INTRO.- 1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. We must teach. Teaching is important to God’s work.
ILL.- One school teacher said: As a 7th grade biology teacher, I was teaching my class about the flow of blood in the body. After my lecture I asked the class the following: “Why is it that if I would turn upside down, my face would turn red since the blood would flow to my head, but when I stand upright my feet don’t turn red?” I was taken aback when a boy blurted out, “that’s cuz your feet ain’t empty!”.
We start off in life with an empty head and it needs to be filled with good stuff which begins with mom and dad and then school.
Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” Jesus taught and we must teach. We must teach the good news in a world of bad news.
Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” The apostles’ teaching is scripture for us.
Colossians 1:28 “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” Teaching helps to mature us in Christ. Faith comes by hearing...
1 Timothy 4:13 “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” We must teach God’s Word most of all. Sound doctrine is found in scripture.
ILL.- A Presbyterian and a Baptist minister were discussing baptism. After a beautiful message on the subject by the Baptist minister, the Presbyterian minister asked if the Baptist considered a person baptized if he was immersed in water up to his chin. “No,” said the Baptist.
“Is he considered baptized if he is immersed up to his nose?” asked the Presbyterian. Again the Baptist’s answer was “No.”
“Well, if you immerse him up to his eyebrows do you consider him baptized?” queried the Presbyterian. “You don’t seem to understand,” said the Baptist. “He must be immersed completely in water—until his head is covered.” “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along,” said the Presbyterian, “it’s only a little water on the top of the head that counts.”
The truth is that it’s more than a little water on the top of the head. The truth of God’s Word is immersion. That’s what the Biblical word baptize actually means in the Greek language: to dip, plunge or immerse. Also, according to Romans 6:4-6 teaches that we are buried with Christ in baptism and raised to walk in newness of life. Baptism rightfully symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. In baptism we die to sin and self. Sound doctrine does make a difference. I’d rather preach the message of Acts 2:38 than dismiss it as unimportant.
PROP.- Paul tells us that we must various groups of people in the church and what to teach.
1- We must teach older men
2- We must teach older women
3- We must teach young men
4- We must teach slaves/workers
I. WE MUST TEACH OLDER MEN
2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
We’ve heard it said that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. OR CAN YOU? But can you teach older men? Yes, and they should be receptive to being taught. Older men should be more mature and realize the need for being taught and especially, being taught sound doctrine or scriptural truths.
ILL.- I remember when I was just a young preacher in my 20's in Iowa that one day I got a phone call from one of my older members, asking me to come to his house to talk to a Jehovah Witness person who had called on them. I thought, “Why me?” “What could I say that he didn’t already say?” He was much older in the faith than I was and I figured he knew more than I did.
Why would he bother to call me? I guess he thought I might know something or know to say something that he hadn’t thought to say. Actually, he was showing maturity and humility by calling me. He was open to being taught or learning from someone younger but some older men have closed minds.
Someone said, “A closed mind is like concrete; all mixed up and permanently set.” That can hold true for anyone, any age. We should be open to truth, but especially, guided by God’s truth.
God’s truth is eternal and God’s word is always right regardless of what the world says. Even though many so-called intelligent people say there is no god, we know better. We know better because of scripture, “In the beginning God,” and many other scriptures. We also know better because common sense tells us there is an intelligent creator behind the starry universe, planet earth, plant and animal life, and the human body.
All people, including older men should be receptive to being taught God’s truths from scripture. What was Titus to teach older men? He was to teach them to be temperate or moderate in all things (it’s easier to be moderate for an older man because there are things he can’t do anyway), respectful in living, self-controlled (not out of control as in eating at a buffet), sound in faith (in the faith and the Bible), and an enduring, faithful Christian.
These are qualities that all of us should strive for and be willing to be taught about.
II. WE MUST TEACH OLDER WOMEN
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
Older women can be taught but a person had better be careful how he or she goes about teaching them. He or she must show respect. In a time where there is less and less respect for the elderly, Christians should show even greater respect.
Many years ago it was the women of the church that kept the church going. When a lot of men wouldn’t go to the church, the women kept it going, teaching the Sunday school classes, running the Vacation Bible School programs, etc. And in some cases, I have known of women teaching the men’s class because no man wanted to teach or could teach.
ILL.- An elderly woman and her little grandson, whose face was sprinkled with bright freckles, spent the day at the zoo. Lots of children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating them with tiger paws. "You've got so many freckles, there's no place to paint!" a girl in the line said to the little fella.
Embarrassed, the little boy dropped his head. His grandmother knelt down next to him. "I love your freckles. When I was a little girl I always wanted freckles," she said, while tracing her finger across the child's cheek. "Freckles are beautiful."
The boy looked up, "Really?" "Of course," said the grandmother. "Why just name me one thing that's prettier than freckles." The little boy thought for a moment, peered intensely into his grandma's face, and softly whispered, "Wrinkles."
