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as we conclude this study in 
the epistle of Paul to Titus. Our focus this evening is going 
to be on verses 9 to 15, but I do want to read the chapter, 
so I'll begin reading in Titus chapter 3 at verse 1. Remind them to be subject to 
rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 
to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all 
humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once 
foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, 
living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when 
the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according 
to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and 
renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly 
through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by 
His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal 
life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to 
affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should 
be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable 
to men. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, 
contentions, and strivings about the law, for they are unprofitable 
and useless. Reject a divisive man after the 
first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is 
warped and sinning, being self-contempt. When I send Artemis to you, or 
Tychicus, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have 
decided to spend the winter there. Send Zenos, the lawyer, and Apollos 
on their journey with haste, that they may lack nothing. And 
let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet 
urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. All who are with 
me greet you. Greet those who love us in the 
faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. Let us pray. God, thank 
you again for this wonderful epistle to Titus. We thank you 
for the great emphasis throughout on truth, on the gospel, on the 
power of Jesus Christ to save. And as well, we see in this passage 
caution against false teaching, caution against false teachers. 
And we pray that you would help us to take heed. We know it's 
not just the case that we discipline or deal with people engaged in 
moral sin, but we deal with those engaged in intellectual sin. 
transgression against the living God with reference to doctrine. 
I pray that we would see the seriousness of this, not only 
in terms of our responsibility as a church, but in terms of 
the value, the supreme value that you place upon the truth 
of God's Holy Word. Help us to be open recipients 
of that truth, help us to rejoice in it, and help us, God, to live 
according to it, by your grace and for your glory. Again, forgive 
us for our sins and its darkening influence on our mind. Fill each 
of us with your Holy Spirit and illumine us according to your 
mercy. And we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
Well, this is a recurring emphasis in the pastoral epistles. The 
pastoral epistles include 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. They are 
called pastoral epistles because these young men functioned as 
pastors. And so Paul writes to them. versus 
the letters that he writes to churches, say, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 
or Ephesus, or Galatians. So he's writing to his ministerial 
companions. And it ought not to surprise 
us that throughout these pastoral epistles, there is an emphasis 
upon the truth, but there is also an emphasis upon avoiding 
falsity, avoiding heresy, avoiding those things that are detrimental 
to one's soul. Now, Paul is in good company. 
He not only does that himself, in the pastoral epistles, but 
he does it elsewhere in letters to churches. Our Lord Jesus cautions 
his disciples about false prophets. Our Lord Jesus warns the churches 
in Asia Minor in Revelation chapter 2 and 3. Our Lord Jesus not only 
sets forth the primacy of truth, but also calls the people of 
God to be aware of error or heresy or those things that would take 
them away from truth. Not only Jesus, not only Paul, 
but also Peter. Peter tells us we need, as Christians, 
to be apologists. We need to be those who are ready 
and able to defend the Christian faith in 1 Peter 3.15. As well, 
he speaks of false teachers that the church needs to be on the 
lookout for in 2 Peter 2. Also, John. John the apostle 
in his first epistle. all three of his epistles. He 
warns the people of God against false teaching, against the spirit 
of error, against the Antichrist, against those things that would 
detract from the truth of God's Word. And then, of course, Jude. 
The book of Jude, very brief though it is, Jude 3, he says, 
I write, so that you may contend earnestly for the faith which 
was once for all delivered to the saints. He then indicates 
the existence of apostates and how they plagued the the people 
of God and how they ought to be dealt with by the people of 
God. So we see this emphasis. It's 
not only important that we underscore and identify what we need to 
believe, but we also need to be cautioned against and we need 
to be warned against those things we mustn't believe, those things 
we must reject, those things that are detrimental to our souls. So as we look at this brief section, 
we'll notice in the first place the response to false teaching 
in verse 9. Secondly, the rejection of false 
teachers in verses 10 and 11, and then the conclusion of the 
epistle from verses 12 to 15. But in the first place, notice 
his command in verse 9. He says, but avoid foolish disputes, 
genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law. So he 
gives the command in the first part of the verse, and then he 
gives the reason in the second part. The second part simply 
says, for they are unprofitable and useless. Now when he says 
shun, he means shun or avoid. shun, avoid, that's the meaning 
of the language. It means to go around as to avoid, 
to stay away from it. Don't give it any of your hearing, 
don't give it any of your attention, don't give it any sort of respect 
or validate it, but rather identify it and stay far from it. Again, 
in these pastoral epistles, you see this emphasized. Go back 
to 1 Timothy 1. 1 Timothy 1. Verses three to seven. So just 
like Paul does with Titus in Crete, he says in chapter one, 
verse five, I left you in Crete so that you may set in order 
the things that are lacking. The first order of business was 
to appoint elders in every city, men that were qualified and men 
that were able to teach, not only to exhort by sound doctrine, 
but also to convict those who contradict. So he does that with 
Titus in Crete, but he also had done that with Timothy in Ephesus. And he says essentially the same 
thing here in 1 Timothy 1, verse 3. He says, as I urged you, when 
I went into Macedonia, remain in Ephesus that you may charge 
some that they teach no other doctrine. nor give heed to fables 
and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly 
edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment 
is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere 
faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to 
idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither 
what they say nor the things which they affirm." Turn over 
to 1 Timothy chapter 6. 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 
3, again just showing that Paul is consistent and Paul is repetitive 
because Paul understands the power of heresy with reference 
to its effect upon the people of God. 1 Timothy 6.3, if anyone 
teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even 
the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the doctrine which accords 
with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed 
with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, 
strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of 
corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, who suppose that 
godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself." 
