Titus 2:1-10

Good evening, everyone. It's good to be here. It's been really a while since last time I spoke here, but it's great to be back.

Quite a lot of my sermons last were in Spanish, so I hope my broken English is going to be a challenge tonight.

I will see how it goes. Hopefully by the end of the night you'll be able to figure out what I'm saying.

That's the challenge. Thanks, Fiona, for reading that passage so wonderfully.

I always struggle with reading the Bible straight in English, so that's a great help.

But that's the song we just sung.

What a amazing words that you have, doesn't it?

It's like, how great theologists to say that all I have is Christ, and we can all say hallelujah.

That wasn't my script, but I think it's a good thing to think as Christians, that all we have,

apart from all the things we can have at home, but all we have is Christ.

It's probably one of those good things. Actually, I could finish the sermon just now and say, that's it.

That's what you take home, but we're not going to do that.

So we're going to start doing the chapter two. We're not going to read the chapter because it's being already read wonderfully.

When I was driving from home today, yes, I was driving, but I don't know if many of you know,

but I just passed my driving test last month. And tonight has been the first night I decided to drive to town on my own.

We don't have an Arlene nagging me all the time.

I can breathe better now, but I just discovered that driving under 20 miles an hour is a lot harder than driving a motorway,

I can tell. But now we are here. But while I was driving here, I just realized that I didn't really have anything

in regards to illustration or story what to tell in order to present this.

And I was thinking, what can I tell you? What can actually be said?

And one of the things I was thinking is basically about my wife.

Generally, illustrations about my wife are good, aren't they?

Because she's not here as well, so it's even better.

One of the things I really love about my wife, I really like about my wife, is that she really embraces her Britishness.

I don't know whether that's a word or not, but she loves being British.

That's one of the things that everywhere we go, she is proud to say, I'm British.

And she behaves like a British person. She acts like a British person.

If we go out to eat, the first thing she has is a cup of tea.

And every time we go to the Amazon, you see a lot of things being packed, but also a lot of teabags being packed in her.

In her suitcase.

Doesn't matter that the Amazon is like 40 degrees.

She's always eager to take teabags and have a cup of tea in a very hot, tropical weather.

That's she. And that's the way what she likes to do.

She likes to embrace her Britishness.

And I think, in that regard, what am I telling you this?

Just because she's not here? No, no.

I'm telling you this because of, I think what Paul is trying to tell to Titus,

Titus, it is that Titus, you need to teach these people in your community to behave and act in a way that accords to the gospel.

That accords to you are, or to who you are.

If Paul was writing to British people, he perhaps had to say, like, you Brits have to behave and act like Brits.

But Paul was writing to these priests who were in a Christian culture to basically tell them,

you must act, you must behave in a way that accords to who you are.

And what accords to who you are, perhaps we're going to see it today.

So, before we go into chapter 2, I would like to do a bit of a recap.

We've been in chapter 1 already.

And chapter 1, in so many ways, was all about teaching.

Teaching how to deal with bad teaching.

And now we see in chapter 2, we wonder, what is it about?

In so many ways, what a surprise.

Chapter 2, as well, is all about teaching.

So we keep going on and teaching, more teaching.

Titus is to teach what accords with sound doctrine.

This sort of teaching that produces sanctification.

This sort of teaching that would make people living godly lives.

And that is what Titus has been challenged by Paul to say.

And we see it in the very beginning.

And it says, you must, whoever, look what it says in verse 1.

You, whoever, must teach what's appropriate to sound doctrine.

At the end of chapter 1, you can see in chapter 1, verse 16 and on.

You can see that Paul was talking about people who claim to know God.

This is what he says, verse 16.

These people claim to know God, but their actions, da, da, da, deny Him.

They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good.

And see how he moves from chapter 1 to chapter 2.

And he starts by saying, you, whoever, basically describing what Titus must do,

in contrast to these people, sell will and sell righteous as they are.

His job in chapter 1, 11, is to silence the false doctrine.

And here in chapter 2, at the beginning, his job is to teach a course to sound doctrine.

The word sound means health.

And in so many ways, he tight does this to lead to his people to a very healthy life,

which is characterized in so many ways, but good works.

