Deurpost

TEXT: Titus 2:1-15
PREACHER: Marc La Porte
DATE: July 5 and 12, 2009

Introduction and Overall Picture of the Chapter

• We read in the first chapter that Titus is to go to all cities in Crete, and find and train men to be raised up as elders, so that the churches will be well led and gospel-centered, and then leave the island again to meet up with Paul (Tit. 3:12)
• Now that this is established, Paul has a two-part plan for Titus to follow:
  • He is going to teach them how to live gospel-centered lives in the church (ch.2);
  • He is going to teach them how to live gospel-centered lives outside the church (ch.3);
• This chapter is setup as a sandwich (READ: Titus 2:1, 15):
  • People should not only know the Word of God, but also show they know God by applying it in their lives;
• And the “meat” is in the middle:
  • “The Why of Gospel-Centered Living” (v11-14)
  • “The How and What of Gospel-Centered Living in the Church” (v2-10)

The Why of Gospel-Centered Living: Grace

• Let me start by asking you a question: what is the main thing in your life right now?
  • “Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters,” Paul wrote, “of the Good News I preached to you before […] I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:1,3)
• If there is anything in our lives that we can be passionate about, it’s the gospel;

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3 what should be of first importance, the gospel, but he tells in Titus 2:10-14 why it should be of first importance. And the why is: grace. And he gives us three reasons why grace.

1. Grace Saves Us (READ: Titus 2:11)

• Read also: Ephesians 2:8-9
• Salvation is a gift from God. It comes to us, and we can freely receive it!
• And it’s for all people, meaning that God’s grace has been available for all people, and for all who would choose to accept it;

2. Grace Teaches Us (READ: Titus 2:12-13)

• Grace teaches us to say no to “godless living and sinful pleasures,” and say yes to godliness;
• Grace shows us to how live our lives eagerly expecting the return of Jesus:
• What grace teaches is to be able to live godly lives: Setting your mind on the truth of Christ’s return drives (or inspires) a person to holiness (1 John 3:2-3, Rom. 8:18, 23-25);

3. Grace Shows Us God’s Heart (READ: Titus 2:14)

• Read also: John 3:16
• Jesus gave Himself for us to free us (to rescue us) from being slaves to sin, to being holy before God, and being eager and passionate to live a life that reflects this change within us;

The How and What of Gospel-Centered Living in the Church
Now that we have established that the gospel is grace which is being poured out over us as a gift and that it teaches us (demands from us) to live godly lives, let us now go to the beginning of this chapter, and read how Paul wants Titus to instruct the church, our church.

So, this is Paul’s logic:

• If we want to live godly lives, then the place to start is in the church;
• The church, our church, should be build up through sound doctrine, and be examples of godly lives as fruit, and this is passed on from generation to generation;
• What Paul is going to do in the following verses is to the teach how to live godly lives by addressing the different groups in the church separately;

Regarding Older Men & Younger Men (READ: Titus 2:2, 6-8)

• Older men must live with the maturity and wisdom that their years should give them;
• They must have a solid and vibrant (vital, active) faith, and they should be filled with love and patience;
• Older men are those of chronological maturity, and Greek literature refers to them being 50+ years;
• Young men are often impulsive, passionate, and ambitious, and so Paul’s main instruction to the young men is to be self-controlled (meaning that they must demonstrate self-control sexually, financially, emotionally, relationally, educationally, occupationally, parentally, recreationally, and spiritually);
• And Titus, as a leader, but also a younger man, is to be an example for them;
• If we have to summarize Paul’s instruction to the men it would be: self-control;

Regarding Older Women & Young Women (Titus 2:3-5)

• The instruction to older women and young women is intertwined, because part of the role of a Christian older woman is to train the young women;
• Older women should “live in a way that honors God”. They must not be gossips or causing division between people, and they must not be addicted to anything. They need to be teachers of what is good. Intentionally shaping the character and thoughts of younger women by being an example and by continuous interaction;
• Paul does not address the responsibilities of the younger women, but he speaks of them as the objective of the older women. The expectation is that the older women train the younger women in some specific areas of life, particularly helping younger women learn about being godly wives and mothers:
  • To love husband and children
  • To practice self-control and purity
  • To work at home and to be kind
    • This is a very controversial verse, but it does not prohibit a woman to have a job and work outside the home. But it says that when a woman is married her priority is to be her home where her children and her husband reside. Her ministry is her home.
  • To be submissive to her husband:
    • Another controversial verse, but what it says is that a wife should support her husbands’ leadership role in the family. It should be a willing response of the wife’s heart that flows out of her greater submission to God’s ordained plan for the home. Nowhere are husbands told to demand this submission. Rather he is to love his wife as Christ loved the church, and give himself up for her;
• If we have to summarize Paul’s instruction to the women it would be: gentle-spirited;

The Conclusion
So, what can we conclude from Paul’s instructions here:

• We can not only know the Word of God, but also show that we know God by applying it;
• We are to experience the fruit of nurturing healthy teaching in our church so that our words and our lives display Jesus Christ in order to have a positive impact on an unbelieving world;
• I want to embrace the gospel and be passionate about it. And if more of us can do this, allowing it to be a filter, to shape and color the way we look at the world, then we can watch the power of the gospel multiply in the world around us;