 Okay, we'll continue studying Titus chapter 1 verse 10 where Paul is writing about the characteristics of false teachers and he's saying in verse 10 that they are insubordinate idol talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. So he's saying that they are idol talkers, which means they basically are talking idol things, which is Jewish fables, you know, they're talking about fixtures tales about Adam, Moses, Elijah and other Old Testament saints and also commandments of men where, you know, they're imposing legalistic and ascetic rules, which are very futile for dealing with the flesh. And so Paul is saying that, you know, it's important or it's absolutely necessary that we have elders, overseers, leaders who hold fast the faithful message in God's word, who are strong in their doctrines because they alone, you know, can refute these false teachers. And it's only the teaching and preaching of God's word that has the power to change lives and to overthrow false teachings and doctrines. And then about the false teachers, he's saying that deceivers because not only that they are deceived themselves by Satan, but they're also going around and deceiving others. And hence it's only because since it's the work of Satan that he's deceiving people, it's only the truth in God's word that has the power to change lives. And then he says, especially those of the circumcision, if you look at it in the easy translation versions, there's some Jewish followers. If you look at it in a passion translation, this phrase is rendered as converts from Judaism. So this gives us a clue as to the identity of the nature of these false teachers who are troubling the creed or these Jewish converts, the Jewish believers are the ones who are basically, you know, teaching these false or spreading these false teachings and doctrines and who insist that circumcision is necessary for salvation. So it's not somebody from the outside of the church, but somebody within. And it's so sad that they are these Jewish converts, Jewish Christian believers who are teaching this and saying this. And West Lebanese says, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain. So he's saying whose mouths must be stopped, just as there is a moral necessity for elders to be men who hold firmly to the truth of God's word that we see in verse nine. But there is also moral necessity that these men, you know, to be silenced or these leaders to silence these men who are false teachers. And Paul is saying the word must, which means the word shows us that, you know, or the word must means it shows us that Paul plays a demand on Titus to prevent those who distort the truth or a teach false doctrine. So the word must, he's saying, you know, you must do something to stop it, you know. So the word stopped here is, you know, basically Paul is saying that the offenders or these false teachers must be refused opportunity to spread their false teachings in the churches and also in terms that include silencing them, you know, by a logical denial of their views. So don't give them opportunity to preach and teach the word and also silence them by, you know, logically denying their views, okay, which will prevent them from spreading their false doctrines or making it possible to spread their false doctrines anymore, and it will not weaken the households, okay. He says that these, whose mouths might be stopped, who subvert whole household. So these false teachers did not, you know, their teaching did not convert people, but subvert the word, or the word, their birth means turn, okay. So subvert means to overturn or to overthrow. So the stress is on basically the disastrous effect that their false teaching is happening on households. Now why is Paul mentioning households here? Because the early church, you know, they met in, they were basically house churches, they met in houses, there were a few families who met together, and so he's talking basically or his reference giving his meaning house churches, or if he's meaning even households, he's saying that, you know, when these men teach their false teachings and doctrines, they're basically going to teach it and spread it to other men, and the men who are the authority in the household, you know, will come back and teach the same thing to their wives and children, want them to change according to that, so how it's destroying families. So either way, it's destroying families, whether it's in the house churches or individuals, it's destroying the churches and it's destroying the homes and the families. And he's saying that these people do, it's their main motive of these false teachers, like he has already mentioned in Romans and in Timothy, is that it is to make money, you know, they don't care what they believe, but all they are interested is they do all this just to make money, okay, and verse 11, you know, basically points us to the seducive in nature of these false prophets or the seducive activity of the false teachers and why they must be silenced, because Paul is saying their motive is dishonest gain, their method is teaching what they ought not to teach, and that is false doctrine, and it has multiple results, which means it's misleading churches and individual families, okay, so their motive is dishonest gain, their method is teaching what they ought not to teach, that is false doctrines, and it is having multiple effects or results, that is misleading the house churches or misleading the whole families. And then verse 12, he says, one of them a prophet of their own said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts and lazy, glutton, so