So, as I said before, this chapter 2, in a nutshell, it's all about teaching.

And I would like to see in more detail what his teaching is about.

So, there are three things I will go under today.

The first thing would be like, what is he going to teach?

Why is he going to teach?

And at the end, we'll see how is he going to teach.

So, this chapter 2 is about teaching.

Teaching what a course was to a good life.

Teaching what a course was to the gospel.

Then we need to know, what is he going to teach?

Why is he going to teach?

And how is he going to teach?

Let's see first, what is he going to teach?

Paul urges Titus to teach the sort of living that the gospel produces.

He says to live out in a way that produces self-control and submission.

These two virtues are very much throughout the whole section we are doing today.

To be self-controlled and to be submitting.

For Paul was something very important for a Christian to do.

Somebody who lives under the gospel.

Somebody who believes the gospel and acts and believes what the gospel says.

Paul says, must show self-control and must be submitted.

Older men, younger women, and younger men are to be self-controlled.

Look what it says, verse 2.

Teach the older men to be dot, dot, dot, self-control.

Look what it says, verses 4 and 5.

Urge the younger women dot, dot, dot, to be self-control.

Look what it says, verse 2.

Similarly, encourage the young men dot, dot, dot, to be what?

To be self-controlled.

For Paul, he urges Titus that that is one of the first things we need to display in a church background.

That people who believe the gospel are to be what?

Self-control.

And Paul thinks that's very, very important for him.

And perhaps one way, my one-way wonder.

So, how is that that self-control works?

How can we have self-control?

He gave us a clue in chapter 2, verse 11 and 12.

We're not doing this bit this week.

Hopefully, we'll get to it next week.

But he says that the power, how can someone be able to be self-controlled?

He says, it is the grace of God, verse 11, that teaches us to live in a self-controlled way.

Upright and godly lives in the present age.

Everyone who is a believer, according to verse 11 and 12.

Everyone who is a believer.

Everyone who professes Christ.

Everyone who sings the gospel is his life.

It is cool to be self-control.

That is something you cannot betray.

That is something you cannot be like, just, you cannot wing it about and say, well, I've been self-control all day and I won't be self-control all the days.

Paul says to Titus, everyone who believes the gospel by the grace of God ought to be self-control.

And that is something that I want us to keep thinking throughout this passage.

To be self-controlled is so important.

So in so many ways, what he's saying, in order to be self-controlled, it means that we shouldn't be ruled out in our lives by our emotions.

Our emotions are important, but they are not the bits we depend on.

What can I say about this?

So, someone can be disappointed in a Christian falls, but that doesn't make him to make him give up.

If somebody comes and does something wrong to you, you can be mad about it.

But you still are able to forgive and offer forgiveness to this person.

So in so many ways, you are in the way that God tells you to, even if you don't feel like it.

Paul is saying to Titus, teach these people to live self-control.

Do not let your emotions guide you.

Have emotions is great.

Having emotions is fantastic.

It's good to be sad.

It's good to be younger.

It's good to show all these things.

But even when those things appear, still Paul wants Titus to teach those disciples to be self-controlled.

So this is self-control.

No denying our emotions, but no being controlled by those emotions.

The second common thing, as I said, it was not only they have to be self-controlled.

They also need to display submission or be submitted.

Look what it says, Titus, chapter 2, verses 5.

Titus 2:5

This is what he says to young whites.

They are to be subject to the husbands.

Look at what it says in verse 9, what Titus is to teach.

Teach slaves to be subject to their husbands and everything they do and to try to please them and not talk back to them.

Self-control and submission are profoundly in so many ways counter-cultural.

It's something that's not very popular.

We live in a society where self-control and submission is totally something people don't practice.

Can you tell me about that?

I'm sure you can think of so many examples where you see people not wanting to display self-control or be submitted to it.

Actually, we don't like to be submitted to anything.

That's why when we see a 20-mile-hour sign, we just want to be 30 or 40.

Because we don't like to be submitted.

We don't like to submit to things.

And that's so counter-cultural in so many ways.

It was counter-cultural in Crete.