No doubt, Paul would be looked at as very unkind, very unloving, 
very harsh, very dogmatic in an arrogant sort of way. Paul, 
you shouldn't have such harsh words for these kinds of people. 
They're doing the best that they can. They're trying. They may 
be off by a mile, but you need to be large-hearted and compassionate 
to them. Paul says, absolutely not. We're 
not to be large-hearted. We're not to be compassionate 
to those who are heretics, to those who distort gospel truth, 
to those who try to make money off the Christian scriptures. 
Notice in 1 Timothy 6 at verse 20, O Timothy, guard what was 
committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings 
and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. By 
professing it, some have strayed concerning the faith. Over in 
2 Timothy 2, verse 22, he gives admonition to Timothy, flee also 
youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those 
who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Verse 23, but avoid foolish 
and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. He 
does not tell Timothy, go out and pursue these things. Busy 
yourself with folly. Busy yourself with this kind 
of disputation. He is not suggesting that Timothy 
ought not to answer the legitimate questions of the people of God. 
He is not suggesting that Timothy shouldn't engage in reasoning 
and demonstration and testifying concerning the truth of Holy 
Scripture. He is telling Timothy not to waste his time with people 
that distort God's Word. If Paul lived today, he would 
give the admonition to pastors to not waste time on Facebook 
in endless disputation that has no remedial end. You are supposed 
to function in a positive capacity to instruct the people of God. 
You're supposed to function in a positive capacity to exhort 
and encourage the people of God. Certainly speak concerning those 
errors, those heresies, those falsities that attach themselves, 
unfortunately, to the professing church of Jesus Christ, but you're 
not to engage them to the place where you are wasting time validating 
the babblings of idle men. It is simply a fool's errand, 
and if I were able to, I would tell fellow pastors the very 
same thing, as you might surmise. Notice in 2 Timothy 3, verse 
6, He says, after describing the characteristics of those 
who punctuate the last days, which is the time frame between 
the first and second coming of the Lord Jesus, he goes on in 
verse 6 to say, for of this sort are those who creep into households 
and make captives of gullible women, loaded down with sins, 
led away by various lusts. always learning and never able 
to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now, as Janus and Jambres 
resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth. Men of corrupt 
minds disapprove concerning the faith, but they will progress 
no further, for their folly will be manifest to all as theirs 
was also." And then one final passage before we arrive back 
at Titus 3. Look at Titus chapter 1. And 
this is powerful. Titus in chapter 1, or rather 
Paul in chapter 1 to Titus, in verses 10 to 16, speaks first 
about the refutation of heretics. And here in chapter 3, he speaks 
concerning the rejection of heretics. Chapter 1, verse 9 tells us what 
an elder must be able to do. He must hold fast the faithful 
word as he has been taught, that he may be able to do two things 
by sound doctrine. He must first both exhort, that's 
the people of God, that is the believer, that is the one who 
needs to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord 
Jesus. So pastors, elders, teachers have that responsibility in the 
church so that the people of God can feed upon the Word of 
God and grow in the grace and knowledge of God. We all agree 
it's a wonderful thing. But the elder must secondly convict 
those who contradict. And then Paul describes the kinds 
of people that are likely to contradict in verses 10 to 16. He says, for there are many insubordinate. Again, it's unfortunate. It'd 
be nice if in the context or confines of the local church, 
we'd have these wonderful places where only truth ever flourished. 
But it's not the case. On this side of Emmanuel's land, 
there are going to be those sorts of persons that distort and twist 
gospel truth. They have nefarious ends. They 
have designs that are ungodly. Paul in Galatians 1, in his denunciation 
of them, says that they want to distort the truth of God's 
holy word. It's not the case that he's dealing 
with people who are a little off on eschatology. He is dealing 
with proud, self-willed men that are in it for either prestige 
or money, or perhaps a combination of both. And he tells us that 
there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, 
especially those of the circumcision. whose mouths must be stopped, 
who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought 
not for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet 
of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy 
gluttons. This testimony is true. Therefore, 
rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith, not 
giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn 
from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, 
but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, Nothing is pure, 
but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to 
know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, 
and disqualified for every good work. I've shared with you before, 
one of my hobbies is to go to thrift stores and look at used 
books. Oftentimes, you find gold mine. I mean, I remember going 
into Bibles for Mission Across from Superstore one time. I shared 
this with my brother. I found a whole shopping cart 
full of books. I was literally doing a jig in 
the aisle way there because I found some titles that were amazing 
and incredible. So having looked at these thrift 
stores, I oftentimes see bad books as well. I've seen Benny 
Hinn's Good Morning, Holy Spirit in there a whole host of times, 
and that warms my heart. I don't think I've ever found 
John Owen in a thrift store, which also warms my heart. Persons 
who have John Owen, keep him. Persons who have Benny Hinn, 
thankfully, get rid of him. Unfortunately, there are fools 
that will walk in nevertheless to a BFM and buy Benny Hinn. That's an unfortunate reality. 
