Reminders and Warnings | Weekend Service | Josiah Smith

A message by Pastor Josiah Smith on Titus 3:1-11.

Compass Bible Church South Valley is located in Kuna, Idaho. 

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Transcript

Titus 3 Read And Framed

Seven Reminders For Good Works

Who We Were Before Christ

Mercy, Regeneration, And Justification

Good Works Are Excellent And Profitable

Unity’s Witness To The Watching World

Avoiding Divisive People And Errors

Remembering That Shapes Identity

Final Exhortations And Prayer

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Well, some of you have been driving around with the check engine light on for far too long. And if you're laughing, you're guilty. I find there are generally two types of people when it comes to lights on the dash. There are those who address it immediately, go to the mechanic or go get a code reader and read it themselves and fix it themselves in their own garage. And then there are those who ignore it completely and just hope that it goes away. And if it does, that's a good day. And check engine lights or just warning lights on a dashboard. They they serve a variety of different functions. They're very helpful in a lot of ways. Sometimes lights under dash serve as a reminder of something, especially obviously the newer cars. Now you get reminded for all the maintenance that you would probably otherwise forget to do, to change your oil, to rotate your tires, things that help keep the car running optimally. So there are plenty of reminders. And now you, you know, every time you turn on your car, if you've got a newer model, it'll pop up with that reminder and it won't go away until you do the thing and reset the code. And that's a grace, because I'm one of those people that would forget and I need to be reminded of those things. Yeah, so they're helpful. Sometimes they are reminders, but sometimes the lights on your dash they serve as uh warnings. You know, the check engine light probably means there's something going on, and maybe ignoring it isn't the best plan of action. Uh, there are some check engine lights or just lights on a dash that signify problems, problem with the engine, maybe you've got low tire pressure, any number of problems. And some of them are, of course, you need to address them right away. Uh, some of those lights are, in fact, warnings that something is not right, that something is not what it ought to be. And so they're helpful, whether it's a reminder or a warning, they're helpful. They they tell us information that give us direction on what to do next and the steps that we are to take. Well, in Titus chapter three, Paul is gonna do just that. Paul is gonna give us some reminders of some, I guess you could say, pretty basic things when it comes to the Christian life, but he's also gonna give us some warnings of things, warnings of things that need to be dealt with, perhaps more urgently than just rotating your tires or changing your oil. And then Titus 3 is gonna be helpful because we're gonna get both of those things. And this chapter serves as a reminder and a warning for us in the pursuit specifically of good work. So there's some things as you set out to be zealous for good work that you need to be reminded of, and then you need to be reminded of again and again and again to be encouraged. And there's some things as you set out to be zealous for good works and grow in that by God's grace that you need to be warned of and some things that you need to watch out for. And if the occasion arises, you need to deal with it immediately. So that's what we're gonna see today in Titus chapter three. If you got your Bibles, please go there. Titus three, we'll begin reading in verse one. We'll read down through verse 11. Paul begins, there's that word we were talking about. He says, Remind them, remind them, and then he gives us a pretty long list of things to be reminded of, to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves, we were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that by being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. And here's the warning in verse 9. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him. Knowing that such a person is warped and sinful, he is self-condemned. It's been said, and I think said well, that a large part of any pastor's public ministry is reminding people of what they already know, reminding people of the truths that are found in Scripture. And isn't that what we do on Sundays? Is saying what's already been said, reminding of what's already been revealed. We're not coming up with new things, we're not trying to be revolutionary, we're trying to just say what God has already said, what God has already revealed. And after being reminded of the grace of God, you remember last week the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, training us to renounce all ungodliness and worldly passions. After being reminded of the grace of God, at the end of chapter two, Paul gives a list of seven more reminders, of seven things for people to pursue. Look again there in verse one. So verses one through three, I call these the dueling sevens, because they're they're at odds. We have a list of seven things in verses one and two, and then we have a list of another seven things in verse three, and they're dueling in in some ways. But look at verse one. Paul says, Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities. Now I think he has in mind here governmental authorities, those authorities that Paul talks about elsewhere in Romans 13 as an example, those authorities that bear the sword for our good, or at least they're supposed to in that sense that God intended for them. And we are to be submissive to rulers and authorities, the way that we live our lives publicly, and in