Appropriate sound teaching vital for all

Text Titus 2:1 Time 07/07/10 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We have begun to look at the letter of Paul to Titus and so far we have looked at the first chapter – the introduction, Paul's instructions about elders and his warning against false teachers. We come next to Chapter 2 and that chapter begins with a call to Titus to teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Paul spells out what the various groups in the church need to be taught in particular.

We will look this week chiefly at verse 1 but touching on some of the verses that follow too. Before coming to the teaching for specific groups we want to make some general remarks on teaching in the church. Our main point is that we must

Recognise the need of appropriate, sound teaching by the pastor and others to all members.

We want to say six things about this

1. Recognise the need for teaching

Chapter 2 begins You must teach. One of the chief parts of the work of a pastor or anyone who is in a similar role is to teach. This is why one of the qualifications of an elder (1:9) is that He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. This is why Paul speaks of pastors as pastors and teachers in Ephesians 4:11. Paul speaks in quite a similar way in 1 Timothy 4:11-16

Command and teach these things he says ... Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

This is why it is necessary not only for the minister to have the ability to teach but also to be trained for his task, usually by means of pre-service and in-service training. We do not expect primary or secondary school teachers to do their work without such training and so it would be rather unreasonable to suppose that ministers do not need training too.

There are various ways of teaching, of course – not only through preaching but also through more informal means but teaching is an important part of the minister's task.

2. Recognise the need for sound teaching

Paul does not simply say You must teach but You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Literally, Titus is told to teach what fits in with sound doctrine, what comports with it. It is like a ruler stood on end and he has to match up to it. We have already spent some time looking at what Paul has to say against false doctrine in 1:10-16. We noted too when we looked at 1:9 and its reference to the trustworthy message as it has been taught that when it comes to teaching, the New Testament has a very clear idea of orthodoxy.

The New Testament has a clear and coherent message that is trustworthy and reliable. We noted the various reference to this in the pastoral letters.

1 Timothy 1:10, 11 talks of whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

2:7 Paul speaks of himself as a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.

4:6 Paul urges Timothy to be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

4:11 Command and teach these things (not anything else) he says.

6:2, 3 These are the things you are to teach and urge on them ... the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ ... godly teaching.

2 Timothy 1:13, 14 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

4:3 the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Also, Romans 6:17, 16:17 - Paul writes of wholeheartedly obeying the form of teaching to which you were committed and the teaching which you have learned

1 Corinthians 11:2 speaks of holding to the teachings (traditions) just as I passed them on to you.

In more than one place Paul talks of what he received a tradition and passing it on to them.

1 Thessalonians 3:6 speaks of the teaching you received from us.

Plus 2 John 9, 10 and Jude 3 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him ... the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

It is not enough that a church has plenty of teaching, the teaching must be sound, wholesome, healthy, orthodox, free from corruption. In order to do that there have to be two things.

1. There has to be a clear biblical framework to the teaching. That is where a confession can be so useful for a church. That is one reason why I would like us to be more familiar with the 1689 Confession than we are. Sound preachers are usually those who have a good outline of theology in their heads that guides them as they teach.

2. We cannot put our faith in confessions, of course, however good they are, and so we have to keep going back to the Bible itself in order to learn sound doctrine. A sound preacher will be one who is always drawing people back to the Word of God.

3. Recognise the need for appropriate teaching. So in verse 1 Paul calls on Titus to teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. From verse 2 he goes on to say that Titus should tailor his teaching for the various people who make up the churches. He talks first about what to teach the older men, then the older women and after that the younger women and the younger men, who clearly included Titus himself. From verse 9 he begins to speak to slaves who were a special category in the churches. The same pattern can be discerned when you look at the beginning of Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 of 1 Timothy. Elsewhere, Paul does something slightly different, as in Ephesians and Colossians, where he speaks in turn to wives, husbands, children, fathers and then again slaves and masters.

This is a reminder then that the teaching ought to be appropriate to people. Yes, most often the teaching addresses everyone but at times it can get quite specific and certainly it needs to be appropriate to the age and circumstances of the people being addressed. This is why the sermon must attempt to address all sorts of different people.

The Puritan William Perkins recommended dividing the congregation into seven types and endeavouring to reach each different type. He wrote of

• Ignorant and unteachable unbelievers.
• Ignorant but teachable unbelievers.
• Those who have some knowledge but remain unhumbled.
• The humbled.
• Those who believe.
• Those who are fallen, either in faith or in practice.
• A mixed group. The inclusion of this category shows that many more could be thought of.

This is also the argument for specific ministry to children, young people, women and men. Obviously we must avoid needless division but we are bound to have different needs and different situations and good teaching will take note of that and make the teaching appropriate.

4. Recognise that teaching is not the sole province of the pastor

We have been thinking chiefly of the role of the pastor here but it is clear that Paul does not envisage all the teaching being done by the pastor. At the end of verse 3 where he has described what the older women must be taught he says that rather than being slanderers or addicted to much wine they must teach what is good. Then he says in verse 4 they can train the younger women.

Paul does not envisage the minister spending long sessions counselling the younger women for obvious reasons. I don't think we can establish that a pastor never counsels a young woman. Paul's word to Timothy is to treat younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Clearly the bulk of the personal teaching to young women, however, is to be done by the older women.

That very fact shows that the work of teaching is not confined to the ordained minister but is something that we should expect to see going on among the members of the congregation more informally as well as formally by the leadership.

5. Recognise that all of us need teaching

A further point to be made is that we all need teaching. Paul doesn't simply say train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, etc, ... Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. He clearly expects Titus to teach the older men and the older women as well. “You can't teach an old dog new tricks” is not a saying Paul would agree with. He clearly believed in what is sometimes called lifelong learning. Even older people still have things to learn about being temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled and sound in faith, in love and in endurance and being reverent in the way they live, not ... slanderers or drunkards but those who teach what is good. I don't think this is just because many of them were new converts. Rather, even in old age, we have things to learn. In 1 Timothy 5:1 Paul says to Timothy Do not rebuke an older man harshly, teaching older folk has to be done with care (especially if you are younger than they are) however he does say but exhort him as if he were your father. In Titus 3:8 Paul says after his trustworthy saying, And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone

6. Recognise the impact that sound teaching can have

Why is Paul so keen for Titus to do this teaching? There are many reasons no doubt – not least so that they will be competent to teach one another. In 2:5 he adds that one of the reasons it is important for the older women to teach the younger women to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands is ... so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, in 2:11, after setting out what must be taught to slaves he says it is so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive. What Paul has in mind here is that if the churches in Crete have a reputation for encouraging in women a lack of self-control, a lack of purity, a lack of business at home, a lack of kindness; if Christian women are known for refusing to be subject to their husbands and Christian slaves are insolent, light fingered and untrustworthy then it is going to do the gospel message harm. If that sort of thing happens it will give pagans an excuse to denounce the gospel. It will repel people rather than attracting people to the message.

