Good morning, church! We start back into our series through the New Testament book of Titus called “Grow, Church, Grow!” As we get ready to hear from God’s word, take your Bibles and turn to Titus 2:1-8.
Sometimes I wonder what Central Park Church of Christ will look like in years to come. If I could jump into the future 30 years, I wonder what I would find. Would I be excited to see hundreds of people worshipping God, or would I be disappointed to find only a handful of people?
Would people be excited about how our church is impacting the community? Would we hear that missionaries are being supported and making an impact overseas? Would we find that we had sent out multiple young people into full-time Christian service? Or would the attitude be one of apathy towards the needs of others?
Would people come up to me and say, “I cannot believe how much I am learning about the Bible!” Would they say, “You've got to see what's happening in our children's ministry!”
I think it would be great to come back in 30 years and find that people have been led into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ; that families have been strengthened, young people have been encouraged, older people have been ministered to, and most of all, Jesus Christ has been honored.
Last Sunday was Youth Sunday and we were very blessed to have our youth group join us here in the main auditorium, amen? This morning, we’re going to turn our primary focus on young adults.
Last week, we learned that Jesus taught and exemplified the idea that young people are important to God. Today, Paul is going to teach us that young adults are important to God. Young adults bring energy to the mission of the church. They bring creativity and excitement to the mission.
So this morning as we look at Titus 2:1-8, let's read it with the future in mind. Let us “Plan for the Future.” In these verses Paul gives us three things we can do to make our church what it ought to be now and in the future.
Titus 2:1-8 – You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 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 urge 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.
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.
Develop Young Believers
I think it is safe to say that in 30 years the strength of the church will rest on the shoulders of those who are under the age of 45 today. If our church is going to have a dynamic future then it is crucial that we develop the young people.
I believe that a wise church will plan for the future by placing an emphasis on developing the young people. This may not sound fair to some, but we have to realize that the majority of people who become Christians do so before they are 21 years old as was shown in the statistics we heard last week.
The first thing to focus on in developing our young adults is education. Paul’s emphasis in these eight verses is teaching and training. Jesus told us in Matt. 28:19-20 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Here are important questions we need to answer here at Central Park. What ministries do we offer that focus on the needs of young adults? What opportunities do we offer for them to give of their unique, energetic, and creative abilities in the ministry of our congregation? What opportunities do we utilize to pour our lives into their lives?
Some of us who are older have the view that our young adults are under-committed. They don’t have the commitment to be regular in church attendance. The problem is that many of our young adults are over-committed – especially if they’re parents of young children.
The state of our economy many times requires that both parents work to make ends meet. Let’s not forget the single parents who have no help from a marriage partner at home. Schools and athletic organizations schedule events during regular church times. Our society is working diligently to make family life difficult. The fact of the matter is that many of our young adults are just tired – they’re worn out. What are we going to do to help them out?
We need to make sure that we are doing everything possible to teach them the word of God. There is no better instruction in how to live life and function as a family than the word of God. There is no better instruction on how to live as a single adult than the word of God. The needs of all human beings are dealt with in the Bible. What are we doing to attract them to and keep them involved in learning the word of God? Whether it’s developing new programs on different days or times than we already meet or developing new places to meet, God will hold us accountable for what we’ve done in this area.
The second area of focus is encouragement. One of the main reasons that young adults mention for not attending church is they feel that many in the church are critical and judgmental. Whether they’re perception is right or wrong, I wonder what would happen if we were more intentional in encouragement to these young adults?
Life can be very challenging most of the time. As we live our lives, we need a lot of help along the way. We face so many challenges at every turn, it is important for us to have people in our lives that will walk with us to encourage us along the way.
What do people need when they are struggling? Encouragement! What do people need when they need to be challenged to do something that may seem out of their normal range of ability? Encouragement.
With young children, how do you help them when they’re making those first attempts at walking? Do you yell at them: “Come on dummy, you should be walking by now. You’re six months old!” No! You try to encourage them.
What does a person who is struggling with their faith need from other people? Do they need someone tell them that they’re worthless and are going to hell for messing up? Do they need for us to just ignore them and hope they go away? No! They need encouragement.
William Arthur Ward said, “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.” 1 Thess. 5:11 tells us to “. . . encourage one another and build each other up . . .”
Every one of us clearly remembers when the judgmental criticisms of people cut us deeply but we also dearly remember those people who encouraged us along the way. What is it that can change the life of another person? Encouragement!