the ways that we interact with our government, government officials, our governing authorities. We are to be submissive to rulers and authorities. And he says this, by the way, this whole list is a reminder. So these are things that they're supposed to know. That's that's what a reminder is. Hey, remember what we've already talked about, remember what has already taken place. And so they they know this, they know that they are to be submissive to rulers and authorities and us as well. So that's how he starts. Be submissive to rulers and authorities. And then he says the second thing to be obedient. And there's all kinds of ways that we are to be obedient, first and foremost, of course, to Christ and his word and being submissive to what God has revealed and commanded for us to obey. But also parents are to obey their uh, or children rather, are supposed to obey their parents. Parents don't obey your children. Don't do that. Uh be reminded for them to obey you. Um be obedient, right? Is the second thing. And he says, and the third thing to be ready for every good work. We're to be submissive, we're to be obedient, whether it's to Christ or children to their parents, or in any other context that requires obedience from a biblical perspective, we're we're to do it, to be reminded of those things. And we're to be ready for every good work. There's a sense of we're standing at attention, we're we're always looking, we're always on uh the prowl, so to speak, of where are the good works that we can pursue? How can we go about growing in these things? The fourth thing he says there in verse two, speak evil of no one. And I think that's intentional because I think he starts with the rulers and authorities and then says, speak evil of no one, because that includes the rulers and authorities that in our context oftentimes we don't like or we disagree with in some pretty grave ways. And even from a biblical perspective, we have a right to not like or disagree, but there's a sense in which we are to not speak evil of them. That's a great reminder. Then the fifth thing he said is to avoid quarreling, stop fighting, stop arguing. Christians with other Christians, stop, stop the quarreling, be reminded of this. God wants us to be unified, how beautiful it is for brothers to dwell in unity. So there's a reminder to stop quarreling, to be gentle, and to show, here's the seventh thing: perfect courtesy toward all people, to have a humility and a meekness in the way that we interact with and engage with those around us, whether they're a brother or a sister in Christ or not. There's a perfect courtesy toward all people that is expected of followers of Christ. What a list that this is. I feel like normally reminders are short and sweet. It's one thing. I just remember, go to the store and get one thing. Get the milk, don't get anything else. Uh, but this is a long list. This is the this is a list that your husband goes to the store and is going to forget four out of the seven items. Uh maybe that's me. But it's a long list. He says, remind them to be submissive, to be obedient, to be ready, to be to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, to show perfect courtesy toward all people. We're to be reminded of these things, to do these things, to pursue them. And then he gives kind of a reason for that. You see that in verse three. Because we ourselves were once, and these are the dueling sevens. This is another list of seven that is essentially the exact opposite of the seven things that we just talked about. We were once foolish. Instead of obedient, we were disobedient. We were led astray, we were slaves to various passions and pleasures. We were passing our days in malice and envy. That's number five. Number six, we were hated by others. And number seven, we were hating one another. So why should we pursue these things? Why should we care? Why should we be reminded? Well, Paul says, because we once ourselves were anything but those things. We were anything but submissive to rulers, we were anything but obedient, we were anything but ready for every good work. We were all of these things that Paul says, we were foolish and disobedient and led astray from a biblical theological perspective. This is what we see Scripture saying. And I read off one author this week a commentary that basically says that the painful truth is that apart from God, people degenerate into little more than animals wrangling over bones, is what this author said. Very vivid language to get the point across of we were foolish, disobedient, led astray, and slaves to various passions. And the truth of the matter is that if you're here in Christ, or even if you're not in Christ, such were or are some of you. And that's what the scriptures say. Such are some of you, such are some of you to be foolish or disobedient, led astray. If you're in Christ, that was you. That's what characterized your life. That's all the Bible speaks of you before you become a follower of Christ. He this short list of things. And that is meant to be a motivator and a reminder. And really, Paul is trying to get us to look at who we were before Christ as a means to encourage us and to put some wind in ourselves to keep moving forward to be who we are now in Christ. And that's the point here. We are to be reminded of these things because we were once foolish. We were once lost. We we were once led astray, slaves to various passions, passing our days in malice and envy. We were once these things. And Paul's directing us to reflect on that, to remember that, to recall who we were before Christ. And that's point number one for you this morning. I want you to reflect on who you were before Christ. This is a biblical, godly, helpful practice to think back on who we were before Christ saved us. Or if you're here in