Amen. Well, good to see everyone. If you'll turn with me in your Bibles or sermon text, this evening comes from once again the book of Titus. Titus chapter three. We're gonna look at two verses, three verses this evening. Verses nine through 11. Hear now this, the word of the living God. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law, for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. Well, this is the word of the living God, and we say, thanks be to God. Amen. Please be seated. Let's pray together. Father in heaven, we are grateful for your word to us. Thank you that you reveal yourself to us, that you warn us. Thank you that you admonish us, that you encourage us. Thank you that you speak to us, that you do not leave us without your word, but you've freely given it. It is a gracious gift to us, and now I pray for your church to be built up by it. Speak to us, we pray, and make us a healthy church more and more for your glory, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. We're almost at the end here of this letter of Titus, and to remind you, look back at chapter one, chapter one, verse five. The reason Titus is left in Crete is that he is instructed by the Apostle Paul to set in order the things that are lacking there on that island. Many people became Christians, There were many groups of Christians. They were without elders. They were without that formality that they needed. And this book is full of instruction to Titus, who is an overseer. He is one who is establishing churches and elders. And this letter is something like what an elder brother would give to a younger brother. This is a pastoral letter along with 1st and 2nd Timothy, and what we have in this letter is we have something of a behind-the-scenes instruction manual. And you and I are privileged to read what one remature Christian, knowledgeable Christian, the Apostle Paul, would say to his protege Titus. And so this book is full of pastoral wisdom, and what we have this evening is more of that wisdom. What we have before us are warnings, exhortations to Titus that he might avoid disunity within these churches in Crete. We have three verses and two simple observations, really, and these are pitfalls that Titus could potentially fall into. So I wanna draw your attention to verse nine, the first pitfall, pastoral pitfall he must avoid. So we'll look at this this evening in two headings. Titus is to avoid dissension in the body. Namely, we'll see, he's to avoid foolish disputes genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law. If Titus is to avoid these matters, he is going to preserve unity in the church. And unity is essential for a healthy church. We get that early picture in Acts of the early church coming together, selling their goods, distributing their goods to one another, And there's this wonderful picture of fellowship. People are getting along, worshiping the Lord, gathering regularly, singing hymns to God, and there is unity in the body. And it's this wonderful picture. But not long after this wonderful picture is given to us, it's disrupted, and it's disrupted by sin. Well, that's bound to happen. So it's imperative that you and I read texts like this, that we are on guard, for it is only a matter of time before dissension at least seeks an opportunity within our midst. So let's look at this first matter that Titus must avoid. Foolish disputes, avoid them. Disputes or disagreements, They're unavoidable, really, in this lifetime, and disagreements abound in every denomination. Doesn't matter what church you're a part of, there will be disagreements, there will be disputes. And pastors must engage, you might already be thinking this already, pastors must engage those who deviate away from the message of Christ. Paul, in fact, instructs Titus in chapter one to appoint elders who will do this very thing. Titus is to shut the mouths of those who spread false doctrine, if you look back in chapter one. Elders are to exhort and convict those who contradict. And yet, now, at the end of the letter, Paul encourages Titus to avoid foolish disputes. I have a question from God's providence. One brother last week actually asked me, when do I know when I am beginning to engage in unnecessary speculations? When do I know, and I think we could ask it this way, When do I know when I'm engaging in an unnecessary controversy and when I am not? The key word is foolish. Titus, like any church planter, he must persuade, he must refute the naysayers. He must engage in controversies that cross into foolishness. I think the answer to that one brother's question is it depends on the context. What time is available to you to engage in controversy? What's your role within your church? But notice especially Paul's reasoning at the end of verse nine. Why are we to avoid Foolish controversies, our reasons might abound, but notice the apostles' reasoning. They are unprofitable. They are useless. That's when we know when we've crossed into a foolish controversy, an unnecessary controversy, because it profits nothing. That's the difference, believer. And some might already, be thinking to themselves, well, didn't Jesus engage frequently in controversy? Yes, he did, but each time he did so, he was engaging for the sake of others. If you have your Bible, turn with me to an example in the book of Matthew, Matthew 22. It's not just here that Jesus engages the false teachers of his day. This is a very helpful example, I think. Matthew 22, beginning in 15. And you can look down, verse 23, 34, and then 41. The Pharisees approach Jesus and try to entangle him in his talk. They come after him, trying to ensnare him. Afterwards, the Sadducees come and question Jesus. After that, the scribes come and question Jesus. Well, firstly, the Pharisees ask whether they should pay taxes or not. