GROWN UP CHRISTIANS – Family Relationships
Titus 2:1-15 (p. 835) May 24, 2015
Introduction:
A couple of weeks ago Kari and I were doing Home Communion and visiting with the sweetest lady you’ll ever meet in your life named Sienna...Sienna is in her 90’s and completely blind...
You have to mash up the communion bread and mix it with water so Sienna can drink it...so Kari did that and then gave Sienna a drink of the water on her tray to wash it down...and when she did Sienna gently said, “Wooo, that’s hot!”
And Kari said, “No it’s cool I can feel it in my hands.” And Sienna said, “It burns!”
I thought, “Oh No! My wife has poisoned this poor elderly blind lady!” My second thought was...”I’ll visit you in jail, but I’m not going down for this... “Run!”
Kari tested the liquid and laughed...”It’s Ginger Ale.
Immediately I though “Oh thank you Jesus!”
But Sienna said, “I don’t like ginger ale!” with a little laugh and a smile.
We prayed together, finished up putting things away...and I thought what a wonderful lady...what a wonderful spirit of gentleness, goodness and kindness. Even after Kari almost poisoned her (lol) she expressed all those beautiful encouraging attitudes. 90’s, blind, and in a nursing home...filled with God’s joy.
Loving Sienna is easy, because she almost automatically loves you in return...whether you are 18, 55, or 95.
When Paul wrote to Timothy he mentioned the faith of Timothy’s grandmother and mother as an example of sincere faith.
Now Paul is writing to Titus in our text this morning...He calls him “My true son in our common faith.” (Titus 1:4)
Paul has left him in Crete to finish unfinished business...the first priority:
I. DEAL WITH LEADERSHIP AND REBELIOUS PEOPLE
“Appoint Elders in every town as I directed you” chapter 1 verse 5 says... And then Paul talks about what kind of characteristic a leader displays...and on the heels of that in almost the same breath he writes: “There are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception...they must be silenced because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach.” (Titus 1:10-11)
He sums up this group... “As people who claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him.” (Titus 1:16)
Getting along with someone like Sienna is really easy because she looks for the good through kind eyes...even though she is physically blind.
Getting along with rebellious people...who stir up trouble in people’s hearts...some of whom make money way too important according to the Apostle Paul isn’t so easy...Paul gets real by saying “Rebuke them sharply so they will be sound in the faith.” He doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to the spiritual health of the family of God...He tells Titus...“They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” (Titus 1:16)
If you had a cancer that could be surgically removed would you ignore it and hope it got better....or would you want a surgeon to take a sharp scalpel and cut it out?
Spiritual immaturity always show itself in selfish, worldly tests...I don’t like something or I get mad at someone and instead of privately seeking reconciliation...I talk to my “circumcision group” cause households to be disrupted....Why? because each of us is rebellious by nature...it’s sinful...and it’s worldly...and if we are not in Christ...or are babies in Christ...it’s how we deal with people and things we don’t like.
Maybe in Crete some of these folks had money and influence. So, instead of spiritual accountability and growth being expected and taught...dishonest gain took precedent and money became more important than the health of the body of Christ.
That’s why leaders were essential...Titus’ first responsibility!!!! So things could be put right...unfinished things could be finished.
The word “elder” denotes spiritual maturity. The Bible never gives a physical age requirement...In Roman times your life span was about 35. Our life span now is around 77. When you look at an elder’s qualifications they have lived some life, had a family, grown to be trustworthy, unselfish, humble, teachable and able to share their faith...they are courageous and think of the overall health of God’s church more than making individuals happy or comfortable.
Titus and Timothy were asked to discern leaders who showed these characteristics and attitudes. So they could be “examples and shepherds of the flock...to encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” (Titus 1:9)
Titus was a godly leader...Timothy was a godly leader...but unless they had spiritually mature, grown up Christians helping, loving, encouraging, teaching, holding accountable the family of God...trouble would divide the family like the Hatfields and McCoys.
It’s a hard job...and those who do it well are worthy of “double honor” according to 1 Timothy 5:17. Why is it so hard?
[Because the family of God is like a bunch of porcupines in the arctic...we get cold, so we huddle together for warmth, but we’re prickly...so as we are huddled we poke each other and separate...then we get cold so we huddle back together...and we poke each other...and so goes the cycle.
We have older porcupines...younger porcupines...male porcupines...and female porcupines...all huddled together in Christ...and sometimes we can be a prickly lot.
It’s really hard to be a porcupine “wrangler!”]