Paul is basically quoting this line from a poet called Epimendis, and you know, this poet is held in great honor by the people of Crete, he's looked as a prophet, as a poet, as a religious reformer, so by quoting him Paul is avoiding to be blamed as an anti-Cretan when he says that all Cretans are liars, evil beasts and lazy, glutton, okay, look at how he is explaining who the Cretans are, he's saying that they're not just liars but always liars, they're not just beasts but evil beasts, they're not just glutton but lazy glutton, okay, so he's basically pointing out to the basic character of the Cretans and it also shows, you know, why Paul is saying that Titus has to appoint good leaders with certain qualifications which is needed and if these congregations or these Cretans, you know, if they are left by themselves, you know, the whole false teaching can dominate the churches and can destroy the whole churches because of who they are, because of their basic nature, so he's saying so important to have and appoint good leaders, was 13, he's saying this testimony is true, therefore rebuke them sharply that there may be sound in their faith, this testimony is true means he's agreeing with what Epimandus is saying about his own people, the Cretans and he's saying therefore rebuke them sharply, now the emphasis in the word rebuke is that of convict, that means, you know, they're found guilty and hopefully convince which means prove to, so he's saying because of the serious nature of these false teachers and the character of these false teachers, you know, you have to rebuke them sharply which means severely, regressly, you know, only a sharp rebuke will catch their attention and nothing less than a sharp rebuke would try to stop the problem or if you don't give them a sharp rebuke, it'll continue, the problem will continue and it'll become too difficult to handle, okay, and then he says, you know, rebuke them, so it's a direct reference to the false teachers basically and also he's saying that, you know, also rebuke those church members who are not sound in the faith but are open and interested in these false teachers, so it can be, rebuke them sharply means it can be both the false teachers and it can also be the church members who are not sound in their faith or babes in the faith and who are so open or interested in these false teaching that they may be sound in the faith, so he's saying why should you rebuke them sharply, the result is so that they can be sound, that means they can be cold, healthy in the faith, so the goal to rebuke is restoration and Paul's hope is that, you know, this sharply rebuke them would bring these cretin believers to the wholeness of the truth, the wholeness, the doctrine wholeness, the faith that is in Christ Jesus because they're basically having a sick belief system and restoration to the truth would help them to become healthy in their faith, so likewise, you know, it should be the goal of us as people are called in the full time ministry or people are ministering the church or leading a Bible study group or a prayer group, sorry, that, you know, our goal should be to bring people in whoever we're ministering to or teaching to, to a place of sound faith, sound doctrine in Christ Jesus, okay, we'll move on to verse 15, he says, so pure all things are pure but those are defile and unbelieving, nothing is pure but even their mind and conscience are defiled, so he says all things meaning is basically talking about all kinds of food here created by God for us to eat, what he's, what Paul already mentioned or writes to Timothy in verse Timothy chapter five verse five, so these false teachers are basically saying, teaching that, you know, that the new believers, so Gentiles who come into faith in Christ Jesus, they should follow the Jewish food laws or the ways of eating the customs of the Jewish food laws and Paul says that to a believer all food is clean, okay, like we read in Mark chapter seven verse 15, there is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him but that which comes out of him are those things that defile a man, so those who are internally pure, all things are pure and this statement does not include sinful things because sin is never pure but it's basically talking about food here, okay, and the word defiled it basically means when a person either rejects the truth of salvation by grace as an unbeliever or because of other forces, you know, and you know, like what these Jewish believers, Christians or legalistic Judaizers are saying, you know, and they're trying to say that you need to add to your sanctification all of these works so that you can maintain your salvation, okay, so saying that their mind, their thinking process is become defiled or polluted and you know, this once their mind is polluted or defiled, this influences their faith, their actions and their faith and actions become defiled as well, okay, and he says that, you know, even their conscience, even that mind and conscience are defiled, so in 1 Timothy chapter, sorry in Titus chapter 1 was 15, it demonstrates that, you know, pure, you know, demonstrates that true purity lies not just in observing external rules but in the inner purity of the heart, okay, a heart that has been cleansed, that has been washed, that has been regenerated through the personal faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ and what he has completed on the cross and the provision that he's made for our salvation, okay, this will lead to moral righteousness or moral rightness and character and also will give us the discernment that we need or the