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? And Jesus engages them. But he engages them, notice, in such a way that he does not go back and forth, back and forth. He gives them a simple truth, and they're silenced, and they go their way. Then the Sadducees come and they ask about the resurrection, and Jesus very simply proves to them that there is a resurrection. And if you'll notice, verse 33 of this chapter, the multitudes heard Jesus's answer. And that's key. Why is Titus to engage in controversy? He is to engage in it for the good of the church. There is a time and a place for a pastor to stand up, like Christ does here, and engage the theological controversy of his day. This is what Jesus does. He proves the resurrection, and the multitudes are astonished. that he silences them and that he proves it so swiftly. But Jesus does not go back and forth. He does not spend all day with the Sadducees. He moves on. And then the scribes come up and they also have a question asking him, which is the greatest commandment? And that too, Jesus, very quickly and promptly, concisely answers. But it's not just that Jesus answered when people engaged him. Notice verse 41 of this chapter. Jesus actually asks them a question. He engages them in a bit of a theological controversy. Jesus says, what do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? And they said to him, the son of David. And Jesus now says to them, well, how then does David in the spirit call him Lord, saying, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son? You see what Jesus is doing. He's engaging in theological controversy. And the Pharisees are not able to answer him. And why do you think Jesus does this? for the good of the multitudes who are watching. Just after this, Jesus speaks to the multitudes and he pronounces woe after woe upon them. It's good and right for a pastor to engage in theological controversy. But here, very interestingly, Paul tells Titus, avoid foolish controversies. Next, Titus is also told to not engage in foolish talk about genealogies. And we're not told what genealogies Paul had in view. It could have been any one of a number of options. Some false teachers cast doubt upon the Davidic roots of Jesus' ancestry. Perhaps that's what's in view. Some Jews in Crete, surely, like other Jews, they boasted of their own genealogy, making themselves superior to the Gentile believers. Perhaps even some Jews argued among themselves, saying, I'm of the tribe of Judah, and you are just of that lowly tribe? The bottom line is that there is no good that comes from such debate and speculation. A similar warning is given in 1 Timothy. This was not a problem unique to Crete, in other words. Paul's words to Timothy. Do not give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification. That's Paul's words to Timothy. And what is the apostle's reasoning in that book? Godly edification of the saints. If you give heed to fables and endless genealogies, you are not busy edifying the flock. The NIV says it this way, that these speculations do not advance God's work. Paul tells Timothy that he must not be sidetracked from his main goal, advancing God's kingdom, advancing God's work in the lives of the church. So whether we know the ins and outs of what genealogies were being speculated about, it doesn't matter. The point is, Titus, you are not to engage of them for the good of the church. They profit nothing. He's also told to avoid contentions, arguments of various kinds, discord, strife, avoid them. That is, flee from them. You don't have to engage with them. Avoid also strivings about the law. Earlier in the book, we read about this. This was a widespread problem in Crete. Chapter one. There are many insubordinate, idle talkers, deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. That is the Jews. And their mouths must be stopped. They subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain. Therefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith. So they're giving heed to these Jewish fables and commandments of men. Now, Titus is instructed, stay away from these things. But how is that relevant in our own day? I was reflecting upon this. There are still some who will speculate about genealogies in the church. There are some who will speculate about mosaic festivals, whether we should keep them or not. But it's not common. So how is this relevant? And I think the way that we see relevance for our own day is by considering the apostle's primary aim in giving this exhortation. What does the apostle want? It's the end of verse nine again. Now there might be many reasons to avoid foolish controversies, consider them. If you go on and on in some controversy and you just go back and forth, you might develop an argumentative spirit, you should avoid that. If you go on and on in some speculative theological debate, it might lead to envy, might lead to pride, some other sin. If you involve yourselves