Sermon
Doctrine on Display - Titus 2:1-10
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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We're going to continue. Where we left off 2.
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Weeks ago we've been studying the book of.
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Titus Paul's letter Letter. To his companion in ministry in
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the island of Crete, and his name is is.
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Titus, we took a break last week to talk about.
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Just essence of church, who we are.
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And now we're going to resume in Chapter 2.
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To look. At really an extension of of the
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message. Last week, which is.
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How we can be a church that goes beyond church?
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It makes me think of a phrase. You are what you.
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Eat. How many of you have heard that?
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Probably, maybe if you're younger, you remember your mom
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saying that and and it it, it is a true principle, what you put
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into your. Body will dictate.
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How you feel and how you live. In fact, some of you probably
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are going to, in the course of me speaking for 30 minutes, get
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so hungry that you get distracted.
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And no food means no attention. You know, I took my family to
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ice cream last night. And as I'm thinking through the
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concept, you are what you eat, I'm watching my son takedown A
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monstrous sized ice cream cone. And I realized I was going to
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have to deal with what went into his body by the time bedtime
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struck and all of that hyperness was going to come out.
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And the basic Prince principle is what goes in.
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Shapes. What comes out and we are now
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going to discuss that not just with.
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Physical food, but what goes? Into your mind will shape what
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comes out of your life, your doctrine, which has been such an
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emphasis of this book and really our year in the journey of
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reading the Epistles, the pastoral Epistles healthy
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doctrine have good sound. Grasp of what God's truth says.
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Know it, cling to it. Don't be distracted by unsound
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doctrine. And and now Paul is going to
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give us one of the major benefits of healthy doctrine.
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Good teaching, healthy doctrine is healthy life where you are
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sound in truth, you will be sound in living.
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And so I want you to hold on to that principle.
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This is why doctrine matters. And this is ultimately how we
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are going to go from praising Jesus in a sanctuary to praising
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him with our lives in the streets.
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And so read along with me. We'll we'll resume in Titus
Titus 2 chapter mention
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chapter 2, starting in verse one.
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But As for you? Speaking to Titus, speak the
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things which are proper for sound doctrine and then he's
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going to give us some categories that make up the church.
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Let's go through all of them. We'll go back and.
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Review verse 2 that the. Older men be sober, reverent,
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temperate, sound in faith, in love and patience.
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The older women likewise that they be reverent in behavior,
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not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good
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things. That they admonish the young
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women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be
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discreet, chase homemakers, good obedient to their own husbands,
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that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
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And likewise exhort the young men to be sober minded in all
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things, showing yourself to be a pattern of good works in
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doctrine, showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
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sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an
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opponent may be ashamed, having nothing.
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Evil to say of you. He'll also include as a.
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Category of the household exhort the.
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Bond servants or servants of the household, to be obedient to
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their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not
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answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity,
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that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
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This passage. Read in.
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Whole you see this. Incredible theme that Doctor is
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completely interwoven. With behavior what you believe.
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Whether it's in Christianity, in the ways of Jesus and good sound
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doctrine from the word of the living God, or you have some
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other belief. If your beliefs are formed and
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shaped by the news cycle or your Instagram feed or the things you
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talk about amongst your your friends at school.
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What? Goes in will.
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Shape how you view the. World and how you engage with it
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and for that. Paul is.
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Taking that principle and saying so then as you've been caught up
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in disputes. About what?
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Good. Doctrine is versus false
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doctrine. Let your life show the purity of
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your beliefs. And that will be the simple
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message for us to. Hear and be.
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Exhorted in and for us to be tested.
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By how does? Our doctrine get displayed.
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To the people who would. Only know us by the.
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Way we live. Not by the church we attend or
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the messages that we listen to. And so.
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For this. He's going to give us.
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A picture of what? What I.
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Find to be the demographics. Of a healthy church, did you see
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the categories that said speak to the.
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Older men and the older women, then the younger women and the
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younger man and, he says, and the household.
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Servants so you always get this picture.
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Of of Paul imagining Titus going into the.
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Households of faith as they gather.
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And he sees. A wide variety of age groups of
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diversity. And I think that is before we
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get into what? Those age groups are supposed to
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have as their. Healthy doctrine in their
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healthy. Life that's just a good.
