Bowman Community Church
2026-07-05
  • Praise to the Lord the Almighty
  • This Is My Father's World
  • The Sands Of Time Are Sinking (Rutherford)
  • How Firm a Foundation
  • To God Be the Glory

      • Mark 2:1–12ESV

  • Intro

    This morning, we're continuing our series on Titus.
    Last week, we talked about elders, who are to shepherd the flock of God.
    But why does a flock need a shepherd? Because it's threatened.
    A shepherd's job is to stand between the sheep and the wolves that want to devour them. Today we talk about the wolves.
    Let's read our text.

    Text

    Titus 1:10–11 ESV
    10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.
    The Word of the Lord, Amen.

    Prayer & Prep

    Our Great God, we give ourselves to you now to receive your instruction and encouragement. Thank you for loving us and caring for us, as a shepherd does his sheep. Open our hearts and minds to your word, now, for we ask it in Jesus’ strong name, Amen.
    We’re going to ask four questions about these wolves: who are they, what did they do, why did they do it, and what does it look like today.
    First, who are these people?

    Who They Are

    Titus 1:10 ESV
    10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.
    The first thing we should notice is the word “for.” After explaining who the leaders of the church need to be, he explains why they need to be qualified in the first place. Few people are qualified to be underwater welders. It’s an intense job, and if you’re not qualified… let’s just say it’s dangerous. Similarly, an unqualified elder is going to make a mess of things. Why? Because he’s got some serious work to do. Work with real consequences.
    “For there are many… deceivers.” Why do you need qualified men? To lead the church and defend it from its enemies. And to work against the influence of those enemies on those within the church.
    This isn’t a hypothetical warning, either. The problem is not off in the future, it’s here. There are many. It’s happening. Amazing to think that subversive false teaching rose up pretty much immediately, isn’t it? The Devil was scrambling to stop what God had started.
    There are three marks to these people. They are:
    Titus 1:10 ESV
    10 … insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.
    Insubordination: false teaching is always ultimately rebellious. It may say true things, and, in fact, it often does. That’s what it needs to do in order get a hearing in the first place. But it’s only flashing the Word, not obeying it. An obvious example of this would be the billboards that Gavin Newsom paid for; you know, those billboards that were advertising paid-for abortion services in California for people from other states. “Come get an abortion, after all, the Bible says, ‘Love your neighbor.’” How about don’t murder your neighbor? Insubordination is an understatement in that case.
    The point is, false teaching mutilates and manipulates certain parts of the Bible to advance a godless purpose. It doesn’t truly submit to the word, though it tries to look like it.
    Empty talkers: This doesn’t mean they weren’t bad speakers. Who cares about empty talk that isn’t nice to listen to? No one cares about that. But how about empty talk that flatters instead of edifies? Empty talk that entices the mind with controversy and scandal, an escape into a fantasy, or flatters and panders? That is dangerous.
    This word means “idle speech,” or “meaningless drivel.” This kind of thing is powerful, yet it doesn’t have anything inside it. I’m reminded of the news when I read this. The news is pretty much gossip, slander, or rage bait, with some helpful information every blue moon or so. Sadly, many podcasts and internet shows (which are quickly replacing the news) degenerate into this, too.
    Deceivers: this is the heart of these false teachers. Deception is what they’re after. I’ve commented on some things outside the church, but it needs to be clear that the people God’s talking about, here, are within the church. They were visible parts of it; they were members, influential figures, or leaders, even. Because of their status and visibility, they had the ability to capture the minds and attention of the Christians around them. Here’s one of the main reasons why this was the case.
    The circumcision party: This means Jewish Christians. Imagine you’re a Gentile believer. You got saved, your whole world and outlook on life changed, you’re a new creation. You gather with other Christians. A large portion of these churches had Jews in it, and these guys had a thousand years of history with God. Clearly, these people quickly pulled a rank they didn’t have and people believed them. They were the “upper class Christians,” and this gave them a kind of built-in credibility. And it was their credibility that enabled them, not the content of their teaching.
    This hasn’t changed. One of the most frustrating explosions of false teaching in the modern era is that of the Christian Cults: Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Science, and more. They are frustrating because they claim the Bible, not because they are subjected to it, but because they want to co-opt the legitimacy that Christianity gives as cover for their false religion. Each of these needed the credibility the Bible gave in their day (when America was overwhelmingly Christian) to get a hearing for their unbiblical ideas.
    The most dangerous false teaching is always smuggled through Christian-ese language.
    2 Corinthians 11:13–15 ESV
    13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
    Let me pause and ask you: what comes into your head when you hear “false teaching”?
    I expect most people to say, “Prosperity Gospel.” A lot of things have been written about that in the last few decades. Not a wrong answer, but it’s too easy.
    It’s almost cartoonishly obvious how false that stuff is. It’s like the theological equivalent of AI generated pictures from two years ago. Like, how are people missing the six fingers, extra leg, and random letters? The fact that people still fall for the prosperity stuff reveals something troubling about the spiritual condition of the world. But, that’s for another sermon.
    Prosperity preaching, as terrible and damaging as it is, is nothing compared to the more insidious and sneaky false teaching that strikes even closer to home. A quick note before we get into that…

