You know, we don't entrust our kids to just anybody.
The volunteers serving a king's kids, we know them.
We trust them.
We've done background checks on them.
Do you know why?
The welfare of our kids depends on it.
Maybe you have some older parents that you've been caring for
and the time has come for you to entrust them to others to care for them.
You weren't able to help them.
And you needed a level of care for your elderly parents that you couldn't give.
And so you send them to some kind of assisted care facility
and you're going to want to know who these people are you're sending your parents to.
You need to know them and trust them.
Why?
Because the well-being of your parents depends on it.
This morning we're going to see that God our Father entrusts the welfare of His children,
the blood bought of Jesus,
to a few godly men in a local church called elders.
This morning we're going to be talking about leadership in the local church.
God doesn't entrust His blood bought to just anybody.
He entrusts those He's purchased with the blood of Jesus
to qualified men that He will hold accountable on the last day.
And do you know why?
The spiritual well-being of the church depends on it.
The spiritual well-being of our church depends in large part
on the spiritual well-being of the elders that lead this church.
Therefore, we must trust God and His Word
in determining which men are to be appointed as elders in this church.
In short, leadership matters to a church.
So if you'd open up your Bibles to the book of Titus.
We started a study of Titus last week.
And this morning we're going to look at a passage on the qualifications of elders.
And I'd like to read it for you.
Titus chapter 1, verses 5 through 16.
Hear the word of the Lord.
This is why I left you in Crete,
so that you might put what remained into order
and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.
If anyone is above reproach,
the husband of one wife and his children are believers
and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.
For an overseer, as God's steward,
must be above reproach.
He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered
or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,
but hospitable, a lover of good,
self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught
so that he may be able to give sound doctrine,
instruction in sound doctrine,
and also rebuke those who contradict it.
For there are many who are insubordinate,
empty talkers and deceivers,
especially those of the circumcision party.
They must be silenced,
since they are upsetting whole families
by teaching for shameful game
what they ought not to teach.
One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said,
Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.
This testimony is true.
Therefore, rebuke them sharply,
that they may be sound in the faith,
not devoting themselves to Jewish myths
and the commands of men
who turn away from the truth.
To the pure, all things are pure,
but to the defiled and unbelieving,
nothing is pure,
but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.
They profess to know God,
but they deny Him by their works.
They are detestable, disobedient,
unfit for any good work.
The spiritual well-being of our church,
of Christ the King Church,
our spiritual health depends in large part
on the spiritual health of the men
who give leadership to this church.
And so we've got to be very careful
to obey what God says in His Word
about appointing men to the office of elders.
So this morning,
I want you to see three things from this passage.
An elder's responsibility,
an elder's qualifications,
and an elder's unique call
to confront falsehood.
We're going to spend the bulk of our time
on that middle point,
the qualifications of elders,
but let's look at the responsibility of an elder.
God is calling not just a few good men,
He's calling a few godly men.
In chapter 1, verse 5,
we see the reason, the purpose,
Paul left Titus in Crete.
This is why I, Paul, left you, Titus, in Crete,
so that you might put what remained into order
and appoint elders in every town
as I directed you.
So just a little background.
Paul and Titus,
an apostolic gospel band,
had shared the gospel
through town after town in Crete,
first century,
and evidently there was a response
response of repentance and faith
to the gospel preached,
and there now were Christians
in every town,
many towns throughout Crete.
And so Paul, for a reason,
we are not given,
he's got to split,
and so he writes this letter to Titus
and says,
Titus, I've left you for this reason
that you put in order what remained.
And so what needed to be put in order?
Remember,
these churches were young churches in Crete.
At this point,
they didn't have elders of their own.
And so what needed to be put in order
among many things
was a foundation
in each of the churches
throughout Crete.
And we're not talking a foundation
of concrete.
We're not talking about a building campaign.
We're talking about a believing campaign.