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Reminder. For us, what a healthy church
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should be that every. Age and season of life.
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Is a. Crucial and critical part.
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Of a. Healthy family and a healthy
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church family. So we want to have a church
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family that honors and and exhorts and monitors the the
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seasons of old and the seasons of young, the roles of men and
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the roles of women and that that gives us.
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Also a picture for why. We want our small neighborhood
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gatherings to be more about where you live than about the
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people you want to hang out with.
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Because we're we're all probably.
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Tempted to. Say, well I've got.
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You know some people in my season of I'll just go hang out
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with them. The the idea is be.
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Part of a community that has some old and some young, some
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men and some women so that the word can use the whole season
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that the the season of lifes are to encourage and equip one
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another and so now let's. Take it category by category.
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He says As for you speak. The things which are proper.
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For sound doctrine and then he says that older men be sober,
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reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love and patience.
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So. So this is for the.
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Older men and this will be another.
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Shout out for the older. Men, for all the men of our
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church, we do a monthly gathering.
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The second Sunday of every month.
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It happens to be tonight. You can come and I will continue
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to admonish you and we'll get together to talk about what it
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means to be a man who has good doctrine.
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That equals a good life. And you'll notice that these.
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Qualities overlap the qualities of good leadership, so.
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We are not trying to corner the market on high character people,
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men of virtue, and just funnel them all into leadership.
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A church is going to encourage everyone whether you're helping
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to oversee, whether you're serving a ministry.
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Whether you're just part of the church.
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Everyone is going to be called to a standard of living that
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sets you apart in the way that your character is on display, so
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he says. To the older who's older.
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What? We've made this distinction
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before. The timeline is your age.
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So. You're older than someone who's
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younger than you. I also think that implied here
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is someone that's got a little bit of responsibility with some
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people under. Them so older.
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Comes with people that have. A couple.
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Steps behind you in life older also comes when you're pouring
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into. People's life that are.
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Looking to you to lead or to guide them and he says if.
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That's you. Be sober.
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So this is clearly. When you think of the word
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sober, we can immediately think of just.
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Be free of the. Addiction of substance abuse and
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any kind of mind altering anything.
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So just anything that would take your mind from clear thoughts
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and pure thinking. Be sober.
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And I don't think that means just substance.
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I think we also need to be sober from the way that our mind needs
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to be clear, that can be pulled in intoxicated by the world.
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The world can intoxicate people's minds.
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And you can be so caught up in the news and the feed and the
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ways of politics and the arguments of the world that
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you're not clearly thinking and you're not being sound in your
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judgement. So.
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It's sober, Don't. Don't be intoxicated by
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substance or by the world. And he says be reverent.
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I think that is something I would love.
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For the people of God to. Restore into our society.
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Reverent here just means to be a man of honor, a man of dignity.
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And you. Have you ever gone down the
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rabbit? Roll of just.
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Of seeing just old videos. Of the way life used to work.
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The other day I was watching a baseball game from 1952.
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Don't ask me how, but I'm like man baseball.
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Is so cool and everybody. In the stadium was just wearing
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suit and tie and hats. I'm like that is a.
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Lost way of life. I'm not saying that there's a
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dress code at Calvary Boise. I'm saying if you're a man, go
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into the world and try to be honorable in the way that you
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present yourself, both in outward appearance but also just
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in your character and part of that.
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He says be temperate. This is to be.
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A well balanced person. To be.
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A person who is not. Overly obsessive.
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And and a person who's not overly.
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Passive you, you live your life. With a certain cadence and you
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have your indulgence under control.
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So that you. Represent moderation and I think
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all of those things can be best summed up for the call on a
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man's life to be an example of self-control.
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That's just something that comes as you get older in the Lord and
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the Holy Spirit gives you grace and he's he's teaching you how
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to walk with him. And over time, you'll notice
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that, you know, young boys turn into young adults and one of the
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things that is just needs to get.
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Worked out by the Lord. Is just the uncontrollable
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appetite. For life for.
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Boys, I had a mom, I know that she was probably up praying many
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nights just praying that I would not die.
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And you moms here probably are praying that for your young boys
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and the older men of the church represent self-control as.