But you'll oftentimes see book titles say, the Bible's teaching 
on whatever. And it'll be a heretic. It'll 
be somebody that's absolutely positively wrong. Do people actually 
fall for that? Well, he says it's the Bible's 
teaching on that. We need to be aware of the reality 
that there are those, I understand this might be a bit shocking, 
there are those who profess to know God, but they don't. There 
are those who profess to be religious, but they're not. There are those 
who profess to be something, but it isn't the case. And Paul 
deals with that and treats that here in Titus chapter 1. They 
profess to know God, but in works they deny him. being abominable, 
disobedient, disqualified for every good work. Again, it's 
a different category from a struggling saint. It's a different category 
from a more ignorant saint. It's a different category from 
a believer who perhaps is new to the faith and hasn't learned 
a whole lot. Paul isn't coming down on them. 
Paul is coming down on the sort of man that tries to make money 
or garner prestige through his heresy. He likes it. There's 
some sort of sick fascination in the mind of some men where 
they have to be above people and teach them so that they can 
receive the accolades or the money that goes along with that. 
Now back to our text in Titus chapter 3 at verse 9, he tells 
us to avoid, he tells us to shun in the first place foolish disputes. Again, not disputes over doctrine 
that we need to clarify, that we need to demonstrate, and that 
we need to testify concerning, but foolish disputes. John Calvin 
says he calls them foolish, not that, at first sight, they appear 
to be such, for on the contrary, they often deceive by vain parade 
of wisdom, but because they contribute nothing to godliness. I wonder 
if we actually applied that metric to the way that we function. 
Does this ultimately yield for my well-being? Does this pursuit 
of whatever information, whatever doctrine, or whatever teaching 
it is, does it ultimately produce in me more godliness, more Christ-likeness, 
more righteousness, or is it rather unprofitable and useless? If it's unprofitable and useless, 
get rid of it. Don't waste your time on it. 
There's only so much time in a day. I don't know why we're 
so prone to throw it away. So we ought to avoid foolish 
disputes. Notice secondly, he says, avoid 
genealogies. Now the admonition here doesn't 
mean don't read 1 Chronicles, don't read Matthew 1, don't read 
Luke 3. That's not Paul's point. Those 
passages or those chapters are full of genealogy. In fact, those 
of you who have read through 1 Chronicles, the first nine 
chapters are genealogy. And you almost think, am I ever 
going to make it to the end of chapter 9? I mean, it's name 
after name after name. Paul is not telling you to skip 
1 Chronicles 1 to 9. Paul is telling us to avoid this 
sick, twisted fascination with genealogy. to avoid this time 
sucking vortex that is the pursuit of genealogy. It is a waste of 
time. You need to know Adam, you need 
to know Jesus. And that's what Matthew one and 
Luke three tell you. And that's the extent of it. 
He's not telling you don't study scripture and learn the genealogies 
of the various peoples, but rather you ought not to be caught up 
in these sorts of things. We are to thirdly, avoid contention. That's obvious. I mean, come 
on. Does anybody want to spend their 
time? I guess I shouldn't ask the question, 
because it does seem to me there are a lot of people out there 
that want to spend their time in contention. It's, again, a 
very sick fascination, and Paul is cautioning us against that 
sort of thing. And then finally, he says to 
avoid strivings about the law. Remember in 1 Timothy chapter 
1, he said there were those in Ephesus who desired to be teachers 
of the law. Paul is not against us studying 
the law. Paul wants us to understand the 
moral law. He wants us to understand the 
place of the judicial law. He wants us to understand how 
the ceremonial law function. He wants us to know as well the 
threefold use of the law. Those are all very profitable 
and very helpful endeavors for the people of God. But to engage 
in strivings about the law, the apostle says, don't do it. Perhaps 
here who's in view are Jews that are caught up in the Mosaic law, 
and perhaps want to press it upon the Christian church in 
terms of not only faith in Jesus, but as well circumcision and 
ceremony in order to be saved. Paul says don't strive about 
the law with people who are fools. Do not strive about the law with 
persons who only want to hear themselves blather out their 
brains. He wants us to use our time wisely. Calvin, I almost, this is about 
the only time I think I've ever pondered actually just reading 
Calvin's commentary for the sermon, because he nails it. He's really 
good on these pastoral passages, the pastoral epistles as a whole, 
but in these kinds of contexts, he really shines as a pastor's 
pastor. But he says with reference to 
this verse, There is no necessity for debating long about the exposition 
of this passage. He contrasts questioning with 
sound and certain doctrine. Although it is necessary to seek 
in order to find, yet there is a limit to seeking, that you 
may understand what is useful to be known, and next, that you 
may adhere firmly to the truth when it has been known. And here 
he says something, I wonder if he smiled a little bit as he 
wrote this, because it sounds like he was trying to be funny. 
