Romans 16:17-20
HOW TO HANDLE TROUBLEMAKERS IN THE CHURCH
Intro: Ever since the church was formed, she has been
plagued by troublemakers. These people have desired
to either see the church destroyed, or to see it shaped
to their own will. This should not have been a surprise.
After all, Jesus Himself predicted the rise of
troublemakers in the church, Matt. 7:15, "Beware of
false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
Even in the early days of the fledgling church, the
Apostle Paul said this, "For I know this, that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among
you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves
shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw
away disciples after them.", Acts 20:29-30.
Well, friends, after 2,000 years the troublemakers
are still with us! That's right, there are still those within
and without the church who work against the plan of
God and seek to mold the church to their likeness!
Now, lest you become concerned, this message is
designed as preventative maintenance. As far as I
know, there are no troublemakers here. However, the
best offense is a good defense! Therefore, it will do us
good tonight to hear what the Bible says about How To
Handle Troublemakers In The Church. So that when
trouble arises, we will be able to identify it and deal it a
death blow before serious damage is done to the
church of God! Another benefit of looking at a topic like
this is so that we can avoid being used by the devil to
cause trouble in the House of God. Let's look at what
Paul has to say about How To Handle Troublemakers
In The Church.
I. THE DEEDS OF THE TROUBLEMAKERS
(Ill. Paul tells us that there are some tale tell signs
associated with those who would cause trouble in
the church. Their deeds prove them to be just what
they are. Remember what Jesus said, "Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them.", Matt. 7:20.)
A. They Are Divisive - Paul uses two words here
that describe what the troublemakers so in the
house of God. The first is the word "divisions".
It means "to splinter of cause dissensions."
The other word is "offences", it means "to lay a
trap or snare in the path of another to cause
them to stumble." We get our word "scandal"
from this word.
How do they do this? By deviating from the
Word of God! They come in and begin to teach
doctrines contrary to what the Bible says. They
twist the word of God to teach doctrines that are
not biblical and thereby lead people astray.
They teach doctrines that resemble what one
finds in the Bible. But, there are subtle
differences! Differences that make all the
difference! This is the tactic of the cults in our
world. They teach doctrines that, on the surface,
appear to be biblical and right, but which are, in
truth, evil.
(Ill. There are some chemicals that look and
smell just like water. But, if they are drunk like
water, they will cause death. You had better
know the difference. So it is in the church.
Some things sound good on the surface, but you
have better be so familiar with the real deal that
you can tell the difference. The false doctrine
will divide the church and send souls to Hell!)
These doctrines attract some and before
long, there is a division in the church. The devil
loves nothing better than this! He loves to
introduce something into the life of the church
that will divide the flock, then he can run in a
cause massive damage in the midst of God's
people.
Watch out for people who possess a divisive
spirit! What out for those who would teach
things contrary to the truth of the Bible.
B. They Are Dishonest - Verse 18 tells us that
these people may pretend to have pure motives
and the good of the church at heart, but there
are two problems with their profession.
1.) Most are not even saved.
2.) They don't care about the church only about
themselves, their power and their personal
gain. These people love to amass a
following. They want to be in a position of
leadership and they crave prosperity. You
see these people on the television and the
radio all the time.
Paul mentions this kind of person again in
Phil. 3:18-19. He tells us there that they are
"enemies of the cross". He also says that they
are living for themselves and for this world.
These people are to be avoided!
C. They Are Deceptive - 18b - These people have
a way with words and they use their ability to
twist the truth the deceive the "simple." The
word "simple" does not refer to stupid people.
The word means "Fearing no evil from others,
distrusting no one." It would speak of those
believers who have not matured enough to know
that everything that sounds good isn't always
good. Many young believers are so eager to
learn about the Lord and the Word of God that
they are easy marks for the cults and other false
teachers. They haven't grown deep enough in
the things of God to be able to recognize a
counterfeit when it appears before them.
(Ill. A young Christian gets into a debate with a
cultist or someone from another belief system,
and they get overwhelmed and flustered
because they cannot answer every question and
concern posed by their opponent. As they listen,
they decide that what they are hearing doesn't
sound all that bad and they can be lead astray.
It doesn't have to be that way at all! Just like
people in banks study real money so that they
can recognize a counterfeit bill when it appears,
so the people of God should be so familiar with
the real thing that when a counterfeit appears,
we can recognize it and expose it for what it is.
There is no substitute for a steady diet of the
things of God to mature you and insulate you
against the deceptive tactics of the false
religionists. More about that in a moment!))
II. THE DIRECTIONS FOR THE TROUBLEMAKERS
(Ill. When these troublemakers appear, what are we
who are saved to do about them? How are we to
handle ourselves? How are we to handle them?
Paul tells us in verse 17.)