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A way to. Show that maturity is on its way
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for all the young people. Actually I was as I'm just
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processing what self-control. Looks like this week.
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My son got so upset with one of his.
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Sisters that he kicked. A hole in the door and I
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thought, brother, you need self-control.
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And so I pulled him aside to offer him some discipline and
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give him give him the talk and he he just bowed his head and he
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said you can disappoint me now. I said no, you disappointed me.
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I can discipline you. I can discipline you.
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You got the roles reverse. He's teaching me how to be this
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next verse which says sound in faith, love and patience.
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So the the the young men need to see when they go through their
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moments of disappointment leaders in their life, fathers.
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Teachers. Coaches.
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The the young men, as they learn self-control, are going to see
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models of men that have sound or healthy faith, love and
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patience. So they trust God, they have a a
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love for people. That is not thrown off the rails
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by the the mistakes of life and they have a a patience they have
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a perseverance they they endure through life.
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So men older men of Calvary Boise by the timeline of people
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under you and and and anyone you're leading.
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Let this be seen in your life so that your doctrine is on
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display. Because I could tell you these
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qualities require. Encouragement, admonishment, and
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some filling of the Holy Spirit so that you can do them.
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Because left to our own devices, what men will wind up in a man
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cave or they'll wind up doing whatever they want to do and
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they'll revel in their lack of self-control.
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So let it not be so. For for you who sit.
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Under the word of God, and are an older man displaying the
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doctrine of God. Verse 3 says the older.
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Women likewise that they may be reverent in behavior, not
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slanders, not given to much wine, teachers of good things.
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And so once again, this is inseparable from the the
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doctrine going in and the life now on display, he says.
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I want you to be reverent in your behavior.
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It's not enough for Titus to put things in order by gathering the
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women and the men of the church and saying OK, I want you to
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know the Apostles Creed. I want you to know the the
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rights and wrongs. Of the word it, it also has to
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be. Seen through reverent behavior
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and so the women get this lesson to.
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Let your behavior be a picture of your doctrine and.
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This is a This reverence is, you know that one of the.
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Gifts of God is that. He's made women so pleasant,
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beautiful. There's so much more attractive
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than men, women, so good. Job the the the the.
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Any man who's married you. You got the better deal, but the
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idea with this. Reverence in your in your
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behavior is. That you would have a.
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Certain beauty that comes from the inside.
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Of your life that the. Doesn't mean that the dressing
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yourself up and looking nice is bad, but it means that.
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The the believers. The ones that follow Jesus have
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a certain beauty that is more than skin deep.
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Look what it says in. First Peter, chapter 3.
1 Peter 3 chapter mention
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Don't be concerned solely with outward beauty.
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Fancy hairstyles Expensive. Jewelry or beautiful?
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Clothing, so it says, not only that stuff.
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You should clothe yourself. Instead, with the beauty that
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comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and peaceful.
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Spirit which is so precious to God.
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So be reverent in. Behavior be a beautiful.
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More than skin deep kind of woman then says not slanders.
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If this is something that you need to hear, you need to be
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corrected in. I'll just give the assignment to
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just. Read through the proverbs this.
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This week and you cannot go a week in the Proverbs without
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getting a lesson about the danger of the.
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Tongue it, it has it's. It can Kindles a little fire and
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it can burn down a whole city and so slander here.
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Is gossip. It's false.
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Witness It's just talking someone down, talking behind
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someone's back and and from 2000 years ago to now.
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The the, the the. The charge goes out.
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Don't do that. It's a temptation.
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But if you have good. Doctrine.
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It's going to go into your life and you're going to have a
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sanctification in the temptation to talk poorly about people.
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And then it says not given to much wine.
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So these overlap. In some ways with just.
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Good high virtue people. Are sober, sober minded, they
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have self-control and there's they're not given over their
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their doctrine is sound enough in Jesus that they're not given
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over to the the entrapment of substance in their life.
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So the men had to hear it. The women have to hear it.
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Don't don't give yourself to too much wine or any substance
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that's going to entrap you. And those are kind of the
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don'ts. And so now he says to the the
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older women, Titus, you want you to tell them what they should
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do. And he says the older women
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beat. Teachers of what is good or.
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Teachers of good things, teachers of in some ways the
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things that we're talking about time after time when we look at
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qualities. And characters of godly people.