Those who inquire curiously into everything and are never at rest 
may be truly called questionarians. I don't know that I've ever seen 
there was an identifiable body in the church called questionarians. 
I think that was Calvin with a bit of an amusement telling 
us that. But then the reason, again, notice 
the end of verse nine, avoid these things. Why, Paul? because 
they're unprofitable and useless. As I said, you get 24 hours in 
the day. Much of that time is spent working. 
Much of that time is spent sleeping. A lot of that time should be 
spent pursuing the things of God. And it must be those things 
that are profitable, those things that are useful, those things 
that are helpful, those things that tend to our further conformity 
unto our Lord Jesus Christ. We ought to use the time that 
God has given us in a way that pleases God. In Ephesians, we're 
told to redeem the time because the days are evil. Now that doesn't 
mean you can't have a rest. It doesn't mean you can't, you 
know, enjoy your life with some leisure and pleasure and that 
sort of thing. But when you have time to study God's word, study 
God's word. Don't study foolish men that 
have no other purpose about them than to garner praise or garner 
cash from the people of God Almighty. I noticed recently there was 
a fellow that was a celebrity preacher. He sort of fell from 
that position of great prestige and was a bit, you know, humble, 
but then he's sort of remaking himself, refashioning himself. 
What is it called? Relabeling? I don't know. Whatever 
the common language is. And just recently he did a question 
and answer thing, and the question and answer was something to the 
effect, do pets go to heaven? And I just thought, you know, 
there are many cities in the United States that are on fire. 
And I think the last thing that is profitable and useful for 
the people of God is to consider whether their pets go to heaven. 
Now, I'd love it if Tika went to heaven with me, but she's 
not an image bearer of the living God. So the short answer is no, 
pets don't go to heaven. Image bearers redeemed by Jesus 
Christ go to heaven. But what's the profitability 
in a church context to deal with that particular issue? It has 
none. It is useless at this time. We need to be about the things 
of God, law and gospel. That is crucial. So that's the 
response to false teaching for us, for pastors, for members, 
for any Christian. Now notice, secondly, the rejection 
of false teachers. And he does the same thing here. 
He gives the command in verse 10, and then he gives the reason 
in verse 11. Now, in the first place, he says 
to reject a divisive man. Reject a divisive man. And the 
word divisive here is connected to and often used as heresy. Now, heresy is an interesting 
thing. We always need to define our terms when we talk about 
something that is this grave, this serious. If we have to reject 
a man, we should understand what it is we're rejecting and why 
it is we're rejecting. I think there is a case to be 
made between heresy, which is false religious teaching, and 
then damnable heresy, that kind of heresy that attaches with 
those things that land people in hell. I don't think people 
always make that distinction, and I think it's more of a popular 
distinction, more of one that is helpful than not. Sometimes people say, oh, he's 
a heretic. No, he's premillennial. That's not heresy, okay? Oh, 
he's a heretic. No, he's postmillennial. That's 
not heresy. That doesn't land a man in hell. 
What lands a man in hell is a denial of the Trinity. What lands a 
man in hell is a denial of the hypostatic union of Jesus Christ. 
What lands a man in hell is the denial of justification by faith 
alone. All of the Bible's teachings, 
if we don't understand them, if we are ignorant on them, not 
all of them necessarily end us up in hell. If you don't understand 
the placement of the furniture in the tabernacle or in the temple, 
I'm personally convinced you're still going to make it to heaven, 
believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. But if you mess up with reference 
to the Lord Jesus Christ, you don't make it to heaven. And 
so what Paul envisions here is a man who's messed up. And this 
divisiveness or divisiveness causes problems within the context 
of the church. And so when he says reject, this 
means to avert something by request or entreaty. It means to decline, 
refuse, avoid, reject. In other words, stay away from 
him. In other words, have no truck 
with him. In other words, certainly don't let him in your pulpit. 
That would be a crime against God and against his people. And 
then the word that is translated here, divisive means pertaining 
to causing divisions, factious division making. Now with reference 
to the false teaching in view, George Knight is very helpful 
at this place. He says the adjective, and he 
mentions this word, is used here of one who has chosen to follow 
the false teachings and practices described in verse 9 over against 
the apostle Titus and others in the Christian community who 
embrace the true teaching and its good deeds. So he's a man 
that has some understanding of apostolic doctrine. He is a man 
that has some understanding of authorized doctrine, and yet 
he rejects it. He departs from it. Perhaps he 
twists it. Perhaps he confuses it. But in 
whatever sense he does it practically, he is a man that is to be avoided. 
Now notice as well. It says, reject a divisive man 
after the first and second admonition. Most likely, what Paul is highlighting 
here is ministerial admonition. Again, church members, attenders 
at churches, when they hear false teaching or when they hear something 
suspicious or suspect, they have every right to approach the minister. 
