How Should the Church Respond to the Truth? #2

It's the gospel that will save sinners. It's the gospel that is the only hope for your children. It's the gospel that's the only hope for lost people in your workplace and in your neighborhood. It's the gospel. It's the gospel. It's the gospel.

Focus on that is what this passage is telling us. Welcome back to The Truth Pulpit with Don Green, founding pastor of Truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. I'm Bill Wright, and today Don continues our series in the book of Titus titled, God's Glorious Plan of Grace. He'll be concluding a message called, How Should the Church Respond to the Truth?

Last time Don gave us the first two of three responses. We are to powerfully proclaim and reverently receive the truth. Today Don will cover the manner in which we are to defend the truth.

He will remind us that we must ignore the many distractions that would deter us from a rigorous defense. So turn in your Bible to Titus chapter 3 as we join our teacher now in The Truth Pulpit. We receive the truth, we believe it, and then, beloved, we pay attention to how we live. If this is true, if the gospel is true, and it is, then it affects the way that we live.

It changes everything. True salvation changes us. It changes us first of all because there has been a transforming work of the Spirit of God on our hearts that has imparted new spiritual life to us.

Scripture says the Holy Spirit comes and indwells everyone who believes in Christ. That in itself, that complete radical change of nature guarantees that a new life must flow from true salvation. In addition to that, as we think about these things, as we think about the glory of the gospel, it transforms our motivations. It narrows greatly the sphere of things that we care about in this life and says, I just want to devote my life to the truth of the gospel. I want whatever I do in my secular employment, whatever I do in school, whatever I do in the realm of life, I just want that to somehow to contribute to the glory of this great glorious gospel that Paul's been talking about in verses 4 through 7.

The glory of the gospel defines your motivation in life if you're a Christian. How that works out differs from one to the other. How you apply it is what I'm saying.

It differs from person to person. But the truth of the matter is, is that for you as a Christian, it's no different from me as a Christian. In that, if you're a true Christian, the gospel defines your motivation in life. And everything else flows from how you view the gospel.

If you've received it reverently, then obviously that would be the case. And that lets us say this without apology or qualification. This very point, the impact that the gospel has on a person's life, this is the dividing line, this is the defining difference between true Christians and those who only claim to be Christians. True Christians and false Christians. This defines the difference. If someone's life is unchanged, they've never been converted to begin with.

It couldn't be any other way. The gospel is too powerful. The Holy Spirit is so omnipotent.

He is so powerful and he so works to change people into the image of Christ. You go from darkness to light and nothing changes? Please, that's ridiculous. And that exposes how foolish it is to say, oh, but I raised my hand at a meeting. I walked an aisle. That doesn't mean anything if there wasn't something different on the other side of that that lasted. You see, it's conversion. There's real change. And when we understand that as regenerate, born-again believers, we say, oh yeah, I'll pursue that. I aim my mind, I aim my will, my volition at this, we say. This is the defining mark of life. Turn over to James chapter 2 to just reinforce that point briefly. We receive the truth reverently, we believe it, and we behave in response to it.

It changes the way we live. That's what true salvation does. James, just after the book of Hebrews. James chapter 2 verse 14. What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works, can that faith save him?

If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food and one of you says to them, go in peace, be warmed, and be filled, and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead being by itself. See, it's not that those works contribute to our merit before God and somehow help us earn salvation.

That's not the point. The point in James is that someone who's truly converted, true faith changes the way that they live. And what James is saying in reverse is if there hasn't been a change, there hasn't been conversion to begin with. And so we behave. It changes the way we live. When someone's need crosses our path, we stop and find a way to meet it if we have the ability to do that. That honors the gospel. It makes our lives profitable to men. It displays the earnestness with which we have received what we say we believe.

And that's the motivation. Not to earn merit, but in response to grace already received, we behave. We live in accordance with what scripture teaches us to do.

And so, what does the church do in response to the truth? First of all, we proclaim the truth powerfully. Secondly, we receive the truth reverently. And thirdly, we defend the truth diligently. We defend the truth diligently. Look back to Titus 3. Titus chapter 3. I want to remind you that we're talking more than just what we do as individuals in response to the gospel.

Although that's included in it. Paul here, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is defining what a local body of believers is to do corporately with the truth. We don't just gather together willy-nilly and just talk about different things and then scatter out. You see, there's a defining purpose to the existence of a local church. There is a defining purpose for which we exist as a body, and we're part of that. A purpose in our existence is to defend this precious truth from verses 4 through 7. What Paul does here in the verses that remain, 9 through 11, is he shows us the different threats that come in the life of a local church and how it is that leadership in a church is to respond to those threats.

We defend the truth diligently. Look, most of you have all been in churches for a period of years. You know by experience that diversions arise in the life of a church. Things come that get people off track, whatever those things may be.

You start out well, but then things just kind of drift away from what originally brought believers together. How do we protect ourselves against that? How do we protect ourselves when we know that the gospel is so precious?

