Title: Gospel Shaped Lives Part 1

Text: Titus 2:1-8

FCF: We often struggle discipling others

Prop: Because the gospel changes the behavior of those who have received it, we must generationally make disciples.

Scripture Intro: NET

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Titus 2. Having explained the true gospel from its opposite, and having shown the failure of the false teachers in Crete and the great need for qualified men to help refute them – Now Paul turns to Titus and tells him to teach the people.

What follows is a hard hitting, come out swinging, difficult to swallow exposition of what behavior goes with the gospel and how that message is delivered down through the church. As one expositor said, if you can’t say amen, you better say ouch. This may be an ouch kind of message.

I am in Titus 2 starting in verse 1. I am reading from the NET which you can follow on page 1345 in the pew bible or in whatever version you have.

Transition:

There is a lot here, and really this is only 2/3 of what Paul is saying in this section, hence the two-part message. So, let’s get to it.

I.) The gospel changes the behavior of those who have received it, so we must teach behavior that corresponds to the gospel. (1-3)

a. [Slide 2] 1 – But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with sound teaching,

i. Paul’s primary critique of the false teachers is that they say they understand who God is, they are privy to secret knowledge that has propelled them beyond the rudimentary teachings of the gospel… but the fact remains that they have not stayed in the truth. This is demonstrated by their lifestyles of self-righteousness, added laws, and sinful practice.

ii. This still happens today. People who seem to be the best at knowing God, oftentimes set themselves up as especially devout, adding extra laws to show how serious they are while simultaneously failing to keep the clear laws God does give. They put emphasis on tangential teaching or disputes over things that are unclear rather than the firm and healthy teaching.

iii. We’ve seen this in Ravi Zacharias. We’ve seen this in Hillsong’s ministry. We’ve seen this is Joshua Harris. We’ve seen this countless musical artists and publicly recognized Christians and Christian leaders. The formula continues to repeat.

iv. That is why Paul’s words here to Titus cannot be glossed over. They cannot be under appreciated. They cannot be emphasized enough.

v. As for you Titus. When all others crumble. When all others fail. When all others leave the truth. As for you Titus.

vi. Communicate the behavior that goes with sound teaching. But what does that mean? First, what does it mean to communicate behavior? Second what is behavior that goes with sound teaching?

1. First, the word behavior does not actually exist in the text. The NET adds this to help explain where Paul is going.

2. Paul desires that Titus, contrasted to the silencing of the opponents, should speak what goes with or corresponds to sound teaching.

3. What is clear, as Paul continues, is that which must be spoken, which corresponds to sound teaching, is obedience to Christ. A life changed by the power of the gospel.

b. [Slide 3] 2 – Older men are to be temperate

i. So first, interpretationally, we have to recognize that the first word is presbytery or Elder. So, the question must be, is Paul referring to the office of Elder or to older men?

ii. As is almost always the case, context helps us here.

1. There is no indication that Paul is introducing further qualifications or roles for Elders.

2. Paul speaks of female elders in verse 3, which if taken as an office would contradict much of what Paul has said about their exercising authority.

3. Young women and young men are mentioned in the context as well.

iii. What is obvious is that Paul is expressing truth toward age groups. In that case, we know that this is not talking about Elders, but rather older men in the church.

iv. As an interesting point of clarification, and what I will attempt to prove later in the sermon, is that I believe Titus to be one of these older men.

1. We cannot know for sure the age of Titus. In fact, we raised this question in a recent Wednesday night bible study.

2. However, given the number of clues in this passage, and the length of time Titus has been with Paul, I conclude that Titus is probably an older man at this stage. Perhaps even older than Paul.

v. That may be why Paul goes directly from telling Titus to speak of behavior that is fitting to sound teaching to explaining what that behavior is in an older man.

vi. The first of these is to be temperate. To be temperate is to be sober and vigilant. It is to be watchful. It is to be on guard. Able to see anything that is amiss.

c. [Slide 4] Dignified

i. This means that there is a certain seriousness about these men.

ii. They are not young men trapped in aging bodies. They don’t succumb to flights of fancy and toys. They recognize that they are older and that life is not for playing all the time.

d. [Slide 5] Self-controlled

i. They are conscience of the time they have left on the earth.

ii. They are not preoccupied with addiction to any substance, practice, or experience.

iii. Rather they are in control of their thoughts, actions, finances, and practices.

e. [Slide 6] Sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

i. Their faith, love and endurance are healthy.

ii. Their bodies may yet be failing, but their spirit is more vibrant than it has ever been.

iii. They should be entering their spiritual prime as they are used to being pressed into the mold of Christ. They have clung to their faith through many difficulties and stages in life.

iv. Their confession of truth and the doctrines to which they cling should be all the more solid and healthy.

v. Their love expressed toward God and other believers should be Christlike and often given.

vi. Their endurance and patience in trouble and trial should be consistently trusting of God and His sovereignty.

vii. Such should be the behavior that flows from sound doctrine for older men.

viii. However, their list is not quite done. I’ll explain what I mean toward the end. Just keep it in the back of your mind.

