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Why Elders Must Be Appointed – part 2
Titus 1:10-16
March 23, 2025

We started looking at this text this morning.

Basically we are giving Paul’s explanation to Titus
As to why he must appoint elders in every city.
• This is NOT preference issue.
• This is NOT a tradition issue.
• This IS a protection issue.

The church needs elders because the threat to her is real and great.

The church has enemies.
• Satan who prowls around like a roaring lion.
• And the savage or ravenous wolves he appoints to attack the flock.

Both of these enemies seek to deceive, destroy, and devour the church.

Therefore the elder must be a man (9) holds “fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”

And what we began to look at this morning and continue looking at tonight is THE REALITY OF THE THREAT.

In the 7 verses we read here the overwhelming focus is on the reality of the danger the church faces.

• We see words like “rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers”
• We see words like “upsetting whole families”
• We see words like “liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons”
• We see words like “defiled and unbelieving”
• We see words like “detestable and disobedient and worthless”

And perhaps the scariest word of all is the word in verse 10, “many”.

The first line of defense are the elders who are appointed
To silence them, rebuke them, and even to correct them.

And this is Paul’s reasoning to Titus why he must (5) “appoint elders in every city as I directed you.”

We have broken this text down into 3 main points, and we are currently looking at the first one.

#1 THE WOLF
Titus 1:10-12, 15-16

The church needs to understand the danger that she faces.
If you want to know why you need shepherds,
It becomes much clearer when you see the wolves.

In our text Paul has given us 5 characteristics of the wolf to help us know the degree of danger we face there.

1) DECEPTIVE MESSAGE (10)

“For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,”

• They are liars.
• They give you bad doctrine.
• Paul told Timothy that they are ear ticklers.

To expound just a little on what we saw this morning:

They are the men who sought to HOOD-WINK the Galatians.
Galatians 3:1 “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?”

“bewitched” is BOSS-KY-NO
It means “to charm”

It’s like snake oil salesman who captivated you with their charm
In order to deceive you in regard to the will of God.

Specifically telling the Galatians that
• Faith in Christ was insufficient
• Salvation hinged upon a total keeping of God’s Law
• All this began with circumcision.

They made it sound right.
They made it sound good.
But it was a doctrine that would send them to hell.

They are the men who sought take the Colossians CAPTIVE.
Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

“takes you captive” is SOO-LOG-O-GAY-O
It means “to carry off the booty”

These false messengers
• Sought to replace Christ as the means of salvation
• They denied His deity with human logic
• They denied His necessity
• The replaced it with human wisdom

These men are spiritual pirates
Who capture you and end up plundering you.

They are the men who EXPLOITED those Peter wrote to.
2 Peter 2:3 “and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

“exploit” is EM-PAR-OOH-O-MY
It’s where we get our word “emporium”
They “make merchandise of you”

They are slick talking liars
Whose only goal is to capture you and profit off of you.

And Paul said there are “many” of them like this in the world.

• These are wolves, but they wear sheep’s clothing.
• These are dangerous men, but they come to you as pastors.
• They are numerous, they are relentless,

The church needs elders to spot them and silence them.

An example of how numerous and how an elder spots them.
TURN TO: 2 TIMOTHY

This was a church founded by Paul, pastored by Timothy, and even the apostle John, and look at the danger in their midst.

• (1:15)
• (2:16-18)
• (3:1-8)
• (4:9-10)
• (4:14)

Do you see the threat?
Paul pointed them out to Timothy because he had to protect the flock from them.

They are men with a DECEPTIVE MESSAGE

2) DESTRUCTIVE INFLUENCE (11)

“they are upsetting whole families, teaching things the should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”

• Like Hymenaeus and Philetus, they upset whole families saying the resurrection already came.
• Like the men at Corinth who said the resurrection didn’t exist.
• Like the men who contacted the Thessalonians telling them they were experiencing the wrath of the day of the Lord.

Wolves only desire to destroy the flock.
Like their father the devil they come only to “steal, kill, and destroy”.

The church needs shepherds to spot them and stop them.

3) DEPRAVED NATURE (12-13a)

“One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true.”

• Paul quoted a Cretan poet named Epimenides who was believed to be a religious prophet.
• Paul speaks here of their nature.
• In fact it became known that “to Cretanize” was a figure of speech for lying.
(macarthur, John [The macarthur New Testament Commentary: Titus; Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 1996] pg. 61)

A wolf is a natural born enemy of the sheep.
There is no friendship

The church needs to be protected from them.

4) DEFILED CONSCIENCE (15)

(15) “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.”

These guys are not pure, and nothing is pure to them.
That is a way of saying nothing is sacred.

I remember watching a Harrison Ford movie years ago where he was the president and terrorists grabbed his daughter and were threatening to hurt her.