this room and you would say, I'm not a follower of Christ, well, the Bible's gonna, we're gonna go through it. It's gonna say that you are the things that we're gonna look at. You are lost, you are dead in your trespasses and sins, and you are to reflect on those things. But for followers of Christ specifically, Paul's encouraging us, think about that. Think about who you are, think about your past. Now, our past oftentimes is something that we want to escape, something that we want to avoid. And certainly there is uh painful past that need to be dealt with biblically and hopefully helpfully uh to have victory over those things and to find encouragement uh from those things. But we nevertheless, as Christians, are to look back on who we were before Christ as a means to keep moving forward on who we are now in Christ. And there's two ways that we should think about this. There's two ways that we should reflect on who we were before Christ. That's theologically. We should think about that from a theological perspective, but also from a personal perspective. Now, of course, those two things go together and they overlap. They're not completely separate, but you'll see the distinction here. The Bible says some things theologically about who we are, our position before God, before Christ saves us, before he makes us a new creation. And we need to think about that. And we need to reflect on that. But we also need to think about how that flushed itself out or what that looked like in our lives personally. How the things that Scripture says about us theologically played itself out in our lives. So that's the personal. Let's start with the theological. That's where Paul's getting us at in verse three. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions. There's these theological truths, different ways of saying the same thing. We were lost. And I did a quick search on all of the phrases and words that the scriptures use about those who are lost, those who are not followers of Christ. Let me give you a short 20-item list here. Scriptures say if you're not in Christ, you're blind. You can't see. The scriptures say that if you're not in Christ, you're deaf. You can't hear. Spiritually speaking, your ears may work just fine, but you can't hear. That's why Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount says, anyone who hears these words of mine and does them, there's a spiritual hearing that is unavailable to those who are not in Christ. So you're blind, you're deaf, dead in your trespasses and sins, darkened in your understanding, futile in thinking, hardened in heart, lovers of darkness, unstable to please God, or unable to please God. We're a third of the way through. You ready? Slaves to sin, captive to the devil, children of the devil, unable to understand spiritual things, separated, alienated, enemies, children of wrath, without hope, wicked, ungodly, corrupt, deceived. Oh, we can all go home feeling good about ourselves. This is what the scriptures say. Outside of Christ, this is theologically who we are, or at least who we were. If you're in Christ, this is who you were. You were blind, you were deaf, you were dead, you were darkened, you were futile in thinking. And you need to think about that. You need to reflect on, and this is why it's a good practice to share your testimony, to share what God has done in your life to save you personally, because you need to reflect and recall who was I was? Where was I? What condition was I in when Christ stepped in and saved me? Both theologically, but also personally, because all of these things, blind, deaf, dead, dark, and futile, and thinking all these things are theologically true, and they always will be true of those outside of Christ. But how did that look in your life? What did that look like in your life? Paul does this himself in the scriptures. Did you know that? Paul often recounts who he was before Christ, both theologically. He just did that even in Titus 3, but he's also doing it in a personal way. First Timothy chapter 1 is a good example of this. 1 Timothy 1, 12 through 14. Here's how Paul kind of says his spiritual theological condition fleshed itself out in his life personally. 1 Timothy 1, verse 12, Paul says, I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service. And here's how he reflects on his past. Though formerly I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, an insolent opponent. You know the story of Paul, where he was persecuting Christians, he was against the gospel, he was against Christ as the Messiah. That's why he says he was a blasphemer, he was a persecutor, he was an insolent opponent. And in fact, in Philippians 3, Paul says, Not only was I these things, I was a zealot in these things. I had great energy in these things and excitement in these things, Paul says. He reflects on who he was before Christ stepped in. He reflects on his spiritual past. Now let me say this: this is not intended, and the scriptures are not intending to heap on some sort of spiritual guilt for you to just walk around like a like a spiritual eeyore. That's not the goal. We're not walking around with our tails between our legs. No, we have victory in Christ. We've been saved if you believed in the gospel. There's great joy in that. So we're not looking for spiritual guilt, but we're looking for spiritual perspective and we're looking for spiritual motivation. Paul makes it clear in Romans 8:1, this is a precious verse. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. If you're in Christ, regardless of what you have done, regardless of who you were, regardless of how horrendous it might have been, if you are in Christ, God sees you through the perfect righteousness of his son. And there is no condemnation in Christ. So we're not looking for guilt, we're looking for spiritual perspective. And this is what Paul does. Remember 1 Timothy 1? He says, I was formerly a blasphemer, I was a persecutor. This is what it looked like for me personally. I was insolent in unbelief. I was a zealot towards that end. But here's how he ends. