In 1989, country music star, Alan Jackson was sitting in a hotel room in Pine Bluff, Arkansas watching in rain out the window and was reflecting on the last 10 years of his life with his wife Denise.
Their 10th anniversary was approaching and as he sat with his guitar and reflected on their first 10 years of marriage, he wanted to write a song.
As he thought about country music legends songs reflecting on their past and marriage, he remembered that Roy Clark (former He Haw Country Star) wrote a song called: “If I had to do it all over again” which basically said: “If I had to do it all over again, I’d do it with you.”
Watching the rain fall, began to write these lyrics: “If I had to do it all over, I’d still do it with you.”
I would have had him come here and sing the song today as the intro of my message, but I learned that booking him starts in the range of $1.5 million and $2 million dollars.
Over the years, Roy Clark and Alan Jackson were not the only ones to write songs about “Doing it with you all over again.” Around that same time Christian musician Dallas Holm also wrote a similar song that says: “If I had to do it all over again, I’d serve Jesus every day of my life, for ‘ve found He alone can really satisfy…”
Transition:
There are many times in life that we stop and reflect on our lives. As a matter of fact, Psychologists say it’s a healthy thing to do. The say we should reflect on our lives regularly. If not daily, at the very least annually with New Years resolutions.
The American Psychiatric Association tells us that 82% of Americans struggle with regrets as they grow older.
So why not today, let’s let God help us reflect and reanalyze our lives in a couple of areas that impact us the most: Our home life, our work life. These next 6 verses in Titus give us instruction to take a proper inventory of how we are currently living life.
To avoid regrets we must evaluate our life and choose to live within God’s designed purpose.
Let’s start our inventory first with two life changing questions:
I. What Is the Purpose of Your Home Life?
Vs. 3-5- “Older women are to likewise be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
Explanation:
Studies show that we live 87% of our lives at home. This includes sleeping, eating, and enjoying family life in our homes.
Therefore, it should not be surprising that Paul pauses in his instruction the younger ladies in the churches in Crete and talks about “home life” and instructs the older women to teach the younger ladies about God’s design for it.
From this discussion, it’s clear that Paul wants the older ladies (who have established Christian homes with their husbands) to teach the younger ladies to do the same with their husbands. He wants to direct them so that they will not live with regrets.
Therefore, he tells the older women to be busy “teaching what is good.” (vs. 3) and to, “encourage the young women.” (vs. 4)
God is highlighting the high value of godly women and their impact in the home. I think most men will say that without a woman in the house, it never seems like a home.
When I moved here, my family stayed behind for the last couple of school semesters so that she could finish up her Senior year in High School. During that time, we sold our home in Auburn, and they lived in an apartment, and we purchased a home here in Kennesaw. But, until Jan was here, it was only a house to go home to. When she got here, I had a home to go home to because I had a wife to go home to.
Ladies, you are a primary ingredient to making a house a home; that’s why Paul talks to the young ladies about their influence on home life.
It is dutiful to note that marriage and the home was God’s idea. Did you know that before God created the church, He created the home. We don’t have to go far into the first few pages of the Bible to see the creation of a home.
In Genesis 2:22 we find God creating the woman from Adam’s rib. The Bible says that He “fashioned” her. The word to describe what He did was the Hebrew word “banah.” It is a word that means: “To build or construct.”
The idea is that she was more than just something he put together; building her was a project of great worth. Women were not sewn together by God like a shirt you can sew together in a few hours; you are a construction project. You were designed purposefully and built with great focus and purpose. You were not a hobby for God. You are a human being who was created with a purpose and strong influence.
One of the major things God created you for is to partner with your husband in building a home. Paul is boldly declaring that when it comes to the home “Mom’s matter.”
The question is then: What is the purpose of the home in God’s eyes? Let’s look at this passage and discover God’s plan for the home. What does God want your home and my home to be like?
According to God’s Word here in Titus, our homes are to be like:
a) A school- The older women were challenged to teach the young women to “encourage the young women to love their husbands and love their children.” Does anyone find that to be an odd statement? Who needs to learn this? Doesn’t it come naturally?
It doesn’t when we think about the expressions of real love. Not every home is filled with God’s love. God’s love makes the home different. It is not perfect, but it is different.
