Warning: Two Strikes and You're Out, Part 1

Knows he knows it's got you nose is causing division. He knows slamming the story he knows he hasn't gotten all the facts already knows what he's doing and what he's saying.

All that's why you don't have to give them to three or 356 10 warning. The problem with dealing with an individual like this. They are receiving at this point, emotional satisfaction from creating controversy in the church then to actually remove intentions person can create so much damage in the body that the solution is to remove that person from the fellowship in Titus three. The apostle Paul gives an interesting command Titus.

Titus is to warn a divisive person twice and then if he or she does not repent break fellowship with them were to learn what that command means today. This is wisdom for the heart here Stephen Daly with today's lesson called morning to strikes and you're out. I have read nearly one in four Americans will be involved in a lawsuit of some sort. During his lifetime can imagine that one out of four because our culture is is literally inundated with this litigious drive lawsuits. It is nearly impossible anymore to buy anything but having one or more warning labels attached to a notice that the mean stuff you think people would certainly get without having to read it attached to that particular product. Do we really need all these kind of warnings but because of the potential lawsuits there attached. I read a number of them are bring freedom to you by way of introduction person following warnings on a Duro flame fireplace log warning reads caution risk of fire. We would hope so on a cardboard sun shield for cars and vans. Here's a warning quote do not drive your vehicle with sun shield in place. All that's a problem okay on a portable baby stroller caution.

Remove infant before folding for storage and how many dead settlers. You know I keep forgetting is the problem is most people ignore them. In fact, I read that there's one warning sign that everybody ignores that's the check engine light on your – I read recently in this Harris interactive survey that 1/10 people on the interstate.

Remember that as you're driving are driving while that light is on, that the survey revealed that 50% of those whose cars were showing signs of an impending breakdown indicated delighted that on for more than three months. So why did they listen to the warning.

You don't survey said things like, well, my car seem to be running just fine. Mother said I didn't have time to have it checked, others admitted, but I got it checked and he found something wrong with I wouldn't have had the money to fix it so I'll just ignore the light. I read that and immediately had to admit guilty just last week of driving my daughter's used car while she's on the field in Santiago, Chile, and its audit second engine and I'm trying to keep the thing going and last week the light came on check engine.

So what I do what no actually without doing nothing. I actually had some thoughts I thought of every one of those things. The survey revealed that well it seems to be okay some driving.

I did hear anything funny. I looked at the other. It machinery instrument panel.

Everything seemed deep to be fine and I thought I will have time anyway to check and then again if I did stop and something was wrong with it. I don't really money to fix it. And so I thought that this was the last thought I had maybe it will turn itself off and two days later, guess what it turned off the car will start with the light is not on the light really did turn off.

I guess I have a few more days to drive before something pending a disaster comes the truth is, life is filled with caution signs and signals are the offenders that interest the woman was quoting a newspaper article. Her husband, she did know that her little girl was listening is about five years old and she said her husband honey.

According to this newspaper article most automobile accidents occur within a 15 mile radius of home. The little girl and Peter immediately piped up and said mommy then why don't we move good to find a safe place to live in calorie pastors in New York told how whenever he traveled anywhere with his brother-in-law, his brother-in-law would refuse to wear seatbelt additives that I was always getting on the to wear that seatbelt. He would do it. On one occasion he flew in the town it was picked up by his brother-in-law on the curb near the airport in the car and immediately noticed his brother-in-law was wearing his seatbelt. Any innocent okay this is different.

What happened to you the rights what his brother responded brother will respond and he said well I went to visit a friend of mine in the hospital who'd been in a car accident and because of that accident. He went through the windshield of his car. He had 300 stitches in his face and as I looked down at my friend and the pain he was suffering. I said to myself I need to wear my seatbelt and to master, but didn't you already know that you could go to the windshield of your car if you had an accident.

His brother-in-law said of course I knew that when I went to the hospital to see my friend I did not receive any new information.

I just saw that information applied and at that moment the information became real in my heart and began to affect the way I live.

The truth is, even if you do follow all the warning signs you wear your seatbelt and you follow all the cautions you cannot guarantee the absence of accidents, pain problems, but it's possible to minimize the damage and be protected from even greater harm we've already learned in this letter to Titus and Paul chapter 3 that remarkable Christianity has this unique attitude of respect to authority, and that by the way protection from even greater harm. Remarkable Christians remember the pit from which they were dog. They never quite get over there conversion and that is a productive attitude to have verse three remarkable Christians revel in the fact that they had been ambushed by the goodness and grace of God in the attempt to do the same thing daughter's which helps protect us in a myriad of ways. Verses four through eight learn the remarkable Christianity learns the art of refusal what not to put on your tray in the cafeteria of the world. We are surrounded in that buffet biopsy by just a plethora of of speculations and myths and ideas that will harm you and bring you to even great greater danger. Verse nine. Now Paul tells Titus and through him. These churches on the island of Crete.

A rather surprising news that remarkable distinctive Christian communities of believers called churches actually come with a warning label attached. Here's the warning label to strikes and you're out know what in the world would Paul be referring to with this warning label will hold onto your your baseball hat and look at Titus chapter 3 will be left our study of verse nine.