That the doctrine
that is the foundation
of these churches in Crete,
what Paul calls sound doctrine,
the foundation of Jesus Christ,
who He is,
what He's done,
and it's all revealed
throughout the pages of this book
called the Bible.
At this time,
in first century Crete,
there was a clear and present danger.
There were false teachers
seeking to exert influence
on these new Christians
and these churches.
And so what Paul is realizing
to Titus is,
Titus, I've got to go,
but you need to stay put
and you need to get these churches
established on the sound doctrine
of Jesus Christ.
Paul's very concerned
about the spiritual health
of these churches.
And he knows that the spiritual health
of these churches
depends upon the soundness
of the doctrine
that they are being taught.
Healthy doctrine leads
to healthy living.
And so what Paul is referring to primarily
when he talks about
putting what remained in order,
he's talking about
getting doctrine in order.
Getting what they believe
to be true, right.
And so then he goes into talking
about appointing elders
in every city.
The spiritual health
of a local congregation
is dependent upon,
in large part,
the spiritual health
of the men appointed
to lead it.
To appoint
is this official act
of designating someone
into an office.
And at this point
in history,
here we have
an apostolic delegate,
Titus,
appointing men
into positions
of office,
these elders.
We don't have
any apostolic delegates
anymore.
And so this process
of appointing elders
is something we do
as a church.
And so we have
a year-long process.
It's called
the elder training course.
And we have men
come through
this elder training course
for a year.
And what we focus on
is their character,
their creed,
what they believe,
sound doctrine,
their competence
in being able
to communicate God's Word,
their ability
to interact
with other people,
camaraderie.
And after that process,
we have this thing
called the nomination process
in which we actually
put men forward
for the church
to affirm
with a vote.
And that's what
we're going to do
on June 10th.
This is our process
for appointing elders
from within us.
What I want you
to notice
about these elders
that Titus
is to appoint
is that
there's a little
letter on the end
of that word elders.
It's the letter S.
Elders.
Not elder.
The normal practice
of leadership
in the early church
was for a church
to be led
by a team
of godly men
giving overall leadership
to that church.
It's called
a plurality
of elders.
A team of elders
working together
to love a church
unto Jesus.
It's the normal
New Testament model
for leadership
in the local church.
It's for the spiritual
health of a church.
And it's interesting
that in this passage
not only do we see
these men
who are going to be
leading the church
called elders
but they're described
by another name.
Look in verse 7.
They are overseers.
They're synonymous.
They're talking about
the same group of men.
Elders,
talking about
the nature
of these guys.
They're proven.
Overseers describe
kind of what they do.
They oversee
the overall health
of a church.
And then when you
read a passage
like Ephesians 4.11
or 1 Peter 5.1-4
there's another word
that gets used
for these men.
Pastors.
Shepherds of the flock.
And so
these guys
who give overall
leadership
to a church
this team of men
they're a team
of elders
of overseers
of pastors
of shepherds.
It's a plurality
of leadership.
And it's to bless
the church.
God does it
this way
because he loves
his people.
He has good
for them.
So Christ the King Church
our church
is a local church
led by a team
of elders
a plurality
of elders.
Do you know why?
Our Bible
say so.
And so we have
a team of elders
because we're seeking
to obey
and live
according to
the scriptures.
Which gets me
to the point
of responsibility.
Serving a church
as one of its elders
is a very
serious
responsibility.
Do you know
who God
will hold
uniquely
accountable
if there is
some kind
of false
teaching
that begins
to permeate
our church?
Do you know
who he'll hold
accountable?
The elders
of this church.
We will have
to give an account.
Would you
flip in your Bibles
start flipping
to the right
to the book
of Hebrews
and turn
to Hebrews
chapter 13
verse 7.
We read
this.
It should
sober
everybody up
in the room.
Remember
your leaders.
Those
who spoke
to you
the word
of God
consider
the outcome
of their way
of life
and imitate
their faith.
And then look
at verse 17.
Obey
your leaders
and submit
to them
for they
are keeping
watch over
your souls.
