 So in our Bibles to Titus we're in chapter 2. Tonight we're going to look at verses 1 through 10 as we continue our series through the book of Titus. We'll begin by looking at verse 1. I'll give you a review of some of the things we saw in the verses just prior to verse 1 here in chapter 2 and then we'll get into our study. So reading verse 1, Titus chapter 2, Paul says, but as for you speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. Now Paul has just written concerning the false teachers who have been infiltrating the churches of Crete. We saw last time we were together that they are Jewish legalists and what they've been doing is they've been bringing in what are referred to as the commandments of men. Notice that in chapter 1 verse 14 when he said, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men. So these are Jews who apparently are professing to be Christians but they're bringing Jewish traditions into the church. Now Jesus spoke concerning this kind of thing in Matthew 15 verse 9. He had said, in vain they worship me teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. And so these are people who are infiltrating, bringing in doctrines that are not inspired by God, commanded by God in his word. And so they're what are called infiltrators. And Paul speaks of them and he's described them. He speaks of them as being insubordinate. The word insubordinate simply means rebellious because they don't submit to God's word, his spirit, or those who are leading the church. He referred to them as idle talkers. An idle talker is somebody who's a smooth talker. They're the ones who lie but seem to be speaking truth. These idle talkers are the ones who take scripture out of context and they can eloquently and convincingly teach error. It's like what Peter in 2 Peter 2 verse 18 said when speaking of these he said, they mow the empty boastful words and by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. So they take the scripture, whatever scripture they may be speaking of or referring to, they take it out of context but they do so in an eloquent way and they convince people and in fact they're not teaching the truth at all but they're teaching error. That's why they're called deceivers. A deceiver uses biblical terminology but is again misusing scripture. And somebody said the sad fact about a deceiver is this, they never seem to lack an audience. There will always be those who will listen to what they have to say. In 2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 2 and 3, the command was given, preach the word, be prepared in season and out of season, correct and rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. And he goes on to say for the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. And I have to tell you we're living in that season now. People are heaping into themselves teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. Now these false teachers were not to be ignored. They have to be dealt with. They have to be dealt with swiftly. Why is that? Well it's because they are subverting entire families. What they're doing with their doctrine is dividing families. Families are beginning to argue over the things of the Lord and it's bringing confusion into the homes. They're also undermining the faith of naive and innocent believers. As a matter of fact they're so terrible that they're even charging people to hear their error. It says in verse 11 their mouths must be stopped who subvert whole households teaching things which they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain. So they are making merchandise of the people. They're charging people for their error. I see that every once in a while without going into any names not necessary at the moment. But I see that every once in a while where you may turn on a program that is called a Christian program and has some exciting, they're usually exciting young guys. Old guys aren't too exciting anymore. They're just trying to keep from falling asleep. But the young guys, the young guys are real busy. They're real energetic and I guess my daughter-in-law just sent me a video of one particular teacher of that stripe and she said, this is what causes people who are not believers. This is what causes them to be turned off to Jesus. So I put on this very popular teacher for a moment and I saw what he was doing and he was up there screaming and yelling and he had the organ playing behind him and it was all exciting. But as you listen to what he had to say he wasn't saying anything. And that's basically what happens as they begin to give this untrue teaching but these people who are coming into the church what they're doing is they're even charging people for what they're saying. And that is so wrong. The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians in chapter 2 verse 17 spoke concerning an accusation that had been made about him. Paul's teachers who had entered into the church at Corinth were trying to undermine his ministry authority and they actually charged him with being a person who is charging people and changing the doctrine of Christ. And he said in 2 Corinthians 2 17, we are not like the many who market God's message for profit. On the contrary he said, we speak with sincerity in Christ as from God and before God. And so a true teacher speaks with sincerity before Christ for the sake of the Lord but the false teachers are doing it for the sake of dishonest gain. And what they're doing is they're preaching commandments of men and they're leading people from the truth of the gospel. They're leading them away. They're telling Christians to follow the law of Moses including it would appear even the right of circumcision. In Galatians Paul spoke with the same kind of false teachers and he spoke of them in chapter 5 verse 6 and he said in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything but only faith working through love. And so they're bringing in legalism and all and what they're doing is they're undermining the gospel. These false teachers as we saw last time are defiled, they're