He looked at the terrorists and said, “Have you no horror?”

And the answer here is, “NO, they don’t”.

They are “defiled and unbelieving” and “nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.”

• A wolf will eat a sheep and give absolutely no thought to the pain the sheep is feeling.

• The enemies of the church will destroy your faith for a buck and give no thought to the judgment you will experience as a result.

These are dangerous enemies and the church must be protected.

That is what we covered the morning, but I wanted to cover it again
Because, to a degree, I want you to be horrified.

I want you to understand the horrible danger you face.
I want you to understand why the church must appoint elders.

There is one more characteristic of the wolf we need to see tonight before we move on.

5) DETESTABLE PRESENCE (16)

(16) “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

First we notice that these men are TERRIBLE HYPOCRITES.
“They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him”

• They claim Christianity but they are not Christian.
• They are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
• They are false apostles masquerading as angels of light.

2 Peter 2:17-22 “These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

That is them, they are frauds!
• They are hypocrites who make their followers twice as much as son of hell as themselves.
• They are blind men that lead other blind men into a pit.
• They are dogs who return to their vomit.
• They are pigs who return to the mud.
• They are dried up springs, they are powerless mists, they are slaves of corruption who can bring freedom to no one.

They are “detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

The Greek word for “detestable” here is only used here in the New Testament.
It’s only used one time in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) too.

Proverbs 17:15 “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.”

There it is translated “abomination” and it is in reference to
A man who will justify the wicked and condemn the righteous.

What use is a judge who acquits the wicked?
What use is a judge who condemns the innocent?

He is of no use at all.
He is in fact “detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed”

False prophets in the Old Testament are described in terms just like this.

TURN TO: EZEKIEL 13:17-23

• There you see female false prophets are most certainly for sale.
• They’ll say anything you want for “handfuls of barley and fragments of
Bread”.
• They will “put to death some who should not die and keep others alive
Who should not live”

They are detestable.

The end result is that they “disheartened the righteous with falsehood”
And they “encouraged the wicked not to turn from his wicked way”

What horrible enemies to the people of God.

TURN TO: JEREMIAH 23

First look at verses 1-2.
• There is the danger.
• It is men who scatter God’s flock.

See how detestable they are, look at verses 16-17
• Like the false prophets in Ezekiel they encourage the wicked.

And we see God’s estimation of them in verses 30-32

They provide no benefit for the people.

AND TO THAT WE ASK:
Is there any benefit to having a wolf amongst your flock of sheep?

• It IS NOT a desirable presence.
• It IS NOT a beneficial presence.
• It IS a detestable presence.
• It IS a worthless presence.

Someone has to be able to spot the wolf
And keep him away from the flock.

God’s remedy?
Elders

“appoint elders in every city as I directed you”

I hope you see the imminent danger.
I hope you understand the threat.

For it is the threat of the wolf
That leads the flock to see the importance of the shepherd.

Well that is the bulk of the passage: THE WOLF
But that is not all that is contained.

#2 THE FLOCK
Titus 1:11b

The flock only shows up here in one small reference,
Though undoubtedly they are the chief focus of God.

We see the flock in Paul’s statement “they are upsetting whole families”

No doubt this is what matters to God.

God would not care about the presence of the wolf
If He did not value the sheep.

• It should grieve your heart when you see a whole family upset in the faith.
• It should grieve your heart to see one deceived and led astray.

No one should see a lamb being devoured by a wolf and say,
• “No big deal, i’ve got more.”
• Or “No big deal, I didn’t really like that lamb anyway.”

The entire motivational force of the passage is that
The church needs elders because God loves the church.

TURN TO: JOHN 17

I just want to read part of this high priestly prayer of Jesus which He prayed in the upper room on the night before He was crucified.

Look at verses 6-15

Do you feel the love of Christ for the flock in those verses?
• Do you feel Him praying (11) “Holy Father, keep them in Your name”
• Do you feel it when He prays (15) “keep them form the evil one.”

You have Jesus, hours from crucifixion,
And the thrust of His prayer is that His Father will hold on to His flock.

Do you see how much He values her?
Do you see His love for her?

SOON HE WILL BE LEAVING.
What is His plan for her protection?

• Well certainly He is praying for her here.
• Certainly He still intercedes for her continually before the throne.
• But that is NOT ALL His plan consists of.

TURN TO: JOHN 21

• After Jesus again appeared to the men while they were fishing and they joined Him on the shore.

Read verses 15-17

Do you see His plan implemented for the protection of His sheep?
• He is appointing Peter to take care of His church.
• He is appointing Peter to shepherd and feed His sheep.

How much do they matter to Him?

