9 Titus 1 verse 9 The Bible says hold in fast the faithful word as he hath been taught That he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convict the gang sayer Now when Paul wrote this to Titus Things were in Crete. That's where Titus was the pastor of a church in Crete and and Situations were similar there to what they are now And uh Notice I'll show you a few of them. It says in verse in verse 10 Titus 1 10. It says for Some were unruly Amen, I mean, uh It means they had no government and no directions and no authority. And you have that today. That's here today. And Paul said that there were some vain talkers. We have plenty of that today. That means people end up running their mouth, never say nothing worth listening to. Never say nothing has any value or nothing that has any meaning or nothing that is based on the truth of what God said or nothing that would do anything to help anybody. I mean vain talkers, you know, you you turn your radio and get a bunch that junk, you know I heard this guy go he said about you know that Christ came to heal and perform miracles and you can be healed and Blah blah blah, you know, that's vain talk ain't worth nothing. Don't do nobody no good man, what what does good today is to say something that would show people where they are the condition they're in and what God has done for them well how they can be helped, you know and Well, I don't want to get off in that this morning, but then it says they were deceivers. That's great. That's going on today. A deceiver is an imposter. You know, it means to mislead. One of the signs of the last days when the disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 24, what would be the sign of thy coming? He said, take heed that no man deceive you. the fact of so much deception in the world today about the truth of God and the truth of salvation and the church and the judgment all these things people are deceived about them you say you got all that going on today so I think that I can preach what I'm going to preach this morning in the condition that things are in today and the circumstances that we face today there were some more things that One more thing that says they were Subverting whole houses in other words what they were saying was affecting people it was affecting them the wrong way now subvert means to means to turn over or it means to run utterly or Pervert the mind and turn people from the truth you see so that's in verse 11 we got all that today that's here and So I think if all that is here today when Paul told Titus these are the things that you're gonna face there these are the things you're gonna have to deal with and combat I think we ought to Listen folks if I was going to war the first thing I don't know what is my enemy like what's he got? What can he do to me? Amen? And today, people don't seem to have no concern about that, you know? Now, there was a few more things in this town that was real prevalent. Let me read them to you. This is all an introduction. I ain't started my message yet now. This is all an introduction, just trying to build you up to a place where I'm preaching some things to you. But in this town, notice in verse 12, Titus 1 verse 12, it said, one of themselves, even a prophet of their own, I mean, one of them got saved, see? And he knew how they were, he knew the characteristics of them. He said this about them, amen? I mean, every saved man knows the characteristics of a lost man, amen? Because he was one time lost, amen? And so this Christian that got saved made this statement about his own kind, and he said, number one, he said, the Christians are always liars, amen? Amen? They were habitual liars. And that's about what you got today, isn't it? You know folks, most of the day are liars. Amen? It's hard to believe what anybody says today. And especially some of these preachers. Huh? I mean, they were habitual liars. And then he said not only that, the Christian are always liars, evil beasts. Amen? They were sensual, like animals. Isn't that the attitude people have and the way people live today? Isn't that what the televisions feel with? Huh? And he said, they were slow billies. human sponges. The only thing they really wanted to do was stuff their belly with what they wanted. They had no concern for nothing spiritual, nothing for the inner man, nothing for God. It was a lustful desire that they followed and lived after. See? So we're not dealing with something a long time ago that's not here today. We're dealing with current facts and current conditions. Amen? In the midst of all this, but all this was there, Paul was taking a preacher named Titus and telling him to go in there and take those folks that are saved, those Christians in there, and teach them how to have in their life good works that are becoming of a Christian. That's what is needful today. What we need today is we need things in people's life that are becoming of a Christian. Now you say, well now wait a minute preacher, I don't believe in this working for salvation. I don't either. Anybody that knows me know I don't believe in that. But I can't ignore what the Bible says. I believe when a person gets saved, there'll be something in your life that you'll do that'll relate you to God and not the things of the world and the devil and these other things. I know some folks that