They have every right to question the minister. Remember, the Bereans 
were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica because they 
examined daily the scriptures to see if the things that Paul 
was saying was in fact true. So members have the right to 
ask questions of their pastors. Again, pastors are accountable 
to God, to be sure, but accountable to the people as well. But the 
language that is utilized here and the rejection of this factious 
or divisive man seems to infer or imply, or assume rather, that 
ministers are involved and ministers are admonishing this particular 
man to knock it off, to stop twisting the truth, to stop distorting 
things, to stop adding or subtracting from the truth of God's Holy 
Word. And then notice we learn as well the seriousness of heresy. I think, in my experience, when 
I hear of persons that are excommunicated from churches, adultery seems 
to be the number one. Sexual infidelity at some point 
or other, pornography or something of that effect. There are other 
reasons to be sure where persons are excommunicated from churches 
or removed from churches. They're typically with reference 
to moral infractions, with reference to violations of the Ten Commandments. They have been pleaded with. 
Matthew 18 has been enacted. When your brother sins against 
you, go to him. If he hears you, you've won your 
brother. If he doesn't listen to you, then bring two or three 
witnesses. If he refuses or doesn't hear them, then tell it to the 
church. And if he refuses to hear the 
church, then you brand him as a heathen and as a tax collector. 
But typically, I have not heard it, except in one instance where 
somebody was excommunicated for heresy. Now, brethren, this is 
as vile and as wretched as adultery. I've said before, avoid internet 
porn. But avoid internet teaching that 
is heretical. There is a whole host of things 
out there that say this is the biblical teaching on whatever, 
and it's not. There's a lot of bad doctrine 
out there. I would never be a papist and 
say there are certain things you shouldn't read. Don't ever 
read this. Don't ever read that. But I would caution you, hopefully 
as an encouraging Protestant, to say beware. Not everything 
out there that purports to be biblical is necessarily biblical. And in the context of a local 
church, when a man is engaged in heresy, when a man is engaged 
in this kind of divisiveness, that man is to be dealt with. 
And one other thing, and again Calvin is very helpful here, 
when he tells Titus, reject a divisive man after the first and second 
admonition. There is a time frame indicated. Notice what he doesn't say. Titus, 
I want you to do this after the 15th. the eighteenth, the hundredth 
admonition. Do you know what happens when 
Titus is admonishing the heretics? He's not exhorting and encouraging 
the people of God. There is a place for the Tituses 
of this world to admonish the heretics, to call them to repentance 
and faith. But there is a limit upon that 
because it detracts from the minister's ability and from his 
time to be able to engage in seeking to exhort the people 
of God so that they may grow in the grace and in the knowledge 
of God. Calvin says, thus, after having given orders to Titus 
as to the form of doctrine which he should lay down, He now forbids 
him to waste much time in debating with heretics, because battle 
would lead to battle and dispute to dispute. Such is the cunning 
of Satan that, by the impudent talkativeness of such men, he 
entangles good and faithful pastors, so as to draw them away from 
diligence and teaching. We must therefore beware, lest 
we become engaged in quarrelsome disputes, for we shall never 
have leisure to devote our labors to the Lord's flock, and contentious 
men will never cease to annoy us. You give them time, and they 
just open their gaping moths and ask for more. No, that's 
it. You've had two admonitions. Either 
you get it together or you're out. That's the bottom line. 
I wish that I had that kind of gut. I wish I had that kind of 
courage. I can preach it a whole lot easier 
than I can abide by it because at times it's most difficult. 
But there are persons that see it as their goal, as their design 
to keep the minister always in their purview. Don't be that 
kind of person. I'm happy to try to encourage. 
I'm happy to try to exhort. I'm happy to try to answer any 
questions that are at a level where my competency can handle. But time-sucking vortexes in 
the church are just not a helpful thing. There's a flaw. There's 
a whole group of people. And when ministers pour themselves 
into one man who has the pride and the arrogance to demand extra 
time over and over again, that is horrible. It is an assault 
upon the bride of Jesus Christ. And brethren, it just ought not 
to be. This is Paul's admonition. Reject a divisive man after the 
first and second admonition. And as I said, the warnings are 
official. They are by ministers on behalf 
of the church. The Geneva Bible is helpful here. It says the ministers of the 
word must at once cast off heretics, that is, such as stubbornly and 
seditiously disquiet the church and will give no ear to ecclesiastical 
admonitions. Secondly, we ought to appreciate 
from this brief statement after the first and second admonition 
that the warnings have teeth. The word that Paul uses here, 
admonition, it includes both instruction and warning, but 
the emphasis is upon the latter. So there is instruction, but 
there's heavy emphasis on warning. And that means, just like it 
sounds, you continue down this path, there will be discipline. 
If you continue down this path, you will be sanctioned. If you 
continue down this path, you will be in trouble in terms of 
this ecclesiastical assembly. You need to appreciate that, 
you need to abide by the seriousness of that, and you need to repent 
and get it together. So there is that remedial desire, 
that design rather, on the part of the ministers to call this 
brother or, at this time, brother, to repentance and faith, to have 
him forsake his wickedness if he moves himself into that sphere 
of excommunication. It's him that moves himself to 
that sphere of excommunication. There's all kinds of blame shifting. 