A. They Are To Be Examined - Paul says to
"mark" them. This word comes from the word
"scopos". Obviously, we get our word "scope"
from it. It means "to look at, observe,
contemplate; to fix one's eyes and attention
upon someone or something."
The idea here is that we are to watch the
enemy lest he slip in on us and cause problems
in the church. We are to keep our eyes open
against those who would infiltrate the church of
God!
(Ill. When our dog sees other dogs or deer in the
yard, she becomes agitated. She will run from
window to window looking at them ,barking at
them and trying to get at them. She wants to
examine them. She wants to keep an eye on
them. She wants to protect her territory from
those who might try and take it away.
May we be as jealous over the church! May
we keep our eyes open for those who would
seek to hinder the work of God by teaching false
doctrine or by hindering God's work through
trouble.)
B. They Are To Be Excluded - Paul's second
command is very clear. He says that we are to
"avoid them". He is telling us that we are to
have no fellowship with those who would cause
trouble in the church! The word literally means
"to turn away." It brings to mind a couple of
thoughts. First, don't get caught up in
arguments with false teachers, 2 Tim. 2:16. It is
a waste of time! The best thing you can do is
simply to turn away from them. So he says to
avoid Communications with them. Secondly, the
idea is here that we should avoid Communion
with these people. 2 John 10-11 makes this
crystal clear! Just as we would never open the
door of our home and allow a rattlesnake in, so
we should never allow a false teacher to enter
the home or the church!
(Ill. Imagine a bird in the wild, which sees a
snake nearby. Before that bird knows what has
happened, it gaze has become fixed on the
hypnotic stare of the snake. It stands there
paralyzed as the snake draws ever nearer. It
wants to flee, but it is trapped and before long it
is lunch!
The same thing happens in the life of a
believer whose roots don't go down very deep in
the things of God. They will begin a dialogue
with a false teacher with pure motives. They
want to win them to Jesus, but before they know
it, they are in over their heads and they find
themselves trapped in an argument they cannot
win. What they hear sounds good and they are
drawn away from the things of God into a false
system of worship. It happens all the time!
Therefore, the best course of action when
dealing with those who would divide the church
is to avoid them!)
(Ill. By the way, this is true in any area where
people cause trouble in the church! They are to
be avoided! We must not allow anyone to show
the seeds of discord in the house of the Lord.
When a person gets to the place in their spiritual
life where they are will to destroy the church to
get their own way, the church is better off without
them! I don't care who they are! This seems to
be what the Bible teaches anyway, 2 Thes.
3:14-15. The goal here is to protect the church
and to allow the Spirit room to open the eyes of
this brother! The objective is his or her
restoration to fellowship with the church!)
III. THE DEFENSE AGAINST THE TROUBLEMAKERS
(Ill. There is a defense, an antidote if you will,
against the work of the troublemakers in the church.
Paul gives us three characteristics in verse 19 that
should be true in your life and mine. These things
will help us be better able to stand against trouble
and troublemakers when they come.)
A. Be Committed To God's Word - Paul mentions
the word "obedience". He is referring to their
obedience to the commandments of the Word of
the Lord. My friends, the surest defense against
intrusions by false teachers and other people
who would divide the church is a congregation
that has grown strong in the Word of God! Our
lives should be marked by a commitment to the
Word of God! It is the "beans and taters" of the
spiritual life!
There should be a commitment to:
1. Listen To It - That is to hear it when it is
preached! When the word of God is declared
to a church, that church should give their
attention to the word. I do not think we
realize how blessed we are when God sends
a message through a man directly to our
hearts. We have the opportunity to hear from
Heaven! We should take advantage of that
opportunity and glean all we can.
2. Learn it - It isn't enough to listen to a
preacher preach, however. Scientists tell us
that people only retain about 10% of what
they hear. That means you are going to
have to spend some time in the Bible on your
own. Learn how to read and study the Bible.
Learn how to "grow in the grace and
knowledge of the Lord." Learn how to "be
strong in the Lord and the power of His
might!"
3. Live It - There is another step. Unfortunately,
this step is often left out by many Christians.
It is not enough to listen to the Word of God,
or to learn the Word of God, but the believer
must go one more step and live the Word of
God. This is what the Bible tells us to do,
James 1:22.
(Note: if you will determine in your heart that you
will listen well, learn well and live well, you will
not be easy prey for those who would bring
trouble into the church! In fact, they will have a
hard time with you! You will be able to spot them
early and to expose them easily. But, it takes a
commitment to the Word of God.)
B. Be Christlike Toward Good Works - this
second thought kind of goes hand in hand with
the previous. Paul tells us to be "wise unto that
which is good." The word "wise" means
"skilled". He is telling us to be skilled in good
living.
There is only one way to become skilled at
anything. That avenue is through practice! The
more you do something, the better at it you get.