We have already seen in chapter 1, verse 12, what it says,

Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.

They don't like to be submitted.

They don't like self-control.

These people who didn't control their speech, they are always liars.

These people didn't control their emotions.

They were brutes.

And these people didn't control their appetite.

They were gluttons.

So these people in Crete, as we know, in the culture, they wouldn't practice self-control.

That is what Paul is trying to tell Titus to work on it.

It is counter-cultural nowadays as well.

It's not only that the Cretans are like that, but as I said, nowadays we can see that,

especially here in Western culture.

Western culture values self-expression instead of self-control.

We, as a culture, value self-fulfillment instead of self-denial.

We do value independence instead of submission.

And I'm sure you know many examples of that.

So to be self-controlled and live in a right submission will mean swimming against the culture,

will mean doing something that is totally different from what people are.

But let me ask you, what is the gospel then?

Is the gospel something that people really like to do?

No.

It's counter-cultural.

It's swimming against the culture.

We need a talent of Luca as a great swimmer to swim against the culture.

I didn't hear it this morning, but Arlene told me about it.

And I laugh a lot.

But that is what Paul is actually saying.

When you display self-control, and when you display mission,

you are proving that you are somebody who believes the gospel.

And you are somebody who has been changed and shaped by the gospel.

And because of that, you are able to go and swim against this culture.

But let me tell you for experience, we don't like swimming against the culture.

You are in the Amazon, you want to follow the current.

I tell you for experience, you don't want to go against the current.

That's something we normally do.

We like to do it.

We like to do it in that way.

And that's something we need to do.

But Paul says, these people, these kittens, he says to Titus,

they must learn to live in this way.

But Paul not only knows the importance of living in reflecting self-control and submission,

he also knows that different ages and different roles face different challenges

and different temptations as well.

So Paul gives different instructions to different group of peoples,

and he puts it in different categories.

So he speaks to older men, to older women, to younger women, to younger men, and to slaves.

This was the bit that was a little bit harder for me.

Because some of the things that he's actually telling them to do are like,

okay, here we go.

I'm just going to make a few comments on some of the things,

and we'll see how it goes.

But look what he says in verse 2 to the older men.

Paul begins with the older men.

And this is what he says to the older men.

If you're considered to be old, just think of this.

This is what Paul is telling Titus to teach you.

And I'm going to tell you this.

Teach the older men to be temperate,

worthy or respect,

self-control, sound and faith,

in love and endurance.

But reading this, we can think that the temptations of these people

may have been they were too grumpy,

or perhaps they like picking arguments,

or they perhaps struggle with being wearying

or giving themselves into service.

They are not very sure about that.

And Paul says that the antidote to this behavior,

it is to be taught faith,

to be taught love,

it should be taught endurance.

And I wonder,

doesn't matter what the age you are,

imagine you would like to be taught

these three things.

You've been a Christian for many years,

you learn almost everything that the Bible has to offer,

and this young preacher is told by his boss

that he has to teach you,

or teach these curtains,

to be sound in faith,

love,

and endurance.

That was a hard message to get.

You probably know by experience,

but generally,

older people,

they don't like to be taught things.

They like the other way.

They like to teach things,

because they learn so many things,

so many skills.

But Paul is interested in that,

and the first thing he tells to the older generation,

he says,

these people need to know,

and need to learn these things.

Younger men in the church need to learn

to follow the example of older people

in so many ways.

But that is a two-way street.

Paul says that these people,

the older people,

need to be worthy of respect.

So in order for you,

to ask for respect,

Paul says,

if these people want respect,

they need to live in a way

that is worthy of respect.

Older men need to live in such a way

that younger guys look at them,

and think,

I want to be like him.

But I wonder,

my dear brother and sister,

dear brother,

do you consider yourself older?

Do you think people around you

look at you and say,

I want to be like you?

Or perhaps you let yourself go

into picking up arguments,

or thinking,

I'm maybe not as young as before,

so I cannot commit to things.

Paul says,

these older people

must be worthy of respect.

And being worthy of respect

means displaying all those good things,

so that younger guys

can see a thing

and say,

I want to be like me.

And he also said words

for older women.