    What They Did — Upsetting Whole Families

    Titus 1:11 ESV
    11 They must be silenced…
    This word “silenced” is violent and forceful.
    I’ve had the privilege of watching Tino and Celeste train their german shepherds a few times. They are magnificent creatures, and these guys are world class at what they do. I also got to put a bite guard on my arm and do a round of bite work with one. Let me tell you: I’m hundreds of pounds of American beef, okay? And tall guys don’t often get pushed around. I thought, “What’s this little dog gonna do?” Then it started drooling. Then it started panting with desire; huffing and barking and slobbering with only one thing on its mind—to get a bite of this.
    It was the force of the impact that most surprised me. It was like getting punched in the left bicep. And that dog did not let go. I now more fully appreciate and understand the importance of training wonderful beasts like that.
    Because they’re dangerous. They can do real damage, if they aren’t managed.
    That word “silence” in verse 11 literally means to muzzle, or obstruct the mouth, somehow. These wolves have to be muzzled and silenced.
    And, what were these dogs trying to tear apart? “Whole families.”
    Titus 1:11 ESV
    11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families…
    These enemies of the gospel had to be silenced because they threatened whole households. The word upsetting may seem like emotional damage. That’s not quite it. The word carries the meaning of something like flipping a table upside down, and was used in that time to also describe the subversion of social order. You see how much bigger that is. These wolves were tearing families apart, upending them bottom over top.
    This is a hint as to what the nature of the false teaching was. Whatever contributed to the godliness and, therefore, success of the household… well, that was the target. What do you think their primary target within the household was?
    2 Timothy 3:6–7 ESV
    6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
    Remember, prior to the Industrial Revolution, the household looked very different. Families stayed together during the day to do whatever it is God’s providence gave them to do. There generally was no worksite 20 minutes away Dad went to, or office building Mom worked at, or State-run school the children spent their best hours in. The productive and united household is something our world has largely lost. Perhaps God will restore it to us one day, and that would be a good thing.
    Back then, lower class households would still be a whole family (often with the grandparents, too) under the same roof. Higher class households would have the whole family as well, plus hired servants. They were little communities of people. If a false teacher wormed his way in, and ingratiated himself to either of the parents, problems were close behind that would impact everyone. This would also, undoubtedly, ripple out and impact their church and neighbors.

    Why They Did It — Shameful Gain

    It is true that some people cause chaos and hurt others simply for the love of the game. They want to watch the world burn. You know, psychopaths.
    These people don’t get that excuse. We know what they were after.
    Titus 1:11 ESV
    11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.
    Shameful gain. Exploitation. Manipulation to gain money, status, control, and admiration.
    2 Peter 2:1 ESV
    1 … there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies…
    1 Timothy 6:3–5 ESV
    3 … He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
    Money is almost always a part of the equation of false teaching. I’ll give you two examples of things I’ve seen in the last year. Men and women in our churches are undergoing their own kinds of crises, related in many ways (or, at least, caused by the same thing). False teachers are ready to exploit that.
    First example is for the ladies. Hannah has since deleted all social media (I think it’s awesome when anyone does that), but there was one night she did that ironic laugh/sigh kind of thing, where you know someone just saw something they don’t want to believe is real? I asked what it was and she showed me this ad from a woman talking about her past marriage problems and how, if you paid her monthly, she would give you the wisdom you need to rise above your own marriage problems. Better yet, you would gain access to her exclusive support group and even 1:1 sessions with her. This is unnatural, exploitative, and deceived.
    Second example is for the guys. I don’t want to believe that what I’m about to say is real, but it is. There are two kinds of bizarre man camps where guys pay thousands of dollars to go to a place one of two types of things:
    They go to a camp where they are flattered, pandered, and emotionally buttered up to the point where they are ready to “release their inner trauma.” These guys wail and cry and hold each other in a sickening whining ritual. I’ve seen multiple versions of this kind of thing.
    Or, they go to quite a different type of man camp. These guys want to become hard men, so they pay all this money to go to a watered down version of hell week (one that can’t injure you or else there’d be a lawsuit, hell ‘weekend’) where they are constantly yelled at and humiliated by washed up former army drill sergeants.
    Beyond this, there is a horde of books, movies, podcasts, songs, and even churches that have bent to the influence of the age in areas like this. It’s everywhere. From obvious and extreme examples to slight, and hard-to-discern compromises that will grow worse if not corrected.
    All of this is unnatural, as it leads people to do things God has not made them to do. It’s exploitative; conning and grifting people out of their money. Sometimes it isn’t about money, but rather approval/attention or control. Some people make a living being shocking on the internet. Saying the taboo things, and if they say it with enough right things mixed in, they get a pass and are trusted. Others say whatever they need to say to gain control over the people needed to get what they want.
    All this is deceptive because these things can’t fix what they say they can. False teaching always lies, because it’s false.
    Going back to marriage: Marriage problems are first and foremost to be brought before God in prayer, second in diligent study of God’s design for marriage, and third through godly counsel with pastors and/or mature Christians. It is a terrible idea to skip any of these.
    Depression in guys is handled essentially the same way. Give it to God in prayer continually, go to the word for guidance, and meet with your pastor or other godly men who can walk with you. That’s not everything but that’s the guaranteed base.
    Galatians 6:2 ESV
    2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
    Yeah, it’s not flashy or dramatic in the world’s eyes. That’s the point. Wolves are counting on us not being satisfied with God’s way of doing things. They can’t profit from you otherwise.

