Titus 1, last week we looked at the example
that Paul gave of what a preacher of the gospel and specifically
what a pastor ought to be in his person, in his conduct, in
his character, what he really ought to be. And we acknowledged
that only Christ truly fits that description. That's what a man
ought to be, but only Christ fits the description. Verse six
says, if any be blameless, just start with that. If any be blameless, that that
can only be said about Christ truly. God's preachers and all
believers, I do want to stress that all of God's people ought
to strive to be like Christ. We all should. And his preachers
must be blameless in only preaching Christ, only declaring Christ,
only declaring the person and the work and the glory and the
character and the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ, pointing
us to Christ. Preacher ought to be blameless
and saying, this is not me. This is Christ. This is not you.
This is Christ. But in all of this, we have to
look to him. We just have to look to him.
Verse six, it says, if any be blameless, the husband of one
wife. We looked at the lamb's wife,
not his wives. Solomon had many wives. The Lord
has his bride, the lamb's wife. Having faithful children, not
accused of riot or unruly, if any be born of God, he sinneth
not. He can't sin, he's born of God,
that new creation. Verse seven, a bishop must be
blameless as the steward of God, the keeper of the house of God,
that's Christ. Not self-willed, our Lord said,
not my will, but thine be done. Not soon angry. Psalm 103 says
he's slow to anger. Not given to wine, he said, I'll
not drink this again till I drink it new with you in the kingdom.
No striker, though he was reviled, yet he reviled not again. Not
given to filthy lucre, though he was rich, yet for your sake
he became poor, that you, through his poverty, might be rich. Verse eight says, a lover of
hospitality. He said, in my father's house
are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you.
A lover of good. Men translates things. Good men, good things. He's the
only one who is good. There's none good but God. Sober. Clear-minded. sound mind. He does all things
after the counsel of his own will. Just. He was set forth as a propitiation
that he might be just and the justifier of his people. Holy. Holy, holy, holy. We know who thou art, the holy
one of Israel. Temperate, that means self-control,
controlling self, sovereign, self-control. Verse nine, holding
fast the faithful word as he had been taught that he may be
able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Now, we're picking up today with
verse 10, and Paul is, this is a complete, he's changing, switching gears
here, he's gonna expose those who are not true preachers of
the gospel, those who are not God called, God sent preacher. And he has a very stern word
for them, a very stern word. The last word in verse nine is
gainsayers. And then verse 10, he says, for
there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers especially
they of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert
whole houses, teaching things which they ought not for filthy
lucre's sake. One of them, one of themselves,
even a prophet of their own said, the Cretans are always liars.
evil beasts slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore,
rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not
giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men, that
turn from the truth. The title of this Bible study
is Rebuke False Religion Sharply. Rebuke false religion sharply,
just like we did with what Paul had to say about true preachers.
We're gonna do the same thing with what he has to say about
these false preachers. I gave definitions. We're gonna
look at some definitions of these words, and I just wanna prepare
you This morning's lesson is a very
sharp rebuke, all right? I'm gonna end it. It doesn't,
I don't know, maybe it will end on a happy note. I don't think
it does. I think this is one of those moments where we're
all gonna walk out of here in a few minutes like, wow. I don't mean
for it to be that way. It's just the text we're dealt
with. And the commandment is rebuke false religion sharply. So, just know that. All right, verse 10, it says,
there are many unruly. And that means cannot be controlled
or unsubdued. And that's probably a better
definition in this case. No one is outside of God, God
Almighty's control, you know, can't be controlled. No one is
outside of God Almighty's control. But those who do not belong to
him, have never been subdued by him. It's his mercy and his
grace that he would subdue us. He would bring his enemies to
his footstool, to bow at his footstool. And those who do not
belong to him, preachers who have not been called by him,
they've never been subdued by him. Verse 10, there are many
unruly and vain talkers. Vain means empty. empty talkers. It says one who utters empty
senseless things. That is false religion. That
is false religion. He said these preachers are unsubdued
to Christ and they're speakers of absolute
nonsense. It is absolute nonsense. Verse 10 says, there are many
unruly and vain talkers and deceivers. That word deceiver means misleader. They are misleading people. They
are lying to people. Verse 10 says, especially they
of the circumcision. That means Jews. especially they
of the Jews in a Gentile world. You know, they're the ones, they
were the ones who were supposed to be the leaders of religion. They're the ones who were supposed
to know the most about religion, the religious leaders. And he said, they're lying more
than anybody. They're lying more than anybody.