Older women face similar temptations.

Look what he says,

verse 3,

likewise,

teach the older women

to be reverent

in the way they live,

not to be slanderous

or addicted to much wine,

but to teach what is good.

Paul says to these women,

instead of complaining

about what is wrong,

instead of being

spending your life,

thinking what is wrong,

what is this,

what is what about,

he says,

worry yourself

about teaching what is good.

He says,

instead of being controlled

by the wine,

these people

utterly were controlled

by the wine,

or some of them were,

he says,

practice self-control

and start teaching

what is good.

What is good,

verse 1 says,

what is good

to live a course

in a way

that produces sound doctrine,

or to live a course

to sound doctrine.

That's what he says.

And once they're able

to teach what is good,

then we go to

verses 4 and 5.

Then,

this is what he says,

they can urge

the younger women

to love their husband

and children,

to be self-controlled

and pure,

to be busy at home,

to be kind,

and to be subject

to the husband,

so that no one

will malign the word of God.

This is the bit

where I was very

not sure about.

I was thinking a lot.

I only work in the sermon

for a week,

and most of the week

I was thinking

in these two passages,

because they're very tough.

I think the context

in here,

in the context

that Paul had in mind,

it is what was happening

in Ephesus,

where he spoke to

1 Timothy 5,

1 Timothy 5:11–13

verses 11-13,

where many young women,

mainly widows,

they were behaving

in a very bad way,

being controlled

by their passions,

wanting to remarry

just out of lust,

neglecting the care,

neglecting providing care

for the children,

and also getting themselves

involved in to gossip,

and to the point

that many of these women

were abandoning

the fate of Christ.

And I think

when Paul writes

this specific passage

to them,

he is thinking

what was happening

in Ephesus,

and he thinks

Ephesus is not,

it could easily

influence the Christians,

so he's saying,

think about this.

So I think in so many ways,

what he has in mind

is this,

what was happening there.

So I think Paul wants

Titus to urge

older women

to invest their lives

to influence the lives

of younger women,

so that they can live

in a way

that occurs

with the gospel,

self-control,

pure,

loving their husbands

and children,

keeping themselves busy

with the different tasks

they find at home,

so that no one

can say anything

against the Christian life.

And by no means,

it's not like

younger women

cannot have a career.

We live in a church

where most of the women

have a career,

they have jobs

and they have responsibilities.

I don't think

what Paul is trying

to tell you,

younger women,

that you shouldn't

have a career.

But I think he has

that proven Ephesus

in mind

when he's saying this.

And he thinks

that if their wives

and mothers,

home is the primary place

where they are to serve,

in addition to

all the different things

they do.

And I think

what Paul has to

clean in that way,

but then,

we live in different times,

right?

You could say

this is so old-fashioned.

So Paul is saying

that all women,

all younger women

have to have a husband,

all younger women

have to have children.

What about

I don't want to have children?

What about

I don't want to be a wife?

I think Paul

is specifically speaking

to a different context.

I don't think he's saying

to all younger women

that you must have a husband,

you must have children.

But,

I think

he is still saying

even without you

having a husband,

even without you

having a wife,

having a children,

you must still show

self-control.

You must still be submitted.

You must still live in faith.

You must still live

according to what

the gospel says.

So,

in so many ways,

he's not telling

all the young women

to live,

to get married

and have children.

But he is saying

everyone,

younger women,

everyone

has to live

in the way

that occurs

with the gospel.

And that is a good

thing to say.

Then he also

have a word

for younger men.

And younger men

receive only one

word of exhortation.

What he says,

verse 6,

encourage the young men

to be self-controlled.

Self-control,

as I said,

is all throughout

this passage.

But that does

cover all tentations

men actually face,

younger men.

Could be lust,

could be ambitions,

impatience.

But in all of this,

Paul says,

they must practice

self-control.

And as I said before,

self-control is something

that we don't like

to show.

Self-control is something

we don't like to have.

And let me tell you,

self-control on our own,

it's nearly impossible

to have.

But the Bible says

that those who believe

Christ

have received

the Holy Spirit.

And what a surprise,

what is one of the fruits

of the Holy Spirit?