The third area of focus in developing our young adults is example. Paul is clear in his emphasis. Teachers, live out what you teach. Mature men, be the kind of men the younger men should be. Mature women, be the kind of women the younger women should be. Paul is saying to us: be good examples.
Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 11:1 – Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. Remember what we learned two weeks ago: More lessons are caught than taught. Being an authentic follower of Christ will be the best reinforcement for any teaching and encouragement.
Concentrate on Character
What areas are we called to teach and train our young adults in? What areas should we encourage them in? Where should we best be examples? It’s in the area of character development.
First, Paul talks about the character development of young women. He says in Titus 2:4-5 that the older women should use their lives and influence to teach the younger women how 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.
The first area for character development in young women is to be loving towards their husband and children. Normally when the Bible tells us to love each other, it uses the Greek word agape which means to do the loving thing whether you feel like it or not. But here in Titus 2, when the wife is told to love her husband, the word used for love is phileo. Phileo love has to do with friendship, in delighting in one another. It is not a romantic or sexual love, which certainly has its place in marriage, but it’s a love of a committed wife, who chooses to love her husband not based on his worthiness, but an unqualified love and devotion. Now it is difficult at times for a wife to enjoy her husband. But notice that love is something we can train ourselves to do.
Sometimes it is easy to love your family. When you are first married and your husband is romantic, it's easy. When your children are newborns and they are so cuddly, it's easy to love them. But there are times it is not easy to take delight in your family.
When your husband plays golf for the third straight Saturday and leaves you at home to do the yard work, it’s hard to feel affection and have delight in him. When he is abusive or thoughtless, it's difficult to love him.
Or when your children complain about the meal that you have cooked or gives you lip about being disciplined, it's not easy to love. But those are times as a Christian mother that you are to make the effort to train yourself to love.
The second area of character development for young women has to do with being self-controlled. The New Living Translation says that she is "to live wisely." The King James Version says to "be discreet." The Christian woman is to be known for her ability to control herself. She is not to be known as someone who loses her temper or cannot control her emotions.
You might be thinking, “Wait a minute. I'm not the quiet type. I'm not reserved at all. I'm loud, emotional, and funny, but at least I'm not boring.” We've got to realize that Paul is not discussing our temperament here as much as he is character. It does not matter what our personality is like, we must remain under control.
If you are a big talker, learn when to be quiet. If you have bursts of emotion, don't let those emotions lead you where you shouldn't go or say what you shouldn't say. Your husband and children need the security of seeing you under control.
Please don't fly off the handle when you get upset. Don't talk constantly when you have nothing to say. Don't panic when the pressure is on and go to pieces and start blaming your family and God. When you keep your composure and practice self-control in stressful situations, you create a calm atmosphere in the home.
Paul actually combines the words self-controlled and pure. It is absolutely essential for the well-being of the home that the moral standards of the mother be respected.
Satan will tempt you to be impure, but remember that your children and your marriage need you to be pure. It is tough to be pure when our mind is constantly filled with soap operas, tabloids, and other things like that. In Phil. 4:8, Paul said, “Whatever is pure... think about such things.”
The third area for character development in young women is that they’re to be busy at home. This is an important idea in our time because there are so many working mothers today.
We must understand that this passage of Scripture does not say that it is wrong for a mother to work outside of the home. I don't see being “busy at home” as meaning you shouldn't have another job or outside interests. It is possible for a mother to not have a career and not be busy at home either. You can be at home and not make the family a priority.
The Bible has several examples of Godly women who had careers. Lydia was a seller of purple cloth. Esther was a queen. Priscilla worked making tents. The book of Proverbs tells us about the virtuous woman who was involved in selling real estate and merchandise.
Whether you choose to have a career outside of the home, the point is to make your family a priority. Let your family know that you consider nothing more important than how they are doing.
The fourth area of character development for young women is to be kind. Sadly, I think kindness is missing in a lot of homes. Have you ever wondered why we treat strangers better than we treat our own family?
Not to put more pressure on you, but ladies, I think this begins with you. How you handle yourself in the home will be huge in making the home a pleasant place. If your attitude is gentle, encouraging and kind, then the home has a much better chance of being a place of peace.
I think the key to being kind in the home has to do with a sense of humor. Can you laugh at yourself when you goof up? Can you laugh when the pressure is on? Learn to be kind and gracious in the home.