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The the women of the. Church are are charged with.
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Sharing that and I I can assure. You as we go through this when
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he. Says be teachers of what is
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good. He's not just saying, you know.
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Get the the list. Out and have everybody take
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notes and get this. Way that you teach it through a
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a a three-week series. He's he's calling the women.
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Of the church to live. Out their doctrine and teach.
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Through life. And we'll get that as he talks
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about who they're going to. Teach, but this is.
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The next verse in verse four he says be.
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Teachers of what is good. That they admonish the young
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women to. Love their.
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Husbands, to love their children admonish is to encourage and.
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The way that they are are to teach is to take.
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Women that are younger than them.
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So there's your timeline. Older women of the church, is
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there anyone in your life that is younger than you then?
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There's your people. So I'm not going to create any
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kind of, you know, you must be this.
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Old to to ride this. Ride in our church.
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You've got to. Decide for yourself.
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Who the young people are in your life and you're.
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Called to. Live in such a way, in a
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Christian community, practicing the one another's in such a way
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where older women are encouraging, exhorting,
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admonishing the younger women on how to live.
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And he gives 2 practical. Amazing God-given roles for
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women to encourage one another in, he says.
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Women love their husbands and women love their children's.
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And so I'm just as an encouragement as we've kind of
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been flying over. Our church as.
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We read this, we're like, how are we doing this?
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We have such a incredible just. Culture.
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Of women's ministry in our church and so not everything we
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do as a. Church will will solely.
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Happen on Sundays in communities.
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There's also through. Scripture, a case to be made
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where women gather and men gather, and that's why.
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We do what we. Do and in our in our church, we
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have some incredible ways that women can come and admonish each
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other through Bible studies. Yet moms at Mom Co just older
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women admonishing how to. How to love?
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Their husbands and be good parents.
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We have another shout out if you, if you aren't convinced
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that you are invited and should come with.
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Do we have this unfiltered concert or concert?
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I said that again, conference. It's not a concert.
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Someone's gonna come and be like unfiltered rap concert for
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women. It's a conference and it's so
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much better that way. That's the idea is that.
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Women can come and encourage. What?
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Is God calling us to do, to be amazing in our roles?
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And let me just say, I am so. Grateful for God's.
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Design for church and family. It is not enough to have male
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elders and pastors leading a church and it is not enough to
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have just a husband leading the home.
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There is an amazing complimentary and partnership
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that happens in both the family and the family of God.
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I am. I'm so glad that my wife and I
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have partnered by God's. Grace to raise our.
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Children. She was out of town this summer
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on a rafting trip. For five days.
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And there were so many times where I just, I just know I'm
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like, I Daniella is going to come back and probably fix this
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mess. I've got I, I'm not the the mom,
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I'm the dad. And they are different roles and
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they're equally important and. It's it's good for us to.
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Be. Reminded that we have this.
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Blessing of God. To.
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Raise up the next generation through the unit of family, it's
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wife and husband and children. This is a gift of God.
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That he has designed the family unit to to take over the next
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generation, and he's entrusted. To the church to show the world
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what it looks like to have a. Healthy marriage, raising
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healthy kids, and I will have, you know, the order of that, he
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says older women admonish the younger to love their husbands
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and. Love their children.
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Don't get that out of order. Don't try to love your children
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and with the. Leftovers love your.
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Husband, I tell my kids all the time that for me to be.
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A great dad I got. To have a great marriage.
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I want them to see our marriage as the cornerstone of our
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family. And from the overflow of the
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grace that we have for each other.
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We're going to give them Amazing Grace as kids, so.
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If you're out of. Order in that I'll admonish you
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and women admonish each other, honor the husband, have that
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relationship so strong that your kids can then be a benefit of
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how strong the home is and and. I I will say there's.
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Another thing to note that is just on a side, but it struck me
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that we are. Encouraged to teach how to love
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I. Think that's a a a word that is
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worth pointing out that they that the Paul is saying Titus.
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Help them teach. Each other.
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How to love right? How to love well?
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And so if we if we may just speak into the culture for just
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a moment, that defines love as anything that you want it to be.
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And often times it's reduced to an emotion or attraction or
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season. We are the people that.