Oversight
as those
who will have
to give
an account.
We will
have to give
an account.
It is a
very serious
responsibility
to undertake
the role
of elder.
It's of
utmost
importance.
And the
reason why
is the
spiritual
health of
this church
depends
largely
upon it.
God loves
his church.
God wants
good for
his people.
He wants
his people
to be
experiencing
the spiritual
health that
results from
believing sound
doctrine and
that spiritual
health shows
up in lives
of godliness
and good
works.
And so he
raises up
qualified men
to exercise
a godly
influence in
and through
a church
for that
church is
good.
The sobering
thing about
this is
that elders
have a
responsibility
for the
blood bought
of Jesus.
God himself
is entrusting
to their
limited care
the people
he's purchased
with the
blood of
Jesus.
It's a very
serious
responsibility.
That's why
a pastor
from a
bygone
era
Robert
Murray
McShane
said
the greatest
need of
my people
is my
personal
holiness.
This is a
very grave
and serious
undertaking
but it's
God's
design.
And it's
from here
when we're
recalling
the nature
of this
responsibility
it helps
us to
understand
why
the
qualifications
for an
elder
are so
significant.
God's
not can
trust
his care
the care
for his
church
just
anybody.
So now
let's turn
to an
elder's
qualifications
and this
is from
verses
6
through
8
actually
6
through
9
and what
we're
going to
see
is
Paul's
going to
emphasize
character
and
competence
a
character
that has
been
shaped
by
God's
grace
and a
competence
in
handling
God's
word.
His
character
must be
shaped
by
God's
grace.
In
verses
6
and
7
you
see
a
little
phrase
repeated
and this
is
we're
back
in
Titus
chapter
1
it's
little
phrase
above
reproach
verse
6
if anyone
is above
reproach
the husband
of one
wife
and his
children
are
believers
and not
open
to the
charge
of
debauchery
and
subordination
for an
overseer
as
God's
steward
must
be
above
reproach
that
phrase
above
reproach
is
the
way
that
Paul
summarizes
where a
man who's
going to be
an elder
where he
must be
in his
character
he must
be above
reproach
so what
does that
mean
well it
literally means
to be
blameless
do you
know what
Teflon
is
Teflon
is that
coating
on some
kind
of a
cooking
surface
that
keeps
something
from
sticking
here's
what
God's
grace
is
to
an
elder
God's
grace
is
Teflon
to a
man
God's
grace
operating
in a
man's
life
to such
a
degree
that
any
accusation
that
comes
to
him
any
accusation
of
some
kind
of
hypocrisy
it
doesn't
stick
because
this
man
has been
so
shaped
by
God's
grace
that
he's
above
reproach
you
look at
a man's
life
who's
got
this
kind
of
character
shaped
by
God's
grace
and
you're
able
to
conclude
from
looking
at
him
that
not
only
is
there
a
God
but
the
God
that
this
man
is
living
for
I
got
to
pay
attention
because
this
guy's
living
a
consistent
and
compelling
life
to
be
above
reproach
it
doesn't
mean
sinless
it
doesn't
mean
this
guy's
not
going
to
make
a
mistake
from
time
to
time
but
what
it
does
mean
is
this
man's
character
has
been
proven
to
such
agree
that
it
will
assure
the
church
that
when
he
does
sin
that
when
he
does
make
a
mistake
it
is
out
of
character
and
he
owns
it
affirm
that
this
man
is
a
man
of
God's
grace
so
this
isn't
a
call
this
above
approach
isn't
a
call
to
be
sinlessly
perfect
but
a
call
for
men
who
are
proven
in
their
characters
being
consistent
and
compelling
in the
way
that
they
live
out
their
knowledge
of
the
truth
their
lives
authenticate
the
message
they
proclaim
it
it's
not
theory
it's
real
God's
grace
having
had
effect
you
know
by
the
end
of
the
summer
all
of
us
are
going
to
have
really
nice
tans
and
the
reason
is
we're
going
to
be
exposed
to
the
summer
sun
over
a
duration
of
time
what
we're
describing
here
is
that
this
above
reproach
is
a
man
who's
been
exposed
to
God's
grace
over
a
period
of