When we talk about sound teaching, we tend to think of the good it will do to those who receive the teaching first hand, however we ought to remember that good teaching has an impact way beyond its immediate audience. If the lesson taught finds its target than it has an effect on all those who that person comes into contact with. That is something we should never forget.

It is obvious really when you think about it.
Here is Ingrid. She is a Christian woman but she is badly taught. She can be a little wild at times. She is at home with flirtatious remarks at work. Although she is married she seems to be out several nights a week at parties. She has a sharp tongue and can be quite thoughtless sometimes and is quite happy to contradict her husband in public. Isn't such a person going to give people an excuse to malign the word of God?

Or here is Eric, another badly taught Christian. He is a lowly paid worker on minimum wage. He doesn't really like his rather dead end job but there seems to be no way out. This makes him rather cheeky to his bosses and they don't consider him very reliable. They also think he is on some sort of fiddle although they haven't worked out exactly what he is up to yet. Again, it is not going to make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive to unbelievers.

Karen and Derek, however, are quite different. Both well taught Christians. She is a housewife – a little straight-laced for some, perhaps, but happily married. She's always doing some act of kindness or another. He doesn't have a great job but he puts his heart into it and is known to be very trustworthy. There is talk of him being promoted soon. How attractive he makes the gospel just by his very way of life.

Never underestimate the impact for good that a well taught Christian can have.

Further characteristics of false teachers

Text Titus 1:12b-16 Time 30/06/10 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We've begun to look at Paul's Letter to Titus, who he's left in Crete to complete the work already begun on the island. After opening greetings (1-5) Paul first calls on Titus to see that elders or overseers are appointed in all the places where churches have been founded. He sets out what sort of things should characterise elders or indeed anyone who engages in Christian ministry (6-9).

At the end of that section Paul says the final requirement for an elder is that He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught. This is for two reasons – first, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and second so that he can refute those who oppose it. Paul then takes up this latter point – the need to refute those who oppose the trustworthy message as it has been taught. He says that the reason that such negative work is needed is that there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach, etc.

Even in those early days for the gospel in Crete there were false teachers who wormed their way into the churches and led people astray with their false doctrines, teachings not in accord with the trustworthy message as it has been taught. And it is the same today.

Although false teachers differ from age to age and in many other ways they all have certain characteristics that are typical. It is useful to consider these characteristics and remind ourselves of how wolves in sheep's clothing operate. Here in verses 10-16 there are about 15 or 16 characteristics that come out altogether. Paul also says something about opposing them. We looked at some seven characteristics last week and I want us to consider some nine more this week. I also want to say something briefly about acting against such people.

Last time we considered the need to watch against people who are rebellious, mere talkers and deceivers. Such people are usually religious but teach ruinous false doctrine, are eager for dishonest gain and are liars. This time I want to say

1. (8) Watch against evil brutes

We noted that Paul quotes Epimenides a Cretan poet saying that Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons and declaring the testimony to be true in the case of the false teaches on the island. We considered their lying last time. Not only are false teachers deceivers but what they say is lies too. Then they were saying that circumcision was an important thing and faith alone was not enough. Still today people downplay faith and want to add to it all sorts of other things. They tell lies about what God wants and how he deals with people. They lie and say there is no after life or that everyone goes to heaven or that there is a purgatory where even very bad people can eventually be fitted for heaven. We must not listen to such lies.

These people are also evil brutes. This is similar to what Peter and Jude say

2 Peter 2:12 But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

Jude 10 says such people are like unreasoning animals. All they are concerned with is their bodies – what they will eat, what they will wear. They have no thought for their souls or anyone else's.

This is all directly from Jesus's saying that they are wolves in sheep's clothing. They simply want to feed themselves.

Positive lesson: We must remember that we are not animals but in fact human beings- beings created in the image of God. To become a Christian is to have that shattered image restored not to become an animal.

2. (9) Watch against lazy gluttons

If evil brutes emphasises how dangerous false teachers are lazy gluttons emphasises their self-indulgence. They are “idle bellies”. As he says elsewhere their god is their stomach. Laziness and greed are typical of false teachers.

For greed take the example of the prosperity teacher Creflo Dollar. He apparently has two Rolls-Royces which he says his congregation has given to him. He flies in a $5 million private jet to his speaking engagements in the US and Europe (the church also owns a Gates Learjet. Estimated value: $985,000). He, his wife and five children live in a $1 million home behind iron gates in a smart Atlanta neighbourhood. He also owns another mansion worth $1.27 million. The church has amassed a fortune in real estate. Like other "word faith" teachers Dollar is often accompanied by bodyguards in public.

Laziness can come out in different ways. Often with the false teacher it is an intellectual laziness shown in an unwillingness to do the hard work of studying God's Word to see what it really says.

Positive lesson: This is a reminder of the need to work hard and to be temperate not greedy.

3. (10) Watch against followers of myths

In verse 14 Paul goes on to say that Titus needs to get the people to pay no attention to Jewish myths. Paul has in mind the Jewish myths – probably the endless stories that the Jews told that had no basis in fact and yet which so fascinated them. Sometimes the false teachers believe the myths themselves, sometimes they just make them up. Peter talks about how (2 Peter 2:3) In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.

Such things are found in the Talmud for example. There  exists there (Chullin 59b) a discussion about a giant deer and a giant lion, both from a mythical forest called “Dvei Ilai”. The deer is called "keresh", the lion, "tigris". It is said to be so big that there is a space of 9 feet between the lobes of its lungs. The Roman Caesar Hadrian once asked a Rabbi to show him this lion, since every lion can be killed, but the Rabbi refused and pointed out that it is not a normal lion. The Roman Caesar insisted, so the Rabbi called for the lion of "Dvei Ilai". It roared once from a distance of 400 cubits and all the city walls of Rome tumbled down. Then at 300 cubits it roared again and the front teeth and molars of Roman men fall out.

