Roles of the Church Memebrs

The Truth of the Gospel effects the way we live our lives.

The truth of the gospel effects the character of the Elder of the church

          1. His personal

          2. His family life

          3. His relationship with other people

          4. His spiritual life 

In essence his moral, personal and spiritual character needs to demonstrate that he is a believer.

 Ch 1:16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.

As we continue to look at the Titus we move from the qualification of the church leaders to the behavior of the church members.

2:1-10 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.  In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them,  and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

I. A CHRISTIAN’S MORAL CHARACTER SHOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH SOUND DOCTRINE.

          1. While the importance of moral character and good works have been repeatedly applied to Titus, and the church leaders, it is expected of every believer.

                   A. The effects of the truth of the gospel should be clearly evident within the lives of the church member

                   B. This effect goes beyond just what we say for God should be glorified not only verbally, but also in the good works of those who profess faith in Christ

                   C. The focus of Paul here in this passage is that our actions will give us away as being believers. In short our claim to know God should match our behavior

          2. The importance of moral character and good works crosses all social  levels

                   A. This passage presents some difficult versus which have often caused consternation among contemporary church members.  

                   B. In order to fully understand what Paul is trying to get across in this passage we must understand the cultural context in which it was written.

                             1. Paul is writing to an ancient near eastern mind frame, which is vastly different than our modern western mind frame.

                             2. Paul directs the behavior of women based upon the cultural norms of the day, not upon a moral ground of equality.

                             3. It is the same with the issue of slavery, Paul does not make a moral judgment upon the morality of Slavery but simply directs the behavior of a very large portion of society.

                   C. Paul urges Titus to focus upon the individual behavior and moral conduct of the believer and not upon the question of social justice and equality.

          3. The focus of Paul’s teaching is simply that our behavior clearly effects the acceptance of the Gospel. 

                   A. These principles are found in the three clauses at the end of verses 5, 8, and 10.

                             a.  Verse 5 at the end of the section on how women are to conduct themselves Paul writes “so that no one will malign the word of God” Paul is concerned that the gospel itself be vindicated by the lives of those who proclaim it. If women are conducting themselves outside of social norms then they open the gospel to ridicule and rejection.  

                        b.  Verse 8 “So that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” suggests that Titus behavior should be unimpeachable so that even opponents of the gospel will have no ground for accusing us of evil.

                     c.  Verse 10 “So that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive” suggests that the behavior of the slaves will effect the acceptance of the gospel. Their behavior should not alienate people from the gospels but should attract people to the gospel.

   B. The gospel will only be as attractive to the world as the behavior of those who profess it.

          C. Paul here stresses the importance that sound doctrine must lead to ethical conduct in the lives of all the groups in the congregations.

II. SOUND DOCTRINE WILL PRODUCE  MORAL CHARACTER THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL.

   1. This passage Titus 2:1-10  may be divided into four parts.

             A. Paul’s instruction to Titus concerning his duty  (v. 1);

             B. Paul describes the desired character and conduct of various groups

                      a. Older men (v. 2)

                      b. Older women (v. 3)

                      c. Younger women ( vv. 4,5)

                      d. Younger men (v. 6)  

             C. Paul reminds Titus of the importance of his personal example (vv. 7, 8)

             D.  Instructions for the slaves (vv. 9, 10).

A. Teach The Older Men

a. Old age is often associated with such things as maturity, wisdom, and patience, but this is not always the case .

b. As we grow older, change can become harder to accept. Life can become less fulfilling, less satisfying, and more disillusioning often times people become cynical and angry.

c. For a Christian, however, old age should bring greater love for God, for the people of God, and for the sacred things of God.

d. Those who have walked with Christ for many years should rejoice in that privilege and in the prospect of one day seeing Him face to face

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2: 2  Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

1. Paul tells us that  older men are to live holy, exemplary lives before the Lord, before the church, and before the world. They are to abandon the recklessness, impetuosity, thoughtlessness, and instability that are characteristic of youth.

