Titus 2

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{tcl37}tcl36}tcl35}tcl34}tcl33}tcl32}tcl31}tcl30}tcl29}tcl28}tcl27}tcl26}tcl25}tcl24}tcl23}tcl22}tcl21}tcl20}tcl19}tcl18}tcl17}tcl16}tcl15}tcl14}tcl13}tcl12}tcl11}tcl10}tcl9}tcl8}tcl7}tcl6}tcl5}tcl4}tcl3}tcl2}tcl1}
Listen from:
• WhoseFaithFollow.org
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I would like to suggest a chapter that I think is very needed as Titus chapter 2. I was thinking especially of the latter verses which says the grace of God which bring us salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously, and so on.
I meant I mean the whole chapter, but.
Keeping in mind, I think one of the greatest evils that beset us in these last days is what Jude speaks of, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness or dissoluteness, or to give the flesh free reign. And this has to be met, and the Word of God meets it very.
Strongly.
It's one thing to be in ******* to the law.
It's worse to use grace as an excuse for sin. That's far worse. Could we read Titus two, Titus chapter 2? But speak now the things which become sound doctrine, that the age of men be sober, brave, temperate, sound in faith and charity and patience.
The Asian women likewise that they be in behavior has become a holiness, not false accusers, not given too 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, chase keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands. That the word of God be not blasphemy.
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded in all things, showing myself a pattern of good works.
The doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, it cannot be condemned that he that is of the contrary partner be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, to please them well in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
In all things, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity.
And purify unto himself the peculiar people.
Zealous of good works, these things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority.
Let no man despise thee. Doctrine means teaching.
So whenever you read teaching or doctrine it's referring to the same thing. Notice in verse one speak the things which become sound doctrine, sound teaching.
In the second verse, sound in faith in the fourth verse that they may teach young women.
Seventh verse in doctrine showing uncorruptedness, gravity, sincerity. Verse 8, sound speech cannot be condemned. Verse 10. That they may adorn the doctrine of God.
Our Savior in all things.
Paul says to Timothy, Thou has known my doctrine, manner of life, and so on.
His teaching.
Our Christianity must be based upon sound teaching, otherwise it is not a true expression of Himself who is the truth.
In the 13th verse of the first chapter.
He says this witness is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith on on brother trade, that we might need to be rebuked and corrected and exhorted to go on and pack. I can't think of a of a worse evil.
At the end of these 2000 years of the Day of Grace.
00:05:02
Than the evil that Jude talks about turning the grace of God into lasciviousness or dissoluteness or a free reign for the flesh. This is everywhere in Christendom today. Music and.
Habits that are going on in Christian circles that are nothing but the flesh indulging itself, as though the liberty that grace has brought us into gives us liberty, for the flesh gives no liberty.
For the flesh at all. And this has affected young people, young Christians carrying out things under the banner of Christianity which the world goes on with, with no thought of it actually for Christians to go on with it. The kind of music that they prayed nowadays, which is.
Really an abomination. It's not really music, it's it's from.
Deeper baser things of man. This has been Christianized and taken over by a Christian circles. After all, you've got to do it in order to gain the young to keep them. You've got to appeal to their inner senses, their inner feelings, their inner nature. Well, that's the flesh and.
To degrade the Christian message to such a thing is a terrible abomination before God.
And we're living in days when this is done everywhere and.
And a loud voice of protest and warning against such things as needed. Grace does not give any liberty to the flesh at all. In fact, it suppresses it and gives liberty to the Spirit of God to walk as Christ walk. We are sanctified by the Spirit to the obedience of Christ. The obedience of Christ was the delight that he had in doing his Father's will.
The Holy Spirit, his whole path down here, and that's the liberty that we've been brought into.
We were bond slaves to sin, now we have been delivered from that through the death of Christ to be set free now to do the will of God.
To please him and not to indulge the flesh. No liberty for the flesh whatsoever. Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, Paul says to the Romans.
Doctrine is so important in our day and I.
Just like to encourage, especially those that are younger. But we need to all be encouraged to be occupied with sound doctrine. It's so important. It's being downplayed in Christian circles today. I've heard the statement doctrine divides.
It's not true doctrine that divides.
True doctrine is the basis of true fellowship. You turn back to Acts Chapter 2. You see the two things put together, and I think it is good to see those things put together.
In the.
1St or the 2nd chapter of Acts and the 42nd verse.
Talking about the believers in the church in the beginning of the Christian era and it says they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine. Apostles teaching and fellowship. It's been explained that apostles is an adjective that modifies both doctrine and fellowship, so you can read it the apostles doctrine.
