Text: Titus 1:10-16

Main Idea: Since what you believe has eternal consequences, false teaching must be seriously dealth with.

1.  The content of false teaching.
   1. The whole Bible isn't the source.
   2. The gospel of Jesus Christ isn't the power.
   3. The glory of God isn't the primary end.
      • John Stott suggested that Titus 1 provides us with "three valid tests to apply to any and every system" of thought:
        1. Is its origin divine or human, revelation or tradition?
        2. Is its essence inward or outward, spiritual or ritual?
        3. Is its result a transformed life or merely formal creed?
2.  The character of false teachers.
   • False teachers: are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers...liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons...defiled and unbelieving...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.
3.  The consequences of false teaching.
   1. Division in the family and church.
   2. Devotion to the worthless things.
   3. Defiling of God's good gifts.
   4. Distance from unbelievers.

Discussion Questions: How seriously do you take the issue of false teaching? Are there ways in which you are tempted to reduce the demands of godly living by turning it into a list of "do's and don'ts?" Do you think you have been exposed to, or even led to believe false teaching? What impact might it have had on your everyday life?