profess to be saved, known them for years. They say they got saved, but nothing in their life ever changes. Their attitude doesn't change. Their action doesn't change. Nothing in their lifestyle changes. I'm not too sure whether they got in or not. As a matter of fact, I doubt it. So you're judging. Oh yeah, I'm good at that. Now let me just give you a few things, just in case some of my brethren hear this and don't agree with me, which that's all right, it happens all the time. But notice there in chapter two, verse seven. It says in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works, doesn't it? In other words, you're a pattern. A pattern is something that you follow. And there ought to be a pattern of good works, things that you do, that other people could follow and be right. You with me? Then he said in verse 14, I'll deal with these things some more a little later on. Titus 2.14, he says, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. I mean, if you're peculiar, according to the Bible, you should be zealous of good works. If you're peculiar, not pukey, like I said last Sunday. That's what a lot of them are, they're pukey, they're not peculiar. It's like, I'll give you an illustration. Just to make sure I'm clear, just to make sure I'm coming in straight. These women running around here in their shorts and sucking their cigarettes. Telling you they're good godly Christians. I'll tell you what though, they're pukey. That's what I'm talking about. Now you understand? They're not peculiar, they're pukey. So the Bible speaks very clear about a Christian having something in his life that would make people think he's what he says he is, amen? I'll just give you one or two more. Seems like we're doing pretty good right now. Look at chapter three, verse eight. Chapter three, verse eight. The Bible said, this is a fateful saying, and these things I will that they are affirmed constantly, that they which have believed in God, Listen now. Might be careful to maintain good works. Huh? Have you believed in God? Then you ought to be careful. That means don't worry about nothing else. But the main thing you ought to be worried about is make sure there's something in your life that's pleasing to God that other people can look at you and follow and be right. Then notice there also in chapter 3 verse 14. In chapter 3 verse 14 it says, And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessity's use, that they be not unfruitful. You know what that means? It means what it says. It means if you got some good works in your life, you won't be unfruitful. Your life won't be unfruitful for God. Well, I'm gonna say something else here. This is gonna knock some folks off their stumbling block, I'm sure. But folks, the church, And I say the church, I'm not talking about your church or the one here, I'm talking about the body of Christ that's saved. The church is not in this world and the church is not established in this world to go out here and start ball teams and to set up schools to educate boys and girls whether they can go out here in this world and fit in this world and make a good living. That is not why the church is here. Somebody say, well I don't like that. I don't mind, it don't make no difference to me. The church is here. That the truth of the gospel might go out. And the truth of God might be known to the unsaved world. But it's not much of that happening through the church today. I'm still in the introduction. I ain't got my message yet. I'm gonna preach in just a minute. I'm gonna preach in a minute. The church today is not standing for the truth. They're doing more to get rid of the truth than they are to stand for it. Amen? And even though some of the churches that profess to be right stand true, they're standing with the world. They're allowing the world to come in and govern everything. We see a lot of good things going on today. I mean, the churches, they're not all bad. They're doing some things that are good and profitable to some extent. But the Bible talks about the church as being the body of Christ established in this world to make known God and the things of God to this world. I believe that should be first and foremost. Amen? You got churches this morning. that are big churches, Baptist churches, Methodist churches, all kinds, and people are sitting in the pews right now that are unsaved, and yet they're comfortable sitting there. If things were right, it wouldn't be that way. Ain't no unsaved person gonna get comfortable in a pew when that man behind the pulpit is pouring it on from God. He'll get right or he'll be waving as he leaves. So I don't believe that. It's because you ain't heard the preaching. That's what's the matter with you. Amen? Let me tell you something, folks. When you got saved, amen, from that day on, your life wasn't related to this world. Read John 17. See? From the time you got saved, your life is only related to the glory of God. Amen? Now, what's happened here, and I'm gonna start preaching now in just a minute, what's happened here is Paul told Titus to go in Crete there, he told him what he was gonna find, he told him what kind of people were there, what to look for, but he told him how to do it. That's what's the trouble today. things are not set up right. For instance, look at Titus chapter 1 and verse 5. Titus 1 verse 5. He