The Pastor's Work

The Pastor’s Work

TEXT: Titus 2:1-15 W. Max Alderman

INTRODUCTION: God according to His wisdom and purpose has given the church its pastors to lead and help the church through sound Bible preaching. When this is properly done, God will honor it and strengthen the church. (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11-14). Much of the successes and failures of the church can be attributed to the role and the way that the pastor exercises his office. May we look at the Book of Titus, one of the Pastoral Epistles and see the way that Paul addressed young Timothy.

I. THE PASTOR’S PREACHING. (Vv. 1-6)

A pastor cannot be effective without a balance that comes from preaching. When preaching is practically applied, it helps make the preacher a better pastor. Church congregations often fail to recognize the value of a God-ordained pastor when he is properly executing his office. This is because the congregation, when operating smoothly, fails to recognize the ongoing influence that the preaching of the word has upon their lives. Over a period of time, with a steady diet of Biblical preaching people lives are being molded and shaped into the image of Christ. Paul knew the value of this as he instructed young Timothy to both preach and pastor his flock.

A. The Pastor Preaches to Produce a Doctrinal Soundness. (Vv. 1-2)

1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: 2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. (Titus 2:1-2)

The doctrine or beliefs of the church are determined by ones attitude towards Truth. The greater ones conviction is that the Bible is the Word of God, the greater ones appreciation is of it as being his Very Word. There are several ways that congregations view their existence. Some embrace what has been called “creedal authority” and believe that their belief position is established by their traditions. There are those who practice “charismatic authority” believing that their belief position is established by their experiences. There are those who accept as their authority the pope or the papal system for their belief practices. This is called “papal authority”. Our church continues to embrace the same belief system that was expressed during the reformation as being cardinal and which is described by this term: “Sola Scriptura”. This simply means that our authority and belief system is based upon the Scriptures alone… To those of us who make up this congregation today, this position is cardinal.

1. The great responsibility of doing it. (V. 1)

There is a great responsibility in the safe delivery of Truth. There are those who would pervert the Truth, which we must guard against their doing so, and there is the corruption of Truth that comes from improper translations. For there to be “sound doctrine” there must be a correct origin for the doctrine that is being taught. For this reason, we use only the King James Bible.

2. The great reason for doing it. (v. 2)

The doctrinal reason for preaching Truth is so that the believer will be “sound in the faith” and the practical reason is for the reasons given in verse two: “That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.”

The moral condition of our nation will not allow for the virtues found in verse two to be taught. For this reason, the church must do it and when we fail to do it, we fail… The university is not going to teach sobriety of any kind. Who, out there is teaching the importance of taking life more seriously or being grave. For many, life is no more than one great big party. We must begin by teaching the adult men their responsibilities as husbands and fathers. The word temperate speaks of self-control or keeping oneself under a discipline. These and other similar virtues are being taught from this pulpit. To be sound in faith comes only from proper Biblical preaching. A proper exegesis and delivery of Truth will help insure this.

B. The Pastor Preaches to Produce a Domestic Safeguard. (Vv. 3-6)

3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. 6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. (Titus 2:2-6)

We have become so humanized by the current world teachings that many will be either slightly annoyed are greatly angered when they hear the Biblical requirements that were put into the Bible to help us safe-guard our homes. I often wonder how fewer divorces and family failures that there would be if we took more seriously the Word of God. The “aged women” or adults are to conduct their lives in such a way as to insure“behaviour as becometh holiness”. Holiness is so very much lacking in our homes today. Ladies, do you consciously strive to be holy as is defined by the Scriptures?