The Aged Man: His Family And Church

Introduction: As I have been sharing these messages on the family I have had the privilege of looking at each of you and you at me. Many of the messages that I have presented so far in this series of studies have been directed toward the younger members of the congregation who still have children in their homes. Some of the earlier messages had to do with the couples themselves so this would relate to all married couples. But as I look out over the congregation it is obvious that many of you have already raised your children and are now watching your grandchildren and maybe even great-grandchildren grow up. In a time when so many families have purposely or ignorantly forgotten their aging parents and grandparents, I believe with all my heart that as believers age they also need to know that they still have a very special and vital role to play in the family, and that family needs to allow them the privilege of having a part. We live in a time when families are scattered all over the country and the world. The opportunity for many grandparents to relate with their grandchildren and adult children is not the same as it once used to be, but with God’s help aging believers can still have a powerful impact upon their family, their church and the society they live in.

This AM I want to direct my thoughts toward the aged men in our congregation. I will let you decide who I am speaking about, for medical science tells us that our bodies start their inevitable downward progression at the age of 30 or there abouts, so you see this could take in many of the men here. Next week I will direct my thoughts to the aged women that this text also speaks of. The truths we are going to examine in the next two weeks are clearly associated with the church body of believers, but that is family as well, so the truths can also be transferred to the blood family. My aged brothers and sisters in Christ, never ever feel or believe that your age in earth years makes you not as valuable to the Lord, this church, and especially to your family. Those years of experience are what the Lord can use in a wonderful and mighty way.

The passage of scripture we are going to study today was written by the apostle Paul to the young preacher/missionary Titus who was serving the Lord on the island of Crete in the Mediteranean Sea. Like the books of 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus is a book written to encourage and instruct a young pastor during the early years of the Church age. There is instruction as to his responsibilities, and also the responsibilities of various groups of people in the church there in Crete. Paul used this book to outline the various ways that different age groups of people are to serve one another and the Lord in the local church setting. These truths were not just for Titus’ time but are also just as important today. Let’s look at what the Word of God says in Titus 2 and let’s prayerfully approach the subject so that the Holy Spirit of God can have his way in each of our hearts and lives.

I. OLDER MEN ARE TO BE SOBER

This word is used in two ways.

First, it is used of men who are sober in contrast to being drunk with wine. It is all too clear what happens when men allow alcoholic drinks to enter their body. Once the alcohol or drug is ingested, the body will respond accordingly. Titus was to remind these aged, grey-haired men that they were Christian men now and had a responsibility before Christ, the younger men, their wife, the children, and the church to not allow themselves to act in uncontrolled ways. It certainly is a sad situation when an older man who know the Lord as his Saviour, feels constrained because of the circumstances of life, a habit, or whatever to turn to the bottle to drown his problems. I do believe we all understand that this is not God’s way to deal with the hard times of life. Rather, he should take it to the Lord in prayer.

Second, it is used by analogy of those who are sober-minded about life in general. Essentially, they are clearheaded, they have a balanced perspective on matters of life, they view things as they really are - not better than they are or worse than they are. The older Christian man recognizes both his God-given strengths and his areas of weakness in which to improve with God’s help. Some translations of the scriptures have rendered this word "sober" as temperate which brings out the idea of a person who is balanced and under control at all times.