That’s why scripturally God has designed His family to be held together by relationships...not a few clergy or “ministers” who meet people’s needs. It means the family of God is filled with Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Mothers, Fathers, Single people, sons and daughters, that are:
II. PASSIONATELY PASSING ON THEIR FAITH TO A FUTURE GENERATION
Before I came to GCC it’s leadership adopted a vision statement that says, “Our Vision: PASSIONATELY PREPARING ALL PEOPLE FOR AN ETERNITY WITH CHRIST.”
That sounds good rolling off the tongue but how do you “prepare all people for eternity?”
My buddy Stan Holstein, who was one of my leaders at Fern Creek CC and one of my closest friends would say, “you save the lost...and grow the saved.”
You prepare all people for eternity by teaching...Paul tells Titus to teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine...teach older men...teach older women...have them teach younger women...even...teach slaves.
In other words...Paul is saying...there is a right way to live in Christ....no matter your age or your station in life. There is a way to live so that no one will malign the Word of God.
The word malign in verse 5 means “defame, or slander.” The Word of God isn’t just meant to be heard, read or taught. It’s meant to be lived...it’s living and active...it penetrates the thoughts and attitudes of our heart like a knife...” (Heb. 4) so we can obey it.
If you claim to be a believer, but God’s Word doesn’t influence your attitude and actions the world will notice and think: “The Bible has no significance or power...It’s just an archaic book.”
Brennan Manning said, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
If our older men would become spiritual grandfathers and fathers to the young men in the family of God and our older women would become spiritual grandmothers and mothers to the young women in the family of God these relationships would ensure the future generation that’s passionately prepared for eternity. Most believe that Titus and Timothy are somewhere near 30 years old when Paul writes to them and Paul’s in his late 50’s or 60’s. No one knows for sure, but he’s challenging these young men to be examples, by doing what is good...by teaching God’s Word...by living in such a way “that those who oppose them will be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about them.” (Titus 2:8)
The overall teaching in our text is – live for others...Love God, Love people and serve everyone. Even if you were a slave during the early days of the church Paul says:
TITUS 2:9-10 (p. 835)
Even in this horrible situation...God’s Word works. “Make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”
There is no such thing as “part time” or “convenient” Christianity. We believe it works...it’s real...it’s abundant and attractive...In our old age, in our youth, in our captivity and in our freedom.
And there is a powerful foundation for why we would believe this truth.
III. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE GRACE
TITUS 2:11-15 (p. 835)
Jesus didn’t die for some people...He died for ALL people...He didn’t conquer the grave so some could have eternal life...He rose from the dead so ALL could have salvation.
“He gave himself for us to redeem us from sin, and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own...eager to do good!”
Grace isn’t an excuse to keep sinning...It’s a gift of freedom from what holds us in captivity, even if we are slaves.
When grace glows...forgiveness is easy...when your first thought is “Jesus has forgiven me of all my sin...forgiving others, no matter their age is easier...maybe not easy...but when you believe you’ve been forgiven little...you forgive little...when you believe that God has forgiven you a lot...you forgive a lot...relationships are healthy in Christ when we “treat others in the way we would want to be treated.”
When you understand the true cost for our forgiveness...grace isn’t a license to live to please yourself or hurt others...it makes you realize whose paying for it.
(This is a true story) Two guys in a church, Paul and William decided that they really wanted to become godly men. So they started meeting with one another to pray and encourage one another; they even set goals for themselves and their behavior, and then were accountable to the other one.
Paul decided he wanted to break his habit of using profanity. He decided he was going to put five dollars in the offering for every time he swore during the week. In order to stay accountable, he would tell William how many times he’d failed. The first week cost Paul $100.
Now, Paul must have been doing ok financially, because that didn’t stop his swearing. In fact, while he improved somewhat over the next couple weeks, he really wasn’t having the success he wanted and was losing a lot of hard-earned cash.
After the fourth week, William told Paul he had decided that the deal needed to be changed for the coming week, but he wasn’t going to tell Paul how it would change. He just said, “Trust me. It will cost you both less and more.”
When they met the following Sunday before the service, Paul admitted he had failed again. William put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Paul, I told you this was going to cost you both less and more. It’s called grace.” William took out his checkbook, and made out a check to the church, leaving the amount blank.
He gave the check to Paul and said, “your sins still cost but for you it’s free. Just fill in the numbers. And next week there will be more grace.” William’s grace cost him $55 the first week; the second only cost him $20. There was no third week. Paul couldn’t bear to see what his sin was costing his friend, so he quit sinning.
We grow up when we start to understand it’s all His grace.
Let’s Pray.