I think what Paul is trying to tell us is that we are
to give our lives to knowing and doing that which
is good. He wants us to be a holy people. This
is what the Lord wants as well, 1 Pet. 1:16. Paul
is saying that when we learn to walk like Jesus
walks, we will not be an easy mark for the
troublemakers!
C. Be Childlike Toward Guilty Ways - This last
phrase is a blessing! Paul says, "simple
concerning evil." It carries the idea of being
naive or of being innocent. It means "free
from guile, unsophisticated, untainted by
evil." It speaks of a person who has not tasted
of the fruits of the world.
Now, for many of us, it is far too late. I mean,
the Lord saved us out of gross sin and we are
very familiar with the evils of the world.
However, it is possible for a person to grow up
free from the experiences of evil. That is, they
never walked in the paths of wickedness and
they are naive about the things of the world.
That is a blessing!
(Note: we all like to hear the gory and graphic
testimony of those who have been saved out of
sin. We like to hear about their exploits and their
wickedness. But, far better is the person who
can stand and say, "Jesus saved me when I
was a small child and kept me out of sin and
wickedness.")
(Note: you do not have to be experienced in sin
to be against sin! You do not have to drink
poison to know that it will kill you! You don't
have to handle a rattlesnake to know that it will
bite you. He which is caught in the current of
the steam knows nothing of the force of the
stream. But he that stands against the
current of the stream knows its force! It is not
darkness that reveals and expels darkness, it is
light!)
(Note: There is a sense in which we need to be
aware of all that is going on around us so that
we are not deceived by it. But, there is another
sense in which we should be very childlike
concerning evil, having never experienced it and
its power! May the Lord help us to walk so holy
and so close to Him that sin seems as foreign as
an Eskimo in the Mojave Desert.)
(Ill. If you ever experience the taste of sin, your
purity is gone forever. A lovely girl in a white
dress came visiting with a college group to a coal
mine. And she said, "I want to go down and
examine the coal mine. I want to see it, I've
never been in one." And the superintendent
said, "Lady, you'd better not do that. You'd
better not go down there, young lady." She said,
"Well, I'll just go down once. I just want to go
down once. It won't hurt me."
And the superintendent said, "Yes, lady, you
may go down once but, you see, that pretty
white dress you've got on? You can go down
just once and you'll go down white and pure, but
when you come out, there'll be smut on you.
Just one trip.")
(Note: Christian, avoid evil like it was the plague,
for it is! The best thing in the world is to come to
Jesus at a young age and to live for Him for the
rest of your life! There is nothing better! Praise
God for lives that are untainted and unstained by
sin! Of course, all are sinner, Rom. 3:23, but not
all have plumbed the depths of depravity!)
IV. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TROUBLEMAKER
(Ill. All troublemakers receive their energy from one
source: Satan. Paul closes his thoughts by letting
us in on the good news that there is coming a day
when the father of all troublemakers will get what's
coming to him. Verse 20 speaks of the destruction
of the Troublemaker.)
A. Satan Will Be Vanquished - Paul tells these
battling believers that here is coming a day when
their battles will all be over. Their enemy, the
devil, will be bruised un their feet. The word
"bruised" means "to smash to shivers." That
is, Satan will be utterly destroyed one day soon!
Of course, now he knows his time is short,
Rev. 12:12. He is pulling out all the stops, trying
to take as many souls to hell as possible. He is
trying to do as much damage as he can in the
time he has left. He is trying to destroy home
and divide church. He is trying to wreck lives
and steal youth. He is trying to do all he can to
tear down the kingdom of God. But, there is
coming a day when he will be brought low! He
will bow before Jesus and then he will go to Hell,
Rev. 20:1-10.
B. The Saints Will Be Victorious - Notice the
phrase "under your feet". The idea is that of the
ancient practice of a victor placing his foot on the
next of his conquered foe to show that he had
prevailed. Paul is reminding believers that when
the smoke has all cleared away and the dust of
this life has settled down, when Satan has been
consigned to Hell and sin and death have all
been out away forever, we will still be standing!
Our faith in Christ is sufficient to guarantee us an
endless eternity in the presence of Almighty
God.
Conc: Paul ends this verse with a prayer for grace. My
friends, we need grace to make it day by day! If we are
going to take our stand for Jesus against the
troublemakers and the ultimate troublemaker, then we
need grace. If we are to enjoy God's victory as we fight
the battles of life, then we need grace. Thank God for
grace sufficient from a supply that will never diminish, 2
Cor. 12:9.
Has the Lord dealt with your heart tonight? Are you
saved? Have you been guilty of joining hands with the
devil and causing trouble at the house of God? Are you
living a life that insulates you against being caught up
in the deception and wiles of the devil and his people?
If there is a need, there is help in Jesus! You come to
Him and He will give you what you need!