The false teachers believe stories today too – stories of tongue speaking and healing and people being raised from the dead.

In 2002 Reinhard Bonnke had a story headed “Nigerian certified dead, but revived days later at evangelist's meeting”. It goes like this

The dramatic documentary of a modern-day Lazarus has been released by international evangelist Reinhard Bonnke. The German preacher who has led crusades in Africa for 30 years says that the remarkable resurrection of Daniel Ekechukwu is so well-documented that no one can be unaffected by the report.

Bonnke's Christ for All Nations (CfAN) ministry has released a 45-minute video of Ekechukwu's testimony, and also reported at its Website how the Nigerian pastor had been certified dead and injected with embalming fluids before reviving three days later at a Bonnke meeting.

Ekechukwu's wife was so sure that God would bring her husband back to life after he was fatally injured in an auto accident that she persuaded the local mortuary to allow her to take his body to the church where Bonnke was preaching.

There pastors lifted Ekechukwu from the coffin in which he had been laid, and were amazed when the man started to breathe again as they prayed for him. The CfAN video includes footage of Ekechukwu beginning to stir, and later returning to the mortuary where his body had been laid out.

The "Raised from the Dead" report, subtitled "A 21st Century Resurrection Story," features interviews with one of the doctors who certified Ekechukwu dead, and the mortician. "It's shocking," one of them tells the video team. "Seeing a dead man, someone that was once dead and is now alive ... it is very shocking. To God all glory should go."

Nneka Ekechukwu says that when her husband was pronounced dead after last November's accident, she remembered promises God had given her that she would not suffer any more misfortune. "I said: 'This can't happen. I must do something, to prove God again.'"

On the third day after the accident, Ekechukwu's body was taken in its coffin to a church in Ontisha, where Bonnke was preaching at a service. The body was taken out of its coffin and put on a table in the church's conference centre, where several pastors began to pray.

Senior pastor Pat Nwachkuw Sr. tells the CfAN documentary makers that when members of the church learned about Ekechwuku's resurrection, a woman who had been on crutches threw them away and started running, and her husband ran to the church altar to ask God to forgive him his sins.

Interviewed by CfAN, Ekechukwu says when he was being taken to the hospital in the ambulance, he was visited by two angels and taken to heaven. There he saw a "multitude" of people dressed in white who were singing and praising God. Then he was taken to hell, he says.

The angel told him that he had "another chance" to go back, and that the rich man's request to Lazarus - to warn those still alive about hell - had been "granted to this generation." Ekechukwu said that he had been told he could return to the living to give "a last warning to this generation."

In commentary on the video, Bonnke says that the testimony - which has been reported in Nigerian newspapers - spoke of "stubborn faith and the miracle power of Jesus." Ekechukwu's story is a "sign from heaven," he says.

The man is in fact a pastor and knew Bonnke and his work. There is no reason to believe it is true. If it is, how come people apparently die at Bonnke rallies and how come this sort of thing is so rare?

Positive lesson: Believe the Bible not stories made up by men.

4. (11) Watch against the commands of those who reject the truth

Paul goes on to say that Titus must warn people against paying attention to the commands of those who reject the truth.

Both among Romanist and Charismatics as well as others one can find many example where people are certainly very submissive to their supposed religious superiors. One hears stories of people giving up money and homes and great fortunes to be monks or to be more committed in their local churches at the insistence of others.

Heavy shepherding is a phenomenon in many settings. This is a false understanding of submission to spiritual leaders. Numerous groups have used "shepherding" as a method of discipleship, holding that the shepherd should be consulted for all life decisions and failure to do so, or to follow the counsel of the shepherd is the sin of rebellion and a sign of spiritual immaturity.

Another way submission is required is through the teaching of a "chain of command" in one's church and family relationships. It is also called "delegated authority." These terms have been associated with abusive, controlling authority in the Discipleship, Shepherding groups.

This false teaching is found in Watchman Nee's book Spiritual Authority. Nee says (p 71) "If God dares to entrust His authority to man, then we can dare to obey. Whether the one in authority is right or wrong does not concern us. The obedient one needs only to obey. The Lord will not hold us responsible for any mistaken obedience, rather He will hold the delegated authority responsible for his erroneous act." In addition, he states, "We should not be occupied with right or wrong, good or evil; rather should we know who is the authority above us" (page 23). This is Confucianism not Christianity.

Positive lesson: Again it is the commands of God that we must listen to not the commands of men.

5. (12) Watch against the corrupt and unbelieving in mind and conscience

Verse 15 says To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. It is perhaps no surprise that false teachers are corrupt (deeply stained) and lacking in faith. Yet at the same time they often go on about how incorruptible and full of faith they are. In order to do this they have to twist the truth. But no, they are, on the one hand, like a badly stained cloth, where the dye cannot be removed and, on the other, like a wrung out rag with not a drop of moisture left, so devoid are they of real faith.

Sometimes with false teachers you wonder how they can be so stupid, some of the things they teach. For example, those who teach that the word Easter in the AV is inspired and that Holy Spirit means something different to Holy Ghost or Mrs Baker Eddy and her idea that Adam means A DAM, which means an obstruction, in which case, Adam signifies "the obstacle which the serpent, sin, would impose between man and his Creator." Do they not have a mind?

At other times you wonder if they have a conscience when they know that they are clearly taking advantage of people's gullibility.

Positive lesson: It is important that we are free from corruption and full of faith in our minds and consciences.

6. (13) Watch against those who claim to know God but deny him by their actions

Verse 16 sums up false teachers well They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.

In the case of false teachers there will again and again be seen a discrepancy at some point or other between what they say and what they do. They do not practice what they preach.

Positive lesson: Do our actions match what we say we believe?

7 (14). Watch against the detestable

Paul adds that these people are detestable. This word is only found here. It means abominable. There is something entirely obnoxious about these people.

Let me give you an example again. This is from The Vancouver Sun, May 4, 2000

4 Kenyans die waiting for miracle-cure man: The victims, including two young children, were hoping to be cured by a visiting American evangelist.

