Lesson 1: Dominion (The Titus Ten)

Intro Question: What does it mean to be a man?

Where Did You Get this Definition?

“To understand the kind of man God wants you to be, you must understand the kind of man God created you to be. “

Genesis 2 shows what God intended but after Genesis 3, the rest of the bible presents a distorted view of manhood. When We focus on these distortions, we can easily miss what God intends for us to be, especially now that Christ has come to restore what has been broken.

Watch Video

Group Discussion

Question: What do we see about manhood in these verses? (Gen 2:1-17)

Mankind was created to:

To have a relationship with God (His Identity)

To live under God’s authority (His Boundaries)

To have authority over everything God created (His Work)

To glorify God by representing him on earth. (His Mission)

Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.””

Two Aspects of Dominion: “Work” & “Watch/Keep”

Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.”

Work: To Exert Oneself With Purpose

When you think about work, think about a plow. A plow is used to cultivate the earth, to turn up the soil and prepare the ground for seed. plowing is hard work; it’s cultivating the earth so that what is planted will grow.

Plowing is a selfless and thankless task. It is Behind the scenes work, where everyone sees the fruit but not the tireless effort behind it all. P

Plowing is the work every man should be devoted to working hard for the sake of others—to sweat and toil, to cultivate and nurture everything and everyone God has put under his charge. As a man, you were created to work in that way.

Watch/Keep: To Maintain, Guard, Preserve

When you think about keeping, think about a sword. To keep is to watch, guard, and protect.

God has created every man to be a guardian, a protector, and a defender.

Question: In What Ways Does Christ Model Working & Keeping?

The Four Domains Of Men: Dominion Requires Domains

His Flesh

Godly Men Exhibit Self Control (Titus 1:6–9)

there are multiple references to things that demand self-control. A godly man must be able to control his pride, his temper, his drinking, and his flesh. A man cannot be a leader until he learns to take dominion over himself.

Taking dominion over your flesh is not just about fighting against sin. We will never gain any victory over sin unless we truly believe walking with Jesus is better than living in sin. We should long for the life, joy, peace, and blessing that come when we walk with Jesus. Our primary motive is always more of Jesus.

His Church (Titus 1)

Paul wrote Titus to help him fix a church that was in massive turmoil (Titus 1:5). The primary cause of turmoil was the presence of useless, ungodly, and rebellious men (Titus 1:10–16).

The first thing Paul told Titus to do was find godly men—those who have cultivated self-control—and put them in leadership in the church. This was the first place God Called Titus to put his focus in restoring broken families/homes.

This Bible is clear, you cannot say you love Christ if you do not love His bride. You cannot say you are serving Christ if you are not an active part of His body. If you are not sacrificially attending, serving, and supporting a local church, you cannot become the man God wants you to be. His church is the primary place where He works in and through men.

The local church is not only the primary place where a man learns to be a Christian, but it is also the primary place where a man learns to be a man. There, surrounded by generations of godly men, he learns about himself and his God.

His Home (Titus 2)

Dominion over the Flesh and in the Church prepare us to be better husbands and fathers.

When a father allows his family to make other things more important than the church, the father undermines the primary training ground for his family.

God Calls Us to “Work & Keep” our Homes

After a long days work do we check out at home? We ought to cultivate an even more precious gift that God has given. “Your family is not anyone else’s responsibility—it is your responsibility”

Serve your wife. Serve your children. Love, honor, and serve yours & her parents. Be the hardest worker at home. Give yourself sacrificially every single day for the good of your family. Do the hard work of loving, leading, and serving at home.

A Godly Marriage Begins with Love, Service, and Work at home.

His Work (Titus 3)

The workplace is where a man displays to a lost world self-sacrificing, loving, and godly dominion. It is where a man shows the world God’s original intention.

Titus 3:1–2 “Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people.”

No one should be a harder worker, a better employee, or a better boss than a man who follows Jesus.

Graceful, Honest, Kind, Hard-Working, Sacrificial, Generous.

The only reason the world has a problem with the idea of manly dominion is that they have not seen dominion as God intended it. If You want to fix the worlds view on manhood, live out God’s intention for manhood.

Discussion Questions:

Dominion: Genesis 1:28

What are some areas of life that God is calling you to take dominion? How are you stewarding those responsibilities?

Dominion is not domineering. How do the two differ?

When God called Adam to work and care for the earth, what would have been some of his responsibilities? How would the responsibilities God gave to Adam apply to us today?

In what ways do you see the distortion of manhood in the world around you?

In what ways can you contribute to helping our culture regain a biblical understanding of manhood?

Working & Keeping: Genesis 2:15

Plowing requires cultivating the ground so that something might grow. In what ways does manhood require you to do work that no one else sees but that will bear fruit much later?

Every man is called to keep—to be a protector and defender. In what specific areas of your life do you see the need for “keeping”?

What specific examples of working and keeping can you think of from the Bible or men you have known?

Flesh: Titus 1:1-16

In what specific areas of a man’s life does he need to practice self-control?

How have you see the lack of self-control affect your life or the life of someone you know?

What are some practical areas in which you need to take dominion over your flesh?

Church: Eph 5:22-28

You cannot become the man God wants you to be without involvement in a local church. Why would this be true?

What role does the local church play in your life? Are you treating your local church like Christ would want you to treat His bride? How could you better work and keep in your local church?

In what ways can the local church help you learn how to be a man?

How would the lack of church involvement negatively affect your life? How would active engagement in a local church affect your life?

Home: Titus 2:1-15

Why do men often feel more equipped to lead at work than at home? Why is the work at home so often more difficult?

In what ways do you feel insecure and insufficient to do the work God has called you to do at home?

In what practical ways can you better serve, love, and lead those in your home?

If you are single, how can you serve and love your family in order to become the man God has called you to be?

Work: Titus 3:1-15

How can working and keeping be a testimony to those at work?

How have you see the lack of a strong work ethic affect men?

Are there areas in your life where you need to be working harder? If so, what are they and what changes do you need to make?