What Must Be Taught Series

INTRO.- The importance of teaching.

ILL.- Teaching the child. As a crowded airliner is about to take off, the peace is shattered by a 5-year-old boy who picks that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum. No matter what his frustrated, embarrassed mother does to try to calm him down, the boy continues to scream furiously and kick the seats around him.

Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, an elderly man in the uniform of an Air Force General is seen slowly walking forward up the aisle. Stopping the flustered mother with an upraised hand, the white-haired, courtly, soft-spoken General leans down and, motioning toward his chest, whispers something into the boy’s ear.

Instantly, the boy calms down, gently takes his mother’s hand, and quietly fastens his seat belt. All the other passengers burst into spontaneous applause.

As the General slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touches his sleeve. "Excuse me, General," she asks quietly, "but could I ask you what magic words you used on that little boy?"

The old man smiles serenely and gently confides, "I showed him my pilot’s wings, service stars, and battle ribbons, and explained that they entitle me to throw one passenger out the plane door on any flight I choose."

I guess this shows that there is more than one way to teach a child about life or how to behave.

ILL.- Most of us were taught in school by teachers like our Miss Billie who had a paddle, a Bible and no telling what else on her desk.

I still laugh to this day when Billie told me about a boy who ran away from her class at school and climbed up a tree. And Miss Billie went up the tree after him!

Don’t you wish teachers taught the way they used to teach? And don’t you wish they taught the old curriculum that we were taught? And don’t you wish they taught the old way, demanding discipline from their students?

And the same principle applies to the teaching and preaching of the Word of God. Much of the old way of preaching and teaching may be better than some of the new stuff.

I’ve heard many young preachers who went everywhere preaching the word. You couldn’t understand where they were going and some of what they were saying.

1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.

The important thing for all who teach and preach is that our material must be sound. It must be based on scripture.

PROP.- Paul tells Titus what must be taught to various groups of people in the church.

1- Teach the older men

2- Teach the older women

3- Teach the young men

4- Teach the workers

I. TEACH THE OLDER MEN

1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

Teach the older men. What older men? How much older? That’s debatable. Personally, I think an older man should teach the older men. And I’m getting there.

I think most of us would agree that it might be hard to listen to someone who is a lot younger than us teach us the Word of God. This may depend on his sincerity and how he comes across in his teaching.

If he’s an arrogant, know-it-all, then we won’t listen well or at all. But if he is humble, admitting his own need and error, we might be willing to listen to him.

2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

Why would you teach older men these things? In this particular case, they probably needed it. If older men are not temperate, not self-controlled, not worthy of respect, and not sound in faith, in love and endurance then they would need to be taught about these things.

ILL.- Let me illustrate. You probably know the 54 year old, American born actor, Mel Gibson. Mel produced and/or directed the movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” which millions of Christians went to see. It did a lot of good in the hearts and lives of many people. It humbled us and made us appreciate even more what Christ suffered for us.

Even though Mel’s movie “The Passion” accomplished a lot of good, in some ways, Mel has not accomplished much good in his personal life.

In 1980 Mel Gibson married Robyn Moore in a Catholic wedding. In 2009 his wife, Robyn. filled for divorce after 29 years of marriage and after having seven children. Why did she do that? Because Mel was unfaithful. They had been separated for three years prior to the divorce. And Catholics frown on divorce. Of course, they cited irreconcilable differences.