And what did Peter end up teaching us?
1 Peter 5:1-4 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

Peter shared the task didn’t he?
Peter called on other elders to “shepherd the flock of God among you”
• He knew the value of Christ’s flock.
• He knew how much they mean to Christ.
• He knew Christ’s desire that men rise up and protect her.

Certainly Paul understood this as well.
We have cited it often in this study, but listen as he speaks to those Ephesian elders.

Acts 20:28-32 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

He wanted those men to take care of Christ’s flock.
The flock that Christ purchased them with His own blood.

And that is precisely the motivation here
As well when Paul writes to Titus.

Titus, the flock of God is on the island of Crete.
They live on an island saturated with wolves.

“Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons”

Some of these liars “are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”

Titus you have to go and “appoint elders in every city as I directed you”

Someone has to go and defend Christ’s flock.
Someone has to go and shepherd Christ’s sheep.

Do you understand the love God has for His flock?
Do you understand the love Christ has for His bride?

You must understand the danger the church faces.
You must understand how valuable she is to God.
Then you will understand why the church must appoint elders.

We cannot allow the faith of the flock to be upset by liars.
The flock must be protected.

The Wolf, The Flock
#3 THE SHEPHERD
Titus 1:11a, 13b-14

Here we see the role of the shepherd.
Here is THE SOLUTION Paul gives to the presence of the wolf.

Here is why Titus must appoint elders in every city.

(11) “who must be silenced”

(13b-14) “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.”

“silenced” is EPI-STA-MID-ZO

“EPI” = over
“STO-MA” = mouth

It means to put something over the mouth,
Or to bridal the mouth, or to silence the mouth.

There is an AUTHORITATIVE INTERVENTION that is occurring here.

You have a man teaching something they should not teach,
Someone has to have the authority and the backbone
To stop them from teaching.

• Someone has to remove them.
• Someone has to silence them.
• Someone has to make sure that they do not spread their lies any more.

In our world that is not a popular position.
But someone has to do it.
You can’t just let it continue.

AND THEN once you silence them and stop them from spreading their lies.

According to verse 13 someone must “reprove them severely”

“reprove” is ELENGCHO

It is the same word used in:
Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.”

There it is translated “show him his fault”

But you’ll notice that Paul doesn’t just stop at “reprove”.
Paul says “reprove them severely”
• That word means “abruptly; severely; sharply”

In other words, make sure he knows that this is not acceptable.
Leave no doubt that such teaching is not tolerated.

PERHAPS WE SHOULD PUT IT THIS WAY.

How would you talk to a wolf that was trying to attack one of your lambs?

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
This is no laughing matter.
It is not tolerable.

Someone must be willing to approach the false teacher,
And in no uncertain terms let them know
That such teaching will not be tolerated.

1 Timothy 1:3-4 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”

CORRECT THEM.

Do you want to see some examples?

Matthew 3:7-10 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Luke 11:37-52 “Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table. When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal. But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. “You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? “But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. “Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.” One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.” But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. “So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. “For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’ “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”

Acts 8:18-23 “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”

Acts 13:6-11 “When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? “Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.”

Do you get the point?
This is non-negotiable and no room can be given.

And incidentally, this isn’t only for wolves.
This is also for solid teachers who accidentally stray from the truth.

When Peter misrepresented the gospel what does Paul say?
Galatians 2:11-13 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.”

Peter was a genuine shepherd, but he got it wrong there,
And we are thankful that there was another shepherd to correct him publicly.

Why would Paul do that?
• Why would they be so direct?
• Why would they be so severe?

BECAUSE THE FLOCK MATTERS AND THE FLOCK NEEDS TRUTH.

Would you rebuke someone for putting poison in the watering trough where your sheep water?

Would you make sure the sheep knew not to drink from it?

Would you be emphatic in your instruction?

Of course you would!
It must be done.

Now, what we also love about this passage
Is the PROPENSITY FOR REDEMPTION.

For Paul says we severely reprove those men, “so that they may be sound in faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.”

We reprove them so that they will get it right.

We will rejoice if they repent and change their teaching
And become of use to the church.

I always love the story John Macarthur tells about when he was asked to preach in one of his seminary classes.

The dean of the seminary I attended was Dr. Charles Feinberg, one of the most brilliant and respected men I have ever known. He was Jewish, and after studying for 14 years to be a rabbi, he was converted to Christ. He knew more than thirty languages. He even told me once that he taught himself Dutch because he wanted to read Dutch Reformed theology. He also read through the Bible four times every year. Needless to say, he was exceptional and intense. We were all rightfully in awe of him, and I loved him at the same time.