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord overflowed from me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. And so we see Paul rehearsing both things. Theologically, I was dead, I was blind, I was lost, I was unable to do good. I was all of these things. Yes, that scripture says, but here's even what it looked like in my life. It was bad, it was even worse. I was an uh insolent opponent, I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, but I received mercy. I received forgiveness. The grace of our Lord overflowed from me, he says, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. And here's the point remembering what you've been rescued from is meant to shape what you dedicate yourself to. Remembering what you've been rescued from. This is who I was. I was blind, I was dead, I had no hope, I was lost. Remembering those things, thinking about those things, thinking about how it looked in your life is meant to shape what you dedicate yourself to. And that's how Paul says it. He gives all of these reminders and he says, because we ourselves were once, we were foolish. We remember those things, we think about them, not to feel guilty, but to feel gratitude. This is what Christ saved me from. This was my condition, and he showed his love for me in that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. We need to remember what we've been rescued from so that we know what we're dedicating ourselves to and being motivated to do that. But we so easily forget. Do we not? We forget what we've been rescued from. We have a sense of uh spiritual amnesia, and this has been true of God's people from the beginning. You know the story of Israel when they were dramatically and decisively rescued from Egypt? Remember that story, the Exodus? And I mean, there was some crazy the Lord was opening the Red Sea. There was a pillar of cloud by day, pillar of fire by night. Just provisioned after provision, uh, extraordinary ways of God demonstrating his faithfulness. You know what they said? They're about to go into Canaan. We're the spies, oh man, we're we're like grasshoppers compared. These people are huge. We're afraid, the spies say. Numbers 14, verse 3 says, Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, the promised land, mind you, Canaan? Why is he bringing us here to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to one another, Yeah, let's choose a leader and go back to Egypt. That sounds like a good idea. You can imagine the little powwow on the side that they're having. Who's gonna who's gonna do it? Who's gonna leave? No one steps up. It's awkward. Wait, do we want to actually go back to slavery? They longed for slavery rather than trusting in God. They forgot what they had been rescued from. And really, ultimately, they forgot the one who rescued them. We can do this. We forget. We forget our sinful condition. We don't dwell on it. We don't reflect on it like we should appropriately, thinking about it from a theological perspective. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. Following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. We were dead. We need to reflect on that. We forget that. But we also need to reflect on what Christ has done. Because in Christ, that list that we were walking through, we were blind, but now we see. We were deaf, but now we hear. We were dead, but now we're alive. We were hardened in heart, now we have a new heart. We were slaves to sin, now we're free in Christ. And we need to think about this and reflect on it. In our pursuit of good works and being zealous for good works. Paul says, think about where you've been. Think about what Christ rescued you from so that you can keep moving forward, so that you can be who Christ made you to be, that you can be all of the things that Christ did to walk in obedience for the good works that he prepared beforehand that you should walk in them. We need to reflect on who we are. Remember who we are, or who we were before Christ. And let me just say this. If you're here this morning and you're not a follower of Christ, all of those things are still true of you. The Bible says you're you're dead in your trespasses and sins. The Bible says you're blind to the truthfulness of who God is, the truthfulness of who you are. The Bible says you can't hear, you can't understand spiritual things. You need to open your eyes or uh to the gospel of Jesus Christ, or have the Spirit of God work in you to believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the light of the glory of the gospel of Christ. Repent of your sins and place your faith and trust in Christ. And you can experience the kind of rescue that we're talking about, being set free, going from blind to being able to see, going from deaf to being able to hear. But in our pursuit of good works as Christians, we often need to reflect on we ourselves were once. We were foolish. We were disobedient, we were led astray, we were slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days and malice and envy hated by others and hating one another. Do you see how he continues there in verse four? He reflects on his past, but he also welds that to what Christ accomplished. Verse 4, he says, But when the goodness and loving kindness of God, our Savior, appeared, he saved us. Not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration. Regeneration, being given a new heart, being made a new creation, given a new life by the washing of regeneration, in the renewal of the Holy Spirit, be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that