Gospel-Driven Godliness and Church Leadership

Part 9

Text: Titus 1:10-16

April 14, 2013

Introduction/Review:

“The life and ministry of the local church needs to be self-consciously gospel-centered if it is to maintain any kind of effectiveness for the kingdom of God,” (Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, p. 129).

I.          The Characteristics of False Teachers

 A.         False teachers are insubordinate. v. 10

 B.         False teachers are empty talkers. v. 10

 C.         False teachers are deceivers. v. 10

 D.         False teachers are destructive. v. 11

 E.         False teachers are greedy. v. 11

 F.         False teachers are a reflection of fallen culture. vv. 12-13a

 G.         False teachers are devoted to man-made laws. vv. 13b-14

H.         False teachers are defiled. v. 15

Lesson:

I.          False teachers are ignorant of God. v. 16a

Reflection:

1.         Unbelief is the root of all other sins.

2.         Knowing God in Christ is what it means to be a Christian.

3.         A saving knowledge of God results in good works.

""Many people believe in Christ in order to be forgiven for their sins, but they have no desire to start living a holy life. They want to be forgiven of their sins, but they do not want to give up their sins. However, it is not possible to trust in Christ in this partial way. You cannot receive half a Christ. Justification and sanctification are inseparably joined in Christ. You cannot have one without the other. The only ones who are freed from condemnation by Christ are those who are empowered to live in holiness—not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1),” (Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, p. 153).

4.         For hypocrisy—self-righteousness—we need the law but for despair, the gospel.

 “Although that power of God strengthening and preserving true believers [can be] in grace is more than a match for the flesh, yet those converted are not always so activated and motivated by God that in certain specific actions they cannot by their own fault depart from the leading of grace, be led astray by the desires of the flesh, and give in to them. For this reason they must constantly watch and pray that they may not be led into temptations. When they fail to do this, not only can they be carried away by the flesh, the world, and Satan into sins, even serious and outrageous ones, but also by God's just permission they some times are so carried away—witness the sad cases, described in Scripture, of David, Peter, and other saints falling into sins,” (emphasis added; Canons of Dort, Article 4)

“When you joined the church (if you’re a Christian), you announced to the world that you were sinful and screwed up. The church, someone has said, is the only club in the world where the only qualification for joining it and staying in it is that one be unqualified. The Bible and systematic theology tell us that we are sinners who sin. The church’s confessions of faith add that same assessment. The liturgies have prayers of confession. All point to the fact that we’re screwed up…and not just a little bit,” (Steve Brown, Three Free Sins, pp. 42-43).

“The solution is simple. As Christ is the answer to our guilt and condemnation (through justification), so He is the answer to our bondage and corruption (sanctification). He takes away not only the verdict, but also the slavery…Understanding these words takes the load off of the despairing, because they realize for the first time that God wants to give them the righteous status they could not attain by ‘yielding’ and ‘surrendering.’ And it converts the hypocrites by showing them the offensiveness of their own ‘holiness’ and ‘righteousness,’ driving them to Christ for shelter from God’s wrath,” (Michael Horton, Christ the Lord, p. 56).

© John Fonville

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