Self-control.

We can have

self-control

if we trust

Christ.

Because in the moment

that we trusted

Christ,

we received

the Holy Spirit.

And the Holy Spirit

is able

to produce

self-control

in our lives.

So what I'm telling you

is not impossible

to do.

It's challenging

to do,

but it's not impossible.

And that's what Paul

is trying to say.

But then Paul also

has a word for Titus himself.

Verses 7 and 8,

this is what he says,

in everything,

set them an example

by doing what is right,

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.

The words in

verse 7,

by them,

is in reference

to the younger men

that he was speaking

in verse 6.

As the young man himself,

Titus is called

to set an example

to another young man.

He has to live

in that way.

And I think that's

the challenge

for all of us.

It doesn't matter

the age that we are.

As Paul is saying

to Titus,

set an example

for younger men,

I think he is

in so many ways

telling us

we must live

in a way

that we set example

for younger generations.

The example

has to be

integrity,

seriousness,

and soundness.

Young men

in so many ways

need to grow up

and take life seriously.

Take their faith seriously

and to be responsible.

There is no ruin

in our church

for living for yourself

for two more decades.

We tend to think,

oh, they are young still.

Oh, they are teenagers.

They can do whatever they want.

Oh, it's in his mid-20s.

One day he'll grow up.

One day he'll mature.

But Paul is saying,

no, no, no.

It doesn't matter

the age you are.

He said,

young people,

you must live

in a way

that you set example

for everybody.

You must show

integrity,

seriousness,

and soundness.

Anyway,

finally,

for this part,

there is also

war for slaves.

In contextualizing,

slaves nowadays

would be employees,

people who work.

And, by the way,

when the Bible describes,

or when Paul talks

about slavery,

or talks about

being a slave,

it's not like

the Bible,

and Paul himself

is agreeing with slavery,

saying that slavery

is good

in so many ways.

I think what Paul is doing,

he is dealing with

something that was

common practice

at that time.

By itself,

we all know

that actually God

is there against slavery.

He is actually

the one who came

and rescued us

from the slavery

or the evilness

from ourselves.

He came with all power

and destroyed

that chains of slavery

that have us captive,

is what the Bible says.

So,

God is there

against slavery.

Even when Paul

talks about slavery,

he is not saying

slavery is good,

it's God's plan.

No, no, no, no.

God came

and destroyed

all slavery.

And he set us free

to the power

of his gospel

and the sacrifice

of his son.

So,

it's almost good

to keep that on mind.

But he speaks here

about slavery,

being slaves.

And this is what he says,

verses 9 and 10.

Teach slaves

to be subject

to their masters

in every sin,

to try to please them,

not to talk back to them

and not to steal for 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.

Slaves can be subject

to their masters

in a minimal

and passive way,

doing what is just

required to them

and no more.

But what Paul says here

is he expands this

by saying that

these slaves,

in our context,

these employees,

must do things

in a way

to try to please

their masters.

I wonder,

this is a question

for all of us,

when was the last time

at your workplace

that you were working

to please your boss,

to please your company?

How many of you

ask God

to that temptation

of thinking,

oh, it's 5 p.m.,

it's going to be finished soon,

oh, it's 4.30 now,

oh, it's 4.45 now,

oh, it's going to be

fire soon.

But Paul says here

that these slaves

need to work

in a way

that they can

please

their masters.

Deep brothers and sisters,

that's not easy.

I don't know

what your job is,

and my job itself

is very difficult.

But Paul says,

if you're a believer,

you need to work

in that way.

You need to think

in a context

where you're working,

because the gospel

that you're displaying

in your life

has to replicate

everywhere.

This requires

so much more

than thinking

different checklist duties.

It requires

a change of heart,

a radical

and different attitude.

It requires us

to be

and to seek

to bless our masters

and to seek

to be responsible

in our jobs.

Can you imagine

Scotland

where all the Christians

who work

in different workplaces

would be working

in order to

please their bosses

and to be responsible

in doing the best

for their jobs?

Can you imagine

Scotland like that?

That is what Paul

is telling

to the Cretans.