being justified, declared righteous, right? He poured out on us richly his spirit so that we could become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. These things are excellent and profitable for people. In your pursuit of good works, you should take some time to reflect on who you were outside of Christ. You should reflect theologically. Here's what the Bible says was true of me, but also personally. I was dead, I was blind, I needed a savior. But the grace, and as Paul says in verse 4, the goodness and loving kindness of God, our Savior, appeared. He saved me, not because of works done by me and righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration, the renewal of the Spirit He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ. But he says that there's a there's a purpose in all of this. There's a purpose in reflecting on these things and remembering these things. Do you see it there in verse 8? So that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. Scripture makes it clear that your pursuit of good works should have a sort of a spilling over effect on those around you. Your pursuit of good works is not a private act. It's something that has benefits certainly for yourself, but also for those around you, both in the context of the church and even outside of the church. Isn't this what Jesus Himself says in Matthew 5, 17? Matthew 5, 16, excuse me. He says, in the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. There's a kind of walking out obedience, pursuing zealously good works that comes with the byproduct of excellence and that which is profitable. And it's intended for those around you. Those around you will experience what is excellent and what is profitable through your pursuit and being zealous for good works. And you need to believe that. You need to believe that your pursuit of good works is not just a thing between you and the Lord, it is primarily between you and the Lord. But it's something that, as a byproduct, as a spilling over, affects other people around you. And it's excellent and it's profitable. That's point number two. Believe that. Believe good works are excellent and profitable. In our pursuit of good works, remember, we're we're being reminded of things. We're being reminded of who we were before Christ. We're reflecting on what he has done for us in salvation, and we're doing that because we recognize that good works are excellent and profitable. They are good for those around us. And this is both an evangelistic component and a general sort of encouragement component to the body. Paul's already been addressing this in the book of Titus several times, this evangelistic idea. He says in Titus 2, verse 5, talking to the young women, they are to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Now, certainly may not be reviled in the home or in the church, but also there seems to be this context of even the watching world around them. The word of God is going to be reviled because there's there's a disconnect between what we say we believe and how we live. And Paul's connecting our life, our pursuit of good works, the way that we walk in obedience, and the way that the world views what is true about God. He says, They're to do these things that the word of God may not be reviled. That's Titus 2, verse 5. Even in Titus 2, verse 8, he says to Timothy to Titus, sound speech. Make sure that you teach with sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. That's another outside the church sort of perspective. We want to teach things that are sound and that are good, that are uh that lead to healthy living, as we've talked about. Titus 2, verse 10. They are to not pilfer or to steal. He's talking about the slaves submitting to their masters here, not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior, to make beautiful the doctrine of God our Savior. So all throughout Titus, we we have this thread of you live this way, you pursue these things, you're zealous for good works, so that you glorify the Lord first and foremost, but that those around you experience what is excellent and what is profitable. And they see, even from an evangelistic perspective, that you have received something that is excellent and profitable, and you have been transformed by it. You're a new creation because of it. Adorn the doctrine of God, your Savior. So there's an evangelistic component to our good works, but there's also a general encouragement to the body that we see happening. I thought of 1 Corinthians 12, verse 7, where Paul's detailing spiritual gifts and their purpose for the building up of the body. He says in 1 Corinthians 12, 7, to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. That you are gifted, you are commanded to serve for the common good, so that others in the body may experience what is excellent and profitable, so they might experience that which is good. This is what scripture says. And we didn't even believe this. We need to believe that our pursuit of good works has a spilling over effect evangelistically and even in an encouragement sense where people around us experience what is excellent and what is profitable. And that language got me thinking of what Paul writes in Philippians 4. Maybe these verses are familiar to you. Philippians 4, verse 8, Paul says, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. So on the one hand, Paul says, think about it. If it's excellent, think about it, dwell on it, meditate on it, fill your mind with that which is excellent and profitable and praiseworthy. We're to think about it. But in Titus 3, Paul says, not just think about it, but to do it, to pursue it, to act it, to live it. Do you see that in verse eight? The saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. So we think about it and