God’s Assignment for the Church: Nothing More, Nothing Less

“Go ahead and grab your Bible and meet me in Titus chapter 2.”

Now, let’s just be honest—our culture is drowning in gender confusion. The lines that God drew with such clarity back in Genesis 1—male and female, man and woman—have been blurred into a fog. We’re groping around, trying to redefine what it even means to be masculine, what it means to be feminine. A few years back, one presidential candidate actually described himself as “metrosexual”—said he’d heard the word, but didn’t even know what it meant. And that about sums it up, doesn’t it? The world doesn’t know.

But make no mistake—this isn’t some harmless confusion. There are cultural engineers—media, education, politics—working hard to neutralize, if not erase, the God-given distinctions of gender. And if we’re not careful, church, we’ll start marching to their drumbeat rather than God’s Word.

And sadly, much of the church already has. Practicing homosexuals now ordained as bishops. Ministers divorced and continuing on as if nothing sacred was broken. Women filling pulpits and seminaries, not in submission to the Word of God, but in rebellion against it. Even in evangelical circles, God’s design for discipleship and leadership is being redefined by culture instead of Scripture.

That’s why Titus 2 matters so much. This is Paul laying out God’s assignments for His people—older men, younger men, older women, younger women. He’s drawing the lines back where God put them. He’s saying, “This is what it looks like when the gospel actually shapes godliness in your life.” And the heartbeat of it all is one word: discipleship.

Older men discipling younger men. Older women discipling younger women. The gospel producing godliness in every group, every gender, every generation.

So, Cedar Bay—tonight i’m going to step on some toes. I stepped on a few of my own. Let’s not take our cues from the world. Let’s hear God’s voice clearly through His Word. Titus 2 is going to cut through the fog and call us back to God’s beautiful design.

Titus 2:1–8 “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 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.”

Pursue God’s Assignment as an Older Man Titus 2:1–2

Paul starts here by drawing a sharp line of contrast. On one side, you’ve got the false teachers at Crete—loud, arrogant, deceptive, lazy, greedy men who claimed to know God but denied Him with their lives. Paul says they were “detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work.” That’s one path.

But then he turns to Titus and the older men in the church and says—you be different. You walk a path that lines up with sound doctrine. In other words, your belief better show up in your behavior. And to make it plain, Paul lays out seven marks of a godly older man.

1. Be a Teacher (Titus 2:1)

Godly men don’t just sit in church; they pass it on. They open their mouths and their lives to teach. Not everybody’s going to stand behind a pulpit, but every older man is called to say, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” The gospel you believe is the gospel you live and the gospel you pass down.

2. Be Levelheaded (Titus 2:2)

Paul says older men should be sober, temperate, clear-minded. It means you know what really matters in life. You don’t waste your energy chasing what the world calls success. Your motto is simple: all that matters is pleasing God.

3. Be Reverent (Titus 2:2)

This isn’t about being stiff or self-righteous—it’s about living in such a way that younger men look at you and see dignity, honor, and integrity. You don’t laugh at crude jokes, you don’t flirt with sin, you don’t wink at compromise. You carry yourself in a way that makes people respect the God you serve.

4. Be Self-Controlled (Titus 2:2)

This one shows up in every group Paul addresses—older men, younger men, older women, younger women. Why? Because without self-control, you’ll wreck your life. A godly man has his passions under control. His temper doesn’t control him. His appetites don’t own him. He’s not reckless with his words or his time. His mind is being renewed by the Word of God daily, not conformed to the patterns of this world.

5. Be Sound in the Faith (Titus 2:2)

Healthy faith comes from walking with God for years. This is the man who knows not just what he believes but Who he believes in. He can say with confidence: Even when I can’t trace His hand, I can still trust His heart.

6. Be Loving (Titus 2:2)

Jesus said the world would know we belong to Him by our love. An older man who has walked with God for years ought to have a soft heart, not a hard one. He loves God above all, loves the church sincerely, and loves the lost with urgency.

7. Be Patient (Titus 2:2)

Life is hard, but the godly man doesn’t quit. He endures. He keeps running the race with his eyes fixed on Jesus. Trials, disappointments, setbacks—none of them shake his hope, because he knows how the story ends.