The fifth and final area of character development for young women is the most controversial one in our society: they’re to be subject to their husbands. It's a basic principle of Scripture that the husband is to be the leader of the home.
That does not mean he is to be a dictator. What Scripture says is that there is to be an acknowledged order in the home. God has delegated the husband to be the leader and a tender-hearted lover. The wife is to respect his leadership. This may sound old-fashioned, but the amazing thing is that this works in a time when so many modern partnership marriages are falling apart.
Paul writes in Eph. 5:22-24 – Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Peter also places emphasis on this idea. 1 Pet. 3:1 – Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husband…
The husbands’ responsibility is even greater. Paul tells the husbands in Eph. 5:25 – Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Peter puts it this way in 1 Pet. 3:7 – Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Women have a choice to make. You can try to build your home as the world does, saying, “I have my rights. Nobody tells me what to do.” Or you can say, “We will build this home the way God has designed it to be.” That takes humility. That takes submission to God's authority.
Now for the young men. The first area of character development for young men is self-control. In the outline on the bulletin I left this one out so please add it in. Self-control is important for everyone – male or female – for different reasons. Young men tend to be testosterone driven. They tend to be more aggressive in the pursuit of their goals and they tend to be more passionate in the pursuit of their pleasures.
Prov. 25:28 – Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. 2 Pet. 1:5-7 – For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
The second area of character development for young men is integrity. Integrity means that you are the same person no matter what situation you’re in. If you behave like a Christian at church, you should behave like a Christian everywhere else.
Young men struggle in this area. When they’re at work or when they’re around their peers, they tend to allow they’re speech and actions to model those of the world rather than those of the Lord. They want to be strong and tough and admired by their peers. They just want to be an average guy. Prov. 11:3 – The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
The third area of character development in young men is seriousness. Young men tend to seem silly and juvenile in their humor. They tend to be coarse and blunt.
This admonition does not mean that we should not have a sense of humor and a cheery personality. Being serious does not mean that we can never laugh or have enjoyment in our life. Jesus used humor in His messages. Prov. 17:22 – A cheerful heart is good medicine. Eccl. 3:4 – There is a time to weep and a time to laugh.
Humor is a good thing but we have to realize that the gospel is a serious thing. It encompasses life and death, heaven and hell matters. It means that when our lives touch other people, if all they get is a good laugh and then go on with their lives, we have failed. Our goal is to honor Jesus, to go to heaven when we die, and take as many people with us as possible - and that's no joke.
The fourth area of concentration for character development in young men is soundness. When we say that someone is sound, we mean that they’re dependable and stable. Young men can tend to be undependable in their responsibilities and unstable in they’re behavior. They tend to distracted at certain times by certain things. Being sound means that people can trust you to follow through with the things you say you’re going to do and that when you do them that you will give it your best effort.
Expect Opposition
Paul says we work on character development in Titus 2:8 so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Whenever we attempt to do things God’s way, we can expect opposition. The world’s way is not God’s way and the world will try to mold you into its shape. Rom 12:2 warns us: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Paul says that there will be people who oppose us. This means we should do our best to live right. Now that doesn't mean that our critics will go away. It means that we shouldn't give our critics ammunition.
So how do we face this opposition? The first thing is that we should rejoice when the world opposes us. Jesus said in Matt. 5:10-12 – “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The second thing we should do is to remember. We should remember that we’re in good company. Jesus and the prophets of God faced opposition to God’s message. Jesus said in Jn. 15:18-20 – If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.”
The last thing for us today in facing opposition is that we need to remember to keep our composure. This is something that I know is difficult for me. But Satan loves it when Christians lose their cool. When we lose our temper and retaliate, Satan has us right where he wants us.
Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. He had some critics that were really angry about the progress he was making. Intending to do him harm, they invited Nehemiah to come meet with them. They wanted to talk about things. But Nehemiah said, “I'm doing a great work and I can't come down.” Nehemiah just kept on building the wall. The critics got angry, but the wall was built.
Close
I really believe that God will take care of the future if we are faithful and obedient today. The old saying goes, “I may not understand everything in this book, but I know that it teaches me that we win in the end.”
The Bible teaches that one day Jesus will return for His church. Everyone who ever lived will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Then His church will reign with Him in glory. That's our ultimate future.
But until that day comes, let us faithfully pass on the faith to others. Let us work to develop the younger believers. Let us not retaliate when attacked. Let's keep our integrity and honesty. Then when the future arrives, we will be found on the winning side. Is your future tied to Jesus?