Some of the biggest liars that we have in the world today claim
to be religious leaders. They claim to be, they tell people,
I watched a YouTube video and I don't know why I clicked on
that thing. But three men, somebody posted a video, three men, you
know, and the point was wrong, wrong, right. It was wrong, wrong,
wrong. All three of them were lying
to people, lying to people. And these are big wigs. I mean,
thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of people are listening
to these liars. They are liars. They claim to
be teachers of truth. They're the biggest liars this
world has ever seen. And it's not just because they're
lying on men, it's because they're lying on God. They are lying
on God. They are not telling people the
truth about God. They are not telling people the
truth about man, and they're definitely not telling people
the truth about salvation. They are not. They are liars. Preachers are liars. I don't have much for preachers.
I'm not a big fan of preachers, and that's why I don't go telling
everybody, hi, my name is Preacher Gabe. I just don't have a lot for pretty
much most preachers. You say, man, that's a little
harsh. I know. Yeah, I know. Well, you're gonna
get some kickback on that. I know. Believe me, I know. Now listen to this. Please listen
to this. If anybody's listening on the internet, please listen
to this. God is holy. And they are telling
people that God is not holy. This is what's going on. All
right. God is holy. And they're telling
people God is not holy. Man is sinful. And they're telling
people that man is not sinful. Salvation is of the Lord. And they are telling people that
salvation is not of the Lord. This is what's happening. They are liars, lying, and they're doing it all in the
name of God as though He said it when He didn't say it. And Paul said in verse 11, their
mouths must be stopped because they are subverting. You know
what that word means? Destroying. They are destroying
whole houses. Whole houses, teaching things
which they ought not for filthy lucre's sake. Everything they're
doing is being motivated by money. Everything they're doing is being
motivated by money. You would not believe how many
emails I get from Christian organizations. They are not Christian organizations. They are not Christian organizations.
They are dens of thieves. They are thieves and robbers. Mark this down. If they are selling
something, it's not of God. Mark this down. If they are selling
something, it's not of God. They call it their ministry.
They got a ministry for everything. And, uh, You know, they'll come up, well,
I have a t-shirt ministry, and this is how it works, you know.
I print something that blasphemes the holy name of God on a t-shirt,
and you give me money for that t-shirt, and then you get to
be lifted up with pride and self-righteousness wearing it all around town, and
then I get rich from it. And that's how my ministry works.
And it's all at the expense of God's glory. And we're going
to slander his glory by slapping it on a t-shirt for filthy lucre's
sake. That's what it is. That's what
is happening. You can't imagine how much junk
people want to sell to this church. You cannot imagine. You can't
imagine how many men want to schedule a consult with me so
they can come here and sell marriage counseling to you. You can't
imagine. You can't imagine how many people
want to come put on a rock concert for you or come put on a play
for you. And none of it's free. None of
it's free, you know, like the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. None of it is free like the redemption
that is in Christ. Oh, you're going to have to pay
for this. In order for God to be happy
with you, you're going to have to make us rich by buying our
products. You buy our products and God
will be happy with you. I don't know if you're picking
up on it, but I'm not a big fan. Our Lord had this problem in
His day. Our Lord had this problem in
His day. Go to John chapter 2. John 2 verse 13, and the Jews Passover was at
hand. And I just want to point out
that when it was time for Passover, everybody came. I mean, people
came from countries around, all the Jews came. The Jews Passover
was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. and found in the
temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves and the changers
of money sitting." And you know, I mean, they're coming to sacrifice. You know, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over. They got to have oxen. They got
to have sheep and doves. You know, they got 100 penny
worth coin, and I'm gonna give a tithe of 10%. I need for you
to change that into, I'll take a 50, two 20s, and a 10. Okay,
so I can now take 10%. You gotta have money changers.