says, For this cause lift thy thee in creeds, that thou shouldest set in order. There's what we need. That set in order is a medical term. It's like setting a broken bone. Get it right. He went to the doctor with a broke arm, and the doctor said, now I got it almost right. It's a little bit off, but it'll be all right. The bone's about a half inch off, but it'll be OK. That's where a lot of churches operate. Well, we may not be. We may have a few little things wrong, but we're doing all right. That ain't what the Bible says. The Bible says, set them in order. And the Bible has the order. Amen? He said that I should set in order the things that are wanting. That word means they're needful. That's what they need. And ordain elders in every city as I have appointed thee. Now let me give you a brief outline of the book before I continue on here so you'll understand what this book's about. In chapter one, Paul said set in order. That means get things in the right place. In chapter one, Paul deals with the spiritual organization of the church or the house of God. In other words, I realize the church is an organism, but there's a spiritual organization that the church should be set up by and in accordance with, and that is what the Bible says. Amen? And then in chapter two, Paul deals with the spiritual outline for the Christian home. Then in chapter three, he dealt with the spiritual order for a Christian's life in a hopeless, unsaved world. You see? Now, notice he said, you set an order, and the first thing that's got to be done is you've got to get some leaders in that church that qualify according to the word of God. That's what it says. He says, you set in order the things that are wanting, and the first thing you do is you ordain elders in every city. Amen? Now, I'm gonna call this sound doctrine, because that's what it says in verse nine. It says, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught that he may be able, he may be able by sound doctrine, you see? Sound doctrine is the only thing that enables a man to set things up right. Understand? And so here, Paul gives the Bible qualifications for elders, or pastors, or church leaders. You can call them what you want. Amen? No church can be right. in accordance with the Bible if they've got the wrong man. Because that ain't God's way. It ain't God's way to have a pew that's right and a pulpit that's wrong. Huh? That ain't the order God set up. That's going on today, I realize that. And I'm probably going to say something this morning a lot of people ain't going to like. But it'll be the first time I've ever done it, so I'm going to do it anyway. Amen? There's some qualifications in the Bible. Matter of fact, there's several qualifications that are vital in the local church if the church is to be a spiritual worship with a spiritual fellowship and a spiritual service for God. Amen. And these qualifications, if you'll notice them there, I'm gonna read them, right now I'm not gonna read them, but if you'll read them real close, now listen to me, don't miss this, I've said this before, some of you forgot it, I'm gonna say it again. The qualifications were moral and spiritually. They were not intellectual. Huh? That's one thing that's got the church out of order today. Most churches today, they qualify a man on his intellectual training and not his moral and spiritual qualifications. I mean, some men today, they can be whoremongers, Bible perverters, world lovers, money grabbers, but he has his doctor's degree and the church says that's the man we want. It's not in order. It's not based on sound doctrine. But according to the Bible, a leader has three requirements. I'm going to deal with these three requirements. He has a domestic qualification in verse 6. He has a personal qualification in verse 7 and 8. And he has a doctrine of qualification in verse nine. And if you don't meet him, and you put him in, you out of order. Say we're independent, we'll do what we want. Yeah, I know that's what you do. That's why you ain't worth a flip for God too. I notice verse 6, let's look at the domestic qualification first. It says, if any, be blameless, the husband of one wife. Well, the first thing I see for a pastor or a leader of a church, he's got to be a man. There ain't no woman qualified for the pastorium. They got one down in Belle Glade. Used to pastor over here. And you want to really, you want to really want to see something that will just, you know, just turn a hog's nose up. Just your listener get on a rail and try to preach. You know, you, you'd have to be below average in stupidity to listen to that junk. But it goes on today. The Southern Baptist have ordained so many women deacons. They don't even know how many they are. The Methodists are ordaining women pastors. The Presbyterian Convention ordained a woman as president of their convention here some years ago. See? You know what that means? It means they're out of order. Now, there's a domestic qualification. Now, I want to read you one more place over here. Paul went a little further. He said some more about this thing, and I want to say some things right now that might show you something. In 1 Timothy chapter 3, Paul gave some more qualifications. I'm not going to deal with all of them. I don't have time. That's another mess. It'd take me two hours to preach all