Now adverse 10 you know this is one of those texts you may never heard a sermon on and frankly, this is the kind of text to the past with ethical preach on the Titus chapter 3 verse 10 reject the factious man after first and second warning. That's a lovely text and reject a factious Man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self condemned. Just as Paul is already challenged us to refuse unprofitable, fruitless empty distractions. Verse nine he is now telling us within the context of the local church to refuse reject this time it's a person, a factious man reject that that's a word that literally means to have nothing to do with the idea of shunning in this verb to the Corinthians, Paul wrote that they work to remove from their midst reject from their midst and unrepentant man who was carrying on in that particular case in prescriptions five and a moral relationship with his stepmother. In his letter to the church, the believers living in Rome Italy think the apostle Paul told the believers turn away from the one who is causing dissensions reject withhold from him that closeness of intimate friendship because of what they are doing.

Romans 1617 effectively gives that particular verse by telling them I urge you, brethren, that is, I thank you.

I plead with you so I can protect you from greater danger. Keep your eye on those causing dissensions. The word Paul uses to keep your eye on is the verb still pain needs to mark and avoid the verb scope pain gives us our English transliterated Word scope. We use it for microscope and telescope hours carefully watch out for people who cause dissension in the flock. Don't let them slip out of your point of view out of sight.

Now here in Titus three, Paul adds to the other passages of the other warnings by identifying a particular kind of person to avoid the watch out for the keep your eye on, and he uses that descriptive word you noticed factious reject a factious man.

The original language that word factious is from hybridity costs, which gives us our word heretic or heretical.

The only time this particular adjective appears in the New Testament other than the noun form will appear in Galatians chapter 5 in first Corinthians 11, which sorta helps us understand what he's talking about here when he talks about faction in the church divisions in the assembly so we don't tend to think of it, I would agree with those commentators, I don't view Paul here warning Titus of those heretics in the body. Those would've obviously never been allowed to come along and they would've certainly been removed long before he's using the word in a broader sense to simply refer to divisive people. One author writes it this way. This will include anyone in the church. He was divisive, disruptive the issues may be trivial, but arguing about them is not because the consequences of bickering and insubordination can be so destructive to the unity of the flock. The apostle is commanding that this divisive man or woman as the case maybe should be rejected by the church.

If they do not respond to the warning if you combine Paul's warning label here in Titus with other similar passages of Scripture. Paul is not informing the church that they are to remove from their midst. This kind of individual did you notice Paul writes reject the factious man after a first and second warning.

Here's the warning label that to strikes and you're out of the game. You're on the sideline, you're out of view. You are discipline are you kidding only to witness tougher than any baseball umpire I have ever seen in action. I have been in the two men in our church who have been or are professional baseball umpires. I think that's can be one of the toughest jobs on the planet, especially when you're calling pictures in your behind home plate and you got a reset point where you have to yell out strike what three with three baseball players in here strike okay. Played Little League to strike three and then what you are. Balance there is there's nowhere to hide. After that is nowhere to go. You just call the guy at and I have never watching games at games. I have never seen that better turn and say to the umpire. Thank you. You made the right call I thought was slightly out your right it was a striking of the sitdown that no that's that's that's an umpires fantasy dream. I imagine that doesn't quite happen like Titus go get on your gear, but each helmet on your chest pad chin. It might not be pretty. As a collision about to take place, and by knowing Titus you not to give them three strikes, but only to intrigue me. Why 293. Let me show you what it was back in the text. Paul describes this factious person with three descriptive words or phrases that will clear up knowing verse 11 knowing that such a man is here is first of all, perverted. The only time you find that word in that form in the New Testament. You might think he's referring to sexual immorality.

The idea of perversion.

He's not the word he's using is a word that refers to a person whose mind is turned around inside out. You could think of it this way turned upside down and being anything he's just you can use the word slanted is tilted.

This perspective is skewered about whatever that thing is that issue is Kennedy tilted to his opinion or side only, and I think is interesting that that word would be used because in a very real way.

Very practical way. This is exactly what happens in so many divisive issues in the church right somebody has facts or feelings only one side of the issue that the entire facts of both sides and since I don't know all the facts about both sides of the issue. Everything tends to get slanted or tilted or or skewered to their opinion and then what becomes even more dangerous is they take that slanted opinion, and they attempt to convince people that their opinion and their perspective is the only correct one and people begin taking sides. Whenever slanted skewered thinkers direct traffic in the assembly collisions are going to take place. Paul is on. Secondly, this internationally slanted but they are sending. I think we need to understand this in its most wooden interpretation the workforce in order to be sending means to be missing the mark. In other words, they think they represent the truth. But they missed the target they think they hit a bull's-eye with their opinion or their perspective, but they haven't even hit the side of the barn. They've actually wandered off the path they are completely missing the mark when he is in line. You'll notice thirdly he says of them. Not only are they slanted and sinning, but they are self condemned. Again, this is a rare word used by Paul affect the word says it all clarifies it for us. John Phillips, that wonderful expositor. Great Britain is now the Lord expanded his words you can understand the full impact of its meaning.