time
and
he
shows
it
and
it
has
an
effect
and
so
what
we
see
happen
in
verses
6
7
and
8
is
that
Paul
kind
of
helps
us
understand
what
this
above
reproach
means
he
points
to
godliness
in
the
home
and
then
he
points
to
godliness
in
conduct
and
so
if
you
would
look
at
verse
6
if
anyone
is
above
reproach
the
husband
of
one
wife
literally
a
one
woman
man
the
emphasis
here
is on
a
pattern
of
faithfulness
to
one
woman
fidelity
to your
bride
it
has
bearing
on
man
readiness
to
serve
the
church
now
this
does
raise
the
question
to
many
people
can
a
man
who's
been
divorced
serve
as
an
elder
does
that
automatically
disqualify
him
well
if
you
look
at
this
passage
and
then
a
passage
in
1
Timothy
3
there's
no
formulas
that
Paul
gives
he
doesn't
say
hey
if
a
man
has
been
divorced
he's
disqualified
from
ever
his
wife
for
a
season
an
extended
season
that
doesn't
mean
he's
disqualified
if
he has
a
divorce
in
his
background
is
he
a
man
shaped
by
God's
grace
does
he
understand
what
he
contributed
to
that
divorce
is
he
willing
to
talk
about
it
openly
the
emphasis
here
is
on
faithfulness
to
a
one
woman
now
we
all
know
that
a
guy
can
be
sexually
faithful
to
his
wife
but
be
a
real
jerk
so
what
we
need
to
understand
here
is
it's
a
certain
kind
of
faithfulness
to
his
wife
a
Christ
like
faithfulness
to
his
wife
in
Ephesians
5
25
kind
of
faithfulness
to
his
wife
where
a
husband
gladly
lays
down
his
wife
like
Jesus
laid
down
his
wife
for
his
bride
the
church
so
you
know
what
we're
looking
for
as a
church
we're
looking
for
men
who
love
their
wives
in
such
a
way
that
they
regularly
lay
their
lives
down
for
them
if
a
guy
is
willing
to
do
that
for
his
bride
he's
going
to
do
that
for
the
church
as
well
Christ
bride
the
husband
of
one
wife
his
children
are
believers
his
children
are
believers
now
there's
debate
over
what
that
word
believer
means
it
could
mean
his
children
are
born
again
followers
of
Jesus
or
it
could
mean
that
his
children
are
obedient
that
they're
submissive
to
their
dad
and
I
think
the
latter
translation
is
better
because
of
where
Paul
goes
in
the
text
notice
what
he
says
verse
six
his
children
are
believers
and
not
open
to
the
charge
of
debauchery
or
insubordination
he
focuses
on
their
behavior
debauchery
by the
way
is
wild
living
wild
out
living
and
insubordination
is
rebellion
if you
flip to
first
Timothy
chapter
three
and
the
parallel
passage
of
this
in
verse
five
we
read
this
for
if
someone
excuse
me
verse
four
an
elder
must
manage
his
own
household
well
with
all
dignity
keeping
his
children
submissive
and
so
the
idea
here
is
not
an
elder's
children
being
born
again
like
any
of
us
can
ensure
that
happening
but
rather
that
the
elder
is
set
the
thermostat
on
his
home
on
grace
and
so
his
children
are
raised
in
an
atmosphere
of
grace
and
so
whether
or not
they have
put
the stake
in the
ground
for
Jesus
his
children
have
grown
up
in a
context
where
they
honor
their
mother
and
their
father
they're
submissive
proof
is in
the
pudding
so
we
go
on
Paul
says
an
overseer
as
God's
steward
must
be
above
reproach
you
see that
in
verse
seven
a
steward
in
the
first
century
was
a
man
entrusted
with
the
responsibility
of
overseeing
and
managing
the
household
of the
head
of the
home
oftentimes
a
steward
was
given
responsibility
for
the
day
to
day
financial
operations
as well
as the
different
members
of the
home
for their
education
and care
what
Paul
is
saying
there
is
if
a
man
is
unable
to
manage
his
own
household
well
he
has
no
business
seeking
to be
an
overseer
or
a
steward
of
God's
family
that's
what
he's
saying
what
we're
seeing
here
is
godliness
in
the
home
the
exposure
of
grace
in
a
man
that
affects
the
way
that
he
loves
his
wife
and
affects
the
way
that
he
raises
his
children
the
home
is
the
proving
ground
of
Christian
leadership
it's
in
the
details
you