NAIROBI - Four Kenyans, including two young children, died at a religious meeting while they waited for miracle cures from a visiting American evangelist, a paper said Wednesday.  Police told the Kenya Times the four had been released from hospital to be cured at Benny Hinn's ''Miracle Crusade'' in the Kenyan capital on Sunday, but they died before Hinn could pray for them.  The dead included a four-month old baby girl and a three-year old girl who was reported to have been suffering from a heart complaint.  Ten other people suffered serious injuries including broken jaws after falling from trees they had climbed to get a view of the American preacher, who was reported to have attracted up to a million people to his two-day weekend meeting.  Hinn regularly preaches to vast audiences across the United States and his shows are broadcast on Kenya's terrestrial religious channel every night.  Preachers promising miracle cures from ailments ranging from AIDS to blindness have become increasingly popular in recent years in Kenya, a country where health care is out of the reach of many ordinary people and living standards have been gradually falling for years.

Abominable!

Positive lesson: We need to do all we can to distance ourselves from such abominably horrible evil. We must seek to be the very opposite of such people.

8. (15) Watch against the disobedient

These people are disobedient. Again it is a general description. These people do not do what the Word says, they do what they want to do. This is something else that gives them away again and again.

Positive lesson: We on the other hand must be obedient to the Word.

9. (16) Watch against those unfit for doing anything good

Finally, Paul says they are unfit for doing anything good. People sometimes excuse the false teachers by saying "but they do some good". But these people are so far gone in sin that they are not capable of doing good. Another example from a report found on the Internet.

KINGSPORT — Evangelist Ted Haggard asked the parishioners of a Kingsport church Sunday to forgive him for his 2006 sex and drug scandal, which made national headlines.

As president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Haggard said he represented each person in attendance at Grace Church Sunday morning — and “misrepresented and shamed” them whether they knew it or not.

“I just want to apologize to you this morning if that scandal caused you shame, or pain, or made your witness more difficult, or embarrassed you in any way, or caused grief in your heart, or even caused you to be judgmental or angry,” Haggard said.

Redemption and forgiveness were recurring themes of Haggard’s guest sermon at Grace Church, 1189 N. Eastman Road.

Haggard and his wife, Gayle, spoke to parishioners about how the “crisis” affected their lives, both personally and spiritually.

He said the process of receiving forgiveness from the Lord has been much easier than receiving forgiveness from people.

In 2005, Haggard was listed by Time magazine as one of the top 25 most influential evangelicals in America. He is the founder of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., which at the time of his crisis had 14,000 members.

In 2006, Haggard resigned from all of his church leadership positions after admitting to soliciting a male prostitute for sex and methamphetamine.

“I need to know, are you willing to forgive me?” Haggard asked the congregation. His question was met with applause.

The Haggards would not answer media questions Sunday, but the Times-News was permitted to listen in as they testified to the Grace Church congregation.

He described the crisis as a “moral failure involving sex and drugs.”

“There’s incredible shame and pain, and in this Internet age, nothing ever goes away,” he said. “There’s not time, nor is there distance because of the Internet.”

Haggard noted that the Lord will always forgive our sins, but people here on Earth aren’t always so forgiving. He added that the forgiveness he has received, especially from people close to him, created an atmosphere in which he could be healed.

It’s a lesson that everyone can learn from, he added.

Among those who gave Haggard forgiveness were his wife and their five children. He said the crisis allowed one daughter to see him as less than perfect.

Haggard said, “When the crisis happened she (his daughter) said ‘I am so relieved. I have always seen you as so perfect. Now I can relate to you.’ Before, people thought so highly of me that when they met me they’d be disappointed. Now they think so poorly of me when they meet me they’re relieved.”

One of the main points of Haggard’s hour-long sermon was not to turn your back on a person who sins.

Gayle Haggard said that when she was told about her husband’s involvement in a drug and sex scandal, she felt as if her life — which she described as perfect to that point — was over. She’d lost her husband, the dignity of her children, and the church she loved.

“That first night was my point of decision, and that was when I decided I am not willing to negate the 22 years we spent building this church, to negate 28 years of marriage, or our family because of this crisis,” Gayle Haggard told the Kingsport congregation. “I felt, these are the things I value, these are the things worth fighting for, and this is my test to do what I’ve taught all these women all these years — what I really do believe.”

Gayle Haggard recently wrote a book titled “Why I Stayed.”

She added, “We’re really missing it when we think that Christianity is about our own righteousness. I love the way Martin Luther says we’re at the same time saints and sinners. When Ted and I were pastoring we tried to be as compassionate and merciful as we knew how to be — as much as we understood. But what we did not know was what it felt like to be the person who needed mercy and compassion, until we walked through this.”

Ted Haggard used as an example a situation from a TV show he watched recently in which the daughter of a religious family who is part of a teenage abstinence pact becomes pregnant. The father then throws the daughter out. Haggard said that unfortunately the program depicted the way many fathers would react.

When the father was confronted with his daughter’s sin he reverted to “arrogance, highmindedness and judgmentalism,” Haggard said. The father’s hurt was more important than communication of the Gospel and the application of the Gospel.

“I think we can always evaluate where we are by how we respond to somebody else’s sin,” he said.

He added, “Are we the gathering together of the redeemed and the perfect with our righteousness? Or are we the gathering together of people who are so grateful to be redeemed and so grateful for what Jesus has done for us, and so grateful for the word of God, and because of that we welcome others who have been under the weight of sin, and we can provide a hopeful redemption for every one of them.”

Haggard noted that Jesus died on the cross for a reason, and the reason is all around us every day. “We all equally need the Lord,” he said. “That’s not to minimize my sin. My sin is great and severe. I need all of the blood of Jesus that’s available to me, and there’s an adequate amount available. But so do all of us.”

Again, it would be hard to make it up. Unbelievable. Instead of hiding away in shame, the sin is paraded before everyone.

Positive lesson: Don't unfit yourself for doing good.

10. Be prepared to act against such people

Paul says two things about dealing with them. We have no time to go into this tonight but

1. They must be silenced (11) They must not be given a platform. We must do what we can to silence them.

2. Rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith. (13) Brave action is called for. Faithful ministers must stand up and denounce the false teachers, showing them their error and hoping for a restoration.