In those days, every seminary student had to preach in chapel. When my turn came, I was assigned to preach on 2 Samuel 7, the great text on the Davidic Covenant. My sermon was probably a fine example of structural craftsmanship. It had a zinger for a beginning and a zapper at the end. It would have been a great success, too—if it hadn’t been for my lack of biblical content in the middle section. I preached a “practical” message that was only superficially related to the biblical text. In that passage, Nathan encourages David to build a house for the Lord. And God says, “Wait a minute, you didn’t check in. That’s not the plan.” So I preached about how important it is to not to presume on God.

When I finished, I felt pretty good. The chapel audience seemed to have followed with interest, and I even thought I heard some murmurs of approval. But I really only cared about the opinion of one man—my mentor, Dr. Feinberg. The faculty sat behind us when we preached in chapel, and they had legal-sized criticism sheets, which they filled out during the student’s sermon. After we were done preaching, we would stand at the door, and the faculty would hand us their sheets as they left the room. I just wanted Dr. Feinberg’s.

He was at the end of the line, and I could see that he had folded his sheet up very small and very tightly. When he handed it to me, he did not even look up at me. He kept his eyes straight down and walked firmly past. That was not a good sign. So at my first opportunity, I unrolled his paper. I was eager to read his feedback, hoping desperately that he would be impressed with my sermon.

To be sure, I expected some constructive criticism. But the few bold red words that stared back at me were much worse than anything I had prepared myself for. He had completely ignored all the suggested categories and scoring helps that were printed on the sheet. Instead, he wrote across the page in bold red letters a one-line critique that hit me like a hard punch to the solar plexus: “ You missed the whole point of the passage .”

That is the worst possible mistake any preacher could make—but especially in front of someone like Dr. Feinberg.

Like many young preachers, I had naively concerned myself with just about everything except getting the meaning of the text right. My preparation was focused on delivery, gestures, anecdotes, the right mix of humor and illustrative material, and the alliteration of my main points. I had actually approached the biblical passage itself almost as an afterthought.

Later that day, I received a message instructing me to go to Dr. Feinberg’s office. When I got there, he was sitting at his desk, shaking his head in disappointment. “How could you? How could you? That passage presents the Davidic Covenant culminating in the Messiah and His glorious kingdom—and you talked about ‘not presuming on God’ in our personal day-to-day choices. That would have been a fine admonition to preach from Numbers 15:30-31 or Psalm 19:13, but you can’t reduce 2 Samuel 7 to that ! You missed the entire point of the passage, and it’s one of the greatest of all Old Testament passages. Don’t ever do that again.”

He never said another word about it to me, but that incident hit me like a sledgehammer. In fact, it was the deepest single impression I ever received in seminary. Never miss the point of the passage. To this day, when I come to the text each week and begin to study its richness and depth, I can still hear Dr. Feinberg’s heartfelt admonition ringing in my ears. If you don’t have the meaning of Scripture, you do not have the Word of God at all. If you miss the true sense of what God has said, you are not actually preaching God’s Word! That reality has compelled me for nearly 40 years of preaching.
Https://www.gty.org/library/Articles/A274/The-Day-I-Missed-the-Point

That is what we are talking about here.
A direct, even intense rebuke,
• Because God’s word deserves it and God’s flock deserves it.

But one also meant to redeem.
• So that the man be useful to the flock in the future.

And all of this culminates as Paul’s explanation to Titus
As to why he must appoint elders in every city.

The church needs these men.

• They need qualified men who will love the bride of Christ like they love their own wife.
• They need qualified men who will manage the household of God like they manage their own household.
• They need mature men who will love and serve the church like Christ desires.
• They need faithful and consistent men with a reputation for being genuine both inside and outside the church.

• And they need bold and courageous men who will face the wolves that threaten the flock.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

The church needs men who will take that seriously
And enforce it for the benefit of the flock.

This really isn’t something that can be overlooked.

If the church is to be cared for the way God intended,
Then she must appoint elders to oversee and give an example
And shepherd and protect her.

The job of Titus was to go and make sure she had them.

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Why Elders Must Be Appointed – part 1
Titus 1:10-16
March 23, 2025

AS YOU’RE WELL-AWARE,
We’ve spent the last few weeks discussing the qualifications of an elder.

• We looked at his home life,
• His maturity,
• Even his reputation among those outside the church.

Certainly every word of that is important for a congregation to know
When it comes time for them to recognize and ordain their leaders.

This morning we are going to move FROM THE WHAT TO THE WHY.

We see what an elder is supposed to be,
This morning we are going to examine why we need them.

The command to Titus was very clear back in verse 5.
Titus 1:5 “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,”

We certainly don’t forget what Titus was left on the island to do.
• He was to travel from city to city all over the island.
• First he was to “set in order what remains”
• And secondly he was to “appoint elders in every city as I directed you”

This wasn’t a suggestion from Paul, this was a command.
And Paul went directly into explaining exactly
What to look for in a potential elder.