unbelieving in both mind and conscience. He had closed by saying that profess to know God but in works they deny him and he said they're abominable. That word abominable means detestable. They're detestable to God. He said they're disobedient and they're disqualified for every good work. So these are strong words but they were necessary to be spoken. Why is that? Because Paul had a great concern because the gospel message is to be guarded. He said the same kind of thing when he was writing to his other son in the faith a young man named Timothy. He had said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 verse 14 he had said to Timothy a young pastor of the church in Ephesus he said guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Guard it, keep it, protect it. So Paul wrote with great concern because he knew the importance of the gospel message as a message that God gave men for salvation and blessing it has to be safeguarded. That's why he said of himself in Philippians 1 17 I am set for the defense of the gospel. I have been strategically placed in the position of safeguarding the message of Christ and because he was he had great concern that Titus would also safeguard its message and so that's what we've seen as we've come up to chapter 2 and so when we get into chapter 2 verse 1 he says it like this he says but as for you in contrast to the false teachers as for you speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine in contrast to these false teachers your life and your teaching needs to be obviously different by habit you are to constantly speak that which is consistent with sound doctrine what is sound doctrine it's healthy teaching you see there is a what is called a body of beliefs there's a body of beliefs that make up or constitute what is called Christian orthodoxy I'm going to give you a few things about that when you when you when I speak of Christian orthodoxy I'm speaking of of teachings that have been inspired by God given to us by the Holy Spirit in the word of God that caused us to understand what truth actually is and the things that we the church have held to from its beginning are very basic let me share some of them with you these basic beliefs relate to the inspiration of scripture the revelation of God and his attributes the deity of Jesus Christ Jesus's virgin birth the purpose of the atonement the person of the Holy Spirit the gifts of the Holy Spirit the doctrine of heaven the doctrine of hell doctrine of man sin salvation the last days the second coming of Christ angels these are all what constitute Christian orthodoxy and you can do studies on this there are books that are written whole libraries of books that are written related to these things and and all of these particular things this body of beliefs are found in scripture but they have also been attacked throughout the church's history and so these attacks on these basic things began very early so paul is exhorting Titus to to be faithful to scripture and that's why in verse one he says speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine that word sound speaks of that which is uncorrupted or healthy paul uses that word sound by the way five different times in this letter he desires Titus to teach an uncorrupted message that builds godly disciples you see for some gathering a group of people is more important than producing solid believers and because the gospel is so radical its claims can cause people to become convicted and because that's true some may water down its contents in order that they may gain listeners i've been reading that recently in different posts that i read on on social media and all and there there are Christians who are sounding the alarm and they're saying we're living in a day when healthy doctrine is being undermined by by by weak i'll be honest with weak pastors and teachers pastors and teachers who aren't willing to tell the truth because they're afraid to empty their pews we were taught a long time ago that we ought to be willing to empty the church in order to fill it you know there are a lot of churches that are filled with empty people they may have a lot of people in the seats but those people in the seats are not being filled with the things of god and so because some pastors have realized that and some have come to understand that people don't like to be convicted by the way who does who likes to be convicted i do i just love it no who likes to be convicted nobody not really but when you go through the whole counsel of god you're going to see the blessings as well as take the buffettings there's going to be what god says is you're doing well and then other things when you hear it or read it you're going to say that is not me that isn't what i'm doing and so we need the whole counsel of god and so because some know that that it causes people discomfort to hear they'll avoid those kinds of things because they want to gain listeners you see paul knew that god's word cuts to the heart and he knew like a surgeon scalpel it will remove what is unpleasing that's what the word of god does it it removes that which is actually actually going to kill you you've gone through operations many of us in this room probably have we've gone through operations you know i've had things removed for me that if you'd ask me do you want to do you want that removed you know are you asked me do i want someone to slice into my belly pull out my appendix are you asking if i'd like to spend an afternoon and then a few few a few days recovering do you think i'd like to do that no no i wouldn't i had cancer in the in the bladder a few years ago would you like to go and go under and have them you know remove this this tumor from your from your bladder would you like to do that no but you know what i like living more and so the discomfort is fine for a moment i discovered a long time ago that god's word has a way as a surgeon's scalpel of removing those things that are not pleasing to him that ultimately could even grow to the point of of of causing a serious harm in our lives