Elderly women should be taught but with great respect for all the good they’ve done in this world.
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Apparently, some women in that day needed to be taught about reverent behavior, and not to slander or gossip or be addicted to wine. Gossip has been a problem in every age.
CEV 3 Tell the older women to behave as those who love the Lord should. They must not gossip about others or be slaves of wine. Elderly women were charged to teach what is good, i.e., teach the younger women to love their husbands and their children and show it in everything they do.
J. B. Phillips: “They should be examples of the good life, so that the younger women may learn to love their husbands and their children, to be sensible and chaste, home-lovers, kind-hearted and willing to adapt themselves to their husbands—a good advertisement for the Christian faith.” Everything we do should be done in order to bring honor to God and His Word.
I Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
III. WE MUST TEACH YOUNG MEN
6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
I am finding it harder to teach young men because they are so smart or else they think they are smart.
ILL.- I had an incident happen while working a retail store one time that proved young men need to be taught. I was the assistant manager of this particular retail store. The company sent to our store two or three young men that they were training to become assistant mangers in other stores. They wanted us to help with their training and show them how we did certain things.
My manager asked me to take one of the young trainees to the break room and show him how to fill insurance papers and some other papers. That young trainee and I went to break room and I began to show him how to fill these papers that an assistant manager needed to know. After writing just a few minutes, that trainee shoved the papers away and said, “I don’t want to do this!” I think I said, “Well, ok,” and then he got up and walked out of the room.
Minutes later my manager came to me, saying, “I asked you to show that trainee how to fill out certain papers.” I said, “I did but he threw the papers down and walked out.”
I don’t recall what else happened after that, but it told me that young man wasn’t interested in being taught much of anything. I was also told that he didn’t stay with the company long after that time. I don’t think he wanted anybody to tell him anything.
ILL.- Friends told John Quincy Adams that a young congressman was ridiculing him on account of his age, which then was approaching eighty. The old politician remarked: “Tell that young man that an ass is older at thirty than a man at eighty years.”
Young men need to be taught self-control, which many young men don’t have. They don’t want to control themselves. They want to do whatever comes to mind. But the Christian young man should exhibit some self-control.
ILL.- During his term as President of the U.S., Lyndon Johnson was somewhat overweight. One day his wife challenged him with this blunt assertion: "You can't run the country if you can't run yourself." Respecting Mrs. Johnson's wise observation, the President lost 23 pounds.
I don’t know that President Johnson was the greatest example of self-control but he certainly did the right thing and Mrs. Johnson was exactly right. If any person can’t control themselves then how can they expect to control anything in life?
Young men need to learn that people are watching them and they need to set a good example for all to follow.
IV. WE MUST TEACH SLAVES/WORKERS
9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10 and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
Since slavery doesn’t exist in our country as it did back then we can apply this text to workers. Workers are to work, obey their boss, not talk back, not steal, work hard, honor God with their work.
ILL.- Bob Smith was sick of his job and was determined to find work elsewhere. But no matter how hard he tried, his reputation as someone who was not dedicated to the job, seemed to follow him around.
One day the phone rang at his office. Although Bob did not usually pick up the phone, he picked it up and said hello. “Hi” said the man on the line, “I have an unusual question to ask you, I’m looking into a fellow Bob Smith for a position in my company. Do you know this fellow?” “Sure I know him”, responded Bob with a smile.
“Tell me,” asked the man. “Is he consistent with his work? Does he always show up on time?” “Well I’ll be honest with you” Bob truthfully replied, “I’m not so consistent myself, but whenever I’m here he’s here!”
Have you always been faithful about going to work on time? And have you worked your full 8 hours for your 8 hours of pay?
ILL.- I was taken back one time at a church camp when another preacher asked me bluntly, “Do you work at least 40 hours a week in your ministry?” He said that he knew of preachers who didn’t. of course, this applies to all workers. People who work hard, give a full days work for their pay, don’t talk back, don’t complain, don’t steal, etc. are a good witness for the Lord. And that is a matter of sound living based on sound doctrine.
CONCLUSION---------------
We must teach and we must teach sound doctrine and here is why.
ILL.- Daniel Webster (former US Senator) offered excellent advice, saying, "If we work on marble it will perish. If we work on brass, time will efface it. If we rear temples, they will crumble to dust. But if we work on men's immortal minds, if we imbue them with high principles, with just fear of God and love of their fellow-men, we engrave on those tablets something which time cannot efface, and which will brighten and brighten to all eternity.”
Things are just things, but people are eternal. And we all have an effect on others, for good or evil. We must do our best to teach sound doctrine and live sound doctrine with the hope of leading people to know Christ so they will eternally with Him in heaven.
Steve Shepherd, Cape Girardeau, MO
shepherd111@hotmail.com
