Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.5UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.45UNLIKELY
Fear
0.11UNLIKELY
Joy
0.15UNLIKELY
Sadness
0.52LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.74LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.28UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.89LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.88LIKELY
Extraversion
0.18UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.44UNLIKELY
Emotional Range
0.62LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
*Introduction:*
A.Open your Bibles to Titus 1, last week we discussed the qualification of elders for the congregations of Crete
1.Now these are not qualifications for just these congregations, but for all elders everywhere.
2.Paul brought this up because they needed to have these elders to help silence a group that causing some problems.
B.Let us read verses 10 to 16.
Now this is not a reason for the qualifications of an eldership, but this is a reason why the Cretans needed an eldership.
1.These Cretans had all kinds of problems as a nation especially since the world seemed to view them as a nation of lairs.
2.Now because the world sees them this way does not mean that they all are liars.
a)The world sees America as being a nation of Christians, but we know that we are not all Christians.
b)The world sees America as being rich, but we know that not all are rich.
3.Not all Cretans are liars, but the nation has a reputation for its people in general for being liars.
4.So this is something that Titus will have to deal with and when he appoints elders they will have to contend with this problem as well.
C.In this passage we also will see a reference to people “paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men”
1.The group Paul is discussing here is “especially those of the circumcision” in verse 10.
2.This sounds a lot like the Judaizers.
Those who profess to know God, but they also bind on people “commandments of men, that being the Law of Moses
3.They bind on people “Jewish myths”, this could be the way of the Pharisees.
D.Now mix these Judaizers in together with these lying Cretans and you make one bad apple.
1.This is what Paul is going to deal with in these few verses of 10 to 16
2.And he is going to first talk about the deeds and nature of these men and second he will tell Titus to reprove these men.
!!! *I.First let us look at the deeds and nature of these men found here in verses 10 to 13a*
A.There are many of these men whose deeds and nature are…
1.First rebellious
a)There are many men Paul says that are “rebellious”.
Remember Paul has been to Crete and he knows these people, therefore he can know this.
b)The word “rebellious” means one who does not subject self to rule or authority.
c)That is these men, they don’t like to be told what to do and they want to live their life just like they are now.
d)Wow, this sounds like people in our world today.
Not much has changed has it?
1)We have many people in this present world who cannot stand to be convicted by God’s Words found in the Bible.
2)Sure they want to go to church and have their social ticket punched, but when the moral standards found in God’s Word are brought up they get offended.
2.Next Paul says that these many men are empty talkers
a)Some translations have this as “vain talking”.
This means that their talking is useless
b)Whenever they engage in this “empty talking” there is no goal, it is just plain empty and helps in no way at all.
1)I get the picture that these men are arguing, being rebellious about some moral standard that they need to have as a Christian
2)So they begin to argue with empty arguments they lead to nowhere.
3.Another aspect of these men is that they are deceiving
a)This is nothing but misleading the minds of others so that they can get their way
b)They don’t want to be held by the standards of God’s Word so they lie to people and deceive them so that they can be who they want to be
c)The deceive because they want something and they are willing to lie to get it and these are people who are among these congregations in Crete.
4.Paul says here at the end of this group that they are “especially those of the circumcision”
a)Jews and as we have already discussed, these are more likely the Judaizers, trying to bind the Law of Moses on these Christians.
b)In order to do that they would have to rebel against God’s Word, they would have empty arguments, and they would have to deceive the people in order to convince them they are right.
5.This is the deeds and the nature of these men.
When I say nature I mean that this is who they are, like we have the nature of Christ, well, they have the nature of deception.
B.Now Paul tells Titus what he must do which is to silence these men.
1.Literally shut them up, stop them from speaking, because they are upsetting whole families.
a)This word for “upsetting” means to destroy or overturn.
b)These men are turning the homes of families upside down, they are destroying them.
1)In what way?
By deception and lies, they are tricking them into coming over to their side which is the way of the Judaizer.
2)Therefore the family is being destroyed spiritually and that must not happen, it must stop.
c)Titus is being charged to silence these men when he sees or even hears of this happening.
d)He cannot sit idly by and do nothing and nor can the eldership when they are appointed, they are overseers and must take care of the flock.
2.These men must be silenced because they are teaching things they should not
a)Things such as circumcision for the purpose of salvation and holding to the Law of Moses.
b)These are lies, Christians are not under the old Law, but under Christ and these men who teach these things are destroying spiritual families and lives.
3.They are doing these things for sordid gain
a)This word “sordid” means shameful, they are doing these things so that they may have support at the assembly, perhaps against Titus and other strong men.
b)They want to sway as many as they can to their side so if they can go into these homes and turned them then they will have support in the larger assembly.
c)How shameful!
There purpose is not to save souls, but to gain a vote like a politician.
d)That’s the gain they seek, their own gain against other men, not a gain for God the Father.
4.These men must be silenced by Titus, by the eldership, and by any member who can see the wrong.
a)We need to do this when we see someone who is trying to teach a false doctrine such as baptism is not necessary.
b)Especially if we see it happening to a weak Christian, we must step in and silence this person.
c)Paul does not say how to silence them, but we have examples throughout the New Testament of this happening.
d)We use God’s Word to silence them, let them try to argue with this and see how well they stand up.
C.One of their own prophets agrees with these statements Paul has been making concerning these men, look at verse 12-13a
1.What does Paul mean with the word “prophet”?
a)Well, not a prophet as we may understand it, that is someone who is given a vision by God and can see the future.
b)But the words this man whom Paul is quoting are like that of a prophet, he said these words some 200-400 years prior and they are still true today.
1)And that is, Cretans (speaking of his own people) are all “liars” and we all know what a liar is, it’s a man who cannot be trusted.
2)Cretans are “evil beasts”
(a)This one is more interesting, I get the picture of this hungry wolf prowling around.
(b)Suddenly he finds someone and just pounces on them and destroys them.
(c)What this “prophet” is saying is that you better not cross a Cretan because he will do whatever it takes to destroy you.
(d)He will take it further then most of your enemies would, so tread carefully.
(e)This is what Titus has to put up with, this is what any man taking the position of an elder there will have to put up with.
3)Next, Cretans are “lazy gluttons”
(a)They don’t want to put out any effort to satisfy themselves.
(b)They are going to try and get others to do their work for them and to give them food, money, or clothing.
c)Not a great bunch of people is it?
1)Today New York City has an ok reputation, but back in the 80’s and 90’s this is exactly how I pictured the people of New York.
2)Now not all of them were like this, but the general population sure was.
2.Paul ends this quote with “This testimony is true”
a)It got the apostle seal of approval.
This man nailed these people, this is who they are as a nation.
b)Not exactly what one would hope for, but nevertheless that is how it is.
c)Now Titus and the elders will need to silence these men for the sake of the congregation and for another reason.
!!! *II.Because of the nature and deeds of the Cretans Paul tells Titus to reprove them severely look here at verses 13b to 16*
A.Titus is to reprove these men severely because of their deeds, 13b-14
1.The word “reprove” means to convict a person or to expose them.
The word “severely” means abruptly and sharply
a)When Titus sees these men teaching this false doctrine to the assembly or even at a person’s home he is to expose them right there, no waiting, but quickly end the problem.
b)Much like how Peter severely reproved Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8
1)Simon saw that one could pass on the gifts of the Holy Spirit just as the apostles were doing it by the laying upon of their hands
2)And Simon offered money for this gift and right there Peter reproved him for his actions.
3)By Peter taking action right then that is severely, Simon asked for his prayers that he would be ok.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9