Men Training Men

Kampala, Uganda

05/25/25

Generational Discipleship

[Titus 2:6-10]

Introduction

Genesis 39:1-13: Tell this in first person.

My name is Joseph. I’m not very old. Around 19 years old or so. My story is told in Genesis 39:1-13.

My brothers sold me into slavery because they were jealous of me. Though I knew the Lord was with me, it was still hard to get over this fact.

I was a good slave to a man named Potiphar. I pleased God and him. Potiphar liked me a lot. From time to time, I would watch over the entire house and all that he had. He trusted me that much!

Now I’m a pretty good looking guy, or so I’m told. Potiphar’s wife sure thought so. She looked at me and said, “Lie with me.”

But I refused immediately. I asked her, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Then the next day, and the day after that, and even the day after that Potiphar’s wife tried to get me to sleep with her. Day after day, I refused.

One day I was working in the house and Potiphar’s wife practically tore my covering off! I didn’t know what to do so I just ran out of the house!

She made up lies in my name and I wasn’t allowed back.

When I was dealing with this, I didn’t have written instruction saying to be self-controlled. I didn’t have a godly guy able to come beside me to urge me to be godly.

Now, we have the complete Word of God to explain what God wants of us. Paul wrote about young men being self-controlled.

Let’s pray.

(Sermon Idea)

Older men train younger men!

(Interrogative)

How should the older men train?

PNPS: To fulfill generational discipleship, older men, ought to be driving the younger men to godliness and setting an example in your teaching.

1. Older men urge younger men to be godly (v. 6)

Titus 2:6 ESV

Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.

This is active!

Paul links this back to the previous section.

Women just as you are to urge and teach younger women, older men are to do the same.

What does this urging consist of?

It consists of consistently being around each other and questioning how they are doing.

I imagine Paul almost pleading with the younger men to be self-controlled.

A book that was very impactful in my spiritual walk was a book called Thoughts for Young Men. We’re going to follow some of his outline:

He gives 5 reasons why young men need exhorting or urging:

Many are not religious.

Death is near them but they forget.

Who young men are now, will impact who they are in future.

The devil loves to destroy the souls of young men.

Urging them will save them sorrow in the future.

This word self-control is a broad term. It can also translated sensible.

This is a broad term. Having common sense and good judgment.

Paul writes a similar thing to Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:22 (ESV) So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Self-control is a fruit of the spirit. We can by the Spirit’s help be self-controlled.

From the same book, Thoughts for Young Men, Ryle points out 5 special dangers for young men:

Pride

Love of pleasures

Thoughtlessness and inconsideration

Contempt of religion

The fear of man’s opinion

Young men! I charge you today, that if you are a new creation in Christ, your passions do not rule over you!! You can defeat them!

Young men! I urge you, that the decisions you make today will impact who you are in the future.

The first way older men train younger men is by urging them to be godly…

2. Older men set an example of godliness (v. 7-8)

Titus 2:7–8 ESV

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

V. 7 Set an example in good works.

This example is like a mark left by a pen. Like when Thomas refused to believe that Jesus rose from the dead until he had seen the example or mark on Jesus hands.

I can teach something but can I practice it?

Ryle gives 5 general counsels to young men:

Get a clear view of sin

Never forget your soul is the most important thing!

Never forget that it is possible to be a young man and serve God!

Make the Bible your guide and advisor

Never make an intimate friend with someone who is not a friend of God

How does this hurt one’s testimony?

No matter how biblical someone’s teaching is, if they do not practice what they preach, they are a religious hypocrites!

Look at how Jesus treated the hypocrites: He was very harsh towards them.

Matthew 23:13 ESV

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.

If you older men, or young ment striving for holiness, the most impactful part of spiritual leadership is consistently doing what you teach.

Titus was commanded to be an example of righteous works.

The first aspect of setting an example is by doing good works, the second is in what Titus teaches…

Set an example in teaching.

In Titus’ teaching he is supposed to exhibit purity or teaching with integrity.

Titus’ teaching was also supposed to be dignified.

Worthy of being respected. Older men is your words or wisdom worthy of being respected.

This sound speech is the same one that Paul mentioned earlier in verse 1.

This healthy doctrine, which is completely contradictory to the proponents of false teaching.

Now listen, this teaching is not necessarily behind this pulpit. This teaching doesn’t always come by those who are “educated.” It is conversational, day-by-day teaching.

Just like Ryle gave in his book Thoughts for Young Men: 5 Special Rules:

Break off every sin no matter how small

Shun everything which may put you in a position to sin

Never forget the eye of God is watching you

Fellowship and go to church often

Pray constantly

Why should we do all of this? Paul tells us…

So others would have nothing bad to say about us!

We our ambassadors of Christ!

When we practice good works and teach good biblical things, our opponents will have nothing bad to say about us!

Now in this context they were talking about the Cretan’s false teachers.

But it still applies to us today.

Paul just wished very deeply for the church to be blameless.

One of the best evangelistic tools is having a pure testimony. Making sure nobody can say anything bad about us!

This then allows them to be curious to question what makes us this way.

Enlightening them to Jesus Christ!

The two ways in which we can encourage generational discipleship is through setting an example and teaching. Now Paul turns his attention to how employees should behave in the work place.

3. Employees strive for godliness in your occupation (v. 9-10)

Be good employees!

Now bondservant means slave.

In the Greco-Roman context this would have been written this would have been closely related to employee.

They would’ve been the lowest rung on the social ladder. No one would have cared about them.

Explain the culture context of the United States and the differences.

Paul does not deal with the morality of slavery, he acknowledges it and explains what the Christian response should be.

So we will use the word employee. Most if not all of you will get jobs in the future.

Paul gives 5 ways in which employees are to honor the Lord in their job.

Employees are to be submissive to their bosses!

This is not an, “if you want to then you submit to your boss.”

This is a command. From the King of kings

Employees are to be good workers.

Workers are to be well-pleasing.

It isn’t wrong to work hard and have our boss notice us!

You should be striving to do such good work that your boss says, “Man I want to hire more Christians like him!”

Employees are to be respectful.

Employees are not to talk about and snap back at their employers. This would have been a common thing among the slaves of this time.

Employees are not to bicker with their bosses. This is the opposite of submitting.

Employees are to honest.

Pilfering just means stealing or embezzling

It’s easy to steal things from your boss especially when they are small things.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira.

Employees are to be loyal.

This or showing in good faith.

Christian workers are to prove that they can be trusted and are loyal to their boss.

Why should we do all of this?

This doesn’t seem like fun.

My boss is not very nice!

You don’t understand where I work.

We should do all this to…

Make the gospel attractive!

This is the purpose of living in such a manner. To make the gospel attractive!

This word adorn could also mean something along the lines of cosmetics.

Something that makes men and women more attractive.

Just as you women braid your hair to make it look pretty and guys we get our haircuts all nice

Living holy will make the gospel more attractive.

The people that work with you will ask, “Man how does he work so hard? And for what? Why does he always do the right thing?”

As to glorify the Lord.

CONCLUSION

Just as women are to be training women, men are to be training men.

Men are to be living self-controlled upright lives. Just like Joseph did.

Older guys urge the younger men to live godly lives and serve the Lord.

Don’t hurt your testimony! Live upright lives as to set an example for the younger men.

Employees! Glorify God in the work place.

Don’t spend your time complaining and arguing.

Don’t spend your time rejecting authority.

Glorify God in every aspect of your life, personal, public, and during your work.