Apostles fellowship. So the doctrine is the basis of the fellowship. If we downplay doctrine, we're getting away from the true ground of fellowship. And I think it's so important to get into the truth of Scripture to ground our souls in it.
And I must say, as a young person brought up in meetings like we are at this morning, I heard the truth of God. But I remember the time when the test really came to me myself.
Knew it in a mental way, but I had not really been put to the test on it. But when I came to put the test on it for myself, I found, dear young people, that it holds. It is true. It is rock solid. Not my comprehension of it, but the truth of God itself. It is solid.
00:10:12
The Lord Jesus said heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away.
You base your ideas, your actions on man's ideas. You're going to find yourself in sinking sand that you base yourself on what God says in his word. You are basing something if yourself on something that is rock solid and will never change how important it is the apostles doctrine.
What we have in the New Testament, epistles, the Gospels too, and epistles.
It is the fossils doctrine and upon that is face the fellowship one other verse to.
Confirm that is first John chapter one.
We also have the question of fellowship, taking address by the Apostle John.
And he says in verse three of first John chapter one, that which we says he speaks in the plural. Not only was he a witness, but there were other apostles that gave their testimony as well. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you. What's that? That is the apostles doctrine.
That ye also may have fellowship with us. What is the purpose?
Of the apostles doctrine is that we might be also in that same fellowship, the apostles fellowship. And then he goes on to say, truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. So it's not merely the doctrine of the apostles, the fellowship of the apostles, but it is also the fellowship of the Father and his Son.
To get away from true doctrine, sound doctrine, is to get away from the true fellowship as well. Never think that giving up or leaving doctrine go divides.
If it's truly held in a proper way, it brings us into the true fellowship that the Apostle speaks about here.
You were mentioning hell that will hold us. A few days ago we were looking at this verse and Acts 242.
As before, anchors that were put out of the ship and falls shipwrecked and we have that to hold, hold on to. Those are solid things.
And this is at the beginning of the Christian era of the church period, the apostles doctrine and fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers. And in Jude we have it at the end of the of this period. 24 anchors.
Look at it.
Jude chapter 20, chapter one, verse 20 and 21.
But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, I believe that would touch on the doctrine. How do we build ourselves up? It's in the Word of God, the reading, meeting, so on praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
So at the end, we have those four anchors still there. In the case of the 27th Atlanta, you look at in the Darby translation, they didn't lift the anchors, they cut them off and they went adrift. So that's just what we're saying. We need to hold on to those anchors and the doctrine is the important part of it. The doctrine gives us the basis of the fellowship.
The breaking of bread expresses the fellowship, and the prayer maintains the fellowship.
If it's not sound doctrine, it's not fellowship of the apostles and it's not the fellowship with the Father and the Son. They all go together. So what is called fellowship oftentimes among Christians is something like a a social group.
That enjoy one another's company, but it's not founded upon sound doctrine.
00:15:02
And that is not Christian fellowship. Seems to me that we have often in the word of God that that thought that's being expressed. And it's good to see it from various angles because this has been expressed in this day that we live. It's being given up. But what I mean is that doctrine is the basis for a believer. Doctrine is the basis of everything. And it's not just knowing doctrine that it's that is important.
Doctrine ought to have an effect in our lives. We can know a whole lot of things in our mind in these days and perhaps allow ourselves some self complacency thinking because we know them. Then that's all there is to it. But we need to walk in them. We might turn to second Timothy because.
Have that character of things. Everything has fallen apart. The outward testimony, the testimony is in ruins. But we do have this verse in Second Timothy. Excellent instruction and a comfort for us. Chapter 3. It's a well known verse, one of the three sixteens in Scripture, Second Timothy 316. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine. So that comes first.
And then we find the moral results of it for reproof.
Correction, instruction, and righteousness. So you have there the doctrine, we need to be grounded in it and then the Scriptures have their proper effect. And I might add just this one other word also in Second Timothy as to fellowship. Just a little application in Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse 22. And it would seem to me that this would be the result of allowing.
Sound doctrine in all of the scripture.
To have its moral effect in my life. Then it says flee youthful lust, but follow righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. It doesn't say with them to call out of the Lord out of an intelligent mind.
It says with them that call him the Lord out of a pure heart. It's seeking to walk according to the light that God has given to me and to you as to the doctrine and seeing that that light applies to our steps practically. And that's a wonderful guiding principle, beloved young people for those with whom, because it's a question that's often asked, well, who can I have fellowship with? Well, here's a wonderful principle with them.
That call in the Lord out of a pure heart.
And that's based on applying the doctrine of the Scriptures, the apostles doctrine, to our ways.