this this morning. But in 2 Timothy chapter 3, I'm in first Timothy chapter three. The Bible said, this is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. Amen. Now look at verse four. It said, one that ruleth well, he is, he is, he is, do you folks hear what I said? It said his own house, doesn't it? Amen. Having his children under subjection with all gravity. For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? Now I'm going to read it to you in modern language. You listening? I'm going to read it to you in modern language. Now listen to me. One that ruleth well his own house, having her children and his children and our children in subjection. That's modern language. Am I right? Paul said here if any be blameless, The husband of one wife having faithful children. Means you ought to teach your children the word of God. Right? Not accused of riot or unruling. You see? So there's a domestic qualification and that's what it says. Then let's notice there's also a personal qualification. Notice Titus chapter 1 and verse 7, for a bishop must be blameless as the steward of God, not self-willed. That's a negative thing, not self-willed. In other words, he ought to be able to follow God and not his own will. A man that'll follow men just to get along is not following, he's not self-will, he's following other people. A man ought to follow God first. And the Bible says something you ought to do or ought not to do and your school or your fellowship says contrary, you ought to stick with God. How many of them do it? You know what's the matter? Things are not in order. Bible says, not self-will nor soon angry. In Ephesians, Paul said, be ye angry and sin not. I think a man's right, God ought to stay angry all the time. I'm angry all the time with these Bible perverters. With lost church people trying to tell me how good they are. With lying preachers. and lying religions and sin and the devil and the world. You know why I can't watch television? I get mad watching it. You better never leave me around your house with your thousand dollar car, I'll throw a brick through it. Not self-willed, not angry, not giving the wine, huh? And notice here there's two things that a leader is told not to be given to. He's not to be given to wine nor filthy lucre. In other words, he's not to give himself over to the main thing I want to do. I want to make money. I want money. That's caused more compromise and more preachers have sold out for that love of money than probably anything ever happened in the Baptist churches. And over there in Ephesians, the Bible says, who have given themselves over to lasciviousness. You see? Now a man's gotta watch what he gives himself to. See? Now, wine and liquor and that stuff comes under the heading of dope. Amen? And wine and liquor is a drug. Drugs and money and sex and the Bible is a trinity and the devil has ruined many a man With one or all three of them Amen And let me say something here If any one of them ever get a hold to a man If he ever gives himself over to any one of the three It takes an act of God to ever get him away. And let me say one more thing about that. A college education ain't gonna do it. They believe that if a man's got a college education, he's got all that they need. You see what's the matter, folks? Things are not in order. People have left the sound doctrine. Paul said there in verse 9 that he may be able by sound doctrine. You see, a man that doesn't have sound doctrine can't do nothing for God. He can't do it right. And this is sound doctrine on qualified elders and pastors in the church. So man has a domestic qualification, he has a personal qualification, and then he has a doctrine of qualifications. Now what is it? Verse nine. The Bible says, hold and fast. The faithful word. Hmm? You know that word hold and fast means? It means firmly fixed. Amen? The faithful word. Now here's what I say. You like it, don't like it, disagree, don't matter, but you're wrong. The faithful word is the preserved word of God in the English language of the 1611 Reformation text. And a man that don't have the faithful word is not fit to be a leader in the church. Not if there's saved people there. that they're all lost and all going to hell together, have a good trip. Amen? And I'll tell you something else, I'm gonna go a little bit further. I'm gonna stick my neck out, I might as well give it all to you. I don't believe that any man that rejects the King James Bible as the authoritative faithful word of God ever had a divine call from God to preach the word. And I'm going to back that up to a description. You ain't got to take my word for it. Just go back up to chapter 1 and read verse 3. Titus chapter 1 verse 3 listen to this it says but hath in due times manifested his word through preaching so God calls a man to preach to put out his word well you get this stuff you can't preach without the school's teaching Somebody said, Brother String, you're just a dummy. I may be a dummy, but let me tell you something, honey. I'm right with God. I got a Bible, and I know what's in it, and I know how to put it on you. I know how to upset you with it. The Bible says, what hath in due time manifest his word through preaching, which is committed unto me. What's committed unto a preacher? His word. not his institution. Don't give me that stuff. Brother, God calls