He wants to see

this as the greatest

place

for these Cretans

so the gospel

could be

made and shown

attractive.

One of the implications

that words

the post words

to these different groups

is obvious

but sometimes

it's very much mixed.

Basically what he's saying

is that you must

add the age you are.

If you are in your 20s

you live like you're a child

playing video games

all the time.

It is time to take

responsibilities in your home

work, church

and neighborhood.

But he also says

if you are in your 40s

or 50s

do not spend your time

wishing you were still young.

Or fit

or beautiful.

I know everyone here

is beautiful

so that doesn't

apply to us at all.

But Paul is saying

do not be your life

thinking of the things

you used to do

or you could still do.

But he says

be in a way

or live in a way

that you can set

good examples

for everyone.

Enjoy being the age

you are

and enjoy contributing

in ways that are

appropriate for your age.

That's what Paul

is going to teach.

What is Paul

going to teach?

We just said that.

But why is Paul

is Titus

going to teach this?

Because it produces

an impact

in our relationships

both internally

and externally.

What do I mean by this?

We'll see this.

Internally

the impact it produces

if people behave like this

if people learn that

is that

it produces good

discipleship making.

Titus 1 to 10

outlines the sort of living

that the gospel creates.

But where is to be lived?

It is to be lived in community.

Paul is saying

that these believers

need to act in a way

that they can display

all those things

in a community.

It's to be lived in a community

which people

are discipling

one another.

Discipleship is not simply

going on discipleship courses

or reading discipleship books

but it's everyday life skills

everyday life

living with Christian family.

We perhaps can have

organized times

when we read the Bible

and we learn more about that

but it also

involves a lot of

sharing time

involves a lot of

sharing our lives

with younger Christians

sharing our lives

with older Christians

investing time together

is what he meant.

And

Paul says

in

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:8

chapter 2

verse 8

that

because we love you so much

we were delighted

to share with you

not only the gospel of God

but our lives as well.

Paul shared the gospel of God

in the context of

sharing his life with people.

As you share your life

with another believer

and you share others' life

people will see

Christian living

model

and you will also see

Christian living

model to you.

Imagine as a community

imagine as a church

the younger men

hanging out with the older men

the younger women

hanging out with

the older women.

Imagine a community

where we don't only

gather together

to read the Bible

or to listen to a sermon

but imagine

that sort of life

in a Christian community

where we gather

to do steps

like

I don't know

baking a cake

the different things

that we can actually do.

That's what Paul is interested in.

Paul is interested in

these people

not only hang around

to learn about the gospel

but they also hang around

to learn about life skills

to be living in a way

that they are

close to one another

and they can nurture

one another

in so many ways.

In discipleship

discipleship takes place

in a community

Christians are not meant

to live like

alumnus ships.

We are meant to live

in flocks

and it's an important

future of the community

based discipleship

that it happens

across generations.

At the end

this whole letter

of Titus

is about

older men

nurturing the faith

and ministry

of the younger ones

and vice versa.

Paul is seeking

to paint a picture

in a community

in which older men

and older women

are teaching younger men

and younger women.

That younger people

are seeking out

the advice

of older people.

Younger people

are submitting

to the direction

of older people.

So quick application

would be like

if you are young

you can find

somebody to disciple.

If you are old

you can find

someone to disciple.

If you consider

to be somewhere

in the middle

you can do both.

So you can

invest your life

to help somebody

younger

if you are old

and you can invest

the life

to be learned

from somebody older

if you are young

if you are in the middle

you can do both.

That is what

Christian community

is about.

That is the sort

of living

that Paul is interested

in the Crete community

and also

it's the sort of living

that Paul is interested

in the Bronsted

Evangelical Church.

The other thing

we can say as well

is not only

produces changes

internally

but it also

impacts externally.

Externally the gospel

becomes attractive

it says

and no one

has anything

against the gospel.

Living the sort

of living

that the gospel

produces

is not only good

for all disciples

you make

in the church

but it also

helps our relationships

in the community

outside the church.