ability that we need to discern what is true, what is good, what is evil and then the last verse in this chapter was 16, he says, they profess to know God but in works, they deny him being admirable, disobedient and disqualified for every good work, so in verse 16 basically Paul states a fact that sums up the matter regarding the false teachers, he's saying these false teachers were not necessarily unbelievers, they profess to know God which simply means they know him as their savior but it could also be a profession to know him in a deeper and more intimate way through observing rules and regulations which they were seeking to impose on others but, you know, in works they deny him which means disregard him, they refuse to own him, so it means they basically fall back from their previous relationship with him into unfaithfulness, okay, it also means that they abandon their fellowship with the Lord or in other words we can say that these false teachers who are saved have slipped back into works or legalism and they have fallen away from the way of grace or, you know, righteousness by grace to faith, you know, grace the way of life or the previous grace relationship they had with the Lord when they accepted him first, okay, so he's saying that these are the people who have, you know, deny him because they're now going back to works and not looking at salvation by which they receive by grace true faith, so how do these people deny him? It is explained in the following words that point to their true condition, so by describing the condition Paul, you know, is using very strong words, he's saying being admirable, disobedient and disqualified for every good work, that means he's using very strong words here, the word abnormal means detestable, it basically carries the idea of disgusting, you know, so those people who turn away from grace into legalism and who teach others to do the same thing Paul is saying that they're detestable before God, he's saying they're disobedient, which means, you know, the disobedience is because of the lack of faith or trust in God, you know, when we fail to trust or trust or put our faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ as our savior, you know, we begin to then disobey God's will or not do what he wants us to do and they're disqualified, the Greek word means rejected, not standing the test, they are unqualified, worthless and unfit for every good work, okay, now the reason why God has created us or one of the purposes for life is so that we can manifest the glory of God, we can serve him, we can preach and teach his word and make known his gospel known to the ends of this world, okay and we can do this only through faith in Christ, we can serve God only through faith in Christ and also, you know, by trusting in him, by just leaning on his all sufficiency in providing us that everything that we need for life and Godliness, everything that we need to serve him and only then can we become fit for every good, okay, so that is what he says in chapter one where he's talking about choosing the elders, why we need to choose these, what kind of elders we need to choose and why we need to look at those qualifications and then he goes on to talk about the characteristics of false features in verses 10 to 16, okay, any questions, any doubts, anything anyone likes to say, no questions, no doubts, okay, if there are no questions, doubts, we'll move on to chapter two, so can somebody please Titus chapter two verses one to three please, Titus chapter two verses one to three. But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine, that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sounding in face, in love, in patience, the older women likewise, that they may be reverent in behavior, non-flanders, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, amen. Thank you Lubega, verse one, he says, but as for you speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine, okay, so he's beginning this part of section of this letter by saying, but as for you means he's contrasting Titus with the false teachers that Paul has just described in chapter one verses 10 to 16, where Paul is saying that these men are rebellious, empty talkers, deceivers, you know, who are upsetting whole families for the sake of dirty gain and who are teaching Jewish myths and the commandments of men, rather the truth in God's word and, you know, he's saying such kind of teaching is not leading to godliness and good deeds, so he's saying in contrast Titus was to speak the things that are proper for sound doctrine. Now the things Paul, the things here he's saying is the things that he's mentioned in verses 2 to 10, which pertains to truth, to attitudes and actions that are based on biblical truth, okay, so he says which are proper for sound doctrine. Now the living Bible says, speak up for right living that goes along with true Christianity and the new living translation says or renders this phrase as promote the kind of living that reflects right teaching. The passion translation renders this verse as your duty is to teach them to embrace a lifestyle that is consistent with sound doctrine. So the idea behind this phrase which are proper for sound doctrine has to do more with right living and not just right thinking, okay, whereas when we studied in verse chapter one verse nine where he talks about sound doctrine, the focus is on teaching sound doctrine which can refute the error, okay, whereas the focus in chapter two verse one about sound doctrine is more on the practical application of the sound doctrine and we see that Paul always ties