THESE THINGS SPEAK
Titus 2:1-6 (KJV)
But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
A very rough outline for the book of Titus might look something like this:
The proposition
chapter one
“Titus set in order the things that are wanting by ordaining sound elders (preachers) in every city.
The application
chapter 2
This is the kind of preaching that will given you the right men for the ministry and stop the mouths of the unruly, vain talkers and deceivers.
The conclusion
Chapter 3
Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
An outline for chapter 2 might be based on verse 15 and look something like this:
Sound doctrine
Vs 1-6
These things speak
Sound speech
Vs 7-10
These things exhort
Sound action
Vs 11-14
These things rebuke
I am not positive right now that I will follow that outline exactly as we work through this chapter, but I do want to begin with verses 1-6.
Notice that Titus was instructed to speak “the things which become sound doctrine.”
I think we get that sound doctrine in verses 11-14, but that is not what he is given to do just yet.
Notice with me first of all
I. HE IS NOT JUST TO PREACH DOCTRINE
Titus 2:1 (KJV)
But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
He is to speak those things that become sound doctrine.
The Greek word comes from one meaning,
to tower up or to be conspicuous.
From that, it derives the idea of suitability.
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary gives this example of its use, “A robe becomes a prince.”
• A royal robe is an appropriate thing for a prince to wear
• A royal robe makes the prince obvious - conspicuous and
• A royal robe adorns the prince, makes him look, royal
Remember what Paul said about the people Titus was preaching to:
• They were unruly, vain talkers and deceitful
• They were alway liars, evil beast and slow bellies
How many of you would agree that unruly behavior is not becoming a Christian?
• Vain, useless speech
• Deceitfulness and lying
• Wicked living and
• Selfishness
Would you agree with me that this just doesn’t show Jesus in the best light among those who are around you?
If all a preacher did was to teach people their “Baptist Catechism:”
• I believe there is only one God
• I believe He exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
• I believe the Bible is the sole rule of faith and practice for the believer
• I believe Jesus died, was buried and rose again for our sins
• I believe a person must call on Christ to be saved
• I believe in baptism by immersion after salvation and in a proper church
• I believe the Lord’s Supper is for members of the local church
• I believe Jesus is coming for the Christians before the Tribulation
• I believe Jesus is coming to the earth with the Christians after the Tribulation
• I believe hell is literal and eternal and that those without Christ will be tormented there eternally
• I believe heaven is literal and eternal and that those in Christ will live there in eternal joy
He has fallen way short of his duty.
• All of those things are true
• All of those things are important
On could even say that
• All of those things constitute sound doctrine
I am saying that you can quote those things until you are blue in the face, but if your life doesn’t match your knowledge, you have come short of faith.
Even Paul, who told the Corinthians that when he came to them, he had determined to know nothing among them but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.[1]But he sure gave them more than that in 1st and 2nd Corinthians, didn’t he?
Titus, if you are going to do your job on the Island of Crete, you are going to have to speak, the things which become sound doctrine.
Notice second
II. TO WHOM HE IS TO SPEAK THESE THINGS
Titus 2:2-6 (KJV)
That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
Notice the various “people groups” listed:
• Aged men
• Aged women
• Young women
• You men
I’ll just come out and say it, despite the modern confusion of gender, I don’t see anyone missing.
It looks to me like your pastor is responsible to speak to and teach becoming behavior to everyone in the church.
The one possible exception is the young women. In that case, he is to teach the aged women, who in turn teach the younger.[2]
Is your pastor 20 years your junior?
He is to speak to you concerning your behavior.
Are the ladies set in their ways?
He is to speak to them concerning their behavior.
Are there young women who need instruction?
He is to teach the senior ladies what to teach them.
Are your children misbehaving?
He has Bible authorization to correct them.
Obviously, all of this must be done with Christian grace, and there are lines and limitations.
But the preacher’s job is to teach every age.
This implies that every age ought to be regularly in the preaching services.
I don’t hold to the modern “family integrated service” style.
I think it is necessary for some instances, but it is not essential. And it tends, I think, to miss the point of passages like Acts 13:1[3]and Titus 2:4.[4]
Graded Sunday school classes, classes taught by Brother Nelson, the nursery, Children’s church, and Kids’ Club are completely within the scope of Biblical church organization.
What isn’t Biblical is to never provide an opportunity to every age to sit under the pastor’s preaching.
And it needs to happen regularly.
It’s the line upon line principle.
The pastor can never teach all he is to teach in a hit or miss situation.
Every member of the church needs to be in the service at least once a week. Probably more often than that - especially if they are involved in the ministries of the church.
How is that aged woman going to learn what to teach the younger women if she is not often under the preaching of the man GOD put over the church?
Then notice thirdly
III. WHAT THIS PREACHING LOOKS LIKE
Titus 2:2-6 (KJV)
That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
For the next few moments, I want to suspend the “what message to whom” and just look at the nature of the things that “become sound doctrine.”
It seems to me that the reason God itemizes the qualities among the four people groups is
1. Because these may be particular weaknesses of that group or
2. Because these may particularly adorn the work of Christ among that group
But I don’t think the point is that the qualities apply to the one but not to the others.
For instance:
• Shouldn’t the young men be sound in faith charity and patience as well as the young men?
• Shouldn’t the aged women love their husbands as well as the young women?
Sure. What applies, applies to all.
• Young man ought to love their wives as much as young women ought to love their husbands.
• Aged men ought to teach the young men as well as the aged women teaching the young women.
So rather than focusing on the “what message to whom” I want to consider the nature of those things that become sound doctrine.
A. Conservative
Sober, grave, temperate
You will notice that something related to sober is mentioned in each of the four groups.
I taught a bit about this at our prayer breakfast and outreach yesterday.
The concept of temperance implies:
• Discipline
• Standards and
B. Conditioned
Sound in faith, in charity, in patience
The word sound means to be healthy or in good condition.
I wonder how many of us can say honestly that our patience is in good condition?
C. Conduct
Conduct that becomes sound doctrine is behavior that becomes holiness.
• Not false accusers (that’s of the devil)
• Teachers of good things:
• To be sober
• To love their husbands
• To love their children
• To be discreet
• To be chaste
• To be keepers at home
• To be good
• To be obedient to their own husbands
I think it is all summarized in this, “that the
Word of God be not blasphemed.”
Word of God be not blasphemed.”
In other words - that thing that becomes, adorns, is appropriate to make sound doctrine look like what it is - that is to be a doer of the Word of God and not a hearers only.[6]
[1]1 Corinthians 2:2 (KJV)
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
[2]And in 1 Corinthians, we find out he can speak to her husband so he can teach her. 1 Corinthians 14:35 (KJV)
And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
[3]Acts 13:1 (KJV)
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
[4]Titus 2:4 (KJV)
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
[5]1 Corinthians 9:25 (KJV)
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
[6]James 1:22 (KJV)
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
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