1. To be "temperate"

a. being free from intoxication metaphorically meaning to be sober in thought or clearheaded avoiding extravagance and overindulgence

   b. be able to discern more clearly which things are of the greatest importance and value He uses his time, his money, and his energy more carefully and selectively than when he was younger and less mature.

2. Worthy of respect"

a. means a person or is honorable and dignified, one who place things in their proper prospective

b. The dignified person is never frivolous, trivial, or superficial they have learned what is true important in life

3. Self-controlled

a. prudently curbs their desires and impulses They control their physical passions and they reject worldly standards and resist worldly attractions

B. They should have the discernment, discretion, and judgment that comes from walking with God for many years

4. Sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

a. First of all, older men are to be sound in faith, having learned that God indeed can be trusted in every way.

 b. sound … in love—toward God, toward His people, and toward those who do not yet know Him

c. sound … in perseverance. They are to exhibit the ability to endure hardship, to accept disappointment and failure, to be satisfied despite thwarted personal desires and plans.

B. Teach Older Women

older women in the church are to be awarded special respect and honor

godly older women are a rich spiritual resource in the church and deserve special esteem and consideration

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.

1. To be reverent – Term Reverend

   a. meaning of being priest like refers to that which is appropriate to holiness.

    b.  Older women are to be godly examples of holiness in their behavior

   c. Why is it more hurtful for a reverend to fall into the same sin as a church member – the expatiation is that God’s word makes a difference in once life.

2.  not to be slanderers

   a. They refuse to listen to, much less propagate, slanderous or demeaning words about others

   b. The false teachers in Crete where teaching an extreme lifestyle of rituals and legalism, those who did not live up to a strict standard were often ridiculed 

   c. They where not to be false accusers of one another

3. Not addicted to wine

a. As many of them have done throughout history, older people on Crete sometimes turned to drink as a stimulant and a means of ameliorating the pains, frustrations, and loneliness of old age.

b. An older believer who becomes so addicted to wine brings dishonor to the Lord’s name, tarnishes the reputation of the church, and, more often than not, leads others into following his or her ungodly example.

4. Teach what is good

   a. refers to instruction in that which is noble, excellent, and lofty, includes the teaching of what is holy and godly.

   b. Having taught their own children well, older women now have the responsibility for teaching younger women in the church and encouraging them to also be righteous and godly wives and mothers

C. Older Women are to teach the younger women

1. Here we enter into a passage where the older women are told that they are to teach the younger women.

          a. "Train" means to school in the lessons of sobriety and self-control those who have matured in their faith and live lives that are Godly then should teach the younger women to be Godly.

          b. It is clear here in this passage that the younger women that Paul refers to are young married women.

          c. We live in an age where we are often rejecting help and support – we are very independent we do not want anyone telling us how to live our lives.

          d. We take driving lessons, music lessons, we learn to be Soldiers but don’t we won’t accept lessons on how to be parents and spouses.

2. The first focus of their teaching is outward focus towards their family

          a. Younger women are to love their husbands and children, the question is immediately asked why would do younger woman need to be taught to love their husbands? Isn’t it natural for women to love her husband?

          b. In that day of formal and arranged marriages, a woman who truly and deeply loved her husband would stand out as a representative for the gospel in Greco-Roman culture.

          c. But today women marry only those they love? Many women hate their husbands, some for good reason due to abuse, and others for reason beyond our understanding.

          d. The same goes with children; we think that a mother would naturally love their children, but that is not always true.

3. The second focus is inward in their personal life

          a. Young women are to be self-controlled and pure, this call to sexual purity and wholeness is the same for the younger women as it is for the older men and women.

          b. Youth is not an excuse for sexual promiscuity, sex is a wonderful gift, which is given by God and is wholly intended for the marriage bed. This is not a popular view but it is Scriptural.

4. The Third focus is homeward, their responsibilities at home

These next few verses have to potential for great debate and have the potential for causing consternation among people.

In the interest of time let me simply state what I believe this passage teaches and if you have question I will be happy to talk with you later.