But up to this point, Paul has yet to answer the question of “WHY?”
• WHY did Titus need to appoint elders in every city?
• WHY was this so important?

Couldn’t Titus just go and teach all of the congregations
And then move on and allow them to just sort of “self-govern”?

What was Paul’s reasoning behind this?

Well, that is the question Paul answers now beginning in verse 10.

I do remind you what we learned last Sunday night in verse 9:
Titus 1:9 “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”

We talked about the ability of an elder
And how he must be able to exhort and to refute.

After that Paul goes directly into why we need such men.

(10) “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially of the circumcision, who must be silenced…”

With that statement Paul is revealing to us why elders must be appointed.
• There is a predator that threatens the flock of God.
• There are deceivers who threaten to do tremendous harm to God’s flock.

God’s design is to appoint elders who will do the job
Of protecting the flock from those destructive attackers.

And this is an important point to grasp from Paul.

When talking about why the church needs elders,
It is not about tradition, nor is it about preference.
The church needs elders because of the dangers she faces.

And that is what we want to discuss this morning.

We’re going to divide this text up into 3 main points and hopefully by the time we are finished we will all see why the church needs elders.

We’re going to begin by taking a detailed look at the threat.

#1 THE WOLF
Titus 1:10-12, 15-16

Jesus said:
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

In Acts 20 Paul warned the Ephesian elders:
Acts 20:29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;”

Those “savage wolves” are clearly on Paul’s mind here.

When you read these 7 verses,
There is no doubt where the main focus is.
• Paul is focused on the threat to the church.
• He is describing the wolves.

The description of the threat dominates the text.

In verse 10 he calls them:
• “rebellious men”
• “empty talkers”
• “deceivers”

In verse 12 he calls them:
• “a prophet of their own”

In verse 15 he calls them:
• “defiled”
• “unbelieving”

In verse 16 he calls them:
• “detestable”
• “disobedient”
• “worthless”

It’s not hard to see where the focus of the passage is.

As Paul reveals the importance of appointing elders in every city,
The chief reason is the threat that faces the flock.

Before a congregation will ever understand her need for leadership,
She must first understand the danger she faces.

THE CHURCH HAS ENEMIES

1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

We know about the roaring lion.
• We’ve certainly all read the story of Job and how Satan attacked him.
• We certainly remember the way Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness.
• We remember Satan’s attempt to sift Peter like wheat.
• We remember Satan entering Judas to coerce him to betray Jesus.

But we should also know about
His numerous servants whom he sends to wreak havoc in the church.
• Jesus called them “ravenous wolves”
• Paul called them “savage wolves”

Ultimately they are false teachers and false preachers in the church.

2 Peter 2:1-2 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;”

You see
• The warning of false teachers who will secretly introduce destructive heresies.
• How they succeed in leading many away from the truth through their sensuality.

These are dangerous men and even women who threaten the church.

Later in the same chapter:
2 Peter 2:17-19 “These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”

Jude warned of them as well:
Jude 12-13 “These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

They are a dangerous threat to the flock of God.

Now, if we were talking about a literal flock and a literal wolf,
And were trying to explain to the flock how dangerous a wolf is,
HOW WOULD WE DO IT?

If you had a sheep who had never seen a wolf, but you wanted to explain to that sheep how dangerous they are, what sort of things would you tell that sheep?
• Perhaps you’d mention their teeth or their claws.
• Perhaps you’d mention their size or their speed.
• Perhaps you’d mention how they run in packs.
• Perhaps you’d mention their brutality and lethality.
• Perhaps you’d mention their natural instinct.

THE POINT IS, you’d want that naïve sheep to understand that,
• Even though you may not see them this very moment, they are out there.
• That wolves are not to be messed with.
• Who is set to protect them from those wolves.

Well, that is what Paul is doing here.
He is explaining why the spiritual wolves are so dangerous.
• It’s not about their teeth or claws or anything like,
• It’s their deception that is their threat,
• But they are lethal and brutal none the less.

So church, listen as Paul explains to Titus
About these wolves that threaten the flock.

1) DECEPTIVE MESSAGE (10)

“For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,”

The first aspect of the wolf that Paul reminds Titus of…

The reason the church needs elders is because
“there are many rebellious men”

The word “rebellious” there is the same word used earlier in verse 6
When Paul spoke of the overseer’s children not being “accused of rebellion”.

It is simply a life void of submission to authority.
It is just someone who yields to no one.

And Paul points out that there are “many” of them.
• It is a bigger problem than you know.

These are men who do not subject themselves to the truth of God
Or any authority that God hands down.

Paul also calls them “empty talkers and deceivers”
And the word really needs no further explanation.

They talk and they teach and they preach,
But they don’t say anything of any value.

There is no weight to their words.
There is certainly nothing true about what they have to say.