together sound doctrine with practical Christian living that flows out of it. So to have doctrine without practice is basically dead belief. When you have the doctrine it translates into the way you live, the way you think in basically living and your actions and verse two he says that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound and faith in love and in patience, okay. So Paul wanted Titus to know that older men must live with a sense of maturity and with wisdom. This means that they should be sober, reverent and living temperate lives, okay. So the command here is to teach them these things means that these things don't automatically come with age, okay. If you are older you know and these qualities don't describe you then you'll need to focus on them rather than you know go on as you are. So the qualities that older men should have is being sober. Sober means being vigilant, watchful over themselves, watchful over their conduct, their conversation and in case they act evil you know it would be a wrong example to the younger people so they need to be very sober, they need to be reverent which means older men should be honorable in their behavior, in their speech, in their dressing, they need to be temperate. The word literally means you know not to be intoxicated with wine or any strong drink but it also has meaning of being sober, minded and clear-minded, okay. That is a sound in faith. Sound means healthy. Older men should have healthy faith in God that comes from trusting God in the practical matters of life that they have experienced all of these past years. There should be sound in their minds, the doctrine of their faith, lest they should lead you know or try to lead others into wrong teaching, into error and they should live in such a way that their faith should appear right and genuine before God, okay. Then he says in love you know older people as they grow older they become more grouchy and hard to live with so he's saying that they should be more loving rather than becoming more intolerant and harden towards others they should become more gracious and compassionate. Impatience basically means you know just being steadfast, enduring, not just passive waiting. You know older men are not just should not just live their lives waiting patiently for the day when they will pass on to eternity or the day when they will die okay. They need to be active, actively endure the challenges of this life even the challenges of old age. They should continue running their race with endurance like it says in heroes chapter 12 verse 1 to 1 and 2 fixing their eyes on Jesus the author perfect and the finisher of their race. So he's saying that older men when they have these qualities they will stand out in the world, they will stand out in the church, they will stand out to the younger men and they can point people to the beauty of Christ and now he's saying not only older men but also older women likewise be reverent in behavior not slanderers not given to much wine teachers of good things. So the older women likewise you know it's basically talking about older women who have no longer responsibilities of child rearing typically around the age of 60 and what kind of behavior these older women should have they should be reverent in their behavior. Now the Greek word translated reverent is the is used only here in the Bible. So the word reverent the Greek word used for reverent here in this verse 3 is the only place that is used here in the Bible and it basically conveys the idea of being priest like okay or acting as a representative of God and acting as a representative of God is the word Paul would like to use to describe you know those who are devout and those who are you know women of godly character and he's saying that the older women are to live like holy priests serving God you know in his presence through their sacred personal devotions of Lord and also that this kind of life will have an influence on you know every aspect of their lives and also have an influence on others then he talks about you know reverent in behavior it basically points about their inner character not slanderers very interesting what is the Greek word for slanderers anyone knows what is the meaning for the Greek word slanderers the Greek word for slanderers slanderers is diabolos again diabolos is the name of satan and it's used this word is used 34 times in the new testament okay so so slanderers are basically who who are slanderers what slanderers who are not speaking the truth okay those who not speak the truth you don't speak the truth about others you basically defame them you basically a backbiting attacking people's character characters assassination slanderers those who don't speak the truth so the slanderers the another word is the the Greek word for slanderers is diabolos which is the name for satan and it's used 34 times in the new testament and we know that satan is a false accuser okay and each time he you know he falsely accuses a a believer a false doing you know so that they are doing satan's work so he's saying that you know these older women who have no responsibilities now they basically have no responsibility of child raring so they basically have no family response but these they're free so they can sit around talking and that's why he's saying you know they should be reverent in their behavior they should act like priests they should be representatives of gods these older women you know they can slander they can gossip and he says when you do that you're actually doing the devil's work okay and godly women are never to surrender their tongues