I believe that the way the world is digressing, the way our nation is digressing, the way the church is digressing that there is an effort underway to silence Gods’ people and give voice to people who should be silenced. Evil seems to get the voice and the good is made to shut-up because the media is the voice that is dictating what is and isn’t and individuals like a Kyle Rittenhouse have to fight not only against charges leveled but the greater voices crying murderer. I would vote to acquit Rittenhouse of the most serious homicide charges based on the evidence that he was acting in self-defense. We must pray that speaking the truth will outwit the voices of error. We must continue in this vain of speaking truth to error for this is the subject of verses 10-16. Paul is teaching Titus the way we silence those people is by overwhelming them with truth. Last week I met a godly man, an Evangelist whose life mission is “Speaking Truth to Error”.

Andrew Phipps is an inspirational speaker; an award winning educator; a longtime radio-television broadcaster; civic and political leader. He is a man on a mission to share his love of God and country through inspirational messages and applying truth to error. His hopes is to re-energizing Americans across the country to get back on track with the Christian values and principles for which, and upon which, our country was founded. Evangelist Andrew Phipps
was in our area and heard that our church was one of the very few churches that remain from the Danbury Baptist Association far back as 1801 when they wrote to Thomas Jefferson. He visited us last week I share the truth and may very possibly have it on his television program. He wants to speak truth to the error concerning separation of church and state.

I. Reputation of the Gainsayers vv.10-11

1. We note Paul mentions they are unruly and vain talkers. The word unruly means insubordinate and it indicates someone who will not submit to God’s order of authority. The Greek word is the negative form of the word “submit” – one who will not submit. God has established an order of authority in different areas of life. There is an order of authority in the home, church, workplace, and in the community. God wants us to recognize the places where He has placed an order of authority in our lives, and He wants us to submit to that authority.

2. They are also vain talkers, these people of Crete would talk superficially but all their talk was ineffective in bringing anyone one step closer to godliness. They spoke in deception, the word for deceiver means to seduce with speech like a good salesman’s. Note Paul said, “Especially those of the circumcision”. I can understand why it might be more difficult for Christians who came from Judaism and why they might tend to be more of a source of trouble in the early churches. Christians from pagan backgrounds immediately knew that they had to reject everything about their prior understanding about the gods. Yet Christians from Judaism had to take some things and leave others, and this is often more difficult. He was concerned with the effect of some Christians having a Jewish background they thought the key to acceptance before God was keeping the Law of Moses.

3. In verse 11 again we have the exhortation they need to be stopped because their character is deception and evil. “That does not imply that they are to be silenced by violence or persecution. We learn the quality of a good leader that he is not a striker. He does so by speaking truth to error. Titus had to train the elders he chose to simply “shut up” these problem people. They should not to be allowed to gain a hearing, Teaching things which they ought not: There are three things which should not be taught among Christian. First, we must guard against false doctrine second insubordinate things ought not to be taught third unprofitable things

4. The last distinctive of these people is being liars, evil and lazy. The Cretans had developed a very bad reputation. Paul is careful not to acknowledge how bad they were from his point of view but from their own prophets. He quotes one of their prophets, a man by the name of Epimenides. He was a very revered Cretan and one of the most famous of all history. He was a poet. He was a teacher. He was a writer. He was a pagan. He was born in the city of Knossos on the island of Crete in the sixth century. He was ranked as one of the seven wise men of Greece and a profound intellect, a very gifted orator and poet. This poet said, “they are basically chronic liars.”
They were so associated with lying that the verb is the name of Crete. It is just like the verb that we connect with the city of Corinth. You remember Corinth was engaged in all kinds of formations. So “to Corinthianize” was “to go to bed with a prostitute.” To kretize was “to lie.” They were liars. Folks, we read in scripture.
Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight. 12:22
A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame. 13:6

II. Resolving the Problem vv.13-14

1. Paul told Titus that if the Cretans behave according to their stereotype and exhibit the hardened character of the people of the island of Crete, they must be dealt with directly. Titus himself must “rebuke them.” Reproof is not to win an argument, but to bring into the way of truth those who have erred or are deceived. Rebuke so as to bring conviction and confession of sin. The Greek word conveys the principle by conviction bring to light and expose. That is “speaking truth to error”. The purpose of the rebuke was that they may be sound or “healthy” in the faith. Our job is always restoration if men are so incline and persuaded to repent.

2. Now in verse 14 Titus is to keep focused and centered on the Scriptures. “Not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. Jewish legalists place regulations and burdens upon others that have a form of godliness but they are empty of God’s Holy Spirit. The false teachers based their authority on the commandments of men and non-scriptural teaching called Jewish myths (Mk 7:7-8).

III. Results are exposed by deeds not words. – vv.15-16.

1. In these last verses of the chapter Paul confronts false teachers both with the test of character and with the test of conduct. Verse 15 supports Titus by letting him know that those of corrupt minds will not recognize purity. “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. “True purity is from a pure heart and conscience before God, not from keeping man-made requirements. Proverbs 4:23 -Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

2. Men of Purity are those who by repentance from sin have been cleansed by the blood of Christ and having been regenerated by the Holy Spirit are constantly being cleansed from the pollution of their sins by giving heed to that same Spirit (1 John 1:9ff). — Gospel
Verse 16 teaches that profession and performance should not contradict each other. “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” Once the mind is corrupted the conscience swiftly follows suit. They may mean good but because both their mind and their conscience are defiled; they spread defilement. If your mind and conscience are defiled its direction and instincts are not reliable, not sound because the heart is not right.

Paul realizes that false teachers are subtle in that they give every appearance of being religious, but their actions deny that they have been transformed by God. They profess or confess to know God. Their words say I know God, but by their deeds they deny Him. Faith and works go together. True faith produces true works. Word & deed must be united if the profession is true.
The vast majority of Americans profess to believe in God. How can we know if they really do? We may not know for certain in this life, but a glance at their life-styles will quickly tell us what they value and whether they have ordered their lives around Gods kingdom priorities. Our conduct speaks volumes about what we believe (1John 2:4). He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Application and Conclusion:

What is your conduct like? Does your walk match your talk? We need our church to be evangelistic but our evangelism will have no merit if we do not employ lifestyle evangelism. Does your walk with God match the truth of Gods desire for your behavior? He gave church leaders such as the pastor and deacons to be examples so you can follow their lifestyle not so they can lord it over you. Those in leadership must have these godly traits.
Our church right now is lacking in leadership; leaders who will take up the mantle and be examples to you and the community. These Leaders are deacons, trustees, teacher department directors that they have such a godly lifestyle and are free from the shame of gross sin.

These leaders are blameless and not arrogant or troublemaker; godly men and women who are free from alcoholic beverages because they know the wines of today would be compared to strong drink of biblical times. Maybe it is these things that keep men from leadership roles. We cannot have leaders and teachers who are closet drinker, liars and deceitful in leading God’s church; it would affect teaching.

You know and I know that unsaved people are not coming to a church where they don’t live up to their creed. It was MLK who said, I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:” I too have a dream for our church that one day leaders will rise up and be what God desires them to be, living out the true meaning of the biblical creed: Than we can evangelize our community.