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Are reflections. Of the perfect love.
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And and we. Have to receive it by.
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Learning how? God has loved us.
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And then we have to model it, we have to teach it.
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There is. Love is.
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Actually something you need to learn and be taught in and and I
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say that. Because if you study Jesus.
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Who is the visible image of the God?
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Of love. He taught love all the time.
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We spent a whole summer examining the Sermon on the
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Mount and taught. Us how to love?
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Way beyond what would come naturally to us, he says.
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Anybody can love their friends. You do that naturally.
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Let me teach. You how to love better.
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By loving your enemies and going the extra mile and offering
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things with no expectation of return.
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And we we hear that. I've been a believer for as long
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as I can remember and I hear that.
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And I think, Lord teach me more. I need more of that.
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He also taught love by showing it remember the night that he
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was. Betrayed before the cross?
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He gets on his knees, he girds up his loins, and he.
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Washes the feet of the disciples.
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He says see how I. Serve you.
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Serve one another. And so that is how we cannot
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reduce love to an emotion or an attraction.
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We must learn it. Week by week.
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Study the Word, look unto Jesus, and then do it, and then it.
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Says that they're also verse. Five the older women, teaching
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them to be discreet and chaste, homemakers, good obedient to
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their husbands. That the word of God.
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May not be blasphemed so young women live wisely live with
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purity and then we come to a section that I'll slow down just
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for a second on because he says and teach them to be homemakers
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and once again I stand on in the 21st century in a culture that
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necessarily love the idea that there.
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Are different roles and. We also view this.
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Respectfully in the 1st century. When when there was no such
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thing as the industrial revolution and men would go off
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to work and and women would be homemakers.
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Paul is describing a world where there was just household.
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Units. And there was household
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homesteading. And he says to the women, be
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helpers in that, serve in that and model that for the children
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in the role that you have. And so we get a a beautiful.
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Picture of what the ancient mind would have.
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Seen in this in Proverbs chapter 31.
Proverbs 31 chapter mention
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Here's one verse that says that the the.
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The the wise woman carefully. Watches.
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Everything in her household. And suffers nothing from
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laziness. And so it's a, it's a beautiful
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thing that you can do. It's obviously not God's only
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way for women in our world to serve.
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Their family and. Be part of the family unit.
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But it is a beautiful thing when a woman is called to be part.
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Of building up the household. And and and, Paul says do it
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well. Do take that role seriously and
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do it well. And it also says so you have a
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healthy. Household and you have a
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healthy. Marriage because he's going to
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say to them now I want you to model them or teach them
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obedience to their own husband. So let's just slow down there
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for a second as well, I, I think.
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That you know that word. Obedience is an unfortunate
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translation. I we, we hear that and I think
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of, you know, the obedience training that my dog went
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through. And that is not what this is
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getting at. In fact, if if you love that.
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Word. You should probably get a
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different. Translation of the Bible because
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I think the the. The better way to view this and
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receive it is coming under the. Leadership of.
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There is a role within God's design.
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For church and family where he is called men to lead their
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homes. And he's.
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Saying to women, come under that leadership.
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And this. Is.
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In further. Detail We spent a whole, you
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know, season of our church in Timothy and we we really
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explained why we have the conviction as a church that
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there is the role. Of.
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Leading the church and the home reserved for the man but that is
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not does that not limit women to other areas of life that they.
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Can serve and lead. In women can be incredible
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business owners and incredible principals and teachers and
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servants in government, but for God's design he has developed a
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unit where men lead in the homes in the church and women are
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incredible counterpart and in this moment he's saying let let.
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Them lead and. And let them do it well it also.
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Doesn't mean that. You're that there's this.
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Society that Paul is envisioning.
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Where all men lead all women very clearly.
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He says that you would submit to your own husband in your
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household unit. But I want to notice once again
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the order of events as sure as. There is an order to.
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Loving. Your.
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Husband before serving your children and caring for them.
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There's also an order to the admonishment that goes into a
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healthy church. We started with the men.
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We did not. This is not a a side topic.
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That, Paul, is just. Thinking about so that the women
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can can just be part of a subclass.
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Of the church, Paul is speaking to the whole.