Seven characteristics of false teachers

Text Titus 1:10-12a Time 23/06/10 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We have begun to look at the Letter of Paul to Titus who he has left in Crete to complete the work already begun on the island. After his opening greetings in verses 1-5 Paul first calls on Titus to see that elders or overseers are appointed in all the places where churches have been founded. In verses 6-9 he sets out what sort of things ought to characterise elders or indeed anyone who is to engage in Christian ministry, and we have spent some time looking at verses 6-9. At the end of that section Paul says that the final requirement for an elder is that He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught. This is for two reasons – firstly, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and secondly so that he can refute those who oppose it. Paul then takes up this latter point – the need to refute those who oppose the trustworthy message as it has been taught. He says that the reason that such negative work is needed is that there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach, etc.

Even in those early days for the gospel in Crete there were false teachers who wormed their way into the churches and led people astray with their false doctrines, teachings not in accord with the trustworthy message as it has been taught. And it is the same today.

It is not entirely clear which people Paul has in mind here when he speaks of those of the circumcision group who were ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach. These could involve a range of people and that is how it has continued to be down the ages.

1 Sometimes the problem is a true Christian under bad influence who is teaching what is false

2 Sometimes it is a false teacher within a Christian congregation who has gone wrong

3 Sometimes it is a false teacher outside the fellowship who claims still to be one of us

4 At other times it is a straightforward case of an outsider who doesn't even claim to be one of us

Take as an example Romanism. That is a false system that puts tradition on the same authority level as the Bible and teaches a form of salvation by works. Some advocate it from outside Protestantism and rightly say it is quite different from Protestantism. Others promote it from outside Protestantism but claim it is not really very much different. Romanists have been known to infiltrate supposedly Protestant churches and teach what is false and certainly it is possible for someone exposed to such teaching to start preaching it as if it was in the Bible.

Or take the health and wealth prosperity gospel (the view that God wants every believer to be healthy and wealthy here and now). Some are advocating it from right outside the Christian mainstream. Others are in what otherwise appear to be regular Christian churches and organisations. Such people can sometimes infiltrate churches that are perfectly good otherwise and teach this false view. Certainly it is possible for someone to read the books of Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, T D Jakes, Benny Hinn and others or take it in via conferences and other means and to start preaching it as if it was in the Bible.

These false teachers will all have certain characteristics that are peculiar to their time and place. We don't know the exact nature of the false teaching that was having such an influence in Crete. It sounds more like the Colossian heresy than the Galatian one. It is unlikely to be exactly the same, however. It certainly won't arise in that exact form again today. Satan is able to inspire all sorts of variations on a fairly limited theme. However, having said that, what characterised the Cretan heresy in general terms is likely to characterise false teachings today too. It is useful, therefore that we pick out these characteristics and remind ourselves of the way in which those wolves in sheep's clothing that Jesus and his apostles warned us about operate. Here in verses 10-16 there are about 15 characteristics that come out altogether. Paul also says something about opposing them. What I want us to do is to look at each of these in turn and so remind ourselves of the way that false teachers within or without are likely to operate in our day. We will look at seven characteristics this week and, God willing, eight more next time. So we say

1. Watch against the rebellious

Paul begins by saying (10) that there are many rebellious people. They are unruly, insubordinate. They refuse to submit to control. They are basically unwilling to knuckle under to the Word. They have an unsubmissive, unteachable spirit. Now we all have this streak in us to some degree. We rebel by nature. Part of becoming a Christian is to submit to God and his Word. False teachers, however, oppose God and his gospel. It is not always obvious. In some groups there is a tight authority structure and so some people can appear very humble and submissive. Think of nuns and monks, certain JWs we have met, perhaps. But what are they submitting to? If it is not to God and his Word then it is only a subtle form of rebellion, not true submission at all.

Positive lesson: Be humbly submissive to the Word of God.

Colossians 3:16 says Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. That should be our attitude to the Word.

2. Watch against mere talkers

Paul calls them mere talkers – empty or vain talkers. 1 Timothy 6 similarly talks of people who have turned aside to meaningless talk. False teachers can often be fluent and eloquent speakers but the substance of what they say is empty and false. Benny Hinn once got carried with his own rhetoric and proclaimed that each person of the Trinity was also a Trinity. As he put it “There's nine of them”. Of course, that is not only complete nonsense but false doctrine.

I read an interesting statement by someone supporting the health and wealth preacher Joel Osteen that said “Because of his motivational charisma and eloquence many might think that Joel Osteen is not spreading the gospel, yet his detractors only show their ignorance in Biblical knowledge. While most of the world study and dwell in the doomsday, painful parts of the Bible, Joel Osteen only preaches and teaches the upbeat parts of the Bible.” Eloquence does not prove a man is a false teacher but if it is mere talk then it must be ignored. The same thing can be said for intellectual and academic skills. The new perspective on Paul is something being pushed by scholars but that fact should not unduly influence us. Scholars can be wrong. Such things do not prove a man is a false teacher by any means but if it is mere scholarship then it must be ignored.

Positive lesson: Speak as well as you can but speak the truth.

In Ephesians 4:14, 15 Paul envisages a day when we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Aim for that.

3. Watch against deceivers

Paul also refers to these men as deceivers. More literally they are mind deceivers. With their seductive teaching, their fascinating but perilous lies, they lead people astray. Exaggeration, under statement, embellishment, misinformation – these are all weapons in the armoury of the false teacher. We must take care that we are not deceived by such lies.

The story of the German American TV evangelist Peter Popoff is an obvious example of this sort of thing. The so-called faith healer based in California was very popular minister in the 1980s but went bankrupt in 1987 when sceptics James Randi and Alexander Jason exposed his method of receiving information about attendees at his meeting from his wife via an in-ear receiver. He would also have people get up out of wheelchairs at his meetings who were able to walk. He has since returned to his ministry.

That is a blatant example but there are many other cases of such deceit and we ought to recognise that such things go on.

A number of incidents involving California-based televangelist Morris Cerullo caused outrage here in the 1990s. Cerullo's claims of faith healing were the focus of particular concern. At a London crusade in 1992, he pronounced a child with cancer to have been healed, yet the girl died two months later. Multiple complaints were upheld against satellite channels transmitting Cerullo's claims of faith-healing. A panel of doctors concluded that Cerullo's claims of miraculous healing powers could not be substantiated. Cerullo also produced fund-raising material that was condemned as unethical by a number of religious leaders, as it implied that giving money to his organisation would result in family members becoming Christians.