so the word of god is intended to do that it's a it's a surgeon's scalpel that removes certain things that that ought not to be there and and paul knew that god's word would cut to the heart but it would remove that which doesn't please lord you see when it goes forth it it often exposes a heart for what it truly harbors and what its desires really are and and sometimes let's face it when we're convicted we become uncomfortable in jeremiah 23 verse 29 the question is asked is not my word like a fire sayeth the lord like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces and indeed it does so because of this someone teach the whole council for fear of boring or alienating listeners others will alter it to suit their own purposes and beliefs in order to have personal gain maybe some prestige maybe some wealth but as a true minister of the word titus is to teach sound doctrine consistently why again it's because healthy doctrine produces healthy sheep and that's what shepherds are commanded to do so he says in verse one speak and that word speak is in a greek tense that means consistently by practice habitually speak consistently the things which are proper for sound doctrine when he says speak the things that word speak refers not only to the way he speaks but what he's communicating through his preaching and teaching and these things are are proper the word proper speaks of that which is suitable it's fitting for healthy teaching and when he speaks of sound doctrine it's healthy and suitable teaching it's uncorrupted by anything so what he's to do is he's to live the message and he's to give that message and the result will be that people who see the gospel lived out will also hear it as it's spoken and so as he's speaking about this in contrast to the false teachers he now goes into some practical instruction for for the members of the church he divides it into a few categories we'll look at them beginning at verse two he says what is the purpose of sound doctrine well verse two that the older men would be sober reverent temperate sound in faith in love in patience so he's writing to me what is the result of being taught the word of god in living it out the result will be a well-lived life this word is to impact the older men the older women the young married women the young men as well as servants and so Titus is to do his best to see that older men are taught certain things what are we to be taught well Titus you need to teach the older men to be sober now an older man is someone who was at that time was over 60 years of age and so you're to teach them certain characteristics certain moral characteristics okay if I have any 60 year old in here we're having a conversation right now 60 year old men you're to be sober what does that mean well the obvious is abstaining from wine either entirely or at least from what it's been called immoderate use you're to be moderate in your way of life in your taste in your taste in your habit you're supposed to be he says sober in attitude you're to be disciplined in how you speak and disciplined in what you do in other words older men are supposed to act their age it wasn't that long ago I don't know if it's still true we used this this was kind of like a comical stereotype but there was a time as I look out here most of you won't remember this time let me give you a history lesson there was a time when guys were going through what was referred to as a midlife crisis um and and yeah that that's called male menopause does it exist absolutely we just don't get hot flashes we just want hot hot cars and so and so they were the guys in the 70s that people would kind of point out and being I was a young man in the 70s I was one who would notice this they were there were the ones who wore these leisure suits you wouldn't know what that is some of you might with the big old wide collars they had big old wide collars usually real paisley and big old wide valve bottoms and platforms and and they would wear their comovers because they wanted to look cool and and they had gold chains you know sometimes several of them and uh and you would look at them and you would say this is sad these these these guys don't realize how goofy they look you know and so an older man is supposed to age with dignity and and and when you're trying to compete with the the younger guys when you when you try to pretend you're still all cool and everything you're not so stop it and just get old just crawl into a corner wither away and die come on in proverb 1631 it says gray hair is a crown of glory it is gained by living a godly life and so instead of trying older man instead of trying to compete with the young glory in your age because you have life experiences you have things you can share with younger men and it's important to understand that it's important to realize that if your life has been lived for years for christ that you have so much to add to the young man because young men especially today i can say this with confidence are looking for models of some sort because many of the young men were raised without dads and so in this church i have had a number of men young men over the years who actually will will say to me i didn't have a dad they'll tell me that i didn't have a father and they'll say you have become a father to me and i take that with uh with humility i actually i want to be someone like that i want to be an example to the young men i i i spoke i i spoke to a young man recently who came from a home that sadly broke up and and he doesn't have a model he doesn't have a model for for marriage because uh the model he had didn't seem to work and i was speaking to him a while back he and i were having a conversation a young guy and i said to him um you know what i'd like to do i'd like to offer myself to you as a model somebody who has served the lord and has a good a good marriage i realized that what you had as you grew up may have not met the bill but i want to be that for you and i think that older men ought to do that i think that older men ought to see ourselves as