we do it. We meditate on it and we live it. And this is the commands of scriptures. And fathers in the room, do you do you know the excellence you bring into your home when you pursue good works? Mothers, do you recognize how your family profits, including your husband, when you pursue good works? If you're single or divorced or widowed, do you see how the body profits when you devote yourself to good works and throw yourself into serving? And as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12, 7, the manifestation of the Spirit that you have been given, you use it for the common good, so that others may experience what is excellent and profitable. Good works are not simply private acts, they directly impact others and bring about that which is excellent and profitable. And don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying go out there and do good works so that other people see you. There's plenty of scripture to the contrary of that, but I am saying that there is a spilling over effect. Let your light shine around others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. They may experience that which is excellent and profitable and lead them to think about those things and them themselves do those things. Believe that good works are excellent and profitable for those around you. I mean, don't you want that? Don't you want what is excellent and profitable? No one wants what's mediocre and costly. You ever been to a fancy restaurant, bought a meal that was way too expensive, that came with way too little food, and it was gross? It was costly and mediocre, and you left disappointed and you said, I'm never going back again. We don't we don't want that. We want what is excellent and profitable and precious. We want to taste and see that the Lord is good, and we want to share that with others. No one wants mediocre, no one wants costly when it's mediocre. We want those things that are good and excellent and profitable. And we should strive to be Christians that leave a trail of what is profitable and excellent behind us. Because we're committed to being zealous for good works. We're committed to being obedient. We're committed to reminding ourselves of who we were theologically before Christ and even personally, being motivated by that, being motivated by the grace of God that has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, striving to leave a trail of what is profitable and excellent behind us, and drawing people to Christ as a result. Paul also in other places talks about that as the aroma of Christ. Where behind us is a trail of the aroma of Christ that we're leaving because we're seeking to be obedient. We're seeking to live lives that align with God's word. We're seeking to be zealous for good works. And so those are the reminders in this passage. But here we go in verse 9. Here's the warnings that we see. Look at verse 9 with me. Paul says, but avoid, and he lists four things foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. Notice the language there. Good works. He wants you to insist on them, he wants you to do them, he wants you to be reminded of them, because they are excellent and they are profitable. But here he says, by contrast, avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, quarrels about the law, for they are the opposite. They are unprofitable, they are worthless. As for a person who stirs up division after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful, he is self-condemned. There will be people in this church someday in the future. I don't know when it is, the Lord knows. But there will be people in this church, intentionally or other my otherwise, who undermine good works. There will be people that create division, there will be people that cause conflict, there will be people that kick up confusion. Titus 3 tells us they must be dealt with. They must be, as Paul says it, pretty harshly in chapter 1, he says they must be silenced. They must be dealt with. There's a warning here. In our pursuit of good works, there's going to be obstacles to that pursuit. And the specific obstacle listed here in chapter three is people. People that are looking to undermine good works. And our response to that is we should avoid them. That's point number three. Avoid those who undermine good works. Avoid those who undermine good works. Now there's a lot of different ways that we could flush this out. Paul uses these phrases: foolish controversies, genealogies. There's a sense of myths, and uh you could even think of folklore where they're looking at the genealogies of the Old Testament and they're creating these grand narratives about certain figures and certain angels and this, that, and the other. They're creating all kinds of nonsense. They're creating dissension, division, quarrels about the law. They are unprofitable and they are worthless. How do we distinguish that? How do we know what falls into that? There's a lot of different ways that we could splice that, but I want to just give you one simple way. In my experience and in my time in ministry, here's a way to spot these kinds of people. They tend to want to argue about theories they've concocted about what supposedly happens in the shadows, rather than proclaim and rejoice in what is revealed in the light. That's a good litmus test. Litmus test? Is it an M or an N? Litmus test. That's a good test of some litmus variety. Um think about that. These people that always want to have a conversation. Let's talk about some theory, about something happening behind closed doors in the darkness, rather than rejoice and proclaim what is revealed in the light. Do we need to have discernment? 100%. Do we need to think critically about what's going on in the world? 