Paul warned Timothy about such men too:
1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”

That would be these guys here too.
• Just men who give “what is falsely called “knowledge”
• But it’s nothing of value and it’s nothing of truth.

In reality they have rejected the truth.
In reality they have rebelled against God’s revealed word.

Perhaps that is why Paul goes on to say, “especially those of the circumcision”.

We think about the Jews of Paul’s day
We understand them to have been men just like this.

Romans 10:3 “For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”

And while Paul does not get specific about the message the preach,
The rest of the New Testament certainly gives us some ideas.

Later in verse 14 Paul will say,
“not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.”

And that gives great insight to us.

Paul warned Timothy:
1 Timothy 1:3-4 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”

In Judaism you are aware that
• They certainly have the Mosaic Law or the Torah,
• But of more interest to them than that is the Talmud which is the writings of rulings of Rabbi’s throughout the centuries.

They were oral traditions and rabbinic explanations
That really grew to govern Jewish life.

And in many cases “myths” is just the word.

I was reading part of it this past week regarding Sabbath laws,
Specifically carrying a load on the Sabbath,
Even more specific than that, how a man is forbidden to take a load from inside to outside or outside to inside on the Sabbath.

And it is quite extensive.
• If a man outside reaches in and sets his load inside, he is guilty.
• If a man inside reaches out and takes the load from another and brings it in, he
is guilty.
• If a man inside takes a load and sits it down, he is guilty.
• If a man outside reaches inside and takes a load, he is guilty.

BUT…
• If a man outside reaches his load inside and it is taken by a man inside and sat
down, neither is guilty because they each only broke half of the command.

And I mean, it is endless nonsense like that.
It is utter stupidity.

And you see referenced in Scripture
How such “myths” threatened the church.

Think about the Colossians.
Colossians 2:16-23 “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”

• Some Jewish zealot no doubt was convincing the Colossian believers
• That to be pleasing to God they had to adhere to all of these ordinances of their self-made religion.

The Colossians needed someone to expose all of that nonsense.

Or we think about the Galatians, who were being compelled to be circumcised.
Galatians 3:1-3 “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

I remember years ago at Crawford
Getting into a pretty strong disagreement with the man leading the youth
Because he decided to take all the youth through “Lent”.

They were going to give up something for lent
In order that they might grow closer to God.

But that is not how you grow closer to God.
“Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

Paul told the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 8:8 “But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.”

AND WE COULD GO ON AND ON,

But what you have there are wolves coming into the church
And seeking to destroy the faith of the congregation
By subtly leading them away from their dependance on Christ
And by pushing them toward dependance on their own works.

Those types of myths are dangerous.

AND ANOTHER PROBLEM
Is that people seem to gravitate toward such nonsense.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

• As Paul told the Colossians those types of myths certainly have the
appearance of godliness and the flock is deceived.

• Other members of the flock actually like it, for legalism is very self-gratifying,
and they gravitate toward such teachers.

THIS IS WHY THE CHURCH NEEDS ELDERS.
That is why Timothy was called to faithfully preach the word to them.

But “myths” aren’t the only deviation from the truth that threaten the flock.

Paul also mentioned “commandments of men who turn away from the truth”

We think of Jesus conversation with the Pharisees.
Matthew 15:1-9 “Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’”

• It was all of this nonsense about whether or not the disciples washed their hands.

It had no bearing on the heart.

Jesus would say later:
Matthew 15:17-20 “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

YOU SEE THE POINT.
We are talking about men who attack the church
By introducing subtle yet destructive heresies.

• They are legalistic myths
• They are ceremonial traditions
• They are subtle but they are destructive

And the ultimate threat is that they “turn away from the truth”

WE SEE SUCH MYTHS AND TRADITIONS TODAY

• Listen to Catholicism discuss Purgatory
• What about liberal theologians who promote universalism
• What about legalistic denominations that deny SOLA FIDE and insist upon
works to secure salvation.

• Baptists were always notorious for not being able to dance.
• I had a great-grandmother who was convinced if you played cards you were
a heretic.

Over the years we’ve heard people elevate things like instruments in the church, or dress codes to salvation level behavior.

There are an endless number of ways in which the flock of God
Can be attacked by the deceptive message of savage wolves.

There are no shortage of myths or traditions that can lead men astray.

Colossians 2:4 “I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.”

Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

You get the idea.
The wolves the church faces today
Are those who are “rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers”

And the church needs elders to spot those dangers.

There must be men who are (9) “holding fast the faithful word in accordance with the teaching”

Who are “able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”

A church that thinks they don’t need elders
Is like a flock of sheep who thinks they don’t need a shepherd
To spot the dangers around them.

We are dealing with wolves who have A DECEPTIVE MESSAGE.