cannot
fake
who
you
are
in
your
home
it's
clear
for those
who are
living
with
you
we
go
from
godliness
in
the
home
to
godliness
in
conduct
and
Paul
lays
out
five
must
not
be
he
must
not
be
arrogant
he
must
not
be
quick
tempered
he
must
not
be
a
drunkard
he
must
not
be
violent
he
must
not
be
greedy
for
gain
he
must
not
be
these
things
and
what
he's
describing
is
a
man's
character
how
he
lives
normal
patterns
of
life
arrogant
is
this
idea
of
being
self
governing
self
willed
self
centered
quick
tempered
you're
ruled
by
your
anger
a
drunkard
you're
ruled
by
alcohol
violent
you're
ruled
by
lashing
out
on
people
greedy
for
gain
you're
ruled
by
the
desire
for
money
or
possessions
and
God
says
none
of
that
can
be
in
the
leadership
of
a
church
men
cannot
be
ruled
by
themselves
or
their
passions
what
these
all
have
in
common
is
a
self
centeredness
that
gives
way
to
a
self
serving
of
one's
passions
so
let's
say
we
see
a
brother
in
the
church
who's
got
an
anger
problem
or
someone
who's
greedy
for
gain
maybe
lashes
out
on
people
do
you
know
what
that
means
well
maybe
they're
not
ready
to
be
an
elder
yet
they
just
need
more
time
in
the
oven
of
God's
grace
in
the
oven
of
God's
grace
God
heats
up
a
Christian's
character
in
order
to
mold
that
character
to be
like
Jesus
and
so
if
there's
a
brother
or
sister
for
that
matter
a
Christian
where
we're
seeing
these
qualities
in
they
need
more
time
in
God's
oven
of
grace
but
they
cannot
be
true
of
a
man
serving
as
an
elder
of
a
church
we
go
from
must
not
be
to
the
must
be
again
think
of
these
as
descriptions
of
normal
ongoing
character
traits
provenness
godliness
resulting
from
exposure
to
God's
grace
and
we
read
verse
8
he
must
be
hospitable
son
together
literally
that
word
means
a
lover
of
the
stranger
a
lover
of
the
foreigner
a
lover
of
one
on
the
outside
it's
the
complete
opposite
of
being
self
centered
others
oriented
and
so
here's
how you
see
that
when you see a man in a church
who has not been prodded
but he moves towards others
others he doesn't know
others who are new to the church
he moves towards them
because he's got a love for the outsider
love for someone who's new
that is a quality that marks an elder
he's to be a lover of good
he wants what's best for people
and he wants what's best for people
so much that he's willing
to say hard things to them
because he loves them so much
faithful are the wounds
of a friendly elder
so an elder wants someone's good
even above their own comfort
what we're seeing here is God's grace
operating in a man's life
because he's been exposed to it
he's to be self-controlled
by God's grace
he governs his passions
his passions don't govern him
he is upright
he is a righteous dude
because he walks in the ways
of God's commands
unashamed
he's got a reputation
not of cutting corners
and cooking the books
but of doing the right thing
even at cost
he's upright
he's holy
set apart
his upright living
by God's grace
has set him apart
from those around him
and it's not just
that he lives that way
he wants to live that way
he has this insatiable appetite
to be like God
and God's holiness
because God's holiness is good
brings you back to that
Robert Murrick McShane quote
the greatest need of my people
is my personal holiness
and then he's disciplined
he's aimed in his living
like a serious athlete
remember the winter Olympics
in South Korea
those athletes
you got to live a certain way
to be an Olympic athlete
you're saying no
to a lot of things
so that you can say yes
to competing
and going for gold
in the Olympics
disciplined
Paul uses that
same word
in 1 Corinthians 9 27
he says this
but I discipline my body
and keep it under control
lest after preaching to others
I myself shall be disqualified
if after he preaches
and his character is sullied
do you know what that does?