preachers to preach his faithful word, not the word of the leading scholars of the school faculty. So by holding the faithful word, a man can by sound doctrine, he can stand and do what God wants done. Amen? Pastors and leaders in the church should have sound doctrine because they can't do what God wants done if they don't have it. And look what it says God wants done. It says in verse 9, it says, holding fast the faithful word that he may, as he hath been taught, there's the trouble right there with a lot of them, they've never been taught nothing. Ain't no man gonna stand where I stand without the faithful word and teach people to be faithful to God and know how to maintain things in life that'll bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. They'll never do it, folks, they'll never do it. And that's why people sitting in pews on Sunday and they so in love with the world, they so entangled with the world, they so wrapped up in the world, they don't know what's going on. And they sit there and they call their self, save Bible believing Christians. But you put the word of God on them and it's like putting a heat pad on a chicken. The Bible says that a man ought to by sound doctrine to exhort. That means you ought to better stir people up. Huh? or to stir them up. And the Bible says to convict. You know that word convict means, it means to show people what's wrong and then give them the correct way it ought to be according to the Bible. He said, well, I ain't got no conviction. You're right. You ain't got the first one. You know why? You never been taught nothing. They didn't sit there Saturday night and watch that old idiot boss and they can laugh and enjoy that thing get stirred up and go to church Sunday morning and if they got a preacher he can open the Bible and it don't do nothing for them Huh? And the Bible said the gang sayers That's your swaggered butch There's Jim Baker, there's Roberts, Swindoll, and Stanley, there you go. I bet them fellas didn't know they was in the Bible. Amen? Bible says y'all to take by sound doctrine and to convict them. They in it for the money. And they're so glad that you're a sucker Well, they're just thrilled to death that you in a church, where you've never been taught to sound docking, you don't know what the faithful word is, you've never heard a real man of God put it out? You ain't going to hear it. So you're going to sit back and send your money to them gang sayers for the money. They're going to take your money and buy them swimming pools and fences and give it to whores and all this kind of stuff. And you Southern babies are going to sit there and give your money to the Crofty Program. And they're going to support men that don't believe the Bible, that teach Adam was a figure and bisexual and all that junk. And you sit there and call yourself a Bible-believing Christian. You're out of order. You ain't nothing but an ignorant church member that needs to probably get right with God, I doubt you'll even see. Both things are out of order, ain't they? Bible said by sound doctrine. You see? By a sound doctrine, he ought to do something, you see. Now, I mentioned it already, but he gives the reason for this. It's in verse 10, because they're unruly, vain talkers, deceivers. And notice who the main bunch is. Now listen. The Bible says, verse 10, for there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers and a special class, especially they of the circumcision. Who's the main bunch? The church people. Huh? Who's the main bunch? It ain't the ball crowd. It ain't the dope runners. It's them church people. That's the main bunch. See? That's the main bunch. That's unruly and deceivers and gang sayers. They're the church group. You know that? Let me tell you something, folks. When you stand for the truth, and you go by Sound Doctrine, and you maintain good works that are becoming of a Christian, you know who's gonna give you trouble? It's gonna be them lost church people. That religious bunch. Say, how you know? I read it to you. Huh? Sound Doctrine's mission today, folks, is not here. His mission, and that's why that very few people take a stand on anything that's right or stand against anything that's wrong. They've never been taught Saron Darkin what is right and what is wrong and what God expects of them as a Christian after they're saved. You see? Now, Saron Darkin is to be taught, first of all, That's what it says. It's to be taught by qualified leaders in the church that meet the requirements of God's word to be in that position. Amen? Now we've got that far. We ain't gonna finish this this morning, but we've got that far anyway. Or it's something else. Saron Dockley is not only to be taught, but it's to be a practice. Amen? A man can't teach it if he don't believe it. And he can't live it if he don't believe it. Look at Titus 2 verse 7. I read this verse a while ago and now I'm going to say something about it. In all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works in doctrine. You see that? Did you ever talk to some of these people and you would say, why don't you believe you're eternally saved? Well, cause I believe you can lose it. Well, give me a Bible verse. And they'll flip and flunk. Well, I know, my preacher told me, I know it's in there somewhere. You see, that's what he's talking about. There ain't