100%. But you'll find that the people that spend the most time pontificating about the darkness are pretty far away from what's being revealed and proclaimed in the light. And they cause division in the process. And oftentimes, if I'm being honest, a Bible is very far from them as they do it. It's internet blogs or credit threads or whatever you want to say, Twitter feeds. It's important to know what's going on in the world. This book talks about things that give us discernment to think critically about what happens in the world. We can affirm that. But you will find that there are people that want to talk only about what happened supposedly in the shadows, and they never want to talk about what's being revealed in the light. The truth of the scriptures, the truth of the gospel. They consider that child's play. That's something we've moved on from. That's something we've grown past, matured beyond. And they end up getting into what Paul refers to here as worthless and unprofitable. Things that lead to dissensions, things that lead to quarrels about the laws, things that are foolish and that are unprofitable and worthless. God explicitly commands us in scripture again and again and again to proclaim openly what He has revealed. Explicitly. Not to pontificate about what is supposedly in the darkness, that there's no way for you to really know. And that's one of the ways, simple way. It's not foolproof. There's different nuances in that. You got to take it case by case. But if you're thinking about how can we know? Here's a test. What are they talking about? What are they consumed by? Is it the truth and the glory and the gospel of Jesus Christ? Or is it something that is far away from the scriptures and it's all just, well, this and this, what about this? And it could be that. And it's all just theories. It's not grounded in the scripture. One author put it this way. I appreciated the way he put it. Proclaiming truth, not arguing error is the biblical way to evangelize. Proclaiming truth, not arguing error is the biblical way to evangelize. And that may seem obvious, but I've had plenty of conversations with people that are mad at me because I won't spend hours with them arguing error. I won't spend hours with them arguing things that the Bible says are foolish and that are unprofitable and that are worthless, is what Paul says. Proclaiming truth from God's word is what we're commanded to do. And so there are people that will kick up confusion, they'll create dissension and division. They're going to want to talk about everything under the sun except for what we see in the scriptures. What do we do with them? Paul says, you got to deal with them. You got to warn them once, warn them twice, and have nothing more to do with them. Now this differs. Perhaps you're familiar with Matthew 18 in the church discipline process that's laid out there. This differs from that slightly. You'll notice uh in Titus it says warn them once, warn them twice, have nothing more to do with them. In Matthew 18, there seems to be more three-steps. Uh, so this is more of a condensed version, but Matthew 18 focuses primarily on wronging a brother, kind of at the personal level. That's how the language even reads. If your brother has sinned against you, go to them, is what it says. If he doesn't listen, bring someone else, bring a witness. If he doesn't listen again, take it to the church. There's a kind of a three-step process, but it focuses primarily on wronging a brother, wronging sort of a personal thing that becomes something greater. Now you can apply that in a variety of different circumstances, and you rightfully should. But Titus III focuses on not wronging a brother individually, but wronging the botter, the body collectively. Titus III is about the body being wronged and the body being harmed. Do you see that in the context of the church? There are people that stir up division that's amongst the body. There are people that are into foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, quarrels about the law. They are people that need to be dealt with. And he says, after warning them once and then twice, have nothing more to do with them. And because Scripture places a huge premium on the unity of the bride of Christ. Christ. I think that's why the seriousness of what Paul is saying is so, it feels so drastic to us. Two warnings, not even a third, not even three strikes, and you're out. No, it's that serious. You get two warnings, and then you're out, according to the scriptures. Of course, that needs to be done with great care, great wisdom, great discernment. It's not something to be taken lightly or to be done flippantly, but nevertheless, it's such a serious thing. Paul says, warn him once, warn him twice, have nothing more to do with them, because the way that they act and the way that they live is showing and proving that he is warped and sinful and self-condemned. The unity of the body is a premium in the scriptures. The scriptures place a premium on the unity of the body. In fact, Ephesians 4, 1 through 3, Paul says, I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, or urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Now you might be thinking, if I asked you right now, without reading that text, how do you walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called? You might say, Well, I need to be obedient, I need to read the word, I need to pray, I need to whatever, whatever, whatever. You might say any number of things. The answer that Paul gives for how to walk in unity, it's it surprises me. He says, Pursue unity. In verse 2, he says, with all humility and gentleness, with patience and bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. If we want to be worthy of the gospel to which we have been called, Paul says, Be eager to walk and maintain unity. And Jesus himself, in the high priestly prayer