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Church and he starts primarily by telling men to get their
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lives in order so that they. Would be respectable and
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reverent and. Temperate and sober minded and
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dignified people and they would take all of the call of.
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God on their life, including. Leading the home in the family,
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they would take it with reverence.
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And when that happens, this is actually a beautiful design.
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It it works amazing when men don't just skip down to that
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verse and say I'm going to put that on the mantle underneath my
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gun and I'll get all the free sandwiches I want.
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It works. Beautifully when the men
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receive. Their part with reverence.
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And then they hear this. With an absolute reverence.
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For what it means. For their life, and then when
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you stood across from your wives to take a vow.
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You were vowing. To give them your life to lay
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down, your life to die for. Them.
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And to be the first to die when there's moments of arguments.
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And there's. Moment when the flesh gets
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involved, You are to lead as the servant of all.
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And if you don't? Have that theology right.
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Bad doctrine equals bad marriage.
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So it it it. Works beautifully when it starts
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with men. And there's two ways it can go
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bad. It can go bad when there's bad
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leadership and they're selfish and and greedy leaders.
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That'll go bad in the church, it'll go bad in the family.
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This will also. Go bad here this.
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It is also bad when there's no. Leadership.
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It is just as sometimes. We get a little prickly.
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When we hear the word. Submission or or or leadership.
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Or or design of a. Family.
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But I assure you, the alternative is so much worse
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when a family is just left to its own.
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Devices and everyone. Goes to their own corners, doing
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their own thoughts and everything that was right in
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their own mind and no one will step up to the plate.
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And say we have. To honor God, we have to have
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sound doctrine. So we have a sound family.
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It's it's. It's bad when there's bad.
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Leadership, and it's bad when there is no leadership.
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So men, I'll say two things, be reverent and be worthy.
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Be reverent. Of.
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The call on your life to do this well and be worthy, meaning be a
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man that's worthy of. Leadership worthy of having?
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Someone follow you. Both of you can look to Jesus in
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this, by the way, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
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husbands, Jesus says the Good Shepherd laid down his life for
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the sheep. You're.
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Called to shepherd well, and that means to.
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Lay down your life and. Women this.
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This you are not being called to submit as something that's
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outside of you're looking unto Jesus.
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Jesus went into the garden to face the cross and he laid down
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his life and said nevertheless your will be done.
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There is a beautiful leadership and a beautiful submission that
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both people can see in the life of Jesus.
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He then goes on to. Say to the young men, verse 6
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likewise. Exhort the young men to be
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sober. Minded.
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And now he's going to have a word for Titus.
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So for the young. Man, here's what you need.
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To hear get a. Clear mind, don't be an.
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Idiot and keep following the older men and get discipled.
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This is all he's got. For you, he's trusting.
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That you will hear. That and say OK.
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If I get sober. Minded if I get clear.
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Thinking then I will be able to. Someday step.
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Into all of the other great. Characteristics so he says be
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sober minded and then he. Turns to Titus and he says in
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all things, showing yourself to be a pattern of good works in
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doctrine, showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
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sound speech, that can be that. Cannot be condemned.
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That one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil
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to say of you. So here's the key, Titus.
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You be an example of all of these things to the flock that
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you're. Going to oversee and.
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He says to be a pattern of good works, meaning Titus is going to
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be an example of being example Titus is going to live his life
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in. Such a way where?
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People can see the pattern of how doctrine is lived out and
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that. Is the.
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Model that every category can. Now receive that discipleship
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men to younger. Men, women to younger women, be
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a pattern of what this looks like in your life.
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So the same thing I said to the man, I can say to every
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category. Be reverent.
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And be. Worthy be a person.
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Of. Honor that is worthy to.
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Be followed. That is where we are going with.
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All of the study. All of the building up.
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That the word will do in our life.
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It is to send you out of these doors so that you can be someone
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that has a life. Worthy of modeling or
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patterning. After.
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Now in verse. 9 He's going to give the final category, which
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are really the. Household servants I don't have.
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Time to give a robust defense of all of the ways.
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That the early. Church.
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Was bringing in the. The household servants to be
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part of the church family in revolutionary ways.
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But I assure you, when you read this, the question might come
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well, why didn't Paul? Just say abolish slavery and.