it brings reproach
on the message
so he's going to discipline his body
and make it his life
so he doesn't disqualify himself
and bring reproach
on the name of Jesus
an elder is a man
who is aimed
and purposed in his living
disciplined to live a holy life
and saying no
to just other things
to say yes to godliness
and so it's not infrequent
where a man who is set out
to be an elder
says hey will this honor God?
will this use of time honor God?
will these words honor God?
will this bless other people?
he's purposely living his life
by God's grace
for God's glory
it's not theory
it's proven
it's how he's living his life
and it gives an assurance
to a church
that this man
is the real deal
and so God
entrusts the care
of his church
to men like that
for the good of his church
so the overall emphasis
on what qualifies a man
so far
has been on his character
they live lives
that adorn the truth
of the gospel
they live lives
that authenticate
the reality of God's grace
in a person's life
they live
Teflon like lives
accusations don't stick
they're not sinlessly perfect
they'll make mistakes
but they own it
the church is confident
in them
and the church
listens to them
because they have a character
and a life
worth listening to
which brings us
to being competent
in handling God's word
we read in verse 9
he must hold firm
to the trustworthy word
as taught
so that I may be able
to give instruction
and sound doctrine
and also to rebuke
those who contradict it
this skill
of being able
to handle God's word
well
is a not
it's a must
in a man
who's going to be an elder
it's not optional
it's the characteristic
that differentiates
an elder
from the role
of deacon
he's got to be able
to communicate
the truth of God's word
effectively
to others
for a man
to serve as an elder
he must have
a firm grip
on the truth
revealed about Jesus
in this book
let's say
we have a game
and we call it
the grip game
and I bring out
a 12 by 12 inch
piece of plywood
and I come up to you
and I hold it out to you
and I say
okay
grip it
and pull
whoever gets
the piece of wood
wins
you've got the stronger grip
and so we pull
and I win
because I got the stronger grip
but what happens
if
I'm pulling against you
and it's just
completely impossible
for me to pull it
out of your grip
you've got like
a vice-like grip
an elder
must have
a vice-like grip
on this book
he's controlled by it
and he's ruled by it
he references it
he comes back to it
over and over again
a church
must be convinced
that the leaders
of their church
will never give up
their grit
on the truth
of God's word
if I start preaching
something other than
the Bible here
you yank me
that's it
an elder is so convinced
of the truthfulness
of this book
and of its life-giving
ability
that he's never
going to abandon it
how pleasing it would be
to God
if
if the members of Christ
the King Church
if they say of their elders
you know what
they're not the flashiest
guys around
but man
do they love
God's word
and they keep telling us
God's word
over and over
and over again
and we love them
for it
elders
must be competent
in their ability
to rightly handle
the word of truth
do you know why
because your
spiritual health
depends on it
this book
and the doctrines
revealed
the sound doctrine
the healthy doctrine
of this book
leads to healthy living
Paul points to two ways
he says
an elder must be able
to instruct
in sound doctrine
and those two words
sound doctrine
both are important
doctrine means teaching
what the Bible teaches
about Christ
is
the doctrine
of Christ
what the Bible teaches
about the end times
is the doctrine
of the end times
what the Bible teaches
about sin
is the doctrine
of sin
what the Bible teaches
about salvation
is the doctrine
of salvation
but you'll notice
it's sound doctrine
and the Greek word
underneath that word
sound
is a word
that we get
hygiene from
as in like
your health
as in like