inheriting a role of being an example to young men and so that's what titus is being told act your age didn't teach the older men to act theirs he also speaks of being a reverent that word reverent you know sometimes people will use the word reverent and and may think of it as being kind of a stuffy thing what it speaks of is a dignified way of life it speaks about a man who is serious and respectable it's a one who has a godly way of life he's the guy that you could seek spiritual advice from there these these are men who live honorably who are sensible and mature spiritually so be reverent he said teach them to be dignified a third thing he says to be temperate the word temperate speaks of being self-controlled it speaks of exercising mature judgment moral restraint speaks of being sensible these the older men are not to make snap judgments and they're not to lose control of their emotions there's hardly anything that is more undisputed it makes me uncomfortable hardly anything can make me as uncomfortable as when i see an older man getting really angry you know i it just makes me uncomfortable you know and and and i've seen it i i've seen i'm not talking about you know well an older man like he's 40 or i'm talking about 60 or 70 year old man who still thinks he can mix mix it up and and i'm thinking if that guy pops you you're gonna fold in half and i could go on with that i won't but see what happens as you grow older as you begin to realize that your life is coming to its end and and that's the kind of knowledge by the way that that you ought to live with in Psalm 90 verse 12 the psalmist said teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom in Psalm 39 verse 4 it reads oh lord help me help me to understand my mortality and the brevity of life let me realize how quickly my life will pass help me to know that when you're young it feels like everything takes so long it really does you know when you're a kid oh i can hardly wait until i'm you know 13 i can hardly wait until i'm 16 i can hardly wait till i'm 18 i can hardly wait till i'm 21 and then about then you start saying uh you don't say i can hardly wait till i'm 30 and so as you go older you begin to realize that that the things that you used to want the things you could hardly wait for well there those things are past now many years sometimes and as you grow older you begin to realize that the road ahead is much shorter than the road behind and you realize that so many of the things that you thought were so important that you just had to have you had to have it right now those are things that never really mattered at the end they never really mattered it's not that it wasn't nice to achieve them and it isn't wrong for you to have a goal to have something i'm not saying that what i'm saying is that very often when you've achieved the certain goals that you thought would produce kind of a joy and a happiness you discovered that those things were short-lived and then you you got the car or you got the whatever and and yeah it was fun when you first got it and and started driving it we'll say it's a car and and then you go to the the store and somebody's swings their car to open and hit your car and before you know it your your god has been bruised and you're so upset and then you after while you realize these things all perish with the using why why was i so caught up with this stuff why did i think it mattered because sometimes we worked so hard to gain these things that we worked a lot of overtime never spent any time with the kids and now the kids have grown up and they don't have any time for us and you think that's not possible it is absolutely true and there are many older people who can tell you that they can say i saved up and wanted to have so many things but i never had a chance to give them to my kids because i neglected them so much they don't want to be with me now there are many people like that so we need to have the wisdom to be aware that we're growing older and therefore we should have values that matter in verse two he continues and says sound in faith when he speaks to being sound in faith that refers to an understanding of the word of god of doctrine the sound in faith speaks of having a an understanding of the word of god that is unmixed with error you're not luke warm you're solid biblically you know you're doctrine that's a person who spends a lot of time in the word and is taught the word and again titus's responsibility was to teach them the word it's been said that their bodies may get tired and frail but their faith will be strong and vital it's like what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 12 verse 13 he said when all has been heard the conclusion of the matter is this fear god keep his commandments because this is the whole duty of man he had everything all through the book of Ecclesiastes he tells you all the things he had gained all the things that he did but at the very end he said the the whole the whole thing just is wrapped up in fearing god and keeping his word he goes on and he speaks about them learning to love they're going to have a godly love not just emotional sentimentality they're going to have a godly love teach them the word of god that they may know what love is that they may have a well-grounded biblical understanding of it loving god loving others living a practical Christian life as an older man we ought to have the desire to have people approach us as older men and say to us you know there's something about you that i appreciate and that is the fact that you have such a deep love for god and other people what a great testimony that would be for somebody to walk up to you if you're an older person and say i just want you to know that the way you are your heart is something i want for myself and i told that kind of thing to my pastor chuck smith that that i told him i said when i grow up i want to be like you because he had those qualities and and that's what what titus is speaking about here and and then he says patience patience is being non-reactive not not a