Titus 2:1-6
Inspired and led by the Spirit, Paul, the apostle is
intensely practical in all his epistles. Indeed, all inspired writers in the
New Testament are consistently practical, establishing foundational doctrines
in all the epistles and then making proper application to the lives of their
hearers. That has been God’s purpose in revealing the truth to His people. God
does not merely fill our minds and heads with the knowledge of divine truth,
His desire is to make our hearts accept, love and obey His Word. From the time
of the Old Testament, this has been His plan and purpose. He demanded obedience
from all people to whom He had revealed Himself. Immediately after revealing
His will, He demanded obedience. When He gave redeemed Israel His law – the divine
rule of living – He immediately asked, not for the memorization of the Word but
for commitment to obedience, faithfulness and loyalty. Whenever there was
disobedience, the mere knowledge of His Word was not rewarded; rather, their
disobedience was rebuked and punished.
God’s word has always been applied to all people – members
and ministers, parents and children, husbands and wives, masters and servants,
employees and employers, priests and princes, men and women, old and young.
Christ, in His earthly ministry, as Saviour and Lord, as Shephered and Teacher,
also re-established this pattern. He revealed divine truth and immediately
challenged the people to obey, emphasizing the eternal consequence of
disobedience. And He also applied the revealed truth to each and everyone.
Titus chapter two reminds Titus and all ministers that we
are not mere teachers of religious knowledge, preparing our listeners for
academic examination and certificate. We are preachers, prophets, teachers of
divine truth, calling all our hearers to break away from sin, self and Satan,
come to God through faith in Christ, and then live by the revealed truth, in
readiness for eternal fellowship with God whose nature and habitation is holy.
1. SOUND TEACHING
FOR CHRISTIAN MATURITY IN GOD’S CHURCH
Titus
2:1,2; 1 Timothy 4:6,15,16; Psalm 92:12-14; Hebrews 5:14; Romans 13:11-14; 1
Peter 4:7; 1 Timothy 3:8-11; 1 Corinthians 9:25-27; Romans 4:20,21; Colossians
3:12-14; 1 Corinthians 13:1-7; Luke 21:17-19.
The
messages and teachings of Titus were to have practical application to “the
aged men” (verse 2), “the aged women” (verse 3), “young
women” (verse 4), “young men” (verse 6), “servants”,
that is, employees (verse 9), “all men” and every “man”
(verse 11 and 15). All who claim to be “ours”, who profess that “they
have believed in God” (Titus 3:14,8), must be taught and systematically
guided towards maturity. “Speak”, preach, teach and instruct “the
aged men”. The aged are those who have advanced in age, who have
experienced disappointment and disillusion in life and who find it difficult or
hard to accept change. As a creature of habit, the older people grow, the more
difficult it becomes to see anything in a new way, to desire richer experiences
in Christ, to focus on new goals and purpose for living, to break from the past
and reach forth for new challenges. The older believers are in Christ, the more
they think that they have known all there is to know and have done everything
that can be done in the best way possible. Tired and weary, most “aged
men” desire to be free from new challenges.
A few
aged men have young hearts and eagle’s strength. At the age of 83, after having
travelled some 250,000 miles on horseback, preached more than 40,000 sermons
and authored some 200 books and pamphlets, John Wesley was still reading,
writing, preaching and working for more than 15 hours a day. After his 86th
birthday, he was still able to preach twice a day. The older we grow, the
nearer we get to the end of life, the closer we are to the brink of eternity,
and the more receptive we should be to divine truth and revelation. The older
we become, the more we should discard earthly knowledge and pursuit and give
attention to spiritual knowledge to prepare us for our eternal home.
“Speak
sound doctrine that the aged men be sober” – sober-minded, balanced and
temperate, not intoxicated with chemical substance or unrealistic ideas. The
sober aged man is free from being intoxicated with pride or self-deception and
he lives his life wisely, using his energy, resources and time carefully and
selectively, knowing he does not have much time to waste. He keeps eternity in
view and orders his priorities. He learns to be “grave” and
weighty, not frivolous or careless. He keeps his “faith” sound,
strong and steadfast, knowing that as his physical energy decreases, his faith
will compensate for the lack. The older he gets, the more he realises that “charity”
or love for others is what gives life value. He also needs to learn being “sound
in patience” as things may not happen the way or the time he expects
them to happen. Let the aged keep on listening, learning, loving, labouring,
leading, longing and loosening; our redemption, our reward is nearer than when
we first believed.