dental hygiene
your well-being
Bible doctrine
knowledge of the truth
is healthy
for the body
of the church
do you remember
the milk campaign
milk it does
the body good
you remember that
milk it does
the body good
milk it does
the body good
doctrine does
Christ's body
good
sound doctrine
you need it
and we need
elders who are
going to instruct
the church
in sound doctrine
you can call
an elder
a doctrine
hygienist
if you would like
they're seeking
to bring health
to the body
of Christ
through the teaching
of doctrine
but you also
notice at the
end of verse
nine and this
is where we'll
close for this
morning
not only to
give instruction
and sound
doctrine
they're also
to rebuke
those who
contradict it
to rebuke
those who
contradict it
back to
first century
Crete
there are these
false teachers
who are seeking
to influence
the church
with teaching
that does not
focus on
Jesus
it's true
today
there are
false teachers
all over
the internet
and what
Paul says
to Titus
is these
elders
must be able
to sniff
out
false
teaching
and rebuke
it
to expose
it
to show
it for what
it is
to confront
those who
are speaking
against the
sound doctrine
revealed in
the bible
do you know
how
do you know
how an elder
does that
let alone
a Christian
let me say
it this way
the secret
service has
a division
that deals
with counterfeit
currency
and the
way that
the men
and women
of this
division
figure out
what
counterfeit
money is
is they
spend their
time focused
on the
real stuff
the people
in this
division
they know
what a
twenty dollar
bill
tastes like
they know
what it
smells
like
I'm sure
they know
what it
sounds
like
they absolutely
know what
it feels
like
they're so
familiar
with the
real stuff
that when
they come
into contact
with the
false stuff
it becomes
very clear
to them
shortly
so a way
elders
detect
false
doctrine
is in part
because they've
been spending
so much
time
in the
sound
doctrine
you smell
it
like sour
milk
it's not
good for
the body
what Paul
is telling
Titus
is that
he must
be careful
to appoint
men as
elders
who've got
proven
character
shaped by
the grace
of the
gospel
and they
have a
competence
to communicate
the truth
of the
gospel
that these
men
can instruct
in sound
doctrine
and rebuke
those who
oppose it
and in
verses 10
through 16
Paul shows
what elders
must do
and when they
rebuke
false teachers
they're to
silence them
they're to
rebuke them
with the hope
that they
will restore
them to
sound doctrine
and then at
the end of
Titus chapter
3
9 and 10
if there
are false
teachers
who don't
repent
of their
false
teaching
in a
church
elders
show them
the door
they're not
good for
us
and we've
done it
at least
five times
here
we've
asked people
to leave
because they
have been
divisive in
their instruction
of false
doctrine
well I've
covered the
waterfront
the main
point is
this
the spiritual
well-being of
our church
depends in
large part
on the
spiritual
well-being
of the
elders of
our church
so
we must
trust God's
word
to appoint
men
as elders
for the
good
of this
church
let's pray
God in
heaven
we thank
you so
much for
your word
and we
thank you
so much
for the
men you
are raising
up in
our midst
godly
men
proven
character
competent
in the
word
and it
is a
joy
God
to see
you work
by your
spirit
and raising
them up
God we
pray that
you would
continue to
raise up
from our
midst
men
who have
been
exposed
to your
grace
have a
proven
character
and are
competent
in the
teaching
of it
God we
pray all
this
we thank
you for
this
and we
pray above
all else
God that
you would
make Christ
the King
Church a
healthy
church
a church
in which
you delight
in
a church
who is
experiencing
greater measures
of godliness
exercising
our faith
in good
works
having an
influence
God would
you protect
our church
from false
teachers
and God
would you
use the
elders of
this church
to bring
soundness
to this
body
we ask
this in
Jesus name
amen