Well, you know, if the church wasn't so harsh, or if the church 
wasn't so reformed, or if the church wasn't so beholden to 
John Calvin, he would have been fine. No, no, he's the one that 
brought this upon himself. We talked about this a little 
bit this morning, the whole idea of victimhood, the whole idea 
of responsibility. Well, it's not my fault I'm a 
heretic. My mother was mean to me. It's not my fault I'm a heretic 
because the pastor didn't spend more time with me. It's not my 
fault I'm a heretic because I read Benny Hinn. Every one of those 
things is your fault. Well, not that your mother's 
mean to you, but you need to forsake your sin. It is him that 
moves himself into that sphere, and he is called brother until 
such a time that he refuses to hear the church. Then you put 
the badge on him of heathen and tax collector. Now, with reference 
to this particular passage, There is not controversy, but there 
is a difference of opinion. Is Paul saying excommunication? Reject a divisive man after the 
first and second admonition. How do we square that with Matthew 
18 and the four-step procedure that we find there? Brother sins, 
go to him. Brother doesn't listen, take 
two or three witnesses. Brother doesn't listen to them, tell 
the church. If he doesn't listen to the church, then you excommunicate 
him. I don't know the answer. I do 
know that this passage certainly includes and should include up 
to excommunication. There is some sort of ecclesiastical 
sanction placed upon the man. And quite frankly, I think if 
I had more time to do more work in this passage, I would be able 
to give a more definitive response. But at this point, I think that 
excommunication is certainly included in this particular section 
that Paul is telling Titus. So the man needs to know that. 
Now notice the reason. So again, there's the command, 
reject the device of man after the first and second admonition, 
and then the reason, knowing that such a person is warped, 
knowing that such a person is sinning, knowing that such a 
person is self-condemned. The corruption of the man, the 
particular word that is translated here, warped, means to cause, 
to turn aside from what is considered true or morally proper, to turn 
aside or pervert, The man is messed up. The man isn't just 
a bit ignorant. The man isn't just somebody who 
hasn't read Birkhoff in its entirety. He's a man that is twisted intellectually. He is a man that has an axe to 
grind with God. He is a man that is trying to 
use the church and the people of God for whatever illegitimate 
motivations that he possesses. But he is a perverted man. He 
is a distorted man. He is a warped man, according 
to the apostle. Notice as well that he is sinning. Now, the reality is that currently, 
presently, right now, all of us are sinning. How do I know 
that? Because the two great commandments 
are, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and 
strength. And the second is like unto it, love your neighbor as 
yourself. I have yet to meet the man outside 
of the Lord Jesus Christ who has actually done that. So there 
is a sense where we're all always sinning in the context of the 
local church. But this is not that man. This is a man who's 
been admonished. This is a man who has been disciplined. 
This is a man who has been approached by the pastors, and he has been 
urged to recant. He has been urged to repent. 
He has been urged to lay down this false teaching, to embrace 
the truth, to humble himself under the mighty hand of God, 
and in due time the Lord will lift him up. So this man that 
continues in penitent, this man who continues in this divisive 
way, this man who continues in heresy, is a man who continues 
in sin. And then when it says, being 
self-condemned, It's a bit of an interesting statement. Does 
that mean he knows he's got problems? I don't think so. I think it's 
with reference to his teaching, with reference to his conduct. 
He is a condemned man, and all of us know it by virtue of the 
reality that he has departed from the truth as it is in Jesus. 
I don't think these twisted men at times have the consciousness 
of, oh yeah, I'm self-condemned. Sort of many of these instances, 
you're dealing with guys that are very, very proud. You're 
dealing with guys that aren't your garden variety humble center 
that when it's pointed out to me, he repents and he weeps and 
he's sad and he's grieved. Oh, how I've hurt the church. 
No, these are the kinds of guys that Jude describes. These are 
the kinds of guys that Paul describes. How does he describe them in 
2 Timothy chapter 3? They creep into these households 
and they find these ladies, they find these widows, these poor 
people, and they sort of seize upon that. They're not normal 
people. They are beyond in terms of wretchedness. And again, that may sound odd 
and it may sound weird, but as we saw in Romans chapter one 
this morning, there is a sentence where God gives men over to a 
reprobate mind. And when he does that, they look 
like this. And so Paul says the response 
of the church is to reject them, to get them out of there because 
false teaching is like gangrene. It spreads. It must be hacked 
off. The offending limb must be taken 
away. And that brings us finally to 
the conclusion of the epistle. Notice in verses 12 to 15, Paul 
rehearses his travel plans, 12 to 13. When I send Artemis to 
you, or Tychicus, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis, for 
I have decided to spend the winter there. Send Zenos the lawyer, 
and Apollos on their journey with haste, that they may lack 
nothing." Now a couple of things we ought to appreciate. We're 
not going to tease out every jot and tittle of this little 
travel plan or itinerary. Artemis isn't mentioned anywhere 
else. Tychicus was rather... Tychicus is. He was from Asia, 
according to Acts chapter 20, verse 4. He and Trophimus were 
representatives from the church who accompanied Paul to Jerusalem. 