2) DESTRUCTIVE INFLUENCE (11)

“who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”

We’ll get to the “silenced” part later

But look again at the threat of these spiritual wolves.

“they are upsetting whole families”

Paul wrote to Timothy about Hymenaeus and Alexander:
2 Timothy 2:16-18 “But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”

That would certainly be an “upsetting” message.

Telling believes that the resurrection has already occurred.
• Talk about robbing a congregation of their hope.
• Talk about taking away the motivation of eternal reward.

Or what about the people at Corinth?
1 Corinthians 15:12 “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?”

• At Corinth they didn’t say it already occurred, they just said it wasn’t real.
• What a message to preach to the church.

Or how about the wolves that wrote that letter to the Thessalonians and turned their world upside down?

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.”

• The Thessalonians were suffering extreme persecution at the hands of the
Jewish zealots in their region.
• Apparently someone wrote to them and told them that the reason they were
suffering so much is because they had offended God and were
experiencing the day of the Lord judgment.

They were obeying God and suffering as a result
And some wolf told them God was punishing them.

It is certainly deception, but it is deception with a purpose.
The goal is to destroy faith.

THAT IS THE DANGER WE FACE IN THIS WORLD.

They are wolves dressed up in sheep’s clothing.
And they come to destroy the sheep.

• Wolves have no interest in playing with sheep.
• Wolves don’t enjoy the company of the sheep.
• Wolves are only here for one purpose and that is destruction.

They come to ruin the faith of believers.
They come to turn your confidence upside down and inside out.

THINK OF THE GALATIANS,
Just as happy as could be, having been told of Christ
• Until some Judaizers came in and convinced them that until they were circumcised they really weren’t pleasing at all.

Here were the Colossians,
Happy in Christ,
• Until the Jews came and told them that if they weren’t self-mutilating they would never be holy before God.

Here were the Ephesians,
Trusting in Christ,
• Until Hymenaeus and Alexander told them they’d missed the resurrection.

YOU GET THE POINT.
They were ruining people’s faith by distorting the gospel.

These wolves were:
“teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”

We think of Yohan Tetzel

• In the days of Martin Luther showing up at Wittenburg
• Telling those crowds that their parents were burning in Purgatory
• And “every time a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from Purgatory springs”.

Give Tetzel money and your mom and dad can get out of Purgatory.
What a lie!

Just as disastrous as the prosperity preacher on television
• Who tells the person with cancer to sow a faith seed gift of however much money and God will heal them.
• And then when God doesn’t, the preacher blames it on their faith.
• And before long that person has no use for God or faith.

Wolves are out to destroy the flock.
That’s what they do.
The church must have elders to spot and silence such deception.

Deceptive Message, Destructive Influence
There’s a third aspect we see about these wolves

3) DEPRAVED NATURE (12-13a)

“One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true.”

What was Paul’s point here?

• You can give a wolf a bath, and put a suit on him.
• You can teach a wolf to eat with a fork and a spoon.
• You can house break a wolf and teach him to be civilized.

But deep down you know what he is? A WOLF.

Just because you put him in sheep’s clothing doesn’t change who he is.

Paul said even their own prophets know that.
“Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons”

LET ME ASK YOU.

What motivates a wolf to go after sheep?

HUNGER
• A wolf has no problem deceiving a sheep, trapping a sheep, or eating a sheep,
because that is what a wolf does.

THAT IS ITS INSTINCT.

Church, do you understand that you have such an enemy.
Wolves that will infiltrate the church for exactly the same reason.
They do not care about you. It is their instinct to destroy you.

Peter described them:
2 Peter 2:12-15 “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”

Wolves are not ashamed of being wolves.
• They are proud to be wolves.
• They love being wolves.

The church cannot be naïve about this.

There are many of these wolves.
Jesus said it, Paul said, Peter said it.

They come in with a deceptive message
That is meant to destroy your faith
So that they can devour you.

Their only use for you is to satisfy their own belly.
They will tell you whatever they need to tell you so long as it benefits them.
• They don’t care if you end up in sin or judgment or hell.
• They don’t care if your marriage falls apart.
• They don’t care if your children rebel.
• They don’t care if you end up denying the faith.

They just want to satisfy their own flesh at your expense.
IT’S WHO THEY ARE.

Let me give you one more:
Deceptive Message, Destructive Influence, Depraved Nature

4) DEFILED CONSCIENCE (15)

“To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.”

What does that mean?
“To the pure, all things are pure”

Basically this.
That a man who has morals and integrity,
He will want those morals and integrity to govern his entire life.

There are things that a pure man won’t do because his conscience will bother him.
• He has character, he has integrity, he has morals.
• He will be true and pure to himself if nothing else.

But these wolves are not like that.
They are “defiled and unbelieving”

To them, “nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.”

You do realize that a wolf will eat a baby sheep right in front of its mother.