Positive lesson: We must do all we can to be honest and upright before God and men

What a contrast with Paul's own ministry. He says in 2 Corinthians 4:2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

4. Such people are usually religious but this proves nothing

Paul says that the people he has in mind are especially those of the circumcision group. These were mainly Jews then. I think that we have to accept that such rebellious and deceitful and empty talk is more likely to come from religious people than others. Perhaps we are tempted to think that religious people are more trustworthy then others – more honest, more biblical – in fact there is no reason to think like that. Indeed in some ways false teachers are more likely to be found among the religious than elsewhere.

Positive lesson: Let us not think that being religious is some sort of achievement

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless James reminds us (1:27) is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

5. Watch against teachers of ruinous false doctrine

Paul goes on they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach. The false teachers trade on the fact that people are so ignorant The problem often begins in people's homes. In the past a personal visit was necessary. Today people can worm their way in through TV and radio broadcasts or the Internet. The JWs are a prime example of the old fashioned method with their door to door work, deliberately designed to catch out the unwary. The so called God channel is full of all sorts of other false teachers who are using more modern methods. Wherever false teaching raises its head, however, it will ruin not just individuals but whole households too.

Positive lesson: See the importance of the home and the need to establish godliness there

Already in Titus 1:6 we have had the statement An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.

6. Watch against those who are eager for dishonest gain

Perhaps one of the most obvious marks of the false teacher is that they teach what is false for the sake of dishonest gain.

We just mentioned Popoff. Reliable figures reveal that in 2005 he received $628,732, his wife Elizabeth received $203,029, his son received $182,166 and his daughter received $176, 290 with $23,556,469 in revenue.

In 2007 Senator Chuck Grassley opened a probe into the finances of six televangelists who preach a prosperity gospel. The probe is expected to investigate reports of lavish lifestyles by televangelists including: fleets of Rolls Royces, palatial mansions, private jets and other expensive items purportedly paid for by television viewers who donate due to the ministries' encouragement of offerings. The six under investigation include Kenneth (and Gloria) Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer.

Positive Lesson: God will provide all that we need if we simply look to him. Money is not something we need to worry about.

1 Timothy 6:10 famously warns us that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

7. Watch against liars

In verse 12 Paul begins Even one of their own prophets has said, Cretans are always liars, etc. The quotation is from Epimenides who was born in Cnossos on Crete. To "play the Cretan" was in those days to tell lies. Paul says later (13) This testimony is true. The Cretans had a reputation for lying. It all began with their claim that Zeus was born on the island. For Paul it chimes in well with the fact that false teachers teach lies. Not only are they deceivers but what they say is lies too. Then they were saying that circumcision was an important thing and that faith alone was not enough. Still today people downplay faith and want to add to it all sorts of other things. They tell lies about what God wants and how he deals with people. They lie and say there is no after life or that everyone goes to heaven or that there is a purgatory where even very bad people can eventually be fitted for heaven. We must not listen to such lies whoever they come from.

Positive lesson: This reminds us of the need to stick to the truth and to only believe and teach what we know is really true.

Remember Jesus's prayer in John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Holding firmly

Text Titus 1:9 Time 09/06/10 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We are looking at Titus 1:6-9, the list of qualifications for elders that is parallel with the one in 1 Timothy 3. We have said that there are two obvious ways to use such verses

1. If you are an elder or would like to be one then here is the standard - quite forbidding in some ways but impossible given the grace of God.

2. Further, we can use these verses to examine ourselves, elders or not.

We've already asked several questions

1. What is the situation at home? The elder must be

1 The husband of but one wife. This suggests a strong marriage and precludes an immoral man.

2 A man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. If he has children they must not be obvious rebels who break out in obvious ways.

2. How are you doing in these five areas?

An elder is not only like a father over his family but also a steward or manager over a household.

1 Using authority - Not overbearing

2 Not quick-tempered 

3 Not given to drunkenness. We must be hospitable not over indulgent.

4 Not violent or not a striker. Violence and intimidation are out of court for any who engage in Christian ministry.

5 Avoiding pursuing dishonest gain.

3. How are you doing in these areas? In contrast to the five negatives Paul lists some six positives:

1 What about hospitality? Rather he must be hospitable.

2 What about loving what is good? One who loves what is good.

3 What about self-control? Who is self-controlled.

4 What about being upright? Upright. However, Paul is using the word here in the sense of being just and fair and honest towards all men.

5 What about being holy? The word Paul uses for holy is not the more familiar one that points to being separate or distinct. This word means pure, unsullied, unspotted, free of pollution. Holiness is absolutely vital if we are ever to be of any use to God.

6 What about being disciplined? The word used here evokes similar ideas to those of being self-controlled. Literally it means one in control of strength. Masterful. What are you doing to take control of your body? How disciplined are you in your daily living?

The final statement comes in verse 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

This applies most of all to elders but also suggests the direction in which all believers should be headed.

There are a number of things to notice

1. Consider the requirement to hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught
There are really two things to notice here
1. There is a trustworthy message that has been taught

Some people would deny that the New Testament really has a coherent message. Others are happy to accept that it has a coherent message but they do not consider it trustworthy or reliable. Others suggest a certain vagueness about the message and so suggest that it is difficult to be sure how the message should be proclaimed today. In fact, a careful study of the New Testament shows that there was a definite and clear cut message that was preached consistently and clearly in New Testament times and that is preserved for us today to also believe. This is why Paul refers here to the trustworthy message as it has been taught. He also speaks (2:1) about the need to teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. All the way through the pastoral letters you get this sort of language

In 1 Timothy 1:10, 11 he talks about whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. He speaks of himself (2:7 ) as a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles and urges Timothy to be (4:6) a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Command and teach these things (not anything else) he says (4:11). These are the things you are to teach and urge on them ... the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ ... godly teaching, (6:2, 3).

2 Timothy 1:13, 14 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

In 4:3 he speaks of how the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

So we have The trustworthy message as it has been taught ... what is in accord with sound doctrine ... the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me ... the true faith ... the truths of the faith ... the good teaching that you have followed ... These are the things you are to teach and urge on them ... the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ ... godly teaching ... the pattern of sound teaching ... the good deposit that was entrusted to you ... sound doctrine.