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We gave a a long sermon on this for Timothy as well, so you can
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find that. But what I'll say is that Paul
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was not starting a revolution against Rome to reorder the.
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The the class system. What he was starting was a
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transformation from the inside out.
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The reason? That we can.
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Look back on these times and see a world that was dominated, that
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slavery was everywhere. And present.
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And we can say that's so strange is because the.
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Gospel invaded and for. 2000 years has been transforming
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cultures from the inside out and we can now stand in a mostly
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free society thanks to the work of the early church welcoming.
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In. People who were thought of as
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non people. But he says the.
-
Same. Thing now to the household
-
servants, he says to them, exhort, bond servants to be
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obedient to their masters, to be well pleasing.
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In all things. Not answering back, not
-
pilfering, but showing all fidelity.
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And here's the key for the. Servants and I'm going to.
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Take you back to the. To to where this came up in.
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Multiple times from what we read today, he says.
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Here's why. All this matters.
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So that. They may adorn the doctrine of
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God our Savior. In all things.
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So that they can put on and make beautiful the list that the.
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Servants get the list that. Every category got.
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Paul is saying. This is the purpose.
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So that you can. Put your doctrine on like a
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beautiful garment and make the Savior beautiful in all things.
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And here's where it came up more than once.
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Verse 5 again read with me that. The word of.
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God may not be blasphemed. What Paul is saying then?
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And what he's what the word is saying now is don't come into
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church and and say to be people of the book to learn the word,
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to take notes in church, to say I believe.
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It and then leave and. Live your life in such a way
-
where someone could look at your life and think, well, that book
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must have no power. That God must have no.
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Transformative power because you go there all the.
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Time and you come out. Being worse than all of us, so
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he says. Let your life be adorned.
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In the beautiful ways of God. So that people would never.
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Blasphemy, what we're doing right now.
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He says it again in verse 8. Have sound.
-
Speech. So.
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That. That they cannot be.
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Condemned, that the one who is an opponent may be ashamed,
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having nothing evil to say of you.
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If you just listen. To the chatter of the culture.
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What you will find? Is a hardened culture that is
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shaking their. Fist.
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At God and waiting for those who bear the name of Jesus to not
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live up to the standards of Jesus, they the.
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The one. That speaks evil of Jesus.
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The opponents of the gospel are waiting to speak evil.
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With all the ways that we represent doctrine with.
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Our lives, he says. Live.
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This out put it on. Take it seriously.
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Have a reverent. Life so that the enemy may be
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silenced and he says it finally what we just read that they may
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adorn the doctrine of God our. Savior and all things.
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We are called. And as we.
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As we looked at last week. To be a city on a hill.
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You are called to. Be a light in the dark.
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You you have. Accepted Jesus, your name.
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Is written in Book of Heaven and you're on earth still.
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So that you can. Leave and make God's name look
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beautiful. How do you do that?
-
You do it. By having a life that is shaped.
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By the word, you do it by being. Someone who leaves the.
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Preaching of the word. And the study of the word and
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the absorption of the word. Ready.
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To live the word. And This is why.
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We are so. Grateful for the gospel of grace
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this is not. A message to condemn our
-
missteps. This is not a message to say we
-
all need to, you know, grip our fists and just clench our teeth
-
until we finally are just perfect people.
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This is a message. To say.
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Let us be. Ever more dependent on the
-
amazing free gift of the Holy. Spirit looking unto.
-
Jesus and everything that we do. And as I said last week.
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When? The the last thing.
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That we'll do. Together is the first.
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Thing that should be. On your mind we leave this
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place. We are who we are by the grace
-
of God, let us remember. That we have.
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The power to live different. The power to have beautiful
-
lives. Because Jesus has give.
-
Us given us newness of life. By dying on the cross.
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Overcoming the grave. And giving us the same spirit
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that rose hidden from the grave freely to all of.
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Us who believe, may we from. Today until next week, have.
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Beautiful lives in the Holy. Spirit husbands love.
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Your. Wives, parents, love your
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children. Old be.
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Examples to the. Young and in all of these things
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may people see a beautiful. Church that they've never been
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to. Thanks for joining us.
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Today, if you would like to watch the full service, check
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out the link in the description. For next steps and to learn
-
more, visit calvaryboise.com.