Paul knew

that being self-controlled

and living

in the right

mission

will mean

swimming against

the culture

as we said

but yet

Paul says

to young women

to be subject

to the husband

so that no one

will malign

the word of God

and he also

said to slaves

you should be

subject to the husband

in everything

so that in every way

they will make

the teaching

about God

our Savior

attractive.

Notice that

this implication

saw that

they have to do

this

so that people

will see this

so this is about

cause and effect

and the cause

is submission

with effect

of mission.

People may not

like it

when we talk

about self-control

and submission

but they find it

so attractive

when they see

this play.

People perhaps

don't like

what Christians

talk about marriage

but let me tell you

they love seeing

a marriage that works.

They love to see

a marriage where

men and women

they do respect

each other

they do submit

each other

to God's will.

They don't like

to be taught

about it

but they love

seeing the results

of it.

And I think

that's what Paul

is saying.

Paul is saying

to teach this

because this is good

because the gospel

is this place

and people can see it.

Making the gospel

attractive

doesn't mean

that we need

to add something

to the gospel

to make it nicer.

Rather

making the gospel

attractive

means that

we are

distracting

ourselves

from living

in a selfish

way

to live

in a way

in which

the gospel

is magnified

in which

the gospel

is desired

in which

the gospel

is seeing

as something

that really

changes

people's lives.

And that is

what Paul

is saying

when he says

making the gospel

attractive.

I wonder

are we

making the gospel

attractive

in our lives?

perhaps that's

a good question

we need to ask

tonight.

That is a question

that Paul

was asking

to Titus

to make

to the church

in Crete.

And I think

it's a question

he's making

to us as well.

Are we

acting in a way

in our different

relationships

that produces

that the gospel

becomes attractive

to people?

Or people are

so terrified

of what the gospel

is they don't

want to know

anything about it.

We need to act

in a way

which made

the gospel

attractive

and the gospel

is magnified

as the power

of God

saved men

and restored

him from

his broken

condition.

So we've seen

what he's going

to teach

we've seen

why he's going

to teach

and finally

not alone

we'll see

how he's going

to teach.

Titus is to be told

in verse 7 and 8

Titus is to be told

how he's going

to do it.

He says

in everything

set an example

by doing what is good.

In your teaching

show integrity

seriousness

and soundness

of speech.

So two things

here.

First he's going

to set an example

as he said

before.

He says

open your life

let the people

see

have people

at your home

take them

invite somebody

to come and see you

let them expose

yourself out

so people see

how you are

people see

the way you live

people see

how you treat

your wife

people see

how you treat

your husband

people see

how you treat

your parents

people see

how you treat

your children

and they say

wow this is

what I want

set an example

I think this is

a time for

Christians

not to be going

and fighting

what is right

what is wrong

but actually

this is a time

for Christians

to show out

all the world

and display

what the gospel

is about.

Paul is interested

in the titles

to teach this

and press on

on this.