2. SPIRITUAL
TRANSFORMATION THROUGH CONVINCING MODELS IN A GODLY CHURCH
Titus
2:3-5; 1 Timothy 3:11; 2:9-15; 1 Peter 3:4-6; Luke 1:5,6,38-56; Proverbs
31:10-31; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-10; 1 Timothy 5:5,10; 2 Timothy 1:5; 1 Timothy
5:9-14; Ephesians 5:22-33; Proverbs 22:6.
“The
aged women” were to learn who they would be and what they
should do. That church is really blessed that is adorned with the
presence of spiritual older women in the Lord. The “behaviour” of
the aged women is first addressed before their blessedness or teaching,
influence and impact in the fellowship and family of God. In behaviour, they
are to be holy – obeying the commandments of the Lord gracefully from the
heart. The holiness will not be a virtue that is put on and put off like the
dresses we wear but an outflow from Christ who is resident within the heart.
They are “not false accusers” or slanderers; these are mothers
who love all their children in the Lord, brothers and sisters in the church,
they have no desire to hurt anyone with malicious gossip. They refuse to listen
to, much less propagate hurting words about others. They love the young women
and the young men as they love their real children and will protect them from
any hurt or harm. In all ways and in all things, they are “teachers of
good things.”
These
“aged women” are respectable, dignified Christian women who “teach
the young women to be” (1) sober, living by the standard of God’s word;
(2) to “love their children”, teaching and training them, giving
time and attention to them; (3) “to be discreet”, applying godly
discernment and wise judgment in all relationship with other men and even
women; to be (4) “chaste”, pure, modest with all passions subdued
and kept under control; (5) “keepers at home”, being a good
homemaker; (6) “good”, having more than natural goodness, but the
higher goodness which is a fruit of the Spirit abiding within her; (7) “obedient
to their own husbands”, cultivation of the same mind with the husband
so that obedience really becomes what she wants to do from the heart, causing
her real joy and delight.
“The
aged women” are to “teach the young women” and influence
them with (1) godly example, (2) guided exhortation, (3) gracious expression,
(4) gradual exposure, (5) growing edification, (6) gospel experiences and (7)
great encouragement.
3. SCRIPTURAL TRUTH
CHALLENGING MEN IN A GROWING CHURCH
Titus
2:6; Psalm 119:9-11; Proverbs 1:4,5; 1 John 2:13-17; Philippians 2:2-5;
Colossians 1:28,29; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:6-24.
Titus
was to exhort, urge, teach, challenge, charge the young men to be sober-minded.
Paul referred to Timothy as a “youth” or “young man”
and he exhorted him to maintain “a pure heart and a good conscience”,
to “war a good warfare, holding the faith, and a good conscience”,
to “behave” and act reverently “in the church of the living
God”, to be “nourished up in the words of faith and of good
doctrine”, to “take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine”,
to “continue in them”, to “meditate upon these things”,
to “give thyself wholly to them”, to “do nothing by partiality”,
to “follow after righteousness”, to “hold fast that good
thing which was committed unto” him. In the same way and after the same
manner, Titus was to exhort the young men. And so are we to exhort young men in
the church to be sober-minded, to live for God and not for self, putting their
passions and desires under control, rendering sacrificial service to God, to
Christ’s body and to humanity, God’s creation.
In
the New Testament, the age of young men range between 15 and 60. This period is
very important and would be very useful to God and humanity if the young men
are well-guided. They are to be exhorted, entreated and encouraged to be
prudent, discreet and serious in their passions, appetites and propensities.
Everyone should be taught to live and act as if he were in the immediate
presence of his Maker, King and Judge.- from bible study outline
Please listen to the bible study HERE
I pray you are greatly blessed!
-Charity
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