Titus 1:9-16 Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing: Guarding Against Deception

Titus 1:9-16 Wolves in Sheep’s clothing: Guarding Against Deception

Big idea: Every spiritual leader—whether in church, at home, or in marriage—must be firmly grounded in God’s Word so they can spot false teaching and divisive behavior, and lovingly but firmly confront it to protect that flock.

1. A Leader’s Primary Task (v.9a)

Holding firmly to truth (a character quality). How did we become post-truth?

1. Leadership drift: When leaders reject God’s word as their authority.
2. Redefine sin: How? Detach sin and compassion from truth.
3. Celebrate sin: rather than lovingly confront.

Why is “holding firmly” to truth so important? We’ll never arrive at a desired destination.

How do I personally hold firmly to the word of truth (if it is that critical)?

1. Deepen knowledge of the word– A systematic study of the word is essential. Sword Method:
2. Live the word; Love the word– as I apply it, I discover that it works, and I learn to love it.

Why must we have leaders (home, family, church, business) that holds firmly to God’s word? (v.9b) So that they can…

A. Encourage through sound doctrine- we need reminding as we naturally drift.

B. Courage to refute false teaching- wolves are looking to deceive.

Diagnostic Questions:

• Do I know the essential truths of the Christian faith and can I explain what I believe?
• When challenged by cultural drift, do I stand firm or trust my own heart?
• Am I able to encourage others with Scripture and gently correct error?

V.10 How to recognize wolves: Mt. 7:15–20 (by their fruit you will recognize them).

Marks of a wolf:

A. rebellious (unsubjected) Independent and often covertly stirs up conflict and refuses to be led. Avoids team decision making. When confronted, responds with defensiveness/blame shifting rather than trusting God’s sovereignty. Rarely serves in unseen ways.

B. Full of meaningless talk: Majors on the minors; stirs up controversy and speculation on theories instead of focusing on the gospel.

C. Deceptive (mind deceiver) Appear religious but distort the truth by taking a verse out of context. Shepherds need to deal swiftly with wolves.

V. 11

D. Greedy. Self-serving agendas motivated by selfish gain.

Dangerous Doctrines of wolves can be identified by bad spiritual math: Adding, subtracting or dividing.

V.12-14

E. Mixed truth (Addition) Incorporating truth + false spiritual practices. Adding manmade rules as a marker of godliness over transformation through Jesus.

V.15 to pure, everything is pure teaches that spiritual purity is not about outward rules, but a transformed heart and mind through faith in Jesus that makes all things pure.

V.15b-16 The source of their corruption: Their way of thinking and their ability to tell right from wrong are polluted by feelings and not truth. They have rules without relationship.

Grow Group Questions on next page:

Grow Group Questions:

1. What are some subtle ways you’ve noticed cultural drift trying to influence your understanding of biblical truth? How do you actively guard against this?
2. When have you experienced or witnessed ‘bad spiritual math’ (adding to or subtracting from Scripture)? What were the consequences?
3. How can we effectively encourage others through sound doctrine while also showing Christ-like love to those who disagree with biblical truth?
4. In what areas of your life do you find it most challenging to ‘hold firmly’ to God’s word? What practical steps can you take to strengthen your grip?
5. How have you seen wolves operate in the church? How were you able to identify them.

Family Corner: Use this to share with your kids what you learned today.

Today we learned about how important it is to hold tightly to God’s truth, just like a lifeguard must hold firmly to someone they’re rescuing. We also learned how to spot people who might try to change God’s truth to make it say what they want instead of what God actually says.

Questions for Kids:

1. If you were lost in the woods, would you rather have a compass that always points north, or one that points to whatever your friends want at any moment? Why?”
2. What are some ways we can make sure we’re following what God really says instead of just what we feel like doing?”