I'd like to add to that some verses in Ephesians 5. So needed.
Verse 8 Paul said he were sometimes he were once darkness.
But now are ye light in the Lord?
That's the truth. We were once darkness, now we're lighting the Lord. Now comes the exhortation to walk accordingly, walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit and other translation reads, The fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.
Are we participating in our fellowship with other Christians?
In things which savor of the darkness.
Or are they things which savor of the light, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, when young people get together?
For a time of.
Fellowship. Is it acceptable to the Lord? Are things being done there which savor of the darkness and of this world? And I happen to know the answer to that is yes.
There are occasions when the music is loud that it it has to be loud enough not just to break your eardrums, but to cause your body to respond to it. When the smoke is so thick that you can't see the other side of the room and wear liquor flows freely, you see. Oh, that can't be. Yes, it can. Let's read on.
Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Young person, if you're invited to a get together and you find when you enter the place those kinds of things are happening, what should you do?
00:20:11
Stay with it or reprove it. Rebuke it.
Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. Now he's talking about the things in the world. But we're at the end. We make complete circle. We're at the end of the day of grace, and the use of grace has been so perverted.
As to give license for these things which are nothing but the flesh condemned by the Word of God, we have scripture after scripture to say that is a wrong interpretation of the Word of God of grace. Grace is not freedom for sin. It gives strength to rebuke sin and to live above it. This doesn't just apply to the young people.
Applies to all of us. There are things that we can get into.
And become a part of might be a businessman and you're called to take some clients out and you get to drinking and smoking and all the evils that go with it. Are we going to go along with that kind of thing or rebuke it and have no fellowship with it? These are solemn things and I think we need to talk about them.
And bring them up to the front, because we have to take a stand. If the salt is saltless, it's good for nothing. But to be trodden under foot of men. Cast out candle is not to be hid under a bed, but it's to be set on a stands so all can see. It is our testimony. Do they know at work that you're a Christian?
That you don't do those kinds of things.
Is that our testimony or do we just go along with it? Because after all, the others are Christians too, and we go along with that which is the what the crowd goes with. We have to learn to take a stand for truth and to rebuke these hidden things of darkness.
And some of them are not too hidden anymore.
Some of the things one hears.
He travels around.
Are sad indeed and they need to speak plainly of these things. May God give us grace to be to be real soldiers of the cross and stand for truth. I feel very strongly that those warnings are very needed for each one of us. Our brother Chuck has been addressing the young people, but I know he means it for all of us.
But I have enjoyed in the epistles of both Timothy and Titus how beautifully balanced the word of God is in bringing together, as our brother Doug has been mentioning, the doctrine or the truth and the truth and the walk in connection with it. In First Timothy we get the expression, the doctrine, which is according to godliness.
In the first chapter of the Epistle of Titus. In the first verse.
It talks about the truth which is after or according to godliness. I think if I had been writing it I might have put it the other way around, the godliness which is according to the truth but the word of God.
Penned by the inspiration of the Spirit of God and the wisdom of God flips the other way around. Why is that? Oh, I just suggest the thought that while the Doctor is so important and I wouldn't in any way take away from what we have had before us.
The doctrine is extremely important, but what does the world see when it looks at you and me? What does it see first? It sees the godliness, doesn't it? They hear the doctrine from your lips and mind, but what it sees first is the result of that doctrine. What does it do in my life? And sad to say, the world and other believers.
Judge the doctrine by what they see in you and me, don't they?
We know that we have experienced it where people have judged the truth of God by your walk and mine. And that's why I believe it's put this way. That's why the apostle here in writing to Titus spent so much emphasis in this very chapter on the practical side of things, taking up every group age by age, older men, older women, younger men, younger women. Why? Because.
00:25:21
What is seen first of all is the effect of all of that. I can well remember quite a few years ago now when I was still in university, having a conversation with a sister in Christ who was gathered to the Lord's name. And she was quite a bit older than I, probably old enough to have been my mother, but I knew her quite well. And we were talking about two brothers who were well known to both of us.
And she had a great deal of difficulty with one of those brothers.
And thought very highly of the other one. Well, as it happened, I thought very highly of both of them. And I made the remark to her in the course of our conversation. I said, I don't think what it doesn't matter what question you would ask those two brothers concerning the word of God, I think you would get the same answer.
She said yes, you would, but then she referred to one of them. She said he doesn't look down on anyone and his life shows the results of what he holds. I never forgot that. I thought that that spoke to my own soul at the time and I have never forgotten. As I say, I knew those brothers very, very well, even as a young man. And I can attest to the truth of what she said, and I don't mean to.