That conjures up a very distinct body of teaching. It is the same elsewhere in the New Testament. Elsewhere Paul writes of wholeheartedly obeying the form of teaching to which you were committed and the teaching which you have learned (Romans 6:17, 16:17). In 1 Corinthians 11:2 he speaks of holding to the teachings (traditions) just as I passed them on to you and in more than one place he talks of what he received as a tradition and passing it on to them. In 1 Thessalonians 3:6 he speaks of the teaching you received from us.

Finally, don't forget 2 John 9, 10 and Jude 3 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him ... the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

The actual phrase here in Titus 1:9 is the faithful or trustworthy word. Here is a word that you can trust and this is the word that has been taught. What is that word? Well, more extensively it is what is found throughout the New Testament, the apostles' teaching (as it is called in Acts 2:42). In four places in the pastorals we have trustworthy or faithful sayings that seem to be attempts to sum up the vital elements in this body of doctrine. These are teachings that all Christian should know and believe and be eager to pass on.

1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

1 Timothy 4:8, 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labour and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him, we will also live with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him.

If we disown him, he will also disown us;

if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

Titus 3:3-8 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.

2. Those who wish to be useful in serving God must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as taught

Now concerning this word or message, Paul says elders must hold firmly to it. They must cling to it. They must cuddle it or nurse it. These things must be closer to them than their own breath. They must eat, drink and sleep these things so that they become so much a part of him that they can talk about them in their sleep.

I'm sure we don't know some doctrines nearly as well as we ought to – the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, the way of salvation, the doctrine of the last things. Theology, Christology, Pneumatology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology – they all need work in most cases. There are lots of helps for us in this direction today. One way we can help ourselves is by learning to explain these things.

Take justification by faith. Can you explain how we are sinful by nature, not only because we do things that are against God's law but also because we are are fallen in Adam and need to be put right? Can you explain how by coming as the God man Jesus of Nazareth who lived a perfect life and suffered a penal substitutionary death on the cross has opened up a way for all who trust in him to be justified? We who are elders should be able to do this but so should most Christians if they have been believers for any length of time. Sometimes we do know but find it hard to articulate and part of being an elder is that you are able to articulate. We all need to get to know our doctrine better, however.

2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

How can we improve our grasp? We need to get to know our Bibles better. We need to read more, meditate more, memorise more. It is important too to listen to sermons. Reading good books can also help. Be on the watch for error.

2. Consider why we must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, for two reasons. Someone has put it this way “The shepherd must be able to tend the sheep and drive away wolves”.

1. So that he can encourage others by sound doctrine

Some people don't think of doctrine as encouraging but it is – or it can be at least. Isn't it encouraging to know that God has sent his Son into the world (the incarnation we call it)? Isn't the doctrine of election encouraging once you understand it properly? Certainly the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints ought to cheer us. Even doctrines like original sin and total depravity and the last judgement at least make sense of what is a fallen and wicked world? Doesn't the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture and the coming of the Holy Spirit encourage you? And think of the fact of the resurrection and the Second Coming. What about the doctrine of the church – the church militant and the church triumphant, the church on earth and in heaven. Doctrine can be very encouraging indeed if we hold firmly to it. Elders should do all they can to inform and remind the people of sound doctrine so that they may be encouraged.

2. So that he can refute those who oppose it

This is the other side of the coin. It is important that elders spend part of their time warning against error. Just as in New Testament times so today there are all sorts of errors about – errors from without and errors from within; errors of Romanism and so called Orthodoxy, errors of the cults, errors of liberals on one hand and certain fundamentalists on the other.

Today, because the world is global village, the errors seem to come thick and fast and it is not always easy to decide which to mention and which to simply ignore. Partly this depends on the congregation. When I first came here I was keen to debunk the charismatic movement because some had been exposed to it where as now I rarely mention it as it does not appear to be the draw it once was for most, although the health and wealth gospel, for example, is so widespread that I often want to seek to refute it.

In recent years the false doctrines that have been most conspicuous among evangelicals have been what is called "open theism" (which is basically the idea that God is not omniscient), the new perspective on Paul's understanding of justification by faith (which threatens once again the biblical doctrine that a person is made right with God by faith alone) and the onslaught on the traditional doctrine of the atonement that came to prominence with Steve Chalke's unhelpful reference to penal substitutionary atonement as a case of “cosmic child abuse”. We have not attacked these false doctrines as far as I am aware directly but I have sought to keep up with the debates so that my preaching is informed by an awareness of the issues. In stating our doctrines we will sometimes have to be negative and say that the Bible teaches this but not that, that but not this.

Christian doctrine is a wonderful thing – it is, paradoxically, to be held on to and passed on. It is there to encourage believers and to refute false teachers.

Upright, Holy and Disciplined

Text Titus 1:8b Time 02/06/10 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church
We are looking at Titus 1:6-9. Titus you remember has been left in Crete to “straighten out” certain things, as Paul puts it, following the planting of churches on the island. Especially, there was a need to appoint elders in every town, as Paul had previously directed. This leads Paul to list the qualifications of elders in verses 6-9. It is one of two such lists in the New Testament. The other is in 1 Timothy 3. The list in Titus is really in three or four parts.

1. (6) An elder must be blameless and a good family man - the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.

2. Then (7) Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless – followed by some five negatives and six positives. He must not be overbearing, quick- tempered, given to drunkenness, violent or one who pursues dishonest gain.

3. Rather (8) he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.

4. Finally, he says (9) that He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, the reason being so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

As we have said, there are two obvious ways to use such verses

1. If you are an elder or would like to be one then here is the standard - quite forbidding in some ways but impossible given the grace of God. Elders should regularly look at such a passage – as painful as it is. It also serves as a guide to praying for present elders – that they will be as described here and for future elders - that they will attain to what is set down here.

2. Further, we can use these verses to examine ourselves, elders or not. Am I in my family setting all I ought to be? Am I seeking to be blameless – not overbearing, quick- tempered, given to drunkenness, violent or pursuing dishonest gain. Do I seek to be hospitable, a lover of what is good, ... self-controlled, upright, holy ... disciplined? And may be there are other applications too.

We have already asked at least 3 questions

1. What is the situation at home? There are two things. The elder must be

1 The husband of but one wife. This suggests a strong marriage and precludes an immoral man.

2 A man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. If he has children they must not be obvious rebels who break out in obvious ways.