Paul's writing this divisive factious land and sinning person. The self condemned. Why, because he knows here's the idea of the word he knows perfectly well that what he is doing is wrong. He knows it is divisive. He knows it's gossip. He knows his causing division. He knows he slanting the story. He knows he hasn't gotten all the facts. Paul writes, he knows what he's doing and what he's saying all along.

That's why you don't have to give them to three or 356 10 warnings. She gets writes in his commentary.

The problem with dealing with an individual like this and why they they only get to strikes is because they are receiving at this point, emotional satisfaction, creating controversy in the church today and this is great. They must be stopped. He writes, in fact, he says in his commentary.

There is only one recourse for Titus and that is radical surgery, but give him a warning and then another fact, the word used for warning here is wonderfully loaded word to compound were the means to put to the mind it's it's the root word we've used to create new aesthetic counseling put to the mind the truth so this this isn't then just one cryptic quick warning he get a call.

This is warning number one: another phone call a few days later.

This is warning number two, you're out notice of the idea.

This is more like an extended conversation and a first warning where you put to their mind that as you expose to them the error of their way you exposed to them you bring to their mind the potential consequences according to the Scriptures you bring that them the damage they are doing and that's why you only need one more warning after that. Why because they got it the first time they understood they knew they were doing and they knew the damage they were creating.

Now they know you know they made up their mind. They'd rather keep doing it to listen to you selected second warning pulled out of the game so to speak. I got to quit on their own confuse pastor for many years Road. That's because they actually love the fight they enjoy the tantalizing controversy.

They thrive on being the person in the know and the one who really has the story straight. They love the shock on people's faces when they tell them what so and so did or said in her favorite expression in the assembly is something like you won't believe what I found out in the division begins concrete being and crawling like poison ivy through the body at unsuspecting people just happen. The water in infection begins to spread the pastor of many years, Chuck Swindoll, who wrote in his commentary on this verse with seasoned wisdom and advice. Now in his middle 70s.

He writes the battle hardened apostle wanted to prepare his young protégé Titus for the conflicts awaiting effective spiritual leadership does everything with compassion, but never at the expense of conviction never fails to confront when necessary and uses the same medical analogy that Jean gets is associated with faculty used to be used. He said just as a surgeon must cut out diseased tissue so leaders and churches must confront those who would infect the body of Christ with discord and divide congregations in the faction that he gives this particular pointed warning to those in leadership. If the pastor elder Shepherd is not willing to love his congregation enough to risk his understanding and criticism. He should step aside and choose another less hazardous occupation will put we did not like saying you know in the baseball umpire isn't quite able to bring himself to call the batter out if he is able to say that's strike three. You are out he really ought to be in another profession is the entire game can be ruined.

Warning light is on can be among those would say well and on time to fix it cost too much and maybe that person will just fix themselves all by themselves. Paul makes it painfully clear conversation have warning put into their mind and that they fail to respond because they don't want to because they prefer the fight remove them, which means as ironic as this sounds, as I study this text Paul's solution to dealing with a divisive person is to create division did you catch there will be a division but it is to be a division between the flock and the person who persists in their unrepentant divisive agenda he or she is no longer allowed access to the body. There is a division there access their platform as it were, to the congregation is taken away the flock that is thus protected from that divisive spirits that slanted mindset is creating can create havoc in the flock is there will be a division it will be painful and time-consuming hurtful emotional even tearful the flock will divide this factious person away from themselves so that he or she can no longer continue in their unrelenting undermining attempts to create division among the flock. By the way you combine this text with the other texts of the apostle Paul, and he makes it clear that there is to be no readmission until there is evidence of genuine repentance changed my with the church then becomes is is an outward demonstration a tool in the father's hand to reveal what is occurred physically in the loss of fellowship. Spiritually, the loss of fellowship with the church demonstrates with the father is feeling the church demonstrates what is occurred in the loss of fellowship between the child and their Savior in demonstrating a loss of fellowship between the child member and flow fellowship has been broken. Division has occurred, we who are left in the body. Pray that that breach will be restored only between believers between us unrepentant believer and save. Can't finish this lesson today so Stephen will resume and conclude this lesson on our next broadcast.

Please don't miss it. This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi. I want to make you aware of a special opportunity, this series comes from Titus three the book of Titus was written by Paul to give advice to a young pastor on how the church should be run. Stephen has a book that goes through the entire letter. Verse by verse. It's part of our wisdom commentary series and it's called Titus. This book is available at a very special rate during this series. We've had churches and individuals get multiple copies because they wanted all of the church leaders to habits. In some cases elders and deacons have worked through this book as a group. If you want to have it.

It's deeply discounted right now. Call us at 86 648 Bible for information will also find it on our website and the discount is already applied so call us at 86 648 Bible or visit wisdom. Online.or to get your copy of this resource. Thanks again for joining us will conclude this lesson on our next broadcast, so make sure to tune in here on wisdom