Let me bring this down to earth. I don’t have to look far for a Titus 2 kind of man. I think about my own dad. He may not have stood behind a pulpit every Sunday, but he showed me what faithfulness looks like in the day-to-day. He worked hard, he loved his family, and he stayed steady when life was anything but. My dad modeled integrity, self-control, and endurance—and a boy growing up in his house couldn’t miss it. He was telling me without words, “Son, this is what a man who loves Jesus looks like.”

And then there was my grandfather—he did stand in the pulpit for many years, preaching the gospel with boldness and conviction. But what marked his life wasn’t just what he said on Sunday, it was how he lived Monday through Saturday. He endured hardships, he walked with God faithfully, and he loved people deeply. He wasn’t perfect, but he was patient, steady, and sound in the faith. You could look at him and say, “That’s a man who spent his life running after Jesus.”

So when Paul calls older men to be teachers, reverent, self-controlled, sound in faith, loving, and steadfast—that’s not just some abstract ideal. That’s a living legacy. It’s what I’ve seen in the men God placed in my own family. And church, that’s the assignment for every older man here. Not just to get old, but to grow godly. Not just to age, but to leave a gospel legacy the next generation can point to and follow.

Pursue God’s Assignment as an Older Woman

Titus 2:3

Paul turns from older men to older women and says, “likewise.” In other words, just as the older men have a responsibility, so do the older women. Their assignment is not retirement from godliness but an invitation into a deeper ministry—one that shapes the next generation.

Elisabeth Elliot once asked, “Where are the WOTTs? Where are the Women of Titus Two?” That’s the question we should be asking today as well. Where are the women who show the younger ones how to walk with Jesus, how to love their husbands, how to shepherd their children, and how to keep a Christ-centered home? That’s exactly what Paul is calling for here—a generation of godly older women who will pour into the generation coming behind them.

Paul lays out four characteristics that define a Titus 2 woman:

1. Be Reverent

The word literally means “temple fitting.” In other words, your life should look like it belongs in the presence of God. An older woman is called to live in such a way that her behavior reflects holiness. She carries herself with dignity, not because she’s trying to be impressive, but because she loves the Lord and her life shines with His character.

2. Be Truthful

Paul warns against being a slanderer. The Greek word here is diabolos—the same word used for the devil. When an older woman gives in to gossip or spreads lies, she’s doing the devil’s work. But a Titus 2 woman knows better. She’s got a governor on her tongue. She speaks truth, and she speaks it in love. She builds up instead of tearing down.

3. Be Levelheaded

In Paul’s day, Crete celebrated heavy drinking as a kind of cultural virtue. So he warns the women not to be enslaved to wine, not to be controlled by their appetites. A godly woman refuses to be mastered by anything other than Jesus. She models restraint, wisdom, and witness. In short—she’s sober-minded and Spirit-led.

4. Be a Teacher

Older women are called to teach what is good. That doesn’t necessarily mean standing in a classroom—it means mentoring, discipling, and investing in the younger women in the church. The assignment is clear: older women are to pass down wisdom about walking with God, loving their husbands, raising children, and living faithfully in the everyday rhythms of life.

And church, let’s just be real—this is something we’ve neglected to our own hurt. The younger generation desperately needs the older generation to pour into them. They don’t just need TikTok advice or cultural trends; they need godly examples. They need women who can look them in the eye and say, “I’ve walked with Jesus longer than you’ve been alive, and here’s what He’s taught me.”

Because here’s the truth: a godly home will orbit around a godly wife and mother. And when older women pursue God’s assignment in Titus 2, they leave a legacy of faith that outlives them.

Pursue God’s Assignment as a Younger Woman

Titus 2:4–5

Paul now moves to the younger women, and notice—he doesn’t address them directly. He charges the older women to teach what is good and train the younger. That’s discipleship in action. Why? Because younger women face all kinds of cultural pressure, distractions, and lies that threaten to rob them of joy and pull them away from God’s design. Sound familiar? The first century had the same struggle. Paul cuts through the confusion and lays out seven marks of a godly younger woman.