2. How are you doing in these five areas? An elder is not only like a father over his family but also like a steward or manager over a household.

1 Using authority - Not overbearing – not self-willed, not self-pleasing or arrogant.

2 Not quick-tempered. An elder must not be the sort of person who easily gets angry.

3 Next we have not given to drunkenness. We must be hospitable but that can bring is the temptation to over indulgence. Take care.

4 The call not to be violent or not to be a striker may seem a little obvious. Why is it there? Perhaps because of the opposition that inevitably comes to most elders. Violence and intimidation are out of court for any who engage in Christian ministry.

5 The call to avoid pursuing dishonest gain.

3. How are you doing in these three areas?

In contrast to the five negatives Paul lists some six positives. We looked at these three last time

1. What about hospitality? Rather he must be hospitable. Hospitality is something that is spoken of very positively throughout the Bible and is something that all Christians are expected to give themselves too, not just elders.

2.What about loving what is good? one who loves what is good. This is very generalised. The actual word Paul uses is only found here but the idea is everywhere in the Bible.

3. What about self-control? who is self-controlled. The primary meaning of the word used here to be sane or in one's right mind. It means to have your faculties under control. It then came to be used for being temperate, sober-minded, having control of one's desires and impulses. Sensible in an ethical sense.

Tonight I want us to consider the other three points in verse 8. So

1. What about being upright?

Upright. The word used for upright or righteous or innocent is one found in many, many places throughout the Bible. To be righteous is to be as one ought to be. It is to be just, to be correct. Now in the fullest sense only Jesus Christ is righteous. He is the Righteous One. To be righteous before God it is necessary for us to trust in Christ and so be justified.

However, Paul is using the word here in a secondary sense – in the sense of being just and fair and honest towards all men. Obviously you cannot really have the one without the other. If you are not upright in the way you live – fair in judging yourself – then you will not be fair or just towards others.

Are you upright? Do yo lead a moral life, a good life? Are you obedient to God's Word? How are you in dealing with others? Are you fair? Are you just? Or are you biased – showing favouritism to one and being prejudiced against another? The people God uses are fair, upright, honest, true. They can be trusted to weigh up matters judiciously and to do the right thing.

2. What about being holy?

The word Paul uses for holy is not the more familiar one that points to being separate or distinct. This word means pure, unsullied, unspotted, free of pollution, untainted by sin. Those who serve God are to be pure and pious people who have been set free from what is wicked and seek to do what is morally pure. Again, we have to say that ultimately it is only Christ who reaches such a high standard. He is the Holy one. However, it is the duty of every true believer to seek to emulate that holiness in his daily life.

Think of how Paul writes, for example, in Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:10 Paul wrote You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. What he himself practised he expected all elders to seek to live out.

Again we have to ask ourselves how well the word describes us? Are you holy or pious? Could you speak in the way that Paul does writing to the Thessalonians? Are you constantly seeking to put off the deceitful desires of your old self? Are you seeking to be made new in your attitudes, putting on the self and so seeking to be like God in true righteousness and holiness? Holiness is absolutely vital if we are ever to be of any use to God.

3. What about being disciplined?

The word used here evokes similar ideas to those of being self-controlled. Literally it means one in control of strength. It is used for being strong in a thing - masterful. Masterful is a word that the sports journalists like to use. So earlier this year one wrote about Andy Murray in the Australian Open
“The 22 year-old Scot gave a masterful display in dismantling giant American John Isner 7-6 6-3 6-2 to make the last eight at Melbourne Park, where he was awaiting the winner of Rafael Nadal's match against another member of the giant brigade, Ivo Karlovic.”
In other words, Andy Murray has honed his tennis skills to such a degree that beating the American was still difficult but not that difficult – it was something he could do without too much apparent trouble. The strength in mind here is that which is able to resist carnal desires and appetites so that they do not lead to sin. Such self-discipline or self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit. It is one of the things that Peter (2 Peter 1) urges believers to add to their faith - make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;and to knowledge, self-control .... Remember again Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

What are you doing to take control of your body? How disciplines are you in your daily living? Do you sleep when you ought to sleep and wake when you ought to wake? Do you work when you should work and relax when you should relax? Have you built into your life time for the Lord on the Lord's day and then on the other days of the week – time for prayer, time for the Word? Are there times for the various things you have committed yourself to week by week? Are you using your time well? Are you making the most of every opportunity? Are you punctual and regular in your habits? The people God uses exhibit such characteristics.

Conclusion

I trust then that you have some idea of the graces Paul is speaking of here. Now how should we respond to this? What should we do? How should we react? In conclusion I want to say four things

1 First, we need to look again at our priorities and particularly our understanding of what makes a person useful to God. What sort of elders does a church need? What sort of deacons and Sunday School teachers, etc? Perhaps we think that what we need is people who are dynamic, men and women with vitality and enthusiasm – good speakers with fine personalities. Sometimes we are tempted to just look for anyone willing.

We need to look at ourselves too. What sort of people are we? What sort of people are we aiming to be? We can all have ambitions but what sort of people are we aiming to be? What qualities are we seeking to develop in ourselves? God is not interested so much in personality and great talents. What God's Word stresses is being upright and holy and disciplined. These are the things that count.

2. Second, clearly there is the need to confess our failure. We are guilty of quite wrong attitudes so often and in particular tonight we should be ashamed of our lack of uprightness, holiness and discipline.

3. Confession should lead to repentance. Merely to confess and not to repent is no good at all. We must change. We must turn away from our lack of uprightness and holiness and our ill discipline.

4. Above all we need to get a renewed vision of Jesus and what he has done. Think of his uprightness, his holiness, his discipline – seen every step of the way while he was here on earth. We need to focus on our Saviour and on his greatness. That is the only thing that will do us any good in the end.
It is only the grace of God that will enable us to say no to wickedness and impiety and ill-discipline. It is those who await the blessed hope – the return of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ – who will learn to be upright, godly and disciplined. Why did Christ die? To redeem for himself a people to be his very own. All who trust in him are part of that great company. They are being won back from wickedness and sin and being purified and disciplined to serve him.

Are you in that number? Have you put your faith in Christ? That is the only way to be upright and holy and disciplined. That is the only way to salvation. Only Christ can make you upright, holy and disciplined. No-one else can do it. Trust in him and in his power to enable you to say no.