Point the finger at the other one who was a most faithful man. But there was something about the other that lent itself to a listening ear. It gave that which I believe commended, adorned the doctrine that he held in time. Am I right in saying that that is the emphasis in this epistle? Is that right there, Chuck? Yes, yes, I think if we.
Could turn to a very well known.
Portion in the Old Testament, we find what our brother has been bringing out and what others have been saying beautifully illustrated. And let's turn back, though it's in more than one location. But let's turn to the passage in First Kings chapter 10. We read these verses often, but I feel they're particularly appropriate for this thought of our ways.
Adorning the doctrine and we all know the story of the Queen of Sheba who came to visit Solomon.
But we'll start with verse four of First Kings chapter 10, when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomons wisdom in the house that he had built. Now this verse, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his minister ministers and their apparel, and his cup bearers, and his assent by which he went up to the House of the Lord.
There was no more spirit in her.
She heard Solomons words. They were confirmed by the action of Solomon's servants. The way those servants acted. And our brother Bill has brought out, I think, something very important that in Titus, this grace of God that we're talking about is going to affect every person sitting in this room.
There isn't one who can say, well, I'm not included. It isn't contemplating my life, no, the lives of every single one of us, from the youngest to the oldest, working at home, retired, whatever it is, we need to walk in that doctrine and that grace, and we need to serve our Solomon.
And so here were the servants of Solomon, and the Queen of Sheba looked.
She had heard Solomon's words. I say now she looks at how Solomon's servants are acting and how they are dressed and how they serve him, and there's no more spirit in her. Oh beloved brother, may it be from the youngest to the oldest here today that the world might just look at us and see something that speaks well as those that serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
I think what we've been speaking about too is shown in our chapter.
When it says in verse 2 The agent or the elder men.
Be sober, grave, temperate, sound in the faith and charity and patience, certainly addressing the practical affairs of life.
And as Chet mentioned, you mentioned to Bill.
Brethren, if these things aren't in those of us who are older, and what can we say to the younger?
00:30:06
And I really think it's something that should searches every one of us, not just the younger. Sometimes it's easier to dress the younger. But the lack of power to address these issues with the younger is because perhaps those of us who are older are not really living in the way that we have in scripture ourselves.
Maybe the less of the flesh?
In the younger people are evident in one way and another way and those of us who are older and it takes a sharp knife on ourselves if there's going to be power to address the matter with younger ones, right. I think of that Father that brought the his boy to the disciples of the Lord Jesus.
And the disciples seem to be powerless.
To deal with that spirit and that young boy, they didn't know what to do. They were.
At the end of their own recourses and the Lord Jesus comes and he deals with the situation and then they ask Lord, why weren't we able to cast out that demon? And he said this kind goes out by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. Fasting rather than is something that goes along with prayer. It's not merely.
From food, but it is that natural.
Way of life of denying ourselves what is the character of our I must say rather than in the United States of America, there's not much need to deny ourselves and we don't do a whole lot and it results in lack of power in addressing situations with our young. There seems to be a barrier to do it.
And we need what Chuck says faithful ministry has to these things. But how are we going to do it if it's not first of all in US? I believe that's why Titus addresses the older women first of all. The younger men come down towards the end of the less. But it's something that should exercise. The sharp knife has to start right here.
With myself, if not, there's no power further on. My sister told me she had heard this from another sister who was at a Bible study and it wasn't amongst us. But that doesn't make any difference as far as what I'm going to say. And this sister was just So she left the study, she drove her car out of the parking lot and there was another sister ahead of her that was in the study. And.
And.
Just really enjoying what before them and she saw something that was very disappointing to her. The sister ahead of her came to the stop sign and stopped the car for a moment, took out a cigarette, lit it up and drove on. And that caused the one that noticed this.
Grid.
Now.
Whether you smoke or whether you don't smoke doesn't change your Christianity. If you're saved, you're saved and you can never be lost again. I never smoked and so I never had to give it up. I understand it's a very difficult thing to do, Harder for some, easier for others, but it's a very difficult thing to do. But the grace of God is able.
To give us power to overcome these things.
Which?
Paul says all things are lawful. We're not under the law. We're not under. Thou shalt not touch, not taste, not handle not. You can't do this, can't do that. We're not under the law. All things are lawful, but all things are not profitable.
And he also says I will not be brought under the power of any.
If you are a slave to a habit, if I'm a slave to a habit, we come very strongly down upon smoking and drinking, and rightly so I think, but not so much over eating.
Kind of let that one go, but I will not be brought under the power of any now. I'm speaking to myself here and to all others that have a problem that way.
00:35:08
I.
