INTRODUCTION
Opening Statement: I made a decision several years ago about the kind of church that I wanted to pastor. I did not ask for a small church. I did not ask for a large church. I asked God for a healthy church. A healthy church is one that grows warmer in fellowship, deeper through discipleship, broader through ministry, and larger through evangelism. One author has noted: “You don’t judge an army’s strength by how many people sit in the mess hall. You judge an army on the basis of how many people are trained, equipped, and active on the front line.” You don’t judge a churches success by how many people attend a worship service on Sunday morning, though many times that is a good indicator of what’s happening. You judge a church by how healthy and prepared it is when it comes to equipping people to take back enemy-held territory in people’s lives.
The previous five years that I’ve been here has been driving toward this essential, equipping purpose. It’s always been at the forefront of my thinking. And now, the time is right to establish the processes that will grow healthy, well-balanced believers.
What does this mean for SCC? Our goal is not to get bigger? Our goal is not to get smaller? Our goal is to get healthy and help other people get healthy. Healthy, growing, maturing believers often times results in a larger attendance.
Transition: I want us to look at part of a letter that Paul wrote to one of his young pastors.
Text: Titus 2:1-10
Background: The apostle left Titus on the island of Crete to ’’set in order what remains, and appoint elders in every city (Titus 1:5).’’ They have need for spiritual maturity in the congregation. And so Titus has been given the assignment to work to that end. To establish order in the church Paul gave Titus instructions concerning the behavior of various groups of Christians. Titus was instructed to approach every group in the church and challenge them to a holy lifestyle. “I want them to be godly men and women so that they will be salt and light on that island.” He did not only want them to live holy lives but to preserve a powerful Christian testimony in their community. He wanted them to be a healthy, well-balanced group of believers that clearly and attractively presented the gospel in their island community.
Notation: As we get into this, I think you will find that the ancient island of Crete has a lot of similarities with the relatively new town of Sunman, Indiana USA.
Title: Striving for Church Health
Miniseries Theme: Equipping Them In All Stages of Life! We’re going to be breaking this passage down into several messages.
Target: Every adult man aged 60 or above, please stand. These are the focus this morning, with applications for everyone.
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OUTLINE
Opening Statement: It’s interesting how we view the aging process. Early in life, we’re 4 and ½. Then, we’re going on 16. Then, we finally become 21. We simply turn 30. We’re pushing 40. We reach 50 and hit 60!
Illustration: One pastor has observed: America is now the oldest society in the history of the world. There has never been a society with this percentage of older people. Material comfort, medical care and a low birth rate have led America to what is called the graying of America and an older population. In our country, for example, the number of people over 65 passed the number of teen-agers. There are about 23 million teenagers in America, I know sometimes it seems like there are about 250 million of them, but there are 23 or so million teenagers in America and there are approaching 35 million people over 65. They tell us in 25 years one out of every five people will be over 65 and one out of every ten will be over 80. The graying of America. We know it’s here. We see it all around us. I suppose in some ways we laugh at it. Bob Hope said, "You know you’re old when the candles cost more than the cake." And Agatha Christy wrote on one occasion that she married an archaeologist. And someone asked why would you marry an archaeologist...to which she replied, "Because the older I get the more he’ll appreciate me." You know, they say there are only three stages in life...youth, adulthood and "my, you’re looking well." And when they start saying that to you, you know where you are. Getting older should be enjoyed as much as possible. We should grow older gracefully. But unfortunately, there’s a certain sadness in getting older. We become creatures of somewhat formidable and unbreakable habits. And the longer we do them the harder they are to deal with. Sometimes even our besetting sins become so much a part of the fabric of our lives that even recognition of them becomes difficult. Sometimes we get a little bit obstinate and a little bit stubborn and sometimes we think we know more than we do know, and sometimes we think age equals wisdom, and it doesn’t.
Key Word: Paul exhorts Titus to be alert to five different groupings of people on the island. We’re going to break-down what the Apostle shared with Titus so as to clearly communicate what is being said here regarding church health. There are 5 SPECIFIC GROUPS that are addressed. Today, our focus begins with Senior (60+) Adult Men – how they should live and how we should treat them.
Exposition: Titus 2:1 But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. [This is my job – to communicate what a healthy church should look like. This was Titus’ job.] 2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. 6 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. 9 Urge bond slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.
Healthy Senior Men
Exposition: Titus is to tell the older men, "You have lived a long time on this island; you have been heavily influenced by your culture. But now you must begin to see yourselves as God sees you and become a model to the young men coming after you. They need to hear about your spiritual walk and how you are growing in the Lord." He proceeds to specify the kind of life our senior men are to lead.
Notation: I. (:2) CONDUCT OF OLDER MEN
A. "temperate" First, the apostle says, older men are to be "temperate, sober, clear-headed."
Explanation: Cretans were dedicated to the national pastime of drinking, but older Christian men were to be examples of sobriety. Drunkenness was not worth the price of the hurt and the damage it caused. Older men with a little extra time on their hands might find this difficult to do. Ideally, the older man is a man who isn’t into excess, who is generally a moderate person. He has learned the high cost of self-indulgent living. He has been moderated by life experiences.
B. "dignified" Secondly, older men are to be ’’dignified, worthy of respect."
Explanation: Paul wants them to have a sense of the seriousness of their position in Christ; to live in a way that brings honor and glory to the name of Jesus. It doesn’t mean that they’re boring, gloomy people; it means they’re not frivolous. They’re not flippant. They’re over the feeling of immortality and invincibility that plagues young people. And they’ve seen too much and felt too much to be trivial. They’ve buried their parents in many cases. They’ve buried their sisters and brothers. They’ve stood in hospital waiting rooms while those they love died. They’ve been waiting for the surgeon to come out and explain what happened in the cancer surgery to a life partner. They’ve watched a child rebel. They’ve watched a child born who turned away from everything they believed in. They watched a child die of cancer. They’ve seen it all. They’ve felt it all. They have borne the burdens of their own life and family and the burdens of a myriad of other people with whom they have shared life.
C. "sensible" " Sensible, " is the third characteristic.
Quotation: The comedian, Rodney Dangerfield, once said, "I don’t know why young people love me. Maybe it’s just because I never grew up." What a tragedy for a senior citizen.
Explanation: Sensible means they have discretion and discernment. That comes by age. They’ve experienced it all. They’ve gone through all the experiences and they have developed a strength of mind and a depth of experience and a grip on truth and a devotion to what is right and they have learned how to control their instincts and their passions. And that word "sensible" means they’ve got the loose ends of their life tied down, they’re under control, they have discernment, discretion.
D. "sound in faith" – Fourth, be "sound in faith," i.e., have a healthy faith.
Explanation: Paul wanted older men to be spiritually healthy, to live life based on the Word of God, to rest in Christ, using their gifts for a life of good works and sharing their faith openly. Through all of the sins and the temptations and trials and the repentances and the renewals, through all of the exposure to the truth and the application of the Word, it has been as God said it would be and He can be believed. And that kind of mature faith holds up the church. It gives us a faith to emulate.
E. "in love" – Fifth, be " sound in love. " Older men should have a healthy understanding of who God is and of his love for them, to love God with their whole heart, their mind and their strength, and their neighbor as themselves. A healthy Senior man has a healthy spiritual love. He is a man who loves. He’s not a bitter man. That’s the saddest thing there is in the world is to see an older man who is bitter. Here is a man who loves. One of the tragedies of old age is when people become unloving and bitter and selfish. This older man that the church desperately needs is healthy in his love. He doesn’t love out of emotion, he loves out of principle. He loves because it’s right. He loves with his will not his feelings. Part of growing old is that you don’t do everything by your feelings.
F. "in perseverance" – And sixth, be "sound in endurance."
Explanation: "Hang in there," he is saying. The senior man has been through it all. He has the courage that is the result of that. He lives with disappointment, unfulfilled aspirations, physical weakness, and growing loneliness. As a result, the godly senior man becomes tempered like steel. His body is weaker, his spirit is stronger, but he is to endure to the very end. What a testimony!
Summary: In contrast to society all around, Christians in general, but Senior men in particular exhibiting these attributes would stand out like a lighthouse in a dark and stormy night to those on this island, offering life and hope to a society sinking its own corruption. Senior men are to be sober (vigilant), grave (serious, easy to respect), temperate (self-controlled), and sound (healthy) in the faith.
CONCLUSION
Application: To those of us who are not seniors yet, I have four primary applications.
1. Don’t underestimate the value of our senior adult men. Not all older adults are senile, forgetful and physically feeble. Many are sharp intellectually, socially active and physically strong for decades longer than previously thought possible.
2. Be aware of the biological changes that they are going through. Some lose an inch or more of their height due to compressed vertebrae and weakened muscles. Vision and hearing loss is problematic. Older adults take longer to retrieve names, dates and other information from memory. Some have severely impaired judgment. Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s are three prevalent brain diseases in older adults. When I came here five years ago, I shook firm, stable hands. And now, those same hands I shake have a tremble.
3. Know their fears and minister to them in light of those fears. The number one common feeling among the aged is the feeling of uselessness. The senior citizen often thinks, “I am in the way. I am a bother.” Secondly, there’s the feeling of guilt. “If I could only live my life over, I would…” Guilt keeps saying to the older gentleman, “I’m not the man I could have been.” Thirdly, bitterness and resentment is another feeling that is common among seniors. Some have even lost the battle to self-pity and can never get beyond what happened yesterday. Finally, there’s the feeling of fear that says, “I’m afraid of the unknowns.” Allow me to interject here: We are not going to leave you alone nor forget you.
4. Honor our senior men. Certainly God has told us to revere those who are older than we are, those who are the aged who have walked with Him. Leviticus 19:32 says, "You shall rise up before the gray headed and honor the aged." Job 12:12, "Wisdom is with the aged with long life is understanding." The gray head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness. Somebody older who has walked a long time in the path of righteousness is a treasure, a treasure of wisdom and a treasure of experience and a treasure of understanding, a triumphant Christian who has fought the battle over and over and over and been victorious, who has experienced everything that the young are waiting to experience; these become a great treasure to the church. Seniors, we value your opinion, leadership and direction.
Then, to our senior men, I would say by way of application.
1. Find your passion and do it. Face the fact that you’re not getting any younger and this requires adjustment, but don’t lose your passion.
2. Do all the good you can, especially the things we’ve mentioned this morning.
3. Keep moving and think about all the things yet to be done. Your life experiences have prepared you to do something great!
4. Remember your faith and reflect on the good things with a smile.
Illustration: In personal interviews with over seventy eighty-year-old adults, Paul Miller asked them to share how their childhood hopes were challenged in life and what they now hoped for at age eighty. All of the interviewees reflected on their childhood faith shared with them by their mothers.
Quotation: Perhaps the sentiment of the anonymous poet expresses what you feel:
Across the fields of yesterday
He sometimes comes to me
The little lad just back from play
The boy I used to be
He smiles at me so wistfully
When once he’s crept within
It is as though he had hoped to see
The man I might have been.
Invitation: Where ever you’re at and whatever your feelings may be, I invite you to come this morning for a time of consecrated prayer for your needs. God has designed you to be empty without him. Why don’t you come and renew things with God. Let God begin to rewrite those wasted years. Age is your reminder that home is a little closer.
