Those Rebellious Talkers And Deceivers

INTRO.- ILL.- William Penn Adair "Will" Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist, social commentator and motion picture actor. He was one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s.

Known as "Oklahoma's Favorite Son," Rogers was born to a prominent Cherokee Nation family in Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma). He traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"), wrote more than 4,000 nationally-syndicated newspaper columns, and became a world-famous figure. By the mid-1930s, Rogers was adored by the American people. He was the leading political wit of the Progressive Era, and was the top-paid Hollywood movie star at the time. Rogers died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post, when their small airplane crashed in Alaska.

Will Rogers’ quotes:

- “Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.”

- “Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects.”

- “Don't let yesterday take up too much of today.”

- “A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people. ”

- “If stupidity got us in this mess, how come it can't get us out.”

- “I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”

- “A fool and his money are soon elected.”

- “The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other.”

- “The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.”

- “The difference between death and taxes is death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”

Will Rogers was hard on politicians and it isn’t hard to figure out why. If they were bad back in the 20‘s and 30‘s, then what about today? What would Will Rogers say about politicians today? Would he call them liars and deceivers?

Rebellious talkers and deceivers. I think most of us feel like some politicians are definitely deceivers. They say one thing in order to get elected and then do another after they are elected.

I don’t think all politicians are deceptive or are corrupt but some are. And they shouldn’t be in office. Citizens need to vote on politicians, not according to their party, but based on their person. Are they honest? Do they honestly care about the people? Do they want to do what is right for America?

The people that Titus is talking about in the text were not politicians but some may well have been preachers. Rebellious talkers and deceivers. Some preachers shouldn’t be preaching. If they are liars, deceptive, rebellious, etc., there is no way they should be in the pulpit.

PROP.- Who are these rebellious people and how are we supposed to respond to them?

1- They were religious but rebellious

2- They were teachers but liars

3- They were to be rebuked and silenced

I. THEY WERE RELIGIOUS BUT REBELLIOUS

10 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group.

Of the circumcision group. Who were they?

Albert Barnes said: “Jews, spoken of here as "of the circumcision" particularly, because they urged the necessity of circumcision in order that men might be saved.”

They were apparently converted Jews who said that men needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. That’s false teaching. They were religious but in a sense, rebels. They rebelled against God’s grace. People love to add to God’s grace. They may be sincere but they are sincerely mistaken.

ILL.- When I was a young preacher I had the idea that if my people didn’t attend church on Sunday morning, Sunday night and at the midweek Bible study then they wouldn’t be saved. I don’t believe that any more. I was sincere in my devotion to the Lord but mistaken. I was adding to God’s grace and by doing so, was rebelling against Him by leading back into law.

The people that Titus is talking about, however, were far worse than just being ignorant about salvation by God’s grace. They went off the deep end and were rebellious.

12 Even one of their own prophets has said, "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." Whoa! Liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. Wow! I would hate to be called by those words and be guilty of those things.

16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. They apparently said one thing and did another.

ILL.- Do you remember Mayor Rob Ford of Toronto, Canada? What is he famous for? November 2013. Rob Ford has admitted during a heated city council debate that he bought illegal drugs while in office – but adamantly refused to step down despite calls from nearly every councillor to take a leave of absence and get help.