in controversies, it might sow discord. There are many reasons to avoid foolish controversies. Yet, consider the apostles' reason here. They're unprofitable. They're useless. Here's Paul's point. You should be busy doing good in the world. God wants you to be fruitful, beloved. That's the aim here. Yes, there are many reasons to avoid controversies. But Paul's point is that you not waste time, Titus. God wants you to produce fruit. I think the point here is that we not get sidetracked into fruitless endeavors. And if I can be already being honest, if I can be forthright with you, there has never been a generation that gets sidetracked more easily into fruitless endeavors than ours. Consider All of the various ways you and I, in our generation, can get sidetracked into fruitless endeavors. There are all sorts of things. How are you spending your time? We considered last week the usefulness of abounding in good works. And that's what Paul here is jealous for. He does not want you to spend your time speculating about this or that. He wants you busy doing good for the sake of your church. So consider this in your own time, perhaps this week. How much time should I be spending How much more knowledge do I really, really need to be fed? How many podcasts, how many books do I need to be reading? Television shows, how many movies do I need to watch? What are your hobbies? Or another question, what idols lay in your heart that prevent you from doing good in the church? I think this is a relevant text for us. Yes, it's a pastoral letter. Yes, he's saying that you need to avoid foolish theological controversies, but look at the heart of the matter. Do not waste your time, energy, gifts, talents. You have one life on earth, and the exhortation is that we spend it well for the good of the church. Relatedly, it's worth noting that people should seek knowledge, sometimes in, We can excuse ourselves in engaging theological controversies because we think it's useful when it's really not. We think it's profitable when it's really not. Because it has to do with something related to the truth. But consider why we read books in the first place. Consider why we listen to sermons, for instance, in the first place. Or podcasts or what have you. Or consider in Paul's day. why people were seeking after truth. People should seek truth, they should seek knowledge, rather, in order to find truth. You should pursue knowledge in order to find a place to rest. But those in verse nine, they are the types of people, they just meander about, winding their way on some speculative theological journey, but they do not even wish to reach a destination. They ask questions, but they don't actually want you to answer. They want to feel as if they are intellectually or spiritually superior. In this way, they can ridicule both sides. We have this in our own day. If they are to take a hard stance, well then, they can't stay above it all. If you stand for something, well then people can pigeonhole you, and then they can begin to criticize where you stand. But those who take no such position, they remain above it all. And Paul's exhortation is, Christian, avoid such people. Avoid wasting your time. Do not cast your pearls before swine. This is not new in our day. There were Jews, Greeks, Romans in Paul's day who were always in the marketplace of ideas, that they may hear new things, that they might become aware of what's out there. Paul in Athens encountered this. And some took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus. This is Acts 17. And they said, may we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak, for you are bringing some strange things to our ears. So they actually, these Greeks, they invite Paul in. So we haven't heard this before. Tell us what it's all about. Paul goes and Paul preaches, but there's a description of the Athenians here. They spent their time and nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing. That's what they did. That's what they were like. They were the type of people who just wanted to hear a new thing. It was an entertainment of sorts. Well, Paul preaches the gospel to this large gathering. And by God's grace, some get saved. But some, when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, they mocked. But then there's another group. And the other group, I think, is found in the book of Titus. This other group, they told Paul, we will hear you again on this matter. Do you see what that group is doing? We want to hear more about this Christianity thing. That's enticing, isn't it? Tell me more about this resurrection of the dead. That was interesting. Never heard that before. Come back tomorrow. We'd like to have you up on the platform again. Maybe we can hear from you. But what does Paul do? He meets with those who believed the gospel, and then he departs town. The very next verse. This is so interesting to me. Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. It appears he did not engage with those who inquired. That might cut against the grain of some of our evangelistic zeal in here, but there's wisdom here in the book of Titus that we need to heed. There are gonna be times where people try to engage you And it's going to appear as if they're sincere and they're asking questions, perhaps even interesting questions. But there's a time and a place where you have to say to yourself, I cannot cast my pearls before swine. Paul knew what was in man. And I think because of that, he left town. Paul was a man on mission. gave the gospel clearly, and he was not going to waste his time by hanging around and wasting what the Lord had given him. There is a type of intellectual inquiry that it's nothing more than self-aggrandizement. There's a type of question that's really not a question. Now, some guys It's true for women, too. Some guys, they want to be successful businessmen. Some guys, they want to be successful athletes. And some guys, women, they want to be seen as intellectual. And it is possible to appear to be the smartest person in the room only by asking questions. Never have to state your opinion on any matter. You can appear to be the smartest guy just by asking questions. John Calvin has a word for this. He calls this sort of person a questionarian. I don't know if he's trying to be funny there, but that makes me smile. A questionarian. Those who inquire curiously into everything and are never at rest may be truly called questionarians. And that's Calvin commenting on Titus. People ask questions not seeking answers. They prod and provoke and they disguise what they're truly after. And Titus is not to let this type of questioning go on in the church. What must fill the church is the word of Christ. What must fill the church is that which profits the brethren. Edification of the saints. Abounding in good works. Sending out gospel workers. to the ends of the earth. If you look back at verse eight, this is the reason given for good works. The reason we are to do good works, they are useful, they are profitable to the church and to all men. Verse nine, we have the opposite. Participating in foolish controversies is profitless, fruitless, useless. And you and I, I think we must be mindful of other forms of meaningless talk, gossip, slander. And for what it's worth, gossip often begins with a series of what seem to be innocent questions. we might ask questions of one another. Do you think it's wise for that sister to be doing this? Do you think it's wise for the church to do this? Do you think it's wise for the pastor to say that? And the person asking those sorts of questions can plead innocence in a way. They can say, I'm just asking questions. I'm not saying anything. You ever heard a reporter do that? Someone in the media, I'm just asking questions. Well, you're doing more than that. You're stirring up something. And it's actually how Satan began his temptation. Did God really say, is Satan asking questions? Let's be honest. You and I know Satan is not asking questions. He's tempting the woman to forsake God. It's not a question. There are other examples of people who learn but do not want to know the truth. Namely, Second Timothy three seven. There's this long description of those in the last days. Second Timothy chapter three verse seven. Men, in the last days, they'll be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanders. This is really bad stuff. And the list goes on. And at the very end, verse seven, it says, they are always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. What characterizes sinful people? Well, one of the things might be that they appear to be intellectually curious. They're always learning something. There's a problem. They're not actually after the truth. And if you let them into your church, Titus, they can cause problems. Even Pilate questioned Jesus. Are you the king of the Jews? Am I a Jew? Are you a king? And then lastly, remember Pilate asks, what is truth? And he doesn't wait for the answer. He walks away. The one person in the world, the best person in the world who could have answered that question was standing before him. Do not believe. Some speculate perhaps Pilate was actually seeking after truth. Not positive. We have to beware of our own hearts. We must avoid foolish controversies, theological pursuits, genealogies and the like. And we must beware when they try to enter the church. A second pastoral pitfall To avoid, is avoid the divisive man. Now the verse says reject the divisive man. I just wanted to keep the alliteration there. Reject is better. reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, that's verse 10, verse 11, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. So this is a different sort of warning and exhortation to Titus. There's another sort of threat that comes into the church. Now this person is not like the question asker, is not like the person who is engaging in controversy. This person is more forthright in their division. And verse 10 accounts for what we would consider a typical church discipline occasion, you are to first admonish the person seeking to divide the church. If they do not listen, then you take a brother and you admonish them again. And if they fail to listen again, then you bring it before the church. There's a time and a place to excommunicate from the church. That's the pattern put forth. In Matthew 18, these are Jesus' words. If he refuses to hear them, Jesus said, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. And Paul is simply picking up on what Jesus said. We must reject division in the body. And division comes in the form of people. There will be divisive people in the church. Sometimes we must admonish them. And the goal elsewhere laid out in scripture, there's a couple of goals. One is