in John 17, he prayed for unity in the body. John 17, verse 20, Jesus is praying, he says, I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, united, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. Do you see the connection there, by the way, of the unity to the world believing? I want them to be one so that the world may believe that you have sent me. That's the spilling over that we've been talking about, the excellent and profitable that people see and experience, the aroma of Christ. He goes on, Jesus praise, and that the glory that you have given me I've given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them, and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Jesus cares deeply about the unity of his bride. And so as a result, the scriptures say those who would undermine that, who would threaten that, who would cause division in the body of Christ, you take it seriously, you warn him once, you warn him twice, you have nothing more to do with them. This is the biblical instruction. This is the reminder, this is the warning of those that would trip up people pursuing good works, the stumbling block of people that are warped and sinful and self-condemned. This is what we see in Titus 3. I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase um, remember the Alamo? What a transition. My mom is from Texas, so um actually in their house, she's probably gonna listen to this someday. In her house, uh, she has a Texas-themed room. The bed sheets, the decor, the pillows, uh, all of it is Texas themed. Texas pride runs deep. Everything's bigger in Texas, right? Um, remember the Alamo. It became a significant rally cry during the Texas Revolution in 1836. In fact, just weeks after the Alamo ended up falling, a Sam Houston shouted that very phrase as he charged into battle during the surprise attack at the Battle of San Jacinto, where Texas secured their independence. And that became a rally cry. And it became something that uh was moving and motivating. Now, if you read up on this, some of the legends surrounding the phrase, remember the Alamo, they're actually debated by historians. Some of the things specifically of what happened inside the Alamo, what happened, whether or not they all went down in a blaze of glory with guns firing, or they were captured and killed later. There's different uh debates on that, and some of the historical accounts and literature don't necessarily line up. Uh, but despite that, one author stated that the Alamo shows how memory shapes identity. Events happen, stories get told, meaning grows, nations build symbols. And because there were people who lost their lives in this fight, it became something that was incredibly motivating. It became a rallying cry, a unifying cry during this time for Texas to secure their independence. And it was something that everyone got behind. It was something that they reflected on, the lives that were lost, and they said, essentially, in that cry, don't let their sacrifice be in vain. Remember the Alamo. If something like the Alamo and those giving their lives for that kind of fight motivates and inspires people to work hard, to fight, to keep going, how much more should we be motivated by the one who gave his life for us? The one who, to no fault of his own, became sin so that you might become the righteousness of God in him. Scripture calls us to remember Christ, to remember his sacrifice. And even two weeks ago, we we observed communion where Jesus says, Do this in remembrance of me. And as we remember those things, as we remember the one who lost his life, the perfect son of God, the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world, we ought to be motivated and rally behind that person, the person of Jesus Christ, to keep moving forward, to keep pursuing good works. Remember who you were before Christ. Remember where Christ found you, the things that the scriptures say about you, dead and your trespasses and sins. Remember what you've been given in Christ, the grace of God that's been given to you. You were dead, but by grace you have been saved. Remember that good works are excellent and profitable. They encourage, but they also are an evangelistic tool that God uses to draw those from the world to see the truthfulness of the gospel. And remember the warning, to avoid those who undermine good works, to avoid those who would hinder the church in becoming all that Christ died for it to become. Christ died for the church for us to be purified as a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. That's what we saw in the end of Titus 2. Avoid those who would undermine that and who would threaten that. And remember what you've been given in Christ and be motivated to keep moving forward. Let's pray. God, we're so grateful for your kindness to us. We're grateful that the gospel transforms, that the gospel takes those who are dead in their trespasses and sins and makes them alive together with Christ. God, I pray that if there's any in this room that don't know Christ, God, please would you open their eyes? Would you help them to see the truthfulness, the light, and the glory of Christ as their Savior? God, I pray that we would reflect often on who we were before we were rescued, and we would reflect often on what we've been given by the one who rescued us. And God, would that lead to fruitful lives of being zealous for good works because that is excellent and it is profitable for the church, it's profitable for our community, and it's profitable for the world. Give us discernment on when to deal with individuals that would threaten that, that would undermine the unity of that. And God, would you be glorified in our pursuit of the works that you've prepared beforehand that we are to walk in? I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.