cranky old man who gets mad easy not thin skinned you know it's difficult to be around irritable old people isn't it some of you say well i'm not that old well it speaks about somebody who goes through a trial and doesn't throw their hands up and begin getting upset over it it's somebody who's learned that it all works out i've tried to share this with you before i've said it before it's true somebody has asked me uh what is the number one lesson you think you've learned over your life and as a christian and it's this it all works out in the end it all works out in the end you may not think so at the moment when things are happening and it's like the waves are filled in the boat you may not think so but it always has ended up right because god's in control all things work together for the good of those who love god and call to his purpose it's true it's it's true and so just hold on you know help is coming it's on the way now let's talk about the old bags that's the literal greek older women older women likewise that they be reverent in behavior not slanderers not given to much wine teachers of good things we'll start there in verse three he said they're to be reverent in behavior they're to conduct themselves properly as servants in god's temple if you will their way of life is to be lived with gentleness with grace with dignity um i put this in my notes i might as well read it if there's something that is sad to to me and it has been for a long time this is nothing new when he speaks of being reverent in behavior conducting yourself properly having gracious dignity one of the things that it's sad is to see older women trying to be sexy what else can i say and i've seen it i've seen that i you know when i see it i want to take my glasses off i just don't i just i just don't want to see it i could go on and i really i have to be very careful because there's one of those things that really bothers me you know um don't coogers that's all i gotta say stop it stop it that's not good um beauty is is fleeting somebody once said in one of my classes when i went to college many years ago now they said there's hardly anything sadder than to see a beautiful woman growing older i thought that was interesting because there's a certain amount of truth to that because when the young woman when the woman was young and beautiful and americans i think the world probably um has a tendency of treating the beautiful differently than they treat the average or the homely that's just the way it is we know that that's just a fact americans have a tendency of giving more attention to that which they find most attractive that's true and sometimes it's easy it can be easy to learn that you can get your way with a certain way that you act kind of cute flirtatious batting your eye whatever and when you're young you know sometimes you can get away with that guys don't want to come down hard and so bosses may be a little bit and highly but uh as you grow older you can't rely on that anymore because it it crosses the line from being kind of cute but you ought to grow up to that's very scary you know there was a movie a long time ago called whatever happened to baby jane i don't know if anybody ever saw but it was about a young girl who was called baby jane who got older and she never understood that she wasn't baby jane anymore and it's a tragic a tragic movie but i've told marie before i said that girl reminds me of baby jane and that simply means that they they didn't grow with dignity and so he says the word of god is to help the women to have the older women to understand who they are that it never was their outer beauty it was always the inner beauty that is attractive it always has been and uh i'm going to say something that that will possibly be misunderstood but here we go um you know as a young man you know i noticed women and i would be attracted to women of a certain look it just was you know everybody has that look that they're attracted to i had it and then one day i met my wife to be marie and i say this with with with no disrespect she knows us already but what attracted me to this young woman wasn't her smile it wasn't that i thought she was pretty it was her heart and what has kept me all of these years true story truth has been that it's been the beauty of her heart it was that meek spirit it was that that genuine innocence it was that kindness it was all of those things and i fell in love with the person before i realized that my wife has a beauty i never i never was going after the outer beauty what god gave to me was a love for her as a person and i really i don't know how to say this any differently than that when women don't understand the value they have in the lord they try to get their value in other ways but when you understand who you are in jesus christ and what a beautiful heart you have and how attractive you are to those with godly hearts then you have a freedom but if you're caught up always trying to be that beauty queen that you may have been 50 years ago it's just sad it's just sad and so titus teach the women teach the older women to be reverent in their behavior to be gentle to have a gracious dignity about them he goes on to say and not slanderers a slanderer is someone who is a gossip somebody who accuses people falsely like it says in proverbs 26 verse 20 without wood a fire goes out without gossip a coral dies down so teach them not to be gossips he says third not given too much wine don't be enslaved to drinking now i was reading this how that the older people on creed would turn to wine to ease their pain their discomfort their sorrow or even their loneliness so he's saying older women are to be taught to trust in the lord and his promises and not to be given to drinking he goes on in verse three he says teachers of good things through their knowledge of the lord and their life experiences they're the ones who should be counseling other women here in this fellowship when when women have a need for for counsel we have women who counsel other women and that's what they're supposed to do