According to Paul, this Tychicus was a beloved brother and faithful 
minister. Ephesians 6.21 and Colossians 
4.7. He was ultimately sent by Paul, 
this Tychicus, to Ephesus and Titus to Dalmatia, according 
to 2 Timothy chapter 4. The reference to Apollos, I mentioned 
him this morning because he's at the end of chapter 18. Now 
that Apollos and that Zenos are put together and Zenos is described 
as a lawyer. Again, he could have been an 
attorney in the civil sphere or he could have been a student 
of the Mosaic law. Him and Apollos could have been 
men that were well-versed in the scriptures. Calvin favors 
that interpretation for this reason. He says, verse 13, send 
Zenos, the lawyer, and Apollos on their journey with haste, 
that they may lack nothing. The idea being is that the church 
helps them, which wouldn't probably be the case if Zenos was an attorney 
in the civil realm. It would have been the case if 
he was a teacher of God's Word. And so most likely, this Apollos 
and this Zenos were men that were skilled in the law of Moses, 
and they were now converted unto Jesus Christ, as we see there 
in Acts 18, relative specifically to Apollos, and they were useful 
to Paul for ministry. Now, one other observation. Look 
at 2 Timothy chapter 4. I think we need to appreciate 
what we have in Paul. Paul was a great gift to the 
church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, as I mentioned this morning, 
would make it his aim in these missionary journeys to go all 
over, to go to various cities, to go to various people groups. 
But with reference to Corinth and Ephesus specifically on the 
second and third missionary journeys, he picks big cities in prime 
provinces so that he can spend an extended amount of time there 
preaching the word, making disciples, planting churches with the view 
that the disciples made would go out into the villages, go 
out into the smaller cities. and their preach and their extend 
the gospel of Christ. Paul was an expert strategist 
in that way, but as well in terms of troop movement. 2 Timothy 
is his last letter. Paul knows that he's gonna die. 
In fact, look at 2 Timothy 4 in verse 6. He says, for I am already 
being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure 
is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the 
race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there's laid up for 
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but 
also to all who have loved his appearance." He knows he's going 
to die. What does a man do who knows he's going to die? He prays, 
he reads his Bible, he sings psalms and hymns and spiritual 
songs, he communes with his God, and if he's Paul, he moves troops. 
He moves men to strategic locations so that those men can carry out 
the task of preaching the gospel. Notice in verse 9, "...be diligent 
to come to me quickly, for Denis has forsaken me, having loved 
this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica, Crescens for 
Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark 
and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry." 
Which is a very happy event, because as we remember in Acts 
chapter 15, Paul and Barnabas dispute so sharply that they 
break ranks with one another. Well, the argument concerned 
John Mark, the nephew of Barnabas. Barnabas wanted him to go on 
this missionary journey, and Paul said, I don't want him to 
go on this missionary journey. On the first one, he departed 
from us, which indicated he wasn't ready, which indicated perhaps 
that he wasn't mature, which indicated that he didn't have 
the stick-to-itiveness, and that brought Paul and Barnabas into 
that sharp dispute, and they separate ways. But at the end 
of Paul's life, we don't see him say, and I want you to tell 
John Mark, I still am bitter against him for the things that 
he had done. No! There is redemption, there is 
remedy, there is hope, there is help. So he says, get Mark 
and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. 
Verse 12, and Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus, bring the cloak 
that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come, and the books, 
especially the parchments. See, see, Paul. this master strategist. Not only 
is he a faithful preacher, not only is he all the things that 
I suggested we pray for this morning with reference to men 
that God raises up for gospel ministry, but he's about the 
kingdom. He's about strategy. He's about 
tactics. He's about usefulness, and this 
man would be better here, this man would be better there. Move 
them around, not so we disrupt them in their happy family lives, 
but move them around so we can make the maximum impact for our 
Lord Jesus in the Roman Empire. Paul had been given this task 
and he is relentless until the end to execute it and carry it 
out. It is most impressive. And as 
I said, Paul was a gift to the church. Notice the reminder by 
way of the conclusion of the epistle in verse 14, let our 
people also learn to maintain good works to meet urgent needs 
that they may not be unfruitful. We have seen that emphasized 
several times in a brief epistle. You see it in 2.14. You see it 
in 3.1. You see it in 3.8. You see it 
here. It is contrary to the false teachers 
of 1.16 who are unable to do any good work. And it also jives 
with the characteristics that are true of the cretins. Paul 
has to repeat four times the emphasis on good works because 
he's dealing with Cretans. Paul affirmed the testimony of 
Epimenides in Titus 1.12. One of them, a prophet of their 
own, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. This testimony is true. Now when 
they get saved, hopefully they don't continue to lie, hopefully 
they don't continue to be evil beasts, hopefully they don't 
continue on a path of gluttony, but those things take a while 
to sort of shake off. That's why I think he emphasizes 
good works several times in a brief compass in order to urge upon 
these newly newly found Christians that they need to live their 
lives consistent with their profession of faith. And in terms of good 
works, our confession is great. These good works done in obedience 
to God's commandments are the fruits and evidences of a true 
and lively faith. Remember the emphasis I've tried 
to lay out in chapter 2 and in chapter 3? You're not saved because 
you're this kind of old man. You're not saved because you're 
this kind of young man. You're not saved because you're 
this kind of... That's not it. You're saved by grace through 
faith in Jesus who redeemed us from every lawless deed to make 
us a people zealous for good works. You're saved by grace 
in order to good works. You're not saved because of good 
works, and that's the emphasis of the confession. They are the 
fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith. And by them, 
believers manifest their thankfulness. Remember guilt, grace, gratitude? 