1. Love Your Husband (Titus 2:4)

This is the only place in Scripture where women are directly told to love their husbands. Husbands get command after command to love their wives, but here Paul says to the wives: train yourself to love your husband. Love isn’t just falling in and out—it’s learning. It’s daily choosing sacrifice and devotion. And younger women learn how by watching godly older women model it.

2. Love Your Children (Titus 2:4)

Motherly affection comes naturally, but Paul pushes it further: love them toward Jesus. Raise them not just to succeed in school or sports, but to know Christ as Savior and Lord. The greatest legacy a mom can leave isn’t scholarships or trophies—it’s sons and daughters who treasure Christ.

3. Be Self-Controlled (Titus 2:5)

Just like the men, just like the older women—self-control is non-negotiable. Life throws emotions, desires, and distractions at you. A younger woman needs wisdom and balance, and the best place she learns it is by watching an older, godly woman live it.

4. Be Pure (Titus 2:5)

Paul says she’s to be morally pure—a one-man kind of woman. She’s faithful, trustworthy, devoted to her vows, and above reproach. Her purity points to God’s holiness and her faithfulness points to Christ’s faithfulness to His Bride.

5. Be a Homemaker (Titus 2:5)

Now this one is where culture bristles. But notice—Paul isn’t belittling women; he’s elevating their God-given assignment. A homemaker isn’t trapped—she’s entrusted. The home becomes the launchpad for gospel ministry. Proverbs 31 shows she can be industrious, resourceful, creative, even entrepreneurial—but her first sphere of calling is to cultivate a home where Christ is known and loved.

6. Be Good (Titus 2:5)

Kindness marks her life. She reflects the heart of Jesus—gracious, considerate, merciful. Even when wronged, she models the gentle strength of Christ.

7. Be Subject to Your Husband (Titus 2:5)

This is another word our culture despises: submission. But Paul doesn’t ground it in culture—he roots it in Christ. Just as the Son submitted to the Father in redemption, a wife submits to her husband in marriage. It’s not about inferiority—it’s about order and design. And notice: it says “to their husbands,” not “to every man.” This is a voluntary posture of respect and trust that protects the gospel’s reputation in the world.

So why does all this matter? Paul tells us—“that the word of God may not be reviled.” When younger women embrace God’s assignment, their homes become gospel lighthouses. Their marriages reflect Christ and the church. Their children are shaped in the ways of the Lord. And the watching world sees that God’s Word is not just ancient—it’s alive, it’s good, and it works.

Pursue God’s Assignment as a Younger Man

Titus 2:6–8

Paul now turns to the younger men. And notice—he only gives them one main command: “Be self-controlled.” Why so short? Maybe because Paul knew what we all know—young men have enough on their plate with just that one.

But Paul doesn’t stop there. He also points Titus to set an example, to live in such a way that other young men could look at him and say, “That’s the mold. That’s the type of man I want to be.” Why? Because young men don’t just need pep talks—they need patterns. They need godly older men showing them how to live.

1. Be Levelheaded (Titus 2:6)

Self-control. Sensible. Levelheaded. Call it what you want—but it’s the foundation of manhood. A young man who can’t control his mind, his desires, his passions will ruin his life. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.” If you lose that battle in the mind, you’ll lose it everywhere else.

2. Be a Good Example (Titus 2:7)

Paul tells Titus, “Make yourself an example of good works.” That word “example” means a mold, a pattern. The idea is that your life should be a stamp that leaves an impression on others. Young men, whether you realize it or not, someone is watching you. The question is—will they be drawn closer to Jesus because of your example, or pushed further away?

3. Be Sound in Doctrine (Titus 2:7)

Younger men are easily drawn to whatever sounds new, edgy, or impressive. Paul warns them—be men of substance, not flash. Integrity and dignity in teaching means you know the truth, you live the truth, and when you open your mouth to speak the truth, people can trust it. The content of your teaching must match the character of your life.

4. Be Sound in Speech (Titus 2:8)

Paul says your speech should be so healthy, so pure, that even opponents are left with nothing bad to say about you. Don’t give the enemy ammo. Let the only offense be the gospel itself, not your mouth or your lifestyle. When you speak truth with integrity, even your critics eventually run out of words.