and that's what that's what titus is being instructed in and notice what they do in verse four it says that they admonish the young women to love their husbands to love their children to be discreet chased homemakers good what's that say oh obedient oh my goodness obedient to their own husbands look honey did you ever see that obedient to their own husbands that the word of god may not be blasphemed now it's this interesting notice how he says in verse four that they admonish the young women to love their husbands and love their children paul speaks of them ministering to the younger women they're they're due to uh train them how to love their husbands how to love their husbands i want you to see that he says to love women to love their husbands the women young women to love their husbands and to love their children this is this is an instruction of how they can do that and uh the experience the older women have in their marriage is is what's going to help them to help the younger women to have patience in their own and how to love their children is just another way of momma's helping other moms you know that's how it works um the older women can can be there and and offer advice to the younger women when they want to hear it to help them to understand all kinds of things as it pertains to raising the kids and caring for the kids and all of that and that's what the older women can do he says in verse five to be discrete when he says discrete that means you're careful in what you say or what you do it speaks of proper behavior to teach them proper behavior he speaks of chaste the word chaste speaks of purity a purity of thought of deed even the way that they dress to train them not to draw attention to themselves in any way that dishonors the lord again you know i i believe that we're living in time when when men dress immodestly and sometimes they they do and so i don't want to make it seem as if only women can but in context he's speaking to the younger women um but it's something to be wise about young ladies when my daughters were young they really had this mistaken belief that boys were actually girls who could grow beards i mean they they didn't think there was a difference between a man and a woman and it was tough man because my girls we'd say are you kidding me you know no dad they're there what's the big deal all the big deal is is men and women are not the same we don't think the same and i might have said this recently i think i did forgive me for repeating myself but if a woman came walking in right now wearing a bathing suit you know i guarantee the men and the women would think two different things the guys would be said oh my and the women would say well that that bathing suit it kind of clashes with her hair we don't think the same way you know we we have and so for me to teach my my daughter's that was was it was quite a task because they really didn't see the difference that men are stimulated visually i mean all the way back in the in the beginning when when he was brought to adam when he saw her he made a comment about her you know he actually burst into song i've taught that to you before in the book of genesis he actually sings this as woman and and he concludes his his uh the job of naming but he sang a song it's a it's a love song to her she is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh she shall be called woman for she has been brought out of man that's actually a song and so he sang when he saw her and there's something about when a man sees a woman and the women don't seem sometimes understand it and so they they have to be wise about that um what is it i was going to tell you something what is it called um three things don't lie little children a drunk and yoga pants and so you have so be aware of that i heard that somewhere i think it's funny okay it's another one let's see older men should not go without shirts because they scare younger younger children and confuse nursing babies okay so it's here in my notes right anyway do not get caught up do not get caught up with extreme forms of fashion drawing attention to yourself again modern society's elevated fashion to a point of idolatry it seems to me sometimes that that uh modern designers seem to hate women they actually create some things that are so terrible and and and they can encourage women to dress them modestly and often clothing seems to either flaunt wealth glorify self or induce lust so be aware of those things a fifth thing to be homemakers to be a homemaker is the one who takes care of the needs of a home it speaks of ministry it speaks of ministry to husband and to to children and so the older women can teach the younger women how to be somebody who knows how to love and care for a family and that's where she gets that example to to actually train up her children because when that young woman is being taught how to love it helps the children to see love in action it it helps him to see proper submission and and service as that wife has been trained in the things of the lord to be one who cares for her family it also protects her from improper or immoral relationship with other men he goes on and he says in verse 5 they to be good that speaks of a kindness it speaks of moral excellence and kindness is shown in gentleness in consideration and in service to other people teach them to be kind now here's that word obedient obedient to their own husbands though they are just as saved as their husbands it gives them no excuse to resist his authority in colossians 318 wives submit to your husbands as is fitting in the lord teach them what it means to listen in a voluntary subject subjection because the house will run smoother as she does now husbands are to love the wife we're not to lord it over her and it makes it a lot easier for the wife to love and to have this word obedience which is a submission to a proper authority it makes it much easier when you're loving your house your wife and then he goes on and he says verse 5 that the word of god may not be blasphemed when all of this is taken place