    How This Looks Today

    Finally, I want to think more about how this looks in our day.
    When I first began preparing this sermon, I thought I was going to preach verses 10-16 all at once. That was until I realized I was on my way to three sermons’ worth of writing. Realizing I didn’t want to subject you to 90 minutes of preaching, I decided to break this up into multiple messages.
    The largest of the three sections was about today’s topic: the upsetting of the household by false teaching. This is because it touches on perhaps the most destructive ideology of our culture today. I’m talking about something that is beneath all the deadly -isms and other moral decay. There’s a word you must know if you don’t already, because it is the foundational assumption beneath transgenderism, transhumanism, feminism, homosexuality, abortion, and pretty much all the rest. That word is egalitarianism.
    Egalitarianism.
    It’s a clunky word. Not easy to say. But it’s important to know.
    Like all false teaching, you might look this thing up and not understand what the problem is.
    “Egalitarianism — a social philosophy advocating the removing of inequalities among people.”
    What could be bad about that, right? Aren’t we all equal?
    No. No, we’re not. Reasonable people read this and think we’re talking about our equality before God, as created beings. I’m telling you that is not what this word means or actually does.
    It takes all the lines God drew in his world and smears them. Like all the teeth on the cogs within a watch being ground to a nub, all the distinctions in God’s world are eroded until anything can be anything, and therefore it is nothing and can be whatever you want it to be.
    Ready? Ask yourself if these lines are clear and defended in our culture.
    Men are not women.
    Pre-born children are people.
    Children aren’t adults.
    Humans aren’t God.
    Now ask yourself it these lines are clear and defended in the American church.
    God is sovereign, not our feelings.
    Men lead the church, not women.
    Fathers lead their households, not mothers.
    Sin is sin, and should be confronted.
    I could go on. Do you see how far we have wandered from God’s design for this world and our lives? Do you see how even the church has been deeply impacted by this evil, false teaching? It’s not just evil, it’s ancient. It goes all the way back to the beginning. The first false teacher gives the first egalitarian lie.
    Genesis 3:4–5 ESV
    4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…”
    The greatest distinction of them all: the line between the Creator and the creature. Blurred then now—perhaps more than ever before. And we see the downstream consequences of it everywhere. This is always the fundamental problem: prideful unbelief. God doesn’t exist or he isn’t actually what he says he is (unbelief). So, “I’ll be God instead” (pride).
    I pray that this is not news to you, because we are almost a hundred years into a particularly deep deception that has fallen over our land. No one is unaffected; it’s the air we breath.
    If this is news to you, then I wonder if you have objections. Maybe you’ve never heard this before. I know I wasn’t taught this growing up. I wasn’t taught the cosmic battle of good and evil that is unfolding all around us, or shown how the Bible is so deeply invested in making us see that battle for what it is, and where it is. How God made a ordered world, and disordering that world brings chaos.
    These are troubling things to talk about, and often raise more questions than they answer. I want to remind you that this is why Scott, Mark, and myself are here. After every service, one of us is upstairs in that room. And we want to bring clarity or work through any confusion you may have. It’s part of our job and responsibility to you.

    Closing

    Every generation has its battles. This one has been a multi-generational battle against amazing evil. Evil that hates God, and wants to teach that hatred to everyone. Evil that twists all that is good until it finally sees itself, instead. Evil that turns parent against child, husband against wife, and church family against church family. It will not rest until the Lord vanquishes it that great and final day. On that day, order will be restored to this world. Until then, our task is not done.
    2 Timothy 3:1–4 ESV
    1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
    As Theoden said, “So much death. What can man do against such reckless hate?”
    John 14:1–3 ESV
    1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
    2 Thessalonians 2:15–17 ESV
    15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
    Let’s pray.

      • Psalm 50ESV

      • Acts 10:42ESV

      • Deuteronomy 30:19ESV

      • Matthew 24:42ESV

      • James 5:9ESV

      • Hebrews 13:15ESV

      • Matthew 15:18ESV

  • Doxology
Bowman Community Church
mclugg@gmail.com
5303476130
http://www.bowmanchurch.org
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