no sound doctrine to back up nothing they do. I mean, the life you live ought to be based on what the sound doctrine of the Bible says. Never mind what the rest of them say about it. Never mind what they think about it. Never mind what they think about you. You see, if it's sound doctrine and it's based on what the Bible says, stand on it and go by it and to hell with the rest of them. Amen? That's what he's saying here. So preachers, you know, you ought not talk like that. I mean, that ain't the way a good preacher ought to talk. Hey, man, you ought to have heard J. Frank North. He'd make me sound like a Girl Scout Sunday School teacher. Got up for that big First Baptist Church one morning and called all his deacons, he called everyone on a suck-egg hound right there in the church. Yeah, he did. You know why? They got out of order. And that church turned out to be some of the greatest. J. Benjamin Bick and a lot of these great preachers. He turned out more great preachers than any church in America ever turned out. You know why? Because he had some guts and he taught sound doctrine and he went by the word of God. That's why. And other people didn't like him. They hated his guts. The Southern Babies hated him. They'll hate you too if you stand right. They don't care what you say. A lot of these men get up and say they believe the Bible. They're liars. They're just saying it to get along. When they get with the crowd that don't believe it, they don't believe it. You know why? They don't have a pattern of good works based on sound doctrine. That's what's the matter. So it's to be taught. Now, folks, salvation is a doctrine. It's a Bible doctrine. Amen? And good works is a Bible doctrine. And good works is a Bible doctrine based on a sound doctrine from the Word of God. You see? But if a man's not taught right, he can't believe right. And if he can't believe right, he can't have the right practice. You see that? Now, I wanna show you something else about sound. I'm not gonna finish this message. I see it right, so I'll just get in all I can. The Bible talks about a sound heart. Look in Proverbs chapter 14. In Proverbs chapter 14. It's on page 682. Listen to this. The Bible says in Proverbs 14.30, a sound heart is the life of the flesh. but envy the rottenness of the bones. Amen? A sound heart is a heart that, number one, loves God, and loves the Word of God, and loves the people of God, and is purified by the Word of God, and his affections are set on things above. Folks, let me tell you something. Do you know when God saves you, Before you got saved, your heart was evil, rotten, corrupt, no good, and God changed your heart. God wants your heart, then after that, to set on everything pertaining to Him. Right? It says, but envy, that's in contrast to a sound heart, is rottenness of the bone. Somebody said envy is the cancer of Christianity. It eats a man inside. You see? These, a lot of these preachers, they think, they want you to think that they're the only ones that are right. Amen? I'm sure a lot of them think about me and whether I'm a doctor. He couldn't know much as I know. And maybe I don't. I'm not against doctors. When a man's got a doctor's degree, fine. There's a man here in this town that's got a doctor's degree. He's a clean, moral man. He's respectable. He's just a lost Catholic, though, that's all. That don't mean nothing to me. I believe a man that has the wisdom of God in his heart is a man that loves God more than anything else and has got something in his life that can relate to God. and stands for God and believes heaven's real. So, the Bible talks about our sound heart. Now, in the book of Titus, there's five sound things. And sound means something that's unmovable. It means something that can't be penetrated, something that can't be changed. Amen? You remember the insurance company used to advertise sound as the rock of Gibraltar? it means you could rest on it. And the Bible talks about sound doctrine. And then notice in chapter one, verse 13, Titus 1.13, the Bible says, this witness is true, wherefore rebuke them shortly that they may be sound in the faith. You see that? Sound in the faith. Faith is always an attribute of the word of God. You see? Sound in the things of God. Now, folks, listen. If you're sound in faith, you can't be moved. You see that? Did you ever have these people say, well, I used to be a Baptist, but I found the truth and I become a Mormon or a Church of Christ or something like that? You know what? They never were sound in nothing but the self. Amen? Well, a man one time was going to go into a Baptist church and he joined a Mormon church. I said, I thought you were saved. He said, I am. I said, I doubt it. How can you be saved and believe the Bible and join that outfit? He wasn't sounding nothing but his self. See? Let me tell you something, folks. Do you think, now just to ask you this, do you think anybody could convince you that the Bible's wrong and their religion is more right than the Bible? What's all this changing around going on today? Hmm? Sound in the faith. Error has no power. You see? I mean, you get sound in what God says, you're gonna be there. You know what I mean? You ain't gonna be running off here wondering what's right. Have you ever seen these people say, well, I'm studying to find out what religion I should be?