Conclusion

Do you see the flow of Titus 2?

Older men discipling younger men.

Older women discipling younger women.

The gospel producing godliness in every group, every gender, every generation.

And here’s the big takeaway: you don’t get a pass. Every follower of Jesus—man or woman, young or old—has an assignment. We are all called to godliness. We are all called to discipleship. We are all called to make the gospel visible in our lives.

Paul’s closing words echo like a charge: God’s work. God’s way. Always for God’s glory.

That’s the assignment for the church. That’s the assignment for Cedar Bay. And that’s the assignment for you.

And whether you do that or not- is up to you. I am just the messenger. My job is to equip the saints. You know what you’re supposed to do but heres the question- are you doing it?

Because if your not doing it, you’re just wasting time.

Jesus commanded us to go therefore and make disciples of all nations- he didn’t say come sit in a church- church isn’t your social club. You want a social club go to the YMCA. We are called to make disciples. Making disciples does not have to happen in these four walls. That can take place anywhere, at anytime.

But you have to be intentionally guiding someone towards the Lord. That means more than praying for them. That means actually opening God’s Word with them and teaching them and pouring into them. Is prayer a part of it? For sure.

The church doesn’t need more programs. Its needs men and women of all ages with hearts on fire for the Lord and getting people outside the church excited for whats going on at Cedar Bay.

Church, let me just say this as plainly as I can. The church doesn’t need more programs. We don’t need to spin up another committee. What we need are men and women—young and old—who are on fire for the Lord Jesus Christ, whose passion spills out of this room and gets people in Jacksonville excited about what God is doing right here at Cedar Bay.

I did a little looking around. Some of the biggest churches in our city don’t have more ministries than us. One of them has 15. North Jax has 12. The largest church in Jacksonville has 7—and they don’t even run a pile of different programs, they just gather for one service with three different times. Meanwhile, here at Cedar Bay, we’ve got 14 ministries and 19 committees. But hear me—committees don’t reach the lost. Programs don’t make disciples. A new schedule doesn’t spark revival. Only Jesus does.

And I don’t want us looking back saying, “If we could just get back to the good ol’ days…” Because let’s be honest—that path is what led us into needing revitalization in the first place. The past is not our finish line. Our finish line is Christ.

This Friday, a group of men and women from this body are beginning to walk through revitalization with our local association. That’s not a program—that’s prayerful, desperate, dependent seeking of God. I need you to pray for them. I need you to pray for this church.

Pray that God would move in power. And don’t just pray it as if it’s some religious routine. Don’t toss up words to the ceiling and wonder if they’ll make it past the roof. No—pray it, and believe it. Pray with expectation. Pray like children who actually trust their Father hears them.

The Bible doesn’t say God might answer prayer—it says He does. “This is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us” (1 John 5:14). Jesus Himself said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7). James tells us “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).

So here’s the question—do we actually believe that? Do we believe God can wake up a sleeping church? Do we believe He can breathe new life into Cedar Bay? Do we believe He can save our neighbors, restore broken marriages, heal deep wounds, and bring prodigals home? If we believe He can, then why would we pray small, safe, predictable prayers?

Let’s be the kind of people who pray like God is who He says He is—mighty, sovereign, faithful, and good. Let’s be a church that doesn’t just talk about revival but begs God for it. And let’s be a church that doesn’t just beg but expects Him to answer—not because we’re worthy, but because He delights to show His power through His people.

So yes, pray that God would move in power. But don’t stop there. Pray with faith. Pray with expectation. Pray as if the God who split the Red Sea, who raised the dead, who saved your soul—is not done working yet. Because He’s not.

I don’t want Cedar Bay to be what it used to be. I don’t want to be Bill Tyler—I’m not him, and God didn’t call me to be him. He called me to be Jordan Chambers. And He didn’t call Cedar Bay to be North Jax or FBC Jax or 1122 or anyone else. He called Cedar Bay to be exactly what He wants it to be—nothing more, and nothing less.

So let’s quit chasing programs. Let’s quit clinging to the past. Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus.

We need to be people with hearts on fire for the Lord and telling others. Because if we’ll follow Him, He’ll write a future for this church that is bigger and better than anything behind us.