Let them see

your marriages

let them see

your parenting

this is not

only teaching

a Bible

but it's also

teaching someone

to as I said

make a cake

perhaps manage

a budget

I don't know

shake the car

oil

so many of us

don't know

how to do that

invest time

to be around

people

so that they

can see

what life

is about

not only

to read the Bible

all together

which is great

but actually

to see who you are

because who you are

is not only reflecting

what you know

about the Bible

but who you are

is reflected

is how you treat

people

how you are

around people

and who you are

in the presence

of God

but nobody see

and that is

what Paul is

interested in

Titus to do

and it's a difficult

it's a very difficult

thing to do

one of the lovely

things about church

is that

it is a place

where we can learn

life skills

both for eternity

and for today

we got so many

young people here

we got so many

older people here

how many things

can we learn

from one another

apart from the Bible

that is the challenge

that Paul is

telling Titus

to be aware of

and that is the challenge

I think that the Lord

is bringing to us tonight

and pass our time

impact somebody else's

you don't need to know

the whole Bible

to impact somebody else's life

but you have to be

desired to do it

and finally

the last thing

he has to teach

the gospel

sometimes it must be

more planned

as you Bible study

or you go to a book

of the Bible

and you spend time

together

but Paul describes

that characteristics

of a healthy gospel

teaching

he says in verse 7

that we teach people

with integrity

in other words

he says

we live what we teach

in verse 7

as well he says

we teach people

with seriousness

in other words

we love what we teach

and show that it matters

to us

and we teach people

with soundness

or health

in other words

we teach what lead

to spiritual

and emotional health

the gospel in one sense

summarizing

has to be

totalitarian

in our lives

what do I mean

by totalitarian

in our lives

that its effects

must be seen

everywhere

we are good

displaying the effects

of the gospel

around the church

we are good

displaying the gospel

around believers

but sometimes

we struggle

to display

the effects

of the gospel

around non-believers

and that is what

Paul is interested

in Titus to do

show to the world

who you are

that you are

somebody who believes

and lives

by the gospel

and you prove

that the gospel

matters to them

and the gospel

has to be

totalitarian

in a way

has to be

affected in everything

and anything you do

we see it here

younger people

older people

people at work

people at home

wives

children

husbands

everybody

has to display

all those things

so

this chapter

and I'm finishing

with this

it starts with

you whoever

must teach

what is appropriate

to some doctrine

and I think

in best

what we hear

tonight

I would say

and I would add

you whoever

must live

in the way

that is appropriate

to some doctrine

so it doesn't matter

the age you are

I think Paul

had a word for you

through Titus

and the word for you

was

leave who you are

and spend time

with somebody else

to show who you are

live in the way

that accords

to the gospel

so what is the challenge

for us today

perhaps this is the challenge

for us to spend

some more time

together

when was the last time

you had somebody

young to talk

about things

when was the last time

you invited somebody

out for coffee

when was the last time

young people

you went to

speak at the

somebody off

in our church

we have a great

generation of elderly

in our church

and hopefully

in God's

promise

we have a great

generation of

youngers coming up

wouldn't it be

amazing

if we both

match up

and we spend

some time together

that we learn

from the elderly

and we are

challenging

from them

and we also

we take these

ingross of the youngsters

Paul is speaking

to Titus

and he's saying

this church

must live in a way

that accords

to sound doctrine

how do you do it

be who you are

in Christ

be

self-controlled

be submitted

respect

and be worthy

of respect

spend your time

with people

you don't need

to be the best

preacher of the world

to spend time

with people

one of the things

I used to love

in my old church

I used to hang out

with the old bodies

all the time

time difference

language barrier

doesn't happen here

much often

but I wish you could

but

I always say

I can try now

I can almost come

to your home

you can almost

have somebody

around you

but

let me tell you

Titus

is a good challenge

for us

because he teaches

us different generations

and he challenges

us

to a different generation

and different relationships

I hope we take

this challenge seriously

and

we'll see what happens

in the next

part of chapter 2

let's pray

Father we live in a way

and in a culture

that actually

doesn't like

self-control

it actually

opposes it

we live in a culture

that

they don't like

submission

actually opposes

and it's a big part

of the church

has actually been

affected by it

and because of that

Lord

the gospel

that is already

by itself

attracted

has perhaps

become

diminished

and people

don't really want

to know more

about the gospel

but

as we sing

tonight Lord

help us to see

this challenge

and help us

to live in a way

that

occurs to some

doctrine

help us to live

in a way

that is worth

of the gospel

help us to live

in a way

that we set

examples

it doesn't matter

what our ages are

doesn't matter

what our

situations are

doesn't matter

who do we know

what do we know

but we live in a way

we trust you

and we live in a way

we believe what you

have to tell us

and we live in a way

we display the qualities

of the gospel

so that the gospel

by itself

it's magnifying

our lives

father

help us to see

this challenge

from Titus

and help us

to see this challenge

from Paul

and help us

to see this challenge

from you Lord

to work

in our relationships

not only

the times

when we read

the Bible

and we'll

talk about your war

but actually

the times

when we spend

time together

let

Bronzeville Evangelical

Church

come out

to the world

and be seen

and displaying

what the gospel

is about

father I thank you

for my brothers

and sisters

I pray for their week

I pray for the things

that are going to come

their way

may they all be

an example

and live

self-control

and submit it

so the gospel

becomes

attractive

in their lives

for the people

to see

when it's displayed

in the name of your son

Amen