What do we do? What are we to be on guard for? Well, that's what Paul is going to go on to explain. And the first thing that he says, the first aspect of defending the truth diligently is this, reject, follow this, this is really definingly important, we reject doctrinal distractions. We reject doctrinal distractions. Remember, the gospel, this is all about the gospel, verses 4 through 7, the clear, unadulterated, powerful, saving gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel that saved you and me. What do we do with that? The focus on the redemptive work of Christ, the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, the justification that belongs to us, our future hope. What do we do with that?

Well, part of it is that you don't get off base. You keep your eye on the ball, so to speak. We reject doctrinal distractions. Paul says, Titus, he says, Christians, listen to me, do not get caught up in foolish controversies over minor points that don't matter. This is so important. Don't get caught up in doctrinal distractions, in little disputes that have nothing to do with the centrality of the gospel of Christ.

Keep the first things first. Look at verse 9. This helps you understand why he says what he says right here. He just said in verse 8, this is a trustworthy statement.

Speak confidently about these things. Now, by contrast, he says, verse 9, but I've told you what to do, now I'm going to tell you what not to do. See, he covers it positive and negative, pro and con. He gives us both sides of the understanding so that we can find our path through the distractions that would undermine the clarity and the purity of the gospel.

That's what he's doing here. This is all about the gospel. And so he says there in verse 9, he says, avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. Apparently, some of those with Jewish influence. Remember, I want to remind you that a big element of the problem in the island of Crete was a Jewish emphasis that people were trying to bring to the teaching. Look over at chapter 1, verse 14.

You can see the background. He doesn't go into too much detail, but Paul gives the background. He says in verse 13, this testimony is true. For this reason, reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. Now we come to our verse, verse 9. Go back to Titus 3, verse 9. He says, avoid foolish controversies, genealogies.

Apparently, there were teachers that wove fantastic stories about Old Testament genealogies and the people that were listed there that had no basis in Scriptures. He said, strife. Avoid these disputes over words. And avoid disputes over the law.

Avoid disputes over the Mosaic law. He says, avoid that. Don't get caught up in that. He says, to avoid it, that means to turn away from it.

Don't give it ground to take root. Don't even engage the discussion. Some people find an issue that they think is important, and they want to press it.

And so they want to argue about this. Well, what do you think about this? Okay. No, no, no.

What do you think? This is important. I define this as important for the life of the church. Wait, wait, wait. Well, what does this have to do with the Gospel?

Well, not much. I don't even want to hear it. You just close your ears to it. You turn away from it. You see, it's not unkind. And here's what we need to understand as a body of believers in Christ. When those things come up, it is not, it is not, it is not unkind for us to refuse the dispute. It is not unkind for us not to spend our time and spend hours tracing down answers and clarifications to these side points that have nothing to do with the Gospel.

That is not unkind. That is being obedient. Because that's what Scripture tells us to do.

Don't get off track on these side discussions that don't matter. You see, and why is that so important? Why is it that you wouldn't engage pulpit discussions over Old Testament genealogies or minor points about the Old Testament law?

Why would you do that? Beloved, it's all about the Gospel. It's all about the purity and the clarity of the Gospel. If you start to engage these side disputes that have nothing to do with the redemption of Christ, the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, the doctrine of regeneration, future judgment, the errors of eternal life, when you start to focus on things that aren't really clearly tied into those issues, to those doctrines, people lose sight of what's important.

See, Christ came and fulfilled the Old Testament law so that we could move on to the Gospel where ministers of the new covenant, Paul says. And so, let's put it this way, it's so important I look for different ways to say it, to make it clear. Even if someone is well-intentioned, even if someone is well-intentioned, we don't have to impute ill motives, even if they're well-intentioned, we don't let someone hijack the teaching of the church into issues that don't matter. You stop it. You don't let that happen.

Why? Not because we don't care about these people, but because they don't get it. And when they don't get it, they have no business setting the teaching agenda of the church through continued controversies and objections and contentions. Because the prevailing motivation in that, beloved, is that we don't want the Gospel to get lost in the clutter because the Gospel's too precious to let that happen. That's the Gospel that saved us, not minor points from the Old Testament. It's the Gospel that will save sinners. It's the Gospel that is the only hope for your children. It's the Gospel that's the only hope for lost people in your workplace and in your neighborhood. It's the Gospel, it's the Gospel, it's the Gospel!

Focus on that! That is what this passage is telling us. And it's not that we're missing something when we do that. Look at the end of verse 9.

Paul says, Those disputes are unprofitable and worthless. So before a church gets engaged in a big discussion about some point of Bible knowledge, we've got to step back and ask ourselves, what does this have to do about proclaiming the Gospel? And that defining commitment to defend and proclaim the Gospel with power will keep things better on track. That's why we avoid it. That's why we turn away. We have to reject doctrinal distractions in order to defend the truth diligently.

Now secondly, this is a sub-point. We defend the truth diligently by rejecting doctrinal distractions. We defend the truth diligently by this second sub-point. We reject divisive people.