A way of expressing gratitude is by good works. They strengthen 
their assurance. They edify their brethren. They 
adorn the profession of the gospel. They stop the mouths of the adversaries. They glorify God, whose workmanship 
they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto, that having their 
fruit unto holiness, they may have the end, eternal life. So they are not a means to salvation, 
but they are the consequences of us having been saved. And then he ends the epistle 
by saying, all who are with me, greet you. Greet those who love 
us in the faith. Grace be with you. Notice all. 
Amen. So the letter's directed to Titus, 
but it's for everybody. It's for all the Christians in 
the churches on the island of Crete. It's for all the Christians 
and all the churches throughout the ages. This is a plural. This is Paul telling him, Paul 
ending with this, grace be with you all, not just Titus. So Paul writes this to Titus 
to validate that Titus is in fact God's man. But he also writes 
in order to instruct the people of God, even us, in these things 
that are most necessary with reference to the Christian church. 
And by way of conclusion, we see in this letter, and in 1st 
and 2nd Timothy, an emphasis on the truth. Brethren, the truth 
is most valuable, the truth is most precious, and the truth 
is worth not only fighting for, but holding on to. I was reminded 
of Thomas Brooks and his precious remedies against Satan's devices. You've probably heard this before, 
because I have quoted it before. He says, Ah, souls, have you 
not found truth sweetening your spirits, and cheering your spirits, 
and warming your spirits, and raising your spirits, and corroborating 
your spirits? Have you not found truth a guide 
to lead you, a staff to uphold you, a cordial to strengthen 
you, and a plaster to heal you? And will you not hold fast the 
truth? Has not truth been your best friend in your worst days? 
Has not truth stood by you when friends have forsaken you? Has 
not truth done more for you than all the world could do against 
you? And will you not hold fast the truth? Is not truth your 
right eye, without which you cannot see for Christ, and your 
right hand, without which you cannot do for Christ, and your 
right foot, without which you cannot walk with Christ? And 
will you not hold fast the truth? Oh, hold fast the truth in your 
judgments and understandings, in your wills and affections, 
in your profession and conversation. You are better let go anything 
than truth. You are better let go your honors 
and riches, your friends and pleasures, and the world's favors, 
yea, your nearest and dearest relations, yes, your very lives, 
than to let go truth. Oh, keep the truth, and truth 
will make you safe and happy forever. Blessed are those souls 
that are kept by truth. I think that's a great way to 
end a study in the book of Titus, a great way for us to underscore 
the emphases of the Apostle Paul relative to the gospel of Jesus 
Christ our Lord, the reality as he so clearly lays out in 
2.11. He says, for the grace of God 
that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that 
denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 
righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the 
blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, 
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem 
us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special 
people, zealous for good works. And then when he relates the 
same sort of thing in chapter three at verse four, but when 
the kindness and the love of God, our Savior, toward man appeared, 
not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according 
to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and 
renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly 
through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that having been justified by 
his grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal 
life. We as God's people ought to be 
forever grateful, forever thankful for the truth as it is in Jesus. 
We ought to see it, we ought to prize it, we ought to value 
it, and we ought to hold it above all other things. And if you 
are not a believer here tonight, you need the truth. You need 
the one who said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one 
comes to the Father except through me. You need the truth of God's 
holy gospel. You need the truth of a crucified. 
a buried and a risen Savior. You need the truth of a Savior 
who always obeyed His Father, whose very delight was to do 
the will of the Father who sent Him, who describes His meat, 
His food, as doing that which is pleasing to God. We need that 
truth, the truth concerning our Lord Jesus, life, death, resurrection, 
which is absolutely vital and crucial for a sinner in order 
to be saved. The message of God's Word to 
sinners is to believe on Him, to look unto Him, and to find 
that blessed joy of being found in Him. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank You for the truth, and we thank You for these 
pastoral epistles which continue to pound that nail. They continue 
to emphasize the reality of sound doctrine as that abiding necessity 
for the Church of the Lord Jesus. In that first century context, 
we do see prophesying, and we do see tongue speaking, and we 
do see the supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit. that the 
lasting, abiding thing that the Church of Christ has given by 
the Apostle Paul is to maintain sound doctrine. I pray for us 
as individuals, I pray for us as families, I pray for us as 
a local church, that we would in fact hold fast to your truth. Go with us now, we pray, and 
help us to bring glory to you in this coming week, and we ask 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.