The grace of God is able to give us power. The Spirit of God is given to us to enable us to overcome all of these things. Do all things in moderation.
And if we would follow those guidelines in scripture, the scriptures gives us all we need.
Sometimes we hesitate to even speak on it because we condemn ourselves and what we're saying. That's all right. If what I'm saying condemns me, so be it. It needs to be said, and we have to become exercised about all of these things.
So we don't want to put anyone under law but liberty.
Does not mean license for the flesh those we have to keep these things in proper balance. You know what you hear when you talk to someone and say I'm saved by grace not works well then you can do whatever you please. That's the attitude that the world has towards grace. You're saved by grace and do whatever you want.
Let us do evil that good may come. See obviously the idea. And if you read your New Testament and are established in sound, doctor, you see that can't stand that argument, can't stand the word of God condemns that which is contrary to sound doctrine. And certainly anything that gives license for the flesh is country. There's something else here.
That we turn back to 2nd Corinthians 5 and verse.
10.
That we should bring out this morning, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in the His body according to that He had done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade man.
How how important that is for it as we're going through like the devil wants to say, do whatever you want, but you don't have to pay for it. But we will remember that everything that we do, we're going to have to give an account of it at the judgment seat of Christ. And everything that's not done for the Lord is our works are going to be burnt. And so, as I say, we should have to bear this in mind from the youngest to the oldest.
Is it for the Lord or is it for self? I would like to ask a question.
You're mentioning brother, check that. It's not the answer to put people under law.
The law is not the standard. What is the standard then, that we're to go by Christ? Very good. You have a verse, ye that saith, He abideth in Him, ought Himself also so to walk. Even as He walked He's the same. And we're sanctified to the obedience of Christ. That's a much higher standard than the law. If we walk according to Christ, we'll keep the law. We'll fulfill the law. He did.
And we'll do more than that.
He that stole steal no more let him labor working with his hands. Let me he may have to give to him let it as he that goes but beyond the law. The law said thou shall not steal. Grace says you work and then you'll have to give to someone that's you. That's great. I'd like to give two other verses that to me show that same standard in Colossians chapter 3 that apply really to everything in our lives. Colossians chapter 3 and verse.
17.
Whatsoever you do now, that takes in pretty well pretty much everything in our lives.
In Word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. That's center and verse 23. Whatsoever he do, do it heartily as to the Lord.
And not unto me. So it's Christ before the soul. He's the stint. I think it's so important get his person before us and dear young people too, that we.
To get a right evaluation of what grace is, it's important that we understand how serious sin is before God. And you don't get the right picture of either of those until you come to the cross of Christ, when you see the Lord Jesus hanging on that cross.
00:40:07
The eternal Son of God, man.
In the flesh. And there He is hanging on that cross. Why is he hanging there? To deal with the question of sin before a holy God and those things that I may have so lately done in my unsaved life.
Those were laid on him, and God's judgment fell on him and all its fury.
And he took it all. He paid the price in full on the cross.
And we hear his cry. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken? We see him give up his life. We see him shed his blood.
As the basis of our forgiveness and then to go out and say I have liberty to do my own thing. It doesn't fit into the picture, young people, it doesn't fit in the picture. Those of us are older. It doesn't fit into the picture. That's the way you get the true measure of what grace is, the true measure of what sin is.
Like to make a comment that were made this morning in prayer meeting that was mentioned about our sister in Cedar Rapids.
The verse Come to me and James, the last verse of the first chapter, pure religion undefiled before God and the Father is this.
We visit the fatherless and widows, they're affected. There is a case there and I'm sure there are many amongst the gathered states in light condition. The brother brother before in the second verse Asian men.
And you mentioned about fathers and beloved brother and I, I feel that we might apply that verse in James in this sense a little bit.
There are assemblies perhaps that are as fatherless or widows. There are assemblies where perhaps there are sisters and no bread in there to carry on the remembrance of the Lord. There may be assemblies where there is not the fatherly guidance, and so some doctrine.
I think is an excellent exercise for the brethren, and not the laborers only, but for each one.
To be mindful of the assemblies, particularly that do not have a father or do not have a husband as one to be there.
In the open, caring for the remembrance of the Lord, and then in the same sense as they are there, that they present sound doctrine. And beloved brethren, I believe that the sound doctrine that has been before us is a positive thing, is what we need. We need something positive.
And that is Paul's doctrine, isn't it? And that is what's going to emerge, the assemblies, and that is what's going to carry the spirit of those of us who are weak and feeble in these days. We need those who would furnish us the false doctrine amongst the fatherless and widows as that characterizes the assemblies amongst.