There is no compassion there.
Wolves have no conscience.

That wolf isn’t going to go home, look at its own cubs
And feel remorse for robbing some poor sheep mother of her lamb.

It’s a wolf.
It will be back tomorrow to eat the rest of her lambs and then her.

And that is true of the false teachers that infiltrate the church.
Church we are dealing with a terrible enemy.

• They don’t care.
• They aren’t worried about your soul.
• They aren’t concerned about your relationship with God.

They have no conscience at all.
1 Timothy 4:1-6 “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.”

Some of the examples Paul gave are things like “forbidding marriage”
Or advocating “abstaining from foods”

The idea is that they are going to try to get you to trust in yourself for salvation instead of the work of Christ.

They try to get you to entrust your soul to your own piety.
How much can you do without? (beneficial when they want you to give)

They tell you that the way to go to heaven is to abstain from certain foods
• (Hello Seventh Day Adventist)

They tell you that the way to go to heaven is to stay celibate and never marry
• (Catholics have done this with priests and nuns)

And the problem is NOT
That you might miss out on some special food or the joy of marriage.

The problem is that you might think God owes you eternal life
Because of the earthly sacrifice you made,
And won’t you be shocked on the day you stand before him.

But on that day, when Jesus Christ says, “I never knew you!”
• And you are saying, “But I never ate pork, and I never got married”
• And He still says “depart from Me!”

ON THAT DAY, that false teacher who convinced you to earn your way to heaven won’t care at all.

• He has no conscience.
• It does not bother him that he lied to you.
• It does not bother him that he misled you.

Like a wolf eating a sheep, he doesn’t care how much it hurts the sheep.

CHURCH THE WARNINGS ARE CLEAR.

THERE ARE SAVAGE WOLVES.
There is an enemy prowling around to destroy you.
• They will come and deceive you with empty words.
• They will come and upset your faith.
• They will come and lead you to believe something false.
• They will come and condemn you and not think twice.

They are crafty and cunning and smooth talking.
They are deceptive to the core and good at what they do.

But God has accounted for this threat.

GOD’S SOLUTION IS THIS.
(5) “appoint elders in every city as I directed you.”

God’s solution is to appoint qualified elders to shepherd his flock.
• They must be men who know the truth and who can teach the truth.
• They must be men who can spot error.
• They must be men who know a wolf when they see one.
• They must be men who are devoted to facing the wolves.
• They must be men who keep watch over your souls.

CHURCH, GOD LOVES HIS FLOCK.
CHRIST LOVES HIS BRIDE.

And in that love He has ordained that elders be ordained to protect them.
• Godly men who manage their families well.
• Godly men who are mature and gentle.
• Godly men who are faithful and consistent.
• Godly men who know the truth and can preach it and use it.

And God’s plan is to appoint them over the church
For her leadership and protection.

And certainly more than one, for if a flock only has one elder and he is a wolf, who is going to deal with him?

THERE IS MORE TO DISCUSS ABOUT THIS TONIGHT,

• But see here God’s desire that His flock be protected from savage wolves,
• See His love for the flock,
• And see God’s plan to protect it.

Freedom!  A phrase often used, a dream often offered, a reality often sought, and yet a truth that is so often missed.

Jesus came to set you free!  Free from what? He came to set you free from sin (John 8:34).  People certainly don’t realize it, but man is not free as he often supposes himself.  Apart from Jesus Christ, man is a slave to sin.  He might think he is free, doing whatever he pleases, but he fails to realize that in his supposed freedom, sin is still what he continues to do.  He is enslaved, and doesn’t even realize it.

Jesus came to offer true freedom.  He came to give you the freedom not to sin.  He came to give you the freedom to be righteous.  And the pathway to that freedom is through a knowledge of the truth.  “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free”

Here at First Baptist Church we are committed to the study of truth.  And by that I mean the study of Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Bible.  We aren’t interested in social norms, or theories regarded as fact.  We are interested in the truth.  And to find it we commit ourselves to a systematic and thorough study of God’s Word!

We study through books of the Bible, and we keep passages in their context, and we do the work to exposit them as accurately as we know how.  Why?  Because we want you to know the truth.  We want you to see it through the eyes of the writer, we want you to understand what the Holy Spirit intended when He inspired it.  For “no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)

We promise not to give you our thoughts or ideas in regard to truth, because those thoughts don’t help.  Our world is filled with would-be prophets who speak from their own authority or imaginations.  They mislead the masses “promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption” (2 Peter 2:19)  That is not the kind of freedom we want, and not the kind we offer.  We look to the Scriptures.

We want you to worship with us, and we want to share the truth with you, because we want you to be free! Free from sin, and free from sin’s consequences.  “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Grace to You!
Bro. Rory