Sunday, April 1, 2018

Paul's Epistles – Titus – Part 4: Teaching Older Men & Women


Paul's Epistles – Titus – Part 4:
Teaching Older Men & Women
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org, or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on facebook at House of Faith Church

SERMON INTRODUCTION
Unlike some of the other epistles attributed cautiously to Paul, nearly all agree that without a doubt, Titus is most definitely Paul’s workmanship.

Some thought that because of its strong emphasis on “works”, Paul did not write it. (1:16; 2:7, 14; 3:1, 8, 14 ), however Titus 3:5 gives the answer to that objection, “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,”

It is clear Paul is pressing the issue of works, not for salvation sake, but in an effort to promote “godliness” which comes from knowledge of the Truth, a godliness which “produces” works naturally as its fruits.

Galatians 5:22-23 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

This letter was written approximately the same time, and more than likely the same place as I Timothy.


PREVIOUSLY
Introduction to Titus
Appointing Elders who love what is good
Rebuking False Teachings



TODAY’S SERMON
Teaching the Older Men and Women


SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Titus 2:1-5 (65 AD, written between I Timothy and II Timothy)
You, however, must teach what is appropriate to 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 urge 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.

The overall message of this epistle to the church is;
God’s ideal for the Christian Church and Christian Workers


I. PAUL HAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH
a. Bringing the light through sound doctrine
                                                        i. Sound doctrine is NOT judging everything people do as either good or bad, right or wrong

                                                     ii. Sound doctrine is NOT taking your opinion, thoughts or feelings from what you read and trying to apply those to either yourself or others

                                                  iii. Sound doctrine has NOTHING to do with you, your thoughts, feelings, understanding, wishes, dreams, aspirations, likes, dislikes, etc...

                                                   iv. Sound doctrine is really simple, and the basics are;
1. God is one “What”, in three manifestations (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), all of which are the ONE Deity and personality, God.

2. The person of Jesus Christ is the manifestation of God the Son, the Word, donning flesh, 100% God and 100% man for all of eternity

3. The Second Coming: Jesus Christ will come bodily to earth to rule and judge

4. Salvation: It is by Grace alone, not works, through faith alone in Christ alone.

5. The Scripture: entirely inerrant (disregarding translation issues which are man’s shortcomings not God’s), and sufficient for all Christian life

                                                   v.  Anyone teaching anything which contradicts this sound doctrine is teaching false doctrine, and should be corrected with True Doctrine.

                                                vi. It is through this True Sound Doctrine that the light of Christ and the workings of His Word are revealed to the lost, which has the ability to bring those to salvation.

                                             vii. That is “bringing the Light through Sound Doctrine” that Paul speaks of.


b. Appointing the right Elders for the job
                                                  i. Paul tells Titus, once you have sound doctrine, now you must begin building the church

                                               ii. Not of brick and mortar, but of strong spiritual leadership

                                            iii. Men who fit the test of Eldership spelled out by Paul

                                             iv. These men are the first layer placed upon the Sound doctrine, the teachings of the Apostles and Prophets which the Word of God refer to as the foundation.

                                                v. Ephesians 2:19-22 “you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

                                             vi. Christ the Cornerstone

                                          vii. Then the teachings of the Apostles and Prophets

                                       viii. Then members of the church
1. Beginning with the Older men
2. Older women
3. Younger women
4. younger men

                                             ix. TOGETHER {we} rise to become the Holy Temple in the Lord

                                                x. And in Him you too are built to become a dwelling
                                             xi. A dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit


c. Correcting and rebuking those who fail to do good

                                                  i. Paul then teaches Titus about correcting those who fail to do good because they can corrupt the rest who may not be strong

                                               ii. So Paul then instructs Titus on the process of making the congregation strong, beginning with the Older men and women