          A. I do not believe that Paul is teaching that women cannot work outside of the home.

          B. It is unlikely that Paul had in mind concern about "career women" or mothers in the secular workplace

          C. the focus is how one runs their home and cares for their family is a direct reflection of their relationship with God and serves as either hindrance to the gospel or as an appeal to the gospel 

          a.  Younger women are to be busy at home  is not on the location of a wife's work but on being productive in the normal occupations of a wife each day

          b. Young women are to be kind literally means "good" or "useful for a purpose caring for one’s family, home, children and husband is a good thing.

   c. Older women are to teach younger women to be subject to their husbands - it clear that the Bible does not permit a husband to have a "Me dictator, you doormat" mentality

   d.  The Greek term for "submit" does not mean that a wife is to suppress her intelligence, talents, and gifts in the home. Rather, she should fully express these gifts in the purpose of supporting her husband in the spiritual leadership of the home.

e.  As opponents in the church and potential faith seekers in the culture examine "what is in accord with sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1) through the behavior of the young women in the church, the Word of God gains credibility. The wonderful message implicit here is that what happens in the home because of a woman's care is a powerful tool for the progress of the gospel

D. Teaching to the younger men

Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.

          a. The issue of control over one's own conduct has now arisen among all the groups of the church

          earlier: elders, Titus 1:8

          older men, Titus 2:2

          older women, Titus 2:3

         younger women, Titus 2:5

          b. this continuous call to self-control underscoring the contrast between those controlled by the gospel and those who are rebelling against it

          c. what at first seems to be a simple thought of self-control begins to take on a greater emphasis when one stops to consider all the things that a young man needs to have control over .

          d. Young men, who frequently are impulsive, passionate, ambitious, unpredictable, and sometimes arrogant, are to exercise self-control and show good sense and judgment in all things.

A. We come to the final group of people that Paul tells Titus to instruct

          a. He now turns his attention to the slaves

                   1. Remember that Paul here is not making a moral judgment on the right or wrong of slavery. He is discussing the behavior of slaves in relationship to bringing people to the Gospel.

                   2. No one is excluded from community responsibilities regardless of their station in the church or society. Even slaves have conduct and witness responsibilities

          b. The scope of responsibilities and positions was vast for slaves in the Greco-Roman world.

                   1. In the Greco-Roman world slaves world included those in miserable conditions, but it also included those in apprentice or indentured relationships, domestic workers, and some who held high government office.

                   2. But  no matter what social position they had in society wither freemen or slaves, when it came to the church they were all equal and thus slaves has, the responsibility for gospel witness given just as freemen had

                   3. This is the ultimate statement of the apostle that everyone in the church community has a role in the progress of the gospel.

B. The conduct of slaves

a. Slaves are to be subject to their masters in everything

1. They do this by trying to please them, Instead of having a sullen disposition, and to give full satisfaction to their masters

2. not to talk back to them, not to dispute their commands and by deliberate resistance seek to thwart their will.

3. Not to steal from them, not underhandedly to divert to themselves part of anything their masters had not intended for them.

                   4. To show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

          b. The very difficulty of the slave’s position would make such conduct a powerful recommendation of the gospel,

                   1. Proving to the master the power of the gospel.

                   2. Minority religions were viewed as subversive, and to counter the prejudice Christians had to work especially hard to avoid the normal causes of slander.

C. So, what is the application for today? Being that we do not have slaves in our churches what, do we walk away with this evening?

          1. The obvious application is how one ought to conduct themselves as employees and this can be easily translated to us in the army.

          2. But there is one major difference between employees of a civilian job and those of us who are employees of the Military. They can leave, we cannot.

          3. So the application in a sense becomes more applicable to our situation.

                   a. Soldiers are to be subject to their commanders or chain of command

                   b. Soldiers are to try to please those in command

                    c. Soldiers are not to talk back to those in command - not to dispute their commands and by deliberate resistance seek to thwart their will.

                   d. Soldiers are not to steal but prove themselves trustworthy

                   e. so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.