Verse 14, he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep
and doves and the changers of money sitting. And when he had
made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the
temple, and the sheep, and the oxen, and poured out the changers'
money and overthrew the tables. You have this envisioned in your
mind. And he said unto them that sold doves, take these things
hence, make not my father's house an house of merchandise. And
his disciples remembered that it was written, the zeal of thine
house hath eaten me up. Can you imagine the zeal? That
was big. That was a big place full of
a lot of men and he drove them all out. He braided a whip and he beat
them out. crying, do not make my father's
house a house of merchandise. That's what religion is today. It's merchandise. It is literally
merchandise. It's big business for self-gain. And it makes God sick. Read Isaiah
1. You know, I don't care if anybody
wants to make money, just do it somewhere else, some way else. Go make all you want to. But our Lord said, you're not
going to steal my glory and you're not going
to steal the souls of my people. That's what they're doing. Go
back to Titus 1. Verse 10, it says, There are
many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they
of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert
whole houses, teaching things which they ought not for filthy
lucre's sake. What ought they not teach? Anything
that's not in God's Word. Anything that's not in God's
Word. If it's not in God's Word, it's a lie. Let God be true,
let everything else be a lie. Only what's in God's Word. Verse
12, one of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said the Cretans
are always liars. Evil beasts, that means wicked
savages. Slow bellies, that means selfish
and lazy. Verse 13, he said, This witness
is true. Wherefore, rebuke them sharply
that they may be sound in the faith. Our Lord only uses truth to open
men and women's eyes. He doesn't use watering down
the gospel. He doesn't use a smile. I really like to smile. I prefer
to have a smile on my face when I'm preaching than a frown on
my face. But he doesn't use a smile to
convert people. He uses the truth of his word.
He arrests with the truth of his word. And he said, you rebuke
sharply with the word The end of verse 13, he said
that they may be sound in the faith. What is the faith? Here's
the simplest answer. Christ. Christ. The simplest answer to faith
is Christ. You could read that they may
be sound in Christ. Faith is of Christ, it's through
Christ, it's to Christ. If a sinner is sound in the faith,
that sinner is sound in Christ. Sound in the person and the work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sound in seeing Christ to be
the only provider of all of our needs. That's why our faith looks
to Him. Totally to Him. It doesn't look
to our blasphemous t-shirts. It doesn't look to our lost in
sin marriage counselors. It doesn't look to our ridiculous
distractions of pride and self-righteousness. The faith of God's elect looks
only to Jesus Christ, only to Jesus Christ. Verse 13, this
witness is true, wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be
sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments
of men that turn men and women from the truth. That's what it's
doing. It's turning them from the truth. False religion is
the commandments of men. The true gospel is the commandments
of God. That's the difference. That's
the difference. False religion is the commandments
of men. The true gospel is the commandments
of God. Turn with me to Mark 7. Mark chapter seven. Verse one, it says, then came
together unto him the Pharisees and certain of the scribes, which
came from Jerusalem, And really see if you can enter into this.
Verse two, when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with
defiled, that is to say with unwashing hands, they found fault
with something in the flesh, something they were doing in
the flesh. For the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they
washed their hands oft And my center margin says, diligently,
with the fist, up to the elbow. I always think of a surgeon getting
ready to go into surgery. He washes, and he's waiting for
somebody to slap those sterile gloves on his hands. And it's
like, let it be known I'm clean. I have cleansed myself. Have
you cleansed yourself? Because I have. OK. Verse three, the Pharisees and
all the Jews, except they washed their hands off, eating not,
they eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. That's what they're
doing. Well, we got these elders and the elders have said, and
whatever the elders say, that's what we're gonna do. Because
the elders, they tell us what we can and can't. Elders, elders,
it's elders. We gotta look to the elders.