II.   TEACHING THE OLDER MEN IN THE CHURCH
a. Temperate, worthy of respect and self-controlled

                                                           i. Sounds easy enough...well, simple, but not always easy

                                                        ii. The teaching this is easy, the living it can be difficult for the older men

                                                     iii. Temperate
1. means, mild, pleasant, calm, not easily excitable

                                                      iv. Worthy of Respect
1. Paul speaks of this in many different places in scripture, worthy doesn’t demand, it just receives

a. Those who are worthy of respect are willing to be discipled, to learn, and grow consistently

b.  Those worthy of respect are consumed with the interests of Christ and others, not themselves

c. Those who are worthy of respect are balanced and stable

d. Those who are worthy of respect are sympathetic

e. Those who are worthy of respect are willing to take risks for Christ

f. Those who are worthy of respect know that their rewards are not here, but awaiting them in heaven.
                                                         v. Self-Controlled
1. Because someone truly seeking Christ should not have to be controlled by any authority higher than Christ!

2. It is NOT the pastor/Elders job to “make” you be good, live right, do the right thing, tell you to act right, treat others a certain way

3. Pastor’s/Elders are NOT the sin police...an older man in the church who knows how to read, or listen to the Word knows right and wrong behavior, as well as what Christ wants of him, and how He expects him to behave

4. A real man is self-controlled, and does not need “monitoring” or constant correcting


b. Sound in faith, sound in love, sound in endurance

                                                           i. Sound in faith - meaning older men are to affirm biblical teaching, and live according to it

                                                        ii. Sound in love - They were also to live by I Corinthians 13

                                                     iii. Sound in endurance - Steadfastness (key to Titus), meaning patience, and stamina, but it also means survival.

1. The older men were to endure whatever came their way, not losing their sound faith and love for others, regardless of what outwardly happens in life, their inward being is in Christ, and unchanged by outward circumstances.


c. These are to be taught to the older men
                                                           i. This first layer of brick will help create a strong church

                                                        ii. The older men will be an example to younger, and to those outside of the church

III.      TEACHING THE OLDER WOMEN IN THE CHURCH
a. Revenant in the way they live

                                                     i. Likewise, Paul instructs that the older women also live in a revenant way

                                                  ii. LIT - “in deportment as doth become sacred persons, not false accusers, to much wine not enslaved, of good things teachers.”

                                               iii. Meaning in modern English - in their manner and behavior, they live as holy-blessed-consecrated-sanctified people

                                                iv. NOT false accusers (slanderers-gossips of lies-blaming with no cause)

                                                   v. Not hooked on drinking, or what we would call an alcoholic or drunkard

                                                vi. and a teacher of “good things”

1. Paul explained in earlier verses what “good things” are, which is sound doctrine, and those who do not “do” good (or live to sound doctrines) were to be corrected within the church.

b. Urging younger women
                                                        i. The older, more experienced women, were to teach the younger women

                                                     ii. There are many skills that only an experienced woman can teach the next generation, household management, cooking, living as a Proverbs 31 woman

                                                  iii. LIT - “of good things teachers, that they may make the young women sober-minded”

                                                   iv. “to be lovers of their husbands”

                                                      v. “lovers of their children”

                                                   vi. “sober, pure”

                                                vii. “Keepers of their own houses”


c. So that no one will malign the Word of God
                                                        i. malign - slander, criticize or smear
                                                     ii. The Word of God

                                                  iii. If you call yourself a follower of Christ, and part of the church, and you’re not living as holy-blessed-consecrated-sanctified people, if your manner and behavior does not reflect this, or you go around slandering or spreading falsehoods about others, or you are a drunk, other people will look at you and the way you live;

                                                   iv. They may or may not speak against you, but they will most definitely speak against the Word of God



CONCLUSION –  older men & women, the first blocks upon the foundation

The only foundation that can be built upon is the Rock, Jesus Christ.  The teachings of the Apostles and Prophets are laid upon that Rock.
From there, Elders who will serve the local church as the Spiritual leaders, teaching and preaching the teachings of the Apostles and Prophets and set upon that foundation of True Doctrine.
The first “blocks” building up the church, formed of people is the older men & women within the church congregation.
The order is important, you would not lay brick before a solid foundation, nor would you put your thoughts and feelings before the Truth of sound doctrine.

Next week we will look at Paul explaining to Titus about teaching the young men and servants

Want to learn more about Salvation and Getting Saved?   

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