What does real love do? According to I Corinthians 13, real love is:
a) Patient- It’s slowing down, it prays, it plants seeds of love and lets God get involved and develop love into something special.
b) Not proud or rude- It provides a home of mutual love and respect.
c) Not easily angered- Removes hot heads and makes people levelheaded.
d) Keeps no records of wrong- It makes a marriage between two professional forgivers.
e) Rejoices in truth- It is a love that is based on Biblical teaching and truth.
f) Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things- It is a love that hangs on and
hangs in there.
God’s love in a home makes the home a healthier home every day.
The call to be a “workers at home” is not about washing dishes and laundry (although I assure you, that is an expression of love) buts a deeper than that; this is a woman who works on making the home a haven of God’s love.
b) It is also a sanctuary- In verse 5 we read that young godly women influence the home by displaying “kindness, being sensible and pure. Do you see what the second purpose of the home is? It’s a place where God shows up in the lives of people each day. Young women are to be kind (this means their heart is good) Sensible (notice old men, younger women, and the young men are all told to display this (vs. 2,4, 6) This again is a spiritual quality that means “unmixed with wine” which speaks of a faith that does not intermingle with fear) Pure means “holiness/different because of the presence of the divine)
With these words we see that the home is not only a school; it is a sanctuary where
the family members find it as a place of practical worship. They worship God through
the relationships and how they respond to each other.
c) It is also a place of support – The word “subject to their husband” is the Greek word “hypotasso” which speaks of the order and arrangement. She is a support. She’s a support that holds up a wall. Without her help, he would come crashing down. Yet, she knows her place is holding him up because without her, he is not as strong and secured in leading the family and loving in the home like Christ does.
Illustration: The wise home
In December of 2004 a Tsunami hit the coast of Thailand. Many perished but the ones who did not said that they learned something from home that saved their life.
They were taught from their fathers and mother’s years before that if the sea rushed out quickly that it would return with the same power that it went out.
When the water receded into the ocean, many live fish were left exposed, and hundreds of islanders ran out to retrieve them. But the ones who remembered the words of their mothers and fathers’ years before retreated and ran away from the sea instead of toward it.
When the sea returned, they were on high ground and safe while the uninstructed tragically died.
Application:
What may seem right to man can end up in destruction. It made sense to go after the exposed fish, but in reality, they needed to run away to safety.
The home is meant to be a school, a sanctuary, and a support so that every family member will find life inside its walls that have been constructed literally by God and obedience to His Word that comes through godly young dads and godly young moms.
Older men and women by their example and their experience from walking with God, provide a place where the home becomes a haven of peace, safety, and abundant spiritual life.
Transition: To evaluate our life, it all begins with purpose. Let’s start our inventory first with a life changing question:
II. What is the Purpose for My Work Life?
Vs. 6-12- “Likewise urge young men to be sensible… Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters…”
Explanation:
Before Paul speaks about work life, He addresses young men.
In Paul’s instruction to young women, he prepares us to learn about our “home life” then, as a preliminary to speak about our work life; he addresses “young men.”
In his instruction to there are some strong similarities. Notice, he tells the young women and young men to both be sensible. He also tells young ladies to be pure and then tells the young men to be “pure in doctrine.”
He adds to this by telling young men to “be an example in good deeds… to be dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach.
If you boiled down what Paul is saying to old men, older women, younger women, and younger men (we all have the same type of purpose) it is to know Jesus and live out His plan for your life.
Part of God’s plan is for us to bring attention to God’s presence in our life through our home life, as well as our work life.
Therefore, Paul commits verses 9- 11 to give us instruction about that part of our life. I read this week that we will spend 90,000 hours of our life at work. No wonder at retirement companies often gives the retiree a watch; they’ve worn out plenty of them all the years they’ve been working.
In this passage we Paul introduced the idea of our work life through instruction to people who worked, often against their personal will and freedom. He instructed “bondslaves”.
Yet in it he provides instruction for all who understand that our work is more than a job, it is a vocation.
The Latin word came into our language over time, and it lost its meaning. As early as the 1500’s the word “vocation” was simply defined as work. Yet, the original Latin word meant: a sacred calling from God.
It does not matter if you are the Chief of surgery, the Chief of Police, or the Chief custodian; you have a holy and sacred calling of God; it is a vocation.
When Paul wrote to Titus, there were 50 million slaves in the Roman Empire serving in a multiplicity of roles. They served as indentured servants, farm laborers, clerks, craftsmen, teachers, soldiers and even doctors.
In turn Paul taught things like this: “Whatever you do, do your work heartily as unto the Lord (as a vocation) and not unto men.” Colossians 3:23-24
Basically, he was saying, “Do your work as a vocation, as a calling, as a means of worship to Christ.”
In it he gives us 6 things attitudes we should take to work with us tomorrow like we might bring a Bible to church, or a stringed instrument to play, or a smile to welcome a stranger that walks in the door.
What should we do in our work so it will be worship?
a) Show Up - (9a) “be subject to their masters in everything”- In other words, if you are not the boss, don’t try to be. Humbly seek to bring your best no matter who he or she is.
Paul uses an interesting word to describe the “master.” He uses the Greek word “despotes” from which we get our word “despot.” This is the type of boss that we would consider to be a jerk. It means: “An unkind, unreasonable, and overbearing boss.” The Ebenezer Scrooge type of boss to Bob Cratchit.
Bob Cratchit is a pretty good picture of what Paul is speaking of her. A guy that serves despite his circumstances.
b) Work Hard- (9b)- “to be well pleasing”- The term well pleasing is almost always used in the New Testament to refer to our service to Jesus. In the same way, godly employees work as unto the Lord. It is working with all our heart, refusing to cut corners, doing it with enthusiasm and refusing to be lazy, lack of initiative, or careless.
c) Don’t talk back - (vs 9c)- “not argumentative- The word Paul uses here means “to speak against” in its literal form it means “mouthing off. “The of course means to refuse to be quarrelsome, contentious, or belligerent. He is doesn’t grumble but serves God.
d) Stay out of trouble- (vs. 9d)- “not pilfering”- This means “light fingering.” In short, it means to steal or embezzle. According to the US Department of Commerce, employee dishonesty costs businesses $50 billion dollars a year. Yet, they say the drain is small and slow. It’s the little things that add up to billions of dollars.
e) Serve Like Jesus Served You- (vs 9e)- “showing good faith means to do something with the “purpose of demonstrating or proving something.” This means that ultimately your behavior proves that you not just working for your boss but working for the Lord. There’s a deeper motive.
f) Make Jesus Look Good- (vs. 9f)- “adorn the doctrine of God”- The word “adorn” is the word cosmeo from which we get our word “cosmetics.” In other words, we make God’s Word attractive because it has created a great worker.
Illustration: Bagging groceries or TV Star
Does the name Geoffrey Owens? He’s a television star who was on “The Cosby Show” which was a very successful television show of yesteryear.
But after Bill Cosby’s faced a conviction, the re-runs were pulled and Geoffrey’s income dried up, so he made news when they took a job bagging groceries at Trader Joes in New Jersey.
Yet, when asked about the job Geoffrey said this: “I don’t feel sorry for myself, a certain job might pay more, it might have better benefits, it might look better on paper, but one kind of work isn’t better than another kind of work, we should honor the dignity of work and the dignity of the working person.”
Application:
That’s the kind of employee employers are looking for.
Yet, when we work “as unto the Lord” the Lord blesses it and often, your hard work will get you a promotion as well. God’s Kingdom is blessed, your employer is blessed, and you are blessed.
Conclusion:
Do you want to live a life that you would want to live all over again? Jesus has the answer.
A new study out of England discovered that the most miserable time every day is 11:17 a.m. and the most miserable moment of the week is 11:17 a.m. on Monday.
Do you know why? It’s the beginning of the work week. People have gotten to work, reflected on the weekend, and (according to the study) because they feel burdened down “working for the man.”
Yet, whether it be your “homework” where you work to build a home of love, or the “work life” serving mankind; why not do what you do as “unto the Lord.”
If you are living with regrets or seem unhappy with your life, if you have a watch with an alarm, I encourage you to set your watch for 11:17 a.m. every day and just commit your day to the Lord.
Let that be your time to refocus on Jesus and see what God does with it this week.
Yet, considering time, let me ask you: “What are you going to do with yours?”
This morning you received a gift from God. You received a day. 24 hours. That would be 1,440 minutes. That’s 86,400 seconds.
There are many people in eternity that wish they had the gift that you have today. Do you know why? They’d like to have an opportunity to make the decision I am about to encourage you to make: A decision to follow Jesus.
Today, I promise, if you do, you will not regret it. Furthermore, you’ll be like Dallas Holm, the Christian singer who said: “If I had to do it all over again, I’d serve Jesus every day of my life, for I ‘ve found He alone can really satisfy…”