your lives ultimately bring glory to god and don't lead to slanderous remarks about the ineffectiveness of the christian life he goes on in verse 6 and he says likewise exhort young man to be sober minded so what they're to do is they are younger man place yourself under the authority of the word of god live a self-controlled life because that results in the glorifying of jesus christ when i was 23 23 i gave my first bible study my first bible study class if you will home bible study was to my father and my mom and to a woman named claudat who lived down the street who was close to my parents age and another couple who are around my parents age and there i am at the age of 23 teaching older than me people as well as my sisters how does a young man teach his father how does a young man open the book and instruct his own father and adults people who were twice my age how do you do that you do it by earning their respect you do it by living out what you're giving out and so a long time ago the lord taught me you know back in 1973 the lord began to teach me back then to live out the message because respect for the teacher can very often equate in respect for the word but when the teacher of the word is not living out what he's giving out it undermines the effectiveness of the bible study and that's why he's telling him in verse 7 show yourself to be a pattern of good works model a godly life because this is visible encouragement of how the lord works in someone's life and blesses it's like what paul said in philippians 4 verse 9 when he said the things which you learned and received and heard and signed me these do and the god of peace will be with you so live these things out and god will bless you and others will see that and so he says here in verse 7 he says in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works in doctrine show integrity reverence incorruptibility in doctrine show integrity be honest to the word do not compromise it for the hearer in reverence that speaks of dignity and seriousness when he was writing to to timothy in first timothy 4 12 he said it like this he said don't let anyone look down on you because you're young set an example for the believers in speech in life in love in faith and in purity so there needs to be the seriousness there needs to be this integrity and there needs to be this incorruptibility that simply says you can't be bought you can't be bought by money you can't be bought by friendship you can't be intimidated and you can't be given influence you need to just do it as unto the lord because at the end it's from the lord you hear the well done if i have anybody in here who has a heart to teach the word of god never forget that you know you you have to be a person who knows that you'll give an answer to the lord for the things that you said and the one that god pays attention to is the one who trembles at his word so one who respects it and and wants to teach it properly and he says you need to you need to be this kind of person you need to have integrity you need to have reverence and you need to be incorruptible and the result is that nobody is going to rebuke you for an improper teaching and finally he goes on verses eight through ten sound speech that cannot be condemned that one who is an opponent may be ashamed having nothing evil to say of you exhort bond servants to be obedient to their own masters to be well pleasing in all things not answering back not pilfering but showing all good fidelity that they may adorn the doctrine of god our savior in all things so he says to exhort servants to be obedient and not answering back etc they're to live an honest life because they're working for an eternal reward in Colossians 3 22 3 24 it says slaves obey your earthly masters and everything do it not only when their eyes on you and to win their favor but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord not for men since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward it is the Lord Christ you are serving so you do it as unto the Lord everything you do should be done with sincerity as unto the Lord you do it with all of your heart and you don't do it just for men or to be seen by men to be rewarded by men that's what that's what gives you integrity when you're on the job when other people are deciding instead of a 15 minute break or a 10 minute break they're going to take 15 or 20 minute break or whatever but you're going back to do the work and I know that it can be pressure because guys have told me that before but you're doing it as unto the Lord the work that you're doing is unto Jesus it's not to the boss who's watching you it's to the one who's watching you and so you do with all your heart you do it with all your strength you do it as unto him and you do it simply because that's what you do that's what Christians do and eventually what happens is people may notice that and you do it as long as the Lord gives you strength to do it and so at the end of the day there's nothing like being able to put your head on a pillow and know that you are an honest worker that day there's hardly anything that gives you more internal reward than the knowledge that that you put your hand to the plow and that you plow that field and you're a workman worthy of your hire and my dad taught me that my dad taught me that my dad taught me if you're going to do something some do with all your strength do it right and and don't don't don't always be making mistakes as your lazy my dad taught me these things in the very first week that I had been placed on staff as an assisting pastor in the church I was ordained in the very first week that I put in I put in 70 hours and it felt like it was just it came and went each I was so happy to be freed up to serve the Lord to be able to work that for 70 hours and I did a lot of a lot of that for a long time still do that kind of thing to this day why because this is unto the Lord you serve the Lord with all your strength and Titus that's what you need to do so we'll close here and we'll pick up next time at verse 11