to the devil so you know I don't know how many of us have this weakness of slandering others talking bad about others defaming them backbiting and it's a serious thing because the work of the enemy satan's work because he's a false accuser himself so we need to be very careful and ask god for forgiveness and you know repent and not do that and then he says not given too much buying now you know it's common for these older women in the greek or roman world you know the roman greek culture that you know women take drink a little wine because they have these body aches and pains so it's kind of a relief for them and also they take wine to drown their loneliness or depression okay but as they keep taking little by little they get you know addicted to it you know and that is sin and they're actually not relying on god you know to overcome their weaknesses their loneliness their depression they're not relying on god to experience his the joy of his salvation okay so he's saying that you know don't the women should not be given too much wine okay but the word given in greek is dulyo which means the same word you know bond servant which we saw do loss it's dulyo which means enslave bondage okay just a minute please it means enslave or bondage okay so he's saying don't become a slave or don't get into addiction or bondage too much wine which can become a case even as women take wine you know just for physical treatments or just to drown their loneliness or depression but he's saying they need to trust and depend on god and teachers of good things and other qualifications as the teachers of good things can mean not only the word of god but also teach by the kind of life they are living living holy upright lives before god and before others so godly women should be spirit controlled in every part of their life they should exercise you know restraint or resist things in any area of that of their lives which is not pleasing acceptable in god's sight and they should not become slaves of any substance any amusement any fashion any attitude that does not please the god and savior jesus christ okay before we go on to verses four to eight anyone has any questions anything you'd like to say okay there are no questions no doubts we move on to verses four to eight now he moves on to the instructions for younger women younger men and younger women in the church okay so can someone please read verses four to eight please or you'll want me to stop here or do you want me to continue or it's become too much you want me to stop here or continue to verses four and eight okay i'll continue thank you subhashish okay verses four to eight can somebody read please that they admonish the young women to love their husbands to love their children to be discreet caste or chest who make us good obedient to their own husbands that the word of god may not be blasphemed likewise exhort the young man to be sober mind in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works in doctrine showing integrity reverence incorruptibility sound speech that cannot be condemned that one who is an opponent may be ascend having nothing evil to say to you amen thank you subhashish so the young woman according to paul's instruction titus was not to make it his ministry to teach the young women directly instead he's basically to equip and encourage the older women to teach the younger women okay and then he says admonish now this is one word is you know is used variously in by three versions in the kjv it says teach in the niv it says train and the nas new american standard version it says encourage so the context and the word imply that it was to be a process of teaching explaining encouraging training and holding these young women these young wives to a standard that was unfamiliar to them but yet it is very very vital or important for their success in their marriage and their families okay why do we say it was unfamiliar to them because they came from you know pagan backgrounds and they were unfamiliar with the christian way of life so the greek word for admonish means basically to train someone in self-control restore to senses and exhort earnestly so paul is telling saying that the older women are to admonish the younger women in seven areas what is the seven areas the first one is to love their husbands okay now in paul's day men and women were saved out of a culture where romantic love usually did not exist in marriage now wives were only seen as trusted keepers of the home and women who had to bear children and most husbands look for emotional love outside of marriage but salvation in christ jesus stopped the immorality in most believing men during paul's time or during that time but salvation did not make them or their wives you know instantly close or intimate with each other and sharing lives like friends and lovers so when these younger women saw how these older women loved respected admired and were best friends with their husbands you know they would be drawn to see that close intimate relationship with husbands where possible and you know it's very profitable for christian marriage and for their family life okay so he's setting the older women you set an example to love their children now you know the godly responsibility of these younger women is very in a very strategic place of and position of influence to influence their husbands and their children and they must let love dominate their influence and he says to be discreet the greek word means be self-controlled it means to be in control of one's passions okay so even as a young you know he's saying they you know have self-control