
2) The Deception In The Church Must Be Stopped
3) The Corruption In The Church Must Be Stopped
Through God's Word we find how to do this God's way. You may say, "none of this describes our church!". I agree, and I am glad it doesn't. But we need to know what to watch for and what to prevent. May we look to God to protect us as we move forward for Him!