We reject divisive people. And we especially need this instruction in our post-modern culture that thinks that the worst thing that you can do is offend someone. Or to be too precise and too particular about truth that you're contending for. We have to realize that we're fish swimming in an environment that is utterly contrary to what Scripture is describing here. It is not the worst thing that you can do to stand for something.

Hurting someone's feelings by being obedient to the Scripture is not unloving or unkind. We can't import that mindset into the truth. We have a job to do, beloved. We have a truth to defend.

We have a precious pearl of great price that is in front of us. And we give our life and we give our energy, and if necessary, we give our blood to protect that. And not only to protect the Gospel, but to protect those that are under the sphere of our ministry, that come to our church for leadership. Because we understand that these doctrinal distractions and divisive people have a destructive impact have a destructive impact on the people of God. Go back to Titus 1, verse 10.

We're not here to please all men at all costs. We're here to be faithful to the Gospel and faithful to the people of God. Verse 10, There are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. See, there's another flare out against the Jewish influence there. Who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. See, the church isn't a town hall. The church isn't a town hall where every opinion has equal value and everybody gets to say whatever they want.

That's not the case. That's not the purpose of the church. If someone wants that, they can get into politics.

If they want that, they can go to a different place that does different things. In the church of Jesus Christ, we need to be, we must be focused on what the truth is. And Paul says, and so with that background in mind, look at verse 10. We say that we reject divisive people. Here it is plainly in the text. It's talking about inside the body of Christ, not outside dealing with unbelievers. This is inside the body of Christ. Paul says, reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

Who's a factious man? He's a man who's chosen to be divisive. He wants to focus on the issues forbidden in chapter 3 verse 9. He gathers a group of people.

He picks off individuals to come after and follow him. That way he can be the authority and sets himself in opposition to church leadership, either personally or against the doctrine of a church. And here he is, siphoning away people, siphoning away people from the leadership that is proclaiming the gospel and siphoning them away to his own little brand of whatever it is that he teaches.

What do you do with that? Listen, this is one of the hard elements of church leadership and church responsibility, and it is primarily on church leadership to implement this, but you can't allow that to continue because it is a threat to the gospel. It has a house divided against itself must fall, Jesus said.

You can't allow that kind of division to take place. You can't have people rising up and opposing what is taught or opposing leadership in open, defiant ways because it's not about the leadership. It's about the gospel. It is about the gospel. It is about protecting the purity of the gospel.

It is about protecting the clarity of the gospel because it is so precious that you can do nothing else but defend it. Now, God tells us here how to deal with this. We don't deal with it abruptly.

We don't even deal with it unkindly, but we do deal with it clearly. In verse 11, Paul says, when you get to that point in the life of the body of Christ in dealing with the man, let this settle into your mind, Paul says in verse 11, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning being self-condemned. You see, his refusal to receive the admonishment, to receive the warning, after two warnings and he's still refusing, it displays what he really is. You don't have to say anything about it because he's self-condemned. His response to that loving instruction from leadership condemns himself. And so Paul says, reject him, send him away from the fellowship and go on in peace and then get back to the purity and the clarity and the greatness of the gospel because the gospel is so precious that that's what we focus on. Romans 16 verse 17, I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what they say to the contrary.

They're slaves not of our Lord Jesus Christ, but of their own appetites. And by their smooth and flattering speech, they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. Ah, it's not that they come in waving a gun around to create their divisions.

It's smooth. Hey, come listen. Well, we've got to be on guard against that. We realize we understand how they operate and we protect each other from that. That's what we do.

That's what a church does in response to the gospel. We proclaim it with power. We receive it with reverence. We defend it with diligence.

That's what we do. That's what a church does in response to the truth. It proclaims it.

It responds to it. It defends it. Not for our sake, but for His. The truth of God's word is precious and the church's job to proclaim, receive, and defend it is a privilege, not a burden. In addition, we are called to good works, not to be saved, but because we are saved. And Pastor Don Green will address the issue of Christian good deeds next time on The Truth Pulpit as he continues our series, Titus, God's Glorious Plan of Grace. Well, Don, sadly, some churches have given in to compromise.

How can listeners deal with that if it arises? Well, my friend, first of all, I would encourage you to take some responsibility for your own spiritual growth. The Bible says that the Bereans heard the Apostle Paul teaching, and yet they still examine the Scriptures daily to see whether what he said was accurate.

You need to do that, too. As you're growing, perhaps you find that you're in an unbiblical church and you didn't realize it before. If that's the case, my friend, love Christ enough to leave and find a place that will instruct you in biblical truth.

It may be difficult, but Christ will bless you for your faithfulness. Thanks, Don, and friend, if you'd like information on obtaining free CDs of the messages you hear on our broadcast, just visit us online. Our web address is thetruthpulpit.com. That's thetruthpulpit.com. Thanks for joining us today. We'll see you next time on The Truth Pulpit with Don Green.