over your passions be chased the greek word means be innocent pure clean and perfect which means you know in in your area of sexual purity you need to be innocent pure clean and perfect okay and homemakers young women should take care of their own home their family affairs and not be busy bodies roaming around you know concern about the matters about their neighbors and people around them not just spending time in idle talk and gossiping and he says good so in this context it means kind to servants to those who are poor and strangers you know the kind of good woman thinks of the needs of others and goes out the way to meet those needs not just about her husband and children and immediate family but also those who are poor those who work for them be kind and good to them obedient to their husbands okay so it's another way of expressing the wife's duty of submission in a marriage relationship and he's saying that do all of this so that the word of god may not be blasphemed so the word may be blasphemed by whom if they have unbelieving husbands you know who by the ill conduct of their believing wives would be provoked to speak bad about the gospel of Jesus Christ or bad about Jesus himself so he's saying if you have unbelieving wives husbands or husbands who are not living the truth or not have accepted Jesus the Lord and say where he's saying by your lifestyle you know you can lead them to Christ or even by a wrong lifestyle you can get them to talk bad about the gospel and about Jesus Christ okay and then verse six he says likewise exhort the young men to be sober minded so likewise this word basically links verse six to the earlier verses it shows that what the young men need to learn isn't all that different from what the younger or the older men and women need to learn so based on that age it may differ slightly but the essential message is the same for everyone that they need to live godly lives so then he says you know to these young men he's saying be sober minded now if you look this word sober minded is a word that Paul has been used repeatedly in this letter he uses it here again it refers to young men and this word sober minded basically means to be self-controlled to have control over one's passions one's desires to be sound in your judgment you know what is right and wrong and to do what is right and it's basically just a single word but it captures the main quality of what these young men need they need to be sober minded so that they can be godly okay in verse seven he says when all things show yourself to be a pattern of good works in doctrine showing integrity reference and incorruptibility okay so Paul is talking about younger men and directly he's telling Titus who was all also probably in his 30s Paul lists four areas where Titus needs to be an example he's saying in all things showing yourself to be pattern of good works now the new living translation says and you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind so Paul is basically telling Titus that he should not just not teach but he should also show by example how young men ought to live and if he lives in the same way then his teaching would also be taken seriously okay people would take his teaching seriously if they see that he's walking of after lord and walking in accordance with his word so he's saying and then in the second thing he says in doctrine showing integrity okay now the ceb version the contemporary english version says renders this verse as be sincere and serious when you teach the esb version the esb says when you teach be honest and serious or it says in your teaching show integrity and dignity so hence the doctrine here is not referring to the context of the doctrine thought but you know has referenced the qualities of the teacher who's teaching the doctrine so the words integrity and reverence are the attributes in the reverence the qualities of the teacher so Paul is telling Titus as a teacher of this doctrine you need to be sincere you need to be serious you also need to be honest you need to show integrity and you know have dignity that means you need to be sincere faithful and you need to be honest and you know in a simple in an honest dignified and serious manner you need to live up to the commands the teachings of god and also you have to teach it in such a way that and live in such a way that god's word will command or receive that kind of respect okay okay we'll finish verse eight and we'll stop sound speech that cannot be condemned that one who's an opponent may be ashamed having nothing able to say so he's saying his teaching and words who must be thoughtful as well as you know it has to be aligned to the truth of the doctrine so that he cannot be shown as or pointed out as someone who is unsound and no one can find fault with him and if anyone who is against him you know will not find excuse to put him down or talk back or show that he's not worthy to teach or preach and also you will not be there to shame him or put him to shame and there will not be anything bad that they can say about his life okay we'll stop here we look at the instructions for born servants in verses two verses nine to ten uh not next week next week we won't have class because it's good Friday it's a holiday so we'll meet only week after next which is what is the day for the the following Friday that is fifth of April okay fifth of April anyone has any questions doubts any questions or doubts okay if not we'll end class here today thank you everyone for joining class have a blessed weekend and see you on April 5th to continue a study on Titus chapter two thank you