f. [Slide 7] 3 – Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy

i. So, we see a direct parallel here between older men and older women.

ii. Their behavior also must conform to a certain standard. The standard is holiness.

iii. All who receive sound teaching by God’s grace, have been set apart as a holy people unto God. Therefore, the source of this lifestyle of an older woman is still sound teaching but specifically that they have been marked out by God for His purposes.

iv. In essence this changes the trajectory of their entire lives.

v. How specifically?

g. [Slide 8] Not slandering

i. If an older woman is to be set apart for a Divine purpose, they certainly cannot be malicious gossips going about spreading lies or truth in an effort to destroy other people.

ii. They cannot be busy-bodies flitting from house to house saying “have you heard about…”

h. [Slide 9] Not slaves to excessive drinking

i. Drunkenness is appalling whenever we discover it. Being a slave to alcohol, or any substance is truly devastating. But there is something about this particular slavery when applied older people, that is particularly pitiful and reprehensible.

ii. It is not how women set apart for a divine purpose should behave.

iii. As a side note: It is interesting that Paul does not have one negative attribute to list with regard to Older men. All of them are positive attributes that ought to come from sound teaching, but for older women there are two negative characteristics that cannot go along with holiness.

iv. Perhaps Cretan women struggled with these in their old age. Either becoming bored or lacking vigilance, they become drunks and gossips.

v. I wish I could say that it was only Cretan women to which this applied – but I think the temptation endures even to today for older women.

i. [Slide 10] But teaching what is good.

i. And here is the only positive expression of holiness that Paul lists for Older Women.

ii. That doesn’t, of course, mean that this is an exhaustive list. In fact, we will see a secret list for older women and older men in a few minutes. But for now, we’ll go with this.

iii. The ladies have gotten bored and become gossips and drunks.

iv. Instead, they should be using their time to demonstrate in word and deed what is good.

v. And what is good?

vi. God being the very definition of good – we can just as easily supply the words: godly or Christlike.

vii. They ought not be bored. They have so much to teach. They have plenty to demonstrate.

viii. This teaching is directed at a particular target which we will address next, but for now let’s review what we’ve seen so far.

j. [Slide 11] Passage Truth: Paul illustrates exactly what kind of behavior should flow from healthy doctrine. In a word, holy.

k. Passage Application: So, Titus must speak these things to the Cretans. He must utter these behavioral standards and connect them to the gospel from which they flow.

l. [Slide 12] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out from this text, we know… WE KNOW – that Christians are changed irrevocably by the grace of God. How can we not be? Almost every book of the bible speaks to God’s desire for His people to be set apart. To be different. And in the New Covenant – God supplies a new heart capable of doing what He desires.

m. Broader Biblical Application: So at CBC we ought also to teach these behaviors. To demand that they be practiced among us. Why? Because they are the natural outflowing of a person who has experienced the grace of God. There can be no doubt, older men and women, those who have had time to grow in their faith, should be people who are like Christ. They should be examples. They should be mentors. Indeed, it is not out of turn for me, a young man, to demand that the older men and women in this church, be these kinds of people. You must be these kinds of people.

Transition:

[Slide 13(blank)] And of course, if they are to be examples and mentors, we must ask who they are to mentor. Who are they to guide?

II.) The gospel changes the behavior of those who have received it, so we must pass on what we have learned to the next generation. (4-8)

a. [Slide 14] 4 – In this way they will train the younger women to love their husbands

i. Grammatically speaking there is no real ambiguity here. The ones teaching are the older women.

ii. Why is it so important for them to be non-slandering, non-drunk, teachers of good?

iii. They have a generational imperative to teach younger women.

iv. Can older men teach younger women? Of course! But most naturally this falls to older women.

v. If an older woman is set apart for holiness, not slandering or drunk, but a teacher of good – she is going to teach younger women a few things about life. This then is the secret list for older women. Because if you are not modeling these, then you cannot teach them.

vi. So Older women must teach younger women by example, how to love their husbands. But we need to break this word down a little to catch all that is being said here.

vii. Love their husbands is actually 1 compound word in Greek.

1. Love – of a brotherly, friendly, or fondness kind.

2. Man – or contextually husband.

viii. This word is also not a verb. In our reading it seems like it is… but in actuality it is an adjective.

ix. Older women are to teach younger women how to be husband-lovers. And if I can take the liberty… how to be husband-likers.

x. This is certainly love – but less of duty and more of covenant and commitment. It is bonded love.

xi. Older women ought to be teaching and demonstrating to younger women how to like, appreciate, befriend, and otherwise selflessly support their husbands.

xii. Do young women need this today? You better believe it. But here is the harder question… Are there any older women who can teach it?

b. [Slide 15] To love their children

i. In the same way, Older women ought to teach and demonstrate how younger women ought to be children LIKERS.

ii. This does not negate a parent’s role in authority. We are not saying that parents should befriend their children. Nor are the older women imposing a laxer standard.

iii. But kindness, fondness toward one’s own children ought to be taught and demonstrated.

iv. Oftentimes young mothers can see their children as enemies, even hell-raisers