Expectations For Godly Living-Part 5

EXPECTATIONS For GODLY LIVING-V—Titus 2:1-15

Attention:

In order for God’s people to properly elevate & honor God thru Jesus Christ, there are ‘Expectations’ that will be met!

Need:

There is an ultimate ‘fulfillment & satisfaction’ that CAN come to your life!

BUT that ‘fulfillment & satisfaction’ can ONLY come to you thru YOUR participation in GOD’s Expectations for Godly Living!

Titus was exhorted by the apostle Paul, to expose God’s people to the expectations for godly living.

All God’s people are answerable to His expectations for godly living.

What are some expectations for godly living by God’s people?

What are some expectations for godly living?

The last time we looked at Titus 2, we found:

Some expectations for godly living are...

1—APPROPRIATE DIRECTION(:1, 15)God’s direction thru apostolic authority

2—APPROPRIATE MATURITY(:2-8)—

A.-OLDER Christian MEN & WOMEN(:2, 3-4)

•OLDER Christian MEN—because they are responsible as Christian ‘heads’ of their families & churches.

•OLDER Christian WOMEN—because they are responsible as Christian leaders, to be examples of God’s intended role for young Christian women.

B.-YOUNG Christian WOMEN & MEN(:4-5, :6-8)

•YOUNG Christian WOMEN—because their homes & families are directly effected by their godliness or the lack thereof.

•YOUNG Christian MEN—because they are the future ‘heads’ of their families & churches.

*Today we’ll continue to flesh-out the ‘Godly Expectation’ of APPROPRIATE MATURITY(:2-8)....

....As it relates to B(ii).-YOUNG Christian MEN(:6-8):

(CONT...)B(ii).-Titus is to exhort & exemplify before “young” Christian “men”...

2:8—“sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”

“in doctrine showing...”

“Sound speech”—

“Sound speech”is to further characterize Titus’ exhortation to young Christian men, & is descriptive of his Christian “doctrine”(:7).

Titus’ “doctrine”, & likewise, the “doctrine” of “young” Christian “men”, is to be of such quality as to render it ‘incapable’ of being faulty(“cannot be condemned”). The “speech” thru which the “doctrine” is borne, must itself be “sound.”

“Sound speech” is not laden with personal ‘landmines’ that would cause what a person says, to be questionable, or less than fitting(“sound”).

If what Titus shares in word is rendered or characterized as something that “cannot be condemned”, then it will also be of such persuasive power, that any & all who “oppose” it will be brought to “shame.”

•That “shame” will be due to:

1)The defective & flawed nature of the lost person’s belief; &

2)Their misguided/illusory boldness in standing against God’s truth in Christ!

Those “opponents” of the Gospel, will become “ashamed” by means of the truth of God’s word. So “opponents” of the Gospel will have absolutely no REAL basis for deeming the Christian faith as “evil” or ‘worthless.’....

•NOR will any “opponent” of God’s Good News, be able to ‘rightly’ characterize any SPEAKER of “sound speech” regarding God, as being “evil.”

Js. 3:1-2—“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”

1Pet. 2:11-12—“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners & pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Argumentation:

1Cor. 2:1-8—“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ & Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, & in much trembling. And my speech & my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit & of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

1Cor. 3:1-3—“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk & not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, & even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, & divisions among you, are you not carnal & behaving like mere men?”

1Cor. 14:18-20—“I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.”