the unity of the church, the preservation of the church. Another one is restoration. We hope that this brother or sister who is dividing the church will repent of their ways, be reconciled to God and to the church. But Paul does not get into that. in this particular set of verses. It's simple, really to the point. Reject him after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. This person is warped, that's the word. There are degrees of sin we should be aware of, and there are a type of sinner who will not hear the admonishment. even if one or two elders goes and confronts the brother or sister. Some people, they're hard-hearted to such a degree that they begin to commit heinous sins. There are some people who know that they themselves deserve hell, and yet they keep sinning anyway. And they'll even tell you, I'm headed to hell and I don't care. You ever met someone like that? Verse 11 says that this person is warped and sinning, and Paul is trying to give us this idea. This person is not going to turn. So you need to reject them. You need to excommunicate them. Do not wait around. Some of us have an evangelistic heart. We have a sort of compassion that just wants to keep trying and keep trying, perhaps they'll repent, perhaps they'll turn, but there is a warning here to that sort of thing. There is a time and a place you must excommunicate. Some sins, some sinners are hard-hearted. Mark Jones has an interesting quote about the degrees of sin, he says this. A cold is not cancer. Cold is not cancer. Stale milk is not poison, and a bruise is not a broken leg. Likewise, not all sins are as bad as others. There's a type of sinner John Calvin again, he says that they obstinately reject the truth. They sin willfully and of their own accord, and it would be of no advantage to admonish them. Some of us have to heed that. Calvin also says that there will be some contentious men who will never cease to annoy us. And we have to come to grips with this reality for the good of the church. I don't wanna sound cavalier up here. It's a serious thing to excommunicate someone from the church. But Paul encourages Titus to this end because there's apparently going to be a temptation for pastors and for churches to avoid excommunicating those who divide. We must not avoid that pastoral pitfall. That's good advice for all of us, pastor or not. Satan will indeed send distractions into the church and we must be on guard for it. Well, I'll conclude this evening with three brief exhortations in light of our text. Believer, firstly, exhortation is this, examine yourself to know what idols lay in your hearts. All right, the holiday season, I think the holidays, it has a way of bringing idols to the surface. And if you're like me, you have books on your Christmas list. I want to read them, but if I'm honest, I also enjoy looking at them. But one brother, he's pointed out, John Calvin, had only about 350 books in his library. That's really interesting, isn't it? Calvin only had 350 books in his library. And this brother also pointed out that this is a good reminder as we consider whether or not we need to buy more books. The point of our reading is not to puff ourselves up with facts. The point of our reading, the point of reading many books is that we love our neighbor. And that's what I want to get through. I'm not discouraging reading, especially in this church, let's be honest. I encourage reading. However, let the reading of good books move you towards love of neighbor. If that's not happening, you need to pray, you need to do something different. Like Titus, we must spend our time well. And at times that means we must read and study and engage in controversy. but we must not neglect the needs of the body, namely the doing of good works. Second exhortation, we must also examine ourselves to know whether or not we are unwittingly stirring division in the body. It's possible to stir division and not know it. We must take special care to pray for and encourage unity within the body. Unity is a precious thing. God values it greatly and we need to encourage it. Pray for it. Forgive one another quickly. Overlook faults. Don't be petty. It's essential. It's essential that we're unified so that we're useful in the community and the world. And then lastly, expect your pastors to encounter difficult situations in your time here. Expect that. The world is a dark place and the scriptures tell us as much. And this text we covered tonight, it's only one of several places in scripture that speaks of the church discipline process. This is only one of many places we could go to to learn about the need to excommunicate or to reject a sinner in our midst. So expect your pastors to encounter this sort of thing, expect for the church to encounter this sort of thing, and pray for your pastors to handle well those who seek to sow division and discord. With that, let's pray together. Our Father, we thank you for your word in the way that you do not leave us empty-handed, but you speak to us so faithfully, and I ask that you would use your word now and make it effective in the hearts of your people. I pray, Lord, for humility, that we might be a people who repent when we must, that we would not be selfish, but that we would be full of love and work in our hearts that we may abound in good for your glory. We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen.