Striving For Church Health – Healthy Younger Men Series

INTRODUCTION

Opening Statement: A month ago, we began to talk about Striving For Church Health. If SCC is going to be a healthy church, the senior saints must lead the way in example and conduct and we, the congregation, must know how to react and respond to their lives and walk among us. Young women must also lead by making their home and family a priority. Now, we come to younger men.

Observation: Younger men have many things as there priorities. Some men set out to conquer college, push through graduate school, learn a new job, establish a family, build up the bank account, and retire at 55. While having these goals are commendable, younger men can sometimes lose their way and miss what’s really important in life as they pursue their goal-filled agenda. It seems that early in adulthood, young men tend to focus on relationships, girls, sports cars, and the big bucks. Some never quite get over that and others take as much as 15 years or more to emerge from their adolescent fantasies. Then as they enter the middle adult years, they begin to evaluate things, and second-guess things, and begin to wonder about their search for meaning and significance. This often leads to what…

Illustration: One author describes a “dropout phenomenon” among middle-aged adults when it comes to church involvement. Six reasons for midlife adults to drop out of organized religion and church specifically (I’ll paraphrase): 1) empty nest freedom, 2) lack of freedom and anonymity, 3) a heightened career surge that leaves less time for church, 4) burnout following unbalanced exertion of younger years, 5) pursuit of leisure activity, and 6) divorce or marriage problems.

Transition: This message today assumes a couple of things today. One is that you’re going to hang in there and not abandon the new community, the body of Christ, no matter how good or bad life may get. Second, you want to know how you can contribute to a healthy church.

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.

Title: Striving for Church Health – Healthy Younger Men

Miniseries Theme: There are 5 SPECIFIC GROUPS that are addressed: senior adult men, senior adult women, younger women, younger men, and employees. Today, we focus on younger men in particular with applications for everyone.

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OUTLINE

Opening Statement:

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.

Healthy Younger Men

Opening Statement: Titus was among the “young men” category.

Recitation: 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; [Three aspects of responsibility become obvious here: exhortation, example and effect.] 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.