We have to answer to the elders. If you have elders, May the Lord deliver you. We
got one elder. You only have one elder. All
these other guys who say they're elders, they're liars. You got
one elder. Oh, dear Lord, set men free.
Set us free. They're holding the tradition
of the elders. Verse four, and when they come from the market,
except they wash, they eat not. And many of the things there
be which they have received to hold as the washing of cups and
pots, brazen vessels, tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes
asked him, why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of
the elders, but eat bread with unwashing hands? He answered
and said unto them, well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites,
actors, that's what the word means, you actors. As it is written,
this people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is
far from me. Very close to their washing hands,
but far from me. Verse seven, how be it in vain
do they worship me? It's in vain. Teaching for doctrines,
the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment
of God, you hold to the tradition of men. Somewhere along the line,
some long, gray-bearded man said, well, I think it needs to be
like this, and it just kept on going. As the washing of pots
and cups and many other such things, such like things you
do, verse nine, he said unto them, full well, you reject the
commandment of God that you may keep your own tradition, your
own lives. Paul said, the mouths of these
liars must be stopped. I'm not gonna go to Jeremiah
23, but I would encourage you to read Jeremiah 23. The Lord
said, woe be to these pastors that are scattering my sheep.
And he said, there's nothing but folly in them. And he said,
don't listen to them. They're saying, he sayeth, now
you know the Bible says, now you know God said. And he said,
I didn't say that. He said, were they there when
the counsel of God made all its decrees? Were you standing there?
Were you listening? And he said, you know, they say,
I have a dream. I had a dream and God this and God that. And
he said, he that has a dream, let him tell his dream. He that
has my word, let him preach it faithfully. And he said, I'm
against them. He said, I did not send them. And therefore, they shall not
profit this people at all. They're not going to profit my
people at all. Well, I know he's got some wrong things, but we'll
just listen and take out the good parts and we'll feed on
that. There are no good parts. He said, if I didn't send them,
they're not going to profit my people at all. Nothing good will
come from it. God is going to stop the mouths
of false religion. I do have a little good news
to end on. I forgot about this. Some in great mercy and in great
grace will be stopped in this lifetime. Some false preachers. Some who grew up in false religion, once false prophets, by the grace
of God, they're gonna be shown the truth. This has happened
many, many times. Many times. God in his mercy
and his grace and his kindness, he shows that sinner the truth
and he turns that sinner from his idols to the true and living
God. Many have been turned from preaching
man's works to preaching God's works. Many have. Many have been
turned from man's glory to God's glory. Many have been turned from pointing
men and women to their own flesh to pointing men and women to
the blood of Jesus Christ. There's only one message, the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's only one message. Many
have been turned from saying, won't you let him save you? To it is finished. By grace, you are saved. In the accomplishment of the
cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul himself was
one of them. He was one of them. The very word of God himself
dealt very harshly with Saul of Tarsus. And it stopped his
lying, man-centered mouth. And I pray God will do that for
us. I don't say them. I say us. You're looking at flesh and but
for the grace of God, that's all this is ever going to be
is flesh. I pray God will do that for us. God's word dealing
harshly with us. It's not pleasant, but it must
be done. It just must be done that the
truth of the glory of God might be declared. If our mouths are not stopped
in this world, they're going to be stopped in the world to
come and there's no more mercy and grace at that point. Lord,
help us. Help us. Stop our lying mouths.
Turn us to Christ. Turn us to the truth of your
word. Turn us to the truth of your
glory. Do that for Christ's sake. Amen. All right.